Take the Fourth (43 page)

Chapter 71
 

J
orja had one question on her mind, actually several that she needed answering, and only one person could give her those answers… . her uncle.

When she arrived at the gates she entered her pass code but the iron bars refused to budge. Thinking she miss-keyed, she entered them again and they still did not move. She buzzed the house only to receive no reply. She buzzed again and waited while she reached for her cell. Then a soft voice came over the small tinny speaker.

“Carson residence, how may I help you?”

“Robin, it’s Jorja, is my uncle home?”

“Yes, but…”

“Can you just let me in please? My code doesn’t work, I need to talk to him.”

The gates parted and she pulled up to the front door where Robin was already waiting.

“Your uncle is in his study, but he hasn’t moved or said a word since…”

“Robin, how are you doing?” in a sincere tone.

“Not good, I really don’t want to stay but your uncle needs someone to watch over him.”

“Robin… . I…,” and she turned towards her and gave her a hug, “thank you for being here, it means a lot to us… to me.”

Robin broke from the hug with tears in her eyes and didn’t say another word as she made her way to her private quarters. Jorja went to seek out her uncle and when she arrived at the entrance to his study he was sitting in his favorite chair holding a picture frame that contained the image of his now departed wife. Jorja rapped ever so lightly on the outside wall and without lifting his head he said, “Please come in my dear,” in such a somber tone Jorja’s heart sank even deeper into her chest. She wanted to just go over and hug him but her brain filled with confusion, torn between distrust and love. She walked in quiet like a church mouse and sat in the hard leather chair trying not to make it squeak as the leather relaxed from her frame. She didn’t say a word, mainly because she didn’t know what to say.

“I did love her… even though I rarely said it, I did love her… and yes, I admit, with deep regret… . that… that I took her for granted. Grace was always there for me, she was always there for me and I was never there for her… . and now… now I have nothing, except for some fading memories and these images printed on paper… and I can’t touch either of them. I can’t tell them how sorry I am or how much I love them. They are worthless. I am worthless. I was too concerned with my career. I always have been. And I don’t blame her for what she did. I know I am to blame. I’m to blame for what happened and I’m sorry.” He took a deep breath and Jorja just watched as he tried to gather himself, still not uttering a sound. He lifted his head and looked at Jorja for the first time. “I remember the first time I saw her,” and she so wanted to interrupt him and ask if he meant her aunt or her mother. “I was a freshman in college and I was going to the movies with a bunch of friends. We were in line and I noticed her behind us, only she didn’t appear to have a date. She just had this southern charm that sparkled without saying a word. As the line grew shorter I guess my courage grew stronger. When I approached the ticket counter I bought an extra ticket and without saying a word, I turned around and handed it to her. She thanked me and went on her merry way. The next time I saw her on campus I asked if I could accompany her to the next movie and the rest as they say, is history. She was perfect in every way a man could want or need. I loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her. I just knew we would spend the rest of our lives together.”

Before he could continue, the sob story got the best of her, she bit her lip before she spoke, then eased out the question, “What about my mother?”

He was not expecting that and it took him a while to formulate a reply, searching for words but also trying to ascertain the extent of her knowledge. “Your mother was a different soul and I was very young… . very stupid… . very naïve and without trying to make an excuse… it was college. Your mother caught me by surprise, her beauty, her free will, her confidence. She danced to her own tune. Looking back now I guess it was more lust than love and you cannot build a strong foundation on that. I am a lucky man for when I finally learned that life lesson, Grace was there to forgive me and take me back.”

“So my mother was not your soul mate?”

‘No.”

“That’s not the way Aunt Gracie remembers it. She says the two of you were inseparable from the moment you saw each other.”

“Like I said, it was lust, I’ve learned from my mistakes.”

“So you are saying my mother was a mistake.”

“No, no, nothing like that, we were young that’s all, too young to control feelings that strong.”

“Okay I’m a little confused, first you said it was just lust then you say you had these strong feelings… which was it?”

Taking a moment, “If you must know, the truth is, I loved Carolina, I loved your mother, I have never loved anyone else as deeply as her and at the same time no one has ever caused me so much pain. Like I said we were young, far too young and I let my dreams get in the way. If I could, I would reverse time and do things differently, I would gladly give up what I thought were my dreams in return for a life with the woman I loved… but I can’t. Now I have lost the two women I have loved the most in my life and I have regrets, serious regrets that I must take with me to my grave.”

“Aunt Gracie knew that you loved her but she also knew your heart was not entirely hers. She was okay with that. May I ask, what really happened between you and my mother?”

“There were always conflicts mostly in the political realm. She knew I wanted to plant both feet firmly within the government and I believed I could really make a difference. She feared I would succumb to the evils, the corruption, the mainstream agendas. We fought all the time over our ideals. Then one day she grew tired and left. I loved her even more for not giving in. I tried to win her back, I tried several times but I made a huge mistake in the process and I will never forgive myself for it.”

“What was it?”

“I don’t… .,” trailing off as if almost losing his thought, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Are you sure? You shouldn’t burden your soul with anymore regrets, no matter how painful it may be.”

Taking another deep breath, “You are right my dear… it’s just that… I have lived with this feeling, this image every day of my life and I have never told anyone about it, not even your aunt. It was the moment I lost all hope in a life with Carolina. It was the stupidest thing,” as he paused, “utterly stupid,” he paused again.

“Go on.”

“Well… . I could never win a debate with your mother. Never. And I was captain of the debate team. She was full of piss and vinegar that one. She just had a spin on life that I couldn’t fathom. She got the better of me and after all my failed attempts I just reacted. Maybe it was out of some hidden pent up aggression that emanated from the fact that I never, ever won an argument. It just happened and to this day I still regret it. From that day on things were different between us. Sure we still loved each other but there was always this underlying hint of distrust, and rightfully so on her part.”

“You still didn’t tell me what happened.”

“I never ever did this before, and never did it again, but out of sheer anger, I raised my hand and slapped her across the cheek. When she turned and walked away without saying a word I just knew I had made the biggest mistake of my life. I tried every way possible to say that I was sorry but to no avail.”

“So how many times did you see her during her marriage to my father?”

“Hard to say, not much outside family functions and they were rare, mostly for your birthdays and one or two Christmases. It was very hard on my part. There was always this physical attraction between us, this connection that’s hard to explain, but like I said before you can’t build a foundation on that and on top of that she was married to my brother. And yes, before you say it, I was jealous plain and simple. So I tried not to be around much. I thought of her every single day. So much so I was neglecting my wife. It was sort of this one sided affair in my head.”

“I’m going to be blunt. Did you ever sleep with her during her marriage?”

“No, I am not your father, which I knew you must be thinking, and no I never slept with her during her marriage. Now before she said her vows it came pretty close but wiser heads did prevail. You are definitely my brother’s daughter but I look at you as the daughter I never had. I never told my brother but I was proud of him raising you like he did.” as he shed the slightest of tears, “and I’m not going to lie,I wanted to, wanted to tell your mother that I loved her in the worst way every time I saw her. And to tell you the truth she felt the same way.”

“You know this for a fact?”

“Yes it was two or three years into my marriage with Grace. I started second guessing my relationship. Getting that grass is always greener sensation. Here was this object of my love within reach and relatively close, a sister-in-law for Christ sake. Like I said, we fought a lot but it sparked emotions deep within us and I just knew we could have lived with the lively debates and with each other for we would have eventually matured. I needed to know if there was still a chance so I asked her to meet me.”

“Where?”

“The place she loved the most. On her boat. She picked me up on the docks. I brought champagne and some glasses. We talked over one of the most beautiful sunsets and as the sun went down the water became as green as her eyes. I learned that evening she had regrets as well. So here are two people who both made choices in their life yet found each other at this crossroad. Honestly, I told her I would divorce Grace if she would do the same. She couldn’t because of you but said she would sleep on it. And I respected that. She dropped me back off the docks and that was the last time I saw her, never to return to either of us. You can see why I never told your aunt.”

Jorja gave her assurances that everything was going to be alright and shortly thereafter she parted ways. Once back in her car she was relieved, relieved because she didn’t have to be in the presence of a killer anymore. She knew he was lying the moment he started down the waters of the Chesapeake. He was covering his wake so to speak. Had Jorja not sent him the true AFIS file using Greg’s email address he would have never brought up the fact he was even on a boat or had champagne with her mother; that she was sure of without a shadow of a doubt. The senator knew his fingerprints might come back to haunt him. How convenient was his story that she dropped him off the docks and he went his merry way. She didn’t buy it for a second. Jorja was a clever girl and she studied her uncle’s face as he told the story. It was as if it were rehearsed rather than from memory. He was careful to insert words to proclaim his innocence, trying to mold her thoughts as if the events were real to him but real for Jorja was the finality of truth.

 . . .

Chapter 72
 

T
he database administrator of the Director of National Intelligence was already on the line when Scott walked into the Oval Office.

The President was in the midst of speaking. “So are we saying that this Greg guy over at the CIA was the pivotal point in our situation?”

“It looks that way,” Scott interjected, “he reported to the deputy director, Jorja Carson, who you now know is the niece of the senator, seems he knew about the affair as well and wanted to expose it based on some underlying obsession with Jorja, we really don’t understand the psychology behind all of it.”

“How did he find out about the affair and more importantly how did he find out about your plan?”

From the voice on the phone, “the CIA has a set of big ears, and Greg was a master with email systems and file uploads throughout the intelligence community, he probably saw one of Scott’s original emails and just followed the trail because it pertained to his boss in some manner.”

“What does Jorja think?”

Scott fielded this question. “She’s between a rock and a hard place, on one hand she wants to expose us for our,” and he corrected himself, “my plan, for the tabloid photo shoot, on the other, it was her subordinate that initiated the plan to actually have her aunt killed by our rogue agent, not to mention he may have sparked the senator’s rampage by his phone call. Truth be told I think she’s still on the fence about her uncle’s involvement.”

“So we still don’t know who killed Grace, do we?”

“All signs still point to Senator Carson, he received the phone call from Greg right around eleven which he then manipulated to look like it came from a payphone, probably a tip off, then we have all the circumstantial evidence such as the senator was home at the time of the murders or within our window scope, the bullets were the same caliber as his handgun, and coupled with the fact his gun was freshly cleaned, it all does draw suspicion. Again it’s all circumstantial and for all intents and purpose he should be acquitted. If O.J. can get off…”

“How about this lieutenant colonel everyone keeps mentioning?”

The voice on the phone again, “We just don’t know, we assume he’s dead since his transmissions have ended.”

“Who erased him in the first place?”

“Scott you wanna take that one?”

“No I don’t.”

“Just admit it Scott, you erased him to cover your own ass but you forgot the backups.”

“But he’s still not transmitting is he? You’re the database guru, I’m the Chief of Staff, I don’t go playing in your sandbox, so unless you have unequivocal proof, go…”

“Enough,” the stern voice of Jonathan rumbled, “so if John Smith is dead, who killed him, the senator?”

“Very possible, since they both were in and around the vicinity of the Carson’s residence, but if he didn’t that leaves a huge gaping hole. There are a few scenarios, the first being the senator murdered all three people, Grace, Blake, and our lieutenant colonel but if Smith followed out his change of plans provided by Greg, then the senator could have just killed him, or that gaping hole comes into play, the senator had nothing to do with it, and either Smith or a person to be named later does the deadly deed.”

“Okay if Smith is dead, where is the body, the evidence?”

“There is none.”

“None? That’s totally unacceptable, with all this fucking technology that our system provides, we still can’t prove a goddamn thing. We can’t even solve a simple murder case.”

There was silence, then, “there’re still gaps yes, like, not everyone is in the system yet, and the elapse tracking time is every five minutes, which pretty soon, we should have to under a minute, and we haven’t blanketed the entire country, there are still blind spots,” echoed from the conference phone.

“Still, the wasted manpower, the years of planning that went into this, I expect more, no, I demand more, we have this system to protect the American people from harm, so they can live in a world free from crime, so the American people can be free. We didn’t come all this way to fail, yet what I’m seeing here is complete failure, failure through incompetence, and we are very much running out of time.”

“Well, with Carson out of the race, it does look like another term, and when the senate passes our new bill, then we are one step closer to providing coverage to the entire country, plus if the scare of pandemics continue, and they will, since we now have officials on the board of WHO, the demand for vaccines will rise. We always knew this system wouldn’t be one hundred percent flawless, but with each passing day we get closer to our end goal. Remember, in just a few short years we have a little more than half the population being tracked every five minutes, that is one hell of an accomplishment. We are still ahead of our projected timeline.”

“I want these timelines moved up, Scott, you take the lead in that, and here,” as the President handed Scott back his letter, “that better be the last time it’s on my desk, now let’s get back to business.”

“Hold on, before you hang up, so are you going to unlock me now,” quipped Scott?

“On one condition.”

“I know, I know, I should have never doubted you.”

“Listen, we of all people have to stick together, we alone know the true power of this system.”

“So again, I never should have doubted you… or pissed you off.”

As he clicked a few keys there was a slight laugh, “okay, you’re good to go.”

“Thanks,” and Scott punched off on the phone, never knowing the true meaning behind his laugh.

That laugh was indeed for Scott because he was dead on to doubt him. He knew the day, the hour, even the second, when Greg and Jorja first entered the system. He knew the very first time they saw through GOD’s eyes. He built the system, he knew the system, he knew all the traps, all the firewalls, all the safety features. When the sensor tripped he kept his watchful eye on them and liked the fact that they had no qualms in disregarding the amendments of the United States. He watched their every move. He knew the length of the leash that he wanted to keep them on. They could be future allies and he knew he needed allies when the system becomes fully operational. He wanted to trust them but that all changed because of Greg, more so with Greg’s obsession with Jorja and the system. He spent every waking hour pouring over data, tracking everyone she ever encountered. He was becoming unstable. He was becoming a shaken champagne bottle with its gate released. He alone had to take care of Greg and what better way to do it than frame Greg for the murder of the senator’s wife and an easy plan it was. Greg had laid all the ground work with the emails to and from Reynolds, so he merely made it look as though Greg had changed Reynolds’ original email from pictures to kills and hid Lieutenant Colonel John Smith’s NID’s. The rest was a dash of denial, a pinch of paranoia, and a splash of good old fashion jealously. He was just hoping that Greg would be fired and take his rank among the 9/11, grassy knoll and UFO conspiracy theorists until his encounter with a car fender. Yes, the database administrator for the Office of Director of National Intelligence was the true card player in this game. He knew the real power of the system, the system of justice. He knew that the truth lies in the data and there is no hiding that fact.

. . .