Chain of Command (16 page)

So as the news anchor began his daily monologue, McKnight was looking forward to the show. He wondered if his latest piece of intel had filtered into Steiner’s hands yet.

“Our first guest of the day, Congressman Thomas Steiner, will be unable to join us this morning. In his place we will be talking to a panel of experts who…”

McKnight set his coffee mug down and stared at the television screen, his morning unsettled for the time being. He was tempted to call Steiner’s publicist and find out what was going on, but he held his hand. If she put two and two together, that could link McKnight to Steiner. That was something he couldn’t afford to have happen.

Instead of worrying about it, he muted the television and diverted his attention to his ever-filling email inbox.

Eleven messages in, his direct line rang. That could only mean one thing.

“Congressman McKnight.”

“Good morning, Tony.”

“Good morning, Mr. President.”

“I’m late for a breakfast meeting, but I wanted to give you an update on our situation.”

Ask and you shall receive
, thought McKnight.

“I’m all ears.”

“Tom Steiner won’t be a problem anymore.”

McKnight’s voice almost caught in his throat.

“Oh?”

“I can’t give you the details until we know more, but suffice it to say that we’ve linked him to some of the sources in his report.”

McKnight wanted to scream.

“Wow. That’s good news. How did it happen?” he somehow managed to ask.

The president chuckled, the sound serving to further rattle McKnight’s nerves. “I’ve got a couple tricks up my sleeve.”

“Any that you could share?”

“Let’s just say that I know some people who are very good at what they do.”

“That’s good to hear, Mr. President. Does that mean that the investigation into the Marine deaths is heating up?”
Please say no.

“I can’t get into that over the phone. Maybe you can stop by later and I’ll fill you in. You have been in on this from the beginning, and I’ll say again how much I appreciate your help.”

McKnight saw the silver lining, grabbed it, and tried his best to push his anxiety away.

“It’s been my pleasure. What time would you like me to stop by?”

“I’m meeting with Travis and General McMillan after lunch, I think it’s one o’clock. Stop by then?”

“I’m putting it in my calendar now.”

“Great. See you soon.”

The line went dead, but McKnight kept the phone to his ear, gripping it until he felt the plastic start to give. He somehow resisted the urge to slam the receiver down, settling it back in its place.

Think
.

How much did the president know? McKnight wondered if Steiner was in custody or merely in self-imposed exile. He guessed the former, considering the president’s confident tone. McKnight wasn’t concerned with being caught. There was nothing to connect him to the report or Steiner. But if the president’s people found out about the other part of McKnight’s scheme, the part involving OrionTech, Gower and Mason, things could go the wrong way quickly.

No plan was ever one hundred percent foolproof, but McKnight prided himself with his cunning and planning. He’d walked through every outcome he could think of. He’d laid out the escalating battle against the Marines. Start with the money argument, that America could make do without them on the grounds of helping the economy. The money argument would lead to the accusations of fraud and waste within the Marine Corps. The trail would then lead to the latest catastrophe, the killing of hundreds of Marines and the implications of a poorly-led military force.

Leaders in the other services were being asked for their opinions. While most snubbed reporters or simply offered their condolences for the Marines lost, there were a few who’d warmed to the idea of an armed forces without the Marine Corps. The anonymous sources from the Army said that they could just as easily fill in the void. They’d already been training on Navy amphibious vessels for years. One anonymous colonel said that amphibious landings themselves were a thing of the past, an outdated maneuver that the Marines still clung to out of stubborn pride. Sources from the Navy were saying that it didn’t really matter who they ferried around on their fleets. While the Marines had always been a part of the Navy way of life, why not try something new? It was, after all, the twenty-first century and the Army had the new technology that would complement the Navy’s innovative platforms.

And so it went. Each piece would work off the other, feeding the whole, with the help of Steiner, the media and an enraged populace. It was a tsunami the Marine Corps could not avoid. Accusations would lead to investigations, which would lead to convictions and then the final nail in the Marine coffin, disbandment.

Weeks ago, the idea might’ve sounded ludicrous to all but the most liberal minded academics, but now opinion was shifting. There were too many questions to be ignored, too many implications for the thousands of young men and women who filled the Marine ranks each year. His office alone had already received over twenty letters from concerned parents whose children were either in Marine boot camp or had signed up to go. They wanted answers.

McKnight told himself that it was too late, the ball was already rolling. With a few more well-placed jabs, the Marine Corps would be left reeling against the ropes without the ability to defend itself.

That gave Congressman McKnight two options: 1) help deliver the death blow and place the blame in Zimmer’s lap, or 2) swoop in as the savior and reap the rewards. Either way, he would win, and winning meant putting McKnight one giant step closer to living in the White House.

Chapter 29

Fayetteville, North Carolina

7:30am, December 10
^th

“I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes,” said Vince, scratching his snow white beard.

“I promised under an hour,” said Cal, downing the rest of his coffee and throwing the cup in the trashcan next to the park bench they were sitting on.

“It was actually thirty-nine minutes exactly.”

“I told you he was good.”

“The best,” added Gaucho, who was sitting across from them with Daniel and MSgt Trent.

“And you said you got him from the CIA?” asked Vince.

Cal nodded.

Vince whistled in admiration. “I sure would’ve liked to have had him on a couple recent ops. You ever loan him out?”

“Not if I can help it.”

Vince shook his head. Cal was glad his team had so amazed the Delta commander. Gaucho had told Cal on the way out of Bragg that Vince was one of the best, a guy who was not only smart but one of the men. He’d apparently spurned multiple attempts to be put behind a desk, for his career’s sake, of course. “He’ll never pick up a star because of it,” Gaucho had said, “but I don’t think he cares.”

It seemed like a valid assessment to Cal. He wondered what would happen to the caliber of military officers if they weren’t forced to take non-field assignment and allowed to choose their own path. Everyone always said it made both officers and enlisted more well-rounded, but what did that really mean? Cal put the thought off for another day and focused on the task at hand.

They were waiting for one of Vince’s friends to show. The guy worked for a company called OrionTech, the place Bobby had said his buddy worked at as a security contractor. OrionTech had an office just outside of Ft. Bragg in Fayetteville for obvious reasons. If you’re going to supply the military’s elite, you might as well set up shop next to where they live.

“You ever worked with OrionTech, Vince?” Cal asked.

Vince nodded. “They’ve got some good engineers in the Fayetteville facility who specialize in next generation munitions and weaponry. Not the larger caliber stuff, but special operations and infantry grade. In exchange for our input, we get to keep the gear if we like it.”

Cal knew the system well as his father’s company, Stokes Security International, did the same thing. If you were in the business of building military technology, it was good to make friends with the services.

“What does the guy we’re meeting do for OrionTech?”

“He’s in upper level sales, but he used to be one of us. Keeps tabs on the other operators when he can. Converted over to the dark side when OrionTech offered him too much money to pass up. Good man.”

They sat in silence until a man in a sharp suit appeared on the path and made his way over to them. He looked like any one of a thousand suits Cal had met in his lifetime. The man could’ve easily disappeared in a banker’s convention.

“Vince,” the man said, shaking his friend’s hand.

“Rick Chapman, I’d like you to meet some of my friends.”

Rick nodded to the others.

“I’ve got an eight o’clock, but you said it wouldn’t take long.”

“Just a couple of questions,” said Vince. “I was hoping you could keep this between us.”

“Of course.”

“Good. I’ll get right to it. Some guys who worked for OrionTech might’ve had something to do with the recent attacks on the Marines.”

Rick frowned. “Well that’s coming out of left field, even for you.”

“I know, but we got the information from a pretty reliable source.”

“Okay. How do you think I can help?”

“Have you ever heard of a couple two-stars by the names of—” Vince turned to Cal, who finished the question.

“Joseph Gower and Duane Mason?”

Rick’s eyes registered recognition. “Admiral Gower?”

“Yeah. They both work at the Pentagon.”

“I’m not supposed to know this, but Admiral Gower is on tap to be our new CEO.”

Bingo
, thought Cal. He’d decided to ask about Gower and Mason on a whim. The work Neil, Jonas and Diane were doing had yet to find anything out of the ordinary on the two flag officers.

“And Mason?”

Rick shook his head. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”

Two for two would’ve been too easy.

“What exactly does this have to do with the Marines?” asked Rick.

“That brings me to my second question,” said Vince. “Have you heard any rumors about OrionTech employees who are former soldiers, Delta even, who’ve recently shipped overseas in small teams?”

“I don’t think so. We have a small VIP protection division, but they base those guys out of another office.”

Vince looked to Cal, who shrugged.

“That’s all we wanted to know,” said Vince. “And remember, keep this to yourself. It may be nothing, but we’ll get to the bottom of it soon.”

“No problem. Let me know if there’s anything else you think I can help with. If there’s a chance that some of our people had anything to do with what happened overseas—”

The rest of the men nodded. Rick understood.

+++

Once they were back in Vince’s beat up Aerostar van, they discussed the implications of what Gower’s involvement could mean.

“Do you think he was the ringleader?” asked Gaucho.

“It’s gotta be more than just coincidence,” answered Cal. “We’ll see if Neil can’t work his magic and tap into OrionTech’s system. Maybe that’ll give us some answers.”

No one said a word as Vince maneuvered through the early morning Fayetteville traffic. Cal wondered if Gower was simply using his contacts at OrionTech to wage his own personal war against the Marine Corps, or if OrionTech leadership was somehow involved. He didn’t like either option, but going up against forces that had the backing of one of the world’s largest military suppliers wasn’t a good thought.

+++

Rick Chapman took the long way back to the office. It was a sunny morning and the sidewalks were scattered with joggers and power walkers. After doing a couple back and forths to make sure he hadn’t been followed, Rick pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number from memory.

“Yes?”

“I have something for you.”

“Go ahead.”

“An old friend just stopped by to ask about you.”

“And who would that be?”

“Vince Sweeney.”

“The Delta commander.”

“You remember?”

“Of course. Did he remember me?”

“No,” answered Rick. “But he was with some friends.”

“More Delta?”

“I don’t think so. They didn’t say.”

“What did they say?”

“They asked about you and Gower.”

“What did you tell them?”

“That I wasn’t supposed to know that Gower was going to be our new CEO.”

“And about me?”

“I said I didn’t know you.”

“Was that all?”

“No. They asked about any company operator’s involvement with the Marine thing.”

“And what did you say to that?”

“I told them I hadn’t heard of anything, but that I’d keep an ear out.”

There was a pause as the man on the other end of the line digested the information.

“Maybe we can use this. I’ll be in touch.”

There was a click and the call ended.

Rick replaced the phone in his pocket and continued toward his office. Who would’ve thought that such a juicy piece of intel could fall right into his lap? He wondered what Vince would think if he knew that his old friend was working for the very man they were looking for.

Chapter 30

Ft. Bragg, North Carolina

9:22am, December 10
^th

Cal sighed and ended the call with Special Agent Barrett. The NCIS agent and his companion had yet to find anything in the Ellwood home, even after spending most of the night searching. They were going back soon to resume the haystack picking.

Cal thumbed through Gen. Ellwood’s diary again. Other than the circled names and the note at the end, it didn’t look like the former Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps had left any clues. Just to be safe, Cal had instructed Mrs. Ellwood not to say a thing to either NCIS agent about the diary and the names it contained. Until he knew he could really trust Barrett, there was no need to leak information that they still hadn’t proved to be of any real significance. He also didn’t need the NCIS ringing the alarm and alerting Gower and Mason.