Extinction Machine

Chapter Twenty-seven

Office of the Attorney General of the United States, U.S. Department of Justice

Washington, D.C.

Sunday, October 20, 6:49 a.m.

Mark Eppenfeld looked up as his secretary entered the room. Eppenfeld’s desk was covered with books and papers on constitutional law and the process of succession in times of national crisis. Although it was right and proper for Vice President William Collins to immediately step up so that there was no gap in the administration of the country, Eppenfeld was making notes on topics he knew would come up in the endless press conferences that would commence as soon as this story was released.

“What is it, Marie?” he asked.

“Sir … I have a Mr. Alden Funke on the phone. He’s with the IRS office that liaises with Homeland. He said that he has a matter of great importance to discuss and his immediate superior is out of the country at the financial summit in Stockholm.”

“Tell him to make an appointment, Marie,” Eppenfeld said irritably. “I’m a little busy right now.”

“Sir, he says that this involves that man, Mr. Church at the DMS.”

Eppenfeld gave her a bleak stare, then nodded. “I’ll take it.”

He punched the blinking light on his phone. “What can I do for you, Mr. Frank?”

“Funke, sir. Alden Funke. I—I’m so sorry to interrupt you,” stammered the caller in a thin, nervous voice, “however, I have some information that I believe is of grave national importance and—”

“So I understand. What is that information, Mr. Funke?”

“Well, sir, we were asked to review the financial records of employees of the Department of Military Sciences…”

“Asked by whom?”

“Um, the request came from the office of the vice president.”

“When?”

“Several days ago, sir.”

Eppenfeld leaned back in his chair and began chewing on the eraser of his retractable pencil. “Go on.”

“I believe we have found something. A rather large something, to be quite frank, in the personal banking records for Captain Joseph Edwin Ledger.”