The Last Election by Kevin Carrigan Page B

father that they would find employment and find it soon. Their job hunt took off at a glacial pace, which angered Matthias even more.
    One morning shortly thereafter, the twins awoke to find themselves in headlocks that were bordering on chokeholds. Matthias dragged them into the living room and simultaneously sent them airborne and onto the sofa. With his wife at his side, Matthias informed his sons that they were going to attend an upcoming State and Federal Law Enforcement job fair that was coming to his Corrections Department facility. He went on to emphasize that they were going to find jobs before they left, and if they didn’t, they could just go ahead and shave their heads and start learning the lyrics to The
Halls of Montezuma.  
    With that incentive, Isaac and Isaiah got up at the break of dawn on the morning of the job fair and put on their Sunday best suits. That was probably the first time
Isaac and Isaiah
had worn ties in a decade. Clay chuckled as he watched Uncle Matthias tie the knots around his own neck before transferring the ties to his sons’ necks. Uncle Matthias made sure that he pulled the Windsor knot good and tight against their throats as he reminded them once again in no uncertain terms that they were going to find employment that day. He also told them that Clay was allowed to tag along.
    Isaac, Isaiah and Clay arrived at the job fair before the doors opened. Once they were let inside, the twins bolted straight to the recruiting tables while Clay aimlessly wandered through the aisles, ignoring the men at the booths trying to get his attention. He was getting quite a laugh out of watching Isaac and Isaiah going up to each booth, standing there in their pressed shirts and new ties, saying, “Yes sir, yes sir,” repeatedly to the recruiters. It sounded as though they were about to recite
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep
, and Clay had to fight back the urge to walk up behind them and say, “Three bags full!”
    Clay was looking at some State Police brochures that were sitting on an unattended table, when a well-dressed man approached him. He greeted Clay and shook his hand, and introduced himself as Special Agent Martinez. Clay looked him over but could not quite figure out what made him so special. He was cool and smooth though, with his jet black hair slicked back and his perfect pronunciation of every word he spoke, but with a thick Spanish accent.
    He asked Clay questions about his career goals, but Clay told the man he was only there waiting for his cousins. Special Agent Martinez was professional and polite, and asked Clay to fill out a contact form anyway. Clay had no intention whatsoever of working in law enforcement, but he figured he’d never hear from the man again so he completed the form and left.
    After Clay had walked away, Special Agent “Martinez” removed his nametag and tossed it in the trash. Special Agent Delgado was very pleased that he had made contact with one Clayton Jackson with relative ease. Clay was the perfect dupe for an upcoming mission, a mission of supreme importance to the president. Delgado smiled as he left the room, thinking about how much fun it was going to be to use and abuse young Mr. Jackson.

Chapter 21
     
    Kenna Martineau had quickly become an even bigger political sensation and had more than proven her value to the Republican ticket. She had been hitting the talk shows all weekend long and performing in spectacular form. The political pundits wanted to talk to her more than they wanted to talk to Governor Clark, and that was just the way Clark liked it. He could focus full-force on the job at hand, which was now more than just winning the presidential election. He could continue to consult experts and develop a comprehensive game plan for his presidency without being constantly inundated by the media. He had full faith in Martineau to get his message out.
    This particular morning, Martineau had just finished wiping the floor with the tenacious crew from