by S. R. Booth
“Me too,” Billy replied from their large walk-in closet as he finished dressing for work.
“Are you sure you have to go to the office right now? Couldn’t it wait until later?” Sarah coaxed from the corner of the bed where she sat with one leg tucked under her. “I think we’ve both earned some time off.”
Billy stepped out of the closet looking handsome in a dark suit. He pointed to his ring. “You know I have to go.” Uncle Bill contacted him during their flight home and laid out the plan that was even now being implemented, and Billy’s part in it.
Sarah rolled her eyes and nodded. She knew he was right, but it was frustrating to never be able to speak freely for fear someone was listening.
“I’m going to visit Linda Brown this morning, then. I feel terrible for deserting her after the shooting.”
Billy walked over and took Sarah’s hands, pulling her from the bed and into his arms. He lowered his head close to her ear. “Be careful. You know these people will stop at nothing to ensure their plans aren’t upset.”
Sarah nodded against his chest. He didn’t have to tell her twice. She couldn’t put the images of the shooting out of her mind for long. All of those people just lying on the greenhouse floor. And that awful man talking to her afterwards. She shuddered and hugged Billy tightly before letting go.
Her eyes held a hint of fire as she tiptoed up to kiss his cheek and whispered in his ear, “Go stop this thing.”
“Good morning, Mr. Roth. Welcome back from your trip.”
Billy stopped at the receptionist’s desk. “Good morning, Ms. Sinclair. It’s good to be back. Do you have any messages or directives for me today?”
“Not yet, sir. Mr. Bryant asked that I let him know when you arrived so you might be hearing from him soon. He wanted to meet you at the airport himself but had a meeting that detained him. Oh, and you did receive a package this morning. I left it on your desk.” Not meeting his eyes, Ms. Sinclair turned abruptly to busy herself with paperwork on her desk.
“Thank you.” Billy frowned slightly, wondering at her obviously somber mood before he hurried toward his office. He had some research to do and hoped the package would contain what he needed to get started on it.
He admired his office again as he stepped through the door. The dark woods and large, life-like paintings, and of course the amazing view of the fountain and atrium. If things weren’t so confused right now he was sure he could really enjoy working in an environment like this. He had no time to waste, though.
Once his uncle and Mr. Radcliffe were alerted to what was going on, they discovered the plot had already permeated all levels of the company and was at the point of being implemented at any moment.
Billy opened the small box on his desk and pulled out the supplies his uncle told him about. One he was able to plug into the USB port on his computer to prevent it from being accessed from the outside. He guessed it was from the same source as the one Linda Brown gave Sarah for their home computer.
The next item he pulled out of the box was a small water fountain. According to the box it was supposed to be relaxing. Billy glanced at the huge fountain in the atrium behind him with a smirk; not much of a comparison.
He followed the directions, filled it with some water from the bathroom and soon had the mini fountain flowing on his desk. He watched it with a raised brow. Uncle Bill said it should disrupt any audio transmitters in the room and give Billy a bit more privacy. He wasn’t sure how such a tiny thing could do that, but he trusted Uncle Bill knew what he was talking about.
His first priority was contacting ‘Bob’. If he could just find out his real name he should be able to find him. Computer secure, he typed in ‘Bob’s’ home address and was able to access Scinegue personnel files to find his real name. Stanley Bennett. He stared at the name and remembered their first meeting and how far out the claims ‘Bob’ made had sounded.
Well, Stanley Bennett, you and I have much to discuss so we better start right now before anything else can sidetrack me, Billy decided.
Chapter 27
Billy buzzed the front desk on his intercom. “Ms. Sinclair, I would like for you to arrange a meeting for me with Stanley Bennett,” he told her in his most professional voice.
“Stanley Bennett, sir?” the receptionist’s voice squeaked.
“Yes, please.” Billy leaned back in his chair considering her response.
There was silence on the intercom before he heard Mary’s voice again. “May I come back and speak to you for a moment?”
Billy straightened in his chair. Was she suspicious? Did someone know about his connection with ‘Bob’? “Yes, of course,” he finally answered and waited nervously for her to arrive.
When Mary walked into the office she looked pale. She closed the door behind her and started talking right away, “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this. Mr. Bennett and his wife and children were killed in a terrible car accident yesterday. I guess you haven’t heard the news since you’ve been out of town. It was just awful.”
She walked uncertainly around his desk and sat gingerly on his lap. He would have believed she was coming on to him if it wasn’t for the look of fear in her eyes. She put her arms around his neck and bent her head close to his cheek as he sat stiffly, unsure how to respond.
“The offices are bugged,” she whispered, “and there are cameras. Put your arms around me.”
He did as she said, but all he could think was that Bob was dead. He was the fatality Mr. Radcliffe told them about last night! His heart pounded at both the terrible news about Bob and what the implications of the accident might be. The awkward situation he found himself in with a beautiful but terrified woman sitting on his lap only added to his discomfort.
“There’s a lot going on in this company right now and not all of it is good. There are rumors that Mr. Bennett’s accident was not an accident.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Billy whispered against her ear.
She pulled back slightly so she could look at him. “You are a good man, and I don’t want you getting tangled up in anything that could hurt you.”
“Are you ‘tangled’ up in it?” Billy asked quietly, trusting that his fountain would take care of sound but unsure if it would block video as well.
“Not directly,” she sighed. “In my position I see and hear many things. I’m literally putting my life in your hands by telling you this. If you tell anyone I told you anything I really believe I could be in the next car accident.”
Billy debated whether he could trust this woman or not. She could be part of an elaborate trap. Maybe just the fact that he asked to speak to Bennett set off warning bells with someone, and Mary had been sent to throw him off their track. He felt a little foolish as he used Sarah’s trick of pulling an idea from a television show.
He grabbed Mary’s wrist firmly so he could feel her pulse and looked into her startled eyes. “Can I trust you?” he asked.
She narrowed her eyes at his strange action and answered slowly, “Yes. Can I trust you?”
He couldn’t discern a noticeable change in her heartbeat that might indicate she was lying. He wasn’t sure if that was even a realistic way to tell, but he could really use her help.
“You can trust me.” He let go of her wrist. “Are there cameras in the room?”
She nodded and rubbed her wrist, looking at him warily.
“Where?”
“I only know of one. It’s in the doorframe behind you that leads to the atrium so they can see what you’re doing on the computer. The office is also bugged,” she whispered in a hoarse voice. “They might be listening right now.”
“I have the audio part taken care of. Just be sure to face away from the camera when you talk.”
“How are you blocking the audio?”
“It’s a long story. I’ve learned a lot about the company during the past couple of days. Are you willing to risk helping me?”
She stared at him before indirectly answering.
“I know there are bad things going on in the company, and that many lives will be in danger if someone doesn’t stop them.”
“Do you have any idea who still believes in Scinegue’s core values to improve humanity without doing any harm, and who is on the other side trying to move things along faster, no matter what the cost?”
She bit her bottom lip and looked away from him before nodding. “I know Mr. Bennett was a good guy,” she said quietly with tears in her eyes.
“He gave me a few hints from time to time about what was going on. I think he was trying to protect me because he never told me much. I could tell over the past few weeks he was getting nervous about something. He must have found out that someone was on to him.”
She shook her head again. “It’s just terrible. I met his wife and she was so sweet, and they had two tiny little boys.” Her eyes filled with tears and Billy pulled her close, letting her cry softly on his shoulder.
How could there be so many deaths with no one making any connections between them? he wondered. His uncle’s words came back to him: Money and connections, he’d said. Money and connections.
Mary pulled away and dried her eyes. “I’m sorry. I haven’t been able to talk to anyone about this, and as horrible as it all is, it’s such a relief to have someone that I know I can trust.”
There was a firm knock at the door before Mr. Bryant walked in. Mary jumped from Billy’s lap, flustered and embarrassed and smoothed her skirt in a nervous motion. “I’ll get that information for you right away,” she ad-libbed before hurrying out of the office while avoiding eye contact with Mr. Bryant.
Billy took in Mr. Bryant’s arched eyebrows and cold look and wondered if he would comment on the situation.
Mr. Bryant didn’t make him wonder long. “We do not encourage office romances, Mr. Roth,” he said firmly. “And I do believe you have a wife at home, do you not?”
Billy almost grinned at his prim tone but caught himself and answered contritely. “Yes, you are right of course. I do apologize.”
“Don’t apologize to me!” he snapped. “You are the one with the wife you couldn’t give up for anything, and then just days later you sit here with another woman on your lap.” He shook his head with apparent disgust, then cleared his throat and changed the subject. “I wanted to talk to you about your meeting with the Top. Would now be a good time?”
Billy thought fast. He didn’t have a feel one way or the other about where Mr. Bryant’s loyalty lay. He really seemed to enjoy the ‘eugenics’ facets of the company, but he sounded as if he almost worshipped the Tops and surely knew what their beliefs were. And his distaste of the awkward situation he believed he’d caught Billy in made it seem as if he had some deep moral values. Well, the people trying to wipe out a huge chunk of the population probably had some strong moral values too, just not against killing. Billy knew he couldn’t take any chances.
“I have time whenever you do, but I’m afraid the meeting was completely confidential. I won’t be able to tell you anything about it.”
Mr. Bryant bristled, and Billy was sure he saw his eyes flash a bright, glowing blue. Billy blinked and Mr. Bryant’s eyes were normal, but his face was red.
“I’ve been with this company for almost twenty years, and they bring you in,” Mr. Bryant eyed Billy with distaste, “some kid who has been working as a trash collector, and send you into secret meetings with Tops? Typical.” With an inelegant huff he turned on his heel, closing Billy’s office door firmly behind him.
Just a few minutes later Billy heard a timid knock on his door. “Come in,” he called.
Mary peeked in. “I waited until I was sure Mr. Bryant was gone.” She slipped into the office and quietly closed the door. “Would you be comfortable doing a little acting so we can get away from the cameras without looking too suspicious?” she asked, keeping her head averted from the camera.
He shrugged and she walked to him, pulled him from his chair and kissed him passionately before leading him, with a seductive smile towards the camera, to the bathroom. Once the bathroom door was closed she dropped his hand, hurrying to turn on the water in the tub full blast.
“Sorry. Your wife is really going to hate me for that, I’ll bet. It was the only believable excuse I could think of for us to be in the bathroom together.” She pointed at the running water. “Mr. Bennett told me running water interferes with listening devices.” She shrugged. “I really don’t know if the bathroom is bugged or not, but there are no cameras that I’m aware of.”
Billy rubbed a hand over his mouth. “Wow. Okay.” He leaned against the sink. “You’ve got to give a guy a little more warning before something like that. And no, Sarah won’t be happy, but she’ll understand. She knows what’s going on. Well, at least as much of it as I do.”
Mary pulled a folder from under her jacket. “This was something Mr. Bennett was working on. I took it from his office when I heard about his ‘accident’. He was compiling a list of who was on his side and who wasn’t. He said with the Tops controlling this whole annihilation he probably wouldn't be able to stop it, but he had to try. He thought if he could find enough people still loyal to the original goals of Scinegue, maybe they could all work together to stop whatever is going on.”
“The Tops aren’t behind it though!” Billy exclaimed. “Well, there might be one or two involved, that isn’t clear yet, but the majority weren’t aware that the company was infiltrated until recently. They said this has happened many times before over the years, but no one has ever been able to take things this far.”
“It sounds like you know a lot about what’s going on,” Mary said with a piercing look and questioning tone.
“Yes and no. I,” Billy paused, wondering if he could really trust this woman. “Let’s just say I learned a few things while I was out of town.”
“But Billy, rumors say you are the key to everything,” Mary whispered watching for his reaction.
Billy shook his head and looked at her in confusion. “I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean. I barely know what’s going on. What would I be a key to?”
Mary ignored his question and laid the open folder on the counter by the sink. “It appears to be written in code.” Her brow furrowed as she leaned closer to the paper.
Billy laughed. “Bennett did like his codes, didn’t he?” His laughter evaporated as he remembered that Bennett was gone.
“Did you know him well? Mr. Bennett?” Mary asked without looking up as she jotted down numbers and letters on a blank sheet of paper.
“I didn’t really know him at all,” Billy said quietly and Mary looked up in confusion.
“You just said...never mind. I think I see a pattern here. If I take this number and then alter the letters after it by that many positions in the alphabet...” She scribbled down some letters. “Yes! This first word comes out as Eugene so the code must be right or it wouldn’t have made a real word. It will just take a little bit of time, and then we should have the whole list.” She smiled up at Billy.
Billy recognized the code and realized it seemed like a lifetime had passed since he deciphered his first coded message from ‘Bob’. Bennett, he reminded himself. He watched Mary as she jotted down letters and wondered if he should be letting her get this information. If she was on the bad side, this list of names could mean more deaths. But, he argued with himself, if that was her intent, why did she bring the list to him? No one knew she had it. She could have just deciphered it on her own and no one would have been the wiser.
“Mary, wait,” Billy said, putting a hand on her shoulder.
She looked up in surprise. “Yes?”
“Once you decode all of those names, those people will be in danger. You don’t really know if you can trust me, and I don’t really know if I can trust you. Even if we’re both on the ‘good’ side, if we don’t know the names we can’t let them slip to someone who might not be good.” He let that soak in for a minute.
“Besides, there are already some
Tops looking into all of this. They’ll probably get everything straightened out before we even get all the names decoded. We should probably just give this list to them.”
“How do you know you can trust them?” Mary asked looking him in the eye. “Bennett seemed to think only Tops could cause this situation to escalate to the point that it has. As I’m sure you know they are an elite group chosen for many reasons, with high intelligence being one of the main factors. Do you really think they could have all been blinded to what’s going on?”
“Well, like I said, there might be one or two involved.” He shrugged. “It isn’t clear yet.”
“From what I understand, the Tops operate more like one unit rather than a group of people working together. I don’t know everything about them; however I do know they have some type of special connection.”
Billy thought of the rings that allowed them to communicate so easily. “They probably do stay in close contact, but if one or two of them were hiding something, I’m sure they would be careful not to let the others find out.”
“It’s more than that. They almost function as one person somehow. They wouldn’t be able to keep secrets like that from each other.”
“That doesn’t even sound possible. It’s probably just a rumor someone started. I’m going to contact my, um, one of the Tops and see what he thinks we should do about this.”
“Billy, wait!” Mary stopped him abruptly. “That’s not a good idea.”
When Billy just stared at her Mary put a hand to her mouth and nervously rubbed a finger over her bottom lip. Coming to a decision she said, “I’m not just a receptionist.”
Billy silently raised an eyebrow, forcing her to continue.
“I wasn’t supposed to tell you any of this yet.” Her voice became brisk and businesslike. “We had decided we needed more time to be sure which side you would take in the battle.”
“In the battle,” Billy repeated slowly, nodding his head and looking at the woman in front of him as if she were clearly losing her mental capacities. “I know some people have been killed because of someone’s grand scheme to ‘make the world a better place by killing everyone’, but I don’t think that makes it a battle exactly.”
