Read Online The Jefferson Allegiance by Bob Mayer - Free Book Online Page B

Sergeant Major was driving—he’s downstairs, by the way, also not saying anything—is interesting. Armored, bulletproof windows, tamper sensors, modified turbo engine for power, more weapons in the rear locker along with night vision goggles, body armor, and other specialized equipment. You could be in big trouble having those automatic weapons in your truck. The registration of the vehicle is to a front company we believe is part of a cover wing of the Activity, an organization in the Department of Defense that isn’t supposed to exist.”
    Ducharme waited for Burns to tell him something he didn’t already know.
    “You knew General LaGrange.” Burns said it as a statement, not a question. He had almost the entire skin off the apple. It fell to the table. Burns jammed the blade of the knife into the apple, and held it in one hand while he opened the manila envelope and slid a file folder and several other objects onto the table. He turned a page in his notepad and began reading it. “Lieutenant General LaGrange, US Army retired and brought back on active duty as Special Assistant for National Security Affairs. Very high level. The calls are already coming from a lot of big names. Deep shit, my friend, deep shit.”
    Burns pulled a photo out of the file folder and slid it across the table. Ducharme stared at the photo trying to make sense of what he was seeing. Given his history of violence, he could stare at the photos without expression. “That’s General LaGrange’s heart?”
    “We believe so. He’s the only body we’ve found tonight missing one.”
    “Whose head?”
    “James McBride. Retired editor from the Washington Post . Know him?”
    “No.”
    “Heard of him?”
    “No.”
    “Not many people outside of DC have. He was behind the scenes, though, of pretty much every major story the Post broke for over fifty years. Including Watergate.”
    “That was a long time ago. Somebody still sore?”
    “People in this town have long memories. He had a lot of enemies.”
    Burns said that with feeling. He must top someone’s shit list, Ducharme thought. “Not me.”
    “Didn’t say that. You feeling guilty?” Burns asked. He cut a piece out of the apple and popped it into his mouth.
    “Yes.” The answer jumped from Ducharme’s mouth, surprising him.
    “About?” Burns was staring at him hard while he chewed loudly.
    “My Uncle’s murder.”
    Burns blinked. “LaGrange was your uncle?”
    Ducharme regrouped from the unusual burst of emotion. “Why did you pick up Evie Tolliver?”
    “Professor Evie Tolliver, the curator at Monticello. She was waiting at that restaurant for the other victim, McBride. She knew him. She had McBride’s briefcase.”
    “She a suspect?”
    “No. She was in the restaurant when that murder occurred. Who shot at you in the alley?”
    “I have no idea. Did your men catch the shooter?”
    “No.”
    “What about the man in uniform in the restaurant with the gun?”
    “No.”
    “Not very efficient.”
    Burns stiffened for a second, then gave a lazy smile. “We’ll find them.”
    “I doubt it.” Ducharme looked closer at the photo. The White House was barely visible through the falling snow in the backdrop of the photo. From the angle, the stone monument holding the grisly trophies was somewhere to the south of the building.
    Burns looked at his notepad. “Where were you at eighteen-forty-four hours?”
    “Arlington Cemetery.”
    “Can anyone confirm that?”
    “Sergeant Major Kincannon. And several members of the Old Guard.”
    Burns nodded. “Kincannon has said nothing, but the Old Guard already did. We tracked the GPS in your Blazer back to there and the time stamp confirms it.”
    “Then why are you asking?”
    “Being thorough.”
    “Being redundant.”
    “You received a text message from General LaGrange directing you to meet him atnineteenth and Pennsylvania where we found the General’s body inside his vehicle. It was his last communication.” Burns