A tightly wrapped tail of love, death, and deceit.Suspenseful political intrigue.
During the investigation of a murder in rural Texas, Lieutenant Mark Owens uncovers the highly guarded secrets of a CIA black operation. The trail leads to the Oval Office. With a presidential election looming the White House will resort to extreme measures to cover up their illegal activities. Owens knows his life may be in danger, but he is determined to bring the killer to justice. But how?Only the White House can provide a solution to Owens’ dilemma. The question is: will they?
Excerpt
THE WHITE HOUSE
FBI Director Richard Carson and CIA Director Kevin Samuels took their seats in front of White House Chief of Staff Ronald Pace’s desk.
The chief looked at Carson. “All right Richard, I don’t have a lot of time today, so what’s on your mind?”
“I don’t have a complete picture yet,” Carson said. “But, apparently this task force in Texas uncovered a money laundering operation that led to an arms dealer named Nicholas Islamov. They caught Islamov’s strong-arm man, Raul Aquilleros and it looks like we may have a shot at nailing Islamov.” Carson sensed Samuels stirring in his chair.
“Does that give us a problem?” Pace asked.
“Possibly,” Carson said. “My people say a CIA agent named Bruce Abrams has been trying to locate Aquilleros and it occurred to me that if the CIA is somehow tied to Islamov, there might be a political angle. That’s why I called.”
Carson and Pace both turned to Samuels.
“Is this something we need to be concerned with, Kevin?” Pace asked.
“Well.” Samuels was from Mississippi and spoke with an affected Southern drawl. “Ya’ll remember a couple of years ago when the Muslim freedom fighters in Afghanistan were getting their asses kicked by the Russians? In order to stabilize the situation and.”
“Just give us the short version, Kevin,” Pace interrupted impatiently. “I don’t need a refresher course on Afghanistan.”
“We used Islamov and his man Aquilleros to supply the Mujahideen with suitable weapons and ran the Russians home with their tails tucked between their legs.”
Pace squinted at Samuels. “And if the FBI takes Islamov, you think he might drag that skeleton out of the closet?”
“The only way to be sure he doesn’t would be to eliminate him, but I doubt if he’ll expose anything. He’s too smart for that. Revealing who paid for an arms delivery is not good for his business. On the other hand, I’m concerned about Aquilleros. If they have him, we need to, ah, get to him before he starts talking.”
“Okay, Kevin.” Pace rubbed his brow for a moment. “Do you have any suggestions on how we go about that?”
“Sure, two things,” Samuels replied. “First, forget about Islamov. He’ll disappear as quietly as a boll weevil in a cotton patch. Then we pick up Acquilleros on a National Security charge. A couple of days with my folks and he won’t be able to remember his name.”
Carson frowned. “It’s too late for cloak and dagger games, Kevin. Aquilleros told the detective the whole story. That’s how I found out about this. Besides, I can’t just forget about Islamov. Three congressmen have been hounding me for the past two years to nab him. If I walk away from an opportunity like this it will raise a lot of questions. Beyond that, if the cop knows everything, how would you deal with him?”
Samuels was quiet a moment. He rubbed his palms together. “You planning to take Islamov?”
“I don’t think I have a choice.”
“Well,” Samuels said, “that’s the answer. You won’t take Islamov without a hell of a fight. Suppose you take the cop along? Maybe in the fracas…”
Carson shook his head in anger. “My God, Kevin, you’re talking about assassinating a law officer in the performance of his duty. No wonder they refer to your outfit as the Toy Factory.”
“An accident, Richard. Things like that happen all the time.” Samuels’ tone turned ugly. “We’re not talking about cops and robbers here, we’re talking about the security of the country.”
Carson grimaced and pointed his index finger at Samuels. “Security? That’s bullshit, Kevin. What we’re talking about is getting somebody’s ass out of a crack and you…”
“POTUS,” Samuels said in a whisper, invoking the White House acronym for the president of the United States. “And if you think for a minute I wouldn’t sacrifice some County Mounty.”
“Good God, Kevin. You’ve lost your mind.”
Professional Reviews
Amazon Review
This review is from: The Barrett Solution (Kindle Edition)
The introduction took you by the hand and fairly pulled you into the plot of this book, the turns and twists each carrying you further as you explored the action and plot. I found the book intriguing, interesting, and had never one thought of putting it down until I finished it. Kudos for the proper use of many improperly used terms in today's writing, i.e., SAFE deposit box (not safety) and such. It is a joy to read good writing. Can hardly wait for the next one!!!!
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