going to hit him with? Was this the Area 51 alien chat or some other secret that you only became aware of when you were president?
“I didn’t catch which arm of the government you represent, Mr. Walker?” asked Jack, prying for some clue.
Mr. Walker smiled warmly. “Oh, I am not from any part of the government, Mr. President.”
Jack looked again at Kenneth for some clue about what was happening. Kenneth shrugged his shoulders, in an ‘I don’t know, your call’ fashion.
“We’re in this together, it’s his fault I’m here!” said Jack jokingly. However, his mind continued to race, and one question was stuck in his mind.
“Actually, would you mind excusing us for a moment, Mr. Walker?”
“Not at all, Mr. President,” he answered, not moving.
After an awkward second, Jack got up and motioned for Kenneth to follow him. They exited the room into Jack’s PA’s office.
Before Jack could ask, Kenneth was on the defensive. “No idea, I was just informed that the meeting was scheduled.”
“By whom?”
“Your PA informed me it was in the diary when we came into office.”
“What, we’re taking meetings arranged by the previous government?!” he asked, incredulous. “How many more have they left?”
“None, this was it. We tried to clear it but it wouldn’t delete. It was like it was hard wired into the system. I was sure it was a glitch until half an hour ago when I got the heads-up that your 1:00 p.m. had arrived!”
“Well I’m not going back into a meeting arranged by my predecessor,” concluded Jack.
“But that’s the strange thing, according to the system, it wasn’t the previous government that arranged the meeting.”
Jack waited for Kenneth to reveal who had, but he remained silent; it was obviously too big a deal to just tell him outright.
“So who did then?” Jack played along halfheartedly, much to Kenneth’s disappointment.
“William Howard Taft. As in President Taft!” revealed Kenneth.
Jack could barely hide his incredulity that a president had allegedly arranged a meeting 100 years in the future.
“Are you mad?” he asked.
“That’s not the best part, the meeting was at the request of JP Morgan, who died less than a month later.”
“Bullshit! Why on earth would a meeting arranged a hundred years ago be in a modern computerized diary system?”
“I thought the same. I can only assume the meeting was noted in each of the presidents’ subsequent diaries and passed onto each subsequent PA until it was computerized. Thereafter, it must have just been coded in and the code has been there ever since,” Kenneth surmised, facing the door to the Cabinet office that held the answer.
“How on earth did they know it would be a Mr. Walker?” asked Jack, facing the same door, finding the weak link in Kenneth’s summation.
“There’s no name listed, it just states ‘a representative of America’s Trust’.”
They looked at each other and it was clear both were desperate for more information.
Jack walked towards the door and opened it. Kenneth remained standing. He, as Mr Walker had pointed out, was not invited.
“You don’t mind if Kenneth joins us do you, Mr. Walker?”
“Not at all, Mr. President, that is your choice.”
As they sat down, Mr. Walker cleared his throat. Both the president and his Chief of Staff were on the edge of their seats.
“Gentlemen, how much do you know about compound interest?” began Mr. Walker. It was only thanks to their exceptional poker faces that Mr. Walker failed to notice just how underwhelmed his audience was by his question.
Chapter 6
Present day
Wednesday 1 st July 2015
Butler pulled himself gingerly out of the Audi. The relief at reaching the diner in one piece was slowly sinking in. He felt as though he should bend down and kiss the sidewalk but felt the gesture, although warranted, a little melodramatic.
“You know there is a brake on the car, right?” he offered helpfully, with a soft
“I didn’t catch which arm of the government you represent, Mr. Walker?” asked Jack, prying for some clue.
Mr. Walker smiled warmly. “Oh, I am not from any part of the government, Mr. President.”
Jack looked again at Kenneth for some clue about what was happening. Kenneth shrugged his shoulders, in an ‘I don’t know, your call’ fashion.
“We’re in this together, it’s his fault I’m here!” said Jack jokingly. However, his mind continued to race, and one question was stuck in his mind.
“Actually, would you mind excusing us for a moment, Mr. Walker?”
“Not at all, Mr. President,” he answered, not moving.
After an awkward second, Jack got up and motioned for Kenneth to follow him. They exited the room into Jack’s PA’s office.
Before Jack could ask, Kenneth was on the defensive. “No idea, I was just informed that the meeting was scheduled.”
“By whom?”
“Your PA informed me it was in the diary when we came into office.”
“What, we’re taking meetings arranged by the previous government?!” he asked, incredulous. “How many more have they left?”
“None, this was it. We tried to clear it but it wouldn’t delete. It was like it was hard wired into the system. I was sure it was a glitch until half an hour ago when I got the heads-up that your 1:00 p.m. had arrived!”
“Well I’m not going back into a meeting arranged by my predecessor,” concluded Jack.
“But that’s the strange thing, according to the system, it wasn’t the previous government that arranged the meeting.”
Jack waited for Kenneth to reveal who had, but he remained silent; it was obviously too big a deal to just tell him outright.
“So who did then?” Jack played along halfheartedly, much to Kenneth’s disappointment.
“William Howard Taft. As in President Taft!” revealed Kenneth.
Jack could barely hide his incredulity that a president had allegedly arranged a meeting 100 years in the future.
“Are you mad?” he asked.
“That’s not the best part, the meeting was at the request of JP Morgan, who died less than a month later.”
“Bullshit! Why on earth would a meeting arranged a hundred years ago be in a modern computerized diary system?”
“I thought the same. I can only assume the meeting was noted in each of the presidents’ subsequent diaries and passed onto each subsequent PA until it was computerized. Thereafter, it must have just been coded in and the code has been there ever since,” Kenneth surmised, facing the door to the Cabinet office that held the answer.
“How on earth did they know it would be a Mr. Walker?” asked Jack, facing the same door, finding the weak link in Kenneth’s summation.
“There’s no name listed, it just states ‘a representative of America’s Trust’.”
They looked at each other and it was clear both were desperate for more information.
Jack walked towards the door and opened it. Kenneth remained standing. He, as Mr Walker had pointed out, was not invited.
“You don’t mind if Kenneth joins us do you, Mr. Walker?”
“Not at all, Mr. President, that is your choice.”
As they sat down, Mr. Walker cleared his throat. Both the president and his Chief of Staff were on the edge of their seats.
“Gentlemen, how much do you know about compound interest?” began Mr. Walker. It was only thanks to their exceptional poker faces that Mr. Walker failed to notice just how underwhelmed his audience was by his question.
Chapter 6
Present day
Wednesday 1 st July 2015
Butler pulled himself gingerly out of the Audi. The relief at reaching the diner in one piece was slowly sinking in. He felt as though he should bend down and kiss the sidewalk but felt the gesture, although warranted, a little melodramatic.
“You know there is a brake on the car, right?” he offered helpfully, with a soft