insideThecover Chapter five

chapterFive

theNastyGetNastier

“Horace, you are telling me this is the list of whom you want me to present to Congress for confirmation….First of all, I don’t even like some of these guys, let alone try to convince the Senate to…..Are you sure?….Where’s Juan? He’s good at this kind of stuff.”

Horace gathered his composure as best he could, even though
he was really mad. Then he answered the President, “Sir, Mr. President …these nominations will be good for the country ….Don’t worry, Juan is around but…….You don’t need him…He’s trouble….Believe me….Dr. Mocks agrees with me…We have some changing to do before we lose control again. The Tea Party and other Christian groups are gaining momentum all over the country. If it wasn’t for Ohio and Florida, well, it would have been really bad for us. We had to fudge that a little as it was.”

“Don’t even tell me these things. I know I won fair and square. What about Murphy and Homer my wife’s ex-boyfriend. What was that all about?”

“OK, Jerry, we aren’t going to discuss this anymore….You nominate these guys every few days, so that Congress assumes you did some thought picking them. You won’t be sorry, I assure you.”
Jeremiah threw the paper in the air and cursed and then he stormed out of the room.

The first one to be confirmed by the Senate was his Secretary of State, Jared Buckler who was publically a Marxists and hated the American standing in the world. The voting in the upper house was close, but Horace had something on many of the deciding Senators who were forced to vote the way the administration wanted them to.

Jeremiah publically was pleased with Buckler’s approval but back at the White House, with his old friend, Juan, he sounded a bit less pleased, “Those Senators approved that jerk as Secretary of State, Juan…How, did they do that? ….Horace must have a lot on some of those incompetent Senators.”

“Jerry, be careful…these guys have stuff on you, too. Be cool and do what they say. You are the most powerful person in the country…Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“I’m not so sure…..I need you around here….What is your job, anyway?”

“I’m….well, I’m the Assistant to the Press Secretary…not a lot to do, but I get paid and I can eat. I’m not sure how long they will keep me around here.”

Issachar sat at the large guest dinner table with a plate of spaghetti and asked Juan, “Why do you say that, my friend….?”

Juan grabbed a bottle out of the refrigerator, retrieved a glass from the cupboard, and poured himself some beer. Then he raised it in the air and responded, “This stuff, right here…I drink way too much. I don’t know why, but I do.”

“You don’t drink that much, do you?” Jeremiah asked as he swallowed another bite of food.

“Really, I have to, just to stay sane hanging around with all you politicians and then there is Horace and your buddy Dr. Hocks. Something about him scares me…really scares me.”

“Awe, the doc is harmless as a lamb…Well, at least I think he is…What makes you afraid of him?”

“It’s his….his eyes I guess. He looks right through me. I feel he is looking right inside my life and he sees everything I do. I’m not…Well, let’s say I get around a lot with the ladies. I think he and Horace know that.”

The president smiled broadly and continued, “So … I’ve been known to….”
“I know, boss, you’ve chased the ladies and boozed it a bit. I bet you still do, some.”

The President mused, “Some , but why is it they don’t like you, really?”

Juan answered, “It’s probably not as much about the drinking as it is about the ladies…I have a.. Well, let’s just say the ladies love me. This one in particular is giving me problems, though. We were drinking together one day and I’m not sure what I said cuz….Well, I was drunk. Later, they called me in. Horace did and asked me about her. I guess she is a daughter to one of the billionaires who support conservative causes. He thought I might have told her some of our secrets. I guess she had said I did. I may not be around very much longer, I guess.”

“You’ll be alright. I’ll tell Horace to be easy on you, but stay away from that woman.”

Juan looked at his watch and then explained, “Whoops, I have to run. I’m preparing a speech for your press secretary….By the way, don’t forget your appointment with Miller and Former tomorrow. Horace wants those guys approved ASAP.”

“I know, but we need to meet sometime but not here. Let’s meet on Thursday evening at our usual place. No one around here knows the place.”

“But how will you get away?”

“These Secret Service…I’ll just hand them a hundred or something and they’ll look the other way. Is Thursday OK, Juan?”

The former campaign manager stopped in his tracks and turned around to face the president, and then he said, “I’ll be there, but be careful….See you then.”

“Juan, you be careful. See ya.”

Juan left through the personal exit and headed out to his car which was parked directly behind the White House. Jeremiah watched him as he climbed in his car. The president mused to himself, “I hope he takes care of himself. Be safe, Juan.”

The next day, Joe former and George Miller came by and visited in the Oval Office for over an hour with the President. The Chief Executive wasn’t enthusiastic about talking with these nominees but he had a prepared list of questions to ask them. When they were done his phone rang.

“Yes, ….Yes, sir I just finished…..I’m not sure right now. I need to consult….OK, that’s what I’ll do…..Thank you, sir…..” The president slammed the phone down when Sidney Leonard walked into his office.

“Excuse me, Mr. President, is there something wrong with your phone?”

The President mumbled sarcastically, “No, the one on the other end. Just kidding. I didn’t really mean to bang it. What’s up, Sidney?”

“Must have been…..Anyway, we have some unexpected appointments for you…..H

“Shi………..Sid, why now? Why, him?”

“Came from up above.”

“What am I supposed to say to this guy?…I ha…….You know how I feel about him….When?”

“Right now!!”

“I’ll be here…Bring him in when he arrives. I don’t promise to be cordial.”

Ten minutes later Jeremiah met with the future Attorney General, Daren Homer. Daren was a former Attorney General and Governor of Vermont but Issachar first met him at the University of California at Berkeley.

Jeremiah, Abigail and Daren were classmates in California. They both competed for the hand of sweet Abigail. They not only were rivals for the love a woman, but they competed in other ways, as well. They hated each other though neither would proclaim that out loud and in public. According to stories that no one can confirm, they literally fought it out one evening when they both were drunk. It was said, that Jeremiah threatened to kill Homer if he didn’t stay away from Abigail.

Needless to say, they haven’t talked much since that day and basically have a dislike for one another.

Thursday was no different. Jeremiah had to interview him because he was a nominee for Attorney General. Horace had placed his name in the hopper against the Presidents’ wishes. Soon he would be force to place his name before the Senate.

The interview was not cordial but at least no one said anything out of place. It almost seemed as though Homer was using a prepared and memorized script to answer the President’s ready-made questions. The interview was short and sweet and tempers were held at bay.

Issachar’s next set of appointees were people Jeremiah approved of except for the fact that he had no choice in the selection. His subsequent scheduled appointment with nominees was the following day, Friday.

Jeremiah remembered that today was the day he was to meet up with Juan so he spent some time early in the day with Josh and Abigail, and told them he had to be gone in the late afternoon and evening. He did not tell them he was meeting Juan for some possible partying.

Issachar arrange ahead of time with his source in the Secret Service, Michael Sims, so his protection would know he was on his own for the evening. The SS guy decided in advance that he would at least keep tabs on Jeremiah’s movement with a bug attached to the his lapel. Of course, he didn’t tell the President. Sims didn’t want any problems from Horace or Sidney Leonard.

After spending the day with his family, Jeremiah dressed appropriately disguised and causally got in his personal vehicle and drove to their usual meeting place on the south side of DC. When Jeremiah arrived in the parking lot of Home Depot, he did not see Juan. Usually Juan was early and waiting for Issachar.

The President waited patiently for fifteen minutes and still his friend had not arrived. Issachar didn’t know what to do but he decided to go home. As he started to leave, Juan ran up to his vehicle and pounded on the door. Jeremiah unlocked it for Juan and his friend jumped in.

“Juan, I almost gave up on you. I was ready to leave. What’s up? Are you just running slow?”

Out of breath Garcia began, “Someone is following me…I’m sure of it…I don’t know who or why…I have my suspicions, though. I took the long way around to get here. I was scared for a minute there.”

Jeremiah asked, “Who is it and I’ll…..?”

“Jerry, you can’t use your….position and protect me…this is bigger than you can imagine…Wait till next year…you will see.”

Issachar was quiet for a minute and pulled sharply around a corner in a dark part of Washington DC. He stopped abruptly and asked, “Juan, you need to tell me everything. I have a bad feeling about all this. I believe in my cause and liberalism and the whole nine yards…but this is too spooky or something. I’m scared and you haven’t even told me what you know.”

“Jerry, I can’t tell you here and now. I recorded a lot of this stuff and put in on a flash drive for you at another time. They know where you are all the time. They may be listening to our conversation….right now…”

Issachar interrupted, “But I paid Sims …but….Oh, yeah, none of these guys are honest and that makes me the……”

“Yeah, the same I guess. I…I.. Are we dishonest, too?”
Jeremiah drove off and continued speaking, “Where would they hide it, Juan?”

“Try under your lapel…that pin you always wear. I bet it’s right there.”

Issachar came to an abrupt halt again and checked his suit coat. He got out of the car and took his expensive coat off. He found an old trash can and threw it away. Then he said, “Track me there you…….”

The President angrily got back in the car and drove swiftly to a liquor store nearby. Juan asked, “What are we doing here, Jerry?”

“You are going to buy us some booze and then we will find a quiet place to party. Maybe we’ll find some sexy ladies. So go, already!”

Juan looked at Issachar and got out of the car and headed toward the store. Juan called back, “You want light beer or the hard stuff?”

Jeremiah stepped out or the car and answered, “Let’s put it this way….No light…and you’re buying.”

Juan shook his head and smiled. In a few minutes Juan came back out with a twelve pack of Corona and a bag filled with larger bottles. He put the liquor in the back seat and got back in the front with Issachar.

Juan spoke, “Well, now what?…We have the makings of a party so where do we go?”

“I’m not sure. You know the night-life of this town better than I do. How bout a deserted park somewhere out here…where there are no cops and lots of women?”

“I know. Just keep driving straight down this street for a few miles. Let me think a minute. We need ladies, too. Let’s get two gals, first…. Around this corner to the right……I know these two girls…Well, middle age foxes…twins….Just down the road from here. Second house on the left… that humungous one……Stop and I’ll get them.”

Jeremiah quickly stopped his Imperial in front of a Victorian style mansion with two large cars parked in a circle driveway. Issachar stopped on the road to stay out of site.

Juan immediately jumped out of the car and went to the door of the big house. Issachar watched as Juan talked to a talk good-looking brunette in the doorway, who was half dressed. They had talked for a few minutes and then she shut the door. Juan walked swiftly back to the car and opened the back.

“Jerry, get out!…We’re going in. I’ll get the booze. They invited us in….By the way, you are George, a president look alike. Be cool and low key…You’re my brother. Let’s party.”

The two friends got out of the car, and Juan carried the bag and twelve pack. Juan knocked on the door, again, and the tall brunette invited them in.

Three hours later Issachar and Garcia came out of the big mansion walking slowly and erratic. The president told Juan that that he should drive because Issachar was feeling no pain and didn’t feel safe driving.

They got in the car with Garcia driving and he began, “Wow, Jerry was that a party, or what? We need to do this more often.” The car swerved to the right and back to the left.

“Juan, keep your eyes on the road. You don’t want to kill the president, tonight, do you?”

Juan responded, “Well, at least, not tonight…maybe some other time. Ha Ha!!”

“I guess you’d better let me off at the House…..I shouldn’t drive…at all.”

“I’m wondering if I should…What is that….?”

“Juan, look out!!!”

The next day the President did not feel so well, but he had a full schedule. He was to interview at least two cabinet nominees and possibly two others. He wasn’t looking forward to any of them. His mind kept going back to Juan and the conversation they had had the night before.

John Smith was nominated for the Energy Secretary. Neither Smith nor Issachar knew anything about energy but Jenkins thought Smith’s political views would be an asset to the already far left and anti-American cabinet. Horace knew him from college and Jeremiah had met him in the early part of his career.

The questions prepared for Smith were picked up by the media long before Issachar had even asked them. Leonard and Omar were at it again. This was the tactic the Chief of Staff and Press Secretary used to tell the President; he’d better ask the questions prepared by the powers above.

Issachar hated being under so much control. He didn’t have this problem when he was in the Senate of California. Jeremiah was so disgusted with it, that he thought he would prepare his own questionnaire for Lema Severs who was coming up next.

When they met a few hours later, after he went through the prearranged questions, he asked, “Lema, tell me, how’s your husband and children?”

Ms. Severs looked at him and smirked, “I am not into guys. And at the moment I don’t have any kids. They didn’t tell you this?”

The president blushed and looked away as Sidney Leonard walked into the room. The Chief of Staff came up to the President and whispered in his ear, “That wasn’t one of the questions.”

Issachar got up from his desk, said thank you to Lema, and left the office as fast as he could.

Jeremiah whispered to himself on the way out, “I hope they don’t tell Jenkins about this. How stupid I was.”

The President went immediately to his personal office and locked the door. He did not want to confront Sidney Leonard, at least not right now. He had to use the bathroom as fast as possible because he was so embraced that he thought he wet his pants.

When everyone had gone to lunch, Jeremiah slowly unlocked and opened the door of his office. He looked both ways down the hallway and swiftly, barefooted and with wet clothes in hand, tip towed down to the Presidential residence. He quickly slipped inside without being noticed.

When he got in the door he ran right into Abigail. She questioned her husband, “Jerry, Mr. President, what are you doing barefooted and half dressed. Are you coming from your office?”

“Baby, it’s not like you think. I…I…This is embarrassing. I wet my pants in the Oval Office talking to Lema Severs. Did you know she was gay? Well, anyway, I ask her about her husband and children and then she….Well, anyway…I ….Then Leonard told me in front of her that the question wasn’t on the list….Thus….wetness.”

Abigail started laughing so hard that she almost wet herself. Jeremiah stood there in shock. When she came back to reality she asked, “Does Jenkins know about this?”

Issachar thought for a couple of minutes and then responded, “I’m not sure…because Leonard will be in trouble, too, if he tells Horace ….But Lema might tell Horace. They are friends.”

“I swear that bi…… If she does….I’ll…”

“Calm down, Abby….Everything will be alright. Remember, I’m the President…..of the United States.”

“But, Jerry, Juan says….”

Issachar interrupted, “When did you talk to Juan?” I haven’t heard from that guy. Did you talk to him?”

Abby started to walk away and Jeremiah spun her around and asked, “Abby, did you talk to Juan?”

Again Abby turned and started to walk away and she called back, “I just talked to him. He was looking for you and you were……busy….. wetting yourself. Ha, Ha.”

“Abbbby!!!”

“He wants you to call him back as soon as you can…like right now.”
“OK, I better find that cell phone…Do you have it?”

Abigail tossed the little flip hone over her shoulder and Jeremiah barely caught it before it hit the floor. Quickly the President dialed his old friend.

The phone rang and rang with no answer. Issachar dialed again with the same response. He left a message for Juan. He decided he’d find Abby and ask her what Juan had told her. Jeremiah found his wife watching ‘Survivor’ in the bedroom.

“Abby, I can’t get him…What did he tell you, anyway?”

At first Jeremiah’s wife ignored him.

“Abby, I’m talking to you.”

“What did you say, dear Mr. President?”

“I ask you,…what did Juan say to you?…This is important. Something may have happened to him. He told me the other night that he thought he was being followed and that Horace and his minions may want him gone like my partners a few years back.”

Abby looked up from the television and answered, “He said he wanted you to call him. He said he left you a message on your phone…did you check? He said something about giving you something. Evidence or something…..Evidence for what, Jerry?”

Jeremiah fiddled with his phone in an attempt to get the message that Juan had left him.

Abby, agitated, asked again, frantically, “Jerry!! What evidence!!”

“Oh, something he had picked up, since the campaign began, about Horace and the Hocks. He didn’t like all the dishonest stuff they have been doing….. Things I didn’t even know about but he did. He said he had a flash drive of evidence or something.”

“Did you listen to his message?” Abby asked.

“I’m trying to but you keep interrupting me….Wait! He’s in trouble……… He left the flash drive ….I know where it is….but what happen to you, my good friend?”

“Jerry!!”

“I think….I’m not sure but I think…..”

“Think what, dear?” Abby desperately asked.

“I think they…whoever, got rid of him….I need to go… I’ll sneak past the Secret Service. You tell them I’m in bed with a head ache or something. I have to check on Juan. I have to…I owe him so much.”

Issachar kissed his wife on the cheek as she sat on her bed sobbing. Abby covered her face with her hands and fell on her back in the bed. Then she admonished her husband through her tears, “Be careful, Jerry… Please be careful. These are not very nice guys you work for… They are downright nasty and getting nastier.”

“I know, dear…I’ll be careful but I have to….find Juan.”

Jeremiah quickly got dressed and started to leave, when Josh came to their open bedroom door. Then he spoke, “Hey dad, where you going so late? To the office or something?”

“Hi, son, I need to go out and see our old friend, Juan. Well, I hope to see him. I have to run…Love you, son.”

Jeremiah leaned over a kissed his young son on the forehead and then walked briskly down the hall toward his office in the White House. Before he got to the office door he looked both ways for SS agents. There were none in sight so he swiftly ran out the door toward his personal vehicle. Before he could open the door of the Imperial someone stopped him.

Michael Sims spoke, “Mr. President, going somewhere without escort. You know that’s impossible, don’t you?”

“Sims, it’s you. I just need to run down to the pharmacy drive through and pick up a prescription for my wife’s migraine headache.”

“Well, you know a few of us need to ride with you, and we have to get the drugs and check them first.”

“Mike, I have to go check on an old friend who is sick. Do you have to come along for that?”

Jeremiah took his wallet out and pulled out a hundred dollar bill and then he continued, “I have a hundred here that gives me permission doesn’t it? Or are you going to tail me anyway or put a bug on my lapel?”

“Mr. President, we don’t take bribes….Well, not usually…About the other night…that wasn’t my idea. It…It won’t happen again for two bills.”

“You negotiate a hard bargain…” Issachar quipped as he took another hundred from his wallet, walked over to Sims and handed them to him.
Then Jeremiah continued, “You’re going to be rich hanging around with me. Remember that!”

“Sir, I will,” Michael Sims said as he turned around and walked into the dark.

Jeremiah got in his car and drove all over DC. He didn’t find Juan, but he found the flash drive.

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