Chapter 546

I talked for an hour with Robert and his team trying to figure out why the post and comments on the dark web site bothered me.

To me it looked like the post and the responses were too well scripted, and after a lengthy discussion Robert agreed. Robert suspected the posts were instructions and the replies were acknowledgment or request for clarification after viewing the post. If this were true, they had developed another or a series of encrypted codes to be used by fighters in different locations around the world.

Another area that I talked Robert into looking at was the sex slave for sale. Again there seemed to be something irregular about the wording of the descriptions on some of the posts and the questions submitted to the seller. There were also instructions and links to other dark web sites. I was betting that nothing good was carried out there.

Robert and I decided a new direction and approach was needed to the web sites and their posts. I was sure there was a new code and encryptions they were using. I also suspected that there was a connection between the poster and the blog responses as if they were one and the same; possibly leaders passing out orders.

Ben-David called and requested a meeting tonight with Robert and me after I returned to the office. I knew they had the links and was sure they had noticed the same thing by now.

I called Ben to come into my office. I needed to tell him both Bobbie and I were off tomorrow. Bobbie had left at noon; it was easy to tell she was looking forward to the weekend. Bobbie was to help Dan finish up the things so they could go with us to East Water Cay. We were planning on leaving at 0800.

We needed to plan for the four days next week that I would be here and then for transferring the chair to him.

We planned and talked about all the open investigations that still needed follow-up. Both of us needed to spend time with Alyssa to sign off cases on Monday. There was still the possibility of warrants if the investigators were done and Mike’s new and improved department was finished with the electronic investigation of email and text accounts.

We had been at it for two hours; it was 1400. With Bobbie gone I was answering my calls without the normal screening she did. I did not realize just how many calls came into the office that were just bull crap calls. I finally gave up and assigned one of the other clerks to answer the phones so Ben and I could get the work done.

We were interrupted by a knock on my closed office door. It was General Ingram. This time he pulled up a chair opposite the desk as Ben left.

“Here is the classified file that contains the full investigation into the missing and recovered nuclear materials, including the recovery by JBG.”

“Look it over when you have a chance. I have scheduled a meeting Wednesday morning - if it works into your schedule - to work out any changes on the recovery you think it needs before it is sealed forever,” he added.

“Who is he trying to kid; nothing is sealed forever in Washington,” I thought to myself.

The right media, the right judge and the public’s right to know eventually overrule the necessity of state secrets. The only way to guarantee anything was to feed all the copies into the shredder. I wondered how many copies there were of the completed report and folders of discovery notes that were used to put it together.

“The brown sealed folder in the back is a proposal we in the DOD would like you to review and give serious consideration to accepting. The President may think he has used the best of you and your organizations talents but we think only the surface has been touched,” General Ingram said.

“I will look it over and let you know on Monday when I get back,” I replied.

It was time to go when the General left; I still needed to meet with Robert before supper.

As soon as I was in the Suburban I opened the sealed folder and started reading. The proposal was fifty pages long and interesting. I thought it would be just an extension of our existing Air Force contract. I was wrong; it was a lot more. I needed to do a slow read and then let the rest know, especially Jenny.