Daingerfield Island by John Wasowicz

Author:John Wasowicz [Wasowicz, John Adam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-938144-56-1
Publisher: BrickHouse Books Inc.
Published: 2017-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 22

KATZ WAS discharged three hours later. A nurse had gently arranged his injured wrist inside a black cotton sling and given him a little something to ease the pain for the next few days. He threw the pills into a nearby receptacle.

As he waited for the paperwork to be completed, Katz watched an interview on the cable television in the reception area. The reporter, identified as Nick Mann, was interviewing Senator Abraham Lowenstein. Looking like any good actor, the politician’s mane of white hair was sculpted, his jaw raised to hide any sag. He oozed sincerity.

“Senator,” the reporter asked, “sources reported this morning an alleged plot in Washington to injure, kidnap or assassinate a foreign dignitary. As chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, what can you tell us?”

“Nick, there’s enough chatter being picked up by our national security agencies to warrant a close look into the matter. The chatter before 9/11 was deafening, and yet we chose to ignore it. As a result, a bunch of thugs hijacked our airplanes loaded with our fuel off of our runways and flew them as missiles into our buildings, causing incalculable havoc on our way of life. That’s not going to happen again.”

“How do you intend to make sure it doesn’t?”

“I’m holding a hearing next Tuesday, Nick, to discuss our preparedness in the wake of these rumors. If there’s any legitimacy to them, I want the American people to be fully informed about any threat we’re facing and the steps being taken to prevent it.”

“Are hearings sufficient?” asked the reporter.

“If I thought for one moment that we faced an imminent threat,” Lowenstein replied, “I would be calling upon our intelligence agencies to assume their battle stations rather than hauling them up to the Hill to discuss contingencies. I see nothing, however, that suggests a terrorist attack is imminent. I think we have time for a thoughtful, methodical and transparent discussion about what steps are being taken to abate any potential threat.”

“Is that the sort of debate you want to conduct out in the open?”

“Of course,” the senator answered unequivocally. “To the extent we conduct our business behind closed doors, the American people are deprived of an open discussion. In a representative democracy, that means the terrorists win, without even hurling a single explosive device. What are we shielding the American people from? The terrorists already know we’ve detected their scent, and they know we’re all about the business of tracking them down and killing them.”

“The recent death of Libby Lewis, a former staff member of your committee, created quite a sensation,” Mann said. “There’s been an arrest in that case, and the defendant is awaiting a bond hearing. Is there any connection between the murder and the rumors circulating in Washington about threats to members of the diplomatic corps?”

“Nothing’s outside of the realm of possibility. We’re going to do a deep dive into whether there’s a security risk. Everything’s going to be fair game.”

“Who will be testifying before the committee?” asked Mann.

“Jack Smith, to begin with.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.