Ordered to Kill

By Sam Ekong

When his commanding officer crossed the line in Iraq by giving the one order he thought he should not have given, that did it for Maj. Eddy Matthews Graves. He was so pissed off that he sent something incriminating about the war to an editor at the New York Times. Shortly thereafter, he took it on the lam and went AWOL.
Days after receiving the sealed envelope, the New York Times wrote a scathing half-page editorial that openly admonished the army and demanded that the commanding officer, Gen. Milton Xavier Fletcher, resign. The editorial did not say what the general had done.
Two days after, tired and beaten, the general abruptly resigned, and he also didnt say why. He kept his lips sealed and left everyone wondering what couldve happened in Iraq.
Right away, the congress, led by the opposing party, smelled a rat and began calling for all sorts of hearings and demanded that the rogue major be found and brought home for questioning. The White House panicked, and rightfully so, they shouldit was an election year. The polls were beginning to favor the opposition.
If whatever caused the general to resign was damaging, they felt it would definitely tilt the upcoming election in favor of the opposing party if the major was brought home. They couldnt let that happenthe presidency was at stake. A decision had to be madefast.
So they secretly ordered the major killed.
However, they never counted on the resourcefulness and perseverance of those who wanted to see the major brought home-they wanted him alive. They were willing to go to any length to assure his safety even if it meant sacrificing other lives.
The question is, will the major survive?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 27, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514432891

Sam Ekong

Sam Ekong is the author of one previous novel, The Diary of a Married Woman and several technical white papers. He was elected in 2013 as councilman for the City of Northville, Michigan, where he lives with his wife. He is on the Board of the Economic Development Corporation, Housing Commission, Senior Advisory Council, and vice chair of Wayne County Development Block Grant Advisory Board. www.samekong.com

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Copyright © 2015 by Sam Ekong.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 09/14/2016

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Author’s Note

1

The speaker of the house of representatives sat alone in a booth inside a popular bistro in Washington DC, staring blankly at the images of President Walter Rosenthal as they flashed across the face of the high-definition TV hanging above the bar. The images were from a rerun of a fund-raising event held earlier that week for one of the candidates running to replace the president.

He watched as the president pranced about on the stage like a well-conditioned quarterback, revving up the crowd and enjoying it. Though the president’s approvals had suffered since he led the country into a war that has become unpopular, the selected crowd of party faithful he was addressing still loved him. They cheered even louder with every comment he made.

The whole scene was annoying to the speaker, and rightfully so, he had every reason to be.

Since taking office as speaker two years back, John Crippins had been unable to move his agenda forward in the house. It had been an uphill battle for him. The minority party had blocked almost every bill he presented for a vote, and Crippins had always blamed the president for it. He felt that since the president wielded a lot of power with his party members in the house, he was therefore responsible for the opposition he was facing. In addition, the president has the veto power and had used it several times to the displeasure of the speaker.

While he waited for his lunch partner to arrive, the speaker was served coffee. He sipped the dark-roasted blend and watched the screen a moment longer before his mind switched to the matter he was about to discuss with his lunch partner. He couldn’t help but wonder if handled properly, if it could help swing the coming election in their favor and win them back the White House.

As it were, earlier that week, a discussion on the same matter was especially hot in the office of Edmond C. Carmichael, the secretary of defense, where his colleague, the chairman, joint chiefs of staff, paced nervously about, while the secretary spoke with the president on the phone. The matter had taken everyone by surprise, including the department of defense, the White House, and indeed the entire country.

No one had expected an officer of the Eighty-Second Airborne unit based in Iraq to send something incriminating to an editor at the New York Times, accusing his commanding officer, a four-star general, of mismanaging the war. In discussion with the editor, the officer, Maj. Eddy Mathews Graves, had requested that whatever information was sent not be published until he instructed the Times do so.

However, days after receiving the information, the Times wrote a scathing editorial demanding that Gen. Milton Xavier Fletcher resign his post immediately. Though the front-page article only mentioned the major by his initial, it didn’t reveal what he sent or what exactly the general had done.

Days after the editorial was published, Major Graves quietly went AWOL while the general flew home from Iraq to tender his letter of resignation to the secretary of defense.

The president was totally baffled and wanted to know why the general, a twenty-four year veteran of the army, would abruptly resign his post after the editorial was published. What happened over there in Iraq? Who the hell was the officer whose initials were mentioned in the editorial? What exactly did the officer send to the press? Had the officer committed treason? He had more questions than the secretary had answers.

The president could not believe that this was happening to him and not at this time in his presidency when his legacy was already at stake. The election to replace him was several months away, and he has been working tirelessly to ensure that his party retains control of the White House. Now this? He told the secretary sternly that he needed answers and needed them fast. He wanted the general debriefed right away.

Though no one could tell for certain that the general resigned because of the Times editorial. The rumor and the press coverage remained intense. The resignation had now become the hottest topic in Washington DC, and condensed versions of the editorial had now emerged in other papers, as those papers now continued to speculate in their columns about what the general could have done.

Despite not knowing what happened in Iraq, the White House scrambled to do damage control. The president quickly dispatched the vice president to calm nerves on Capitol Hill, while the press secretary briefed the excited press every several hours as the days went by.

Making the rounds on the Hill, the VP assured nervous senators of their party that there was nothing to worry about and that whatever caused the general to resign would soon be fully explained once the general had been debriefed.

The secretary of defense quickly dispatched another four-star general to Iraq to fill the void left by the resignation. In addition, he sent an investigative team over and ordered that they be given an unfettered access to investigate what could have happened. The new general was told to find Major Graves and send him home immediately to be debriefed.

The same week, not to be left out of the fray, the candidates running to replace the president from either party seized the opportunity to fine-tune their campaign rhetoric. One candidate from the opposing party accused the president for not being forthright about the war and promised transparency if elected. Another, and this one from the president’s own party, echoed the same sentiment but was now becoming jittery and wondering if he should continue to hold on to the president’s coattail.

Days after accepting the letter of resignation, the secretary of defense had invited General Fletcher to the Pentagon for final debriefing. During the debriefing, the secretary had cut to the chase. First, he bluntly asked the general if he resigned because of the Times editorial. The general categorically denied it. Instead, he reminded the secretary that he had giving almost a half century of his life to the service of his country and had earned the right to resign whenever he wanted. The secretary then asked if anything had happened at the war front to cause the major to reach out to the press. And did the general know what the major sent to the press? Again, the general said he wasn’t aware of anything that could’ve caused the major to do what he did and what he had sent to the press. The secretary pushed hard to get more out of the general but couldn’t, so he left it alone.

Though the press had not divulged any wrongdoing in Iraq, most in the government still believed that something had happened over there to make the general resign. Hence, the war of words and finger-pointing between the parties had intensified, and now Crippins felt it was time to take advantage of the situation.

As he went back to reading the menu, his lunch partner arrived. He stood up, stretched his arm, and smiled as Cody Stokes, the senate majority leader, snaked his way toward him flanked by two secret service escorts. Both men shook hands firmly followed with a soft pat on each other’s shoulder.

After they were seated, the escorts dispersed and blended in with the other diners in the bistro. Both men began talking excitedly about their day as if they had just returned from a long retreat at some private golf club. Soon after, a waiter materialized and poured the water.

Though Stokes could guess what the topic was they were about to discuss, he still was eager to know why the speaker had invited him. His appointment at noon with the speaker was described as a working lunch to discuss some important matter that could impact both their leaderships. Crippins wasn’t specific. He didn’t say what the important matter was, and Stokes couldn’t wait to find out.

Moments later, the waiter returned. Gentlemen, can I start you with something from the bar? he asked.

We’ll order wine with lunch, Crippins replied. You ready? he asked his partner, who was now perusing the menu.

Sure, the majority leader replied, and they ordered. As soon as the waiter left, Stokes couldn’t wait any longer. What do you think of this General Fletcher’s resignation—not bad timing, huh? he asked.

Just perfect. Crippins beamed. It couldn’t have come at a better time.

Was that the reason for lunch? Stokes asked.

Yes. I thought with the elections coming up soon, we might want to see how we can use this resignation to our advantage, the speaker said.

Mystery solved, Stokes became all smiles. Though his agenda in the senate was not at issue, he himself had been thinking about the resignation and wondering how it could be managed to their advantage. Are you thinking we can use it to win back the White House? he asked.

Yes, why not? The way I see it, the war has placed our country in a tailspin, and everyone is looking for a change, and now this? Crippins replied. I think it’s time we do something about it. And frankly, if we manage this resignation just right, we could even pick up more seats in both chambers. How would that be for a win? he asked and let out a hearty bellow.

Stokes was all smiles again. This is not looking good for the Republicans, is it? he asked as if trying to convince himself and his partner.

No, it’s not, and frankly, I don’t give a shit, Crippins responded.

The wine was presented. Stokes sampled it, rolled his eyes, and nodded his approval. The waiter poured the wine. Stokes leaned over in his chair. What do you think happened over there that the general is keeping quiet about?

Before he answered, Crippins momentarily raised his wineglass to inspect its contents, took a sip, and he too nodded his approval. I wish I knew, he replied. Whatever it was, it must be serious enough to make him resign from a lifetime of service.

Stokes nodded. Both men sat and thought about it some more, while the waiter served the first course. But you intend to find out? Stokes asked after the waiter was gone.

Yes.

What’s your plan?

I don’t have any just yet. But I want to make certain that whatever I do in the house, we’ll both be on one accord. Stokes nodded, and the speaker continued. Right now, we are discussing the possibility of having the major brought home so we can talk with him.

Why not the general? Stokes asked. Shouldn’t we find out first if he resigned because of the editorial?

He has been debriefed, and he had denied resigning because of it. And we can’t force him to admit to any crime we don’t know he committed.

So you need to talk with the major?

Yes. Let’s remember he, on the other hand, had committed a crime by sending whatever information he did to the press. However, I’ll let the Pentagon worry about that. My only concern is whether or not something happened over there that could compromise our national security interest, the speaker said and paused for a moment. And frankly, nothing like this has ever happened to our military before, he concluded.

How are you going to get him now that he has gone AWOL?

That’s a problem, but I’m certain they’ll find him soon. And when they do, we plan on asking for him then.

I see, Stokes said between bites. What makes you think they’ll hand him over when they find him?

I have thought about that, and I’m hoping they would, Crippins replied with his mouth full.

What if they don’t? Stokes asked before taking another sip to wash things down. All I’m saying is that they could very well keep him out of reach when they find him until they know what he sent to the press and why. Even after that, depending on what it is, they might even lock him up and keep him over there for a while.

Again, like I said, I’ve thought about that, Crippins said. Right now, what I’ve decided to do is issue a subpoena to have him brought home once they find him and see what happens, he replied.

Stokes thought for a moment. But the department of defense could override your subpoena and give you a thousand reasons why you can’t have him, he replied. In which case, I guess you won’t have any options left.

Crippins took a bite of his food and washed it down with another sip. He eyed Stokes closely as if he was about to move the discussion into a forbidden territory. If that happens, I have a contingency plan.

Stokes eyed him conspiratorially. I’m listening, he said.

I can try to have him extricated from there, Crippins replied.

The majority leader’s eyes narrowed and remained frozen on the speaker’s face momentarily. How? You don’t mean you will have him kidnapped? he asked.

No, I won’t call it kidnapping.

I don’t understand. How can you extricate him from Iraq without going through the DoD?

Crippins waited for a minute as the waiter removed their plates and poured more wine. It would be difficult, but I think it can be done, and I think I know the person who could do it. Of course, that would also depend on other factors. But I’ll wait to talk with him after the major has been found and if my request is denied, he replied.

Stokes looked nervously about the room as if he thought someone else was listening before he leaned closer to the speaker. John—he lowered his voice—are you serious you would do that?

Yes, I am serious. What other option would I have? The house would surely like to talk to him.

Stokes didn’t say a word because he knew the speaker was right. He himself believed that the senate should be given unfettered access when the major was found. He looked around again as if he was about to add to the conspiracy and then leaned forward again. Is this person you spoke of someone I know? he asked.

Crippins picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and smacked his lips as if the wine had aged since he last took a sip. Yes, he’s someone you know, he replied with a sly look on his face. If I ever have to use him, I’ll let you know. For all I know, if I present such a proposition to him, he might even think I’m crazy.

Stokes blew out a mouthful of nervous laughter. I’ve always thought you were a sly fox, he said. Whatever you do, you can count on me.

Crippins took that as a compliment and didn’t reply. He knew he could always count on the majority leader’s support.

Moments later, the desert arrived to delight the palate and absorb the wine. The first bottle was empty, and Crippins ordered a second. Stokes was careful as he began to pace himself. Crippins looked at him and smiled. He sliced a piece of cake, put it in his mouth, and chewed thoughtfully.

_____

One week later, the major was captured hiding in the city of Karbala and was taken back to Baghdad to await his fate. He had so far refused to say what exactly he sent to the press and why. A few days after his capture, the house of representative submitted a request to the department of defense, demanding that he be brought home immediately because the congress of the United States of America would like to talk to him. As the senate majority leader had discussed the previous week with the speaker, the request was denied on grounds that national security would be compromised.

Crippins then decided to resort to his contingency plan. That evening, he made contact.

2

On this particular day, two weeks after the resignation, the buzz was still heavy at the DoD as calls continue to come through to the secretary’s office. The capture of the major had now dominated the airwaves and kept everyone talking. The president had called that morning, and unlike the past days, this time, he was really irate because he had heard that the Homeland Security led by the opposing party had approved a joint resolution to bring Major Graves home from Iraq. If it was true, he wanted confirmation.

The secretary confirmed that it was true and that the request was denied for national security reasons. The president then told the secretary that he was convening a meeting that evening at Camp David and expected the secretary to be there and ready to brief him. The secretary said he would be.

Several other calls came in that morning. It didn’t take Carmichael long to realize that the day was going to be very busy, and rightfully so, he instructed his secretary that all calls coming directly to his office should be screened and redirected to his assistant. He wasn’t ready to speak with anyone except the president.

Soon after, the phone lines were gridlocked as he had suspected, and a seemingly productive day at the department was ruined as the calls continued to pour in.

That afternoon, sitting behind locked doors with the chairman, joint chiefs, on the only sofa in his office, the secretary helped himself from a snifter of cognac that he had fished out of his desk drawer. Both men had taken off their jackets, rolled up their sleeves, loosened their tie, and both sat like busy men ready to tackle an impossible job. It didn’t matter to both men that they were starting early; they were under a lot of stress to come up with answers for the president that evening.

As it were, when the general unexpectedly tendered his resignation, the secretary had immediately put through a call to the second-in-command in Iraq, who couldn’t tell him if anything had happened over there out of the ordinary. Instead, he was told that the major had gone AWOL. He had then ordered that the major be found immediately and arrested. And though they now have the major in custody, here he was still looking for answers.

While both men drank, they watched the nonstop news on a portable TV mounted on the wall of Carmichael’s office.

A newscaster was on the air speculating on what he thought could have happened over in Iraq to make the general resign his post. He paraded several leading experts in front of the camera to ask their opinions. One of them in particular gave a grim diagnosis of what he thought could have happened and prattled on about the gravity of the situation, despite not knowing why the general resigned.

On another channel, one of the presidential candidates, himself a strong supporter of the Iraq war, called the resignation a big blow to our National Security and lamented that Just when the country was beginning to win the war, this had to happen. He promised transparency if elected. Another, and one who had never served in the armed forces himself, admitted he didn’t have all of the answers but nonetheless seized the opportunity to lay out his plan on how he would bring back integrity to an overburdened armed forces. He promised to call for all sorts of investigations and hearings if elected.

Even the White House communication director was interviewed on the same channel. He admitted that the president was quite disturbed by the resignation and planned to get to the bottom of it that evening, for whatever that meant. Carmichael and his guest continued to sip from their glasses and exchange nervous glances as they watched the interviews.

Several shots later, he reached for the remote and surfed through the channels one final time. The news flash was the same on all the major channels as if it were been fed from the same source. And just as he was about to give up, a large photo of the president flashed on the screen, and Carmichael squeezed another button to turn up the volume.

The president was holding an impromptu press conference—one of many he had given over the past week. He told his audience and the nation that his government was still trying to determine what prompted the major to betray the army. And now that he has been captured, he hoped they would soon be able to get some answers from him. He urged patience. Before the press could start throwing questions at him, he turned and walked back into the oval office.

The screen flashed back to the newsroom where some reporters were already analyzing the president’s statements. By this time, Carmichael had seen and heard enough. He shut the TV off. He looked at his colleague sitting next to him, and the chairman hadn’t said a word. The chairman himself was still pondering if the editorial prompted the general to resign his command.

Carmichael poured himself one last shot and offered the snifter to the chairman, who declined. He then returned the glass to its hiding place, put on his jacket, and beckoned to the chairman to follow. They have other stops to make before heading for Camp David.

They went through the back door and rode the delivery elevator to a cluttered basement, ducked through rows of insulated pipes, and exited through the maintenance crew entrance where Carmichael’s car was already waiting. Minutes later, both men were on Interstate 395, heading in search for answers.

_____

The same evening, across town in the Capitol, the speaker had invited Milton McConnell, the director of Central Intelligence, to a meeting. Both men sat in the speaker’s luxurious office, talking excitedly as if they hadn’t seen each other for ages. Their relationship went way back to their college days at Harvard when both men first met and had remained friends ever since.

The speaker had summoned the director to his office to see if he could talk the director into bringing the major in from Iraq. Rather, both men spoke at length about other matters because the speaker was having a second thought about making the request. He didn’t know how the director would react, but then he couldn’t let go either. He was slowly working his way to it. The question now was how to present the request to the director.

The clock above the office door ticked away nonstop as both men continued to talk and eye each other conspiratorially. After exhausting the discussion on the president, golf, and the coming elections, the director finally gave the speaker an opening. John, why exactly have you invited me over? he asked.

To be honest, I wanted to ask you a favor, but now I’m not so sure I should, the speaker replied.

Why not?

Because I think it’s a bad idea, and I don’t know if you might agree do it, the speaker replied.

What is it? The director was now curious.

It’s a very delicate matter, Milton, and it has to do with this Major Graves affairs.

I see. The director became instantly alert. What about him? he asked.

The speaker danced around the questions. Like I said, it’s a bad idea. And frankly, I would be asking too much of you.

I’m curious all the same, the director said. What about the major?

We want him brought home to testify.

If that’s it, why don’t you ask the DoD?

We have, and they turned us down.

Well then, there’s your answer, the director said. So what do you need from me?

The speaker hesitated for a moment but ignored the question all the same. Come on, Milton. You know as well as I do that something smells rotten with this Fletcher resignation. He must’ve done something over there to make him walk away from a long career just like that. The speaker paused and waited for the director to respond, and since he didn’t, he plodded on. If as we all suspect, something happened under his watch and he’s not saying, we have a right to know. The major is the only one who can tell us what it is.

I guess you have to wait until he’s brought home.

The speaker shook his head. That could be a long time from now … We can’t wait that long, he replied. And who knows, they might never bring him home.

Oh well! Good luck then.

Not so fast, the speaker replied. I was thinking there could be another way to get him home.

Why don’t you try it then?

The speaker paused for a moment and looked hard at the director. That’s what I didn’t want to talk to you about, he replied.

Now I’m very curious. The director was surprised.

I want you to help bring him home through the back channel, the speaker said.

Oh no! Not me. It can’t be done. The director shook his head. He’s probably in detention right now as we speak and can’t be reached.

It doesn’t matter, the speaker countered. Your men are there in the prison working alongside the army. They can find a way. You know it can be done. But I didn’t think you would do it.

The director shook his head again. Although he has never run away from a challenge, he was willing to run from this one. You’re not getting me involved. You have to deal with the DoD on this one.

You are already involved. Are you not the least bit curious to know what the major sent to the press and why? the speaker asked.

Believe me, I do, but it’s not my problem. Let the White House and the DoD worry about that. That being said, I’m not going to resort to any back channel activities to bring him home. Do you realize what you’re asking me to do? You’re asking me to use my authority to commit a crime against the same government I serve. Have you thought about the implications? Have you thought about my future? The director was serious.

Yes, I have. That’s why I thought it was a bad idea, but I couldn’t help but try. I was only thinking that since you’ve told me so many times that you don’t like this president, you might jump to the idea, but I was wrong. I wouldn’t want you to cross him. The speaker’s tone became conciliatory.

The director sat back and thought about it for a moment. It was no secret to his close friends and colleagues that he didn’t like the president and had always thought of doing something dramatic before retiring to get back at him. But he didn’t think this was the appropriate thing to do. He admitted to himself this was criminal, and if he did do it, he would be laying his entire career on the line. Would it be worth it? He sat for a moment tormented by his thoughts and then finally, he said, Just because I don’t like this president doesn’t make it right. And since I plan on leaving after the election, I don’t want to jeopardize my retirement, he said.

The speaker became curious. Are you saying you won’t stay if asked by the next president? he asked, surprised.

Yes, I’m saying I won’t, and it won’t matter which side wins, the director