Depart the Darkness

by Melissa R. L. Simonin

  Miles and I exchanged greetings with Tia, as we followed her and Aaron down the hall and around the corner to a sunny sitting room. The windows looked out on a gorgeous yard, blooming with an abundance of colorful flowers. We had a seat on one of the couches, and Aaron and Tia sat across from us.

  “Would you like something to drink?” she suddenly thought to ask.

  “No thank you, we’re fine,” I replied. “Let’s go ahead and get started. I’m sure you’re anxious to know if we can help you or not.”

  They both nodded, and Tia clutched her husband’s hand tightly. The tension in the room was thick.

  Miles reached for my hand so that when Aaron answered his question, Miles would know whether or not he answered truthfully.

  “While employed by Intersect, did you execute a command to lower the program’s firewalls and leave classified files exposed to those outside the program?”

  “Yes,” Aaron said in a rush. “But I was following directions and doing exactly what I was told to do!”

  “Who told you to do this?” I asked, frowning a little.

  “Dillon Graves,” Aaron said, and he looked as though the name left a bad taste in his mouth. Tia looked ready to snap something. Or someone.

  “Do you have any idea why he would do this?” Miles asked, his eyebrows knitting.

  “I don’t know, I guess he was trying to get me fired,” Aaron said. “It’s all I can figure.”

  “He wasn’t assigned to your program, but he was authorized to give you work direction?” I wanted that clarified.

  “Authorized or not, he did whatever he wanted,” Aaron replied. “He wasn’t my team lead, that was Jadon Helms.”

  “Worse than useless,” Tia said under her breath, and her husband squeezed her hand.

  “I was told by Jadon to go to Dillon for work direction.”

  “Was this a onetime event?” Miles asked.

  “No, that’s what Jadon said anytime I finished an assignment and asked what I should work on next,” Aaron answered.

  “Were you aware that executing this command would lower the firewalls and expose the classified files?” I asked.

  “No. I realized after the fact. I then executed the command to raise the firewall so that the information was protected again. I went straight to security and told them what happened.”

  “We thought for sure they’d investigate Dillon Graves,” Tia broke in. “That’s not the only time he did something like this!”

  “It isn’t,” Aaron said. “And every security violation is serious, don’t get me wrong. Dillon and Jadon are both so lax, it’s disgusting. This wasn’t the only time Dillon tried to mess me up. But this was over the top. I could lose my job over it, my clearance, and… I thought going to security would protect me, and put their focus where it ought to be. I was wrong.”

  “Because you did the right thing, you lost your job,” Miles stated. “You’re being investigated, and you’re at risk of losing your clearance.”

  “Yes,” Aaron said, and nodded nervously.

  “We’re totally helping you,” I said firmly, and looked at Miles. He took out his phone and sent several texts, while Aaron and Tia wilted with relief. They both looked ready to cry.

  “Thank you,” she said, her voice breaking. “After Aaron went to security, we thought they were investigating Dillon. But two months went by, and nothing changed.”

  “Then security showed up in my cubicle one morning, and escorted me out of the building,” Aaron said. “I was told I’d been placed on suspension pending an investigation by Intersect’s security office. When their investigation concluded, they found me liable, and I was fired.”

  “We thought that would be the end of it,” Tia said. “Aaron was able to prove the work environment was hostile. It was an HR nightmare.”

  “I should’ve gone to HR before all this happened, like Tia encouraged me to do,” Aaron said regretfully. “But I wanted to fight my own battles. And I lost.”

  “In exchange for Aaron agreeing not to sue, they said they’d allow him to resign, rather than fire him. That’s how they said it would be recorded. And then a year later, we’re here, Aaron’s got a good job, the kids are doing well, we think we can breathe… and suddenly he’s under investigation by the DOD! They say he was terminated, and then they list a slew of infractions. Any of them that are true, were the result of following direct orders given by Dillon Graves!”

  “Either that, or by following the example of Dillon, Jadon, and the rest of the senior members of the group,” Aaron added.

  “But because you actually went to security with your concerns, you’re the one whose head was put on the chopping block,” I stated, my blood boiling.

  “Yes,” Aaron said. “That’s exactly what happened.”

  “One lawyer we spoke with said that if Aaron is found guilty, criminal charges could be filed against him,” Tia remembered, anxiety filling her eyes again.

  I reached in my purse and removed several cards.

  “This is your attorney,” I said, handing them the first.

  “Expect to hear from him in three hours,” Miles said.

  “Here’s the name of the investigator in charge of your case,” I said, handing them the second card.

  “Expect him to be here in an hour,” Miles said.

  “And here’s Miles’ card,” I said, handing them the third.

  “My cell number is on the back. If you need anything, call me.”

  “Thank you,” Aaron said, and they both looked ready to cry again.

  “You’re not alone in this anymore,” Miles said seriously. “What happened to you is wrong, but I promise you. We will make it right.”

  “Thank you,” Aaron said, again, and nodded. Relief began to replace the strain in his eyes. “I believe you.”

  “Good,” I replied. “Because he’s telling the truth.”

  ***

  I pulled back the curtain in the bedroom of our suite, and looked out on the night and the lights of the city. We were on the nineteenth floor, and the view was unlike anything I’d ever seen. In real life, anyway.

  Cars streamed back and forth down below, their headlights crisscrossing the roads. Streetlights illuminated the way for the pedestrians, who were out enjoying what the city had to offer after dark. Colorful neon signs identified the buildings around us. Some were ablaze with lit windows, and others were dotted sporadically.

  I watched for a moment, then closed the curtain and looked around the room.

  It was a beautiful space. The colors were crisp, consisting primarily of sky blues, sea greens, shades of tan and white, with a splash of vivid pink here and there. Ocean seascapes decorated the walls. The furniture was a light wood, I had no idea what it was, but the color reminded me of sand. There was a huge TV, which we probably wouldn’t use at all during our stay. In the other room was a table and chairs, desk, and couch, which we probably wouldn’t either. Maybe if we were here longer, but this was a quick trip. We were eager to get back home. Especially with twelve puppies in a hurry to grow up. Who knows what we missed already!

  For such a warm climate, you’d never know it by the temperature at which the indoors were kept. I rummaged for my robe and wrapped it snugly around me, rubbing my arms for warmth. I considered adjusting the thermostat again, which Miles already did more than once since our arrival. I decided against it, and turned the whole thing off. If that didn’t elicit a change for the warmer, I’d turn the heater on! Or open a window, if that was even possible on the nineteenth floor.

  The bed was the same size as our bed at the Lodge. And the estate. And our apartment. But there was one very big difference. It wasn’t cluttered with cats!

  I sank into the springy mattress with a sigh of relief, then rolled slowly from one side of the hotel room bed to the other, and back again. We’d been on the move constantly since leaving the Lodge early that morning. It felt good to have room to stretch, and a chance to relax.

  “What i
n the world are you doing?” Miles asked, laughing a little—perhaps in concern—as I rolled back to the edge of the bed, and sat up.

  “Rolling.”

  “Oh,” he said, setting the room service tray on the dresser. “It was far too obvious. I never would’ve guessed.”

  I laughed as I piled pillows at the head of the bed, then climbed back on and took the plate he offered me.

  “I was enjoying what it felt like to have the bed to myself for a change.”

  He raised an eyebrow and gave me a funny look. I gave him one.

  “What?” I wondered.

  “Whatever it is, I veto it.”

  I was briefly confused. Then I rolled my eyes, and couldn’t help laughing.

  “I can’t do this at home. There are always two large gray cats in the way.”

  “And they don’t take kindly to being squished,” he smiled, understanding now. He picked up his own plate, and I scooted over so he could join me.

  “No, and they don’t move, either. Well… unless you move them. They can’t resist you. Neither can I, but in a completely different way.”

  “Good. I was beginning to wonder,” he said seriously, but his hazel eyes gave him away. So did the truth.

  “That is so not the truth,” I replied. I kissed him, then we turned our attention to the plates on our laps. “I’m starving!”

  “Me too. I propose we place another order before they close for the night. This is only lunch, after all.”

  “I second your proposal, or pass it, or something,” I said.

  We gave up speech for several minutes, as we focused on getting the food off our plates, and into ourselves.

  “I have another proposal to make,” Miles said, as he set our empty plates aside, and we moved on to dessert. It wasn’t raspberry and white chocolate cheesecake like Chef Antonio’s, but it was cheesecake, and I wasn’t complaining.

  “So what’s your proposal?” I wondered.

  “Let’s never go this long without food again.”

  “Deal,” I agreed. “It was for a good cause, though.”

  “Yeah. It was,” Miles said. His eyes grew serious, as his thoughts traveled to the past. “You know, I can really relate to Aaron. He does the right thing, and everything goes horribly wrong. He’s falsely accused, and there’s nothing he can do about it. It’s as if no one hears him. Like they want him to be guilty. Finding the truth, clearing the innocent and convicting the guilty, that isn’t the goal.”

  “I couldn’t live with what happened to you,” I said in sympathetic understanding. “It was intolerable.”

  “You didn’t tolerate it. You didn’t rest until you set me free.”

  “I didn’t rest until you came back to me almost two months after the fact,” I corrected him.

  That got me the hug and kiss I expected it would.

  “Did I ever thank you for what you did for me?” he asked softly.

  “Every day, and in every way,” I replied sincerely.

  “If I never said the words, then I’m saying them now. Thank you. For proving me innocent and clearing my name. And for loving me enough to set me free.”

  “You’re determined to make me cry, aren’t you,” I said, blinking back sudden tears.

  “Something like that,” he said, his own voice rough with feeling.

  We hugged each other until the influx of emotion subsided. Then, we got back to our cheesecake and the topic of discussion.

  “We’ll do for Aaron, what you did for me,” Miles said.

  “He doesn’t deserve what happened to him,” I agreed. “Either Dillon Graves is just an idiot and didn’t know what would result when he told Aaron to execute that command, or… actually, there are several possibilities besides that.”

  “He wanted to get Aaron fired. That’s one, and that’s the only option Aaron suggested. That isn’t the only option, though.”

  “Another, is that Dillon Graves wanted that information available to someone outside the program. Was it for himself? He isn’t part of that program. Or, did he want it available to someone else?”

  “Someone inside Intersect, or out?” Miles wondered. “After what Aaron had to say about the group at Intersect and their lax attitude toward security, if the government really took the matter of security seriously, they’d be investigating Dillon Graves and the rest of those working on the development and research project.”

  “All the DOD knows is what Intersect wants them to. And that’s a small part of the truth, badly twisted. Intersect, though, they’re determined for Aaron to be guilty. Imagine if the security office at Intersect actually took security seriously. They’d have to clean house, and answer as to why so many infractions have gotten by them in the past few years. It was stunning what Aaron had to say.”

  “This will backfire on them,” Miles said grimly. “Before this is over, they’ll find themselves at the center of the investigation.”

  “Aaron will be completely exonerated, and Dillon Graves found guilty,” I said.

  “The way this guy plays around with people’s lives… if I had a list of people I dislike intensely, he’d be near the top.”

  “The guy better watch it. He’s succeeded in ticking off the most powerful guy in the world.”

  A smile flashed across Miles’ face at that, and he set our empty plates aside and put his arm around me.

  “I did say if I had a list. So now, let’s go over what we know about this guy. Dillon is arrogant and unpleasant to work with, according to Aaron, and we know that’s true. Dillon directed Aaron to execute the command that exposed classified files, and resulted in the loss of his job. Dillon and Elliott however, were friends. Dillon was shocked to learn of Elliott’s death, and it subdued him for a couple of weeks. Dillon resents Phillip because he was hired at a higher pay-grade and therefore is paid more to work there. He calls Phillip’s skills into question and looks for opportunities to undermine him. We know this, because he told Jack that directly. Dillon hired the guys who are watching Phillip and his family in order to intimidate Phillip. Yet he doesn’t want Phillip to leave.”

  “Do you think undermining him includes giving him directions that violate security procedure?” I wondered.

  “It could. But, Dillon doesn’t want Phillip fired.”

  “Does Phillip have something on Dillon?”

  “If he does, why doesn’t he use it?” Miles pointed out. “Although, considering how that backfired on Aaron, he may be afraid to.”

  “So maybe Phillip is afraid something he’s done will put him in the same situation Aaron is in. Or he’ll be blamed for something he didn’t do.”

  “And that… makes sense. But why is Dillon determined for him to remain at Intersect? In spite of that determination, he doesn’t give Phillip a reason to want to stay. Instead, Dillon continues to harass him. Then there’s the intimidation factor, causing Phillip to fear for the safety of his family.”

  “That would be more likely to drive Phillip away, than anything else,” I said. “But, it hasn’t. He doesn’t confront the people watching his house and following him, and he doesn’t notify the police.”

  “Instead, he’s preparing to take his family and disappear. That’s an extreme reaction, and not one a normal, ordinary person would jump to without good reason. So what’s the reason? Who does he think is watching his house, and who does he think sent them? I’m inclined to think he believes it’s someone other than Dillon.”

  “That rings true, although I can’t say for certain that it is,” I agreed.

  “Does Elliott fit into this in some way?” Miles wondered. “There’s reason to believe his death wasn’t the result of suicide. Is Dillon using that to terrorize Phillip into thinking he’s in danger? Or… is he in danger?”

  “You know what that would mean,” I said.

  “Yes. If Phillip is in danger, it means there’s someone involved in this besides Dillon Graves.”

  “Perhaps someone who is paying for access to classifi
ed files.”

  Miles took his phone out of his pocket and dialed, then put the phone on speaker.

  Two rings later, we had an answer.

  “Good evening, Mr. Bannerman,” Jackson answered. “What can I do for you?”

  “Hi, Jackson. Has Jack completed the case he was working?”

  There was a moment of silence. Miles and I looked at each other, wondering why.

  “Yes, Jack completed his investigation.”

  “Is Jack available? I have a job for him, if he is.”

  “I’m afraid not, Mr. Bannerman,” our PI said solemnly.

  “Is Jack alright?” Miles asked with concern.

  I was concerned too. The way Jackson spoke, I was afraid his nephew’s last case was, well, his nephew’s last case!

  “Jack will be fine,” Jackson answered. “It will be several weeks before he returns to freelancing, however.”

  “What happened?” I demanded to know. “Was he injured during an investigation?”

  Jackson hesitated again, but he did answer.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Jackson,” said Miles sympathetically.

  “Thank you, Mr. Bannerman.”

  “Was he badly injured?” I asked with concern.

  Again, with the hesitation. He was almost as bad as my Uncle Mark!

  “Jack sustained a blow to the face, resulting in substantial bruising and a broken nose,” Jackson finally answered.

  “Oh my goodness,” I said, thinking how glad I am Miles has superpowers! Not that he’d give anyone a chance to do that to him, anyway. If there was a fight, he’d win, abilities or not. I gave him an admiring look, in spite of my concern over Jackson’s nephew.

  “This was during his missing person investigation?” Miles asked, frowning a little. “Perhaps I misunderstood the circumstances.”

  “You understood correctly, Mr. Bannerman. Jack was taken off guard however, when the girl’s boyfriend mistook him for a hired killer.”

  “And that explains it,” Miles said.

  Well maybe to him it did!

  “Am I correct in assuming you wish to interview Dillon Graves and Jadon Helms a second time?” Jackson deduced.