“Yeah, she was mad as a-”
“Hush, boy,” the heavyset woman whispered, knuckling him in the backside. Then she flashed her host a smile. “I was just acting like any concerned mother, Mr. President.”
“Mrs. Clinton, I want you to know that your son is a true patriot and that because of his courage and commitment the world is a much safer place. You should be proud of your son.”
“Oh, he’s a great boy, Mr. President and he works hard as a waiter at the Key Bridge Marriott Hotel. I only wish he could get into a trade school or something where he’d have a chance to earn a decent living and make something of himself.”
“What trade are you interested in, Jeff?”
“Believe it or not I’ve always wanted to work on the railroad, maybe as a conductor or even drive the trains someday.”
“I’ll see what we can do.” President Pierce thanked the young man and his mother. After the photographer took several pictures of young William Jefferson Clinton and the President and before the marine guard escorted them out of the Oval Office and on to their private tour of the White House Jeff looked at Matt. “Sure wish my girlfriend could have seen this.”
“The one you know so well?” Matt said, straight faced. He was rewarded with a street smile from Jeff and a frown from Mrs. Clinton.
President Pierce sat down behind his desk. He picked up his battered tin cup then looked at Matt, Nicole and Elijah.
“I know this would make the story of a lifetime, Ms. Delacluse. But I’m going to ask you to sign an affidavit swearing that you’ll never reveal the events of the past several days. By the way I’ve just been in communication with your former boss at the International Herald Tribune. He says you’re a royal pain in the ass. That’s a direct quote by the way. But he’ll hire you back as soon as you’re ready and able.”
“I appreciate your support and assistance, Mr. President,” Nicole said, reaching out and taking Matt’s hand, “but I think I’ve got a better offer.”
“Okay, I get the picture. But what about you Dr. Richards? As you know I need a new personal physician, at least for the next two years that I’m in office. Interested?”
“Under normal circumstances, Mr. President, it would be an honor. But I must respectfully decline. First I’ve got a little trip to take to Nassau and then I’d like to get rid of this face. It’s not so bad, but sharing features with an international assassin is definitely a liability. Dr. Weissman has agreed to perform the operation. In a few months’ time I hope to look like someone vaguely resembling the old Matt Richards. But as a result of what I’ve learned these past few weeks I will never be the same. Someone once said looks can be deceiving and in this case they will be absolutely right.”
President Pierce watched him. “I know about your little trip to the Bahamas. I’ll have the FBI escort you personally there and back, just in case. After you get your old identity back where will you be headed?”
“We’re both going to join Esperanca,” Matt said. “The medical group that runs a surgical boat on the Amazon River. I spoke with my father at length the other night and he’s going to join us as well. My roommate in Beirut, Samir Hussein, used to say, ‘The purpose of man is to be of service to mankind.’ There’s plenty of need for a good surgeon, make that two good surgeons, on the Amazon.” Matt paused. “Can I ask you a question, Mr. President?”
“Fire away.”
“What happened to Kelly Stevens? Is she all right?”
“Ms. Stevens and her mother have moved to London where she’ll begin her new career at the U.S. embassy as an assistant in the publications department. With the love and support of her mother I’d say she’ll be just fine.”
“And who killed Brian Walker, Dr. Martin Thomas and Anne-Marie Khoury?”
“We have evidence, strictly off the record, that it was a person working directly for Mohammed al Nagib by the name of Demetrie Antonopolis. He was ordered to eliminate people from your Beirut days who might be able to place al Nagib and William Fisher together.”
“I knew him from my Beirut days. He was always smoking hashish and living a fast life,” said Matt.
“His days of fast living are definitely over,” said the President. “He was found dead in a market near Union Station. Something else off the record. We used a little creativity and convinced the Israelis that their ambassador to the United States was using an international assassin to kill people here in the United States. As a result I was able to put, shall we say, a considerable amount of pressure on the government of Israel to support my peace initiatives.”
“Did you say a well-known international assassin?” Matt’s eyes widened. “You blackmailed the Israelis? They wanted to use me, with my new face, to hunt down the terrorist cell and you made it look as if they were running an assassination plot on U.S. soil…”
“The fact that they bribed Senator Stevens, spied on my council meetings, and were in cahoots with al Nagib gave me additional leverage,” the President said dryly. “At any rate an assassin did infiltrate the White House-so it wasn’t a complete lie.”
“And what about Mohammed al Nagib?” asked Eli.
President Pierce crossed over to the window to admire the roses as the buds were breaking. “All I can tell you is the world will never again have to be concerned about Mr. Nagib or his three partners.” He looked back at Matt. “I trust that is all we need to say.”
“Word among the community is that several focused ‘wet jobs’ took place on the families of recent suicide bombers,” Elijah said, looking at Dr. Finch.
“A few of our actions had an extraordinary affect on helping to reduce the threat of terrorism around the globe,” said the President. The director of the CIA nodded.
CNN Headline News
“As tight-lipped as ever, President Roswell Clayton Pierce is giving no hints as to how he was able to orchestrate the extraordinary events that have culminated in his dramatic bid for a lasting peace in the Middle East and an end to terrorism. The remarkable concessions on the part of Israel and the Arab countries in the Middle East have brought about a completely different dynamic in the region. Peace is definitely in the air, with Jews and Muslims working together to make certain that peace endures.”
The senior newscaster smiled into the camera then continued with the major news stories of the day. “Citing ill health and depression following the death of his only child U.S. Senator Mason T. Stevens of Virginia, chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, has announced his retirement, effective immediately. Upon learning of Senator Stevens’ retirement President Pierce described him as ‘a man of strong character and a tenacious supporter of the American dream.’
“In a related story, we have also learned that Mrs. Stevens has just filed divorce papers citing irreconcilable differences between herself and her husband. Mrs. Stevens has left the United States and is now living in London.
“On the international front CNN correspondents in South America have just received word that suspected Hezbollah terrorist training camps in the tri-border region of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina have been devastated by forest fires of unknown origin. The camps, rumored to be one of the main spawning grounds for international terrorists and suicide bombers have until recently been hidden away in a remote section of the dense Amazon jungle. Sketchy reports from that remote region confirm that over seven major terrorist training camps, as well as mining and logging camps owned by the Brazilian millionaire Jorge Molinas have been destroyed, reportedly by natural fires set off by unseasonably dry weather conditions and violent lightning storms.
“And we have additional news from the Middle East this evening,” the newscaster went on. “The Israeli ambassador to the United States, General Ibrahim Barak, was found dead earlier today in his home in Tel Aviv. After he was recalled to Israel following President Pierce’s peace initiative announcements the ambassador’s wife said he had been complaining of headaches and dizziness for the past several days. According to the ambulance crew who arrived on the scene General Barak accidentally tripped down a flight of stairs in his home and broke his neck. He was pronounced dead at the scene.”