Run into Trouble (27 page)

***

Drake had barely entered his motel room when
the phone rang. He was tired from running into the wind most of the
day and didn’t feel like speaking to anyone. After the third ring
he figured he’d better answer it.

“Drake.”

“Turn on the telly, channel seven.” Melody’s
voice sounded urgent.

“Are we about to be hit by a meteor?”

“Worse. Just turn it on.”

Drake hung up and clicked on the television
set. When the picture appeared on channel seven, Casey’s face
filled the screen in glorious black and white. It took Drake a few
seconds to understand what he was talking about. He heard the words
“impeach the president” and “martial law,” before he realized that
although he didn’t say it in so many words, Casey was advocating
the overthrow of the government.

His pitch was that the U.S. was under attack
by an unnamed “foreign power,” and that this fact had not been
acknowledged by the president who had attempted to hide the truth,
leading one to infer that the president was in cahoots with the
enemy. If the president refused to take action, it was up to the
American people to defend themselves by enabling the military to
take proper defensive measures. The country needed a strong leader
in a time of peril.

Casey didn’t say who this leader might be,
but anyone watching the broadcast who bought what he was saying
would come to the obvious conclusion. Casey mentioned his complete
dedication to the well-being of his country, as exemplified by his
design and production of weapons essential for the country’s
defense for the past twenty years. Almost tearfully, he said that
he didn’t want the efforts of all those who labored for peace at
Giganticorp and in the armed forces to go to waste. In closing, he
called for the country to unite, and without mentioning Winston
Churchill by name, he paraphrased a few sentences from his “This
was their finest hour” speech.

Drake angrily turned off the television set.
What rubbish. Everybody would see Casey for the fraud he was.
Twenty seconds later Melody burst into the room without
knocking.

“Did you hear all that?”

Drake made a mental note to lock the door
when staying at a Mom-and-Pop motel without automatic locks. “He’s
lost his north. He’s gone off the deep end. Fortunately, nobody’s
going to go with him.”

“Tom is.”

Tom? Tom who? It took Drake a few seconds to
realize that Melody was referring to Tom the runner.

“How do you know that?”

“He was in my room.” Melody decided she’d
better explain. “He was apologizing to me.”

“For what?”

“For acting boorishly. What does it matter?
The point is, he agrees with Casey. He was nodding his head and
making comments while Casey was speaking. Tom is a smart, well
educated man. If he agrees with Casey, how many other people are
going to?”

Was it true that there were a lot of people
who wouldn’t see through Casey’s naked grab for power? Who would be
so concerned for their own safety that they would allow it to
happen? Before Drake could reply to Melody, the phone rang.

“Drake.”

“I’ll be outside your motel in an hour,
driving an inconspicuous Ford sedan.”

There was a click and the line went dead.
Drake stared at the receiver. Melody did too.

“Who was it?”

“Slick. He’ll be here in an hour.”

“That was fast. He must not be far
away.”

“Probably in the San Jose area. He’s been
investigating Casey, just like we have.”

***

“Casey can’t just mount a coup and take over
the government. This isn’t some fifth-rate country with flies and
bribable officials. We have a constitution. The president is
Commander in Chief of the armed forces.”

Drake had a lot more he could say, but he
didn’t want to work himself into a state of apoplexy. Slick was
driving them from the middle of nowhere to the middle of somewhere
in the roomy Ford sedan. At least he didn’t have his Porsche. With
traffic momentarily clear in front of them, he glanced at Drake and
Melody, both sitting on the bench seat beside him. “What you say is
theoretically true. But what if…”

“What if what?”

“What if the armed forces don’t obey the
president?”

“That won’t happen.”

“What if the generals and admirals have an
allegiance to a greater god?”

“You mean Casey? Why would they?”

Melody said, “Because the president is
talking about ending the Vietnam War, or at least the U.S.
involvement in it. He wants to downsize the military. Even if the
Cold War continues, that doesn’t get nearly the support of a hot
war. The military may see a diminishing role for itself in the
world.”

Slick nodded. “If Casey can manufacture
another war and scare enough people along the way, there’s no
telling what can happen. People may even support a temporary
suspension of the Constitution.”

Even though he was appalled at the idea,
Drake knew Slick could be right. “Temporary usually becomes
permanent.”

Slick pulled into the parking lot of a
restaurant. “My daddy told me never to eat at a place called Mom’s,
but when the alternative is starvation, I think we can make an
exception.”

In fact, the sign over the entrance read,
“Mom’s Café,” and underneath it, “Good Food.” The “F” was almost
obliterated. It might just as easily have read “Good Wood” or even
“Good Mood.”

Once inside and seated, Drake asked, “What
happens now?”

There was a pause as a waitress showed up
and took their orders. They tried to order the least bad
alternatives from a greasy menu. The place didn’t have a liquor
license, so Drake had to settle for coffee to drink.

When the waitress left, Slick spoke. “We
need to discredit Casey with the American people. To that effect,
we’re leaking the story of Casey as a possible murderer, even
though there’s no proof. If we do it right, the press will eat it
up.”

Melody said, “What about the fact that
Giganticorp manufactured the submarine?”

“That’s a tricky one, although we’ve
verified that they did make it. The accusation would be that they
sold it illegally to the USSR, but we haven’t been able to dig up
any evidence that it actually happened that way, and we’ve got
pretty good connections within the USSR. We need to do some more
work on it. That’s where you two come in.”

“Can you leak that it was manufactured by
Giganticorp and let the press run with it?”

“No, because it might backfire on the
administration. The president could be accused of making deals with
the enemy.”

“Okay, what do you want us to do?”

“You…” Slick indicated Drake, “…have one of
the best connections to the military.”

“You mean my father? He thinks of Casey as
his long lost son.”

“Look, I know that’s painful for you.” Slick
actually looked empathetic, if a macho man wearing dark glasses is
able to look empathetic. “It can also help us. Admiral Drake
knows—or can find out—things that you can’t. The intelligence we’re
looking for is the whole story behind the sub and the attack.”

Drake felt miserable. “My father doesn’t
confide in me.”

“
Au contraire
. He told you about
Casey’s liaison with Grace.”

Melody tried to come to Drake’s rescue. “If
we go to Bakersfield to see Admiral Drake, we’ll have to quit
Running California. That will blow our cover that gets us to
Casey.”

Slick smiled. “Blade doesn’t want you to
quit the race. Of course, you’re getting paid to run also. There’s
nothing like receiving money from the enemy, is there, as long as
it doesn’t affect your judgment. We’re in luck. I’ve found out that
Casey is calling a meeting of the officers on his board for
tomorrow to plot strategy. He’s also asked Admiral Drake to come.
He badly wants the admiral on his side.”

“Where’s the meeting being held?” Drake
asked.

“Giganticorp headquarters in San Jose. Which
is convenient because at the end of tomorrow’s run, you’ll still be
south of San Francisco, within spitting distance of San Jose. I can
furnish you a car and anything else you need.”

“So all I have to do is somehow set up a
meeting with my father when he’s tied up with Casey, and then get
him to tell me all of Casey’s secrets.”

Slick beamed. “You’ve got it in one.”

CHAPTER 34

Today’s run goes from the intersection of
Route 84 and Route 1 to Thornton State Beach. Take Route 1through
Half Moon Bay and continue to follow it until it becomes a freeway
south of Pacifica. Follow surface streets to Route 35 (Skyline
Boulevard). Follow Route 35 to Thornton State Beach. There are
several interesting climbs, including one right at the beginning of
the run, another after Montara, and a nice steep one at the end of
the run. This is the next to last day of the race, so if you’re
going to make a move, it’s now or never. Enjoy.

***

The hills accomplished what the wind and
blowing sand yesterday hadn’t been able to do: separate the
runners. Drake and Melody had taken the lead on the hill at the
start of the run and hadn’t relinquished it. It gave them a chance
to talk without anyone overhearing. Drake was trying to figure out
how to contact his father.

“Even if I could reach him by phone, the
chances of us having an intelligent conversation are nil.”

“Then we’ll have to go to where he is.”

“You don’t have to go. This is my job.”

“I know how hard it is for you. The least I
can do is give you moral support.”

“If we just show up at Giganticorp, what
then? I’m sure Casey has a full schedule planned for the troops,
including dinner. We can’t just cut my dad out of the herd.”

“Maybe that’s what we’ll have to do. Now
let’s see if we can gain some time on the leaders.”

***

Slick picked up Drake and Melody near their
motel in Daly City and drove them a few blocks to a rental car
company. Their drive on to San Jose was complicated by the pre-rush
hour traffic heading south out of San Francisco on Interstate 280.
Drake grumbled as he had to slow down for a number of large
trucks.

“Now I know why I chose to live in
Idyllwild. There aren’t any freeways there.”

“We need to put a plan together on what to
say to your father.”

“If we even get to talk to him.”

“We will. If necessary, we’ll enlist Casey’s
help. He needs to stay on our good side.”

“Does he? Not if he’s already won Dad
over.”

Their discussion continued until they
arrived at what was called the Giganticorp campus. It looked like a
college campus. They drove in the main entrance between two square,
brick posts with a sculpture of the Big G logo in dark metal
standing on top of each one. Multi-storied buildings sat in
isolated splendor in front of them, separated by large expanses of
manicured lawn, dotted with carefully tended trees. The buildings
were modern and not ivy covered, but they gave the effect of wealth
and stability.

Signs with arrows pointed toward various
buildings. Drake and Melody followed the direction of the arrows as
they drove along the blacktop roads. A number of sprinklers came on
as they passed one section of lawn, showering the grass and
creating miniature rainbows with the help of the afternoon sun.
They arrived at the administration building and parked in the ample
lot.

They climbed the marble steps and went
through the glass doors into a reception area that featured a round
counter directly in front of them. Two men and a woman walked
briskly past them wearing suits. The woman’s suit consisted of a
blue skirt and jacket combination and a white blouse with a red
sash instead of a tie.

Drake and Melody wore their Running
California jackets. Drake wasn’t wearing a tie, and Melody wore
slacks. Drake felt under-dressed. A pretty young lady sat inside
the circle of the counter. As they approached, she stood and
greeted them with a bright smile. She asked how she could help
them.

Drake said, “I’m Oliver Drake, and this is
Melody Jefferson. We’re part of Running California.”

“Oh, yes.” The woman’s smile grew even
brighter. “I recognized your jackets when you came in. Now I see
that you look just like your pictures, except you’re not in running
clothes. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Thelma. We’ve been following
your progress in the Giganticorp newsletter. A lot of us are
rooting for your team. How did you do today?”

“Thank you.” Drake turned on his smile. “We
finished first. We’re very close to the second place team, overall,
within two minutes, I think. I don’t know how the first place team
did today, but we weren’t within striking distance of them this
morning.”

“Good luck tomorrow.”

“Thank you again. The reason we’re here is
because we heard that one of the participants in the meeting that’s
taking place is my father, Admiral Drake. We came to see him.”

“Right. Let me call Mr. Messinger’s
executive assistant. Just a minute. Have a seat.”

Thelma pointed to several chairs in a nook a
few feet away. When Drake and Melody started toward them, Thelma
sat down at her desk and made a short phone call they couldn’t
hear. Then she came out from behind the counter and walked over to
them.

“Melinda is coming down to help you.”

They thanked her. Thelma turned to Melody
and started asking her questions about the race. It was obvious
that her interest in their team was because of Melody. Several
elevators stood in a row on the wall behind the round counter.
Within a few minutes, one of the elevator doors opened, and a
perfectly groomed, middle-aged woman with dyed blond hair stepped
out wearing the skirt-and-jacket uniform.

She came toward them with her hand out.

“Hello, Mr. Drake, Miss Jefferson. I’m
Melinda Gage. I’m very pleased to meet you.”