(For the sake of my overwhelming survival instinct, I have reconstructed the content of these two or three chapters. Please forgive any flaws due to the haste.)
Returning to work, Jimmy received accurate information that the Vice President would arrive at Little Rock Airport aboard Air Force Two next Monday. Afterward, a rally was to be held downtown, followed by a promotional event at the cemetery in Woodson.
The destinations for the itinerary had been set, but the routes remained unclear. Several routes from the airport had already been prepared downtown, with the final choice to be made upon arrival. The same uncertainty applied to routes outside the city.
The county police had received a general notice: all leaves were canceled at that time, and everyone was to follow the directions of the USSS to blockade the roads and patrol the surroundings as arranged for protection.
Chief James made adjustments to Jimmy's tasks, assigning him to the patrol forces to conduct a preliminary road inspection ahead of the Vice President's motorcade.
Additionally, Jimmy's weekly rest was postponed again. He needed to familiarize himself with all the routes to Woodson in the next two days, ensuring no accidents would happen at that time.
Having received his assignment, Jimmy no longer considered other matters. He planned to run through the routes early to become acquainted with them and the surrounding areas—that would be all, and for now, he continued to slack off at work.
During his previous inspections with the USSS, Jimmy had a premonition of trouble, as Murphy's Law states, "If there are two or more possible ways to do something and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe, someone will do it."
While Jimmy was slacking off, he unexpectedly received a call from Justin on his prepaid phone.
Jimmy informed the dispatch center he was taking a short break and then left the station. Justin had set up the meeting, not at a bar this time, but in a parking lot not far away.
Jimmy didn't take a police car as the distance was short, so he walked there. Justin was already waiting for him in the middle of the parking lot, dressed casually in a T-shirt and jeans instead of his usual bar attire, standing in the shade of the trees in the central flowerbed.
Jimmy, "Justin, why not at the bar? What's so important to meet here?"
Justin, "Someone has paid for intelligence gathering, and it's up to you to decide whether to take on the task."
Justin directly stated the purpose, which did not surprise Jimmy. Though he didn't mention the target of the mission, Justin's approach implied that some were eager to stir trouble during the Vice President's visit.
Jimmy, "Justin, what are they planning to do?"
Justin, "I've just received the task request. Your words the other day indicated you were somehow involved, so I didn't contact anyone else and came directly to you to confirm."
Jimmy, "Yeah, but I don't think it's a good idea, not in the city or outside."
Justin, "I understand. Thanks, Jimmy." Justin took a gold coin from his pants pocket and tossed it to Jimmy. Jimmy caught the coin and looked at Justin, "Why give this to me?"
Justin, "Advance payment. I am going to decline the task, but I hope you can tell me what happens afterward."
Jimmy pocketed the gold coin, waved his hand, and turned to leave the parking lot.
Someone approached Justin for intelligence, indicating that there were already people with intentions in motion. So, regardless of whether there was detailed intelligence or not, it was expected that the day the Vice President arrived would not be quiet, and something was bound to happen.
Although Jimmy was now a part of the Dark World, as a policeman, his professional ethics did not allow him to pass on such intelligence directly. There might be other ways to leak the information, but it definitely wouldn't come from him.
Jimmy wasn't worried about the downtown area; judging by the meticulousness of the USSS on that day, the combination of ASP and LRPD with USSS would ensure safety in the downtown area without a doubt. The real trouble was the suburban road section under the county police's jurisdiction. Due to fewer personnel, more routes, and more potential issues, if there was an intervention en route, there were just too many places that could be utilized.
Jimmy returned to the police station and spread out the map to study it once more.
Come Monday, Jimmy drove a police car to Highway 365 in the suburbs early in the morning. From here on, it was the county police's responsibility to control the traffic at intersections.
Over the weekend, Jimmy had barely rested, running back and forth on the various routes between Little Rock and Woodson, marking on his map any high grounds or tall buildings along the roadsides.
Jimmy's police car radio was connected to the dispatch center, which was constantly updating on the arrangements in the city. To manage the itinerary, the LRPD had sealed off two routes, and the decision on which one to take was made by the USSS on-site. Hence, there was no choice but to put a strain on the public and disrupt traffic this way.
As the Vice President's motorcade moved along, LRPD began to gradually reopen traffic. By the time the Vice President arrived for the speech, all security was concentrated in the nearby 1-kilometer area.
This time around, the Vice President's visit was essentially a show, along with a political canvassing event for the party. Such events were held several times every couple of years, with various dignitaries traveling to different states. With a presidential election every four years and Congressional midterm elections interspersed, the Democrats and Republicans would hold multiple rallies in various states to promote their party's candidates.
Jimmy received a message from the dispatch center that everything was going smoothly, which only made him more anxious. Since nothing had happened in the city, it indicated that they had indeed set their sights on the suburbs or directly on the last stop, Woodson.
Jimmy continued to wait in the police car. After the speech ended and the Vice President's motorcade started up again, heading toward the suburbs, John, whom Jimmy had seen before, had already arrived at Jimmy's location in advance.
The signal came through the walkie-talkie; Jimmy began to block off the road. The cars that had already passed could go, but all subsequent vehicles had to wait on the side of the road. Traffic would only be allowed to resume after the motorcade had passed through.
A few minutes later, motorcycle officers led the way, with LRPD police cars at the front and USSS's motorcade following. The Vice President's motorcade passed by Jimmy steadily.
Once everyone had gone by, Jimmy got into the police car, and alongside John's car, they overtook the motorcade from the left on the wrong side of the road, heading forward. After that, they no longer needed to block traffic at the intersection; other officers would handle it. Jimmy and John's task was to scout ahead to see if anything was amiss compared to before.
Arriving at Ritzville, Jimmy discovered a traffic accident had occurred – a garbage truck had collided with a construction material transport truck, leaving the road in a mess.
John got out to examine the scene and then used the walkie-talkie to inform the motorcade behind them to divert to alternate route 87 through Ritzville.
Looking at the traffic accident before him, Jimmy's expression darkened. It was clear that the accident was deliberately created to reroute the motorcade. He had run this route several times and had inquired with others. Ritzville was a residential area, not an industrial one; typically, traffic incidents would involve private cars, not like today's occurrence. To suggest it wasn't deliberate would be an insult to their intelligence.
John must have realized this too, but since they had already planned multiple routes, it was natural to deploy more personnel for reconnaissance in advance when signs of trouble appeared.
Two vehicles sped out from the Vice President's motorcade, accelerating to catch up.
Jimmy stayed at the intersection directing the motorcade to turn, while three USSS SUVs sped away to the front.