Thrive - Remastered

Chapters 23, 24 and 25

Chapter 23

Holly Carter looked out the glass window down to the park below. Although the building was nearly half a block away from the park, it offered the perfect view of Jordan and Buie as they made the façade to stretch and exercise.

Her right hand held a pair of binoculars, a listening device poised in her left used in her department regularly. She examined the small yet powerful device.  The cold metal pressed against her hand as she inspected the object. Handle on one end and a cone with an antenna in the middle on the other. It wasso simple a tool, yet one that could be used to permanently change lives.

Holly placed the binoculars down. She reached inside her spotless grey suit jacket for her phone.  “Yes, Director? It’s me.”

“Holly,” Director Patterson’s response came back quick and concerned. “You’ve already found something?”

“Yes, it seems you were correct to be concerned. She does know something. I have her and Buie Lee both in the park outside of the physical education building discussing what they plan to do with their new found information.”

There was silence on the other line. “Holly, there is no way this could have been misunderstood or—.”

“No, sir. I heard them talking myself. They plan to tell others what was discussed at the meeting.  They’ve been on to us since Robert visited the library and started looking into the city’s past.”

There wasanother pause. Holly knew what had to be done. She knew what the Director would inevitably tell her, even if he himself knew it or not. Director Patterson was a soft man when it came to releasing those he liked.  Jordan was someone for whom the Director had high hopes.

Holly let the pause lengthen. She gave the Director time to come to grips with what he already knew he had to do. In her line of work she found that it was easier to allow someone to come to the decision themselves, even if she had to hold their hand and lead them part of the way. The general population was much more inclined to make moves if they thought they were the ones that were deciding. “Sir, are you still there? What would you like me to do?”

“What?  Ummm…yes. Well, you know what to do, Counselor. Thank you for the report. Contact Solomon immediately; have him bring them into custody. We cannot afford a wrench to be thrown into our plan now. Not at this time. Not when we are so close.”

 

Chapter 24

“If we are going to stage a coup, we will need the support of the city.” Jordan stood with her arms crossed; all thought of exercise gone with the daunting subject of rebellion. “I think we should take this one step at a time, Buie.”

Buie nodded. “Okay, you’re right. First—.”

Jordan cleared her throat and gave a slight nod. Her eyes fixed on something past Buie’s left shoulder.

Buie casually looked back, masking his motion with a stretch of his neck. “How long has he been there?”

Jordan shook her head. “Not long, I would have noticed. I think we’ve had enough stretching. Let’s table our current conversation and go inside.”

“I agree.”

Jordan fell instep with the small historian. They both took a path leading straight to the doors of the physical fitness building. The guard, in his dark green uniform, stood on their side of the street. He wasn’t looking at them at the moment.  He seemed more interested in the conversation he was engaged in, speaking muffled words into his earpiece.