The Reformers: A Matt Blake Novel (The Matt Blake legal thriller series Book 2) (23 page)

“Yeah, Matt, that too. Is that what you’re upset about?”

“I’m upset about that, but mainly I’m upset about your historical analysis. Look at it this way, Dee. Since you and I became clean and sober, I think it’s accurate to say that we’re honest with each other; we shoot straight with each other. And we also shoot straight with other people. And neither of us likes to tolerate bullshit.”

“You speak the truth, honey. Go on.”

“So I’m going to be one of the people on Sunday morning talk shows putting out nonsense, telling the American people that the NFL is no big deal, that I have my ‘eye on them.’ I got the strong feeling, after talking to Bellamy, that that’s exactly what they expect of me. Sprinkle fairy dust on a dangerous and fast-growing group of killers. And from your analysis, I may be

sprinkling fairy dust on America’s first dictator.”

“So what? Matt. If you think that you’re the only one in government who sees NFL as a national danger, you can always resign abruptly and call a press conference. If there’s anybody with the balls to do that, it’s you.”

“So, I think your answer to my question is that I should take this job.”

“Yes, Matt, you should take the job. Know why?”

“Why?”

“Besides being your wife, I’m a patriotic American, and the American in me wants you in charge of this crap.”

“What about the wife in you?”

“The wife in me is scared, but the most important thing about you and me is our relationship. You and I are so close we’re almost the same person. We love each other and we help each other. And I’m going to help you keep us safe from those bizarre creeps in the NFL. Take the job, honey. Keep us safe from those scumbags.”

“Dee, do you really think the United States can become a dictatorship?”

“Matt, to quote Abe Lincoln, ‘
America
will never be
destroyed
from
the
outside.
If
we
falter
and
lose
our
freedoms,
it will be
because
we
destroyed
ourselves.’ And that crazy fuck, Martin, along with his pack of thugs, is looking to do just that.”

Chapter 48

“Good morning, William. Please have a seat.”

Bartholomew met with William Cunliffe, one of his top advisors, and the man in charge of polling for several of Bartholomew’s organizations. They sat in Bartholomew’s Manhattan penthouse.

“William, you told me over the phone that you had some interesting data to discuss. Please do so, sticking to the data so we can see if the opinion ‘interesting’ is accurate.”

“Bartholomew, the numbers are not only interesting, they’re amazing. Yes, I know I’ve just given you another opinion, but when you hear the data I’m sure you’ll agree. First, I’ll give you some independent numbers from some major polling organizations.

A Gallup poll, soon to be made public, showed that when asked who is the ‘most influential man in the country?’ 87 percent said Bartholomew Martin. The next closest was President Reynolds at 79 percent.

When the Gallup people asked ‘what is the most influential group in the country’ 90 percent said the NFL. And I should add that we only began to use the acronym NFL three months ago. Yes, they asked the question carefully to avoid confusion with the National Football League.

A Zogby poll, taken two days later showed almost identical numbers, but your personal favorability was even higher at 91 percent.

When asked ‘what is the most important problem facing America?’ both polls showed that 80 percent thought radical Islam was number one.

These numbers, Bartholomew, are the reasons I called them both interesting and amazing. And the numbers also allow me to form the following opinion: Your decision to make the NFL public was a wise one.”

“William, it’s over a year until the next national election. Please give me the data on our organizing efforts.”

“We have paid staff in California, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. We have small volunteer staff in all 50 states. All of the staff headquarters include personnel assigned to the presidential race and both congressional and senatorial campaigns. The press can no longer ignore these numbers.”

“No they can’t, William—not for long.”

Chapter 49

“Matt,” said Jerome the doorman over the intercom, “a Mr. Bushariff is here to see you.”

I thought it was a joke. Could this be Imam Mike? I asked Jerome to have our unexpected guest speak into the microphone.

“Hey, buddy, it’s Mike.”

“Please send him up, Jerome.”

I thought Diana’s eyes would pop out. “Imam Mike? Imam
friggin
Mike?”

“You’ll finally get to meet the man, Dee.”

I cracked up when the doorbell rang and I looked out through the peephole. A three star general stood outside our door. “General” Mike walked in and we shook hands.

“So you’re the amazing Professor Blake,” Mike said as he shook Dee’s hand. He then bent over and kissed it. “I’ve read your work and have heard a lot about you. It’s an honor to meet you.”

“And it’s a pleasure to meet you, Mike,” Dee said. “Matt told me all about your skill at disguises, but I must say you make a very striking general.”

“You should see me when I’m dressed up like a chick, Diana.”

“Mike,” I said, “what are you doing in Chicago?”

We sat around the coffee table in our living room. It was lunchtime on Saturday afternoon. So Dee put out a tray of sandwiches.

“My wife’s sister is having an engagement party in Barrington, a few miles north of here, so I figured I’d meet with the guy who suddenly is my most important contact. Mr. Deputy Secretary, you’ve become the most important man in the country. You’re the point man in the NFL intelligence operation, and I’m here to help you. Suddenly, chatter about the NFL is the biggest topic of conversation at my mosque. As you know, I’ve got some inside people feeding me information.”

“And does this information worry you, Mike?” Dee said.

“Yes, Diana, it worries me. To be more accurate, it scares the hell out of me. As a political scientist, I think you’ll see where I’m headed with this.”

“Mike,” I said, “are there any new trends that you see with our NFL friends. Any changes, anything new at all?”

“Yes, big changes, and that’s why I’m here. You and I will be talking a lot from now on, Matt. In the beginning we all saw the NFL as a shadowy group of killers. The only thing that seemed to placate our government is that they killed the right people. The time of feeling placated is over, my friend. NFL has opened a new chapter. They’re starting to move out of the shadows and go public, and the public seems to like what they hear. Have you heard about the recent polls from Gallup and Zogby? If you haven’t, don’t feel bad. I found out about them from my inside sources. They’ll be in the news within a couple of days. NBC and CNN will be doing their own polling shortly. The bottom line is that the American public is becoming more aware of the NFL, and the scary part is they like what they hear.”

“Mike,” I said, “I know you like to be specific, so please do so.”

Mike put down his coffee and leaned in toward us.

“Both Gallup and Zogby asked a popular question, one that always gets a lot of press attention. They asked basically the same thing—who is the ‘most influential man in the country?’ 87 percent said Bartholomew Martin. The next closest was President Reynolds at 79 percent.

When the Gallup people asked ‘what is the most influential
group
in the country?’ 90 percent said the NFL. Yes, the people being polled knew about the NFL, and the pollsters made sure not to confuse the question with the football league. And check this out. When asked about the most critical problem facing America, 80 percent—almost the identical number in both polls—said that radical Islamic terror was the answer, ahead of the economy and unemployment. The NFL is selling, and the American public is buying. The NFL public relations machine has been pumping out a steady drumbeat, reminding the American public that they are the people who are putting a stop to the terror of radical Islam, and that the days of the jihadis are
Not For Long
. And the public, if we just look at those two polls, is listening.”

“But Mike,” I said, “those are just polls. Polls change all the time. Is there anything more that bothers you?”

Mike rubbed his face with both hands. He looked like a guy who was about to say something he’d rather not. He took a sip of coffee.

“What I’m about to tell you hasn’t been made public yet. I got this information from my inside people. Bartholomew and his NFL have set up political organizations in all 50 states, including large paid operations in the big electoral states like California and Florida. For some reason, the press hasn’t caught on to this yet, or maybe they don’t think it’s important. These political organizations are not Democrat or Republican. It’s a third-party operation, called The Freedom from Terror Party.”

“I have a quiz for you guys,” Dee said. “What did Hitler and Mussolini have in common?”

We both looked at her and shook our heads.

“They both rose to office legally, not by a coup. Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany by President von Hindenburg, and Mussolini took office by a democratic election. We know what happened later—totalitarian dictatorships and war.”

“Mike, your thoughts on what Diana just said?”

“Bartholomew Martin is preparing to become the first American dictator.”

Chapter 50

Dee and I had breakfast at a café near my new government office on Michigan Avenue. We didn’t sleep well after our meeting with Imam Mike. Dee’s cell phone buzzed.

“It’s Suzie Cohen, Matt, I better take it.” Suzie, Dee’s literary agent, seldom called early in the morning, so it must have been important.

“Wow,” Dee said. “Oh my God. Who’s the buyer?”

Dee’s normally bright face went pale. She hung up the call.

“Witherspoon Publishing has been sold, Matt. The second largest publisher in the country, and it just sold for $10 billion.”

“Witherspoon publishes a lot of your books, don’t they?”

“Yes, they do, about 90 percent of my books.”

“So what’s wrong with an acquisition, hon? Happens all the time. You look upset.”

“The majority buyer is Metro Metrics. Sound familiar?”

“So Bartholomew Martin bought himself a publishing company. Tell me more about Witherspoon, Dee.”

“Witherspoon isn’t just a book publisher, Matt. They own 12 regional newspapers, a slew of magazines, and a TV station in Cleveland. It looks like Bartholomew just acquired a few mouthpieces and public microphones.”

“Witherspoon owns five magazines that I write for regularly. I guess I’ll get an inside look at any change in editorial philosophy.”

“The next election is only just over a year away,” I said. “This acquisition gives Bartholomew a big platform to stand on. Do you expect to see many articles critical of the violence of the NFL?”

“As time goes by, Matt we’ll see just how much this proud old company sticks to editorial standards. After this news, combined with our meeting with Imam Mike, my stomach isn’t feeling too good.”

“Our country’s changing, Dee, a lot faster than I ever expected it to.”

Chapter 51

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, I’m Bret Baier for Fox News and welcome to
Special Report.
It seems almost trite to say that the political landscape is changing, but we’re seeing a tectonic shift in alliances. Billionaire hedge fund investor Bartholomew Martin announced today that he’s running for President of the United States on a third-party ticket, the Freedom from Terror Party. When asked if he would seek the Democrat or Republican lines as well, he answered with a flat ‘no.’ All through the summer, Martin’s numbers have been rising, confounding political pundits across all spectrums. In a Fox News poll taken yesterday—before the announcement of his candidacy—he was number one by double digits, with 51 percent of those polled picking him as the favorite against his Democrat and Republican rivals. It will be interesting to see what his numbers are tomorrow, after his historic announcement. Senator Kurt Lysle of Delaware, the leader of a six person pack of hopefuls running for the Democratic nomination, polled at nine percent, tied with his Republican rival, Governor Frank Simon of Illinois, who’s the front runner of nine Republicans seeking the nomination.

Martin is a controversial figure. His name has been associated with an organization known as the NFL, an acronym that stands for
Not For Long.
The group has been accused of countless attacks on radical Islamist sites and individuals. Martin denies any direct involvement with the group, but says that he understands their goals. We have with us this evening former Vice President Gary Morgan, who’s recognized by many to be one of the sharpest political analysts in the country. He wrote the best-selling book,
American Politics— How it Works
. He’ll help us make sense of this amazing change to American politics.”

“Good evening Mr. Vice President. So what do you make of all this?”

“Bret, in all my years of testing the pulse of American politics, I’m bewildered. If you had asked me back in June if Bartholomew Martin would be a key player in presidential politics I would have simply asked ‘Bartholomew who?’ But now it’s a new ballgame. You know I always shoot straight with your audience, Bret, so let me say that if you’re interested in getting my book
American Politics— How it Works,
buy it as a collector’s item but don’t bother to read the book because it no longer makes any sense.”

Baier held his earpiece and scribbled down a note.

“Mr. Vice President, how do you think this all came about?”

“I think that ISIS and al-Qaeda overplayed their hands, Bret. They thought that the American people had infinite patience with the constant attacks on innocent people. That all came about after the horrible events of 10/15/2015. You can’t talk to anybody who didn’t lose a friend or loved one in one of the terror attacks on that day. Bartholomew Martin figured out a way to tap into that vein of anger, and his poll numbers show it. ‘Freedom from Terror’ is a political slogan for the ages.”

“Although the election is over a year from now, do you think that Martin has a clear shot at the top job?” Baier asked.

“I hate to make predictions, Bret, but right now I’d have to say that Bartholomew Martin looks like the odds-on favorite to win the Oval Office.”