Lentz laughed out loud again. “It’s going to be a pleasure having you here, Carter, if for nothing more than your humor.”
“Tell the governors I’ll be happy to entertain them whenever they like.”
Lentz laughed wildly, slapping Carter on the back.
Carter smiled broadly. Manipulating Werner might prove easier than he’d thought. Maintaining contact with Wilson, on the other hand, would be more difficult than expected. But he’d already put a contingency plan in motion.
When his wife Elizabeth and their two daughters Sarah and Amy saw Carter enter the room, they ran to him, throwing their arms around him. At least they were still alive, he said to himself. Now he just needed to keep them that way.
When Wilson saw his mother, who had returned from the hospital to a fortified, yet blackened, Brattle House currently undergoing repairs and reconstruction, he felt an unexpected outpouring of sympathy and love. She was crying. They embraced. Between the sobs, she whispered in his ear, “I’m so sorry, Wilson. I should have told you everything. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Of course, I can. I now understand why you didn’t,” Wilson said softly. “I’m just glad you’re safe. I love you, Mom. Don’t ever question that.”
Wilson and his mother held each other in the foyer, while Emily embraced Rachel, Darrin, and little Mary. Everyone had returned from the hospital earlier that morning.
Rachel came over to her mother and Wilson. Little Mary tried to wrap her arms around their legs. Wilson picked up Mary and they pressed their faces together, the way they used to when Rachel and Wilson were children. For an instant, Wilson felt outside himself, viewing the gathering from a distance and wishing his father were present. He looked around, almost expecting to see his father’s face. But he wasn’t there. Still the feeling lingered, in a singular moment of family forgiveness and redemption.
For his mother, Wilson imagined it must have been a sort of final cleansing. He could feel her body quivering in his arms. He gently tightened his embrace around her and Rachel. “It’s over. The long ordeal has finally ended,” he said, unsure why he lied to them, but he had, as if to shield them from what was sure to come. He no longer condemned his father and Carter for doing the same to him.
For the rest of the afternoon and evening, they stayed together in the family room, which had been relatively untouched by the explosions and fire. They recounted their experiences of the past several days. Emily called her parents and sisters on Martha’s Vineyard, putting the call on speakerphone after a few minutes, giving everyone the opportunity to collectively express their feelings of relief and gratitude.
Wilson’s feelings combined an odd mix of peaceful calm and nervous foreboding. He was greatly relieved that the imminent danger facing his family had passed, but deep down he feared what might come next. Where was Carter and what was he doing? Had the disclosure been nothing more than a first assault on their ultimate enemies?
When Hap Greene arrived at eight o’clock and told them what else happened at Mackerel Cove the night before last, Emily and Wilson looked at each other in utter astonishment. They could only express their infinite gratitude, humbly acknowledging that none of them would be alive were it not for the vigilance of Hap Greene and his men. When Wilson told him that he and Emily had slept in a sailboat docked at the marina, Hap nodded with a smile.
“It might have saved you had Jones been successful in launching his missile,” Hap said.
“Thanks to you we didn’t have to find out,” Wilson said before announcing that his family wanted to establish a trust fund for the family of Pat Savoy, the man who’d been slain in Venice. Hap was moved by the gesture, but they all knew it wouldn’t even come close to filling the void.
Before Hap left to be with his own family, he pulled Wilson aside, “Give me your watch.”
“Why?”
“It’s how we tracked you,” he said, handing Wilson his original IWC in exchange. The watches looked identical.
“How did they…”
“I don’t know how Jones found out, but I will,” Hap said. “Go back to your family, Wilson. We can talk about it tomorrow.”
“You know this isn’t over,” Wilson said.
Hap nodded. “I know. We’re trying to find out everything we can about what the CIA’s doing in Italy and the rest of Europe to locate Carter. I’ll let you know as soon as we have something.”
“We’re going to need your services for a while.”
“My men are right outside,” Hap said as he patted Wilson on the shoulder and then walked to the front door to leave.
“Thank you, Hap. For everything,” Wilson said as a flood of emotion hit him hard.
Hap turned back and raised his hand slightly. “Can’t think of anyone or any cause I’d rather fight for.”
Their eyes locked for a moment, communicating the deep trust and esteem that had formed between them. Then he was gone.
Less than ten minutes later, Agent Kohl dropped by for a brief visit. Her eyes examined Wilson as she informed them that there was still no sign of Carter.
“We’ve convinced the CIA and NSA to expand their search. Europol and several other European law enforcement agencies have joined the effort.”
“Good. The sooner we find him the better,” Wilson said, returning Kohl’s stare. There was no mention of yesterday’s conversation, but he was satisfied that she believed at least part of what he’d said.
Before she left, Kohl warned Wilson that the FBI agents guarding the house might have difficulty keeping the press away after tonight.
As Sunday morning dawned, Kohl’s casual warning turned out to be a gross understatement: the local, national, and international press were gathered outside Brattle House, setting up microphones and cameras and inquiring about interviews. At noon, Wilson gave them a brief statement on the motivations of his father and Carter Emerson. He then answered questions for an hour about Carter’s disappearance, the explosion involving Tate and Swatling, the threat of other secret societies, his plans for Fielder & Company, the nation’s reaction to the crisis, and the President’s upcoming speech.
After that, Wilson and Emily spent the rest of the afternoon in another interview going over the events of the past few days with the same five reporters from
The New York Times
,
The Wall Street Journal
,
The Boston Globe
,
The Washington Post
, and The Associated Press who had interviewed Wilson a few days ago. They peppered him with new questions about his father’s business practices and motivations. Wilson tried to explain things as best he could without completely destroying Fielder & Company’s reputation. Then, they asked Emily to recount the details of her kidnapping.
As the hour for the President’s address drew nearer, broadcasting crews from all the major networks and several local television and radio stations huddled around their TV monitors outside Brattle House, awaiting the President’s message from the Oval Office. At precisely seven o’clock in the evening, Eastern Daylight Time, the eyes of the nation and much of the world were fixed upon Alexander P. Roberts, President of the United States of America, seated at the famous desk in the Oval Office and looking into the camera with the resolve required to reassure a jittery world.
Wilson’s heart sank as President Roberts began by calling the crisis, “a storm passing over the massive ocean of stock market transactions,” and “a tragic exception to the remarkable integrity and stability of financial markets in the U.S. and around the world.”
“He’s whitewashing everything,” Wilson groaned, sharing his concern with Emily.
Emily took his hand. “You really didn’t expect him not to, did you?”
Wilson smiled glumly as they continued to listen.
“The excesses among corporations whose stock is traded on U.S. exchanges will be dealt with swiftly and completely,” the President continued. “The executives involved will be brought to justice. We are a nation of the people, by the people, and for the people and we will not let these excesses go unpunished. However, we cannot allow this crisis to undermine our confidence in the future of our economic system, our legal system, our government, or our way of life. Continuing to invest your money in stocks, bonds, futures, and commodities with confidence is the best thing you can do to help us correct these excesses. The Justice Department, our federal courts, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the various capital, futures, and commodity exchanges will do the rest. We have always been and will continue to be a nation that learns quickly and responds appropriately.”
Although the realist in him should have known better—as Emily clearly did—Wilson couldn’t believe it: the President of the United States seemed worried only about damage control and keeping the masses from revolting. Unfortunately, he appeared to have little interest in transforming capitalism. Surely Carter and his father had anticipated this possibility?
The President continued by giving a detailed description of the steps that had already been taken to prevent such abuses in the future. A presidential task force had already been organized to conduct extensive reviews of every major business sector in the U.S. economy; Senate and Congressional Committees would begin a series of public hearings on alternative legislative reforms, the Justice Department and federal courts would bring all perpetrators to trial quickly, and the Supreme Court had agreed to conduct an unprecedented evaluation of the laws and regulations governing the SEC, the FED, the major stock and commodity exchanges, and investment and commercial banks.
The President concluded his speech with a plea for confidence:
“In the past forty-eight hours, I have personally spoken to each of the G20 leaders and assured them that the American people will unite to resolve this crisis. I now ask for your trust and support during the days and weeks ahead, that we might secure the necessary course corrections for America’s future. Tomorrow morning the stock exchanges will open for business as usual, so buy and sell as you normally would, knowing that there is no better economic system in the world than the one right here in The United States of America. I remind you of the words spoken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 during an earlier financial crisis in our nation’s history: ‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.’ We cannot let fear or lack of confidence in our financial markets hold us—and our future—hostage. We will make the necessary course corrections to insure that these abuses never happen again, and we will make them quickly. Let us not retreat in panic but move forward with courage, united in our conviction that We the People can and will emerge stronger and wiser from this crisis. May God bless you and all of us in this time of need. Thank you and goodnight.”
No sooner had the President finished than the press crowded around the front door and along the verandah at Brattle House, turning on their microphones, cameras, and spotlights, waiting for Wilson to give his reaction. Wilson walked onto the flood-lighted porch to a barrage of questions about his reaction to the President’s speech, the state of American capitalism, what his father would think, and once again, the whereabouts of Carter Emerson.
He stepped up to the row of microphones torn between his conflicting desires to protect his loved ones and ensure the reform his father and Carter envisioned. Realizing all too well that it might be impossible to do both, he chose to speak to the latter issue first.
“I think my father and Carter Emerson would be very disappointed by the President’s remarks. They believed our system of capitalism had been hijacked by early industrialists and financiers who emphasized competition over cooperation to solidify their own control and build enormous wealth,” he commenced boldly. He would have to find another way to protect the people he loved. It’s time the world heard my voice, not just my father’s or Carter Emerson’s.
“A widening gap between rich and poor, concentration of political and corporate power, and a compromised and disabled democracy are evidence of the flaws in our system. Abuses by those with wealth and power in this country, and throughout the world, have written our history for centuries. It’s time for change. We can no longer allow our government to be manipulated by people whose sole objective is to enrich themselves while oppressing and appeasing the majority. Apparently, the President believes a flurry of bureaucratic activity followed by a wave of new rules and regulations will bring change. As long as the strong and powerful in this country continue to exploit and manipulate the weak and powerless, America’s capitalistic engine will continue to run at a fraction of its capacity. My father and Carter Emerson hoped that We the People of The United States of America would revolt before allowing the abuses they documented to be swept under the rug. They wanted to end wage-slavery for the working majority and end corrupt privilege for the capitalist elite. As for me, I hope the President will strengthen and accelerate his initiatives. This crisis deserves more than what he’s offered tonight. Most of all, I hope the American people will decide to stand up and demand reforms—broad, sweeping reforms to our capitalistic system—regardless of what this president or this Congress or this Supreme Court decide to do. My father and Carter Emerson believed it was time to humanize and individualize capitalism. I believe it’s time to unite against the hidden tyranny that controls our lives, and I know that We the People can do it.”
There was another barrage of questions that lasted for over an hour. Wilson did his best to carry the banner of his father’s vision while speaking from his heart. By the time the last reporter left after midnight, the press had interviewed everyone in the house except his mother and little Mary, both of whom he’d managed to shield from their intrusive probing.
A few minutes after one o’clock in the morning, as Emily and Wilson were still trying to unwind after the day’s intensity in the belfry library, Rachel climbed the circular staircase to inform them that Agent Kohl was on the phone.