“So that’s it?”
“Yes. We have some housecleaning to do here tonight. But once that’s complete, you will be in the clear, Herb. We will no longer contact you through unofficial channels.”
Becker rubbed his hands together. This was good. Finally, he would be free. With no ties to this cabal, he could run for president without fear of scandal. The deaths of those near to him were tragic, of course. But they wouldn’t be in vain. He would win the presidency and make this the greatest nation on earth. That was what mattered.
And if he was unable to attain the presidency, whether it be due to scandal or luck, he would still have the hundreds of millions of dollars piling up in several numbered accounts around the world. The investors’ secretive dividend payments. Those financial updates were another reason the cabal met each year.
Senator Becker had made a pact with Ian Williams and Abdul Syed years ago. Together their fortunes would rise or fall.
Now it appeared their fortunes would rise higher than any of them had imagined.
“When will you two be gone?”
“In a few hours. We’ll wrap things up here and clean up. This will be the last time we speak. Good luck.”
Becker didn’t need a handler anymore. He knew what Ian Williams and the ISI wanted. And they knew that if he ever decided to go back on his word, they could ruin him by bringing certain elements of the conspiracy to light. Perhaps someday, the other two would become leaders of their own nations. Someone always had leverage on you, Becker had learned over the years. But if your interests were aligned, it didn’t matter.
Becker wouldn’t double-cross them. He was getting what he wanted and would push policy that helped them all. It took ambitious men like him to change the world. Bargains and sacrifices had to be made. Too many people saw the world in black and white. But not him. He was a visionary, and he was willing to do whatever it took to win.
Max now stood in front of Wilkes under the CIA’s faux vendor tent. “You said Senator Becker went back to his home here in Oshkosh.”
“That’s right.”
“Where?”
Wilkes narrowed his eyes. “Max, the man just lost his daughter. What are you going to do, barge in there and confront him?”
“At this point, I think that’s the best idea.”
Max dialed up his voicemail and played it on speaker phone so both Trent and Wilkes could hear. They looked at him, shocked.
“I think Becker knew his daughter was going to be killed. And I think this meeting might be here in Oshkosh. You said Syed disappeared. What if he’s here?”
“He could be anywhere.”
Max played the voicemail again.
“Karen Becker asked her dad if they had come back here. Here. As in, Oshkosh. Ian Williams is here, Caleb.”
“That’s insane. Why would they take that risk?”
“Ten thousand planes and nearly a million people all coming in and out of the same place, at the same time, once per year. Sounds like a great place to hold a meeting you don’t want discovered.”
“I don’t know… ”
“They took Renee, Caleb. Some of them must be here. Becker might be able to tell us how to find her. You said yourself that Ron Dicks was only a possible source of the leaks to Ian Williams. What if it wasn’t him? What if it was really Becker?”
Wilkes lowered his voice. “The counterintelligence investigation is ongoing. It could have been twenty other people. We just don’t know yet.”
“Let’s consider it,” said Max. “What if Upton only gave us half the truth? What if Williams and Becker met, just like she said, but Williams actually bought in? He’s been working for the ISI for more than a decade. He isn’t a target. He’s the mole. A traitor to our country.”
“What about Ron Dicks?”
“A fall guy. Someone types up a bogus letter and mails it to the senator, right after they kill him.”
“Why would Ian Williams and Becker both be coming here? That’s crazy. And why would he let his daughter be killed?”
Max said, “You said that Senator Becker is going to run for president next election cycle, right? What if this big meeting is to get rid of witnesses? They’re cleaning house so that they can get their man elected. Hell, even if he doesn’t win the presidency, running alone will give him huge political influence.”
“And this secret society decided to meet here at Oshkosh? Why?”
“I don’t know. But Becker would. And I bet he knows where Ian Williams is. We get to Becker, we get to Williams. And to Renee… ”
Wilkes looked unsure. “I can give you Becker’s address, but—”
Max said, “Caleb, this isn’t me operating on your behalf. I’m doing this whether you want me to or not.”
Trent said, “I’m coming.”
Wilkes said, “Very well. But it’ll take you a while to get there. The traffic to exit this place is awful right now. Everyone wants to leave after witnessing that crash. There must be a hundred thousand people trying to drive out.”
He was right. Max could hear the horns of static traffic in the distance.
The overhead speakers came on with an announcement. “Oshkosh flights will resume at six p.m. Aircraft are allowed to conduct maintenance ground turns prior to that time. Contact Base Ops for questions.”
Max looked at Trent. “Follow me. I think I have an idea.”
Chapter 29
The gyrocopter controls took a little getting used to. And Max was pretty sure that the King boys were going to catch hell from their father when he realized they’d allowed Max to take it. Max had received a five-minute orientation from the two boys.
“It’s super easy,” said Jack.
Then they set the destination GPS coordinates in the iPad, and Max and Trent strapped in. Trent had a bulky black duffle bag on his lap, which he had retrieved from their car. Max promised the boys he would get them a private tour of Fend Aerospace headquarters someday, and they were off.
Max started it up and saw Trent shaking in the seat next to him. “Will this thing really fly?”
Max shrugged and yelled back, “Think so.” He pushed the throttle lever forward to add power, and they rolled forward in the grass, gaining lift at a very slow speed. Max banked left and headed towards the east, then tapped the button on the iPad to allow autopilot to take over steering.
An Oshkosh air show official was waving and yelling at Max as they overflew the runway. It was still an hour before the airfield reopened, and they were breaking the rules. Max realized that there were probably fifty thousand people watching him, including FAA officials who could take away his prized pilot’s license. But he didn’t care. Ian Williams had Renee, and Max had to get to her.
They puttered along, only feet above the power lines and treetops east of the airport, headed towards the huge lake on the horizon. Max scanned the iPad, careful to keep his hands on the controls in case the autopilot did anything unsafe. Even at the slow speed the gyrocopter was going, this trip would be much faster than driving.
“Where are you going to land it?” Trent yelled.
“There’s a farmer’s field about a half mile to the east. It looks like I’ll be able to land it unseen if that grove of trees is thick enough.” Max pointed at the map on the iPad. “I’ll put you down and give you five minutes before I approach the security detail. If it doesn’t look doable, just meet me out at the street and we can try to negotiate with them. If all else fails, I’ll call Wilkes and see if he can pull some strings with the cops.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Trent said with an air of confidence.
Max gave Trent a look, then turned his attention back to the landing, the rotor whomping above them as they passed a flock of surprised-looking geese headed in the opposite direction.