Simple Genius

by David Baldacci

  hint of doubt, or worse, untruth.

  When Sean returned he had Alicia in tow. Michelle looked up and noted the woman’s sleepy features and then, visible at the bottom of her calf-length pajama pants, the artificial leg. Sean made quick introductions.

  “I didn’t know she had come downstairs,” Alicia said. She focused on Sean with an angry look. “We waited for you until it was very late.”

  “I’m sorry, Alicia, I got hung up on something else.”

  “Maybe we should just rethink the arrangement then.”

  “I’m here,” Michelle said, rising from the floor, but still holding on to Viggie’s hand. “I’m Michelle Maxwell, Sean’s partner. Between the two of us we’ll be able to handle things now.”

  Alicia stared at Sean for a long moment and then nodded her head at Michelle. “I see that you and Viggie have already made friends.”

  Michelle smiled at the girl. “I think Viggie and I will be great friends.”

  Viggie jumped up and raced to the piano in the other room. From the darkness they heard the song she was playing.

  Michelle turned to Sean. “Wow, that’s amazing.”

  “It’s Viggie’s way of showing that she likes you,” Alicia explained.

  “Why was she so upset?” Sean asked.

  She said in a low voice, “That damn FBI agent, Ventris, came by earlier tonight. He started going into Monk’s death. And Viggie overheard him.”

  “Oh, hell!” Sean exclaimed.

  “You should’ve seen Viggie a few hours ago. She was inconsolable. I had to tell her the truth. I couldn’t lie to her, not when she was like that. I finally had the staff doctor prescribe a sedative for her. She was asleep when I finally went to bed, but I guess the meds wore off.”

  Sean said, “What the hell was Ventris doing here talking to you?”

  “He wanted to question Viggie at first, but I put my foot down. I don’t think he meant for her to overhear him, but he didn’t stick around to help with her either.”

  “What did he want to know?” Michelle asked.

  “If I had any idea why Monk Turing would have gone to Camp Peary. Or if he’d mentioned going there before.”

  Sean and Michelle exchanged quizzical expressions. Sean said, “I was told that officially the Bureau thinks Monk killed himself.”

  Alicia coaxed Viggie off the piano, but the little girl refused to go to sleep until Michelle took her hand, led her up the stairs and put her to bed.

  After they said good night to Alicia, Sean and Michelle settled into their bedrooms. Sean came in and sat on Michelle’s bed while she was still unpacking.

  “Don’t worry, it won’t take you long to mess up this place,” he commented.

  “What a comedian you are. So what happened to Alicia’s leg?”

  Sean explained about her experience in Iraq and her job here at Babbage Town.

  “Amazing lady.” Michelle added, “It must have been horrible for Viggie to find out that way about her dad.”

  “It must have been,” Sean agreed. There was a vibrating sound. He groaned and glanced at his phone.

  Michelle smiled and said, “Let me guess, Little Miss Joanie? Are you going to ignore her again?”

  “No, if I don’t answer this time she’ll probably head straight down to Babbage Town.”

  “Wow, that would be a lot of fun,” Michelle said, as she slipped her pistol under the pillow. “Maybe you shouldn’t answer then. If she does come down, I could accidentally shoot her thinking she’s some predator looking for fresh meat. Oh, that won’t work, because she is a predator and my shooting her wouldn’t be an accident.”

  “You’re not really helping matters. I have to reason with her.”

  “Go ahead. But while you’re doing that I really want to hear you tell the witch off once and for all.”

  Sean stood. “That witch is signing our paychecks, or at least mine. So let me just handle this misery in the peace and comfort of my own room.”

  “Coward. Are you going to tell her I’m here?”

  “I said let me handle it, Michelle.”

  “What is it with men and confrontation? Women have no trouble at all going for the jugular.”

  After he left, Michelle slipped down the hall and opened the door to Viggie’s room. The girl was sitting up in bed in the dark. “It’s me, Mick,” Michelle said.

  In a tiny voice Viggie said, “Hi, Mick.”

  “Like me to sit with you for a bit?”

  Viggie held out her hand.

  Michelle lay down next to the frightened child in the darkness. As the girl’s hand touched hers, Michelle felt a jolt as the fragments of a distant and unwelcome memory hit her. Another frightened little girl sat all alone in the dark trying to make sense of the indecipherable. In a flash the image was gone, leaving Michelle as puzzled, confused and scared as the little girl next to her.

  CHAPTER

  43

  JOAN DILLINGER SCREAMED AT HIM for a full two minutes, though it felt longer. She even played the guilt card.

  “I went out on a limb for you, Sean. And this, this is how you repay me?”

  “I didn’t return your calls because I didn’t have anything to report. What’s the big deal?”

  “I’ll tell you what the big deal is. My boss got a call from no one less than the DDO at Central Intelligence telling him in no uncertain terms that we better back the hell off, and he named you as one of the chief offenders. The Deputy Director of Operations for God’s sake!”

  “Ian Whitfield didn’t waste any time getting that done. I wonder how he knew your firm was on the case.”

  “They’re the CIA, Sean, they can find out things. Hell, half the people at my firm worked at Langley at some point.”

  “I can’t stop the police from investigating a murder, Joan.”

  “Oh and that’s another thing. So you’re telling me that you’re now affiliated with the police?”

  “It gets me into places I wouldn’t otherwise be able to, which increases the chances that I’ll find out the truth. Isn’t that what I’m supposed to be doing?”

  “Sean, when you were hired to do this job—”

  Interrupting, he said, “Yeah, let’s get that straight right now. Who hired us?”

  “Len Rivest.”

  “He’s only the head of security. Someone had to authorize him to hire your firm.”

  “Well, did you think of asking him?”

  “It doesn’t matter if I did or not now. He’s dead.”

  “What!”

  “He’s dead. I’m surprised the DDO failed to let that little tidbit slip.”

  “I can’t believe it. Len was a good guy. We went way back.”

  Sean said, “I’m sure you did; however, his status as a good guy has not been established in my mind.”

  “What do you mean by that?” she said sharply.

  “He was murdered, Joan. And in my experience people get murdered for one of two reasons. One, because someone didn’t like them. Two, because someone didn’t want them alive to talk.”

  “You think Len was involved in Monk Turing’s death?”

  “Murders so close together tend to be connected.”

  “It hasn’t been established that Monk was murdered.”

  “Technically, it hasn’t been established that Len was either, but I’m sure that he was. And by the way, someone took a couple of shots at me. I think they came from the vicinity of Camp Peary.”

  “Good God, all this happened and you never called me?”

  “I’ve been busy. So getting back to my original question: Who hired us?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Joan, I’m tired and I’m totally pissed off at the world. So don’t play games with me. Len Rivest said ‘countries would go to war’ for whatever they’re doing here.”

  “He said that?”

  “And you didn’t know?”

  “I didn’t. I swear, Sean. From the little I knew of the case, I figured you
’d pull a few days down there and it would be concluded that Turing killed himself on Camp Peary grounds. It’s happened before, you know.”

  “Yeah, Ian Whitfield enlightened me on that point. But the dynamic has changed now with Rivest’s death.”

  “If they are connected.”

  “My gut tells me they are.”

  “Then I’m sending down reinforcements.”

  “I’ve already got someone.”

  There was a long pause and then Joan hissed. “Are you telling me that she’s down there with you?”

  “Who, Mildred?”

  “Michelle effing Maxwell!” she screamed so loudly that Sean had to pull the cell phone away from his ear.

  “That’s right,” he replied calmly. “She just showed up and reported for duty.”

  “She does not work for this firm.”

  “I know. I’m subcontracting the work out to her.”

  “You have no authority to do that.”

  “Actually, I do. I’m an independent contractor to your firm. In paragraph fifteen, subsection d of the contract I signed with your company it gives me the latitude to consult with assets that I deem appropriate to the task so long as payment for such assets comes out of my fees.”

  “You actually read the contract?”

  “I always read the contract, Joan. So maybe together we can get to the bottom of this thing. I’ve also got another friend coming down, a psychologist by the name of Horatio Barnes.”

  “Why? Or am I not entitled under the contract to question your choice of assets?”

  “Monk Turing’s young daughter,” he said simply. “She found out a little while ago that her father’s dead and went hysterical. And she’s also not so easy to communicate with on the best of days. But I think Horatio may be able to get through to her.”

  Apparently having resigned herself to these developments Joan said, “Do you think the girl may know something about her father’s death?”

  “Right now it’s one of the few leads we have.”

  “Sean, risking your life is not in the job description.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “On the other hand, tell Mildred she’d look positively stunning eating a large-caliber bullet meant for you.”

  “Doubtless she already knows your feelings on the subject.”

  Sean put the phone down, collapsed back on his bed fully clothed and fell asleep. He had no concerns for his personal safety now. The A team was right across the hall. It was probably a good thing he couldn’t see how scared and confused his A team was. The man would not have slept nearly so soundly.

  CHAPTER

  44

  WHEN HORATIO BARNES ARRIVED early the next morning Champ was not as accommodating as he had been to Michelle.

  “We are not a resort!” Champ exploded.

  “But I think he can help Viggie,” Sean said.

  “Then he can do it from a distance, dammit. This is a highly secure facility full of highly confidential research and I don’t even know who this man is.”

  “I can vouch for him. And you let Michelle stay here,” Sean countered. “You don’t know her either. So what’s the difference?”

  Champ snapped, “No!” and stalked off.

  Horatio was relegated to a bed-and-breakfast in the nearby town of White Feather.

  Michelle thankfully was not up yet so Sean borrowed a car and followed Horatio to White Feather. After Horatio checked in the two men sat in the dining room having a cup of coffee.

  “Nice area,” Horatio said. “Except for all the people being slaughtered, I might’ve considered retiring down here.”

  “Tell me about Tennessee,” Sean prompted.

  When Horatio had finished, Sean said, “What’s a whacked rose hedge got to do with Michelle’s problems?”

  “I don’t know if it has any connection.” He studied Sean over his cup of coffee. “So how’s our girl doing?”

  “Seems to be in fine form. She hit the ground running.”

  “That might not last. So talk to me about Viggie.”

  Sean did so and Horatio sat back. “This doesn’t sound like it will be easy. How do you want to play it? This Champ chump won’t let me on the grounds.”

  “I can bring Viggie here. Alicia will okay it. She really cares about the girl.”

  “Good. Did you tell Michelle I was coming?”

  “No, but she’ll find out soon enough. When I explain it’s for Viggie’s benefit I think it’ll be okay. She seems to have bonded really quickly with her.”

  “That could be telling in certain respects,” Horatio said, looking thoughtful. “Maybe I can work two birds with one stone.”

  When Sean returned to Babbage Town he found Michelle in the dining hall talking with Champ. Viggie hovered at one end of the long table chewing what looked like soggy Cheerios.

  When Champ spotted Sean he rose from the table. “I hope you understand why your friend couldn’t stay here.”

  “What friend?” Michelle said quickly.

  “Horatio Barnes,” Sean answered bluntly.

  When Champ noted Michelle’s astonished reaction to this he seemed taken aback. “If you’ll excuse me,” he stammered and hurried off.

  After Champ left, Michelle snapped, “Why the hell is Barnes here?”

  “For Viggie. We need somebody who can get through to her.”

  “And you had to call in the guy who locked me up and then walked away? I can’t believe you would do that, Sean.”

  “He didn’t lock you up. You went into the facility voluntarily. And he didn’t walk away from you.”

  “What are you talking about? He vanished.”

  “He went to Tennessee.”

  Michelle’s features became so hard that it looked like she’d been frozen.

  After nearly a minute of silence had passed she said quietly, “Why would he go to Tennessee?”

  “Why do you think?”

  “I don’t appreciate you of all people playing games with me.”

  “Okay. He went to Tennessee to find the place where you lived when you were six years old.”

  “I don’t believe this shit!”

  Neither of them noticed the heads of people at other tables turning toward them as their voices rose.