The President’s Son

 by: Miguel Sanchez

© 2009-2013 by the author

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 54

“Thanks Ace and she’s going to get a piece of my mind too.”

I couldn’t blame him. “Just don’t let her bait you now.”

“I won’t.” Pete said finishing his coffee. “Will you be here now?”

I know why he asked so I nodded my head. Pete headed for the elevator then I went to my room to get out of my vest.

I slipped my shirt and tie off then took my vest off. My tee shirt was wet with sweat so I took that off and grabbed a clean one then went into the bathroom so I could wash up. After that was done, I removed my weapon then went over to my lover’s room. “Is everything OK baby?”

Bennie could read me. “Yeah love, everything is fine.”

“Are you sure?” He asked.

I smiled and nodded my head not really wanting to go into this with him. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Is this another of those things I can’t know about yet?”

I had to laugh. “I’m afraid so love. One day soon, you’ll be in on things you wish you hadn’t heard about.”

“Even working on counterfeiting?” Bennie asked.

“I’m afraid so.” I replied. “Sometimes the more you have to dig into something, the more you find and a lot of time, it isn’t pretty.”

“Another thing I‘ll have to learn how to handle?”

I went over and wrapped my arms around him. “Yes and I’ll tell you this now, there will be times it won’t be easy.”

He looked me in the eyes. “You mean like when you found out about Billy and Timmy?”

I let out a sigh. “Yes, exactly like that. I just hope I never have to see something like that again.”

The rest of the day for me was busy being with Dusty and the other agents with cash counters as they began the massive job of counting all of the money found inside that safe. The agents had just started the job when I got a call. “Mason.”

“Agent Mason, there is an FBI agent here.”

“Who is he and what does he want?” I asked not in the mood for the FBI.”

“Just a minute,” The officer replied as I held on. “Agent Mason, his ID says he is Special Agent Dale Morris. He says he has official business with you.”

“Keep him there and I’ll get back to you.” I answered then ended the call.

My next call was to Franco. The phone rang several times then I heard his voice. “What can I do for you Ace?”

“Franco, do you have any idea why Dale Morris is here claiming he has some official business with me?”

“I didn’t send him over.” Franco replied. “I don’t know what is going on but I intend to find out. Tell him to report to me.”

“Thanks my friend.” I said and ended the call then called the back gate. “Officer, do not let him in. Tell him he is to report to Special Agent Franco Garcia.”

I heard some arguing in the background then a voice came on the phone. “Mason, let me in right now.”

“Is that a request or an order?” I asked.

“Consider it an order.” He replied.

“I don’t believe you’re my boss so you can’t order me. Now, if you would care to explain just what this official business is, I might decide to allow you to come in.”

“Listen jerk, I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

“If you want to come on to the White House grounds, you will otherwise you can just leave.”

“Fuck you Mason.” Morris shouted.

“Such language from a professional,” I fired back. “Since you won’t explain yourself to you then you can explain yourself to Franco Garcia. He wants to see you immediately, good day.”

I ended the call then had Captain Langford get some other officers to the gate in case Morris decided to push the issue.

While I was dealing with this, Pete was arriving at the detention center. He checked in and secured his weapon and magazines then was escorted to the infirmary. The infirmary was in a well guarded area so the inmates wouldn’t be attacked again. Pete showed the guard his ID then he was allowed to enter. He saw his sister on a gurney. “What the hell did you do this time?”

She cocked an eye open then spat. “I didn’t so squat, I was the one assaulted.”

Pete went over to get a chair than sat down. “Look sis, I know inmates just don’t start something for the hell of it so why don’t you just cut the crap. You know I’ll find out the truth eventually.”

“Whose side are you on? I’m your sister.” She spat.

“Biologically maybe but you’re not the sister I remember growing up with. Now what’s gotten into you? You try to get Ace arrested then you spout off at the President making wild accusations that were unfounded.”

“What was I supposed to do? Let that fag rape a child?”

Pete shook his head. “Listen to yourself, will you. You’re a trained cop but you go off on wild unsubstantiated theories. You know that anyone would get their facts first then make a claim. Did you do this?”

“There wasn’t time.”

“OH BULLSHIT!” Pete shouted. “There is always time to gather proper evidence. If there isn’t, you go to a judge. Now to top it off, you committed espionage.

When Evelyn heard that, she clammed up but Pete wasn’t about to let it drop. “Look sis, you know they have evidence so just answer me one question.”

She looked at her brother and studied his face. “What?”

“Why?” Pete fired. “Why did you do it?”

“Why, you have the gall to ask me why. I can’t believe you. You above all should know why. Since when did you become a fag lover? If you remember, I had to smooth things out between you and that kike.”

Pete was doing a slow boil but he kept his temper in check. “That’s our President you’re talking about.”

“Yeah some President,” She spat. “He’s a kike and a fag as is his brat. He’s turning this country into a laughing stock of the free world.”

“I don’t think wanting total equality is making the USA a laughing stock. Look at the UK.”

“That’s a crock. Fags are against nature, they’re sick perverts that don’t deserve any rights.”

Pete shook his head. “I don’t know you sis. I’ve come to know Ace, Bennie, Dusty and JR and they are all great people. You took the same oath I did when we started this job.”

Then she decided to get pompous. “I was the Director. I had full and total discretion.”

Once again Pete shook his head. “Sorry sis, you know that’s not true. We can’t pick and choose which laws we’re going to enforce and which ones we’re not. You still never answered my question as to why you tried to steal information from the service’s computer.”

“I had my reasons.” She spat.

“You’re facing some very serious charges. You know if they play their cards right, you could be charged with treason and that carries the death penalty.”

“Maybe,” She countered. “But I will tell you this; the whole world will know the truth about our precious President.”

“Oh and what is that?” Pete fired back.

“He’s getting too chummy with Israel.”

“Look sis, this isn’t our concern. We’re supposed to protect him and not let politics dictate our actions.”

“I have a right to my feelings.”

“Yes you do but you also know those feelings can’t cloud your judgment.”

“Let me tell you something, my feelings have guided me all these years and I’m not about to stop now. If you don’t like it then you can just FUCK Off!”

Pete just sighed. “Look, I do know this and that is if you can’t control your mouth you’re liable to have a huge bulls eye on your back and no one will be able to protect you except put you in isolation.”

“Fine whatever now just get the hell out of here and leave me alone.”

Pete got up and headed to the door. The guard let him out then Pete headed for the ground floor. After he got his weapon and ammo he headed back to the residence.

Bennie and I cuddled for a little while then I had to use the bathroom so after that was done we headed down to the dining room. As we passed the elevator the doors opened and I saw Pete get off. I could tell his mind was a million miles away. I told Bennie to go on and I’d be right there with him then I went over to Pete. “Why the long face, buddy?”

He shook his head. “Ace, I don’t know her anymore.”

“What do you mean?" I asked. “Look we know she turned her back on everything she swore to uphold.”

“It’s more than that. She seems to have her own agenda and her mouth is going to get her into big trouble.”

“Pete, I hate to say this but we can’t worry about that. Like you said, she made her bed and now she’s going to have to lie in it.

“Ace, do you have any favors you can call in?”

I shook my head. “Pete, you know I can’t get her out and to be honest, I don’t think I’d want to.”

“Ace, she’s my sister.”

I went over and put my arm around him and led him to my room. “Pete, I know she is and I also know you’re going through hell right now. But you said it yourself; she let her personal feelings get in the way of her following the law. Answer me this, if I were to get her out and she took off, how would that make us look?”

I heard him sigh. “Yeah then we’d be where she is now but I just hate knowing she’s in jail and she will more than likely keep shooting her mouth off.”

“Pete she knows the drill and she’s making her choices.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Pete relented. “I just don’t know what I’ll do if she goes and gets herself shanked.”

“I am fully aware of this Pete but we both have jobs to do and that is what we should concentrate on. I have to know that your head is in the game and not thinking about Evelyn. She’ll be in isolation and that’s the best they can do.”

Pete was sitting on the edge of my bed digesting everything I’d said. There was no way I’d want to be in his position but I had to know he was fully capable of doing his job otherwise he was of no use to me. I sat down in my desk chair and waited for his answer. “Ace, I’m with you. Now if she should do something stupid, would there be any problem getting some time off?”

“I don’t see that as being a problem. Do you think you need someone to talk to?”

“I don’t know who would understand. I mean look at it, here is the former director of a government agency who turned their back on everything they supposedly dedicated their life to then started breaking the law.”

“I can’t say as I understand it either Pete but I can’t worry about her.”

“I know Ace; you have the President and Bennie to worry about.”

“It’s not just them but I have this entire team too -- and you're a part of that team.”

I had a hard decision to make and it was one I couldn’t rush into. Bennie’s graduation was a few days away and Pete was on Ben’s security team. “Ace, I’m with you 100%.”

“Alright Pete, but I want you to know this. I will be watching you and if I suspect you’re not giving us 100%, I won’t hesitate to reassign you.”

“I understand totally and you’ll see. I won’t let you down.” Pete said as he stood up.

I stood up and gave him a hug then I went to join Bennie in the dining room. He was having a soda so I fixed myself a cup of coffee. I thought about what Pete had told me so I decided to take him at his word and keep him busy. While I was drinking my coffee, I called Dusty and filled him in on our conversation. “Ace, there is still a lot to do so I could use Pete.”

“Thanks buddy, when do you want to see him?”

“This day is almost over so tell him to see me in the morning. We’re going to pull out all the stops and use every available person and piece of equipment.”

I thought about what he’d said. “I understand buddy but you might want to run it by Ed.”

“Alright Ace, I’ll call him now.”

I ended the call then finished my coffee. I was about to get another sup when my call rang. “Mason.”

“Agent Mason, can you come to the property room?” A voice asked.

“I’m on my way.” I said then ended the call.

I found Pete in the treaty room and told him I was needed in the West Wing. Pete got up and joined Bennie in the dining room while I went over to see what was happening. When I arrived, Dylan Masters met me. “Ace, we have a problem.”

“What is it?” I asked.

Dylan and I went inside and there were about a dozen agents’ busy counting stacks of money. There was a female agent there who came up to me. “Agent Mason, I’m Vivian Franks.”

“I remember you,” I said.

“Well, we’ve never met but I know of you too. You’ve made quite a name for yourself.”

I was wondering if she would be jealous I had her old position. “Are you saying you’d like this job?”

She smiled at me and shook her head, “Not at all Agent Mason. I knew why I was picked for that assignment and with all due respect, I didn’t want it, at least, not under those terms. I’m a field agent and that is what I enjoy.”

“I’m glad you’re on the team.” I said as I looked at Dylan. “What seems to be the problem?”

Vivian took over. “Well it seems we’re counting bundles like crazy but we’re not making a dent into what is in that safe.”

“How much cash have you counted so far?” I asked.

“So far, the total is $1,275,000 and as you can see that safe is still stuffed full and there are still some bundles on the table left to count.”

I looked at my watch and it was 4:30. “Well, keep at it and when your shift is over, secure everything then you can pick up again in the morning.”

“Agent Mason, Director Miller has another team coming over tonight. He wants this cash counted ASAP.”

“Very well,” I started. “The sooner this is done, the sooner we can get this out of here and into a bank.”

Vivian returned to her work while Dylan and I went outside. “Ace, we’re searching them when they go in and when they come out.”

“Is that creating problems?” I asked.

“No, Ed sent this memo and every agent is to read and sign it. If they don’t or won’t then they’ll not be allowed to count then they’ll have to answer to him.”

“Alright, do you have men to relieve you?” I asked.

“I do and we’re getting regular breaks too.”

“Good, if you need anything, call me.” I said as I went to return to the residence but before I could get very far, my cell rang. “Yes Mr. President.”

“I need to see you in my office, right away.” Ben replied.

“I’m on my way Sir.” I answered then ended the call.

I made my way around to Ben’s office. When I went in, Frank pointed to the Oval Office. I knocked on the door then heard, “Enter.”

As soon as I went in, Ben handed me a cup of coffee. “You wished to see me Mr. President?”

“Sit down Ace,” Ben said then he sat down behind his desk. “The reason I asked you here is because I’ve heard of the safe that was found.”

I nodded my head. “We have agents working around the clock counting it. There are also Assault Team members stationed at the door.”

Ben nodded his head then sipped his coffee. “That’s all well and good but I think we need the FBI in on this.”

My ass sucked wind. “Sir, with all due respect, the last thing we need is them trying to take over.”

“Now calm down Ace.” Ben started.

“Calm down?” I almost shouted. “Sir, there is an agent that has made me his mission. In fact, he tried to get onto the grounds today.”

“I know about that.” Ben said. “If I had handled the call I would have done it a little differently.”

I didn’t understand. “You mean let him in?”

“Exactly,” Ben answered. “Then he’d be explaining himself to me.”

“Sir, with everything that’s been and is going on, I didn’t want that added crap. I have too much to do and get off of my plate before Bennie’s graduation.”

“I am aware of that which is the main reason I want the FBI here. I’ve also learned how Evelyn managed to get on with the CIA.”

I finished my coffee then set the cup on the saucer. “Do I really want to know this?”

“I don’t know if you want to know but I think you might need to.” Ben said.

“Very well Sir, I’m all ears.”

“Let’s say she used to body to get what she wanted.”

This was becoming a PR nightmare. “What did the Director have to say for himself?”

Ben poured me another cup. “He didn’t deny it so now do you see why we need the FBI?”

“Yes Sir but can you control who comes and goes?”

“I’ll do what I can.” Ben answered.

“Good because if Dale Morris gets on the property he’s mine.”

“Don’t lose your cool Ace; I can ill afford to lose you.”

“I understand Sir.” I relented finishing my coffee. “Pete isn’t going to take his latest news very well.”

“How’s he holding up?” Ben asked.

“As well as can be expected,” I started. “She’s already got her butt kicked for shooting off her mouth. Pete doesn’t know her anymore.”

Ben shook his head. “I don’t know her either. Earlier I received a phone call from Byron Tibbs and he’s totally confused about her and the dramatic change she’s made.”

I didn’t know what to think either. “Sir, I guess that’s between the lawyers.”

“I know Ace, so I’m going to call the FBI and get them over here in the morning. You won’t have to deal with them. I just want you to keep Bennie occupied until his graduation.”

“Very well, Sir.” I said then went to head back to the residence. “You might want to use Franco Garcia as a contact person. He’s a decent no nonsense kind of guy.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. I know Adam has his plate full and I’m going to have to add more to it.”

“That's the same with us Sir; it’s either feast or famine.”

Ben sighed as he finished his coffee. “I just wish life could be a little more routine.”

“Every day there is always something new. I wouldn’t have your job for that safe load of money.”

“I knew things would be interesting but out right crazy was something I never counted on.”

“If you were just solving the problems of the country and the political conflicts, it would be one thing.”

Ben sighed then my cell rang. I excused myself then went outside to answer it. “Ace,” The panicked voice shouted.

“Pete, what is it?”

“There is a riot at the detention center.” Pete screamed.

I took off for the residence. “Calm down buddy, I’m on my way.”

I ended the call then it rang again. “Ace, all hell has broken loose at the detention center.”

“What’s going on Adam?” I asked.

“I don’t know all the details. I’m on my way over there now but the one thing I can say is it is Evelyn Morgan.”

“Adam, this is a nightmare. What’s she trying to do, get herself killed?”

“I don’t know but I have to go.”

“Alright Adam, keep me informed.” I said then ended the call then entered the residence.

When I arrived, I headed right for my room. Pete saw me run by then quickly followed me. “Ace, what’s going on?”

“I wish I knew buddy but I have to go.” I said removing my shirt and tie.

I put my vest on and quickly redressed. “Ace, I’m going with you.”

“Pete, I need you here.” I said as I went outside.

Just then JR came in. “Ace, the scanner is buzzing about something going on down at the jail.”

I was trying to make some sense of this while Pete was trying to talk at me. “Slow down guys. I can’t make sense when everyone is talking at the same time.”

JR lifted the scanner up and I concentrated on what was being said. From what I was hearing, there was almost a full scale riot going on so I decided to stay here to keep the number of people down. Pete had a forlorn look on his face. “Ace, come on.”

I shook my head. “Listen Pete, there are a lot of people there and we don’t need to add to the confusion.”

“Ace,” Pete almost whined.

“Pete, there are US Marshalls and Metro PD officers there, so do you think they really need us?”

Pete shook his head. “No, not really,” He said softly then I grabbed my cell.

I went down to my room and called Adam back. “Yes Ace.”

“Where are you?” I asked hurriedly.

“I just pulled up to the jail.”

“Don’t go in; just go back to your office.”

“Ace, I have a suspect in there.”

“Adam, we have several suspects in there but adding to the chaos they don’t need. The place is probably on total lockdown so I doubt seriously they’d let you in.”

Adam sighed. “I guess you’re right. Can you call over there and find out what is going on?”

“Alright buddy; I’ll see what I can find out. It may take a while but I’ll let you know as soon as I know something.” I answered then ended the call and then called the detention center. “This is Special Agent Mason with the Secret Service.”

“Yes Agent Mason.”

“I know all hell has broken loose there but when things settle down, could I get a report on the detainees in federal custody?”

“Who do you want to know about?” He asked.

“Everything, please,” I replied.

“As soon as they have things under control, I’ll get a US Marshall to call you.”

“Thank you.” I replied then ended the call.

All I could do now was wait so I returned to the dining room. No sooner had I sat down with my coffee when Ben came in. “Ace, what’s going on at the detention center?”

‘Oh great, how’d he learn of this,’ I thought.

“Relax Mr. President, the US Marshalls and the other guards are on top of it.”

“I understand all that but what is going on and more to the point, how did it happen?”

“Sir, you know as much as I do. I’d thought about going there but decided against it. As soon as I know something, you will Sir.”

Ben shook his head. “Alright Ace,” He said then joined me for a cup of coffee. “This stuff with Evelyn has become a real nightmare. I have politicians on the hill giving me grief.”

“Why and how in the hell did they hear about this?” I asked.

“There are Senators that do get briefings from the Security Advisor.”

“Oh great, politicians knowing national security secrets,” I said almost totally disgusted.

“Relax. They don’t know our security secrets.”

I shook my head, “Maybe not but they’ll be sticking their nose in things and they will push and push and try to force the issue.”

“Ace, they can’t. They don’t have that kind of power not when it comes to matters of national security.”

I fixed another cup of coffee then sighed. “Alright Sir, it’s just that this thing has really gotten out of hand and the last thing I want is this blowing up in your face.”

“I understand Ace and I have our best people working on this.” Ben said trying to calm my fears.

“I know Sir, I’m just thinking about Bennie. He seems to know when things aren’t going smoothly around here.”

Ben nodded his head. “He’s always been like that so just keep him occupied.”

“I’ll do my best.” I said.

“I know you will Ace, now I have to return to the Oval Office.”

It wasn’t until almost midnight when I finally managed to get a report on what happened. It seemed several women started a fight and things escalated. One woman got cut causing the medical personnel to have to respond to get her treated. While that was going on, Evelyn was left alone in the secured ward. When the medical staff returned, several other women managed to overpower the medical staff and get into the medical area. Marshalls quickly arrived to try and regain control of the women when Evelyn decided to get stupid. During the commotion, she managed to get off her bed and try to overpower one of the Marshalls. During this, one of the prisoners got her hands on a weapon and stabbed Evelyn. Several additional Marshalls arrived and after almost thirty minutes managed to get situation under control. The medical staff managed to get Evelyn stabilized then she was transported to GW Medical Center.

I thanked the officer at the jail for the report then decided on how to inform Pete. He was to report to Dusty in the morning so he could assist with the final preparations for Bennie’s graduation. I knew Pete would be asleep and I doubted seriously whether or not he would be able to see his sister so I sent him a text message to call me when he woke up. My next item was to inform Dusty that I doubted Pete would be in tomorrow and he told me he could manage without him. I made the rest of the notifications then made my way to the dining room. The night crew was on and one of them asked me if I needed anything. I jokingly told him I needed a good stiff drink. A few minutes later he returned setting a glass in front of me. I looked up at him. “There you go Agent Mason.”

I guess he didn’t realize I was only kidding but what the hell. I sniffed it and realized it was Scotch. I picked the glass up and chugged the mouthful of booze. It burned going down then warmed my insides. I was exhausted so I decided to call it a night. I went down to Bennie’s room and when I went in, I was surprised to see him still awake. “You look like crap baby.”

“Gee thanks love, I’m glad I’m not keeping this secret to myself.”

He crawled over to me then kissed me on the cheek. “Did you have a drink?”

I backed up a little. “Yes, when I was in the dining room I made a joking comment about needing one so they brought me one. Let me go and brush my teeth love.”

Bennie held his nose then I went in and brushed my teeth and gargled hoping that would make me more presentable. When I came out, Bennie planted one on me, “Ah, much better. What had you so busy tonight?”

I sat down and removed my shoes and socks. “Long story my love and I hope it’s over.”

“Can you tell me?” Bennie asked.

I stood up and removed my tie and shirt then sighed. “Let’s just say it was a night I’d much rather forget.”

I slipped my trousers and undies off then slid into bed. “So this is another unknown?”

“I’m afraid so baby but I hope things well get back to normal.”

“So do I, my graduation is the end of the week.”

“Don’t you worry about that baby, we have this under control.” I said as I started to get into bed.

Bennie grabbed me by the arm and pulled me down. He wrapped his arms around me and snuggled close resting his head on my chest. He reached his hand out and turned off the light then we drifted off to sleep.

As tired as I was I still woke up at 6:30 the following morning. Bennie was still out cold so I eased out of bed and headed to the bathroom to do my morning business.

I went across the hall to get some clean clothes when my cell rang. I looked at it and it was Pete answering my text. “Ace, what the hell happened?”

He was quite animated so I had to calm him down. “Pete, your sister did something really stupid and tried to attack a Deputy Marshall.”

“How’d she get stabbed?” He asked.

“How did you find out about the stabbing?” I asked knowing I hadn’t told him.

“I got a call from the jail.”

“You what?” I asked not believing what I was hearing.

“I am her next of kin.” Pete said.

That fact had totally slipped my mind. “Alright, I suppose you’re on your way into the hospital.”

“Not yet,” Pete answered. “I’m having some breakfast then I’ll be heading over there.”

“OK, you have today and tomorrow off but I will need you here on Friday.”

“I understand Ace. Thank you for giving me this time.”

“Just remember buddy, I will need you at one hundred percent. If you can’t I want to know about it, are we perfectly clear about this?

“Yes Ace,” Pete said sighing. “Let me eat now so I can see my sister.”

I ended the call then got my clean clothes and took my shower. When I was dressed, I checked on Bennie and he was still sleeping so I decided to see if Ben was up. I went down the hall towards his private room and knocked gently on the door. “Enter.”

I went inside and Ben was putting on his tie. “Good morning Sir.” I said.

“Ace, what’s wrong.” He asked. “You never come here at this hour so I know this isn’t a social call.”

I sighed. “You’re right Sir, this isn’t a social call. It’s about Evelyn Morgan.”

Before I could say anything more Ben stopped me. “What did she do this time?”

“Um well Sir, she tried to attack a Deputy Marshall then an inmate stabbed her. She’s at GW Medical Center and I don’t know her condition.”

Ben sat down on the bed. “Shit, we don’t need this now. How is Pete taking it?”

“Not too good. I gave him today and tomorrow off but told him I had to have him at one hundred percent for Friday. He assured me he would be so all we can do is trust him.”

“You’re right Ace. Pete’s come a long way so I think we owe it to him to get through this. While I finish in here, I want you to call the hospital and find out how she’s doing.”

I nodded my head. “Yes Sir.”

I took Tonka out for his morning ritual and then called the hospital. It took a few minutes but they finally connected me to the floor she was on. At first I spoke with one of the Marshalls but they didn’t know what I needed. I finally spoke to one of her nurses and started getting the run around about not being family. After dropping a few names, she managed to tell me that her condition was touch and go. I managed to find out she had spent several hours in surgery to repair the damage caused by the stabbing. Tonka came running up to me as I ended the call so we returned to the residence.

After checking on Bennie I went for a cup of coffee. No sooner had I sat down when Ben came in. “Were you able to find out anything?”

“Yes Sir,” I answered sipping my coffee. “The nurse says she’s touch and go.”

“Did you find out the nature of her injuries?”

I shook my head. “No Sir, they wouldn’t go into those details except to say that she spent several hours in surgery to repair her wounds.”

“Maybe Pete will be able to tell us more after he sees her.”

“That is a possibility Sir. If she does end up dying, I hope she can hold on until after Bennie’s graduation.”

Ben fixed himself a cup of coffee then sat down in his usual spot. “Ace, the last thing I want is for her to end up dead.”

“I know that Sir but everything that’s happened, she brought on herself. I can’t feel sorry for her. It’s Pete I really feel for.”

Ben sighed. “I know Ace but she was a friend. I trusted her even though she came close a number of times to crossing the line.”

I finished my coffee then went to get another. “Yes Sir and so did Pete. I actually thought he’d wind up getting fired but he came around. I just wish someone could get into her head and find out what caused her to change.”

“But I somehow don’t see that happening.” I said as I returned to my chair.

I looked at the clock then realized I had to get Bennie up. Now that school is out, breakfast is at 8am and Gloria still expects us to be there for it. I went into his room and he was still under the covers. I was about to wake him when I saw his eyes open. “Umm, what time is it?”

“It’s getting close to 8 sweetie; it’s time for you to get up.”

“Oh, do I have to?” Bennie moaned.

“Not unless you want to catch it from Gloria.” I said.

“Alright,” Bennie moaned as he tossed the covers off his body.

He managed to get up and use the bathroom. “I’ll see you at the table baby.”

It hit me I needed to call Dusty. “Hey man,” I said hoping he wouldn’t be too upset.

“Ace, where’s Pete? I thought he was supposed to call me.”

“That’s what I’m calling about. There’s been a development over night.”

“With Evelyn again?

“Yeah with her and she really did it this time too.” I said then told him what had happened. “I gave Pete two days personal time so he could be with her but I also told him I needed him Friday and he had to be at one hundred percent. How goes the work at the school?”

“Not bad,” Dusty started. “We should have everything set up and ready to go by the end of the day.”

“Sounds good man,” I said smiling to myself. “Did you get those eye bolts put into the walls by those two staircases?”

“I didn’t need to. Mr. Robinson found a local contractor to install locks on those doors and they’re now locked and secured.”

“Perfect, I didn’t suggest that to him but I’m glad he got that done. Have you spoken to Ed?”

“Not yet,” He started. “I’ve been trying to get everything done and set up so there won’t be any last minute surprises. I’ll call him before lunch.”

“Alright man, you’ve done one hell of a bang up job.”

“Thanks Ace, I gotta go.” Dusty said then we ended the call.

I went out and joined Ben and Bennie for breakfast. On my way out, I was wondering how the marathon cash count was proceeding. Gloria decided to stuff us silly by putting on another buffet. When I saw all that food, I went to Ben, “Sir, should I get a few more bodies to help eat this food?”

“Excellent idea,” He said.

I grabbed my cell phone and called Dusty, JR and Johnny to shake a leg to get to breakfast. Johnny came in with Tonka followed by the others then we headed to the dining room to chow down.

After breakfast, Dusty had a meeting with the Protection detail to go over the events for the trip to the school. I went down to the property room so I could learn how the count was proceeding. When I arrived, Dylan Masters was just arriving. I went into the property room and Vivian Franks was busy at work. “How’s it going Agent Franks?”

“We’ve finally started to put a dent into this mass of cash.”

“What’s the count so far?” I asked.

“Let me finish what I have here.” She asked.

I got a cup of coffee while she finished counting the bundles. When I returned she had a figure for me. “Right now, we’re at $5,650,000.00.”

“Holy crap, I wonder how he managed to amass this much cash?”

“This could be drug money but if it is, he’s really managed to stay under the DEA’s radar.” Vivian replied.

“Do you think they might have had him on their radar?” I asked.

“Anything is possible but with all this cash, he’d be moving some major weight.”

I thought about what she’d said. “Yeah, you’re right. We’ll just have to see how much cash is here then let the FBI do their thing.”

Vivian took a quick break then went to get some more cash out of the safe. She started removing some bundles then got a shock. “Ace, come take a look at this.”

I went over and watched as she placed about ten more bundles of cash on the table. “What is it?”

She removed a bundle from the safe and handed it to me then I saw that the bundle with a label on it. The band read $5,000.00 but I wasn’t ready to take that on face value. I leafed through the bills and was noticing the bills were in sequential order. “Well, I’ll be damned; these bills are in sequential order.”

I slid the band off then handed it to her. She fed then bills into the counter and the count was correct. “Ace, these bills might be counterfeit.”

“Damn, what else can slow this down?” I said totally frustrated.

“Call the counterfeit team and they can run the serial numbers and in a matter of minutes, they’ll know if it’s real or fake.”

I stepped out and made the call. I didn’t like it because it meant more people had to be in handling the money. I spoke with the head of the department and he said he’d send his best agent over. “Agent Mason, Agent Austin Wells is on his way. If those bills aren’t counterfeit, we’ll be able to find out where they came from.”

“Thanks buddy, this will help us immensely. If I might ask, how much cash are we looking talking about?”

“Right now it’s over five million and still counting.”

“Holy shit.” The agent said.

“That’s what everyone is saying. The only problem is trying to figure out where it came from.”

“Well, Austin might be able to help with that too.”

“That will help a lot.” I said ending the call.

I returned to the property room and the morning shit was busy counting. Vivian came up to me. “Ace, we are having to count all these wrapped bundles.”

“Good, they may be in sequential order but we must have an exact count. There will be an agent from the counterfeit team coming over to examine these bills.”

“Alright, we should have several of these bundles counted so they can be examined.” Vivian said as I went to leave the property room.

As soon as I stepped out, there was an agent I didn’t know staring at me. “Turn around, hands against the wall.” He barked.

I looked at Dylan as this unknown agent pushed my shoulder to turn me around. “That’s enough Rogers,” Dylan ordered.

“He knows the procedure,” Rogers said pushing me against the wall.

“And you better learn the PSD.” Masters returned.

“What are you talking about?” Rogers said grabbing me by the tie.

“If you don’t let go of me right now, you’ll be in front of the director, do I make myself clear?”

“Just who the hell are you?”

Just then I heard Tonka sound off then a voice speak, “Tonka heel.”

Dusty came over and removed Rogers hand from my tie. “Why do you have your hands on Agent Mason?”

“He just came out of the property room and he didn’t listen to my orders.”

“You’re giving orders to the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Presidential Security Detail?”

He stood there trying to find words when Dylan came up. “Rogers, you’re relieved.”

“But sir, I didn’t know who he was.” Rogers said.

“Do you see that red ‘A’ tag hanging on his pocket?”

“Yes,” Rogers answered.

“Do you know what that means?” Dylan asked.

“He’s on the White House Staff.”

“That’s right and I know you’re not blind so you can well see his Secret Service credentials too.”

He looked down. “I apologize Agent Mason.”

“Look, I know you have procedures to follow because I set them but if you ever put your hands on me like you did earlier, I’ll break your arm. So we understand each other?”

“Yes, Sir.” Was all he could muster.

Dylan went over to him. “Go relieve Agent Clark and tell her to report to me.”

“Right away,” Rogers said.

“I’m sorry Ace. For a minute, I thought you were going to deck him.”

“I almost did but I was hoping his attitude was going to change.”

“He’s new to the team Ace. I know that’s no excuse but I’ll work with him. He’s really a fine agent.”

I fixed my tie then patted him on the shoulder. No harm done really.”

Just then I felt someone wrap their arms around me. “Guess who?”

“Umm, gee,” I started.

He spun me around. “You don’t know these arms by now?”

I kissed him on his nose, “Got ya.” I said smiling. “Look, with everything that’s going on, you should have your credentials on your pocket.”

“Alright baby,” Bennie said then left to get his credentials.

When Bennie returned my call rang. “Mason.”

“Agent Mason, there is an agent Wells here. He says he needs to speak with you.”

“Escort him to the West Wing entrance, please.” I replied.

“Right away,” The officer replied.

I walked to the door and waited. “Who was that baby?”

“Agent Wells from the counterfeit team is here.”

“Really, you think I’d be working with him?” Bennie asked getting excited.

“I don’t know love,” I started. “I’ve never met the man.”

I saw the cruiser pull up to the door followed by a dark blue Charger. I stepped outside and waited for the agent to park his car. A tall blonde agent stepped out and walked over. “Are you Agent Mason?”

“I am and you are?” I asked.

He showed me his credentials then said, “Special Agent Austin Wells. Director Miller told me you have a safe full of cash you seized during a search.”

“That’s the understatement of the year.”

“How much are you looking at?” Wells asked.

“Last count was at five million plus and still counting.”

“Holy shit, did you call the DEA?”

I shook my head. “No. We need to get a count of this first and the suspect, to the best of our intelligence, wasn’t into drugs.”

“That really doesn’t mean anything Agent Mason.”

“I understand that but there were no drugs or any paraphernalia found so I think drugs can be ruled out. Now what we did find was what seems to be uncirculated bills in numerical sequence.”

“Oh really?” Wells asked smiling.

Just then Bennie returned. “Hi Ace, is this the counterfeit guy?”

Austin turned and looked at my love. “Yes, I’m agent Austin Wells and whom might you be young man?”

Bennie stuck his hand out. “I’m Bennie.”

Austin shook his hand. “The President’s son?”

“That’s me,” Bennie said smiling.

“Bennie wants to join the service after he graduates from college.”

“Well, you have a lot of support around here. Just study hard and make good grades. Agent Mason, can we see that money?”

I looked over at Bennie. “You’ll have to stay out here, the property room is for authorized agents only.”

I saw his frown but he understood. Wells and I entered the room then Vivian cam over. “Agent Wells, nice to see you.”

“Thank you Agent Franks, now what do you have to show me?”

Austin went over and sat his laptop on the table. After booting it up, he looked at a stack of banded bill. “You’re right Agent Mason, these do look like they’re uncirculated. I’ll run the serial numbers then we’ll know for sure.”

“Can you tell whether or not they’re counterfeit?”

Austin took a marker out of his pocket and stroked it over one of the bills. “This bill is genuine.”

“Great, we have real money but no idea where it came from.”

The agent slid a bill out then typed the serial number into his computer. “Hummm.”

“What?” Vivian asked.

I moved behind him and looked at the screen. “Tell me that’s not right.”

“Let me run a few more bills.” Wells said then he began typing again. “Agent Mason, this information is correct. This is part of a shipment that was sent to the Federal Reserve in Richmond.”

“Can you tell me anything more?” I asked.

He closed the lid on his computer. “Not in here.”

We left the property room and went to my private office. “All right Austin, what gives?”

He opened the lid on his computer and brought up the screen he was on. “This cash has really traveled around. From Richmond it went to a bank in Minnesota then to a bank in New York City. From New York it made its way to Washington, DC.”

“Tell me you have a paper trail.” I said needing a cup of coffee.

“To an extent, I do.” Austin answered.

“How much of an extent?” I asked then set a cup of coffee down for him.”

“Well, this was part of a withdrawal by a highly influential individual.”

“What, who was he?” I asked. “Why weren’t red flags raised when a bank handed over this much cash?”

“The withdrawals were such that they didn’t raise red flags.”

“Alright, who is this person?” I asked.

“Agent Mason, I’m not at liberty to divulge that information.”

This wasn’t making me happy. I pulled out my cell phone and called Ben. “Yes Ace?”

“Are you free?” I asked.

“Give me a couple of minutes then I will be.” Ben replied.

“Alright Sir, I need to speak with you. I’m on my way over.”

Wells looked at me. “Who was that you were speaking with?”

“Come with me Agent Wells. We’re going to see someone you can tell who got that money.”

Austin closed his computer then followed me as we went around to the Oval Office. We went inside the outer office and Fred pointed to the door. I knocked then heard, “Enter.”

We went in and I thought Austin was going to faint. “Mr. President, this is Special Agent Austin Wells from our counterfeit division.”

“Nice to meet you,” Ben said. “Ace, what is going on?”

“Well Sir, Agent Wells here has been able to track down the source of some of the cash in the safe.”

“Is that true?” Ben asked.

“Yes Mr. President.”

“Well, why didn’t you tell Agent Mason here?”

“Well Sir, the person is very well connected and may have some diplomatic connections.”

I looked at Wells. “So this person isn’t a diplomat?”

“No Agent Mason he’s not.”

“Then he gets no special consideration.” I said. “Who is this individual?”

Ben looked at him and I could tell Austin was in a bind. Austin sat his laptop on the coffee table and opened it pulling up the screen. “The money was withdrawn by a Frederick Grayson and it was withdrawn in varying increments.

“I know that name Sir.” I said as Ben looked at me.

“I’m all ears.”

“Well, I know the last name. I arrested a Samuel Grayson when he tried to assault Agent Hawks.”

“Do you think this Frederick Grayson is somehow related?”

“He might be but it would take some digging to find out. Now, Agent Wells what you just told us is beginning to make sense.”

“I don’t follow you.” He replied.

I was about to play the game ‘I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.’

“We have a ledger with entries in it and with what you said, it’s beginning to make sense. I’ll show you the ledger provided you give me a print out of what you have on the withdrawals.”

He was mulling over what I’d said then Ben stepped in. “Agent Wells, we’re all on the same side here and Agent Mason is my number two man here.”

“Alright Mr. President, does someone have a printer? There are a lot of pages in here.”

“There is one in our office you can use.” I said then Austin closed the lid on his computer then we returned to our office.

When we returned, JR was busy at his computer. I was about to ask him something when Dylan tapped on the glass. I motioned for him to come in. “Ace, they need you in the property room.”

“Do you know why?” I asked as he shook his head. “I’ll be right over.”

I got Austin’s computer hooked up to the printer then went over to the property room. When I went in, Vivian was sitting as the machine ruffled through a stack of bills. She slipped the money back into the band then noted the amount on it then put her initials on it. “Ace, do you want us to continue counting these stacks that are in numerical order?”

“Yeah, I know it might seem useless but there might be bundles with less than what the band says.”

“OK Ace,” She said then looked at the safe. “We’re finally beginning to make a dent in it.”

I looked and they were about four inches of steel showing now. “Well, keep at it Vivian.”

“Ace, it’s almost lunch time.”

“Alright, you all can get lunch, then come back.” I said as I headed for the door. “Dylan, why don’t you and your partner get lunch? The agents inside are about to take their lunch break.”

Dylan got two members of his team to cover for him and Francine then I headed back to the residence. When I went in, Dusty and JR were there chatting away with Bennie. I got JR’s attention and he walked over to me. “When are you and your team going to check that computer?”

“Mr. Thomas has a full schedule today so it’s scheduled for first thing tomorrow.”

“Good, now I have a job for you this afternoon.”

“What is it?”

“I need you get find out everything you can on one Frederick Grayson.”

“Why does that name sound familiar?” JR asked.

“Dusty arrested a guy named Samuel Grayson. He tried to get Yusuf Kahliel deported.”

“Ah, now I remember. I’ll get on it after lunch.”

After lunch, I was back in my office. Austin had finished printing out everything he had on the money. I went over to the property room and signed out the journals then started comparing the printouts against the entries. Things were making a little sense to me but I still had questions. The one thing I was going to need was access to who owned the back accounts. Money was coming and going but we didn’t know to whom and where. My gut was telling me that if a Grayson was behind this, it wasn’t going to be easy.

I called Ed and filled him in on what I’d found. “Ace, you’re in way over your head.”

“I know Ed, that’s why I called you. We’re going to need to trace where the money came from and where it went. I got a printout from the counterfeit team on where some of the cash originated and if it corresponds with journal entries but there are entries here I don’t understand.”

“Any idea on how much money we’re looking at?”

“Where, in the safe or all told,” I asked.

“All told,” Ed stated.

“From what I can see, we’re looking at millions of dollars.” I answered.

“Are you sure this isn’t drug money?” Ed asked.

“I really don’t think so. We know who some of the money was handled by but that’s it.”

“Alright, who,” Ed asked.

“The name is Frederick Grayson. If the name sounds familiar, we arrested Samuel Grayson for trying to get his client Yusuf Kahliel deported.”

“I remember that,” Ed stated. “Do you think these two people are related?”

“That's a possibility. I have JR working on getting me everything he can on this person.”

“Excellent,” Ed said. “Are you asking we bring other agencies in on this?”

“Ed, I have no choice. Bennie’s graduation is the day after tomorrow then we’re going on vacation in July.”

I heard Ed start to giggle. “Vacation, must be nice.”

“If it goes smoothly, it will be but how many places can he go without someone knowing who he is?”

“Good point.” Ed said. “Let’s hope it’s a relaxing trip. Where are you going?”

“Bermuda and you can’t let on to Bennie you know because Ben and I are keeping this from him. All he knows is he’s going on vacation.”

“My lips are sealed. I’ll see you sometime tomorrow. Dusty has everything set for the graduation and the President’s arrival for his speech.”

“That’s great.” I said smiling. “He really came through.”

“That he did Ace and I’m really pleased too. We put the right person in charge. Now what’s this I hear about Evelyn getting stabbed?”

“You heard right. The only thing I know is she is in critical condition and I’ve given Pete today and tomorrow to be with her but he knows I’ll need him for the graduation.”

“How’s he dealing with it?”

“About as well as can be expected,” I started. “He’s concerned and doesn’t get why she’s acting like she is but he hasn’t reverted back to the old Pete.”

“That’s good to know. I’ll let you get back to work and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I ended the call then caught up with JR; he was busy typing on his computer. He looked up so I went over to see what he’d found. “Ace, what I’ve found so far isn’t good news.”

“OK, spit it out.”

“Well, I can’t find out if Fredrick and Samuel Grayson are related. I think the only way we would learn that is through DNA.”

“Did you try running birth records for Samuel?”

He shook his head. “I haven’t gotten that far yet. But what I did do was run his name through ICE’s database and we have a problem.”

I got a sinking feeling in my gut. “What did you find?”

“ICE shows him leaving the country back in March.”

“Where did he go?” I asked.

“We don’t know. They had him heading out on a flight to England but for all we know, he could have left the country.”

I started thinking. “Alright, by chance do you have a date when he was to arrive in England?”

JR did some more checking. “His passport was scanned on March 3^rd at 1930 hours.”

I jotted that information down. “Thanks buddy, I think I might be able to find out more about him.”

I looked at the clock and it was almost 3PM. I decided to see if DJ was still at work. I reached one of her collogues and found out she had left for the day. I asked if he could check on an American and he said he’d be glad to assist. I gave him Frederick Grayson’s name and it took a few minutes before he could tell me anything. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news mate but he’s left the country.”

‘Shit’ I thought.

“Just great,” I replied. “Can you tell me where he went?”

“Let’s see,” He said. “He left here for Germany then on to what seems to be the Middle East.”

“How is that possible?”

“If someone has the right connections and enough dosh, they can go just about anywhere. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more mate.”

“Thanks,” I started. “You’ve been very helpful. Please tell Agent Forrester I called, will you?”

“I will and I’ll leave her a note here too.”

I hung up then rubbed my head. JR was looking at me. “I take it that didn’t go well.”

“Not really, he left England for Germany then to somewhere in the Middle East.”

“Just great, if he’s in the Middle East, he’ll be out of our reach.”

“I know,” I started. “I need to get hold of Adam to get search warrants.”

“Ace, this is going to be a huge job and we’re going to need help from other agencies.”

“I know that’s why I called Ed. There is so much here and it is so big we can’t do it all ourselves.”

I was just about to call Adam when Dylan tapped on the glass. I motioned for him to come in but he just stuck his head in the door. “They want you to come over to the property room.”

I got up and went over to see what was going on. When I entered, Vivian came up to me. “Ace, we should be done with the count by the end of the day.”

“How much have you counted so far?”

She looked at the count sheet. “The tally so far is $35,275,500.00.”

I had to lean against the wall. ‘That’s a good chunk of our budget. If we could end up with this money we could get a lot of new things we’ve wanted but had to put off.’

“Any idea on how much you think the final count will be?”

“I’m not going to venture a guess. There are a lot of bundles in $10,000.00 increments but we still have to count them.”

“Alright, let me know as soon as you’re done.” I said returning to my office.

I returned to my office then sat down and called Adam. I filled him in on everything as best as I could and he told me he’d get started on them. I then called Ed and told him about the warrants. “Ace, I’ll want JR to do the search when we get the warrants. He’s the best agent we have.”

“I understand that Ed but don’t you think Treasury can do just as good a job?” I asked.

“That’s a possibility but I think both agencies should be involved with the search.”

“Alright but I’m trying to get cases cleaned up. We’ve made a lot of arrests and their trials will be forthcoming.”

“I understand Ace. I’ll talk with Adam and see when the cases will start.” Ed stated.

“Thanks Ed, oh and before I forget, the count should be finished sometime today.”

“Alright Ace, when that’s done we’ll need to get that money out of the property room.”

“As soon as the count is done, I’ll call you.” I said then ended the call.

At 5pm, they were still counting so I headed to the residence to get cleaned up for dinner.

To be continued...