The private jet was just touching down into Reagan International airport when his call to Bradley was interrupted.
“Hello Bradley? Are you there?”
“James, I’m here. Did you hear me?”
“Unfortunately, I did hear you. What are you talking about; I’m the baby daddy? That’s not possible. I didn’t get intimate with Caroline during that sting operation.”
“Rumor has it; you’re the father of Caroline’s soon to be baby.”
“Who’s spreading this rumor? It’s a lie. I didn’t, I wouldn’t…
what a mess.”
“Sir, excuse me, but you must turn off your phone, we are landing.”
“Yes, I will. Thank you.”
James exited the jet immediately when it landed. There was a black van waiting on the runway to pick up James. Once inside the van, James was introduced to a Secret Service agent who asked him if he was “armed”. James acknowledged the fact that he was carrying his Agency assigned weapon.
“Please, may I have your gun, sir?”
James thought about resisting but knew he would not be admitted to the White House without surrendering his weapon. He handed it to the Secret Service without even smiling at the guy.
“Thank you, sir. You will get it back once you leave the White House.”
James just nodded back. He didn’t like the idea of not having a gun on him at all times. James remembered that President Reagan was shot when the Secret Service was protecting him. How good were these agents? He took a deep breath and settled into his seat for the drive across town to the White House. Since James had never been to the house on the hill, he took in the scenery along the way. His thoughts raced ahead to what was waiting for him at the meeting. Were they going to bring up the rumor about him being the baby daddy? Were they going to offer him the position of Director or was he just another candidate for the position?
The black van pulled up to the entrance gate and a security guard stepped out of the guard house to ask for identification. James provided his Agency ID card. It all seemed in order, so they were allowed through the gates and to a side door of the White House. Once there, another Agent took over the task of escorting James into an office. He was told to have a seat and wait.
“Good Morning, Mr. Jamison, I trust you had a good flight here to Washington. I’m, Mr. Robert Fielding, chief of staff for the President.”
“How do you, Mr. Fielding. Yes, it was an uneventful flight here today.”
As the two men shook hands and exchanged conservative smiles.
“Do you know why we called you here today?”
“Does it have to do with Miss Caroline Clarke?”
“Yes. You know that she has requested a leave of absence for awhile and we need someone like you to take over her position as Director until she comes back to the Agency or decides to resign.”
“I’m flattered to be considered for the position, Mr. Fielding.”
“You are not being considered, Mr. Jamison. The Directorship is yours. Just tell us that you will take the position and we will have the paperwork drawn up and we will announce that you are our new Director. It’s that simple.”
“I do have a question. Why did you choose me? There are plenty
of other agents who are qualified for this position.”
“Miss Clarke recommended you. We reviewed your records and saw
that you have been with the Agency for over 20 years. You have done
an excellent job.” All the time Mr. Fielding was flipping through paperwork and glancing up at James.
“I see your father was a doctor in the Navy. A Rear Admiral
who served during the early days of the Vietnam crisis’s.
You must be proud of what your father accomplished during his lifetime.”
“Yes, sir. I’m very proud of my father.”
“It says here that you graduated from Yale with honors. Nice work.
All your paperwork seems to be in order.
There is one more thing, I must ask you about. It’s just a rumor,
but we like to cover our bases in this matter. It’s a delicate
subject, I’m sure your wife won’t want to hear these kinds of rumors.
You know in Washington, rumors swirl around this town like
wildfire.”
James didn’t let on what might come next. He sat in his
chair and looked directly at Mr. Fielding, waiting for the bomb
to drop on him.
“What rumor is that, sir?”
Mr. Fielding was backing down and James could see that he had the advantage over Mr. Fielding. James thanked Bradley, silently, for giving him a heads up his morning while flying here. James’ confidence far out weighed what was going to be told to him.
“Well you know gossip; it’s just not true most of the time. It
has to do with Miss Clarke’s pregnancy. Some say that
you are the father.”
“The rumor is totally untrue, sir. Miss Clarke and I had a romantic relationship several years ago. We broke up and went our separate ways. I married a lovely woman and we are expecting our own baby soon.
I’ve always kept my relationship with Miss Clarke professional and she the same. It has never interfered with our work.”
“Thank you, Mr. Jamison for your honesty.”
“Any more questions?”
“No. The job is yours Mr. Jamison. Congratulations.
Now let’s go meet the President.
He’s been waiting to meet you.”
(to be continued)
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