Chapter 1
262 Words
Chapter 1AFTER MIDNIGHT, Thursday, August 25
“Jim? Florian Declercq here. Sorry to call so late. Have you a moment?”
“No problem, Florian. Just sitting and reading.” The general clicked mute on the TV. “What can I do for you?”
“I've received an invitation to join a group of businessmen. You were my first thought. A man came to my Antwerp office, saying he represented someone whose interest was stirred by my company's participation in the president's development plan.” General Beech listened with pen in hand, a yellow pad on his lap. “When I asked about the group's purpose, he referred to them as 'the Caballeros.”
The pad flew, pages flapping on the way to the floor. “Florian, may I call you from my office? In say, an hour?”
* * *
IN THE DEEP of night, the White House operator told the president to pick up line two for General Beech. Turning on the bedside lamp, he said, “What's happened, Jim?” The general reported his conversation with Florian Declercq, the Belgian shipping magnate. When Beech mentioned 'the Caballeros,' he stood up. “General, where are you now?”
“At my office, Mr. President. I wanted the call recorded and secure.”
“Meet me here in half an hour.”
As the president dressed, he wrote notes on his yellow pad. The Caballeros, again. During the past year, a conspiracy of wealthy businessmen and industrial tycoons had surfaced, interfered with his administration's foreign and domestic policies, attempted assassinations and just when law enforcement had them identified, one by one, the members were killed, each in suspicious manners. Now, they're reforming. What more damage can we expect?
- Writer
