Page 113 of Cross Down
“My God…”
I say, “Ned, at noon today, General Grissom is going to the White House to overthrow the government of the United States. What do we do?”
Chapter
137
In a privateconference room adjacent to his office, General Wayne Grissom reviews the orders that will be issued later today after his recorded message is broadcast to the nation and the world.
There’s a soft knock on the door, and Colonel Kendricks comes in. She, too, is dressed in army BDUs, and she has a pistol holstered to her belt.
He says, “Yes?”
“The body’s been removed. CID is beginning its investigation, and they took your pistol to fire a test cartridge to compare it with the empty cartridge case on your office floor. It’ll be a match, of course.”
“Of course,” Grissom says. He won’t say it to Kendricks, but he has a throbbing headache right behind his eyes. “But it won’t make any difference, will it.”
“No, sir.”
“Any change in the status of the other chiefs?”
“No, sir,” she says. “General Bouchard of the air force is still in Tokyo, Admiral Barnes is in Singapore, General Signorello is at NSA Naples, and General Krantz is at Cape Canaveral.”
“Good,” he says, looking again at the pile of orders on the desk; they just need his signature to be official. “I’ll only have to deal with their deputies once we’re at the White House, which will be a plus. But we have a full day ahead of us, Colonel.”
Colonel Kendricks slowly takes a seat without asking for permission. He lets this breach of military etiquette slide. “Are you all right, Kendricks?”
She smiles. “Last-minute jitters, I guess. Like your first step off an aircraft on your first parachute jump. You hope everything in the chute works, that the jumpmaster dropped you over the right zone, that you won’t land in a power line and get zapped or be impaled by a tall pine.”
Grissom says, “Kendricks, we’ve planned this for more than two years. We’ve run tabletop drills and field tests, and every eventuality has been addressed.”
“Still…”
He goes on, voice confident. “The people are tired, frustrated, angry. They don’t trust the president, Congress, or the media. The nation is divided, crumbling, and we’re steps away from armed insurrection by various different populations. There’s only one organization that consistently remains popular among the American people year after year, and you and I belong to it.”
“I know,” she says. “Their support is what I’m counting on.”
Grissom says, “And the people are used to the military coming in to provide assistance. After a hurricane, who’s there? The navy or the army. Rioters burn a city down? The National Guard is there, providing security and food. Who helps control the borders, who interdicts drug dealers, who seizes criminals overseas? We do. Believe me, Colonel, the people are aching for strong leadership, and we’re going to give it to them.”
Grissom knows the love and admiration his aide has for him, and his headache fades.
She now seems at ease.
“Thank you for the pep talk, sir.”
“Not a problem,” he says.
Kendricks gets up and heads to the door. “Your ride to the White House will be ready in an hour, sir.”
Chapter
138
I say, “Abitmore evidence to make your day, Ned,” and I scatter four thumb drives taken from Mason’s office across the coffee table like I’m playing some horrific game of dice.
“Plans for military and intelligence operatives to conduct media monitoring across all network and cable news channels as well as social media accounts,” I say. “Establishment of preventive detention centers, where certain celebrities and media influencers will be sent.”
“Arrested, you mean?”
