Chapter 80
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Robert E. Lee White, wounded and decorated veteran and deeply religious man, leaned heavily on his cane as he walked up the steps of the church. He knelt in prayer, waiting his turn at the confessional. “Forgive them, Father, for they are weak, as are all of your children. I know I commit a sin coming here and using this…thing that wears the robes of a priest to confuse my enemies, but I must do this. I know that my friend is not a religious man, in any way or form. And, I know that he is more Christian in his heart than any other man I know. He is a good man and on a mission that is pure. Perhaps one day he will see the error of his ways and accept God into his heart. I must help him. And, you must know that these people who profess to follow your word do the work of the devil in the most direct and horrible way. You must know this.”
He saw the woman leave the confessional and pushed himself to his feet. The weight in his heart was heavier than the burden of his wounds and the memories of the horrors of war he would always carry. He depended on his cane more than he had in a long time as he made his way into the booth.
“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.” As he told his part in the story, with very few changes, and very few important details missing, the weight in his heart lifted. By the time he finished the story and scattered seeds that fell on such eager soil, he was sure what he did was God’s work in the truest sense. When he walked down the steps and out onto the street, it was with a much lighter step.
He hailed the cab and headed back to the office to put the finishing touches on his part. Now, other than delivering the package to where Jack needed it to be, and a little target practice, what he had to do next was wait. Waiting was the hardest. He prayed that his best friend, and now the number three most wanted man in America, could do his part. He was sure that if any man created by his savior could accomplish this most important mission, it would be his best friend and brother in arms.
When he got to the office he plowed through the mountain of emails that always waited, even after his executive assistant had culled the wheat from the chaff, with renewed vigor. Then he entered the combination into the keypad and placed his right thumb on the screen. The lock clicked open with a solid and satisfying sound. He reached into the drawer and pulled out three files.
He reviewed the files on ‘Miss Smith’ and the technician. Miss Smith was doing very well. Perhaps after all this was over he could persuade her to actually come to work for him. He made a note to tell his head of network security to let her hack her way into “the plan.” Her attempts had been admirable. Nowhere in her FBI jacket was there note of these talents. Very few were personable, driven, attractive and had hacking skills. If Miss Smith received tutoring from a master hacker, like his wonderful Alice, she would become even better. Miss Smith had an intuitive feel for programming that was rare.
The technician was a different matter. The technician was a good worker and a valuable member of the team. Even so, he was seriously flawed. How could a man hit a woman, not in self-defense? Robert E. Lee White was not a man of violence by nature. When violence was called for and it was the only option, then he would be as violent as was possible. But, for a man to strike a woman, the mother of his children, in a fit of anger, or even worse to satisfy some need to hurt or dominate, this he could not find a place for in his heart. He would give the man a chance to take his problems to counseling, to see if this flaw could be fixed. He would make it worth this man’s efforts. This man was a veteran and he had been wounded and lost a limb. Some folks needed more help than others.
Bob suspected this man had been flawed before he went to battle and used his loss as an excuse not to control his baser emotions, but Bob was not sure. He would give the man a chance, as he had given so many men and women a chance over the years. He gave them a single chance, letting them know the consequences of failure, spelling it out in no uncertain terms. His staff all knew that once they earned trust they were allowed mistakes, as Robert E. Lee White was no stranger to mistakes, but until they passed their test period, they were not allowed a second chance.
He would first speak to the man’s immediate supervisor to see what she thought. If she thought the man was worth the effort, then he would have the conversation. If she did not, he would not put forth the effort. Robert E. Lee White knew that his current employees would share stories with the man, stories that would help carry the message. Bob believed in accountability more than anything. He believed in accountability to himself in the form of discipline, and accountability to others. His people would make sure the man knew he would get no second chance and this place would be a home to him if he was able to do the right thing.
He put thoughts of the technician aside and reopened the Miss Smith file again, for entertainment really. He caught himself smiling as he reread the reports. She was very, very good. It had proven difficult to make sure she gained no other information on her way to the plan. The unvarnished truth, if it is so unbelievable that it must be fiction, can be a wonderful drug. To hide in plain sight was genius. He and Jack had finally decided this was the only course. He prayed that his best friend would survive the truth.