Deadly Echoes

by Philip Donlay

  “Did they get a good look at them?”

  “Not really. The FBI is investigating, but the security system was disabled shortly afterward.”

  “I got a phone call this morning too,” Donovan said. “It’s why I was already up. Someone, a man I didn’t recognize, called and asked for Robert Huntington. He told me he knew who I was and that he was going to destroy everything that was important to me.”

  “Do you think it’s connected to what happened to John?”

  “Absolutely. Go to YouTube and search for shark payback. You’ll see what I mean. After you do that, pack a bag and get to the Eco-Watch hangar. We’re going to Hawaii. What island did John’s ship run aground?”

  “Kauai.”

  “Okay, we’ll fly to Lihue Airport. Do we need to swing by John Wayne Airport and pick up Beverly?”

  “She told me she was making arrangements to use one of her husband’s company aircraft.”

  “If that’s the case, then she’ll get there before we do.” Donovan felt the adrenaline rush of starting things in motion. “I’ll make all the arrangements. Let’s try and be wheels up no later than zero six thirty.”

  “I’ll see you at the hangar.”

  Donovan hung up, snatched his pistol, and hurried into the kitchen to make coffee, taking care to close all of the drapes and curtains in the house. Before the phone call this morning only seven people in the world knew that Robert Huntington was still alive. It was a secret that had remained hidden from the public for over twenty years, and Donovan would go to almost any length to make sure it remained that way. Failure would result in the wholesale destruction of everything he’d built. Eco-Watch might survive at this point, but it would have to go on without him. There were treasured friendships he’d forged under false pretenses that would immediately alter and more than likely end badly. It was a lie he owned, and it, in turn, owned him. Everything he held dear was dependent on the perpetuation of the lie. Exposed, he became Robert Huntington, one of the most despised men in the world. He poured a cup of coffee and speed-dialed his assistant, Peggy, on his cell phone.

  “Peggy. It’s Donovan. Sorry for the early hour, but there’s an emergency.”

  “I’m awake,” she said in a sleep-filled voice that didn’t match her words. “What can I do?”

  “John Stratton has been murdered. I need the da Vinci readied for a trip to Kauai.” Donovan had named all of Eco-Watch’s aircraft after famous men in the history of science. “Call Michael and Buck, I want to be wheels up by zero six thirty.”

  “That’s awful news. I always liked John.” Peggy sounded genuinely upset. “I’ll make the calls and get everything moving.”

  “There’s also a YouTube video called shark payback you need to watch. Once you do, pull the file for the public relations firm we have on retainer as well as our attorneys. This could get ugly in a hurry.”

  “Got it,” Peggy replied, now fully awake. “I’ll see you at the hangar.”

  He topped off his coffee, snatched the pistol, and hurried back to the study. He refreshed the shark payback web page and saw that there were now 4,317 hits. He scrolled forward until the Eco-Watch Zodiac came into view. He froze the image and stared. John was dead, which combined with the phone call, meant that whoever was after him knew a great deal about Eco-Watch and had already killed John Stratton, which meant everyone in his world was at risk. Lauren was in France with their daughter. A similar situation seven months ago had driven her off in the first place, and he had to warn her now. It was nine thirty in the morning there. He picked up his phone and dialed, and as it rang, he looked at the pistol he’d carefully laid on the desk and wondered if the day would ever come where he didn’t feel the need to be armed.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Dr. Lauren McKenna recognized the number on her phone and frowned. She was on the balcony having a quiet morning tea with Stephanie VanGelder, a dear friend visiting from London. Lauren’s daughter, Abigail, was at the park with the nanny and Henri, her head of security. She and Stephanie were in the process of planning their day.

  Stephanie reacted to Lauren’s expression. “Who’s calling?”

  “It’s Donovan calling from a secure phone. This can’t be good.”

  Stephanie looked at her watch and frowned. “It’s four thirty in the morning there.”

  Lauren, too, had done the math. She braced herself and put the phone to her ear. “Hello.”

  “Hey, it’s me,” Donovan said.

  “I’m here with Stephanie.” Lauren didn’t want to have a prolonged conversation in front of Stephanie. As the niece of William VanGelder, Stephanie had known Donovan since he was a boy. She knew the truth about all of the secrets, making her one of the few people that Lauren could confide in totally. Over the years the two women had grown into close friends, and Stephanie had supported her decision to leave Donovan. Deep down, Lauren understood Stephanie loved them both, but if she had to choose, she’d pick Donovan.

  “Stephanie’s there?”

  “She came in from London for a few days. Can I can call you later?”

  “I’m sorry to bother you, but we might have a problem. This involves her too,” Donovan said. “Some unknown person called me this morning and referred to me as Robert Huntington. He said he knew the truth and was going to destroy everything important to me. It’s not a bluff, it’s already started.”

  “What do you mean?” Lauren felt the first tingle of impending danger gnaw at her nerves.

  “Do you remember John and Beverly Stratton? They’re old friends of William. They live in Laguna Beach.”

  “I remember the Strattons. They were at our wedding.” Lauren saw Stephanie nod that she knew them. “Stephanie remembers them as well. What’s happened?”

  “John’s boat ran aground in Hawaii. He and his crew were found murdered.”

  “That’s terrible. How is that even possible? Was his wife with him?”

  “No. She’s in California. Security tape showed the killers boarded John’s yacht by using an Eco-Watch Zodiac. The guy that called this morning with the threat told me about a YouTube video entitled shark payback. I’ll warn you, it’s gruesome, and it, too, involves an Eco-Watch Zodiac.”

  “So you think we’re in some kind of danger?”

  “We have no idea who these people are, but they’ve already killed. I think we’re all at risk, Stephanie included, and we should act accordingly.”

  “I already have around-the-clock security, so I think we’re safe for the time being.”

  “I understand. But I needed to pass along the information, to be on the safe side. Please, just be alert.”

  “We’ll be careful.”

  “Tell Stephanie hello and be sure and tell Abigail I called. I’ll keep you posted.”

  Lauren severed the connection and set the phone down. She noticed that her hands were shaking and folded them in her lap.

  “Start from the beginning,” Stephanie demanded. “There was more to that call than John Stratton being murdered.”

  “Let’s go inside,” Lauren said, gathering up the tray and carrying it inside the luxurious apartment. Located near the center of Paris, the flat had been her refuge since she’d left Donovan. The residence was courtesy of Aaron Keller, a senior official at Mossad, Israel’s equivalent to the United States Central Intelligence Agency. The security protection was payment for Lauren’s unofficial help in finding and stopping a terrorist who was deemed a major threat to both Israel and the United States. The group behind the attempted attack was eliminated, but Mossad wasn’t 100 percent certain that the threat to Lauren had died with those men. At times Lauren hated the presence of bodyguards, but now it seemed even more necessary than ever.

  “What’s happened?” Stephanie asked.

  “First, we need to get to a computer and watch a video,” Lauren said “Then I’ll tell you everything I know.”

  Lauren led Stephanie to the spacious master suite where Lauren’s laptop was set up on a desk
. Both women huddled close as Lauren’s fingers flew over her keyboard to bring up YouTube. They stood in silence as the video began. When the link to the other website was established, they both flinched at the graphic images and then watched the appearance of the Eco-Watch Zodiac. When it was over, the scientist in Lauren replayed the video while Stephanie turned away.

  “That was awful, how can you watch it again?” Stephanie said.

  “Scientific observation is rarely accomplished by looking at something once.” Lauren sat and watched the video three more times before she leaned in and froze one of the images. She opened the search engine, and brought up a page of various images of actual Eco-Watch Zodiacs. She arranged them on the screen next to the Zodiac in the shark video. “Like this.”

  Stephanie turned to look at the screen. “What am I looking for?”

  “Look at the outboard motors,” Lauren said. “Donovan likes Mercury Marine. Every Zodiac in the Eco-Watch fleet is equipped with twin Mercury outboards. Now, I don’t know Mercury from any other outboard, but the motors in these two pictures look different.”

  “You’re right. They’re not the same. The Eco-Watch engine is taller and thinner. The other one is counterfeit. But we knew that already.”

  “We did,” Lauren refreshed the YouTube page. “But the 245,852 people who’ve watched this video have no idea. They think Eco-Watch did this.”

  Lauren clicked away from YouTube. “I need to forward this information to Peggy at Eco-Watch. It’s something the lawyers and the public relations people need to see.”

  “What about the other things Donovan told you?” Stephanie asked then looked around the room. “You don’t think the apartment is bugged, do you? We can talk about anything, right?”

  “We’re good. Officially, I’m still an analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency so my friends at the CIA drop by and sweep the place regularly.”

  “The CIA? You’re a meteorological analyst for the DIA—you predict weather.”

  “From time to time I do a little more than that,” Lauren replied. “Anyway, this morning a man Donovan didn’t recognize called and asked for Robert Huntington. He said he knew who Donovan was and that he was going to destroy everything that was important to him. Then the caller told him where to find the YouTube video.”

  “And John Stratton’s death is a part of this?”

  “The killers used an Eco-Watch Zodiac to gain access to John’s yacht. They waited until the yacht had been found to post the video and call Donovan. Everything’s got to be connected.”

  “Their first mistake was warning him they were coming for him,” Stephanie said. “We both know how he is right now. He’s going after these people, right?”

  Lauren nodded. “When does all of this stop? I want things to even out, so he and I can maybe find some firmer ground. Death threats and bodyguards is no way to live.”

  “Maybe this is exactly what he needs in terms of finding some focus.”

  “What do you mean?” Lauren was taken aback. Stephanie wasn’t usually so direct. Her upbringing was such that she defaulted to diplomacy and tact, like her uncle.

  “I’m saying that Donovan has been more than a little lost since you left. He recovered from his physical injuries, but emotionally he was pretty messed up before you left, and he’s not any better now—how could he be?”

  “He seems better,” Lauren said, but she knew the words sounded hollow.

  “It’s okay. I’m not trying to make you feel bad. We both know that Donovan eventually does something with his turmoil and anger. He channels it into something useful. I mean, look at everything he’s accomplished in his life. After his parents died, he made Huntington Oil into a global force from what had been a regional family-owned company. Then he lost Meredith and fell apart. From that despair sprang the idea of faking his own death, changing his entire life, including his appearance, and then using his fortune to help others. He built Eco-Watch into a first-class nonprofit scientific research foundation, one of the best in the world. That’s what he needs right now—to feel that need for focus, for action. Once he does, things usually start happening.”

  Lauren admired the passion Stephanie had displayed, and loved her for it, even though she remained skeptical of her husband’s ability to deal with even more stress. “I know he’s done those things. He’s one of the most capable men I’ve ever met. That’s the problem. He does things instead of dealing with issues. It’s why we’re not together. He hides from his past, from everything really, including me.”

  “I understand why you feel the way you do, and I’m not choosing sides. You know I love you both. I’ve been around Donovan since he was a kid, seen what he’s been through, and at times I’ve wondered how he can function at all. Let him do what he does, but please, whatever you do, don’t give up on him—it would be the worst thing possible. He’s about to get back into a game he does better than anyone, and it’s going to do wonders for his state of mind. He’ll fix this. All I ask is for you to hang in there until this is over.”

  “I hope you’re right, but I’m afraid for him. He doesn’t need this right now. We both know that when he’s threatened, he’s reckless. If something happens to him, then all of our waiting and trying to figure out who we are to each other is gone—lost forever.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  The Eco-Watch Gulfstream 500 had already covered four thousand miles, and Donovan and his team were about to start their initial descent into the Lihue Airport on the island of Kauai. The nine-hour-and-fifteen-minute flight from Eco-Watch’s headquarters at Washington’s Dulles Airport had been a blur of activity.

  The Gulfstream 500 was only two months old. Donovan had christened the aircraft The Spirit of da Vinci, after its predecessor. In the cockpit was Michael Ross, Donovan’s closest friend and Eco-Watch chief pilot. Michael was captain for this flight, and Donovan acted as co-captain, splitting his time between his flying duties and the activity in the back of the plane.

  “Michael,” Donovan poked his head into the cockpit, “I need a little more time back here, are you still good?”

  “Yeah, we’ve got another twenty minutes before we start down.”

  “Thanks, I’ll be back in fifteen.” Donovan turned and headed back to the cabin. The passenger section of the da Vinci was anything but plush. Instead of an opulent boardroom, there were a series of modular workstations. Stacks of computer equipment and monitors were linked between stations by thick conduits. The flying science platform could be modified to perform any number of high-altitude missions from hurricane surveillance, atmospheric sample recovery, to a myriad of imaging capabilities through a purpose-built camera and antenna array blended into the belly of the 85,000-pound jet. Capable of altitudes up to 51,000 feet, a top speed of 575 mph, and a maximum range of 5,800 nautical miles, the Gulfstream 500 was a highly mission-capable aircraft. The Spirit of da Vinci was just one of the many reasons Eco-Watch was considered one of the top-tier organizations in the scientific community.

  Today’s mission was less about science and more about damage control. Seated in the back was William VanGelder, as well as Eco-Watch’s director of security, Howard “Buck” Buckley. Buck was the newest member of the veteran group, a former Navy SEAL who had been assigned to Eco-Watch on a temporary basis on two previous occasions. Now in his mid-thirties, Buck was still in shape, his features were open, friendly, and his demeanor easygoing. But just under the surface was an understated lethality that commanded respect. Seven months ago, Donovan had been so impressed with the man’s performance that he made him a job offer that was impossible to turn down. The mission statement of Buck’s newly formed department was to oversee the far-flung activities of the organization and protect the people and assets within Eco-Watch. In the interview process, Donovan quietly explained that Buck had an unlimited budget, but with that came the expectation of a zero margin for error. This crisis was the first test of that agreement.

  Via satellite, they’d just watched the
statement released by Eco-Watch denying any involvement in the attack on the Japanese fishing vessel. The information about the outboard motors that Lauren had discovered had been forwarded to both the FBI and Coast Guard. That the Zodiac was counterfeit was verified. The YouTube video was now at 1,194,997 views and climbing. Every news outlet was showing an edited version of the clip on television, and Eco-Watch headquarters, which was located at Dulles International Airport, just outside Washington D.C., was being besieged by a crowd of reporters, as well as groups of protesters and a far smaller collection of supporters. So far, the Fairfax County Sheriff personnel were keeping the peace. Inside the locked-down building, a handful of staff were manning the phones, carefully taking each call, recording anything that could be construed as a threat.

  “I just got the latest operational list from Peggy.” Buck held up several sheets of paper he’d lifted from one of the printers. “She’s contacted every member of Eco-Watch’s board and put them on alert as well as our twenty-five largest donors. Most are foundations and trusts, but she’s reaching out to anyone who may be at risk. I’ve also directed that any potential threat, no matter how small, be immediately routed to me so that appropriate action can be taken.”

  “This is a nightmare.” William rubbed his temples. Despite the long flight, he was, as always, still dressed in his suit, tie snug at his neck. “Is it possible that John was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time?”

  “Anything’s possible,” Buck replied. “But I think it’s highly improbable. With two counterfeit Zodiacs in play, it’s a coincidence of the highest order.”

  “I agree with Buck,” Donovan added.

  “If that’s a given,” William continued. “How on earth can we realistically expect to protect everyone connected to Eco-Watch?”

  “We have to.” Buck replied. “But I also think that this group is fairly small, which limits their geographical reach. If John Stratton’s yacht was the base they used to attack the fishing vessel, then they’re probably still somewhere in Hawaii. If they’ve left the islands, there are only so many places to go. I think with the FBI’s help, we’ll be able to narrow the search pretty quickly.”