The Second American Civil War

By Steven Blair Wheeler

When the most divisive president in US history is assassinated in December, 2020, journalist Ella Lesperance discovers evidence that someone in the 1% may have sponsored the hit. While a new administration struggles to assume the reins of government, armed militias occupy statehouses. Thousands of insurgents storm the US Capitol. Law enforcement and National Guard troops fight rebels across the country. But as progressive leaders are attacked and killed, Ella learns that rebels were not responsible. Behind the open warfare, prominent leaders in the super-rich are engaged in bloody covert battles. Will Ella survive her search for the evidence that can bring plutocrats to justice?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steven Blair Wheeler
• Release date: Mar 5, 2024
• ISBN: 9780981764009

Steven Blair Wheeler

Steve Wheeler was born in Blue Mountain Lake in New York State’s Adirondak Mountains. He attended grammar schools in Baldwinsville, New York, and graduated from Solvay High School. Not ready to face college, he enlisted in the army and requested posting to West Germany. He served three years as a grunt in the 1/54th mechanized infantry, 1st Armored Division before transferring to a mobile nuclear missile unit. Wheeler’s military experiences and travels in Europe sharpened his passion for history. After declining offers to re-enlist, Wheeler emigrated to Portland, Oregon and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature.Abiding interest in military history led to Steve’s first novel. Based on actual events, Still In The Woods is a trilogy that tells the story of a group of American soldiers who become surrounded during the opening days of the Battle of the Bulge. They rally to a determined officer and continue to fight while eluding capture in the frozen hills and forests behind enemy lines.Steve's latest novel is The Second American Civil War. As divided as America is nowadays, what might a second American civil war look like? How would it appear to people on either side? Suppose there were two levels of conflict, and a national broadcast reporter discovered a deadly covert war between factions of the super rich?

Book preview

The Second

American Civil War

A novel by

Steven Blair Wheeler

Copyright © 2023 by Steven Blair Wheeler

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

For information, address:

www.stevenblairwheeler.com

Cover design by Valerie Bouthyette

[e-mail]

First Edition

ISBN: 978-0-9817640-0-9

Printed in the United States of America

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Chapter 1

Tuesday, Nov. 3

When the television screen was in use, the portrait of Grandfather Henry Richard Worthington II retracted behind a mahogany bookcase. On the evening after the 2020 national election, like millions of Americans Henry Richard Worthington IV was closely monitoring the news on the public broadcasting channel.

Good evening. I’m Julie Woolford and welcome to this special edition of CurrentNews on this incredible day packed with headlines that until recently could not even be imagined. We start with the most disputed national election in the nation’s history. As you know, we and every other major media outlet reported late last night that former Vice President Joe Turner is projected to win the presidential election with 56% of the vote to defeat Douglas Best with 43%. But shortly after that projection was made, President Best claimed that the projection was invalid and the election was rigged.

The television monitor showed a clip of a portly septuagenarian with dyed blond hair in a perennial comb-over who clearly spent time under a sun lamp. The November tan stopped around his eyes reminding some viewers of a raccoon as he stood at a podium bearing the presidential seal. Behind him were his Caucasian enablers: the white-haired, smooth-faced vice president, the wrinkly necked speaker of the Senate, the California conservative House minority leader, and the portly attorney general. In his usual bombastic manner, the president declaimed that the election was not over because there were millions of votes still uncounted and that the attorney general was launching an investigation into wide-spread voter fraud.

Profoundly disgusted, Henry stifled a curse.

The broadcast returned to the attractive veteran news anchor who seemed to struggle to maintain composure. Here to take us through this unprecedented chain of events is our own Ella Lesperance reporting from Capitol Hill. Good evening, Ella. What are the latest developments?

"Good evening, Julie. This certainly is unprecedented, as are so many things done by this president. But it’s not quite unexpected. President Best claimed repeatedly for months that mail-in voting was prone to fraud and accused the Democrats of conspiring to rig the election. He is now claiming that as the basis for remaining in office. Just an hour after his morning press conference, he posted on Owlsong:

This election has been rigged by the Democratic Party with help from the Chinese and others...

The broadcast returned to Ella whose dark chestnut hair framed her lovely face and flashing green eyes. This was immediately met with stern reactions on Capitol Hill where Speaker Nicole Panella had this to say:

The video showed the respected, long-serving Speaker standing in the well of the House of Representatives. The cloth face mask below her chin blended with her mauve suit.

For the first time in the history of our democracy, a president has declared that a duly conducted national election which he has lost is invalid. This is nothing more than a blatant attempt to hang onto power. It will not be tolerated. The people have spoken with their ballots and on January 20th, president-elect Joseph Turner will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States of America.

Sitting with her father, Helen Astor said, I have the greatest respect for Speaker Panella.

Me, too, Henry agreed, motioning for her to hush.

A following news clip showed Senate Minority Leader Frank Safern in his characteristic gray suit and yellow tie speaking from the floor of the Senate. The pronouncement by President Best is a flagrant power grab by a man desperate to hang onto an office for which he is manifestly unqualified; an office from which the American people have voted him out. Let there be no mistake: the Democratic Party and our allies across the aisle will see to it that anyone attempting to subvert an orderly transition to the duly elected president and his administration will be brought to justice.

The screen returned to Ella who said, Shortly after Senator Safern’s remarks, Senator Matt Reynolds spoke.

The junior senator from Utah and former Republican presidential candidate stepped to the podium on the Senate floor. I rise today to assure my Democratic colleagues in this chamber and throughout our great nation that I completely support the declaration of victory on behalf of president-elect Joe Turner. It is inconceivable that a president of the United States of America could call into question the legitimate election in which he was defeated. And yet, this is the case. I call on all Republicans, all citizens to reject this ridiculous assertion for the sake of our country and our democracy. To my fellow colleagues on the Hill, I say: remember your sworn oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. Support the president-elect and his incoming administration.

Helen said, You have to admire a man who can carry off the statesman pose so well.

Henry said, It’s a gift. He knew that his daughter would never forgive Reynolds for voting to confirm Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s replacement days before the election.

The broadcast displayed a split screen whereby Julie thanked Ella and said, Reporting now from the White House is Denisha Jordan. Denisha, I understand that President Best has been reacting to statements from former and current military leaders. Please tell us about that.

A young African-American reporter looked into the camera for a moment before speaking. She wore her hair short and natural and her amiable face expressed a capable, no-nonsense manner. That’s right, Julie. There has been a virtual parade of retired and serving high-ranking military leaders denouncing the president’s statements and supporting the election victory for Joe Turner. The first to speak was General Michael Nelson.

The screen showed the general with his chest full of ribbons and service badges and five stars on each epaulette. He addressed the camera seated at a desk flanked by United States flags. I am speaking to all service men and women today on a matter of grave consequence and urgency. When I first took the oath as a second lieutenant at the very start of my career serving my country, I swore to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America first and foremost. I remain bound by that oath as do all of us, and I intend to faithfully adhere to my word. We serve the United States of America, not any one individual. The American people, including many of us, have spoken with their ballots and elected a new commander-in-chief who will take office on January 20th. It is our duty to stand ready to defend our country, and stand steadfast in our sworn oath. God bless you all and the United States of America.

The broadcast returned to Denisha who presented a long and distinguished list of leaders who supported and reinforced the chairman’s message starting with former Chairman Coleman Bowen who had publicly announced his support for Joe Turner months before the election.

Helen said, Thank God the military isn’t going to back that monster!

Henry pursed his lips and nodded agreement. He had urged military leaders to speak out and was guardedly pleased.

On screen, Julie said, Thank you, Denisha. I’m going to bring Ella back in for my next question to both of you. There has been speculation in the media about how the military would react to a president who declared a national election invalid, or called the result into question. From the people you’ve spoken with today, Denisha, do these statements by military leaders end that speculation?

Denisha reacted to the question solemnly. Secretary of State Delbert Cronius was quoted this afternoon saying: ‘The national election remains undecided until all votes are counted.’ He has not replied to questions about any role the military may play in the aftermath of the election. But General Nelson’s statement is widely viewed as an unequivocal order to the military.

It seems incredible that this issue is even being talked about, Julie said. What are you hearing, Ella?

Every Democrat on the Hill with whom I’ve spoken or heard has praised the military leaders and scorned the administration. They are joined by several prominent Republicans. Matt Reynolds we just heard from, as well as Sally Constant and Lynne Murlowski and others who will not be returning to the Senate.

A list of the names was displayed on the screen.

Helen was silently fuming and Henry regarded her with fond approval.

Thank you Ella and Denisha for your tireless efforts in covering these unfolding developments. Turning now to the matter of the on-going work of counting ballots is John Chang coming to us from Chicago. Good evening, John, what can you tell us about this?

A veteran Asian-American reporter situated in a book-lined study spoke to a webcam. "Good evening, Julie. Here in Chicago, a city that has been governed by Democrats for many years, the vote is essentially complete with a decisive majority of 60% electing Joe Turner. The rest of the state is not far behind with the exception of a dozen southernmost counties.

But more widely, here is how things look across the nation:

The screen displayed a map of the US color-coded to show states’ preparedness to support mail-in ballots.

A number of states are not expected to complete ballot counts for several days, including Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Idaho. However, we’ve just received word that Pennsylvania has now declared for Joe Turner.

Yes, and that further cements the presidential election outcome, Julie said. But Florida is still hotly contested?

That’s right, Julie. The lead has changed there several times, but presently it is trending toward Joe Turner by one and one half percent as the mail-in ballots are counted under the hyper-watchful eyes of monitors from both parties. Observers compare it to the 2000 election when George W. Bush defeated Al Gore by 537 votes when a recount was stopped by the Supreme Court. But this time, with the preponderance of state’s outcomes known or projected by solid trending, this election is a victory for Joe Turner and the Democratic Party up and down the ticket.

Thank you, John Chang reporting from Chicago, Julie said. While that is certainly reassuring, we now turn to Robert Brickham who has been following the story of foreign interference in the election. Good evening, Robert. We heard not long ago that Owlsong announced again today that they have taken down dozens of accounts they traced to overseas origins.

A reporter in his mid-thirties spoke from a tastefully decorated living room. That’s right, Julie. The preponderance of them were either tied to Russia or China…

I see that FamilyNFriends isn’t taking action, as usual, Helen observed coldly. She detested the leading social media company’s founder whom she viewed as pathologically irresponsible. What does the GOP have on little Mikey?

The time will come when that won’t matter, Henry said. And it won’t be long.

Helen’s husband, Reggie Astor, had been playing with their ten year-old daughter Rebecca and eight year old son Frederick in the game room. He entered the den to sit with Helen on a camel-backed empire sofa. At 38, Reginald was only a year older than his wife. Theirs was a solid marriage and they doted on their children. Reginald laid his hand on top of Helen’s and smiled. Becky and Freddy bested me at foosball, he said. He modulated his voice to not compete with the news broadcast. You might have heard them celebrating.

Helen smiled fondly, I’m sure I’ll hear all about it. Meanwhile, the news is generally good, but it could be better.

Yes, Reggie said grimly. But let’s take the rest of tonight off.

Henry acknowledged his son-in-law with a smile. He valued and respected Reggie as an able, well-connected businessman from an even older family. Reggie was a good husband and father with drive of his own. Had he been otherwise, he would not have interested Helen.

When the news shifted to report on celebrations around the country, Helen suggested that they get the children ready for bed. The couple took their leave.

I’ll come up and say goodnight, Henry said. He watched the president-elect making a statement supporting peaceful protest, but condemning violence. Turner went on to ask protesters and the country to dial back activism when conflict might ensue and give his administration a chance to address the issues. The nation is in a precarious state with my opponent and his supporters denying the election outcome. We must avoid needless provocation, and de-escalate tensions.

Henry felt a profound sense of relief that Joe Turner had won the election, but he could not fully relish it. He had worked and toiled to his utmost to make the Democratic victory a landslide, and now the vermin in the White House was trying to cling to the office. Henry was determined that that would not happen.

With apparent regret, Henry had declined President-elect Turner’s invitation to witness the election results at his campaign headquarters citing the difficulty in travelling at present. But he had assured Turner that he would be with him in spirit.

While personal security was a factor, Henry much preferred to spend the evening at his home on Long Island with his daughter and her family. He avoided direct involvement in politics and eschewed the limelight. But governing the country was of paramount importance to someone who had so much invested in it. The financial part, though truly colossal, was the least important. Henry Richard Worthington IV, as had his fathers before, deeply believed in the United States of America. And also like the prior Henrys, he believed that its governance was too important to leave to mere politicians.

Others in what was popularly called the one percent shared that sentiment. The powerful arch-conservative Block brothers certainly did, and for all of the wrong reasons. He knew only too well that among the powerful who pulled the strings and worked the levers available to great wealth, those like the Blocks acted from motives that were consistently base and short-sighted.

And now that the worst president in the nation’s history was threatening democracy itself, Henry was prepared to act.

Chapter 2

Wednesday, Nov. 4

Ella Lesperance had been drawn to broadcast journalism ever since she first saw Julie Woolford on PBS CurrentNews. That was before Julie moved to CNN. In the early nineties, Ella would watch the nightly broadcast with her father who was then working in Washington DC. At age eight, Ella told her dad that she wanted to be just like Julie when she grew up. Gerald Lesperance said that she was a fine example to follow and over the years he and his wife Penelope had encouraged Ella’s dream. They sent her to William and Mary, and then two years abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia, followed by Northwestern for her master’s in journalism.

Ella paid her journalistic dues with the NBC affiliate in South Carolina covering the state house and filing reports for Reuters until she caught on with CNN’s Washington Bureau. She then covered Capitol Hill and the 2008 presidential primaries. Her efforts played an important part in CNN’s receiving a Peabody Award. But Jerry and Penny were surprised when she was laid off in 2014. Ella merely said that she didn’t expect to be idle long. Sure enough, within two weeks they and Ella’s younger brother Sam were celebrating her new job with PBS CurrentNews. Her family and fiancé Will Corbett were tremendously proud. Her smarts, savvy, and dedicated hard work had landed her dream job before she turned thirty.

Ella felt that she was truly blessed living in America where you could seize opportunity to make your dreams come true. She loved being a broadcast reporter and thrived in the whirl of the news cycle with its fast pace and fascinating people. But she also drew deep satisfaction and pride knowing that she was doing important work. And, with CurrentNews she did not have to travel nearly as much. She still worked into the evening many nights, but she did so at home with Will.

Will Corbett had a successful cabinetry business in Alexandria, Virginia that kept him busy and tied to the area. They had attended the same high school, but had not really known each other then. For such a handsome man, Will tended to be shy around attractive women. It was one of the qualities Ella loved about him. When they had met again after many years, Will had recognized her first. She was covering a Democratic fund raiser at which Barak Obama would speak and Will was a donor in the VIP section. He had waved to her and Ella stepped over saying, Will Corbett? How are you?!

He said, My goodness, Ella Lesperance! You look great! I’ve been seeing you on TV, of course. Will’s shy smile had set her heart a-flutter.

They’d arranged to meet afterward and enjoyed a charming reunion. Will had recently broken up with a woman he’d been seeing for several years, and Ella was not in any serious relationship, so the timing was nearly perfect, especially since it was not an election year.

Around that same time, Jerry and Penny had returned home from Ireland where he had been the ambassador for two years. Jerry had loved that posting and retired to escape the Best administration and its disdain for career diplomats. Not wishing to retire yet, Penny returned to Georgetown as a professor of International Development Policy. Meanwhile, Ella’s brother Sam had graduated from Princeton with degrees in finance and public policy. He wanted to follow Jerry into the State Department, but his father’s recent experience had persuaded him to postpone that. Instead, he took an entry-level research job at the Brookings Institution and was enjoying actual paychecks.

Ella and Will had married in 2018 and she could not be happier with her husband, but the state of the country supplied more than enough to worry about. Like 180 million of her countrymen, she had been appalled when Best gained the edge in the Electoral College. His presidency and administration had swiftly proven even more disastrous than she could imagine.

But she was glad that she didn’t have Denisha Jordan’s job covering the White House. She would’ve hated seeing Best every day and she had to admired Denisha’s grit. It was bad enough covering the president’s enablers in the Senate and House now busily doing everything they could, legally and otherwise, to hamper the transition of power. The Senate Majority Leader, Rich McCon, and his crony Carol Clyster who chaired the Judicial Committee, had prevented the Voting Rights Advancement Act from going to a vote before the election. They were as busy as moles supporting the president’s call to end vote counts and dispatching more teams to polling places to dispute mail-in votes.

And as the final counts dragged on, right-wing media grew more and more vociferous. Flux News opinion pieces and the usual ranting cable personalities had gone into overdrive to denounce the election and keep the Best base whipped up. But the very worst and most alarming anti-government diatribes and hate speech proliferated on social media. Ella’s FamilyNFriends account was strictly for work. She was horrified by posts inciting overthrow of the government and racial war. Some of that trash was always present, but the volume and intensity were escalating.

At the moment, Ella was working on a report for the evening broadcast about the few Republican senators who publicly supported the election result and denounced efforts to thwart it. She was currently waiting on hold to speak to Senator. On the desk in her home office the new edition of Time topped a stack of news magazines. The cover featured the elder Block brother and the lead story covered super-rich political donors. Ella knew the journalist as ethical and she had already glanced through the article. The top donor on the list of Democratic supporters was Henry Richard Worthington IV. The section on him was brief because like many of the super-rich he avoided publicity.

Over a year ago, Ella had floated a story idea past Julie about the Worthingtons and the Blocks being at opposite ends of the political spectrum. But Julie had said that she would never get an interview with Henry the Fourth.

I’ve tried that more than once. We’ve met several times through the years.

Ella had asked, How’d you manage that?

Just by chance at charity functions, and he’s always declined to be interviewed. I could barely get a comment for the record.

What was he like?

Oh, he’s a charming devil, Julie’d said. Handsome and well mannered. But I always had a feeling that he has a ruthless side that he keeps well–hidden.

Sounds like you did get to know him.

Not really, Julie insisted. But I remember him saying that he always watched CurrentNews.

Another admirer!

Julie had just shaken her head with a wry little smile.

The Senator’s executive assistant came on the line. Ms. Lesperance, Senator Reynolds can speak with you now.

When it came to knowing what the Blocks were up to, Henry’s intelligence chief kept him well informed. In the decades either side of the millennium, the Blocks and those who shared their rapacious world view had out-maneuvered Henry’s father and taught Henry that he needed to expand his corporate security operations.

Henry’s father had done little to counter how the Blocks had allied themselves with right-wing media. They had started in the 80’s making heavy investments with Romulus Morlock to help him build and expand Flux News. The campaign to influence public opinion effectively delivered the message that globalization would stimulate the US economy with cheap, quality goods. The rush to ship US jobs overseas was on.

Henry III and his allies were powerless against the stampede toward low-wage countries and many had to follow suit as a defensive move. The most effective counter-move was Henry’s persuading his father to invest in global shipping. Henry saw to it that the Worthingtons owned or were majority shareholders in a many of the large trans-Pacific firms. For good measure, their shipping empire also included major positions in firms doing business across the Mexican border.

Henry had kept his activities out of the media while the Block brothers and their ilk trumpeted their deals that shipped millions of US jobs overseas. Henry quietly made certain that when they needed to bring billions of tons of goods to the US, much of it was handled by Worthington shipping.

He and his closest associates distrusted China in particular. They felt that if there was ever a war, China would nationalize all industry. The Blocks and their collaborators’ holdings vanish. Of course, when that happened they would turn to the US government to make good their losses on the backs of American workers. That tactic had succeeded in the housing debacle of 2008, and the Savings and Loan fiasco before that.

Of course while they got bailed out, right-wing media would sell the story that Democratic policies had exported all those jobs, shuttered main streets and ruined investments.

To the Blocks, social devastation wrought by the rush to globalization was just collateral damage. It mattered not at all to them if a skilled machinist was laid off and then had to work as a greeter at a big box retailer. What happened to thousands of peoples’ pensions when they took over a company and sold it off in parts was just a lucrative part of the deal. To the Blocks and their cronies, American workers were just a big piggy bank to be raided at their whim.

Henry despised their predatory greedy and disdain for working people. Their complete lack of compassion was psychopathic and reckless. It was monstrous folly to finance a frenemy with a population four times the size of the US.

But Henry also came to despise Democratic politicians who failed to hold bad actors accountable. After pouring billions of dollars of working Americans’ money into risky investments that crashed, not a single banking or investment firm chief was even brought up on charges. That spineless lack of enforcement only confirmed that too big to fail really meant too big to jail.

Henry’s father had retired in 2005 due to failing health, but he’d been among the progressive wing of the super-rich who predicted that failure to hold white collar criminals to account would have serious repercussions. To him, that failure was proof that most politicians and most people were unfit to govern.

Henry had heard that all of his life, but had been reluctant to embrace it. He wanted to believe in democracy guided by capable leaders. But his idealism wore away after years of running into the brick wall of politicians in the pocket of their arch-conservative owners.

After the 2008 housing and market crash, Henry supported those advocating re- regulation of the banking and financial sectors to protect American workers. But success was sadly limited. He also supported those who wanted to put Americans to work on infrastructure projects, but time and again the Republicans blocked them. Speaker McCon always claimed that the country could not afford to run up the national debt. Meanwhile, millions struggled to stay afloat and cities were swarmed by homeless people camping on sidewalks and vacant plots.

It was remarkable how the Republicans could stay focused on their simple message. They endlessly repeated the story that the national debt was the most serious issue confronting the US economy unfailingly followed by rhetoric about how big government regulation stood in the way of greater prosperity for all amplified by the megaphones provided by Flux News and unscrupulous social media.

Henry grudgingly admired how effective they were. He and his allies encouraged the Democrats to focus on a progressive, widely beneficial vision for leading the country, but it was like trying to herd cats. While large sections of the country suffered economic disruption, too many Democrats pandered to social issues.

For many years, Henry strove to comprehend how so many working Americans consistently voted against their own self-interest. Adherence to right-wing media only partly explained it. But speaking to supporters one day, President Obama had said that many working-class Republicans were motivated by curtailing a woman’s right to reproductive choices and unconditional support for the 2nd Amendment to the detriment of any other issues. No matter how true, his candid remarks were seen as elitist and inflamed the opposition. But the fact remained that a politician’s character and his being owned by the super-rich did not matter as it once did.

When the Democrats lost to Best in 2016, Henry finally had to agree with his father. Governing the world’s biggest, most important democracy could not and should not be left to politicians and the whim of easily misled people. Moreover, he had to admit that the Blocks and their ilk had long believed and acted upon that basis.

Henry had resolved to defeat and discredit them. To succeed, he needed to create his own intelligence agency. With the able assistance of John T. Klyver who headed Worthington security, Henry’s leading law firm drew up and vetted a list of suitable candidates to create an intelligence organization second to none.

From the moment Wesley Lawrence Chamberlain’s name came up, Henry had been intensely interested. In addition to his impressive qualifications, he wanted to meet the man whose ancestor Joshua had been awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism at Gettysburg.

Wesley Chamberlain had begun his public service career in the Federal Bureau of Investigation before moving to the National Security Agency. His experience lay in criminal investigation and surveillance with special emphasis in counter-espionage. Wesley might never have left public service if not for Best and his ill will toward the intelligence community. Like thousands of skilled career public servants, Wesley had become disgusted with the man and his administration.

It was John Klyver who told him that Henry Worthington IV was looking for help to augment his corporate security. The extent and nature of the position and the proposed compensation certainly got Wesley’s attention. He readily agreed to an interview with Henry Worthington IV at his home on Long Island.

Klyver set the stage with a tour of the estate security arrangements. It was truly impressive with no expense spared. A Worthington operation would clearly not lack resources. Moreover, Worthington’s relationship with Klyver indicated that key personnel were highly regarded.

After the tour, Henry had thanked John who said that he’d be sure to see Wesley before he left. Henry and the candidate then talked in his study overlooking the water. Like the rest of the mansion, it was richly appointed, though understated and comfortable. Wesley admired the family portraits while Henry asked if he would enjoy an Arnold Palmer. Wesley said yes and Masters the butler poured the refreshments as they sat in elegant easy chairs whose fabric tastefully blended with the room décor. A handsome dark mahogany coffee table bore tile coasters with an Etruscan design.

Henry said, "I’m honored to meet an ancestor of the justly famous Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. I have his book The Passing of the Armies in my library. He was an extraordinary man."

My father took us to visit Little Round Top when I was ten, Wesley said. "I had read The Killer Angels before, and my imagination ran wild. We are all intensely proud of our four greats Grandfather. Are you a student of history, Mr. Worthington?"

Please, call me Henry. I am, after my own fashion. And while my ancestors served in the Civil War with honorable records, none were nearly as distinguished. Joshua was a scholar-soldier, and he survived the war to make his mark in literature and academics. And now here I am talking to you. Your career in public service has been distinguished. I ’m particularly thinking of the Illegals Program.

Yes, the team did excellent work, Wesley said, and we bagged most of them.

The FBI case involved detecting and eventually arresting ten Russian agents in the US, including a pair in New Jersey that Wesley arrested personally.

That was well done, Henry said. From what I hear, you played a key role in identifying many of them. That was a good time to be in public service, wasn’t it?

Yes. Serving in the Obama administration was what I had always thought it should be.

Henry waited for Wesley to continue, but he did not. Henry then asked, With hindsight, do you regard your move to the NSA as a sound career decision?

I do. I’ve learned a lot and met many fine people. And I would’ve continued in public service were it not for the havoc wrought by the current administration.

Perhaps you may be able to return to it in the future, Henry said. But in the meantime, I plan to expand my security capabilities and I need someone with your skills and experience.

Wesley savored his cold libation and set the glass on a coaster. I’m glad to have this opportunity to meet with you, Henry, but I find myself wondering why you need someone to help build your security operation when you already have John Klyver.

Henry smiled in appreciation. That’s a fair question. John is doing a superb job with security. But the expansion I have in mind goes well beyond his purview. Of course, what I’m about to tell you must not leave this room.

Wesley folded his hands in his lap. Yes, sir.

Henry knew that they had arrived at the pivotal question for Wesley. He said, I need an intelligence service. I need data collection of all kinds and analysis. I need fruitful liaison with law enforcement and intelligence agencies, and time is at a premium.

Wesley regarded him with a level gaze. Henry knew that Wesley had checked him out and therefore knew that he was talking to a powerful supporter of democracy. He confidently waited for the man’s next question.

Why, Henry, and to what purpose?

I’m sure that you are well aware of the Worthingtons’ support for the Democratic Party and progressive candidates over the years. But as substantial as that has been, by itself it cannot counter the destructive efforts of those who support the worst president and administration in our nation’s history. Those people seem bent on turning our country into an oligarchy.

Without mentioning any names, Henry briefly outlined the Block brothers’ largely successful efforts to get their minions elected to office and appoint judges to further their aims. None of this was news to Wesley and though he maintained his composure he was not indifferent.

And there is one thing I think we both know about our adversaries, Henry continued. They are cunning and ruthless.

Wesley grasped the arms of his chair considering what he’d heard. Perhaps he wanted to rise and pace the room. He remained seated, although he was no longer as relaxed. How do you intend to counter them?

Henry smiled. By getting the goods on the enemy and dragging their methods and actions into the daylight. Responsible media and a capable administration can take it from there. Shall we take a turn on the terrace, Wesley?

Yes, I’d like that. Walking always helps me think.

They rose and stepped through French doors into a balmy fall day. The air held a salty tang off the sound. A two-story boathouse matched the mansion’s architecture. In the other direction was a handsome tennis court.

Wesley said that he still played now and then. Henry said he did not play as often as he liked, but that his daughter Helen was a gifted amateur.

The open air and physical activity encouraged discussion. Standing at the stone balustrade, Wesley said, Henry, intelligence work frequently operates in gray areas. But I will not be a party to unlawful activities. I will not go to prison.

Of course there is no question of that, Henry assured him with a genuine smile. After all, if you were even indicted, where would that leave me?

Wesley’s smile was somewhat reserved.

The opposition has no such scruples, Henry said. They buy or coerce politicians every day. As you know only too well, they believe that laws apply to ‘the little people’. We will adhere to the law because without laws, democracy cannot survive. That’s the fundamental struggle I’m engaging in, Wesley. I need your help in the fight to preserve democracy. And consider this: in our non-governmental capacity we can operate more freely to procure evidence to aid governmental action.

Across the water, mansions built a century ago on the far shore had belonged to the super-rich of that time. While a few still did, many had been consigned to public ownership when estate and income taxes began to bite. Henry wondered if Wesley was now pondering that history. Do you see that mansion away on the right with the large American flag?

Wesley said, Yes.

That was built in 1919 by Hearst, the newspaper magnate. Do you know who owns it now?

Frederick Block, isn’t it?

That’s right. Just like Queen Elizabeth, when the flag is flying, he’s home. When I heard of the purchase I said to my son, ‘There goes the neighborhood.’ In a way, I’m keeping an eye on him.

And he can keep an eye on you.

Henry nodded and leaned against the warm stone. "Naturally. Wesley, I hope you decide to work with me. Please let me have your decision in a week. I’m