Chapter 5 –
Philadelphia calls
I have to admit I didn’t really think all my problems would be solved just because I had spent some time with Elise. What I didn’t expect was the direction of the next punch. Dad called. I had just parked back at the university when my cell phone rang.
“Did you get rid of the money yet?”
“Yes. I gave it to a charity already yesterday afternoon.”
“Good. I got through to Dodson last night. He gave me the usual BS about how glad he was to talk with me, how much he appreciates my support, he basically went into campaign mode. But once he got through his usual talking points, he dropped his voice like he was a kindly uncle or something and said he was a little worried about you. He also said he needed your help on something.”
“So he sends me five thousand dollars?”
“He never mentioned the money. He did say that there were good things you could do for your country while in Green Bay, and he would make sure you were recognized later for your efforts. I was to pass along his best wishes and encourage you to help out if asked.”
“Dad, I love my country, but I don’t trust Dodson, and I certainly don’t trust his lackey David Starr. I think he was purposely trying to make me look like an agent, trying to make the locals distrust me. I don’t understand what he is trying to do, and I want no part of it – whatever it is.”
“Then don’t. Go with your gut on this. Get rid of the cash, and keep your distance. If they have some legitimate business there, they will let you know. In the meantime, stay away.”
“Thanks, Dad.” My father had done business with people in a dozen different countries and at all levels of an enterprise. He knew people. If he was uncomfortable with Dodson and friends, that was a judgment I could take to the bank.
Interestingly, I was barely off the phone to my father when Senator Slick himself finally returned my call.
“Hello, Shawn. Thank you for calling yesterday. I am sorry it took me some time to get back to you. As you can imagine, current events are keeping us all very busy. I was wondering when you might be coming back to Philadelphia for a visit. It would be very helpful to me to get your impressions of current developments in Canada.”
“I am afraid I am pretty caught up in my work here, and may not be back until Christmas.”
“In that case, do you think you might find the time to send me an occasional note with your interpretation of events? I think we have some money in the budget to offer you a consulting fee. It would not be much, but we don’t want to take your time for granted.”
“Senator, a man claiming to represent you was here twice this week, and he created real problems for me. He also gave me five thousand dollars. I have since given that money to a local charity.”
“I see. I am sure the charity is grateful. And we want no problems for any of our citizens, especially good people like yourself. I will have a member of my staff investigate this matter. In the meantime, I want you to know how much I respect you and your family, and how grateful I would be for your insights.”
“Thank you, senator. As I said, I will be back in Philadelphia for the holidays. Maybe we can speak then. In the meantime, I would be grateful if you asked David Starr to keep his distance.”
“I appreciate the situation you are in. I hope you appreciate the situation your country is in.”
“Frankly Senator, I have no idea what situation my country is in. To me this appears to be an internal matter for Canadians to resolve.”
“Crises never stay within borders, Shawn. And our border is over a thousand miles long. You might give that some thought. Your country is going to be impacted, no matter how this crisis is finally resolved.”
“Point taken. And as I said, I would be happy to speak with you when I am next in Philadelphia, but please, no more piles of cash and secret notes.”
“Fair enough. In the meantime, I want you to know I would be grateful for any insights you are willing to share at any time.”
“I will keep that in mind. Good bye, Senator.”
“Good bye, and stay safe.”
I sat motionless at my desk for the next two hours trying to completely analyze that conversation. On the surface, it was completely reasonable. He was right about the shared border and the ramifications of any major crisis, especially if shooting started. I did have some responsibilities to help with preparations if I could. On the other hand, much was happening that didn’t mesh with the Senator’s statements. What had Starr been doing in New Orleans, and now up here in Green Bay? Who was Foster working for, and why didn’t they have him on a tighter leash? It was a pretty good bet I was only getting part of the story.
So what should I do? After two hours of sitting motionless in my crappy office chair (could the French make anything well?), my aching back finally got me moving. I stood up, massaged my back as well as I could, and walked to my car. It was time to go home and talk with Elise.
I got home and found Elise was already there, a full hour earlier than she had promised. And she was wearing, well, she wasn’t wearing very much. I decided international politics could wait a bit.
Later that evening we got around to having dinner. It was during dinner that I made a proposal that turned out to be one of my most brilliant. The conversation started around that old staple of conversations – so, what did you do this afternoon? Elise led off.
“I had a chance to talk with an assistant minister in the national resources department. It turns out he is pretty green and has been looking for some reason to block the Foster mine. He apparently also has some Sioux relations. The minute I told him the Foster from Dakota was one of the Fosters with the mine, he came up with a hundred reasons to delay the mine. Nothing will happen up there for years.”
“Score one for the good guys.”
“As for passing the word back to the family that young brother is the reason for the delays, that will take some more planning. We need to make sure nothing ends up in court. So some subtlety is required. But I think we can find the right vehicle for that message.”
“Nice work.” We were sitting in the dining room, a huge room for just two people, but it had its romantic elements. The walls were paneled in oak, the ceiling had a fifty year old mural, and we had lit candles to provide just enough light. Did I ever tell you how good Elise looks in candlelight? We touched wine glasses in a toast, frankly pleased with ourselves for several reasons.
“How did your afternoon go?”
“I had a phone conversation we should talk about.”
“Sounds serious.”
“Serious, and confusing. Maybe you can help me decide what to do. The phone call was from Senator Dodson. He is from Philadelphia so we have known him as an acquaintance for many years. My father meets with him about business maybe once every year or two. He is the chair of the Foreign Relations committee, so he can be helpful to a business that does a lot of international trading like ours.”
“So he wanted to talk about business?”
“No, he wanted to talk about international relations. Or more directly, he wanted me to tell him what was going on over here. That’s also where the money came in. His messenger gave me cash to talk with Dodson. That whole thing gets pretty odd, and the first thing I told Dodson is to not send me any more messengers.
“Okay…” at this point she was looking at me pretty intently. Without question she was nervous about where this conversation might lead.
“I don’t want to be paid for private conversations or letters. In fact I don’t want to have any private conversations. I am perfectly happy to give my opinion on anything and everything, after all, I am a professor and we love to talk. But I want to be open to all.”
“Did you tell him that?”
“Maybe not in those exact words, but that was the gist of it. I said I would talk with him next time I am in Philadelphia, probably around C
hristmas.”
“But he wants more.”
“I think he needs more. He did make one point that rang true. If things go bad here, it will have an impact on the U.S. We saw the damage last year at the Duquesne border crossing. You can imagine a huge influx of refugees heading east at the first sign of trouble.”
“My department has to do more than imagine it; we have to plan for it. By the way, you didn’t hear that from me.”
“But I think that’s the other part of the problem. I think these guys believe I have some inside track to the government. I talk with your uncle, I talk with you, who knows who else I might have access to, so in their minds, I am this treasure trove of inside information just waiting to be tapped. But President Jolliet and I just talk history, you and I talk about far more interesting things, and what I hear at parties is generally no more than whining about travel difficulties or shortages of employees. And, in truth, I don’t want to know inside information. It really is none of my business. What Dodson and his crowd forget is what I do for a living. I am a history professor. I want to study history. If I have any value in any of this, that’s how I can help – by looking into history for guidance.”
“And if history shows we really should be two countries?”
“If history shows that, where has it been hiding for the last two centuries?”
“Wherever it is, do me a favor and don’t dig it up. I really do like having one very big country.”
“I think I know where to dig. And here’s an interesting idea. Would you like to go with me?”
“I assume where you really want to go is upstairs.” Did I mention how good she looks in candlelight? So, yes, upstairs is exactly where I wanted to go. She is a mind reader.
“Yes, I want to go upstairs. But at some point, and I do hope soon, I would like you to take a vacation and go with me to Kaskaskia.”
“Wow. You really know how to sweep a girl off her feet. Kaskaskia – home to more grain elevators than people. Will we spend our vacation watching the barges load?”
“With luck, and with your help, we will find the key that holds this country together.” And yes, I know that sounds pretty grand, but sitting there, holding hands with my lady, I felt like I could do all that and more.