Chapter 99

In the G5 headed for Thimble Shoals I decided to handle all the calls at once. I sent Troy a text, ‘‘MTAC 10 minutes.”

Before I turned the screen on Jenny, Vicky, and I had a serious talk about what had just happened in Mexico.

‘‘We have small children who we are going to leave everything we have worked for to continue. The drug problem grows every day. The dealers are staking out their territory, even in our small town. In fifteen years - unless something is done - the dealers are going to be standing on your doorstep waiting for our kids. I want to fight them now, not let them get that powerful.”

‘‘I know I may have went overboard with energy but it was the perfect opening, the perfect time, the perfect audience,’’ I said.

The screen went live and we were looking at the President and his full staff.

‘‘Never a dull day when you are on the move. I don’t know whether you made more friends or more enemies but you sure got people talking. Harry’s wishing you were here,’’ the President said.

‘‘Calls are already coming in - other Central American countries are asking about a regional conference and possibly an expanded regional anti-drug operations task force. They haven’t been open to suggestions like that before, now they are the ones doing the suggesting.”

‘‘I know you had a lot of reasons. What were they?” Secretary of State Dick asked.

‘‘First was to keep Iran out of the news,’’ I said.

‘‘Well, you have done that for sure,’’ Troy said.

‘‘I wanted to send a message to the drug kingpins that I was coming after them. They have been warned; they are fair game now,’’ I said.

‘‘I would say you did that. Evidentially you have someone in mind,’’ the Vice President said.

‘‘One for sure and Robert’s expanded group has identified four more possibilities,’’ I said.

‘‘Is Mexico OK with this change in your policy?’’ Troy asked.

‘‘Mexican President Martinez had signed off on the principal points before I made the announcement. I have to work on a negotiating team to iron out the finer points. Do you have any good international negotiators you want to lose? The bad ones I don’t want at all,’’ I said.

‘‘Why would I want to give the good ones to you?’’ the President said.

‘‘Just checking on your mental stability today is all. I knew the answer but had to ask,’’ I said.

‘‘What is this about database and genetic testing? We haven’t been doing anything like that. Have we?’’ Eric asked as if confused.

‘‘You aren’t? Why not? I thought it was standard procedure,’’ I said.

‘‘We don’t have the lab resources for one thing. The FBI has the only lab for certified work at a federal level and they are overwhelmed with state requests and everything else,’’ FBI director Marty Coeburn said.

‘‘Since I opened that can of worms, if I started a lab capable of doing that and other testing - how do we get other police agencies nationwide to send certified samples of all drugs seized to JBG for testing? Then would Justice be willing to pony some operating funds along the way for cooperation and access to the data?’’ I asked.

‘‘Justice Department could order it. Do you know just how many samples you are talking about?’’ Eric said.

‘‘I’m sure it is somewhere between two and ten,’’ I said with a laugh.

‘‘You do it and we will find some funding. I will have the legal team work on the directives,’’ the AG said.

I needed to talk to the doc; he would know where to find personnel and the equipment in a rush. Then there was the question of where to put it?

Sometimes I wondered if my mouth ran faster than my brain.

‘‘Are you on your way back to Morton?” Troy asked.

‘‘No. Thimble Shoals National Bank for a meeting,’’ I said.

‘‘Why would you be going there with their reputation?’’ Troy said.

‘‘Thimble Shoals National Bank markets the output of our mining and minerals division and has the best reputation in the world for doing so,’’ I said.

‘‘Oh, I thought you were going to the other bank there,’’ Troy replied being smart.

‘‘I can go there, it is just across the street. Do you want me to make a deposit in your numbered account while I am there?’’ I asked.