In Sheep's Clothing: An Action-Packed Political Thriller (Matthew Richter Thriller Series Book 1) Read Free Page B

sheets were on the floor, and he was covered in a cold sweat.  He jumped out of bed and hurried from his room to escape the grisly scene in his head.  In the kitchen, he busied himself brewing a pot of coffee.  He was no psychiatrist, but it was obvious what the dream meant.  He didn’t need some pompous, high-priced shrink to explain it. 
    He couldn’t shake the feeling that he should have done something to prevent what had happened on that chilly fall day two months before.  He had replayed the scene over and over in his mind to see if there was anything, any hint to what President Walters had been thinking, but he found nothing.
    After an internal investigation, the Secret Service had ruled there was nothing the agents on the scene could have done to prevent the president from committing suicide.  Maybe one day Richter would be able to accept that, but that day seemed a long way off.  The investigation had turned up nothing concrete.  There was no suicide note.  The president’s health was excellent.  There had been no prior signs of depression or mental illness.  His approval rating was the envy of his predecessors.  His family and his closest advisors were at a complete loss.  The question of blackmail had come up, but no one was aware of any skeletons in the president’s closet.
    As an agent assigned to the president’s security detail, Richter had to ignore politics and the constant stream of negative comments by the pundits, the columnists, and the president’s opponents.  His job was to protect the office of the presidency regardless of his personal feelings for the man occupying it at the time.  Nonetheless, there had been very few negative articles about the president throughout his campaign or during the short time he had held office.  While there had been one allegation of illegal campaign contributions and another of an illegitimate child, those had turned out to be false.  As it was, there was very little in the president’s past for the press and his opponents to sink their teeth into.  The blackmail theory didn’t make sense to Richter, but what else could it be?
    The director had told him that if he requested a transfer, the Service would accommodate him.  None of the other agents on duty that day had taken the director up on his offer.  But, lately, Richter was thinking that working in the field again, maybe on the West Coast this time, would be a relief.  Maybe then his nightly torture would cease.
    Matthew Richter was thirty years old and single.  He was a good-looking man who never seemed to be at a loss for female companionship, if he wanted it.  The trouble was he had never met a woman who was willing to take a backseat to his job.  That seemed to be the case with his current girlfriend, and he was beginning to wonder how much longer it would last.
    In high school, he had watched a clip of the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.  The images were powerful.  After the first shot rang out, the agents instantly formed a human shield around the president, forced him into his limo, and sped away.  Their quick reactions had saved his life.  Ever since that moment, Richter had known what he wanted to be when he grew up.
    His high school guidance counselor had told him to aim higher.  But after Richter had insisted that this was what he was meant to do, they discussed how he might better prepare himself.   The counselor had told him that military service would improve his chances of landing his dream job.  He had also suggested that Richter consider studying business and computer science in college.  Besides guarding the president, he had explained, the Secret Service also investigated increasingly sophisticated crimes like counterfeiting and software piracy.  Finally, with a twinkle in his eye, he had recommended that Richter take up karate.  Although he knew the counselor had only been humoring him, he had taken the suggestions to heart.  After