Chapter 24
After being driven to the downtown headquarters of the office of the FBI, I was taken to an interview room. In it, was a medium sized rectangular table, five chairs, and the ever-present two-way mirror. Three agents were waiting to question me. There was a microphone on the table.
My attorney and I sat on one side of the table. The three agents were on the other side. After we were seated, the middle agent stated everyone's name, the date, time, and location of the interview.
"Mr. Wilshire, do you know why you're here?" Asked agent Heely, the middle agent.
"Yes," I replied simply.
"You do? And what are you here for?" Heely asked again.
"I am here because two persons, having identified themselves as agents of the FBI, asked if I would accompany them to the downtown office to answer some questions that the government has concerns about," I answered.
"You don't know the specifics?" I was asked.
"No," I answered.
"Tell us where you were today and what you did," Heely asked again.
My attorney told me not to answer that.
"You have an objection to Mr. Wilshire telling us his whereabouts?" Agent Bradford, the guy on the left asked.
"Mr. Wilshire is not being charged with a crime, so has no need to divulge his whereabouts or schedule at this time. The question is only designed get someone to incriminate himself, and I will not allow him to answer unless you can show justification for asking," my lawyer said.
Go Lawyer, I silently cheered!
"Do you know a Roger Tyner?" Heely asked.
Roger Tyner was one of the CIA agents I had shot. "Not that I can recall," I replied after a moment of feigned thought. I was also asked about the other two agents whom I had shot. I denied knowing them, also.
"Why would you be the focus of an investigation by these individuals" the third agent finally chimed in, Agent Abernathy, sitting to the far right.
"I didn't know that I was under investigation," I said as innocently as I could.
My lawyer chimed in. "Is the government saying now, that my client is under an official investigation? If so, I would like notification as to the specifics," he said with that officiousness only lawyers can put into tones of voice.
"We'll get to that shortly. Mr. Wilshire, three agents of the government, who were watching you, were shot. They were shot all within moments of each other. You have to admit the coincidence is almost beyond comprehension," Heely said with a sneer.
"Wasn't me," I said.
"Do you own a rifle," asked Abernathy.
"Sure. Two of them as a matter of fact. One is a revolutionary era flintlock, the other is an 1840's flintlock. Nice weapons, if a little awkward to fire. I have never fired the revolutionary war rifle at all. I have fired the 1840's one though. These guys were shot by flintlocks?" I finished questioningly.
"No. Do you own any rifles or pistols or handguns of a more modern time than the ones you have mentioned?" Agent Bradford asked me.
"A shotgun I inherited from my father when he died, and that's it," I replied simply.
And so went the questioning. My lawyer chimed in from time to time, and objected when they rephrased the same question in different ways. After I had been there for a bit over two hours, I decided enough was enough.
"Gentleman. I have been patient and answered all your questions to the best of my ability. Well, the ones my lawyer would let me answer. It's getting late and I'm tired. So, if you have no objections, I am going home," I told them standing.
They all objected.
"Sir. You still have not told us why the CIA would be investigating you," Abernathy said hastily.
That was all my lawyer needed to jump on them.
"Are you telling us now, after being here for over two hours; that the CIA, an agency that is forbidden by FEDERAL LAW to operate inside the borders of the United States against United States citizens, was involved in an illegal operation regarding my client?" my lawyer asked, his voice rising with incredulity.
"We are investigating that as well, Sir," Heely said.
"This interview is over. We are leaving. Either charge my client with something, or get out of our way," my lawyer said a bit grimly.
On the drive back to my house, my attorney asked if there was anything he should know. He explained that whatever I told him was privileged information and could not be revealed.
I told him I understood the attorney-client relationship perfectly, and that I had nothing to add. I then told him I wanted him to start proceedings against the CIA for spying on me.
He said it might be difficult, but we could subpoena the tape just made with the FBI with the agent's admission that it had, in fact, been a CIA operation. I nodded. He said he would get on it first thing in the morning.
When I got home, my security was still there, as was Rachael. Carl was out at the farm and could not get back. He was doing an intensive training session with a new group of trainees that we had just hired.
"Want to tell me what this was all about?" Rachael asked me.
"Well," I said sipping a cup of coffee, "Apparently the CIA agents charged with spying on me were shot. I don't have all the details, but the FBI is investigating why the CIA is interested in me, and why the CIA was doing covert operations against a citizen of the United States, in contravention of US law," I said musingly.
"How did you get dragged into this? No never mind, I can see it already. Three agents get shot and the thing they have in common is they are investigating, or watching you. I can see why they would question you," Rachael said with a grin.
"Aren't you going to ask me if I did it?" I asked her curiously.
"Nope. No way you could have done it. Your security would have noticed if you left to go somewhere. My question is, did you pay to have them shot?" she asked seriously.
"Rachael, I did not pay to have those people shot," I answered honestly.
Well, I didn't. I took care of it myself, after all.
She smiled and relaxed.
"Good. Now tell me all about it," she said, settling herself into my good easy chair.
So I told her about the FBI agents showing up a few hours ago, and me going with them. The questioning. The revelation that the shooting victims were CIA agents, when an FBI agent blurted out that information... I told her all of it.
Rachael leaned forward. "You say an agent blurted out that information?"
I nodded to her.
"The FBI never 'blurts out' anything, unless they want you to know it. I wonder why they wanted you to know that the three guys were CIA. Now that is a revelation, in itself!" she finished excitedly.
I wanted to tell her the truth, but I was still leery of telling any more people than those who already knew about my abilities. I caught her looking at me in a weird way a few times during the evening. Finally she said she had to go to review a potential client's prospectus.
I am not sure how they were doing it; but my new venture, CS&I, was already at the break-even point. I was excited about that. Not even in business for a year yet, and already at break even! I had hired the right people, and their connections and contacts were paying off!
It was three months later, and I was in federal court with my attorney. We had filed all the appropriate paperwork, and I had been deposed. That had been interesting. The attorney for the CIA was trying to get me to admit to all sorts of international conspiracies to apparently justify the illegal use of CIA agents.
There was a judge, my attorney, myself, and two attorneys representing the government, in the courtroom. The agents in question were not in the courtroom. The opening had already been done. As the complainant, my side was going first.
"It came to the complainant's attention that he was under investigation when he was brought in for questioning by the FBI concerning the shooting of three CIA covert operations agents. These agents, in violation of the law, were engaged in the illegal activities of following and investigating Mr. Wilshire.
"We have requested repeatedly to interview the three agents in question, and have been ignored. We have complied with the government's request and the complainant was deposed, something the government is refusing to let us do. We ask the court to direct the CIA to produce the agents in question and comply with the law, your honor," my attorney said then sat.
"Are the agents here at this time," the judge asked.
"Robert Macklin for the government. No your honor. The three agents in question are currently in hiding as attempts were made on their life, which is why Mr. Wilshire was questioned. They were investigating him, and the government is not satisfied with his answers. There is too much coincidence in this case concerning Mr. Wilshire," the government's attorney said and sat.
"The government's concerns notwithstanding, you are in violation of my written order of six weeks prior, to make the agents available to Mr. Wilshire and his attorney. I find the government in contempt of my order, and I am ordering the three agents produced in my court for sentencing on contempt charges. I will sentence them tomorrow morning. If the government does not comply, I will fine the federal government 3000.00 dollars a day until such time as the agents are produced. In addition, I will have the attorneys-of-record for the government charged with obstruction, and sentenced accordingly. Court's adjourned," the judge said.
We all rose as the judge stood and left the room. My attorney told me we'd got what we wanted, and we turned to go.
"Excuse me, can we talk a moment?" the opposing council asked us.
"What did you have in mind?" my attorney asked in response.
I stayed silent, as I had been instructed to do in this eventuality.
"We would like to settle this without going to or through the courts, if possible," Macklin said.
"We have questions. Who ordered this illegal activity? We were denied our right to depose the three in question. No, I don't see how this can be settled without court intervention. You people have done nothing but try to browbeat my client. You have not been forthcoming with your obligations. No, it is time to get a judge involved, and one whom the government cannot ignore," my attorney said, and we tried to go around the two.
They moved to block our way.
"Surely you can see the governments side, Mr. Wilshire. You have to understand how it looks to us," the other lawyer, whose name I forget said.
"You will address your comments to me, not my client! You know better," my attorney said sharply, and nudged me to go.
We went around them, and made it out the door. A short time later we were in my car heading for his office.
"This appearance went very well. At this point, the government can do two things. Either comply with the judges order, or appeal. Since they are dragging their feet, I believe they will appeal.
"This is shaping up to be a very interesting case, Tom. The government is in violation of a number of laws. They are trying to justify breaking the law, because their agents were shot while performing illegal activities, thus justifying the government's said illegal activities. A spurious argument at best," my attorney mused, chuckling.
"Well, I am not a fan of big government, and to be investigated by them is an annoying experience. Still, to expect the average citizen to obey laws they feel they are above, is outrageous!" I exclaimed a bit indignantly.
"Welcome to my world. I have been involved in cases of such blatant abuse of power and authority, as to be completely unbelievable. This one, while not the worst, is definitely the most convoluted," my attorney replied.
Edited By TeNderLoin