Jeff finds himself in Washington DC on business trying to close a big deal for his company where he meets up with Nancy again, the FBI agent he had fallen in love with in Atlanta nearly two years ago. Jeff is separated from his wife because of Nancy
Chapter 32 of K Street
Wednesday, 1:30 PM:
A Strange World
They go meet the Iranians
again to iron out details of the arms deal. Arnie insists again that they kill
the murderer! Then Jeff remembered to tell Omar about the General's wife
inviting him to a barbeque!
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- Chris Lamela
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Author contact: Chris Lamela,
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K Street, Chapter 32
Wednesday,
1:30 PM:
A Strange World
A Strange World
When the laughter finally subsided Arnie motioned to the chairs around
the table, everyone sat down, turning toward him. “So Tom, we need to make sure
that you are clued in on what’s going on, we are looking for you to drive this
meeting today.”
Tom looked at the three anxiously, “Okay, but first why don’t you start
at the top, tell me what I need to know.”
Arnie glanced at Jeff and Nancy, diving into telling him about the swap with the Iranians, telling him
about the approval levels.
When Arnie got to the point of telling him that the deal would be
funneled through ODS the same as the current deal Tom got a big appreciative grin.
“So you’re telling me that we are getting the same commission?”
“Like the General said, same as the other deal. That’s what, two
million?” Arnie asked.
“Yes, plus eight hundred thousand for Shawn’s company. That has been
arranged to be paid separately,” looking at Jeff, “like this deal, right?” Jeff
nodded. “All paid in advance like this deal was done, will all the other terms
be the same?”
“Identical. There are still some details to work out with the Saudis, they
have the formal diplomatic relations with Iran Iran and Iraq
“Oh, don’t worry,” Tom responded enthusiastically, “remember you had me
grab all the files,” he pointed down to the banker’s box and his briefcase, “you
guys already figured out that this was my show anyway, right? Trust me, it will
be done exactly like before.” He scratched his head in thought, “Of course it’s
going to take a couple weeks to get back in business but the good news is that
we followed great security procedures, we have copies of everything off-site,
as a matter of fact, we just did a redundancy download Monday night!” He was excited
realizing that he was actually in pretty good shape. “So yes! We can definitely
be set to go!”
Arnie turned to Jeff, “How about you, your factory able to supply the
systems?”
Jeff smiled, “Yes, as a matter of fact. You knew that this order came
with an option for six more systems, right?” Arnie nodded. “So assuming we can
substitute the Iranian order for those six, or at least partially, then yes.
The only question is about timing. I mean we will deliver the six systems on
order right now. If we get the purchase order and payment―with the export
license, of course―then we can just roll onto the next lot, deliver the two
orders back-to-back.” Jeff couldn’t believe what he was hearing, he was going
to go back to Seattle
Arnie sat back, looked at Nancy
“No, it sounds like you have all the bases you need covered for the
meeting, but there are a lot of things to work out. When are you going to tell
the Saudis?”
“Probably sooner the better, don’t you think? We’ll let DOD handle that,
though.” Arnie reached in front of him making a note.
“I’d have them do it this week just to make sure. They are key players
here, if they don’t want to touch it we will have to go to our Egyptian buddies
which will be fine, but I think the General would much rather keep this all in
the same circle.”
“You’re right, the Israelis would go insane about this gear even
touching Egypt , right next
door and all,” Arnie was happy that Nancy
Tom laughed, “Time I have. It’s not like I have an office to go to!” they
laughed, Jeff glanced at Nancy
“The most important thing for you guys this afternoon is the meeting
with the Iranians at one thirty.” He looked to Nancy, “Nancy
She nodded, Arnie looked down to his watch, “Okay guys, it’s just after
eleven. We need a break, let’s meet back here at―” he looked to the ceiling
thinking about drive times from Potomac to the east side of downtown, “let’s
meet back here at twelve thirty. Go get some lunch or something.” He glanced at
Tom and Jeff, “But it’s still code red for you guys, remember that,” turning to
Jeff, “you in particular, I really don’t want your face in public at all.” Turning
back to Nancy
Arnie signaled to Tom, they opened the doors going into the ops room. Jeff
could hear the hum of voices coming through the door.
Jeff turned his chair to the right facing Nancy who was sitting with her
hands clasped on the table in front of her, an idle expression that surprised
Jeff, “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine.”
“Sure?”
She nodded with a firm expression turning her head to him, “Yes, I’m
fine.” She sighed, taking a big breath, “I’ve got to be fine, right? There’s
still probably a long day ahead of us. I’ve just got to get my game back. It’s
close. I’m sure I’ll be one hundred percent by the time we get over to see
those guys.”
Jeff chuckled, “Yeah, I can hardly wait to tell Omar to expect a call
from the General’s wife about the barbeque. What do you think, that will be
great to see his expression.”
She grinned, “Yes, what a small twisted little world we live in, huh?”
She stood up, “Come on, we need to order some food to get some calories in us
before the next big show.”
He stood up, she reached for his hand, he turned to her, “Jeff, I don’t
know how…I mean…I just want you to know that I’m not sure how I’d have gotten
through this without you.”
“I’m just trying to be there for you. I think that’s all I can do.”
She smiled turning to the door, “Come on, let’s get some food.” He
followed her into the ops room which had only about ten people in it, but it
was such a small room compared to the ops rooms he had seen in Atlanta
and in Cookes Park
A few minutes later two men walked in holding six bulging bags of Chinese
food containers walking straight back to the dining room which had served as their
little conference room. Nancy
Soon every chair was full, chopsticks and plastic forks flew between
paper plates and mouths.
Finally Jeff sat back, wiping his mouth studying his watch. Eleven fifty
three, a little more than a half-hour before they drove back to the city. “Man,
I feel like I could take a nap.”
“Why don’t you go upstairs, lay down? I’ll come get you when we’re ready
to leave,” Nancy
Jeff nodded, got up, a minute later was laying on the bed upstairs.
“Jeff,” he could feel someone shaking him.
He raised his head, “Yeah?”
“We’re leaving, come on.”
He squinched his eyes trying to look at his watch, couldn’t believe that
he had actually fallen asleep. It had only been a half-hour but he felt like he
had napped for two hours. Swinging his legs off the bed he could hear Nancy
He heard the water running in the bathroom sink, Nancy
They walked up to the group, Nancy and Arnie pulled out their guns
motioning to Ted, they each gave their weapons a couple quick clicks with slides
and clicks again releasing triggers, putting them away.
Jeff reached into his outer coat pocket pulling out the little Colt thirty-eight, flicked a switch, the
barrel flopped out. Jeff turned it to show there were six bullets, he flicked
it closed with a quick twist of his wrist putting it back into his coat pocket.
Tom returned a worried-looking frown, “I never pack a gun, but I sure
wish I did right now.”
“So Arnie, you and Tom are driving, right?” Arnie nodded, “Ted’s going
to throw us into the back of his car. Good then, let’s go!”
A minute later Jeff and Nancy were in the big back seat of Ted’s Caprice
following Arnie’s car through the gate, turning left toward DC.
A half-hour later they were pulled up to the gate at the Iranian Embassy
building, Jeff seeing Arnie reach out to punch a code, the gate swinging open,
Arnie’s car driving through as they followed.
They pulled up to park near the door. A young woman came out standing by
the door. Her dark complexion under her black burka and gray dress made her
nearly invisible against the dark stone of the building in the shadowed garage.
They got out of the cars walking toward her, she opened the door without
a word. They filed silently into the building. An elevator ride later they were
led to the left, then right into Omar’s office.
Everyone stood aside as though to invite Jeff to go in first. He walked
through the door. The very large office was as Jeff had seen it last time, this
time with four chairs arranged in front of Omar’s oversized desk with Abdul
sitting a little more to the right making room for the other chairs.
Omar sprang to his feet, “Jeff! How very good to see you again. And
Arnie, you too! Nancy
“Good enough, certainly, please everyone sit down!” He signaled to the
woman who had let them in, “Thank you.” She nodded turning, closing the door
behind her.
“So Arnie, you heard the good news from my bosses in Tehran
“Don’t worry Omar, get your pen out, we’ll get this figured out.”
“Yes, you said not in writing from you,” he opened his desk drawer
ceremoniously taking out a yellow pad and a Mont Blanc
pen. Abdul reached for the yellow pad on the desk in front of him, extracting
his own Mont Blanc from his inside coat pocket; two white-tipped pens waiting
to carry news back to Tehran
Arnie cleared his throat, “Now, understanding of course that we have
many things that we must do on our side to make this all work, let’s lay out
again what we propose.”
The two white-tipped pens stood at ready, began scribbling, Arnie
outlined the proposal to ship the surveillance airplanes through Saudi Arabia to Iran
Jeff looked at his watch surprised to see that they had spent nearly an
hour when Arnie finally said, “Okay, so that’s it. Any questions?”
There were a few questions, some
clarifications that took more scribbling. Arnie reached into his coat pulling
out a set of papers folded in quarters opening them up, “Let me make sure I got
it all.” He scanned the first page murmuring to himself, the second page
nodding with a half-smile, then the last two pages. “Good. Yes. We got it all.”
Jeff remembered Arnie saying before they got there that Tom would be
driving this meeting. He glanced at Tom realizing he hadn’t spoken a single
word!
“Well then,” Arnie spoke with a deliberate tone, he folded the papers up
again, put them back into his inside coat pocket, “we still have the little
matter about the shooter. I assume you have an update for us.”
Omar glanced at Abdul, “Yes, it is being arranged. It will be handled
this afternoon. It is arranged.”
“How will we know that it is done?”
“I give you my assurances that the matter will be handled as we
discussed.”
Jeff listened to this amazed that these two men could be talking about picking up dry cleaning instead of murdering a
man.
Arnie shook his head, “That’s nice, but I can’t take assurances back
with me. I need to know that it’s done. This whole deal is dependent on that.
If it doesn’t get done, and I mean today, then we are wasting our time talking
about any other deal.”
Abdul cast a worried glance at Omar, “Look, Arnie, I told you that it is
arranged for us to take care of this exactly as we agreed. It is arranged for
this afternoon. Would you like me to call you when it’s done?”
“I will need to see the evidence.”
Abdul raised his hand tentatively getting Omar’s attention. They
exchanged a few sentences in Farsi.
Omar turned to Arnie, “Yes, we can arrange that. Of course how will you
know that the person we show you is our man and not some poor soul we drug off
the street?”
“Omar, you do remember my comment on this subject in our last meeting, I
assume? Of course you do, if there’s any question, I am dead serious.”
Abdul’s nearly frantic expression told Jeff everything that he couldn’t understand
in the stream of Farsi between the two men that followed. Omar finally nodded
to Abdul turning back to Arnie. “We both want you to know that we want this matter
settled! I promise you that the man we will show you is the shooter.” He looked
back and forth to the faces in front of him, “I give you my word.”
“Well Omar, we’ll see when it’s done.” Arnie stood, stretched, turning
to Jeff, Nancy, and Tom. “Come on guys, I think that’s all we can do here for
now.”
Jeff stood, remembered the General’s request, “Oh, by the way Omar,
General Thompson wanted me to say hi for him, to let you know that his wife
will be calling you about some barbeque.”
“Ah, yes, wonderful, thank you, I forgot to put that on my calendar!” He
reached into his desk pulling out a small day-timer book, flipped some pages
making a notation. “His wife would kill me if I miss this one, their daughter will
be in town with her fiancé. I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”
“Thank you for telling me, tell the General I will be there. Thanks for
passing along the message, that was very thoughtful.”
“Sure…” Jeff smiled at this being the man who was just talking about
showing the body of the man they are about to murder at Arnie’s request.
Omar looked at Arnie, “Arnie, you’ll be there as well? I remember your
kids really liking the General’s pool, the water slide and everything.”
Arnie laughed, “Yeah, that’s all I hear, ‘We want to go in the General’s
pool, daddy!’ It’s enough to give me a headache! Don’t worry, we’ll be there
for sure!”
Jeff wondered at this mix of
good natured evil, hands were outstretched and shaken, shoulders patted, they
headed back to the parking lot in a downright jovial mood.
A strange world we live in, for sure.
Yes, a very strange world.
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