Authors: Russ Scalzo
Frank’s
eyes widened.
The Oslow’s
, he thought. Frank was not naïve. He knew this
wasn’t the first time a file had been purposely misplaced, but it was the first
time he was privy to it. Jack was right. Wellsenburg did have something to do
with the Oslows’ deaths. No wonder Wellsenburg had put someone on their tail.
Talk about a skeleton in your closet. This was big… scary big.
“What did
the report say?” Frank asked.
“It seems
our man had a big disagreement with Mr. O the night before he and his wife were
killed. The two men had met in
Montrose Park
where I guess they thought no one would hear their
conversation. That would have worked, except for a couple of young lovers were
sitting on a park bench just out of sight of the dispute. The report says that they
heard two men talking very loudly. They couldn’t see who it was, but they heard
the whole conversation. It seems that Mr. O wanted out of the society. Our man
tried to convince him that it was not the right time, that he should be patient,
and everything would work out once he won the senate seat. But, the dispute
just grew worse to the point where our man threatened Mr O. He said, and I
quote from the report, ‘You have no idea what kind of powers you are dealing
with O. Even I don’t fully understand how things happen. The only thing I know
for sure is that they do. If you do this, I cannot guarantee you or your wife’s
safety.’
“Mr. O
then screamed at him and said, again I quote, ‘Listen to me, George. My wife
and I are getting out! Do you understand? There are awful, terrifying things
going on that we didn’t sign up for and we can’t deal with it anymore. We are
done!’”
Jeff
shrugged his shoulders, “That’s it. That is where the report ends. They say
they never saw them or heard anything else.” Jeff quickly closed the file and
put it back in his briefcase.
“So,
you’re telling me that this report was never officially filed? You’re saying
this was thirty years ago when our man hadn’t even been elected yet?”
Jeff took
another drink and answered, “It was common knowledge that our man was receiving
large sums of money from the Os, so there was already a connection, but if this
report ever saw the light of day, you could only imagine what kind of questions
would have been asked. Granted, there is no last name, but come on! Someone
named George threatening him like that? The day before he and his wife are killed?
The press would have had a field day with that. He was a rookie. That alone
would have cost him the election.”
Frank was
intrigued. His next question was an obvious one, “So, what happened to the
young lovers on the park bench?”
“Nothing.
The report was never filed and I suppose because they hadn’t really seen
anybody, they just left them alone.”
Frank’s
mind was going a hundred miles an hour. He couldn’t wait to tell Jack about all
this. In fact, he would have called him right then, except he knew he was out
and probably having a great time with Emily.
“That is
amazing. It’s hard to believe someone kept that file all this time. How did
they know to give it to you, I wonder?”
“That’s
the scary part,” Jeff replied. “I don’t know. I’m hoping it’s because everyone
knows me as a straight shooter. Regardless, whoever it was trusted me. Oh, that’s
not all my friend.” Jeff wasn’t done. “You remember the other name I gave you?”
How could
Frank forget that name?
Dante Adal
. Just the thought of his name sent a
chill up Frank’s spine.
“Yes, you
said he was part of the society.”
Jeff
leaned in over the table and spoke in a hushed tone, “He’s more than that. I
checked him out. He’s a big-time business mogul from out in L.A. Our man flew
out there with him last week on his private jet. I’m not sure what went on out
there, but I heard through the grapevine that all of a sudden he’s acquired a
pile of money from some new Super PAC for his potential run at the presidency.”
Jeff’s whole
demeanor turned very somber because he knew Frank’s life could very well be in
danger. “Here’s the situation. The closer you get to linking him with anything
that would hinder or eliminate him from the presidential race, the hotter it’s
going to get for you and your buddy Jack Bennett. Having you followed may be
just the beginning. Until we find out more about this Dante Adal, maybe you and
Jack should lay low for a while. You know, give me a few days or so.”
Frank put
his elbow on the table and rubbed his forehead. He knew that Dante Adal was
more than a big time businessman, but how could he explain that to Jeff without
him thinking he had lost it. He could hear the angel saying Dante’s name over
and over in his head, but it was Dante’s response that he remembered most:
I will have my day and this world
and all the fools who live in it will obey me.
He had to
at least warn Jeff. If something were to happen to him and he hadn’t told him,
he would never be able to forgive himself. He decided the best way was to just
say it. Frank wasn’t known for being subtle anyway.
“Listen,
I have to tell you that this business mogul, as you call him, is very
dangerous. I know it might be hard to believe, but he’s over-the-top, more
dangerous than our man. I want you to be very careful about what you say and
what questions you ask. I’m not sure who can be trusted in The Bureau at this
point. Somebody tipped this guy off about our mission today, and the only
people who knew what time we were going be there were a couple of people in my
department. Others may have known about the case, but few knew the day or the
time. I made sure of that because Jack wanted no one else there - no press, no
agents, and no paranormal ghost chasers.”
The
waiter brought their dinners and asked if they would like another drink. Frank
said yes to a refill of his cabernet, while Jeff drew a bye on his Scotch.
Jeff
patiently waited for the waiter to walk away even though his curiosity was
killing him. “Okay, you’ve got my attention. What do you know about this guy
that I don’t? Because if I need to be careful, I’ll need to know why and I need
all the info I can get my hands on.”
Frank
stood up and said, “Give me a minute. I have to tap my bladder. I’ll be right
back.”
On his
way to the men’s room, Frank glanced quickly around the room to get a handle on
who was sitting close enough to their booth to pick up on their conversation.
On his way back, he checked again just to be sure.
He sat
back down in the booth and asked, “How’re the crab cakes?”
“Good, as
usual,” Jeff said as he took another bite. “Are we clear?”
“I think
so. This might be hard to swallow so I’m going to take it slow, and also
because I want to eat this incredible steak.” Frank cut a piece and put it in
his mouth. “Man, that’s good. I’ve been thinking about that all afternoon.”
By this
time, Jeff was just staring at him from across the table waiting eagerly for an
answer. Frank cut another piece, stabbed it with his fork, and was about to eat
it when Jeff sat back in his seat and gave him an impatient look.
“Oh,
sorry. So, this guy Dante. Well he’s kinda not like a real person.”
“You mean
he’s a fraud,” Jeff said with a matter-of-fact expression.
“Well,
kind of. He’s a bad angel. A demon. You know, a spirit thing.”
Jeff just
kept staring across the table, a half smile on his face, waiting for Frank to
start laughing, but he didn’t. He just cut another piece of steak and stuck it
in his mouth.
“What the
hell are you talking about, Frank? You are telling me with a straight face that
this...”
With his
mouth full of steak, Frank lifted his arm and held up one finger as if to
signal Jeff to lower his voice.
Jeff took
a deep breath, leaned in, and spoke in a quieter tone. “You’re really saying
that you believe this Dante Adal is a demon or something?”
Without
hesitation, Frank matter-of-factly said, “Yeah. That’s what I’m telling you.
The guy is a demon thing.”
Jeff was
dumbfounded. “I don’t know what to say to that. How can you be so nonchalant,
so cavalier about something like that and expect me to believe what you’re
saying? Frank, I think you have gone a little overboard with this newfound
religion of yours. How do you know this? Did Jesus tell you?” he asked with a
slightly sarcastic edge.
Frank
stopped chewing for a second and said, “Look, your dinner is getting cold. Eat
your crab cakes.”
Jeff gave
Frank a look of disbelief, then motioned for the waiter, “Waiter, bring me
another Scotch, please.”
“Yes, sir.
Right away.”
As soon
as the waiter turned away and started towards the bar, Jeff looked back at
Frank. “What the hell do you want me to say, Frank? The next thing I know, you’ll
be telling me you see angels, too.”
Frank
almost choked. He stopped eating for a moment, lifted his napkin off his lap,
and placed it on the table. He realized he owed Jeff a more detailed
explanation than that, but it had been a rough day and he was still new at this
kind of thing.
“Okay, I
know you think I’ve lost it, but listen, Jeff. You would not believe the day I
had today and when I say you would not believe it, inside I’m praying that you
eventually will. Oh, and by the way, that wasn’t nice to say about Jesus. If
you must know, I have seen him.”
Frank
paused, looked back down at his steak, then lifted his head, and looked back at
Jeff. A slight grin slowly grew on his face as he realized what his statement
had just sounded like. Then he said, “Not Jesus. Dante. And if you want to stay
ahead of all this, you better get on board with the truth. What I’m telling you
is real and knowing all this just might save your life one day.”
Frank
took a deep breath in, then out, put down his fork, and folded his arms with
both elbows on the table. “Listen, we’ve gone as far as we can with this
conversation in here. Let’s finish our dinner. It’s a nice evening. We’ll take
a walk around town and I’ll tell you what I know.”
The
waiter came over with Jeff’s drink and placed it on the table. “Is there
anything else, sir?”
“No,
thank you. That’s all.”
Jeff
never looked at the waiter. He just kept staring at Frank. He was completely
dumbfounded. The waiter gave them both a weird look and walked away.
Jeff
reluctantly went back to his crab cakes. He couldn’t help but wonder what his
longtime friend wanted to tell him that he couldn’t say at the table. Frank, on
the other hand, didn’t miss a beat and went on with his plan to demolish his
steak. The explanation would have to wait.
* * *
Frank
wasn’t the only one having a nice dinner and soaking in the historic atmosphere
of D.C. Jack surprised Emily and took her to The Chart House in Alexandria, a
picturesque little town and
the
hometown of George Washington
. It was
now eight o’clock and Jack and Emily were just finishing their dinner
outside on the patio where they were enjoying the
gorgeous panoramic view of the
Potomac
.
The decor at the restaurant was beachside - a laid-back,
nautical theme with bubble lighting fixtures throughout.
Jack and Emily both loved seafood and The Chart
House made a great baked shrimp stuffed with crab. The couple was enjoying the
clear, late evening sky, and a very comfortable seventy-five degree breeze off
the water when a woman in her mid-thirties wearing a green
floral lace dress cut just above her knees began
to walk towards their table. Her hair was light brown and styled in a way that
said
I’m sexy and smart
. Every man looked up as she walked by, but she
didn’t seem to mind. She appeared to be the kind of woman that was used to
causing a stir.
She
walked right up to Jack. “Hi, I’m sorry for interrupting but I have to ask. You’re
Jack Bennett, right?”
Jack
looked up at her and smiled. “Yes, I am.”
The woman
barely gave him time to answer. “My name is Lisa Hill from the Washington Post.
I read your blog everyday and follow you on Twitter. I just had to come over
and meet you. Your posts are quite interesting. I would love to interview you
some time.”
Emily
glanced at Jack from the corner of her eye, watching what kind of reaction he
was going to have to this beautiful woman raining compliments down on his head.
Jack didn’t having much experience with this sort of thing and was in no way
ready for this relationship test.
Staring
into her deep, big brown eyes, he said, “Oh, thank you. I’m flattered. I’m glad
someone is reading them. I’d hate to think I was only talking to myself.”
Lisa
laughed showing off her sparkling smile. “Oh, you have so many who read your
posts,” she said flirtatiously. “Here’s my card. Give me a call at your
convenience and we’ll get together for that interview.”
Jack took
the card, smiled politely, and said, “Thank you. I’ll be in touch.”
Lisa gave
Emily a quick, patronizing glance and walked back to her table.