Senator Becker: “I’ve spoken with them already.”
Karen: “Dad… ”
Senator Becker: “We’ve had this discussion.”
Karen: “I’m worried for you. I think it’s time for you to tell them everything.”
Senator Becker: “Let’s not talk about it now.”
Karen: “You made one mistake a long time ago. And that was listening to Ron and Jennifer. You shouldn’t have to pay for that forever.”
Senator Becker: “I’m going to take care of it.”
Karen: “No more deals with Ian.”
Senator Becker: “I told you I’m done with him and I meant it.”
Karen: “Are they here again?”
Senator Becker: “Karen, I promise you. I have ended it once and for all.”
Karen: “But Ron… ”
Senator Becker: “Ron kept going without my knowledge or approval.”
Karen: “And they’re just… killing people? Now, after all this time? All for that stupid bill?”
Senator Becker: “Yes.”
Karen: “Why is it so important to them?”
Senator Becker: “Money.”
Karen: “Can’t you just drop the bill or change your vote or something? Give them what they want?”
Senator Becker: “I could. But my career would be over, and they would have won. And our problem wouldn’t end there. They would still own me.”
Karen: “So what are you going to do?”
Senator Becker: “I don’t want to say. I don’t want you knowing any more than you have to. But they won’t have anything on me after this week. Trust me, Karen.”
Karen: “Fine. But if you run into trouble, you go right back to the FBI, Dad. Alright? No matter what happens, it’s not worth getting killed for.”
The recording ended and Wilkes picked up his phone.
Renee said, “So the senator knows Ian Williams?”
“Yes,” Wilkes confessed.
Max was confused. “If they were once collaborating, why would the ISI be trying to kill Becker now?”
“Becker has changed his stance on a policy that’s making them billions.”
“Okay, but why? Don’t politicians usually want to make the guys bankrolling them happy?”
Charles said, “May I offer a thought? In business, joint ventures often end when one party no longer needs the other. Perhaps the senator benefited from the ISI’s support for a time, but now he has outgrown his britches? He has excellent name recognition and a host of donors. His eye is on the big election in a few years. He’s had to make a strategic choice to part ways with some of his original fundraisers.”
Renee said, “How is it even possible that foreign government agents gave him money?”
Max said, “Unfortunately, there are several ways to do it.”
Charles said, “He’s right. Although it is easier to do in smaller quantities. That could be another reason Becker is no longer interested in accepting money from this source. Foreign nationals wouldn’t be able to give him a big enough contribution to matter in the presidential election. Not without the risk of getting caught. Those sums of money are too high. But in state races… that wouldn’t have been a problem.”
“Too big for his britches… ”
“This assumes Becker knew about it all. He claims only his aide knew about recent contact with the foreign investors. And he knew nothing about the foreigners being tied to the ISI.”
Max said, “Why would the ISI kill Dahlman and Dicks?”
Wilkes shrugged. “Perhaps they decided those sources were no longer of value.”
“Why?”
“Becker wasn’t playing ball. If you’re a foreign intelligence service and one of your key agents stops producing for you, what do you do?”
“Try to get them producing again.”
“And if that doesn’t work?”
“Get rid of any evidence that can lead back to me, and put the network to sleep.”
Wilkes nodded. “Some agencies have a more permanent view of what that means than others. As Renee pointed out, Upton traveled to Afghanistan with Becker. So did Ron Dicks. Senator Becker, in his conversation with his daughter, revealed that he knew an Ian. Let us assume that is our Ian Williams. It is quite possible that Ian Williams still has a connection to Jennifer Upton, who was — according to Rojas — on the cartel’s kill list.” Wilkes sighed. “Maybe the ISI wants to get rid of a rogue agent? Maybe Becker has been ignorant of ninety-nine percent of all of this, and they’re just pissed off that he isn’t playing ball? Either way, it certainly looks like Senator Becker is in danger. And he knows this better than anyone.”
“He has protection?”
“The Capitol Police has given him round-the-clock security, even outside of D.C.”
“What are the Capitol Police going to do in Wisconsin?” asked Trent.
“It’s their responsibility to protect members of Congress. They’ve coordinated with local law enforcement. It’s the Oshkosh police who are providing the senator with a protective detail. You’ll see plainclothes officers here with the senator.”
“How many?”
“Two to four, depending on the time of day. I also have a few of my men keeping an eye on him, but our team here is small. And I have to provide at least one body to the safe house. But I’ve also reached out to the FBI and notified them that there may be a threat to the senator while he’s here. They have over a dozen plainclothes agents who will be close to the senator for the duration of his stay at the air show.”
Max said, “This would be a lot easier if he would just go to a safe house for a few days.”
“The FBI and Capitol Police have both made that painfully clear. The senator has refused to alter his schedule. He insists on seeing his daughter perform today.” Wilkes frowned, “I know this is ugly. We’re doing our best. For now, I think we should assume that the senator is a target, and that either the cartel or ISI may try to take him out while he’s at Oshkosh.”
The thought was chilling. They were leaving a highly visible target out in the open. Max didn’t like this at all.
Renee said, “I still don’t understand something. Rojas said that the meeting was on the twenty-eighth, right? That’s today.”
“Correct,” said Wilkes.
Renee shook her head. “But I guess I still don’t understand why Ian Williams and the ISI need to kill anyone before it occurs.”
Renee’s question was answered with silence.
Charles cleared his throat. “She’s absolutely right. The clock appears to be ticking. Yet you gentlemen don’t know what happens when the minute hand strikes twelve.”
Wilkes hummed. “Yes, thank you for that, Charles.”
Charles turned to his son. “What do you think, Max?”
Max let out a deep breath, searching the faces of those around him. “Upton. Now that I know more about Becker’s connection to Williams, I’ll know where to add pressure. She’s got to know more about this meeting.”
Renee said, “Why can’t we just go to Senator Becker and confront him with this?”
Wilkes shook his head. “If he’s doing anything illegal himself, we don’t want to expose ourselves. We’ll want to uncover their network. And we can’t do that if they know we’re on to them.”
Max said, “Caleb, if you’re good with it, I’ll head to the safe house now to continue my conversation with Jennifer Upton.”
“Approved.”
Max turned to Trent. “I think you should stay here and shadow Senator Becker. Ian Williams’s sicarios are military-trained. He might be using them to execute a hit on the senator. If they were Mexican military, some of them may have even been trained inside the US by our own Special Forces. You’re the most familiar with how they might operate.”
Trent nodded. “Sounds good.”
Max said to Renee, “You can come with me. Cross-reference every tidbit of information Jennifer Upton spills on us today. And let’s dig into her phone and email accounts. Maybe we can find more hints about why she really came up here, if not for a lovers’ rendezvous.”