Standard telephone line: negative
DSL line: negative
Cable modem: negative
However, SoftPartner did detect an external Bluetooth dongle, which would allow short-range radio frequency communication with Bluetooth-enabled devices. It scanned the area—no compatible devices were functioning in the normal user range of 3.3 meters. The virus boosted the internal signal strength to the max, thereby violating FCC regulations and effectively doubling the range. Still no compatible devices were located.
Next, the virus attempted to utilize the computer’s power cord as an auxiliary external antenna and fed a regenerative signal down the two-meter line, further boosting transmitter range. Again, failure code was returned. SoftPartner had exhausted all its options and settled into a repetitive loop mode where it sent out a Bluetooth pinging signal every sixty seconds, intent on establishing some type of communication with the outside world.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 8:00 A.M.
“Follow me,” Rob Gentry called back over his shoulder. “I know these roads from when I used to run the Chocolate Chase.” His well-muscled legs pumped vigorously several times and his sleek racing bike accelerated smoothly, threatening to leave Luke in the dust.
“You’re on,” Luke yelled. He jammed down on the pedals of his Dick’s mountain bike special, determined to show the older man who was boss here. Hershey Park flew by on the left and Wendy’s on the right. They proceeded through the light at Hersheypark Drive and up the first hill of Sand Beach Road.
Luke was beginning to breathe hard toward the top of the hill and found himself struggling to match Rob’s pace. Nonetheless, he was thrilled to be outside on this gorgeous fall day and finally riding with Rob—they’d been trying to set it up for months. Even though Rob was nearly twenty years Luke’s senior, the two had hit it off since their first meeting in September at Kim’s initial OB appointment. Only their busy schedules stood in the way of a more substantial friendship.
Luke crested the hill and saw Rob making a right turn about a hundred yards in front. Geez, that bugger was moving! He still felt sure it was only a matter of time before the older man would tire and Luke would be reeling him in.
He turned right onto Kieffer Road, giving it his all, then turned left onto Peffley Road, a choice that quickly led to a serious uphill. Luke shifted down into first gear, stood up on his pedals, and pulled on the handlebars for all he was worth as his bike lumbered up the steep incline. Fifty yards ahead, Rob seemed to glide effortlessly up the hill, then waited for Luke at the top. Luke was breathing hard. So much for the age advantage, he thought.
He began to reassess the match-up. He remembered being mildly amused when Rob had first shown up at his apartment all decked out in skintight biker shorts and shirt and sporting clipless pedals. Plus, he had a fancy Cannondale carbon frame bike that was light as a feather and had those ultra skinny tires; the bike actually seemed a bit too insubstantial to be a serious mechanical machine. Luke recalled glibly chalking it up to older doctor with money does new hobby thing. Perhaps he had been wrong.
Luke finally gained the summit. “You should try a road bike, Luke,” Rob said, and grinned. “They’re fantastic.”
“I don’t know if I could hack the shorts,” Luke said between gasps for breath, then broke into a smile. He was sweating profusely even though it was cool in the shade of the big oaks and pines.
“You’ll appreciate this downhill,” Rob said, and sped off down Swatara Road. He was hunched forward on his bike in an uncomfortable-looking tuck position.
Luke tried to catch his breath as he downshifted through the gears, accelerating on the flat. He gripped his handlebars tightly and pedaled hard, working his way down into twenty-fourth gear. The road soon dropped off precipitously, revealing a monster hill. He couldn’t even see the bottom, due to a sharp curve. He continued to pedal and his bike picked up speed alarmingly fast. The air roared around his ears, louder and louder. He leaned into the curve and hoped he didn’t meet any cars or unforeseen obstacles. The sensation was totally exhilarating, yet scary at the same time; he felt the adrenaline rush with the pounding of his heart and the electricity crackling through his brain. One thing was certain—if he survived, he’d be back to this hill.
The road finally leveled out and then veered sharply to the left and went past one of the Milton Hershey homes for orphans. Up ahead, off to the side of the road, Rob had stopped and was leisurely drinking from his water bottle. Luke caught up to him, hopped off his bike, and was happy to stand up straight. His heart was still pounding.
“Glad to see you made it.” Rob was all smiles. “Some hill, right?”
“Yeah! Unbelievable! How fast did you go down there?” Luke asked, knowing Rob’s bike was tricked out with a speedometer.
“Forty,” replied Rob.
“Why didn’t you warn me you’re a pro biker?”
“I’m not. It’s just a hobby.” Rob grinned some more. “What do you think of the route so far?”
Luke paused to catch his breath, squirt a drink, and take in his surroundings. Although he wasn’t a pushover for scenic overlooks and such, he had to admit the view was striking. To the left, perched on top of a big hill, he recognized the Hotel Hershey with its distinctive twin turrets and flags flying. Swatara Creek was visible in the foreground to the right, meandering within its banks, with a rolling mix of farmland, small housing developments, and wooded sections beyond that. Although the fall foliage had peaked several weeks ago, most of the trees still hadn’t shed their leaves and substantial color remained, albeit muted. He could just make out the roofline of Swatara Regional about two miles away. Beyond that, the lowlands stretched out to the Appalachian Ridge, about ten miles distant. The ridge was clearly visible on this crisp autumn day.
Rob was staring up the hill toward the Hotel Hershey. Several hawks floated leisurely in the blue sky, carving out perfect semicircles. Rob’s smile had softened into a thoughtful expression.
Luke studied him. “What do you see?”
Rob didn’t answer at first, but then slowly turned. “Nothing—just the hotel. You can see it for miles around, you know.” He shook his head and his next comment was garbled, carried away in a sudden breeze.
Luke thought he looked serious, maybe even sad, but had no clue what was bothering him. He took another gulp of water. The silence between them became awkward.
“Oh, I have something for you,” Rob said. He pulled a piece of newspaper from a clever pocket in the back of his biker shirt. “I almost forgot.”
Luke unfolded the paper. It was a clipping of a Sudoku puzzle. Some of the numbers were filled in. “I’m not very good at these.”
“I thought you anesthesiologists were all experts at crossword puzzles and such,” Rob said good-naturedly, and laughed.
“Right…” Luke drawled, ignoring him. He studied the paper more closely. “I’ve never seen numbers like this before. Where’d you get it?”
“Gwen left it for me with a note that said ‘Please solve—urgent.’”
“That’s weird.”
“So, what do you think?” Rob asked. “Any bright ideas?”
“Naw, not really—other than the fact that my wife, Kim, is a freaking genius at this kind of stuff and she loves nothing better than a good puzzle.”
“Great. Show it to Kim and get back to me.” Rob took off his helmet and ran his fingers through his hair.
“She actually has an appointment to see you Monday.”
“Super,” Rob replied. He took another drink from his water bottle. “Hey, did you hear the rumor that Senator Pierce is coming in for gallbladder surgery Monday?”
“Yeah,” Luke said, “good ol’ Pierce is fierce.”
“You realize how important his surgery is? I mean, control of the Senate is at stake.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard,” Luke said. “For the last two weeks, that’s all they’ve talked about on the news.”
“The Dems now have a razor-thin edge, with fifty Democrats, forty-nine Republicans, and one left-leaning Independent.”
“Wow, that is close,” Luke replied.
“If Pierce doesn’t wake up from his surgery or has a fatal complication, then the Democrats lose a seat and it becomes a forty-nine-forty-nine tie. But—and here’s where it becomes interesting—in Pennsylvania, the governor gets to appoint his replacement. Naturally, the Republican governor will appoint a Republican senator, giving the majority back to the Republicans. And even if the Independent votes Democratic, the Republican vice president can break any fifty-fifty tie.”
“Luckily it’s only his gallbladder,” Luke offered, trying not to sound too uninterested. He didn’t follow his politics that closely. “That’s very safe.”
“One would think so,” Rob said. “When they thought it was his heart, the Republicans were frothing at the mouth.”
Luke chuckled. “I think it’s more than a rumor, though, about Pierce having his surgery on Monday. I heard Katz mention it yesterday.”
“Really.” Rob bent over to tighten the straps on his bike shoes. “And, speaking of Katz, how are you two getting along these days? Last I heard, he was riding you pretty hard.”
“I’m doing okay.” Luke wondered how much he should say. Rob seemed like a pretty easy guy to trust and Luke was drawn to him. But on the other hand, he had to admit that he didn’t know that much about the man. “Actually, if you want to know the truth, he told me I was on probation after Seidle’s C-section.”
Rob’s eyebrows rose. “Are you kidding?”
“No. He sounded pretty serious.”
“Probation? For saving a patient’s life?”
“Yup.”
Rob shook his head. “Unbelievable. I told you to watch your step around him, right?”
“Yeah, you did.” Luke studied his face, looking for clues. “What did you mean by that?”
Rob turned fully to face him. “Listen, Luke. Let me fill you in on a few things about Katz—I’ve known him for a long time.”
“Okay.”
“I knew him before his son died. Did you know about that?”
“I just found out about it last week. Sounded bad.”
“Bad’s not the word. It was a freak fire at their home—everyone made it out but the boy. The boy went back in—after a dog, I think. Katz was devastated—I mean devastated. I’ve never seen anyone go into a deeper, darker depression faster. He couldn’t work, couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep—couldn’t do anything. It wouldn’t have surprised me if he’d killed himself.”
“Wow.”
“Then one day, he snapped out of it—just like that. But, here’s the thing, Luke. Katz used to be the nicest, friendliest guy around—a give-you-the-shirt-off-his-back type. Real religious, too—very active in his church. But something changed big time when he came back to work.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, it took me a while to see it, but it’s there, all right. He became a prick—a hard-ass. I think something must’ve died inside him. He still talked a good game, so most people missed it. But underneath, he became a mean son of a bitch. Like that probation thing with you. Doesn’t surprise me in the least.”
Luke took another drink.
“You know what’s ironic?” Rob asked.
“What?”
“Katz thinks he introduced me to Gwen.”
Luke cringed and glanced away.
“He’s wrong,” Rob said. “I had actually already seen her in the cafeteria and knew from one look that she would be trouble for me. But Katz set up this meeting for me in the business office and, sure enough, Gwen was there. This is gonna sound crazy, but sometimes I think he tried to hook us up on purpose.”
“On purpose to do what?”
“To wreck my life, of course.”
Luke didn’t know what to say. He disagreed strongly with Rob on this point—Rob was making his own choices here, and if anyone was ruining Rob’s life it was Rob, not Jason Katz.
Rob studied Luke for a moment, then said, “I’m thinking of leaving my wife.”
Luke was stunned. “Are you crazy?” he blurted. Luke hated the idea of men cheating on their wives—he couldn’t imagine cheating on Kim. He especially didn’t care for the whole disposable relationship notion that seemed to be sweeping the country. “What about your kids?” Luke asked. He thought Rob was showing a large selfish streak here. Maybe it hadn’t been such a great idea to open up to him. This guy had issues.
“I know, I know,” Rob said. “It is crazy. And it’s killing me. But I finally realized I’m in love with Gwen and I can’t live without her. I haven’t even told Gwen yet. I’m going to tell her Monday.”
Luke could hear the anguish in Rob’s voice and realized that maybe Rob’s whole situation was more complicated than he thought. He also couldn’t help being touched by the fact that the man was opening up to him.
Rob continued. “It goes against all my upbringing, all my beliefs and faith. I’m sure I’ll go to Hell for it, if there even is one. I’m so mixed up, I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
Luke didn’t know what to say. In a soft voice, he finally said, “I think it’s wrong for a lot of reasons. One, there’s your kids—what will happen to them? Two, you made a commitment. Stuff like that’s supposed to mean something.” Rob looked hurt and Luke hesitated, fiddling with his helmet strap. Preaching to Rob didn’t feel quite right—after all, everyone had their issues, didn’t they? Besides, despite their differences, Luke thought Rob was a decent guy. He tried to soften it up somewhat. “But I don’t believe you’ll be punished for it. I don’t really believe in God. My dad taught me to believe in myself—he taught me this very well.”
Rob cracked a thin smile, but clearly, it was a smile full of pain. “This is great,” he managed. “The guy with no religion is counseling the guy with the crumbling faith. We make a great pair, Luke—the blind leading the blind. Is your dad still an unbeliever? Sometimes age changes one’s perspective.”
“He’s dead.”
Rob grimaced and looked down. “How’d he die?”
“Heart attack—when I was eighteen.” It was Luke’s turn to look away. He felt the familiar tangled mix of emotions associated with his father’s death well up in him.
“That must’ve been very difficult,” Rob said.
Luke didn’t say anything.
“And it sounds like you still listen to him.”
“You could say that.”
Rob refocused on the building on the hill. “Luke, don’t sell love short—it’s probably the most powerful force that drives human beings—stronger than lust or greed or hate.” A new intensity lit up his brown eyes. “But beware. Love is also strange—like a wild animal, easy to misread or underestimate.”
Luke quirked one brow in query.
“I’ll explain. But you’ll have to humor me with this.”
“All right,” Luke said and took a drink from his water bottle.
“Imagine a full-grown Bengal tiger, reared from a cub in captivity.”
“Okay…” Luke said.
“Without question the tiger’s beauty is exquisite and its fur is soft and cuddly. The tiger’s trainer may believe that he has tamed the beast, understands its behavior—he may even go so far as to say that he has befriended it. But the tiger’s mind is never truly open to him, is it? The trainer may think he is in control, but this is only an illusion—the tiger may sink his fangs into him at any time when he least expects it.”
Luke thought this was an odd description of love and wasn’t sure it was even directed at him, but he listened intently, nonetheless.
“Or,” Rob continued, “there’s the quote from the famous French philosopher, Rousseau. He said—wait, let me get it right: ‘Nothing is less in our power than the heart, and far from commanding we are forced to obey it.’”
“You’ve really given this a lot of thought,” Luke said.
“Uh-huh,” Rob said as he picked up his bike from the ground where he had laid it. He turned to eye Luke one more time. “Don’t sell faith short, either,” he said. “True belief can really move mountains, as they say. I hope to get mine back someday.” He looked a bit wistful. “Both love and faith are more powerful than I think you realize.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Luke wondered about what Rob had said as a sudden breeze came up and stirred the trees on the hill. Someday, he thought, he’d like to discuss the circumstances of his dad’s death with Rob—but not yet.
The two men mounted their bikes. In short order, Rob was zooming down the stretch of straight road in front of them as Luke struggled to accelerate. Luke heard Rob’s voice, carried back by the wind. “Try to keep up.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 9:00 A.M.
Gwen shut the front door behind her and heaved a big sigh. She tossed her purse and keys on the foyer table and walked through the narrow hallway into the family room. She had just dropped the kids off at her mom’s in Enola. She had called her mother up this morning, frantic about a school project she had due tomorrow, and told her how she desperately needed some peace and quiet to work on it. Mom was a lifesaver and agreed to take the kids, last minute. The needing peace and quiet part was true; she had barely slept, the last two nights. She had made up the part about the school project, although she certainly did have a project of sorts, namely her life, to deal with. Thank God Jim wasn’t here, either—he had gone into the dealership early to finish up some paperwork, or so he said.
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