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 3 of
Friday, 7:30 AM: Organization for Defense Strategies
Jeff goes to a meeting at Organization for Defense Strategies where he meets Shawn ... and Nancy! And he discovers that they are living together!
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- Chris Lamela
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Author contact: Chris Lamela,
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K Street, Chapter 3
Friday, 7:30 AM: Organization for Defense Strategies
Jeff got up glancing at the clock seeing it was nearly nine o’clock,
wondering how it got so late. He walked to the bed, sat down reaching for the
phone, dialing so he could say goodnight to the kids.
After two rings his mother-in-law came onto the line.
“Oh, hi, Jeff.” He asked about his wife, was told she’d gone out, but
that his son was there wanting to talk to him.
A few seconds later he heard his son’s hello, Jeff pulled himself
upright, slapping himself out of his funk realizing he should have taken a
breath before he called, “Hi Scott, it’s dad.”
He heard his son call out to the
room, “Hey, it’s dad!” He could hear him talking to his sister, a few seconds
later Nicole found another phone.
“Hey, daddy, where are you?”
“Washington DC
His son chimed in, “Cool! Can you get me a T-shirt with President
Clinton’s face on it? We’re doing a school project. I volunteered to do our
team’s speech, but I want to wear something cool for it.”
Jeff laughed, “I’ll see what I can do. If I can’t get that will
something else be okay?”
“Yeah, as long, it says Washington
DC
“Okay, I’ll find something. How
was school for you guys today?”
His kids went on to tell him all the usual things that he had heard a
thousands of times before.
“Hey guys, sounds like you both had a great day. Can I talk to your grandma?”
“Hey guys, sounds like you both had a great day. Can I talk to your grandma?”
His mother-in-law came back on
the line. Jeff asked her to tell his wife he called, that there was no message.
She said she would, they said goodbye.
Jeff undressed getting into his night shirt. He pulled out the ironing
board dutifully pressing dress shirts for tomorrow and Monday, mindlessly
pressing a couple casual shirts for the weekend, pulling out his suit and tie
for tomorrow morning’s meeting.
Laying on the bed trying to watch TV he could see only a shapeless glow,
as though he was surrounded by an enormous ball of cotton that he’d been
transported into blocking all vision but light from his eyes, blocking all
hearing but the sound of his heartbeat. He rolled onto his back feeling tears
running down the sides of his face, falling onto his ears, running onto the bed,
his arms felt paralyzed, limp at his sides, he could not reach to touch his
tears.
Loneliness surrounded him, cradled him in silence, prevented his vision,
held him in its quiet clutch. At last a body that was not his reached for the lamp,
the room turned dark.
The alarm went off, Jeff reached to press it off. The clock glowed seven
thirty. He rolled over without a thought of last night, was soon showered and
dressed.
A short stay in the restaurant with two biscuits and gravy, two cups of
coffee later he was standing outside stepping into a taxi, giving the driver
the address, settled back for the short ride to his meeting on Fifteenth Street
The taxi made its way back down
Connecticut Avenue L Street Fifteenth Street K Street
Looking up to the building before him, Jeff examined the slip in his
hand that contained a detailed description of exactly what door, exactly what
he was to do to gain entry. Walking to the door he pulled it open stepping into
a lobby to an unattended desk with a sign-board saying, “Use entry pad.” Jeff
walked up to a key pad, entering numbers from the paper in his hand.
“Yes,” a woman’s voice came from a speaker on the wall, “may I please
have your code?” Jeff read other numbers on the paper, the voice saying to
please stand in front of the elevator, that it would be there shortly.
Waiting he noticed another outside door on his left, realized that door
came in from K Street K Street Fifteenth
Street
Soon the elevator doors opened. He heard the same woman’s voice from a
speaker in the elevator addressing him by name asking if he was alone. Jeff
poked his head into the elevator not sure where he was supposed to speak saying
yes he was alone. The voice asked him to get into the elevator which he did. The
doors closed.
There were no numbers in the elevator showing him what floor he was
going to, he felt the elevator ascending, soon it stopped, the doors opened.
A young woman walked up, “Jeff?” her
hand extended. He took her hand, they introduced themselves; she was the voice
he heard downstairs. Jeff was taken by this young woman’s demeanor. Her dark
hair shined with the light around it, her dark eyes were mysterious, her
shyness attractive. He nodded, giving a nice-to-meet-you, she smiled back, “Everyone’s
here. They are waiting for you, can I get you anything? Coffee?” He said no
thanks, that he was fine. She turned toward the hallway in front of them,
“Good, well then follow me.”
They walked to the end of the hallway turning right, she pointed toward
a door, “They are in that room,” she led him to the door, opening it leaning
in, “your last visitor is here,” she stood aside so he could walk through the
door.
Jeff walked into the pretty standard conference room with a long table
in the center, people were standing to greet him as he walked in.
A man approached him, it was Shawn Roberts that Jeff had met before, they
shook hands. Shawn turned with a sweeping motion going around the room, but
Jeff’s vision was locked on only one person in the room.
Jeff heard voices, words, but his eyes were frozen on those golden eyes
across the room. Their eyes locked together, she gave him just the tiniest
grimace trying to communicate to him―in an instant she communicated that she
had wanted to tell him about this, that she came to find him last night to tell
him. That they couldn’t find the time amid the tears of last night.
Now here they were.
He was utterly baffled
“Jeff? Jeff!” He turned to Shawn quickly, “Are you okay there?”
Jeff snapped to, turning his head to face Shawn, “Yes, sorry, I had a
long night, I’m fine.” Jeff reached his hand out, shook six more hands in the
room including Nancy
Shawn sorted through a small stack of papers in front of him, pulled out
a page, “It’s not like I have to read from this, but I just want to make sure
that I get all the details.” Everyone leaned forward in attention, “Yes, Nancy
Wyse, masters in defense technologies from MIT, comes from Mission Technologies
where she spent eighteen years, her last five years as vice president of
advanced planning. She holds six patents in advanced military technologies,” he
glanced around the room, “how are we on security clearances here?” There was a
murmur, he paused. “Well, let’s keep this away from need-to-know. The point is
they were very sophisticated technologies, for you in the room that don’t know
about Nancy
Jeff shook his head knowing that Nancy
was an agent with the FBI for now less than four years, remembering their mission in Atlanta
Now they had fabricated this amazing biography. Perfect cover.
Shawn then introduced the two Arab men, Amid and Hazim, both from Saudi Arabia
Shawn then introduced the others in the room, Jeff paid no attention,
Shawn finally asking, “Any questions?”
“Yes,” Jeff said, “you told me that this
was a time-urgent meeting, that there was some imminent event that needed my
attendance here.” He turned to Shawn, “You are the only person I know here, I
need to know what is so urgent, what are the roles of everyone here.”
Shawn laughed, “Okay, we’ve only known each other for what, Jeff, a
couple months?” Jeff nodded. “When we had our meeting in Santa Barbara
“As far, I know, the factory is on schedule, the date still stands.
There is the issue of advance payment which is what I thought this meeting was
about. Am I missing something?”
“That’s just one of the agenda items,” Shawn looked around him finding a
small stack of papers, “speaking of agenda, I’m sorry,” he reached for the
stack passing it around.
Each person took a sheet, passing the stack around. Shawn reached
turning on the overhead projector sitting on the table. “Can someone get the
lights?” A man at the back of the room stood up, turned to flick a switch on
the wall, the room went dark. A bright picture on the large silver screen showed
the words Organization for Defense
Strategies with a militaristic-looking logo.
Shawn reached to the overhead
projector, placing a different plastic-sheet slide on the glass starting his narration,
“The Organization for Defense Strategies is a non-government organization which
works in conjunction with the Department of Defense and other government
agencies to facilitate communication with congressional and senate members. It
doesn’t say anywhere on the slides, but we have thirty four employees in the
United states, twelve more on post around the world, mostly in the Middle East
and Latin America.” Next slide titled Mission
Statement. “Our mission is to help U.S. U.S.
Jeff knew some of this, had only met a couple people from the organization
when they came to his company, Versatec, in Seattle to do a tour looking at the
advanced-technology products his division made, then there was that short
meeting in Santa Barbara.
Jeff was division general manager responsible for the engineering and
manufacturing of those systems, but the plant was well-managed by trusted
managers so he spent most of his time doing business development primarily for
large accounts. He had a couple sales people but they were intimidated by large
complex deals so he found he was the best front man on deals like this.
The lights went up. Shawn asked if there were questions.
Amid asked first, “Are your organization’s activities fully sanctioned
by your government?”
“Oh, yes, yes, yes.” Shawn replied. “As a matter of fact, we have on our
advisory council a number of the most senior members of congress and the
senate.”
Hazim, sitting on Amid’s right continued, “What of the money that we pay
to your organization? How is that money used, is this completely legal? Of
course we do not care about the conduct of your affairs. We do not fully
understand how this business is conducted in your country, but under no
circumstance do we want any kind of scandal arising that would, how do you say,
point a finger to my country.”
Shawn put up his hands in a disarming manner that looked very practiced.
“Look, this is all above-board. This gentleman,” pointing to Jeff, “is the
chief of the company that is making the most important products you are
purchasing. Well, there are the airplanes, too, of course made by General
Avatonics in San Diego
He looked at Jeff, “Isn’t that true?”
Jeff shrugged, “I don’t know about your advisory board, all I know is
that you will manage the export permits, we will deliver our systems according
to how we have been instructed by ODS, that you manage payments.”
“ODS?” asked Amid.
“Yes, Organization for Defense Strategies. ODS, right?” Shawn stated in
a proud voice.
The man nodded looking to Amid on his right who nodded as well.
“So then, we are set to close this entire transaction on Tuesday as we
have planned.” Turning to the two Arab men, “Of course, you gentlemen will have
arranged payment. You will bring that with you on Tuesday, correct?” They
nodded. “In the forms that we have discussed and agreed?” The two looked at each
other in affirming nods, nodding back to Shawn.
“Well, then, excellent. I think that gets it, any more questions?” Shawn
looked around, there was no response. “Good then, until Tuesday, same bat time,
same bat channel?” He saw confused faces on the two Arab gentlemen, “Sorry,
that means same time, same place. Tuesday?” He smiled, “Okay, maybe same place
anyway.” The two men looked at each other, back to Shawn giving nods.
Jeff sat back looking at the faces surrounding him. He had been in
countless rooms like this one, everyone so earnest, on their best behavior. But
there was just something about this
deal that was unnerving. There are too
many players.
There is something I’m missing
here.
Something going on.
He’d try to remember to give it more thought, not much to do about it
right now. Shaking it off he stood along with everyone else.
Hands were passed around and shaken, everyone standing, beginning to
filter out of the room, Shawn and Nancy staying behind with Jeff.
Jeff started for the door, Shawn spoke out, “Say, Jeff, I know you will
be in town this weekend. If you’re not busy tonight, maybe you would like to
come to a small party this evening?”
Jeff turned at the door looking at them both, addressing Shawn, “Sure
that would be nice. What time and where?”
“We are starting about eight o’clock.”
“Okay, eight, where?”
“Up in Takoma Park Nancy
“I’m sorry, where?”
“At Nancy's and my place of course.”
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K STREET!
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