Halpren was lying on a deep-flotation, burn-recovery water bed. Ultra light-weight gauze covered most of his body. His head was totally wrapped except for a narrow slit for his eyes and mouth. He was not covered with a sheet. Simply the weight of the light fabric could cause excruciating pain to exposed and damaged skin. Many tubes and wires connected him to a variety of monitoring, recording and medicine dispensing appliances and devices. They heard the rapid, although muted, ‘beep, beep, beep’ of the heart rate and blood pressure electronic monitors and could see the actual figures displayed on an LCD screen. His heart rate was 112, his blood pressure 142 over 93.
Claire stayed near the door with her back leaning against the glass wall as Herc slowly approached the head of the bed. “Hey, Rich. It’s Herc.”
Halpren’s head, which had been facing away, gradually turned to see his friend. Claire saw him try to smile and heard him try to clear his throat. He feebly signaled with one hand for his friend to come closer. Herc pulled up a chair, sat down and leaned over to put his ear close to Halpren’s mouth. For nearly 10 minutes Claire could see but not hear Halpren talking. Every now and then he would stop. She guessed he was trying to gather strength to continue. Occasionally Herc would mutter something in response or shake or nod his head.
Suddenly, Claire heard the beeps identifying Halpren’s heart rate begin to accelerate. She looked up and saw it was 131 and climbing, his blood pressure 159 over 109. She looked back at Halpren and could see him looking at something beyond Herc, his eyes wide. She turned and saw on the other side of the glass, a tall, heavily built man, dressed in an FBI jacket, staring into the room. The nurse was apparently demanding he put on a set of scrubs but he was ignoring her. He continued to stare calmly through the glass at Herc and his friend.
“Herc!” Claire whispered desperately.
He turned to face her, “Yes. What.....?” At that moment he saw the agent and turned to look at Claire, unease written all over his countenance. But before he could say anything to her, Halpren reached out and actually grabbed Herc’s forearm. Claire knew the exertion had to be tortuous. Herc turned back and again leaned over to listen to something. This time the words were coming at greater speed and with even more struggle. Claire watched for a few seconds, then turned back to look outside Halpren’s isolation room. She could see the nurse had returned to the station and was on the phone. The agent, oddly enough, had what appeared to be a large bruise on his jaw. He was intently staring at Herc and Halpren, who were still conversing. The agent turned slightly to look at her with battleship-grey eyes. She’d met many people in her life but never had she felt so intimidated by just a “look.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a wallet. He flipped it open and pushed an official-looking FBI ID against the glass. It said his name was Carlton Ludlow and he was a “Special Agent.” With the other hand he signaled her to come out.
Seconds later Herc slowly pivoted away from Halpren, then stood to face the agent through the glass, who also signaled Herc to come out. As Herc looked at her, a demeanor that she couldn’t identify had replaced the unease.
“This guy’s dangerous!” he whispered as he lead the way out of the room. “Be careful what you say.”
Before the door could close behind them they heard loud alarms sounding from the nurse’s station. Claire looked back inside Haplren’s room at the monitor and could see his heart rate and blood pressure plummeting. The nurse, who had been talking on the phone, slammed it down and jabbed at something else. Bright lights on the walls began strobing. A loud chime began sounding and a deceptively calm recorded voice began broadcasting over the PA system, “Burn unit code blue. Burn unit code blue.”
“Everybody out of the way!” she yelled as she bolted out from behind the station and toward Halpren’s room.
Claire and Herc quickly backed up toward the opposite wall. Ludlow stood his ground forcing the nurse to dodge around him.They watched as she flung open the door and immediately begin chest compressions on Halpren. 30 seconds later, the main doors of the unit flew open and a group of doctors and nurses pounded in. They were pushing what Claire knew was the “crash cart,” reserved for the emergency resuscitation of critical patients in cardiac arrest.
Also with them was the burn unit clerk. As the emergency team crowded into Halpren’s room she quickly approached Claire, Herc and the FBI agent.
“All of you must get back into the main hallway, right now!”
Within moments they were all standing in front of the clerk’s desk. She glared at Ludlow. “I thought I told you to put on the medical scrubs!”
“You did,” he answered impassively.
“Then why didn’t you!?”
“Because it was unnecessary. I didn’t go into the patient’s room.”
“Every visitor is absolutely required to follow all burn unit protocols!” She walked around to sit back down behind her desk. “Now I’m going to have to fill out a report why this happened! You’d think being an FBI agent you’d understand such things!”
“I need to speak with these two in private,” he replied, indicating Claire and Herc. “Why don’t you go back into the burn unit and find out what’s happening? Mr. Halpren’s condition is of great importance to me.”
“I’ve got important things of my own to........!”
“Not out here you don’t,” the big man said as he leaned over the desk.
She stared up at him for a few seconds, then gulped. “I guess there are a few things I could do in there as well.” She pushed the button to open the doors and swiftly left, muttering to herself.
As the doors closed Ludlow said, “Now that we’ve dispensed with that little annoyance, I’d like to see some ID from each of you.”
Herc paused for a few seconds, considering something, then pulled out his wallet as Claire fished in her small purse.
As Ludlow examined their respective driver’s licenses and work IDs, he scribbled something in a small notebook he’d produced from his jacket, then handed them back. “I need to know what Mr. Halpren was saying to you before he went into cardiac arrest,” he brusquely said to Herc
Claire could see Herc carefully gauging his response. “Why?”
Ludlow blinked. Claire immediately saw he was surprised by the brash response. She could only assume he wasn’t used to anyone challenging his authority. “Because I’m conducting an investigation.”
“Of what? Rich’s accident is nothing more than that. Even if it wasn’t, I don’t see how or why the FBI would be involved. This is a local matter, nothing more.”
“Are you refusing to cooperate with a federal agent?”
“I’m telling you that I’m under no legal obligation to reveal to you what Rich said to me. We’re old friends. He was simply sharing some of the deep regrets in life. Nothing more!”
Ludlow took a step toward Herc, “I think you’d better reconsider your position, Mr. Ramond. I strongly suspect Halpren said a lot more things to you than simply confessing his life’s sins. Interfering with the FBI in the midst of a lawful investigation is a serious offense!”
Herc took a step of his own. Now the two men were no more than a foot apart, staring at each other. “I couldn’t care less what you suspect! His last words.....”
The doors to the burn unit opened and the code blue team walked out. Claire could see from their expressions that no questions would be necessary to understand what had happened. She was, however, surprised at how little time they’d spent attempting to revive Halpren. She speculated the man was simply too far gone.
Herc, Ludlow and Claire stepped back to allow the group to pass. As they disappeared down the hall, Claire heard Herc whisper “Damn!” It was the first time she’d heard him utter any kind of profanity. Ludlow on the other hand seemed to be completely unfazed by the demise of the man whose suspicious death he seemed to be investigating.
He turned back to Herc. “I’m going to give you one more opportunity. What did Halpren say to you?!”
> Claire waited for Herc to again get in the agent’s face. It wouldn’t have surprised her if the two had started yelling at each other, even gotten into some sort of physical confrontation. Although Herc was at least 50 pounds lighter and several inches shorter than Ludlow, she had little doubt Herc would hold his own. To her surprise, Herc calmly said to her, “Time for us to go, Claire. Nothing more to do here.” He put an arm around her shoulder and began leading her down the hallway.
From behind she heard Ludlow shout, “If you think this is the end of our conversation, Mr. Ramond, you’re sadly mistaken! You can bet on it!”
When they reached the Porsche and settled in their seats, Claire asked, “What did Halpren say to you?”
As he started the car he looked at her. “He said Ludlow was the one who tried to kill him at his house.”
“What?! Why?!”
“That’s what we’re going to try to find out. You’d better buckle up. I think its going to be a bumpy ride.”
Chapter 28
A little after 11 p.m. Claire and Herc walked up to the front entrance of Kayode Seok’s home at One Seoul Boulevard on the grounds of his spaceport. Claire was expecting a palatial estate but was surprised at the modest exterior. Normally, she would have questions about why a billionaire would choose such a relatively humble abode, but given the seriousness of the evenings events she thought it would be best to hold those questions until later.
During the trip back from Lubbock—again driven at breakneck speeds—Herc had detailed what Richard Halpren had said to him in the burn unit. Although there were still many unanswered critical questions—and holes—surrounding the story, she was still astonished, if not stunned, by the basics of what Herc’s late friend had told him.
Herc had called Kay from the car to ask if they could meet immediately. He hadn’t given many details over the phone other than Rich Halpren had died as the result of an explosion and fire at his house. He’d said he would provide all the details when they met.
Within moments of Herc ringing the bell, the door opened and a tired-looking Kay greeted them.
“Herc, Claire. Come in.” He turned to lead them back into the spacious, yet unassuming living room; tastefully decorated in modern, very comfortable-looking furniture. The walls were again covered with aviation related and family photos. “Please excuse Kyung not saying hello,” he said as they were seated. “She’s a little under the weather. I guess I’m not a hundred percent either. I’ve got so much on my plate......” He let the thought go unfinished.
“I’m sorry, Kay. If you need some rest, we can come back in the morning.”
“No, it’s all right. What you were saying over the phone seems to warrant meeting like this. Why don’t you just lay everything on the table and let’s see what we’ve got.”
Herc paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, then pushed ahead. “As I said, our senior jet engine mechanic, Rick Halpren, died as the result of a big explosion yesterday at his home. We ran into a deputy sheriff and fire marshall at the hospital who say the preliminary forensic evidence seems to point toward the cause being arson or possibly homicide. I was flabbergasted by the idea of someone plotting and killing someone as harmless as Rich. The only person in his life he might have even remotely called an enemy would’ve been his ex-wife. But they’ve been apart for years now and from what he said he thinks she lives somewhere around L.A..
Before he died, though, he was able to tell me what he thinks happened at his house.” Herc paused again, shaking his head. “You aren’t going to believe this. He said an FBI agent, who was also at the hospital, was the person responsible for the explosion.”
Kay looked at Herc and then Claire in astonishment. “Why would the FBI want to kill Rich?!”
Herc spread his hands. “I’m not sure Kay, but Rich was positive this agent was the one.”
“How did he know?”
“Last night, somewhere around 2 or 3 in the morning, he heard a noise in his kitchen. He got up to check it out and saw this big man messing around his gas stove. Naturally, he was afraid to confront the guy or do anything else to give himself away, but there was just enough light to see the guy’s face. It was apparently the same guy who showed up at the hospital, telling us he was an FBI agent. Anyway, a few minutes later Rich heard what sounded like splashing liquid, then smelled gasoline. He saw the guy leave right after that, so he tried calling 911 but couldn’t get his cell phone to connect. He then tried his landline. It’s the last thing he remembers. More than likely, picking up the handset on the phone created just enough of a spark to set off the natural gas.”
“I’m sorry. None of this makes much sense. Did this supposed FBI agent show you any ID at the hospital?”
“Yeah. Looked legit. He also had on a standard-issue FBI jacket. You can’t buy those at your local Walmart.”
Kay shook his head. “It seems so amateurish, so sloppy: Sabotaging the stove, throwing gasoline everywhere. Whoever was at Rich’s home sounds more like a burglar trying to cover his crime, not an FBI agent!”
“Hang on. There’s more. Rich also thought his explosion was connected to another strange death that happened a couple of weeks ago in Colorado.”
Kay leaned back in the sofa, obviously perplexed and unsure what to say or questions to ask. He waved a hand. “Go ahead.”
“The next part is where the story gets really scary. Rich was an amateur astronomer. That I knew. What I didn’t know was he’d made friends while in an astronomical forum with a guy named Frank Whalen. He lives in Colorado Springs. Seems Whalen had discovered what he thought was a new comet and sent the details to whatever the official organization is that certifies that sort of thing. Within minutes he gets what amounts to a cease-and-desist e-mail from some super-secret U.S. agency. It tells him that unless he forgets about the comet he’s in serious trouble. What that trouble is, the letter doesn’t spell out. What’s scary about the whole thing is that Whalen is killed in his home not long after, apparently by a meth addict, who, by the way, also ends up dead.”
“The whole thing is beginning to sound like it came straight out of a science fiction murder mystery,” Seok exclaimed. Then he looked at both of them carefully. “Unless I’m mistaken, there’s more to this nightmare.”
Herc looked at Claire, then said. “It’s your idea. Why don’t you tell him?”
“Herc and I talked it over on the way back. What occurred to us is the comet is real and it’s headed our way. How big it is, when it might get to Earth or if it’s going to hit us at all, are things we obviously don’t know. But if our scenario is true—and it’s a big if—the government would most certainly know.” She stopped to take a breath. “Here goes, and I know this sounds crazy but......the government wants to keep it secret as long as possible so they can deal with the threat the comet might pose to all of us. They figure that if word leaks out chaos breaks out worldwide.”
“So when the comet is found by amateur astronomers around the world,” Herc continued, “—and there are thousands of them—they get a letter, or an e-mail or a visit from their respective governments’ warning them in no-uncertain terms to leave it alone, keep quiet, or else. I can’t help but wonder how many others have died mysteriously or simply disappeared after they got an e-mail and refused to do what it told.”
The three stopped for a few minutes, transfixed by the bleak picture they were painting; conflicted by what, if anything they should do.
Claire broke the silence. “We can’t let this happen. We’ve got to go public!”
“What do we say, Claire?” Kay responded. “That some astronomers died in odd circumstances? Nobody would believe us, especially when the FBI and everybody else at the federal level would emphatically deny it.”
Suddenly Claire remembered something. “The explosion in Cambridge! I heard on the news there are some who now suspect it was a terrorist plot gone awry; that the astrophysics building was not the intended target at all. Remember the computer in the b
asement that belonged to the.....the....I can’t remember the name of the organization.”
“The International Astronomical Union,” Herc added. “They were the owners. The computer held comet discoveries for the last, what, hundred or so years. Maybe that’s it. The government must have believed it presented a threat to their conspiracy. But how or why?”
“Didn’t the lead detective on the case from Massachusetts disappear?” Kay asked.
“Come to think of it, he did.” Herc said. “He vanished out of his hotel and has never been seen since. Maybe he sniffed out the truth, told the wrong people and paid the price.”
“Oh...my....God!” Claire breathed quietly.
“What?!” Herc said.
“That FBI agent must think we know what he’s doing and why,” she said. “That’s why he was questioning you! And since you refused to answer, he’s probably got us literally in his crosshairs! And I showed him my Sentinel ID! I’ll bet he thinks I’m going to write an article about the whole thing!”
“As I think about it now, maybe you should,” Kayode said calmly.
All three were silent for nearly a minute as they considered the idea.
“We need more solid evidence.” Claire finally said. “The Sentinel or any other reputable paper would refuse to run it. We don’t know for a fact that Whalen was murdered by Ludlow. We don’t know that Halpren put two and two together and came up with a massive government conspiracy. He probably only suspected like we do. We don’t know for sure the Cambridge explosion was intended to take out the computer.......”
“The resupply of the ISS!” Herc almost yelled out. “I couldn’t understand why they were doing it now, when it’s well stocked already. They’re doing it because..... because, it’s worse than we thought.” His voice trailed off.
Blinding Fear Page 17
