Chapter 18: The Mercers Go To Washington!

The evening I brought home the fax for Karen to see, we had a lively family discussion. Each of us speculated as to what the outcome of our trip would be. I thought it would be another consulting position for some agency. Karen was adamant that if it was another foreign mission, I was to refuse accepting the assignment. Grandma Jorgenson thought differently; they would be offering a position in the current administration’s staff. According to her, I had made myself known to Washington insiders. She thought they considered me an up-and-coming advisor. Of course, I thought she was full of it, but I did not say so to her. I loved her too much to hurt her feelings. That night, we all stayed up late debating where this trip would lead.

I was not worth a damn lecturing the next morning. I kept yawning and breezed through my notes in the lecture. I looked up and saw more than the usual confused looks on my students. I apologized at the end of class saying,” I had a rough night last night”.

One of the students remarked, “I have seen your wife, I understand”.

That brought the class to laughter; even I laughed. I wished them a good day and promised that I would do better next class session. I also reminded them finals were the next week. If they had any troubles, to make sure they contacted my teaching assistants for help. I then dismissed class early.

The rest of the day dragged on. When it came time to head home, I was exhausted. Traffic did not help, it was bumper to bumper, which added to my fatigue. I am not sure how I made it into the house, I don’t recall doing it. My next memory was of Grandma Jorgenson shaking me awake on the couch to tell me supper was ready. I think, I even slept through supper. I was that tired. My late-hour stamina was in the past. That night I was in bed before nine p.m. Karen must have crawled into bed about the same time. Neither of us had said much at dinner, and I think her day went as well as mine had.

The next morning, I felt a lot more rested; those extra hours of sleep had paid off. I was my regular self again. Compared to the day before, the day breezed past without any problems. I came home at my regular time, greeted Grandma Jorgenson as I normally do, and went to bed at my usual time. I think Karen’s day was back to normal as well.

The spring term breezed by quickly with the aid of my teaching assistants. The finals were graded and turned in on time. All my obligations to the university for that semester were completed. I was looking forward to a summer of traveling or assume a staff position in Washington. They would both be a pleasant change from being in the classroom for the last couple of years. I enjoyed teaching, but I was where I needed a change, to keep myself fresh and open to teaching.

With all the excitement the past year, my work on expanding my algorithm had suffered. I was far from where I expected to be and needed to catch up. The polling software company were eagerly waiting for my updates. I kept promising them and was failing to deliver the updates. If I wasn’t careful, there were others who were attempting to circumvent my work and would replace me. The University was also pushing some, it had been a while since I had accomplished anything that they could use to advertise me as being part of the young brilliant professors the university had. That played well with the alumni and corporate donors, a means to add to the university’s coffers.

The night before we were to leave for Washington, Karen, Grandma Jorgenson at the dinner table discussed their concerns what a position in Washington would mean. The main concern was to our lives here in Chicago. Grandma Jorgenson was worried about her status. She thought we would place her in a retirement home and forget about her. I looked over at her when she said this and saw tears welled up in her eyes. I wanted to make sure she understood that wherever I went she would be there too, she had been part of our household for over three years. There was no way I was going to lose her and her cooking. She would be a part of this household for a long, long, time. I told her so and hoped it put an end to her fears of abandonment.

Karen and I packed that night for our trip to Washington. I had a small flight bag and a suit carrier for the four days we planned to be in Washington. Karen on the other hand, had four suitcases for her clothes, shoes, makeup and other miscellaneous things. I made comment about it and Karen suggested I mind my own business. I wisely left the room and took the time to go work on my enhancements to the algorithm. Probably a better use of my time than listening to the arguments Karen would use to justify the four suitcases.

The next morning we were up early and ready for the limousine to take us to Meigs Field, as outlined in the itinerary. At 8 AM, the driver pulled the limousine into our drive and opened the trunk. He came to the door just as I was opening it, He asked if he could assist with our luggage. I was impressed, only Robert had asked previously to do this. I would use this one driver in the future if the need arose. I was amused to see him struggle under the volume of bags Karen insisted she needed. The driver saw me smiling and just rolled his eyes, that caused me to grin more. After wrestling the luggage into the trunk, he came around to open the door for us. Before getting in, we both said our goodbyes to Grandma Jorgenson. Camilla promised to keep an eye on her while we were in Washington.

The drive to Meigs Field was typical with all the morning rush hour delays. I was glad that whoever made up the itinerary knew Chicago traffic. Once again, I thought we would be flying commercial; instead, it was a Gulfstream business jet. This one was different from other Gulfstreams I had flown on. It had US military markings and was crewed by Air Force personnel. The limousine stopped close to the jet, and the driver came around to assist Karen and myself out of the back seat. The driver then went around to the rear of the car and opened the trunk. An Air Force enlisted man came to assist with the luggage. He then loaded it in the cargo hold of the jet. I thanked the driver and asked if he had a card. I promised him I would be calling the next time we needed a car service. He was more than happy to hand me his card. Karen and I walked to the jet, where the pilot and co-pilot greeted us. They were an older crew, and probably soon be leaving the service soon to fly for commercial airlines. A trend many military pilots followed when their military obligations were up.

Karen and I boarded the jet and found our usual seats just behind the wing. Each of us chose a seat across from the other. The enlisted man who had loaded our luggage was also the flight steward. Before we took off, the pilot came back to tell us the flight would be approximately ninety minutes long and we would be in Washington, DC, before noon. The time between the crew shutting the door and us being in the air was less than fifteen minutes. I could get used to this lifestyle of private jets and limousine service; the rich and powerful had it great.

As predicted, we were wheels down at Andrews Air Force Base close to ninety minutes later. The flight was smooth with little turbulence. While Karen looked out the window, I tried to catch a nap. I did not know how much sleep we would get during our time in Washington. The last few trips to Washington, I did not get the usual eight hours. Unfortunately, Karen kept a constant traveling dialog going on what she saw out the window. Who knew the farm fields below were that interesting to a city dweller from seven miles up? The jet taxied up to a black SUV and shut down its engines. We stayed seated until the crew opened the hatch and lowered the steps. The first person out was the steward, who went to retrieve our luggage. As we exited the jet, I was kidding with the crew that once I bought my own Gulfstream, I would be looking them up. I appreciated the smooth flight and landing.

When we left the jet, a handler, who said he was to assist us while we were in Washington, greeted us. While we walked to the black SUV, the driver took our luggage from the steward and loaded it in the back of the SUV. The handler kept up a constant drone of facts about DC and hoped that we would enjoy our stay there. He then asked if this was our first trip to the capital. I answered him by saying this was my fourth in the last 5 months. Obviously, the man and his higher-ups were not acquainted with our background, which I did not mind a bit. I learned early on if people do not know you, you have a better chance to make a more favorable impression by keeping your mouth closed and your ears open. When asked what we did on our previous trips, I said we had come to town to visit friends and family who worked here. That seemed to satisfy his curiosity and maybe those of his superiors.

By this time, the driver had our luggage loaded and started the SUV to take us to the hotel where we had been booked. Unfortunately, it was not the hotel where we had stayed before but was part of a larger chain of dedicated luxury hotels. Our accommodations were obviously the best Washington had to offer, but we found the staff to be cold and not the least bit friendly. I was glad Grandma Jorgenson was not along on this trip, she would have been unhappy. The bellhop did not say a single word to us as he took us up to our suite. He had opened the door and unloaded our luggage for us, putting it at the foot of the enormous bed in the suite. The only interaction we had with him was his handing me the key and holding out his hand, expecting a tip. His attitude soured me on this particular hotel, and my tip showed it, as I only tipped him a dollar. He looked down at my tip, sneered, and left, pulling the luggage carrier behind him. After he had left and shut the door, Karen made the comment that she hoped the rest of our time in Washington would not be like this.

It was almost noon, and Karen and I were hanging up our clothes. We were hoping to get the wrinkles out of any hanging clothes. This included my new suits and the six dresses she claimed she had to have if we met anyone famous. I had just hung up my dress shirts, when the room phone rang. I answered, it was the front desk telling me our ride was here. I went to look at the itinerary I had laid out on top of the chest of drawers to see what I had missed. We did not have anything going until this evening. I told Karen what the call was about and I had no idea who would have sent a car for us. Karen was immediately concerned about how we were dressed. I told her to stop fretting, and we would go downstairs as we were. We had not had time to change our clothes into more business attire. Karen was wearing a nice dress, and I was wearing a pair of khakis I had gotten in Russia and a newer polo shirt.” If our clothing was not good enough, to hell with them,” I thought. I grabbed Karen’s hand, and we went out the door and down to the main lobby in the elevator.

On the way down in the elevator, my intuition kicked in and made me wonder who it would send a driver for us. I decided before we were even close to the car sent for us, I would know who it was that sent the car and where we would be going. I always carried my mini-address book in my back pocket, and in it were the phone numbers of my Washington, DC, contacts. Before I went anywhere, I would connect with my FBI person and ask about this noontime car trip. The door opened up onto the main floor lobby, and I stepped out before Karen did. This move I remembered from my unarmed combat classes. I scanned the lobby for any perceived threats, not seeing any, I had Karen join me. There were two men obviously waiting for us over by the main desk

I went off in their general direction, with Karen on my opposite side. I wanted to make sure that if there was trouble, she would not be in between the threat and me. As soon as I approached the desk, one of the men asked if I was Dr. Mercer. Confirming that I was, and I made it clear to them that I was confused as to why they were here for us. I was certain there was nothing scheduled until this evening. I asked who sent them, for what purpose, where we would be going, and when we would return. This was because we had a dinner to attend that evening, and I wanted to make sure we were back in time to get ready. The one answering my questions would not look me in the eye and mumbled his responses. That made me even more cautious, a call was definitely in the works.

I made the excuse that I had to call to cancel other lunch plans. I did not want to be rude to our hosts and needed to call and cancel. Going over to the front desk I asked if I could use the phone to make a local call. The desk clerk handed me the phone, and I called my friend at the FBI Headquarters. He answered on the second ring. I quickly told him my suspicions and that I did not feel good about these two people waiting to drive us. He asked me to stay on the phone and act as if we were making small talk and was trying to reschedule. I looked over at the two men and Karen and smiled as if I were trying my best to end the call. Karen was giving me this hurry-up look and getting perturbed.

The two men waiting were also becoming impatient; one kept looking at his watch. My contact said I should see a black SUV. It would be agents who would sort out this mess. Just as he said mess, I saw the black SUV, as he predicted. Out of it came four agents with their sidearms ready. The agents came through the door, and I pointed over to the two men standing near Karen. The agent in the lead acknowledged my signal. The FBI agents quickly surrounded the two men. I told my friend that the good guys had arrived to save the day. Grateful, I thanked him for the quick response and hung up. It turns out someone recognized Karen and me when we arrived at the hotel and dropped a dime on us to a friend of former Senator Stuart.

The friend was hoping to learn why I was in DC and try to intimidate me into telling them everything I knew. It did not work out that way for the two kidnappers and the friend of Senator Stuart. The two men who had come for us faced charges of attempted kidnapping, and the friend would soon be getting a visit from another FBI team.

That did it for me. I called Robert and asked him to pick us up at the hotel, and take us where I felt safe and among friends. I informed the front desk that we were checking out and was canceling the rest of our reservation. When asked why, I informed the desk clerk that someone here knew whom I was and sent a message to someone who had threatened my wife and me. The manager on duty tried his best to change my mind. I just told him I was on government business and the hotel had compromised our safety. He was not happy with the potential of losing future government business.

Karen and I went back up to pack our clothes, I called to get the bellhop to assist with our bags. When he knocked and I answered, he still had the same snotty attitude as before. The whole time he was loading our luggage, I watched him perv over Karen. It made me like this hotel even less. I waited until we were in the elevator before I hit the stop button. I quietly explained to the bellhop that I saw him even look over at Karen; he would be a dead man. The look he gave me let me know that he understood I could deliver what I promised. I restarted the elevator, and we went down to the lobby. Karen didn’t know the conversation took place as she was on the other side of the elevator.

When we got down to the lobby, I looked around for Robert. I also spotted two FBI agents trying to blend in. It is funny, once you know what to look for; you can spot an agent easily in a crowd. It was a live game of Where’s Waldo? The bellhop decided it would be smart to stay by me and not follow Karen over to Robert. I finished checking out and went over to Robert and Karen. I knew Robert was dying to know what had happened.

I simply said, “I’ll tell you in the car.”

We followed Robert out, and between Robert and the bellhop, they loaded Karen’s and my luggage into the trunk of Robert’s town car. As he was leaving, I handed the bellhop a ten-dollar bill. I also gave him some parting wisdom; I suggested he lose the attitude and he would receive bigger tips in the future. When I got in the car with Karen, I asked Robert to drive us to the hotel, where I felt safe.

When we arrived, I was recognized by the hotel staff and greeted as an old friend. I asked the desk clerk if I could talk to the manager. He came out and greeted me, asking what he could do to be of service. I told him about the happenings earlier, he was appalled. I inquired if he could put us up for a few nights. The answer was immediate; of course, they could. After all, a member of our party helped them improve the hotel’s reputation.

A bellhop followed me out to the town car. It was amusing to watch he and Robert struggle to get Karen’s and my luggage out of the car. The bellhop took our luggage on into the lobby. As a reward, I asked Robert if he had lunch yet, and when he answered no, I asked him to join us. He agreed and went to move the town car into the parking area.

I went over to the front desk and finished registering. The clerk handed me the key card and thanked me for thinking of the hotel. We went up to the suite, and I helped the bellhop with the luggage. On his way out, I handed him a ten-dollar tip; he was much more appreciative than the bellhop at the other hotel. Karen and I decided to wait until after lunch to unpack, then went down to join Robert.

The three of us had an enjoyable lunch together. We filled each other in on what was going on in our lives. Robert had been able to pick up three more limousines and had hired a few new drivers. He was very happy with the way his business was going. I said the name of the game is customer service; make them happy, and you will get repeat business. He was totally in agreement with that. I told him about the bellhop at the other hotel with the crappy attitude and his ogling Karen in the room. Karen was upset that I had not said anything to her. She would have put an end to it. Karen noticed I was angry with the bellhop in the elevator, but she had not caught on as to why. Probably best, I had not said anything; she would have been facing a manslaughter charge if I had.

After lunch, we said our goodbyes, I asked Robert if we needed him, would he be available. He said for us anytime. I thanked him and shook his hand as he was leaving. Before heading up to our room, I asked at the front desk if they handled guest’s laundry. I was answered with a resounding yes. If I wanted them to pickup our clothes to call the front desk. They would send someone up. When we unpacked, Karen thought my suits needed a touch-up, and the outfit she planned on wearing needed it as well. We put the clothes together, and I called down. Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door. It was a hotel employee there to pick up our clothes. She informed me that the suits and Karen’s dress would be ready in about two hours. That was perfect, I thought.

We had a couple of hours until we had to get ready, and I asked Karen what she wanted to do. The answer was quick; she wanted to go for a walk along the Potomac River. We had an enjoyable ninety minutes walking the length of the park and back. Washington, DC, has a lot going for it, and one of the best is the city’s multiple parks.

When we returned from our walk, Karen took a shower to get ready for that evening’s activity. We were having dinner with several members of Congress and a few White House staffers. It was a get-to-know-you type of event. Both Karen and I wanted to make a favorable impression. I was still planning on my original strategy of keeping my mouth shut and my ears open. Then I would say no more than needed to answer their questions. There was no need to provide them with ammunition to humiliate me or bring shame on my family, my employer, or me.

Karen was still in the shower when the front desk called to let me know they had our clothes pressed. I thanked them for their fast service and waited for them to deliver our clothing. I had no more than ended the call when there was a knock at the door. I looked through the peephole to see the same person from earlier. I opened the door for her, and she placed the clothes in the closet. I thanked her for the rush job and handed her a twenty-dollar tip for the good service. She was happy to receive it. By then, Karen had had her shower and started on her makeup. Hopefully, there would be plenty of time left for me to get a shower and shave before it was time to leave for tonight’s affair.

I showered, shaved, and dressed in plenty of time for us to leave. I still do not understand why it takes so much time for a woman as naturally beautiful as Karen to get ready. One of the wonders of the world, I guess. We decided to stay in our room until the car to take us to the affair tonight arrived. From a security standpoint, this was probably a better move than simply waiting for the car to pull up. The front desk notified us that the car was here to take us to the dinner party. Karen looked spectacular; any man would be proud to have her on his arm. We took the elevator down to the main lobby. The front desk clerk pointed us out to the driver waiting for us.

After introducing ourselves, I asked the driver where we were going. He confirmed what our destination was and apologized for the event this morning. It was all over Washington about the attempted kidnapping. He said I should be concerned about anyone claiming to be there to drive us. The driver left his business card with the desk clerk. If anyone became concerned, they could call him. I also apologized, hoping my changing hotels did not cause a problem. The drive to the restaurant where tonight’s event was held was no more than a mile from where we were staying. If push came to shove, we could have walked.

The driver pulled up in front of the restaurant and came around to assist Karen and myself out of the town car. He said he would be out front, waiting when we were ready to leave. I thanked him, and with Karen on my arm, we walked into the restaurant. We went up to host’s podium and gave my name. I added that we were there for a private dinner. He looked down his list and, finding my name, asked us to follow him to our hosts’ table.

I initially felt panic; most of the people who were sitting at the table had been on national news programs. The gentleman, who was the host for this get-to-know-you event, went around the table making the introductions. After the introduction to the third individual, I had gotten over my panic and was now just nervous.

Somehow, Karen looked as calm as ever. I was going to have to ask her how she did it. I seated Karen and then took a seat next to her. The person to my immediate left had appeared on a national news program the Sunday before. I remembered once again to keep my mouth shut and my ears open to appear wiser than I truly was. The conversation around the table was very lively, dealing with everything from national and international issues, to the latest in sports news. I just pretended to sit there and be interested in the discussions around us. I had no clue what most of them were talking about.