The Road to Justice/Sins of the Son combo pack - A John Fowler Novel (John Fowler (Books 1 & 2)) (42 page)

“
So where might the good doctor be located?
”
 
John asked, a smile covering his face.

“
Down your
‘
pacing hallway
’
,
”
Trip replied. 
“
It seems that he saw you earlier doing one of your infamous
‘
thought walks
’
.  He called me to let me know he was available.  I called Quantico as soon as I got off the phone with him. I don
’
t know why, but something just didn
’
t sit right about him after the conversation,
”
Trip shrugged his shoulders and looked at John suspiciously. 
“
John, is there something I should know?  You
’
ve been here less than an hour and you are already
being requested by a ps
y
ch
iatrist.  Quantico says you have to, but I can hold them off for a day or two if need be.
”

John smiled
and
pointed to the note on Trip
’
s desk. 
“
Man
,
I must be important,
”
John said.  Trip looked a little confused. 
“
Quantico had someone here before I had even asked to be reinstated,
”
John said, lifting his eyebrows twice. 
“
I never have known Quantico to be that efficient, it almost seems like this was  . . . planned,
”
John said as he turned, and headed out the door.  As he passed through the doorframe into the hallway, he spoke. 
“
Is
there
anything you should know? 
Nothing to worry your pretty bald head over boss.
”

Trip unconsciously reached up to touch his head and growled.  He looked at the note John had dropped on Trip
’
s desk.  It simply read,
“
Senator missing since we landed in Washington last night.
”
 
Trip groaned, looked up at the ceiling and shook his head.  He knew he needed John, but he needed John cleared for duty before John could do anything.  If something went wrong with this high-profile case, and John wasn
’
t cleared for duty . . . Trip
didn
’
t want to think of the political firestorm that would rip through the FBI.  Trip started chuckling to himself.  He didn
’
t know what would be the outcome of the meeting of John and the psychiatrist, but if he knew John, it would be one the psychiatrist
would
never
forgot
.  Trip picked up his cell phone, typed a message, and sent a text.  Things were about to get very interesting; very interesting indeed.   

John returned to the hallway he had just been in pacing.  He finally saw an office that he knew had been vacant in the past with a sign on the door.  It read Dr. Stephen Freeman.  John knocked and opened the door once he heard someone call out,
“
come in.
”
 

John entered the room.  Dr. Freeman must have just literally moved in, because there was little of nothing, as his father used to say, in the room.  There was a desk on one side, a couple of chairs, and the rest of the office was filled with boxes.  John glanced quickly at the ceiling.  He scanned all four corners
of the room and noticed one ti
le was slightly off in the far back corner.  John smiled and looked toward the front of the room where the desk was.  The man behind the desk stood and walked over to John, extending his hand.  John shook the gentleman
’
s hand. 

“
John, John Fowler
”

“
Mr. Fowler, I
’
m Dr. Stephen Freeman,
”
replied the older gentleman.

“
Dr Freeman, please call me John.  Mr. Fowler is my father,
”
replied John.

“
Then please call me Stephen.  I don
’
t like Steve, just Stephen,
”
Dr. Freeman said.

“
Ok good to meet you Stephen,
”
John said. 
“
So you need to determine if I
’
m nuts or fit for duty, is that about right?
”
 
Stephen was a little taken aback by John
’
s directness. 
“
While I
’
m at it, anything I say here, is it confidential?
”

Stephen offered John a seat and took the other one.  Stephen smiled.  John thought to himself that Stephen would be a great interrogator; he made John feel so at ease.  Stephen took a note pad and looked at John.

“
John, I don
’
t think you
’
re nuts,
”
Stephen said. 
“
Might you have some emotions that affect you and your abilities?  Yes.  Might you need someone to talk to so you
can work though everything?  Yes.
”
 
John liked Stephen.  There was something about him.  Maybe it was just that the man had been professionally taught how to talk to someone.  John didn
’
t know what it was, but he liked him.  There was a small pa
rt of John that wondered though
.  It was very convenient that Stephen had been sent here.  The timing of it felt odd and suspicious.  There was a small part of John that thought John was very paranoid and maybe he did need one of those coats in which he could hug himself.  John tried to calm himself.  He didn
’
t get to be a top notch investigator by ignoring his inner warnings, but sometimes a tree was just a tree, and not a ninja dressed up in a tree suit. 

John shook his head and looked over at Stephen, who had a large grin on his face.  Stephen spoke.

My guess is you
’
re wondering about how I came here so fast.
”
 
John felt his face turn a little red.  Wow.  This guy was good.  Stephen chuckled.

“
I believe you met the man behind my transfer yesterday.
”
 
John was trying to piece together where he would have met the man Stephen was referring to. 
“
I believe you had a special meeting with the President of the United States yesterday under the White House after the First Lady and David George w
ere
arrested?
”

John did a mental
“
duh!
”
 
After the altercation had ended yesterday, a man from Quantico had led John and Trip to an area beneath the White House where the three had met with the President. 
It was t
here the man from Quantico had told John there would be no resistance from tho
se in Quantico should he decide
to return to the FBI.  John looked at Stephen quizzically.

“
The President requested the FBI do all they could to assist you.  Well, soon to be ex-President,
”
Stephen said.  John nodded.  The President was preparing to step down after the events that had transpired yesterday.  He was
concerned that the American people might believe he was bought by his father-in-law, Archibald Staples.  Stephen continued.

“
My job
,
John
,
is not to hinder you or even to keep you from being re-instated.  I am simply here for you to have someone to talk to.  The bureau has thought for a while they might need someone with my skills here in the New York office.  Simply put, we need to meet every so often, but mostly when you need me.
”

John nodded.  He noticed that Stephen had skipped the confidentiality part.  John leaned forward in his chair, tapped his fingers together, and looked sideways at Stephen.  Stephen sighed and then chuckled.

“
You don
’
t miss a thing do you?
”
asked Stephen.
He tapped a pencil against his lip, thinking. 
“
How
’
s this?  If you have actual concrete proof of something that is going to happen, and reveal it to me but don
’
t report it to Trip . . . then we have a problem.
”

John nodded and was silent for a minute.  Stephen watched John.  Stephen crossed his legs and tapped the pencil against his lip.  He waited on John for a few minutes.  Stephen continued.

“
Of course, if it
’
s just thoughts or theories that are bouncing around in your head and you think your judgment of those things is being clouded by past events of your life, we can always talk about that in confidence.
”
 
John, still leaning forward, turned his head toward Stephen and smiled a sly smile.

“
Hope you
’
re ready to listen
,
Stephen,
”
said John.

John sat back in the chair.  He really wanted to talk this through, but he needed to get moving.  It was approaching 24 hours since the senator had been kidnapped.  He had to get moving on the case.

“
Stephen, can you clear me so I can get going and I
’
ll set an appointment to see you ASAP?
”
 
John asked.

“
Nope,
”
replied Stephen.

“
Stephen, I
’
m working on a kidnapping case and every minute that passes is critical,
”
John said.

“
Then you best get to talking,
”
replied Stephen. 
“
Now tell me what
’
s been going on in your life.
”
 
John smiled.  OK
,
Stephen, he thought.  If that
’
s what you want then that
’
s what you
’
ll get.

“
A little under twenty-four hours ago,
me
, my team, Trip, and the Senator uncovered a cover-up by the First Lady of the United
States
of America.  We also discovered that a young man, who had watched his sister killed because of the First Lady
’
s actions, and was nearly killed as well, was plotting to take revenge on her.  Trip, the Senator, and I arrived in Washington.  I just learned that minutes after our arrival the Senator was kidnapped.  While that was going on, I hijacked a TV camera, went into the Oval Office, and recorded the First Lady
’
s confession.  Afterwards Trip arrested her and David George.  I then met with your friend and the President.  I flew back to Washington, was offered my job back and my wife
’
s case, both of which I declined at the time.  I asked one of my team, Jessica Hammerstein, to join me at an AA meeting that night.  Jessica and I have been dealing with our feeling
s for
each other, but in the past three years she has been doing the things I should have been doing, such as contacting my friends and family and apologizing for my actions as an alcoholic.  I digress from the story.

“
I spoke at the AA meeting last night for the first time after attending at least 100 over the last three years.  I then went on my first date since my wife died.  Jessica and I talked until 2 am or so and then we each went to our separate apartments.  I got up this morning and went to my office where I was served.  My in-laws are suing me for my wife
’
s trust that was left to her by her grandparents.  Apparently there is a LOT of money in that trust.  I really have no idea how much.  As I sat down to process all of that, my cell rang telling me that Senator Cosby had been kidnapped.
”
 

John reached over to the table between them.  There were some bottled waters in an ice chest.  He got one and took a drink.  Stephen watched him with a bemused smile.  He waited until John swallowed and then asked his question.

“
Is that a typical day for you
,
John?
”

If John had any water in his mouth he would have spewed it everywhere.  John roared with laughter.  He laughed for several minutes and Stephen chuckled.