Extracted - Chapter 14 – Like Sheep to the Slaughter

 

Extracted

By Karen Singer

 

Chapter 14 – Like Sheep to the Slaughter

 

The Deputy Director of the FBI looked around the table.  He and a number of other people had flown into New York earlier that morning, just to handle this problem.  “How soon can we get these assessments underway?” he asked.

“I would think, fairly quickly,” Rosenberg’s boss replied.

“Sir!” Agent Rosenberg said.  “It might be easier to get them all together in one place to do it.  That would save a lot of time.  We already know we’re going to need to do that anyway, why not now?”

“Okay,” the Deputy Director agreed.  “Whatever can get it done the fastest.  This is national security we’re talking about.  We can’t mess around.  Can we bring them all here?”

“We probably could,” Rosenberg’s boss told him, but for security purposes, it might be better to do it somewhere else.  We don’t need to have a congressman bringing his entire family here to Twenty-Six Fed.  Add one of the more important district attorney’s in the country into the mix, and that could bring up a lot of questions.”

The Deputy Director nodded.  “I agree.  Good thinking.  Where do you suggest?”

“I don’t know yet,” Rosenberg’s boss admitted.  “Maybe someplace midway between here and there.”

“I suggest somewhere in the mountains,” Rosenberg threw out.  “Less news people and it’ll be easier to hide who’s there.  And if he’s seen, who would question the congressman taking a few days off for a break in the mountains?”

“Do you know a place?” the Deputy Director asked.

“We can have our people find one pretty quickly,” Rosenberg suggested.

“Okay.  But make it fast.  And maybe see if you can book as much of the hotel as possible.  Keep as many people away from this thing as we can.”

“More than likely,” Rosenberg told him, “most people wouldn’t recognize Congressman Stiller by sight anyway.  And even fewer would recognize Marsh.”

The Deputy Director shook his head.  “Stiller’s been in the news too much over the last few years.  He’ll be recognized.  I like the out of the way place idea.  Someplace secluded.  And we’re talking about a congressman and a major D.A..  It’s going to need to be someplace nice, worthy of their status.  Find somewhere fast, and make it happen.  And make sure you keep me informed.”

 

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Doctor Isabella Montcliff wasn’t exactly upset, but she wasn’t happy either.  Agent Rosenberg had just left her office, but she had left behind nothing but problems.  At least she had confirmed that Stephen Marsh actually did have the identity of Nancy Marsh living inside of him.  That was something that she had feared.  Now that she had confirmation that she had been correct, all her worst predictions seemed to be coming true.

And now the damn government was demanding that she clear her busy schedule for the next few days to attend some kind of meeting in the Catskills, and the only reason they wanted her there was so that the government knuckleheads could question her at length about the entire situation.  Except that Agent Rosenberg had requested that she drive to wherever it was with her early tomorrow morning so she could be there to help assess the place.  Whatever that was supposed to mean.  At least she was told she might get a chance to actually meet Stephen and talk to him one on one for a few minutes.

Rosenberg had also hinted that there was also a chance that she might have some insight into how they should handle both families meeting each other for the first time.  Although the agent had mentioned something about a one-minute phone call.  Why just one minute?  She couldn’t fathom that.

As much as she was anxious to meet and talk with everyone involved, especially the two kids, she was aware that this little meeting could be nothing but a big headache, especially if she had to talk with some government types who thought they knew everything, even though she was sure they didn’t.

A meeting between the families.  What problems might that bring up?  In truth, it wasn’t the families that worried her, it was the kids.  Stephen was supposed to be a big kid.  A senior in high school and a football player.  She had no doubt he was probably fairly strong.  If Nancy inside that big strong body saw her real body and got angry over the issue, what could happen to the real Stephen inside little Nancy’s body?  That could be a catastrophe waiting to happen.  Not only that, but the little girl currently inhabiting Stephen’s body was only twelve.  Plenty young enough to be unable to control her emotions and strike out, causing some major injuries.

And then there were the fathers.  Two men who held important positions.  It would be like pitting one alpha male against the other.  She needed to watch out for that as well.

She shook her head.  What were these government knuckleheads doing, trying to put these people together so soon?  It was all nothing but a disaster waiting to happen.

And if she was in the middle of it all, she herself could get hurt!

 

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“When?” Michael Stiller exclaimed in disbelief.  “You want us to be there the day after tomorrow?  So soon?  I was supposed to go to Washington.”

“Sorry,” the Deputy Director of the FBI told him personally.  “We’ve got to get this done immediately.”

“Yeah,” Stiller agreed.  “As much as I hate to say it, this is too important, and not just because they’re our kids.  Where are we going?”

“I’m sorry.  I know you’re a congressman, but for security reasons I can’t say.  We’ll provide a driver and a car for you though, so you don’t have to worry.  All I can tell you about the place is that it’s someplace secluded, and I’m told quite nice.  It should be like a little vacation for you and your family.”

Congressman Stiller had no doubt that even though he was a congressman, he wasn’t going to have a choice in this.  “What time do we need to be ready?”

“I’m afraid that early would be best,” the Deputy Director told him.  “You, your wife, and your two daughters.  All of you.”

“Yeah.  Of course.  We’ll be ready.”

“Thank you congressman.”

 

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“Who’s calling?” Henry Marsh asked his secretary who had run into his office interrupting things.

“The Deputy Director of the FBI himself!”

That information sent Marsh’s head spinning, even though he had a pretty good idea as to why he might be calling.  He looked at everyone in his office.  “Out!  All of you.  Out, now!  If this guy is calling me here, then it must be something important.  He picked up the phone and said, “Deputy Director?  Hold a second until my people can get out of here.”  A moment later, he said.  “Okay, I’m alone.  What can I do for you?”

“You can get you, your wife, and of course your son Stephen ready to travel someplace the day after tomorrow.  A car will be sent to pick you all up fairly early in the morning and take you there.”

“A car.  I’ve got my own car.  Why can’t I drive myself?”

“Not this time.  This time the FBI will be transporting you all.”

“My son was abducted.  How do I know this isn’t another attempt at something like that?”

“I assure you, it isn’t.  Your driver will have FBI credentials, as will all the agents who will be with you.”

“All the agents?”

“Yes.  A protection detail for you and your family.”

“And why are we going?”

“To give testimony.  All of you.  I’ve been told you should already have a pretty good idea as to why.”

“Yeah.  I’ve got an inkling.”  Another thought hit him.  “How about being able to see my real son?”

“That much I can assure you will happen,” the Deputy Director told him.

“In that case, we’ll be ready.”

“Good.  Since you’re concerned, would it help if I had Special Agent Rosenberg confirm all of this with you?”

“It wouldn’t hurt,” Marsh agreed.

“I’ll ask her to call you personally.”

“Good.  Um…where exactly are we going?”

“I can’t say.  I’m told it’s someplace very nice, that your family should enjoy.  As I told Congressman Stiller, you might think of it as a small vacation for you and your family.”

“A vacation?”

“Of sorts.  The testimony is the important thing here.”

“Maybe for you,” Marsh told him.  “I’ve got other things I’m interested in more.  Like my son!”

“Of course,” the Deputy Director replied.

“Day after tomorrow.”

“Yes.  Early that morning.”

 

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Detective Nolan walked into the police station and headed for his desk.  He was stopped before he got there by his boss, the Chief of Detectives.

“Nolan!  Someone high up in the FBI has demanded that you attend some kind of meeting to testify on the Marsh case.”

“When?”

“It was supposed to be the day after tomorrow, but they called again just a few minutes ago and asked if you could go tomorrow morning instead.”

“Okay.  Go where?”

“The man refused to say.  Evidently it’s very hush-hush!  You’re supposed to call Agent Rosenberg for the details.”

Agent Rosenberg.  Yeah, he’d like to call her.  And he got the impression that she was interested in him too.  Was this her way of showing him how she could get away with things?  He hoped so.  It sounded like fun.  “Okay,” he told his boss.  “I’ll call her and take their little trip to…who knows where.”

“Good!”

With thoughts of Ellen Rosenberg on his mind, Detective Thomas Nolan turned around and headed back to his car.  He didn’t pull his cellphone from his pocket until he was alone.  He could have called from his desk upstairs, but he was hoping this little trip might be for more personal reasons than his boss upstairs knew.  A few button presses later, he said, “Ellen?  Tom Nolan.”

“Tom!  How are you?”

“A bit curious.”

“Sorry, I can’t tell you much right now,” she told him.  “I guess you got the word?”

“That I’m going somewhere tomorrow?”

“Yes.  The families aren’t coming until the day after, but they’re sending us as part of the advance team.  I’ll be taking Doctor Montcliff with me so we can rely on her insight for help setting this up.  We’ve got a lot to look over before then.  Not to mention, I just thought that since you need to talk to whoever shows up just like I do, that you might like to get there a little earlier for some…R&R.”

“When you put it that way,” Nolan replied.  “How can I refuse?”

“Good.  Try to get there early.  We should be there mid-morning sometime.  See you there.”

“See me where?”

“I’ll text you the directions.  And Tom, keep it all under your hat please.”

“Yeah, I got the word already.  Hush-hush.”

“Exactly.  See you there.”

 

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The following morning, fifteen people, most of them FBI agents descended on the sumptuous resort in the Catskill mountains.  The people who weren’t FBI agents included Detective Nolan, Doctor Montcliff, and several experts in logistics who all had an open government checkbook and a lot of blank checks to pay for it all.

The moment they arrived, they went to work helping the resort to relocate all the guests who were either at the inn at that time, or who were scheduled to arrive there in the next few days, and send them all to other hotels, all at the government’s expense.  With the government suddenly funding their get-aways, very few people put up much of a fuss.  In hours, the entire mountainside resort belonged to the government alone for the next few days.

Doctor Montcliff somehow found herself at the forefront of many of the decisions as to what needed to be done.  Arrangements were made to send the Marsh family to one building in the resort and the Stiller family to an entirely different building as far away as possible.  The government personnel would be housed in rooms surrounding both families.  The rest of the resort was dedicated to the resort’s conference center.  Exactly what they needed for the events to play out over the next few days.

The one biggest thing that Doctor Montcliff kept stressing to everyone was protection for the family members, but not protection from anyone outside the conference.  She was far more concerned about the families being attacked by members of the opposite family.

Late in the afternoon one final crew of six people showed up.  Experts in surveillance.  They began outfitting every place needed with hidden cameras, microphones, and monitoring equipment.  The crew also wanted to bug the family rooms, but Doctor Montcliff put her foot down firmly enough to prevent it.  In her opinion, those families needed and deserved their privacy.  She only hoped somebody listened to her enough that they wouldn’t plant any listening devices or cameras without telling anyone.  She wouldn’t put it past them, especially since they were government people.

After a busy day, Ellen Rosenberg, Tom Nolan, and Isabelle Montcliff had a late dinner together in the resort dining room.  Dinner was first class all the way.  So was the entire resort.

After dinner, they each retired to their rooms to rest up for the day tomorrow when the families would arrive.  Thirty minutes later, Tom Nolan left his room and made his way to Ellen Rosenberg’s room.  She was waiting for him, a bottle of wine and two glasses were ready for them.  So was she, in her fanciest lingerie.

Tom Nolan didn’t leave her room until six the next morning.