Today’s
excerpt is from Escape From Mexico, a stand alone book featuring several old
friends. After taking care of the attack
on the Suermann home, Bob, Bill, and Clyde inside his home when the Judge
starts receiving phone calls. One of
those calls is to change his life greatly.
Enjoy and have a wonderful day.
m.j.
Inside, the
judge mentioned, “Well, at last once everything is removed outside, I should be
able to kick back and take it easy until morning.”
How wrong he
was. The first phone call he received
was from the Governor of Missouri. The
Governor informed him the matter of the attempt on his life was already
nationwide news, and two Highway Patrol officers were on the way to protect
him. When the judge let the Governor
know it wasn’t really necessary, because he already had protection, the
Governor replied, “Nobody is going to kill any judge in this state, if I can
help it. We’ll work out logistics in the
next day or two. For now, please put
them up in your home, Judge Suermann.”
The judge
thanked the Governor, then looked at Bob.
“Well, the cat is already out of the bag. We’re on national news. I guess someone leaked it after my calls to
get some assistance out here.
Wonderful—we’ll have every news hound in the state outside before we
finish our drinks.”
Bob looked at
Bill, glanced at Clyde, and muttered, “Excuse me for a few minutes, your
honor.”
Bill and Clyde
also excused themselves, with all three partners heading in different
directions, away from the judge. All
three quickly made phone calls. Clyde
called his live-in lover, Josephine (Jo) Kelly.
She was an art dealer with shop in the City of St. Charles—even though
she lived with Clyde on Bob’s estate in Wentzville, Missouri.
Jo answered,
“Are you alright?”
“You’ve heard, I
take it?”
“Yes…it’s all
over the news. I repeat—are you
alright?”
“Sorta. Got a little ding on my side, but no
problem. Bob patched me up.”
While they were
talking, Bob called his wife, Michelle, an attorney with offices in Wentzville
and St. Charles, to fill her in. Bill
called his wife, Amanda, who ran the office for the detective/protection agency
for the three partners. She, too, was
briefed.
Clyde was the
first to return to the judge. Clyde, a
retired Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer and SEAL, looked at the judge and
shrugged. “Called my girlfriend, to let
her know what happened. I’m not afraid
of much, but am afraid of her.”
The judge dryly
replied, “I bet.”
As Clyde opened
his mouth to reply, the judge’s phone rang again. He muttered an oath and answered, “Hello,
Judge Wendell Suermann at your service—unless you’re a media type.”
The President of
the United States chuckled before he introduced himself, then he added, “I
often feel the same about the press, Judge Suermann. The purpose of my call is to ask if you would
be interested in being the next U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of
Missouri?”
The
judge—normally never caught flat-footed—took a few seconds before he answered,
“Are you serious? Sorry…of course you
are, or you wouldn’t have asked. May I
ask why me?”
“Right after you
tell me if you want the job.”
“Yes, sir. It would be an honor.”
“Very well, to
answer your question—you have been recommended to the Attorney General and me
by several sources, not the least of whom are your Governor and both Senators
from Missouri. Since you have agreed, I
will submit your name for confirmation immediately, and request an expedited
vote, due to the current situation. By
that I mean, the attempt on your life. I
will immediately send a U.S. Marshal Service detachment to protect you.”
The judge—long
known for his sense of humor, under even the most trying of
circumstances—replied, “Fine…but have them bring tents to sleep in.”
“Come again?”
“My home has
four bedrooms. Presently I have two St.
Charles County Sheriff’s detectives protecting me, with two State Troopers on
the way to help out. So, as it now
stands, I have—or will have—four people,
fighting over three beds.”
“I would think
the marshal service can handle the task, so when they arrive, you can thank the
present protection detail and send them back to handle other matters. I’m sure they will understand.”
“Perhaps. At any rate, thank you for the honor—and for
your concern about my safety.”
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