American Shutdown - Chapter 12: What’s Bernie Up To?
Realizing how the hostage negotiation drill was taxing on one’s patience and energy, Sam asked Captain Jim if he would intercede for him to see if Agent Ramos would clear him to get in touch with Peg. Sam wanted to see how she was doing with Bernie’s wife. Beside, he had to hit the head, himself. Too much coffee.
The captain agreed to take up his cause and escorted him to the bathroom at the command center. Sam couldn’t help noticing the additional heavily armed personnel trucks with cops in full gear that were on site by the command center. He hoped they were taking seriously what Bernie said about not doing anything stupid.
He lingered in the tiny bathroom using the opportunity to wash his face and rinse his mouth with cold water. By 5:30 PM on a normal Friday at the office, he’d be doing about the same thing. Only, it would be in preparation for dinner with Peg at one of their favorite seafood houses so ample in the Bay area. He mused about the real reason why he and Peg hooked-up was their craving for fresh New England seafood.
Captain Jim then tapped on the slender john door and said, “Hey, Sam, you ever coming out of there?”
Bracing himself for more of the same, Sam opened the door and said, “Yep. What’s up, Jim?”
Jim told Sam how there seemed to be a lull in the negotiations with Bernie. He wasn’t responding to the broadcast trained on the rooftop. The bosses didn’t want to crank it above what it was already set lest it push Bernie over his limit and he went postal.
Sam said he needed to call his wife on his new cheap phone she gave him to replace the company phone they all had to turn in. Jim said to go ahead.
Peg picked-up on the first ring, saying, “Hey. I thought maybe they had taken you hostage, too. Is it Bernie in there?”
“No, for now I’m a still a free man. And, yep, it’s Bernie in there. Is Mimi still with you? They’re willing to get her involved in some way with the hostage negotiations.” Sam added, “Oh, by the way, Bernie doesn’t want us to use the word “hostage.” For all I know he’s monitoring this call. And, watch what you say. The F.B.I. is probably scanning all wireless communication near the plant.”
“Damn, I told you to get out of that place when they made the last buy-out offer. We’d be on the way to dinner at Jonah’s Whale by now,” Peg relented. “Mimi’s right next to me. She’s been calling every friend and relative since she got in the car. We’re still in the rear of the front lot.”
“Gotcha. Be right there,” Sam asserted. “Peg, don’t tell Mimi, but I don’t like what Bernie might be up to. Luv ya, Peg.”
Jim and Sam left the command center. Sam was wearing a special security clearance badge so he wouldn’t be mistaken for an accomplice to the hostage taking. He pointed out Peg’s car to Captain Jim who led the way over to it, holding his badge up at the side window and pointing Sam out for Peg and Mimi to see. He then opened the door and asked them to get out and stand by it facing Sam’s direction.
When Sam came closer to the car, Peg couldn’t resist jabbing him with, “Hey, nice socks.”
Captain Mahoney said sternly to Mimi, “Did you have any idea Bernie was going to do this? Did he give you any signals?”
“Look my dear man,” she cracked back. “It’s the plant shutdown that did it. It was the last thing in a string of his nightmares dealing with the system - from the Marines to Iraq to PTSD and now, this M-Mtek fiasco. What would you expect, Captain?”
Jim looked over at Sam giving him the signal to join in on the conversation. Sam told Mimi she was probably right. He said that Bernie was acting strange right from the minute he talked with him when he came in his office door before the cafeteria meeting.
“Mimi, do you want to be a part of the hostage negotiations? The F.B.I. says it might help a lot if you do,” Sam informed her.
“Oh, I guess so. What the hell else can I do around here. Can Peg go with me?” she asked the captain.
“I don’t see why not,” Captain Jim said. Looking at Mimi and Peg he said, “You’ll both need security clearance. Let’s get back to the command center and get you in the system. We’ll find out if they know anything more about what Bernie’s up to.”
Anger management
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American Shutdown by Benjamin F. Campanelli
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