This is the second part in a series, so if you have not already done so, you might want to read Part I before continuing.
“Can you believe this bill the Democrats are trying to pass?” said Frank.
“I don’t know,” said Charles as he followed his friend and colleague into the elevator. “If we can get them to include some protections for the second amendment, it might be worth voting for.”
“As if they’ll ever go for that.”
“They’ll go for it if it’s the only way to get their bill passed.”
A heavy silence descended over the elevator and Charles knew they were both thinking about the same person – the one who had all but staged a coup on their party and was turning it into something Charles no longer recognized. Charles was so reluctant to say his name he had started calling him Voldemort and his followers Death Eaters.
“I guess the real question is whether the Death Eaters will vote for it even if we get some second amendment protections in there,” said Charles.
Frank laughed a mirthless laugh. “I don’t suppose they will. I just wish I knew what they were thinking.”
“You know what gets me, is that I thought I knew what they were thinking, but these days…”
“These days it’s just a bunch of crazies.”
“Not always. I just saw Bill this morning and he was talking like one of them. I think he’s joined their ranks.”
“What?”
“I know.”
“Not Bill Steinbecker.”
“The one and only.”
“Shit.”
Another heavy silence fell over them. It was interrupted by the elevator doors opening. They both stepped out and walked a few feet down the hallway together before Charles stopped and looked at Frank, who stopped and turned to face him. “This is getting out of control,” said Charles.
“I’m afraid it got out of control a long time ago.”
“We have to do something.”
“What do you suggest?”
“We have to investigate Voldemort.”
Frank laughed. “He’s already been investigated by every investigative agency in our federal government and almost every journalist in the country – heck, the world probably. What do you think you could find on him that they haven’t?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they just weren’t looking in the right places.”
“They’ve looked in all the places. Made their list and checked it thrice.”
“Maybe he was hiding it from them. He’s more crafty than people give him credit for. Maybe we just need to catch him with his guard down.”
“And how do you suppose we do that?”
“He’s a politician. We tell him we have a plan to get something from his agenda onto an upcoming bill.”
“There’s just one problem.”
“What?”
“He’s not a politician. He’s a TV personality. He doesn’t think like the rest of us.”
Charles thought about that for a moment before saying, “Then what does he want?”
“To be president forever.”
“Aside from that. He wants to be on the cover of Time Magazine more than anything else. So we tell him we have a plan to get him on the cover.”
“Do we have a plan to get him on the cover?”
“We will by the time we meet him.”
To be continued…