The Road to Justice/Sins of the Son combo pack - A John Fowler Novel (John Fowler (Books 1 & 2)) (62 page)

Veronica took a second to process the information.  She nodded as she thought.  She looked sharply at her father.

“
They know?
”
 
She simply asked.  Archibald looked slightly annoyed.

“
They suspect,
”
he replied. 
“
If they knew, there would be a thousand agents swarming this house.  They suspect small things; they don
’
t know the big things.
”
 

             
Veronica sat in the chair with her elbows on the arms, and her fingers drumming together in front of her face.  Archibald watched her for a second.

             
“
The most they suspect me for is covering up that George girl
’
s
death,
”
Archibald said. 
“
They have tried for years to bring me down.  We
’
re untouchable
,
Veronica.  Don
’
t worry.  Besides, I
’
m quite sure Bruce is going to clean up any lingering mess.
”
 
Archibald smiled as he reached for his drink; he paused right as the drink reached his mouth. 
“
That boy does have a voracious appetite for violence.
”

             
Veronica stopped drumming her fingers together with that last statement.  She looked at her father suspiciously.  A slow grin crossed her face.

             
“
You
’
ve used him before.
”
 
It wasn
’
t a question, but a statement.  A large grin came over Archibald
’
s face.  He finished his drink, and then wiped his mouth with his sleeve.  An evil grin covered his face.

             
“
Well,
”
he wavered, smiling the entire time.

             
“
Tell me,
”
Veronica said.  Archibald looked toward the ceiling, thinking back.  He looked at Veronica and smiled broadly.

             
“
Do you remember when the Senator was making serious noise about running for President against your,
”
Archibald paused.  Veronica tried to look putout about what her father was dancing around, but she didn
’
t really care about her ex-husband.  Well, he wasn
’
t her ex-husband yet, but in her mind he might as well be. 

             
“
Let
’
s say former husband,
”
Archibald said.  Veronica nodded. 
“
I had been wondering what would stop Jeremiah from running, but not be directly traced to me, and then everything just fell in my lap.
”

Veronica was leaning forward in her seat, intrigued with what she was hearing.  Rosa couldn
’
t believe her ears.  Archibald continued.

“
I was at an event and ran into Bruce,
”
Archibald said. 
“
He had just been upstaged again by John Fowler, and would have been watching John and his father having their picture taken together . . . again, if John had been there and hadn
’
t been working undercover.
”
 
Archibald paused for a second. 
“
You know, you have to be impressed with the FBI.  They made it believable John had been drummed out of the FBI.  Duck was smart though, he didn
’
t buy it.  He didn
’
t think that a girl like Samantha Moore would have stayed with a drunk, on the take, former FBI agent.  Duck was smart enough to jump on the leftover
s
though, wasn
’
t he?
”
 
Archibald
’
s eyes twinkled.  He was very proud of what he and Duck had pulled off those years ago.  Archibald pulled himself back into the present and continued the story.

“
Where was I?
”
 
Archibald asked to no one in particular. 
“
Oh yes, Bruce was looking extremely upset, and I decided to see what I could do to stir the pot.  I was trying to make small talk with Bruce, and I jokingly asked him about his father.
”
 
Archibald lit a cigar and began to smoke it.  He was clearly enjoying the memory. 
“
I told him it looked like his father was on the way to being President.  I said the only thing that would keep it from happening was some skeleton in the closet.  I paused, and jokingly asked Bruce if his father had anything in the closet that the press might dig up.  Bruce looked even more upset than before and stormed off.  I had no idea what button I had pushed, but I was enjoying myself.

“
Well, what I asked Bruce clearly bothered him.  He asked me about it again later in the evening.  He wanted to know if it was true.  I asked him what he was talking about,
and he pointblank asked me if the rumors of his father and the Moore lady were true.

I was stunned by the question.  I asked him what had brought that up.  He told me an interested party had asked him,
‘
Don
’
t you find it odd that Sam has the exact same color eyes as your father and not the color of her parents.
’
 
I didn
’
t say anything, but just smiled.  I wanted to work this for all it was worth, anything to mess with Jeremiah.  Bruce left me for a bit.  When he came back, he was visibly shaken.
”

“
Dad,
”
Veronica began. 
“
Are you telling me that fool believed that the most disgustingly decent man I have ever seen in my life had an affair!?!
”
 
Archibald didn
’
t answer.  He smiled broadly at Veronica, got up and refilled his drink.

“
If John Fowler ever found out,
”
she began.  Archibald cut her off.  He was waving his hand holding his drink.

“
How?
”
 
Archibald asked. 
“
And so what if he did?
  I never told Bruce to kill her.  I never told Bruce anything.  I just let his crazy mind jump to all sorts of conclusions.
”

“
You know for a fact that he killed her?
”
 
Veronica asked.  Archibald smiled evilly again. 

“
We had that conversation a week before her death,
”
Archibald said. 
“
At her funeral, Bruce came up to me and asked the conversation we had stay between us.  I agreed
,
of course.  He then informed me his father was going to pull out of the
primary
race.  Sam
’
s death and John
’
s reaction had been too much for Senator Cosby.  So
,
my dear, I didn
’
t have to worry about Cosby getting too much power and you got to become
F
irst
L
ady, and I truly didn
’
t have to do a thing
”

Veronica
’
s face fell with that last statement.  Archibald noticed and started to apologize when Veronica waved him off.

“
That was the other thing I wanted to tell you
,
Dad,
”
Veronica began. 
“
I just got a text before I came in here to talk to you.  Apparently after my husband resigns, the current Vice-President is set to nominate Jeremiah Cosby as the new Vice-President.
”

Archibald swallowed the drink in his hand.  He then threw the glass against the wall causing it to explode.  Rosa knew to yell out in Spanish.  Archibald stormed from the room.  Veronica followed after him, yelling at Rosa to clean up the mess.  Rosa began to clean up the glass fragments.  She needed to find John Fowler, quickly.

On the way to the Staples

Chapter 74

As John and Jessica were heading toward the Staple mansion, John
’
s and Jessica
’
s cell phones both went off.  John checked his phone and saw a text from Trip about Jeremiah being recommended as Vice-President.  Jessica handed John her phone and he saw Trip had sent her the same message. 

“
Trip sent us the same message,
”
John said. 
“
Jeremiah is about to be recommended to be the next Vice-President when the current
Vice-
President takes over the office.
”
 

“
You
’
re about to have a very powerful friend in a very powerful position, John,
”
Jessica replied.  John shrugged.

“
Are you ok to drive?
”
 
John asked. 
“
I mean I know you had a late night with me two nights ago, and you didn
’
t have any sleep last night due to Thelma and Archibald.
”

Jessica smiled at John,
“
I
’
m good
,
John,
”
she replied. 
“
Besides, there is no way I would pass up driving this car. 
Anyway
, I
’
m the younger one of the two of us.
”

“
You act as if I
’
m ancient,
”
John replied.

“
Why don
’
t you try and find something on the radio,
”
Jessica said, trying to change the subject.  John started playing with the radio dial.  He looked at his watch and started trying to find a sports channel. 

“
What are you looking for?
”
 
Jessica asked with a smirk on her face.  John saw the smirk and was a little annoyed.

“
A radio station, if that
’
s ok,
”
John replied a little testily.

“
You know you can have scores sent right to your phone,
”
Jessica said, still smirking.  John stared at his phone for a second.  He looked at Jessica and then back at the phone.

“
You could just ask me, you know,
”
Jessica said coyly.  John looked at her questioningly.

“
Ask you what?
”
 
John said.  Jessica sighed and rolled her eyes.

“
If they won last night.
  You do remember I am a FBI agent as well?
”
 
Jessica asked.  John feigned ignorance. 
“
Oh
,
for crying out loud
,
John!
  It
’
s March, you
’
re an avid college basketball fan, and the Cats played last night.
”
 
Jessica looked at John, who was more than a little impressed.

“
Sam told you, didn
’
t she?
”
 
John asked.  Jessica sighed loudly.

“
John,
”
she began. 
“
You know I have worked with you for a long time.  The only websites you know how to access are sports.  You constantly go on about the differences between a 2-3 zone and man to man defense.  You go on and on about how you prefer the college three point line
be
at 19 feet 9 inches.  And finally, you
’
re from Kentucky where you go on and on about college basketball being king.
”
 

John sat there quietly for a moment.  He was smiling.

“
I forget how you can get wound up without any sleep,
”
John said.  Jessica made a face and waved him off. 
“
Jessica, I
’
m sorry about earlier.  I haven
’
t been around actual people for the most part in the last three years.  I
’
ve only had one romance in my life, and I don
’
t want to go back to what I was.
”