director of security.”
Jacobson was a large man in his late fifties. He was fit, with thick arms outlined by the sleeves of his almost too tight navy blue suit. He had silver hair that was neatly combed, and dark, almost slitlike eyes. He carried himself with an air of self-importance.
After shaking hands, they all sat back down and Lewis handed control of the meeting to Jacobson.
“Thank you, Mr. Lewis,” he said, staring across the table and sizing up his two outsiders. “As you’ve probably heard, one week ago Federal Reserve Chairman Wallace Sawyer passed away.”
“How did he die?” asked Harvath.
Jacobson, who didn’t enjoy being interrupted, shot him a look. “Heart attack.”
“Has the cause of death been confirmed?”
“Yes, by the coroner. Though it wasn’t released to the press, Chairman Sawyer, who was sixty-six years old at the time of his death, had an underlying heart condition.”
“Where was he when it happened?”
“You realize you weren’t brought here to talk about Chairman Sawyer,” Jacobson said curtly, irritation evident in his tone.
Lewis raised his hand to calm the security director. “It’s okay, Will. Please answer their questions.”
Jacobson took a deep breath and let it out. “He was leaving a restaurant in Bethesda with his wife.”
“Did he travel with a security detail?”
“Yes. They were with him that night,” he replied and then waited for any follow-up questions. When none were asked, he continued. “After the chairman’s passing, the vice chairman was made temporary chair.”
“And that would be Mr. Lewis?”
Monroe Lewis shook his head. “No, I’m not the vice chair. I report to the Board of Governors and help oversee day-to-day operations. Essentially, I function as a chief operating officer.”
Harvath looked at Carlton and then back at Lewis. “I apologize. The structure is a little confusing.”
Lewis smiled. “That’s quite all right. It’s actually not that difficult. The Board of Governors has seven members, all appointed by the President ofthe United States and confirmed by the Senate. They serve a fourteen-year term. From these seven members, the President selects a chairman and a vice chairman.”
“Has the President ever appointed a chairman from outside the Board of Governors?”
“Yes, there is a precedent for that.”
“So he could select you for instance?”
Lewis laughed. “I suppose anything is possible, but that’s not how it happens. The chairman usually is selected from the Board of Governors.”
“And what exactly do they do?” Harvath asked.
“They oversee the twelve district Federal Reserve banks.”
“Which do what?”
“They represent the twelve districts the Federal Reserve has divided the nation into. Their job is to help implement monetary policy as established by the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee.” He could see Harvath’s eyes glazing over. “The Open Market Committee focuses on establishing interest rates and dealing with the nation’s money supply. They also oversee the Federal Reserve’s purchase and sale of U.S. Treasury securities. And to keep it simple, the district Federal Reserve banks help regulate the banks in their area. Does that make sense?”
Not really , thought Harvath, but he didn’t want to look any dumber than he already felt. “Got it,” he lied, figuring they’d get to his own area of expertise soon enough. “Please continue.”
“As a thirty-thousand-foot view, that’s pretty much it.”
“And shortly after Chairman Sawyer died, your top five candidates to replace him disappeared, and one of them turned up murdered this morning.”
Lewis nodded.
“It looks like someone is trying to send you a message.”
“You can say that again,” replied Jacobson, as he removed a hideous photograph from his file and slid it across the table.
CHAPTER 10
T he terrible image was a police evidence photo of a woman who had been mutilated and
Jacobson was a large man in his late fifties. He was fit, with thick arms outlined by the sleeves of his almost too tight navy blue suit. He had silver hair that was neatly combed, and dark, almost slitlike eyes. He carried himself with an air of self-importance.
After shaking hands, they all sat back down and Lewis handed control of the meeting to Jacobson.
“Thank you, Mr. Lewis,” he said, staring across the table and sizing up his two outsiders. “As you’ve probably heard, one week ago Federal Reserve Chairman Wallace Sawyer passed away.”
“How did he die?” asked Harvath.
Jacobson, who didn’t enjoy being interrupted, shot him a look. “Heart attack.”
“Has the cause of death been confirmed?”
“Yes, by the coroner. Though it wasn’t released to the press, Chairman Sawyer, who was sixty-six years old at the time of his death, had an underlying heart condition.”
“Where was he when it happened?”
“You realize you weren’t brought here to talk about Chairman Sawyer,” Jacobson said curtly, irritation evident in his tone.
Lewis raised his hand to calm the security director. “It’s okay, Will. Please answer their questions.”
Jacobson took a deep breath and let it out. “He was leaving a restaurant in Bethesda with his wife.”
“Did he travel with a security detail?”
“Yes. They were with him that night,” he replied and then waited for any follow-up questions. When none were asked, he continued. “After the chairman’s passing, the vice chairman was made temporary chair.”
“And that would be Mr. Lewis?”
Monroe Lewis shook his head. “No, I’m not the vice chair. I report to the Board of Governors and help oversee day-to-day operations. Essentially, I function as a chief operating officer.”
Harvath looked at Carlton and then back at Lewis. “I apologize. The structure is a little confusing.”
Lewis smiled. “That’s quite all right. It’s actually not that difficult. The Board of Governors has seven members, all appointed by the President ofthe United States and confirmed by the Senate. They serve a fourteen-year term. From these seven members, the President selects a chairman and a vice chairman.”
“Has the President ever appointed a chairman from outside the Board of Governors?”
“Yes, there is a precedent for that.”
“So he could select you for instance?”
Lewis laughed. “I suppose anything is possible, but that’s not how it happens. The chairman usually is selected from the Board of Governors.”
“And what exactly do they do?” Harvath asked.
“They oversee the twelve district Federal Reserve banks.”
“Which do what?”
“They represent the twelve districts the Federal Reserve has divided the nation into. Their job is to help implement monetary policy as established by the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee.” He could see Harvath’s eyes glazing over. “The Open Market Committee focuses on establishing interest rates and dealing with the nation’s money supply. They also oversee the Federal Reserve’s purchase and sale of U.S. Treasury securities. And to keep it simple, the district Federal Reserve banks help regulate the banks in their area. Does that make sense?”
Not really , thought Harvath, but he didn’t want to look any dumber than he already felt. “Got it,” he lied, figuring they’d get to his own area of expertise soon enough. “Please continue.”
“As a thirty-thousand-foot view, that’s pretty much it.”
“And shortly after Chairman Sawyer died, your top five candidates to replace him disappeared, and one of them turned up murdered this morning.”
Lewis nodded.
“It looks like someone is trying to send you a message.”
“You can say that again,” replied Jacobson, as he removed a hideous photograph from his file and slid it across the table.
CHAPTER 10
T he terrible image was a police evidence photo of a woman who had been mutilated and
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