Run into Trouble

woods. He’s hurt bad. That direction. The guard is there, too. I think he’s dead.”
    The captain turned to the other two soldiers. “Call for help. There’s a phone in the rec room. Find the casualties and do what you can for them. I’m going to take these two to talk to the Chairman.”
    Melody gave her flashlight to one of the soldiers. She and Drake went up the hill, followed by the captain, and around to the front of the building. They went in the main doorway; they could hear voices coming from the next room—or rather, Casey’s voice.
    “…need for us to fill the void left by the government and provide national security, the first job of any government. If the president won’t step up to the plate…”

    CHAPTER 38
    Casey stopped talking as they entered the room. A dozen heads swiveled to stare at them. The bodies beneath the heads were clad in civilian clothes. The captain spoke to one of them.
    “Two men have been shot in the woods, sir. One is a Giganticorp security guard. The other is a government agent. Ferguson and Baker are calling for help and assisting them. The situation is under control.”
    The man the captain had addressed looked at Drake and Melody.
    “Who are these two?”
    “We’ve got intelligence about the Malibu operation, sir. This is Mr. Drake. He’s the son of Admiral Drake.”
    All eyes were on Drake and on his handcuffs. He must look a proper mess with the gash in his forehead and a lump on the side of his head.
    The men were sitting around a long, rectangular table. Casey was at the far end. He glowered at Drake but didn’t say anything. Drake spotted his father whose expression registered disbelief. Drake directed his remarks to the man the captain had addressed. He must be the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
    “Melody and I have been working with undercover agents to get more information about the Malibu incident. One of these agents was just shot by Casey’s guard. Casey told me this was going to be a bloodless coup.”
    Drake paused to let that sink in. “You’re trying to protect the freedom of the U.S.A., which is admirable, but you’re doing it in such a way that we, the citizens, will lose our freedoms. You’ve been led to believe that we’ve been attacked by an enemy power. The president wanted proof, but some decided that he wasn’t doing his job. I’m here to tell you that the president is right.”
    Drake hoped that Melody knew what she was talking about. She almost always did. He parroted her words about the training operation in the building. Casey tried to interrupt him. The Chairman told Casey to shut up.
    When Drake paused, the Chairman spoke. “Of course we’re going to investigate the room you’re talking about. This is a very serious charge. If true, it completely changes things—”
    “If I may, sir…”
    All eyes turned to Admiral Drake, including the Chairman’s. “My son and I haven’t always seen eye to eye. But I’m proud to say that there are at least two things we agree on. We both love our country, and we both tell the truth. If Oliver says that Casey is behind the Malibu incident, I believe him. I’ve had a sour taste in my mouth ever since I arrived at this meeting. I haven’t been able to reconcile my respect for our founding fathers and the Constitution with what we were doing. I’m glad my son arrived to shock me back to reality. I will no longer have anything to do with what has been referred to as Casey’s plan.”
    There were murmurs of what might be agreement from around the table. Casey was desperately searching the faces of the other men for support. Those faces were turned away from him. Drake decided to seize the opportunity. He addressed the Chairman. “Sir, I need to make a phone call. I have to call the boss of the agent who was shot.”
    “In Washington?”
    “Yes sir, in Washington.”
    “Of course, the news will be relayed immediately to the president. Not yet, Mr. Drake. Before we do anything else, we’re going to have a look at this so-called training room.”
    “General, I’d be happy to give you a tour of the room in question.”
    All eyes turned toward Casey. He had composed himself and projected his usual aura of confidence.
    “Admiral Drake gave a very pretty speech about his son, and I’m sure what he said about Drake’s veracity is correct. I, myself, have gained the utmost respect for him during the race. However, his information about the training room is incorrect. You see,