The Helios Conspiracy by C.W. Lemoine

Author:C.W. Lemoine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: conspiracy, terrorism, political thriller
Publisher: C.W. Lemoine
Published: 2018-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-Six

President Madeline Clifton was sitting at her desk in the Oval Office when she heard her Chief of Staff Todd Plonski enter the room. She had been reviewing a National Security Brief on the ongoing Chinese threat in the South Pacific.

“Madame President,” he said softly as he interrupted her.

“What is it, Todd?” she asked as she looked up from the folder marked TOP SECRET.

“Your 4 p.m. appointment has cancelled,” he said as he walked up to her desk.

Clifton looked up at the clock. It was ten minutes after 4 p.m. “I wasn’t aware I had a four o’clock.”

“Me neither, ma’am. I must have overlooked it, but it’s apparently been on the books for a few months.”

“Have a seat,” Clifton offered. “You make me nervous when you stand there like that. Who was the appointment with?”

Plonski took a seat in the plush leather chair across from Clifton’s desk. “Apparently you were supposed to meet Cal Martin today, ma’am.”

Clifton closed the folder on her desk and folded her hands over it as she gave Plonski a look of astonishment. “The Cal Martin? Michelle Decker’s husband Cal Martin?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Plonski said as he sat back and crossed his right leg over his left.

“Well, what did he want?”

Plonski pulled out his phone and opened his digital calendar. “The meeting itinerary was a simple meet and greet. No further details.”

“So where is he?”

“That’s just it. The Secret Service detained him about a half hour ago because he threatened to kill you while he was signing in,” Plonski said with a look of disbelief. “Now, how does that make sense?”

“It doesn’t. Where is he now?”

“The Secret Service is interviewing him on the east side.”

Clifton turned slightly to her left and yelled, “Ned!” Within seconds, Special Agent Ned Landry, the agent in charge of her protective detail appeared.

“Yes, ma’am?” the balding senior agent asked in a thick southern accent.

“What do you know about the arrest of Cal Martin?”

“From what I’ve been told, ma’am, he attempted to sign in at the Visitors Center and was escorted to the Appointment Entrance. While being checked in there, he suddenly demanded that agents arrest him and said that he was going to kill you,” Landry said. “Very strange.”

“What did he say when your people interviewed him?” Clifton asked.

“I haven’t heard anything yet, ma’am, but I can find out.”

Clifton thought about it for a moment and then said, “No, I want you to bring him here.”

Landry’s eyes widened. “Excuse me, ma’am? I don’t think I heard you correctly. It sounded like you wanted me to bring him here.”

“That’s exactly what I said, Agent Landry. Please make it happen.”

Landry shook his head in protest. “Absolutely not, ma’am. Respectfully, I cannot allow someone that just threatened you to come in here. I simply cannot honor that request, ma’am.”

“Perhaps I was unclear,” Clifton said, her tone growing more irritated. “I wasn’t making a request. I am directing you to bring him to this office because I would like to speak with him.”

“But ma’am...”

“You have handcuffs on him, do you not?”

“Yes, ma’am.

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