on the J eep, she asked the clerk for the special anniversary edition and waited as he pulled one out from under the counter. In a world where the Feds could track every move , burner cells were a great way for low-level criminals to communicate while staying under the radar—no wonder the ECA had demanded that they be registered. Kris felt as though everyone was watching her as she paid cash for the phone and then hurried back to the J eep. She drove well out of Queen’s Creek before pulling off the interstate to text the number Lena had given her. Ten minutes later, she heard the familiar ring signifying that she had an answer back. She read the text message. “(202) 555-1212. Julian Cicchetti.” That was a Washington D.C. exchange. In spite of the hot dusty air that whipped her face and bare arms as she d rove through the desert in Keith’s J eep, Kris felt a chill go through her. Had Lena set her up? Who was Julian Cicchetti?
She puzzled over it and prayed about it all the way to St. George. Kris knew that people all over the country were disappearing, but she had not realized that so many people she knew personally were being affected. To discover that Lena had also lost everything and was having to go into hiding was very unsettling. To be sent this Washington D.C. number was even more so. By the time she reached the trailer it was midnight , and she was exhausted, but she was too stressed to sleep.
Keith was sitting up drinking coffee and waiting for her. “I really want to call this guy,” she said of Cicchetti. “Part of me wanted to call the number as soon as I got the text. But another part of me is scared to do it. What if this is a set up? What if he works for Homeland Security, and he’s just waiting for phone calls from people like me? I honestly don’t know what to do,” she ran her hands through her hair as she often did when stressed and frustrated.
“Nobody’s going to do anything until we find out exactly who this guy is, who he works for, and what he does.”
“How can we possibly find out all of that? Even if we do a search on the internet, that doesn’t mean that any of the information we find out about him will be the truth. He could be anybody.”
“If we do a search, we don’t have any guarantees; that’s why we are not going to do the checking. This is a job for somebody who can check through all the back channels and find out who he really is. This is a job for Jessie and Kyle.”
The next morning Keith disappeared early and stayed gone all day. Kris was accustomed to his long absences, but now with everyone else gone she felt them keenly. She was alone with nothing to do but wonder and pray.
“Lord, I don’t know what to do. Please show us whether Julian Cicchetti is another set up or somebody who can actually help us. If he is a just another government plant looking for information, help us to find that out right away. And if he can help us, please show us what we need to do.”
All day long she prayed the same prayer over and over as she tidied up the trailer and waited. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she heard Keith’s motorcycle outside. His hair was dusty, and she could see little particles of dust float off his clothing as he entered the trailer.
“What did you find out?” Kris demanded. She knew that he was tired , and she could have waited a little more patiently and asked him about his day, but she couldn’t stand the suspense any longer.
“Well, Cicchetti is the real deal—for whatever that’s worth. The guy is a constitutional attorney with over 30 years of experience. He clerked for Rehnquist while he was in law school. Went on to become an attorney and started the Freedom League. He’s smart—Jessie was able to get into his law school transcripts—top of his class at Columbia Law School. He’s argued over twenty cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and lost only three of them. He believes in liberty
She puzzled over it and prayed about it all the way to St. George. Kris knew that people all over the country were disappearing, but she had not realized that so many people she knew personally were being affected. To discover that Lena had also lost everything and was having to go into hiding was very unsettling. To be sent this Washington D.C. number was even more so. By the time she reached the trailer it was midnight , and she was exhausted, but she was too stressed to sleep.
Keith was sitting up drinking coffee and waiting for her. “I really want to call this guy,” she said of Cicchetti. “Part of me wanted to call the number as soon as I got the text. But another part of me is scared to do it. What if this is a set up? What if he works for Homeland Security, and he’s just waiting for phone calls from people like me? I honestly don’t know what to do,” she ran her hands through her hair as she often did when stressed and frustrated.
“Nobody’s going to do anything until we find out exactly who this guy is, who he works for, and what he does.”
“How can we possibly find out all of that? Even if we do a search on the internet, that doesn’t mean that any of the information we find out about him will be the truth. He could be anybody.”
“If we do a search, we don’t have any guarantees; that’s why we are not going to do the checking. This is a job for somebody who can check through all the back channels and find out who he really is. This is a job for Jessie and Kyle.”
The next morning Keith disappeared early and stayed gone all day. Kris was accustomed to his long absences, but now with everyone else gone she felt them keenly. She was alone with nothing to do but wonder and pray.
“Lord, I don’t know what to do. Please show us whether Julian Cicchetti is another set up or somebody who can actually help us. If he is a just another government plant looking for information, help us to find that out right away. And if he can help us, please show us what we need to do.”
All day long she prayed the same prayer over and over as she tidied up the trailer and waited. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she heard Keith’s motorcycle outside. His hair was dusty, and she could see little particles of dust float off his clothing as he entered the trailer.
“What did you find out?” Kris demanded. She knew that he was tired , and she could have waited a little more patiently and asked him about his day, but she couldn’t stand the suspense any longer.
“Well, Cicchetti is the real deal—for whatever that’s worth. The guy is a constitutional attorney with over 30 years of experience. He clerked for Rehnquist while he was in law school. Went on to become an attorney and started the Freedom League. He’s smart—Jessie was able to get into his law school transcripts—top of his class at Columbia Law School. He’s argued over twenty cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and lost only three of them. He believes in liberty
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