Chapter 24
4:45 PM CEST Brussels - The Waldger Group Corporate Headquarters
David Matthews was still monitoring the events on Bear News about the California disaster and the video about Jack’s interview with The Network that morning. His phone rang. It was Betty from the headquarters building located a few blocks away on the Waldger campus. She said that he was needed at the conference room there in fifteen minutes and that a car was just about there to pick him up. She also told him to bring whatever he had to date on Jack South with him. Mr. Waldger would be expecting a complete update. David told her that he would be downstairs in a few minutes and hurriedly grabbed the files he had been accumulating on Jack South. He had his assistant copy and email them to Aafre’s assistant to be distributed to the attendees at the meeting.
David assumed the meeting was being called on an emergency basis for in all his years, the director had never once called an impromptu meeting. He also assumed that everyone was being brought together. Many would be attending via a secure conference line from other parts of the globe. It would normally take two, maybe three days, to get everyone here. The first part of the meeting would probably be to watch the interview with Jack South by John Roddenburg at Bear News.
Afterwards, there may be some very hard questions directed at him. David hoped he had the right answers. He grabbed his laptop as he walked out of his offices: then getting on his cell phone, he called the contact who the Group had monitoring Jack in New York.
As he hurried down to the car, it dawned on him that he was not usually invited to the conference room as a participant; so there must be something up that would allow the real powers of the world to include him. He was both concerned and elated that he might finally find out exactly who was who in this group. He knew the leader. He had been hired by him personally, several years ago, like many of the other members as well. However, he also knew that by taking the job, he had made a lifetime commitment and that he had to be very secretive about what he did for them. He could not even share any details with his wife or family.
The phone was ringing on the other end. Finally, Presley answered in New York. “Presley, it’s David. I wanted to let you know I am on my way to a closed-door meeting. I also wanted to check and see if you had any updates for me on Jack South.”
Presley replied that he was outside the corporate headquarters of Bear News and that prior to Jack arriving at the Bear News building, a huge crowd had amassed outside and it was close to a riot when their car pulled up and security had to rush them inside. Presley then described the atmosphere outside the studio. “There were a lot of people with homemade signs for and against Jack. The crowd has swelled to well over a thousand people outside the studios in the past hour or so. Just so you know, David, we are trying to get into the studio. Security is very tight and the doors are actually locked and manned. We have called one of our people who should be able to get us in another way, so we can monitor what is happening in there. Oh also, his attorney is still with him. That’s about all we have right now.”
“Thanks Presley. I appreciate your diligence on this. By the way, for the next few hours, my cell will be off. If something urgent happens, please call my direct line and Sheryl will pick up. It is okay to speak to her. She is my personal assistant.”
“Will do,” Presley replied, as he hung up.
David walked out the door to the waiting car that was there to pick him up. He opened the back door and slid into the seat before realizing that in the car with him was another man; it was Cardinal Luke Richital from Rome.