“We understand, Ms. President,” Wiley pointed at Francesca then to Jake, “they can handle it.”
The video resumed, it was color but poor quality and the bad lighting in the scene didn’t help.
Rudd was right, the video was disturbing and Jake presumed it was filmed somewhere in Southeast Asia. On the large screen in front of him stood a man with his back to the camera; he was older with gray hair, slightly hunched, frail looking, and Caucasian. On her knees in front of him was a young Asian girl performing oral sex on him. By her size and features she couldn’t have been more than twelve. They appeared to be in some sort of primitive structure, perhaps a thatch hut, and in the background, a mattress lay on the dirt floor.
“A village orphanage in Vietnam.” Rudd said. “Kim Ly. She was thirteen.”
“Was?” Jake asked.
“Keep watching.”
Jake already felt the rage building inside him. What he was watching made him sick to his stomach. Repulsed by the actions of the old man. How could someone do that to a young girl? Sexual abuse was unforgivable, especially when it involved a child.
The girl pulled back and spoke something in a language Jake assumed was Vietnamese. The man yelled back at her in the same language then hit her on the side of the head. Kim Ly started crying. Her tone sounded as though she was begging. The old man yelled at her again then clutched her hair on both sides of her head and shoved her face into his crotch.
Jake looked at Francesca. She had her hand covering her mouth and a horrified look on her face. He saw a tear roll down her cheek.
Kim Ly pulled away two minutes later and the old man yelled again then hit her in the face. Jake saw the crimson blood trickle down the young girl's face.
“Oh, my God.” Francesca grabbed Jake’s hand and squeezed.
President Rudd had gone quiet. Jake didn’t know if the video had upset her or if she didn’t want to minimize the impact the video was having. He assumed the latter since without a doubt, she had seen it before.
Kim Ly clenched her tiny fist and swung, striking the man in the groin. He doubled over, grabbed the small girl, clamped his arthritis-deformed left hand over her throat, and shoved her to the ground. His right hand stretched outward and for the first time since the video began, Jake saw the cane. The man grabbed the cane and started beating the girl, bashing her face and head repeatedly with the hook of the cane.
Kim Ly struggled for fifteen seconds then her small frame went limp.
The man hunched over her for a few moments then, using the cane, pushed himself to his feet, grabbed a rag, and wiped the blood from his cane. The old man stared down at the young girl while he zipped his pants. He tossed the bloody rag on the floor next to Kim Ly's head and turned to leave.
Rudd paused the video.
Jake knew that face. He pulled his hand free from Francesca's grip and balled it into a fist. His own face felt hot and his blood pressure rose as full recognition of the decrepit old man on the screen hit him.
Senator Richard Boden.
Chairman of the Senate Committee of Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
The man who, less than a year ago, had ordered his former boss, Director of Central Intelligence Scott Bentley, to fire him from the CIA's Clandestine Service.
The man who had threatened to have Jake thrown in jail.
The same man whose life Jake had saved during a terrorist attack in New York City.
“Boden.” Jake blurted. "That son of a bitch."
President Rudd turned around.
“I’m sorry, Ms President.” Jake’s tone apologetic. “The Senator and I…have—”
“Mr. Pendleton, I’m well aware of your history with Senator Boden,” Rudd said, “that’s one reason I requested you.”
“Requested?” Jake looked at Wiley.
The old man gave nothing away.
“Who is this guy?” Francesca asked.
“That’s the sensitive part, Ms Catanzaro.” Rudd turned off the video and Makley raised the lights in the room. “Senator Richard Boden has two Purple Hearts from the Vietnam War, he's a decorated war hero, and a recipient of the Medal of Honor.”
“Jeez.” Francesca looked at Jake. “You know this creep?”
“And on top of all that.” Rudd interrupted. “He’s the most senior senator on Capitol Hill…and the most influential.” Rudd drew a deep breath. "Acting on a tip, I covertly sent two agents to Vietnam to investigate and gather evidence about the allegations. For him or against him, I didn't care. I wanted it handled quickly and quietly. The tipster claimed Boden has been going to Vietnam for sex with young girls for decades. At the time it was taken, this was a live video feed but before my agents could get to the scene, Kim Ly was dead…and Boden was gone."
Wiley, who had been silent since the video started, spoke. “Madam President, how can I…we, be of service?” Wiley did the hair swipe. First the left hand, then the right hand.
“As you probably already guessed.” Rudd, perhaps taking Wiley’s hair swipe as a subliminal message, ran her fingers through her hair. “Kim Ly was an orphan. She had no family that we could locate. Senator Boden is a powerful man with powerful allies. Allies who paid authorities in Vietnam to look the other way." Rudd paused and drew another deep breath. "This presents me with a moral dilemma, the likes I have never before faced."
“What would you like done?” Wiley asked.
Before Rudd could answer Jake interrupted. “I’d like the chance to take this creep down.” Jake thought he saw a suppressed smile flash across the President’s face.
"Elmore, I've used your services in the past and I require them again now." Rudd picked up a folder from the conference table and handed it to Wiley. "As you know, the Summit meeting is in a few weeks and our relations in Southeast Asia is at a critical juncture. If this were to become public, it is the type of scandal that could set us back years. Their alliance with us at this time is very important.
“As I said earlier, this meeting is off the books. Only the five of us in this room and the two Secret Service agents know about this video or this incident.” President Rebecca Rudd stood and motioned for Wiley, Jake, and Francesca to remain seated. “I won’t mince words. I kept the CIA out of it for good reason — too many eyes and ears." She paused and took a deep breath. "I took an oath as leader of this country to uphold justice. Every day I struggle with decisions that are in America's best interest…even if it goes against my personal values. Dammit, I can't believe I'm asking you to do this."
Jake could tell she was struggling with a decision.
She continued. "What I'm about to suggest may seem morally wrong, perhaps a breach of power, but Senator Boden is an evil man. He's been doing this to these young orphan girls for decades. He's a liability to this country and must be stopped." She stepped to the doorway and opened the door. Makley moved behind her. She hesitated, and then turned toward them. "Elmore, there is no official order. It would be a shame though, if Senator Boden were to have an accident…or a fatal health issue.”
Fifteen minutes after Ashley Regan left Sam Connors sitting on the rock at the bottom of the Leiter, she arrived at an almost vertical rock face with an iron cable secured across it called the Brett. When there was no path or ledge to walk on, iron bolts had been anchored into the rock face to serve as steps across the lateral passage. Regan gazed down the slope and saw Sam nearing the top of the Leiter.
“Do you need another rest?” Regan shouted down the iron staircase. “Or can we keep moving forward?”
“Go on, Ashley. I’m right behind you.” Connors reached the top of the Leiter and was walking toward Regan. “I’ll catch up to you at the glacier.”