Capitol Conspiracy

53

Jason got out of bed when he heard the noise in the garage. He knew it was probably nothing, but given what he had found out there himself-and had no opportunity to get rid of-he was understandably a little paranoid.

When he entered the garage wearing nothing but a bathrobe, he was startled to find a huge burly man reading through the documents he had discovered. The strongbox was lying on the floor, wide open.

Jason turned to run, but the man grabbed him and threw him on the ground. “I won’t hurt you. Just don’t get in my way.”

Jason stared at him, uncomprehending. “Who the hell are you? What’s going on?”

“Name’s Loving. I’m conductin’ a search.”

“Don’t you need a warrant or something?”

“I’m not a cop.”

“Then you’re trespassing.”

“Sue me. I think the nutcases behind Oklahoma City are gonna try somethin’ else. I wanna stop them.” He gave Jason a closer look. “You the chief of staff?”

“Who wants to know? Look, if you don’t leave immediately, I’ll-”

Loving grabbed him by the neck. “Let me make this short and sweet. I’ve been tortured, hit, cut, threatened, had an electric cattle prod rattlin’ my teeth. You are not gonna intimidate me. I’ve already found the goods. So why don’t you do yourself a favor and tell me what’s goin’ on?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why are you here?”

“Because while I was bein’ tortured I found out the man I thought was the head of a terrorist operation had help. On the inside.”

“And who was that?”

“I didn’t know at first. Then the General started hintin’ about his connections to the Senate. Then he quoted one of my boss’s favorite jokes, somethin’ about God and Abraham Lincoln and the United States of America. I’ve heard Ben say it before, but I didn’t figure he’d said it to this punk sex trafficker. So I called Ben and asked him if he’d repeated it to anyone in the Senate. Guess what? He had. One person. Your boss, the late Senator DeMouy.”

“Are you saying-?”

“You know what I’m sayin’. Your boss was the inside man. All this crap proves it.” Loving pointed at everything he had found hidden in the garage strongbox-the photos and the papers, the ones that weren’t in Arabic. Detailed plans. Names and addresses. Constant references to Homeland Security. The Secret Service. Oklahoma City.

“Oh my God,” Jason gasped. “I found this stuff but I never imagined-” He stared off into space, eyes wide. “All those meetings Senator DeMouy took at Homeland Security for undisclosed purposes. Late-night meetings. His calm after the attack on Oklahoma City. His staunch advocacy of the proposed constitutional amendment…”

When he heard the noise at the door, Jason almost jumped a foot into the air.

“Jason? Why did you get out of bed? Why are you out here in the cold?”

Belinda was wearing only her panties, standing at the door. When she saw Loving, she covered herself with her hands. “Who the hell are you? What are you doing in my garage?”

“Gettin’ the skinny on your late husband.”

She stared at the papers and photos on the workbench. “I’ve never seen any of this before.”

“And for a damn good reason.”

She took an old tattered towel off a shelf and wrapped it around herself. “I’m tired and I don’t know what you’re talking about and I think I should call the police.”

“Be my guest. I’ve got what I needed. You’ve probably heard that the terrorists who attacked in Oklahoma City had an accomplice. An inside man?”

“Y-yes?”

“Well, guess what-you were married to him.”

Her mouth opened, then moved wordlessly. “That’s-not possible.”

“Yup. Your old man was a terrorist sympathizer. Makin’ a hell of a lot of money at it, too.” He paused. “And in case you’re wonderin’, I also found the stuff you used to make your homegrown ricin.”

Jason and Belinda exchanged a glance. Jason cleared his throat. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Save it for someone who might buy it.” Loving threw down the papers and swore under his breath. “Isn’t life sweet? All this time I’ve spent lookin’ for this guy. The guy every cop in the United States has been searching for?” Loving smiled sadly. “You killed him.”