The Customer/Dexter's Saga By Joystick Chapter #47
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The end of chapter #46 AND it is really a first step, my Caliph. I'm going to hold you to that promise. Haroum, Habibi, my beloved, it is up to you how soon this will all come about. Once you do what you promised me concerning Rashid and his family I will start to look for our little hide-a-way love nest..."
Chapter #47 Jess hung up the phone and sat back against the high backed leather desk chair thinking about what his next move should be. Damn it, he thought he must be getting too old for this type of work. There was a time when he would just act and not think about it. Was the fact that he was going to be a married man soon have any thing to do with his reluctance to act, or was it really time for him to think about `retiring'? After all he has been at this game for about six years now and how long can your luck hold out? And a game it was! Sooner or later there was bound to be a slip-up and the whole thing was going to crash down on him! For about an hour he debated with himself and then decided that for now there really is no choice. The only thing he could do would be to play it smart and give Philip Green a call and work something out with the Chief of Homeland Security. He just could not pull out now. He knew very few agents that just walked out of the profession and lived to enjoy retirement. The Caliph was not the type of man who would just let things hang there. He had tried to use Ronnie as a bargaining chip and failed. Who knew what that bastard might do next. He might try it again or maybe this time, he might even try to send men to take him. Then again, worse than that, he might even wait until Ronnie and he had married and had a child and then take the child and use it to... My God, his brain screamed, would he try that? Who knew what this mad man was capable of? What ever he was going to do, would it be today, next week or perhaps the week after? Jesse sweated because he could never be sure and Jesse did not relish the thought of living his life looking over his shoulder. He now realized that it was no longer patriotic duty that was driving him, but rather one of pure hatred and necessity. Not only that, but he himself had changed. Yes, his whole thought system had changed. His mind was beginning to think and act like a Bedouin. Yes, after all the years of living in the Middle East with his parents, that culture was beginning to wear off on him. After all, according to the law of the desert, he had every right to take revenge and kill the Caliph for what he did to Ronnie. He could no longer just think about satisfying just himself. There was now Ronnie to think about and our children. Now that they were seriously planning to get married he had to think about how his actions would affect her and her family. Somehow or other, he did not get the impression she would care for the idea of her new husband spending 20 years in jail for murder. But on the other hand, by Allah, it would feel so good to get his fingers around the Caliph's throat and so....reluctantly, giving in to his lower instincts, he picked up the phone and gave Philip a call.
The phone rang a few tines and seeing the phone number on his caller ID, Philip answered, "Jesse? Whats up?"
Waisting no time on social amenities Jesse said, "How do you think the President would like to get his hands on, question and then dispose of the Caliph as he sees fit?"
"You're kidding me."
"I'm serious, dead serious!"
"I think he, as well as a few others, would be delighted. But how can we do that? Do you have a plan?"
"Yes, but it would require my having to operate on Canadian soil and it would require their blessing and help. Along with that, I would have to make sure the President was there to cover my ass."
"That goes without saying. You know you would have that!"
"Maybe yes, maybe no," Jesse said rather dubiously. "From what little I can see I'm really not so sure of that. His history of backing people one day and trashing them the next is well known. In my situation, his turning on me could mean not just the loss of a job, but, my life! Anyway I want to see and hear the man face to face first. I want to hear it from him, in person. That way I can be reasonably sure that he will not let me hang in the wind. It would also require the Canadians to be in on it as well."
"The Canadians, have no fear about them. After our last call, I did contact them as I told you I would about using that Mounty you recommended and they said that they would be very glad to help as much as they could. It seems that the Caliph is not too well thought of in Ottawa these days and they also have a few scores to settle with him. It seams as if they have had a few of their citizens killed by the Caliphate. The Caliphate is engaged in a slew of activities from drugs to female and male prostitution. They do not like the fact that he, or anyone else, is slipping in and out of their country as easily as he seems to and he has financed some of his operations with these funds. He must have quite an organization that is engaged in that and other illegal activities. They would like to question him and get all the information about these illegal border crossings that have been taking place."
"You mean that they knew about it all this time and they did nothing to try to stop it?"
"They are not stupid! Of cause they did, but without proof there is not much they can do about it. Besides, they do not have the personnel or resources to patrol such a long boarder. All of that takes time, money and people, none of which Canada has. Do you know how many people live in Canada? Only 37 million. Thats a lot of open space. For years they have been trying to get people to come into the country. And all they get are a load of mid-east immigrants who they accept without questioning them too closely. Without any proof, they don't have the resources or money to mount any programs or actions to do anything like we can."
"I can see their problem. Yethro and I are always crossing the border to go fishing and hunting and seldom have we seen or been stopped or even questioned. The few times that we have been stopped, it was very casual and there have been times when they just wave us on and don't even ask for identification."
"Tell me about it! We have been warning them for years. Not only that but because they really need people to settle in the vast open spaces, they actively encourage these people to come to the country. If the country and the climate were more moderate they would be flooded with people. Still they do get people to come and settle there, but they soon move on. They use the open borders to cross over into the States. Once they are here it is hard to deport them. If you think we have trouble with the Mexican border -- think again buddy! However, that is not what you called about. Tell me about what this plan of yours is all about and what you want me to do."
"Before we even talk about that I must be sure that you still have the same rapport and access to this President, that you had under Obama. My plan would require that he trust both of us as it is kind of tricky and dirty. This President has the backing of the right wing so-called moral majority, if you know what I mean. If they find out that he has "a gay Moslem" working for him they might withdraw their support. Also this will require special funds to pull it off. However, I think it would be worth it."
"Jesse, this President is no different from any of the others. The only thing different is that he does it out in the open. But to answer your question, yes, although he has shifted around a lot of people as well as fired many, he has kept me on. Before he took office, Obama called the President-elect and myself into the Oval Office and the three of us sat down and had a private meeting, for well over three hours he sat there open mouthed, during which Obama filled him in on your work. The new President was very impressed and rather shocked to learn that we had an agent so close to the Caliph. At first he refused to believe it. He thought we were making it up and we had a devil of a time convincing him of the truth until we told him your name and how deeply you had buried yourself inside not only the Caliphate, but that even how Yethro was involved with this conspiracy. He just sat there, dumbfounded and refused to believe any of it. You must remember that for years he really believed that Obama was not only a Moslem but was also not even born in the United States and that he was helping them and doing nothing to prevent them from overrunning the country," Philip laughed. "I must say that it did take a while to convince him of the truth. Don't believe that this man or any man that fights his way to the Presidency is an idiot. Something seams to happen when they walk into that Oval Office and sit in that chair behind that desk! To tell you the truth, I have met him many times since and, while there are some things we both agree upon, there are many more we fight over. And we do fight! But we both respect each other and he always listens to what I have to offer. One thing this man always is concerned and asks about every time we meet is you and your progress. He does not trust most people but, I really think he not only trusts me, but he really cares about the agents we have `in the trenches'. Sometimes, I think he would be happy to get out from behind his desk and get out into the field himself."
Jesse laughed and almost choked. "It is good to hear that the Boss cares for us! Who would have thought it? I never would have. Maybe I have misjudged him. However, I really do not trust him. But then mistrust goes along with my job. Okay, I would like you to set-up a meeting with him and I will deal with him directly. You can be in on the meeting but let's try to keep this as small as we can. The fewer people that know about what I plan to do, the better. Just remind the President that regardless of what he has been told or thinks, the Caliphate is alive and well and has infiltrated even our own government. This may be his last chance to eradicate that blight once and for all or at least to really get the Caliph neutralized."
"Don't be silly. He knows all that. I, myself, remind him of that fact. But, there is no need for him to be told that over and over. If I were to do that, he would want to know why the Government was still paying you and me."
"Well, to read some of his tweets, you would think that he really thinks he has defeated the Caliphate." Jesse moaned. "Everyone who really knows anything about the true situation is just laughing at him."
"That's all part of the President's way of doing things. People tend to forget that this President comes from the business world and not from the political sector. They have their own way of doing things and he just can't get used to this Washington mentality. It's part of his `real estate' mentality," Philip said. "Besides what good will it do to keep telling him that it might not do any good to kill off the leadership, if all that happens is another idiot is just going to replace him."
"Well, you can tell him that by removing them, maybe it will point out to the new idiot that tries to take his place that he is still vulnerable and to warn him that leadership has a price and he had better be prepared to lead in a good way or else there is a price to pay," Jesse said.
"And if you think that they will ever learn, you, my friend, are a dreamer. History teaches us that no matter how many times we depose a tyrant, there is always another waiting to take his place. Get real, my friend, few world leaders measure up to that standard."
"Well, one can only hope. But in the meantime you arrange for that meeting and we will see what this new guy is made of. Give me a call when you have it set up. And make sure there are no recording bugs." Jesse hung up and then went back to his work again. Just as he finished reading a report that Yethro had asked him to go over, the Governor came in and seeing the report in his hand asked him what he thought about it.
"Well, if you are asking me what the possibility of getting funding for a super highway running through the center of our state is from this new President, I would have to say it is slim, very slim. He does not appear to want to spend any money on state projects even if they just might be needed and worthwhile. From what I can see, he is more concerned with the international He is more interested in international problems as opposed to our state problems. The States can go to hell for all he cares."
"Now, Jesse that's stupid, and you know it! He is planning to run for re-election again, is he not? If he wants to win re-election, he better start to care. He is the head of our party and while he did take the last election, it was not by a majority popular vote. All this time in office and he still hasn't gotten close to a fifty percent approval rating. Even his own party knows this next election will be hard. It was by the electoral college alone that he won. I know he wants to make sure that this time it will be a clean and proper win." Yethro said. "The last time he did not get our State's electoral votes and he needs this state to win next time. With our growing Muslim population he is going to have to do something big for me to back him. This bill will at least give me something I can show to our people that he is on our side. If he does not give it his full support I just will not help him. I might even support the opposition! This road is needed for the national defense, as well as the tourist money it will bring in."
"Let me think about it for a while. I have been trying to set up another Governors' Conference. I have an idea I might be able to get a private meeting between him and myself where I can explain the situation to him. He might not want to be seen meeting with a Moslem but he might agree to see me alone and I think I have a contact that might be willing to arrange such a meeting. It's risky, but it just might work. If I go and I fail, you will not have lost any face."
"Who is this contact?"
"You remember that man from Homeland Security, that Mr. Green? The one you introduced me to when he was working for Obama and I arranged for Obama and his wife to attend the Governors' meeting here. Well, he still is working for this new guy. What if I contact him and see if I still have any `Pull' with him?"
"Boy, leave it to you. What the hell would I ever do without you?", Yethro said patting him on the back.
"I don't know, habibi. But you better not try. Anyway, give me a day or two to think about it and to see if there is a way to do this.... This may be a bit difficult seeing how he feels about Moslems. Hey, speaking about arranging things, how are things coming along with my wedding?"
"That's the reason I'm here! I have no problem laying out a State budget or even running the entire State.... You would think that planning a wedding, with all these other big problems I take care of everyday, should be easy! Ronnie is wonderful. However that soon to be uncle-in-law of yours is driving me up a wall. Since he made his settlement with the Caliph there is no reasoning with him. I had to put my foot down yesterday when he wanted to have gold service for the reception instead of just silver. Gold! Can you imagine, he wants pure gold. Look, Jesse, you have to talk to him. I love Ronnie almost as much as you, but she is not the Queen Of Great Britain! Besides, if we are going to ask the President to fund this highway, it just would not look good flaunting all this money on my executive secretary's wedding, Even if he is my son...."
"I agree. Ronnie and I never wanted such a fuss. All she wanted was a nice American wedding, not a royal wedding. You are right, I will talk with him. However, you have to remember, Rashid comes from a very poor family and they never had anything and now, with all this new-found wealth, it is just a means of impressing his mother and friends. My dear father, you should remember how you felt when you first came into some money. From what I remember you telling me, you were not much better. Besides, from what I hear, with Ronnie getting married, I think he is beginning to look for a young girl to start his own family. I think he has found a girlfriend and he intends to invite her to the wedding. From what I hear, she is from a very wealthy family and he hopes to impress them as they think of him as a rather poor catch for their daughter. I hope it works out as marriage will settle him down. Then he will set up his own house and take in his mother."
"Let's hope so. Because that bugger is driving me up a wall."
"Yethro, you're sure you want me to go through with this wedding? You know how much I love Ronnie, but the thought of the possible changes in our relationship is bothering me to the point that I sometimes have doubts about this marriage."
Yethro, taking Jesse in his arms, kissed him and hugged him and said, "Damm it Jess. Don't you think that I also have doubts about this upcoming marriage of yours? I hate the thought of you sleeping with her every night and not being in my bed. I know that you will always keep our love in your heart, but once you are married everything will change. Look, I admit that I'm jealous and can really not stand that you will soon be out on your own, but rest your mind on that subject. Yes, our relationship is changing and it will continue to change, and I think it will just get deeper. However you are my son, and as long as that remains, what else can an old man like me hope for. When old men age their hopes are for grand children and plenty of them. Since men like us cannot have children what choice do we have? We could have adopted, it is true, but it is still not the same. Yes, we are changing, but change can be good, very good. So get used to it and don't fear everything can or will change for the worse. I will always be here for you," he said with tears in his eyes. "Now get back to work. Just remember you are on the State Payroll and the people and I demand 12 hours work for 4 hours pay," he laughed as he headed back to his office.
The next day Jesse's cellphone rang and he heard Phil ask, "Do you play the game or do I have to get someone else to do it?"
"Philip! You know you can't get anyone else to do this shit. Who else do you know who would be stupid enough to work for you.. So let's stop kidding ourselves. What choice do we have? Play we do!"
"That's what I wanted to hear so what's the plan? Knowing you, as I do, you already have one worked out."
"Well, my plan is rather rough, but then we have no choice! We have to work through Canada. If they will work with us, they might be able to plug up their border a bit. Canada is near and besides, for now, he will never agree to meeting me in the States. We know he has some connections there and he knows that with my wedding and not trusting him fully yet, I'm not going to risk a secret journey to the middle east to be with him, at least not right now."
"How can you be that sure?" Asked Philip.
"Because I have already told him that I still do not trust him, and since he knows that I am fully aware of his role in Ronnie's abduction, it will take me a while to ever trust him again. Therefore, he has to accommodate me and not the other way around. He has to prove that he has changed and is now trust-worthy and that I should have no fear of him. He tells me that he wants me to feel completely at ease with him and that I love him enough to come to him and be by his side always. He wants me as his lover, his companion and his equal. He is willing to face the wrath of his people by openly showing them that I, a non-believer, am his concubine. He even promised that I can keep Ronnie as well as a harem if I want. He is willing to give up everyone for me including all his wives and lovers. This he has sworn to me because he does not wish to anger me any more."
"Well, just don't get too cocky and push this too far. There is such a thing as being too overconfident. He is still dangerous," Phillip warned. "He could be just using you..."
"Oh! I know that he plans to use me and I have to be very careful. I think I know what I'm doing, but don't worry. If nothing else, being engaged to Ronnie has calmed me down and I have someone else to think about now. I am a changed man, I just hope that will not get in the way."
"If I know you, it will only improve your abilities. So, what's the plan? Fill me in so we can get started." "Number one, the first thing, is to arrange a meeting with the President and inform him of what we are planning and get him on board," Jessie said.
"That should be easy to do as I already have more or less filled him in," Philip related.
"How could you do that? I did not even tell you until now that I was going to take on this sucker." "I know you, Jesse, and I know how that brain of yours works. Now what else are you going to need?"
"Second, we have to get a small secluded hunting and fishing cabin somewhere up in the Canadian woods. Nothing fancy, real rustic and real secluded. No electric or heat, just a fireplace and some oil lamps. Someplace that his people can check out and inspect before he will even come in. There must be a place where a `SWAT' team can hide out nearby so that I can contact them when the time comes to pick up the goods. That mounty can help there. I think he might have some connections with real estate. He said he knew of a few places that might be available. See if he can come up with something. Once that's done, we can move on from there."
"That sounds a bit too simple. He is smart enough to see right through that. He is going to want to investigate this place and want his own security people to look over the area and the place before he even gets there. He will even want to have a security detail set up there before he even thinks of coming a first time."
"We should expect that. The first few times he comes he might even bring his bodyguard with him. Therefore, we may have to let him come and inspect the place a few times before we spring the trap. The overall plan is to lure him there, let him get used to the place and when I think he is comfortable, I will somehow drug him and then call for the `SWATS' to pick him up. He and I may have to meet there more than once as he must be completely at ease meeting me there. This guy is not a fool and he will be on his guard. I must be positive that he is convinced that I am not going to betray him. Only then can I go through with the plan. If we botch it up, I can forget about retirement and Ronnie will be a widow before she become a bride." Jesse laughed. "He is not the kind of man that allows people to take advantage of him."
"Well, let's just hope it goes smoothly. This is too important to screw up. I'll start working the Canadian end of the deal as soon as we hang up and then I'll arrange for that meeting with `POTUS' and see to the funding. Good to be working with you again. I'll get back to you by the end of the day."
"Now that's what I call quick government action," Jesse laughed and hung up.
Later in the day, Jesse answered his cell phone to find out it was Philip calling to confirm everything. "Yes, it is all set-up for this Saturday. I forgot to ask if you play golf."
"No, never had the time to learn. Why do you ask?"
"Because you, the President, the Canadian Prime Minister and myself are going to play golf Saturday at his Florida White House."
"I've never been on a golf green before."
"That could be a problem," Philip said. "Okay then maybe I'll see if we can arrange to start the conference in the 19th hole. We will fly down Friday. Get a golf outfit and maybe it might be a good idea if you took a few lessons for the next time. Just don't get too good at it as the boss does not like to lose."
"Philip, it would not be a good idea for anyone to see the both of us together. Besides, I thought there were only 18 holes on the..."
"Idiot! The `19th Hole' is a rest stop where you go after the game to have a few drinks and relax. In this case there would be just you, the President, the Prime Minister and myself. Just be yourself and don't worry what you have been told, the man is not going to eat you alive. At least not until he has wrung you dry. Besides he will be on his best behavior as the Canadian Prime Minister will also be there and he tends to behave better when there are witnesses around." Phillip laughed.
"No kidding, Phil, President or not, I'm not going to take any crap from him. I think I earned the right to some respect and you better warn him that I bite."
"Relax. I already warned him and he has told me that he knows he has to be on his good behavior as you are Yethro's son and if he wants to take Yethro's State in the next election, he will behave himself. He really would like to meet your dad and try to set up some sort of working relationship with him. He will need your father's support in the coming election."
"We had better keep the two of them apart. At least for now! Yethro is not easy to deal with in the best of times. Besides, as of today, the President has not shown anything at all that the Moslem world want to like him for. However, what your man in the White House has not learned is that Yethro is a power house in our state. Unlike your man in the White House, he rules like a king here and the people love him. We are on the verge of giving free education through university and next year he is going to propose free medical insurance for every state resident. All this with taxes that are the lowest in the country. So there is little that your man can do for him. However, I know there is something that just might at least keep the Governor from jumping over party lines or, at least, to keep him from actively campaigning against him."
"You have got to be joking! What is that? Surely it's not money Yethro would want. Your dad is rather well heeled."
"No, it's not money. Just leave it to me. There is something that Yethro wants and only the President can give it to him."
"Oh! Now I am worried! What's that? He isn't thinking of running against the President, is he?"
"No, nothing like that -- for now. He knows that as a non-native born American, he cannot do that himself, at least not yet. No, there is nothing for you to worry about, all he wants is just a bit of interstate highway."
"Is that all? That should not be too hard to do. Do you want me to put in a good word or two? Or do you wish to bring it up?"
"I think it would be better if I did that. Why should you get involved? He might just get pissed off at you and fire you. He can't fire me because he knows Yethro is planning and training me to run for Governor when he decides to retire from office. And after that, I run for President and take over the Federal government and turn it into a part of the World Islamic Republic. When that happens, Yethro and I can get even and find some way of putting him on the welfare rolls or sending him to a work camp for re-education and to learn to make gravel out of big rocks."
"Boy that's downright bloodthirsty! What have we created here?"
"You have created nothing, my friend. I'm just an ordinary American citizen who happens to believe that the man in the White House works for, or should work for, me!"
"He just might have other ideas on that."
"And therein lies the problem, my friend," Jesse laughed.
"Anyway, we can fly down on Friday and sleep over as we will have get an early start on Saturday."
To be continued....