Convinced the surveillance cameras have documented his concerned bystander reactions, he briskly walks away.
Chapter 52
Flash Drives
After the Monday morning mail-sorting ritual, Myra drops Andy’s mail on his desk, including a non-descript mailer with no postage marked “Personal and Confidential.” Andy opens it first, figuring one of his clients dropped it through the slot on the office door over the weekend. Inside are two identical flash drives attached with scotch tape to a piece of paper. One line of typed text runs below the drives:
The password is in your email.
He quickly reviews his office emails back to the previous Friday. No password. Then he opens his personal account and scrolls through the past 24 hours.
Flash drive password
Andy clicks into it and the message reads:
Ironman 3-1
Andy thinks for a moment. He decides "Ironman" could refer to the triathlons he did with Ron and one of their closest friends. The three probably refers to Ron, Alex Erickson and himself, and the minus one is Alex, who ended up being a mole for the Chinese government at the company where Ron worked before the plane crash. Alex was quickly terminated by Chinese intelligence when no longer needed, and his death was made to look like an accidental drowning.
Andy looks down again at the two flash drives and notices his name is written on one with a thin black marker and Amanda's name is on the other.
He places the flash drive with his name on it into the USB port on his computer and brings up a folder containing two files: “Andy” and “The List.” Andy clicks on the one with his name and types in the password.
Dear Andy:
This is going to sound crazy, and I don't know how it happened, but Justin was swapped for another baby. I've been raising a child who’s not mine! About the time I suspected this, I was contacted by someone trying to extort me. If I don’t continue my research and allow them to access it through my computer, I’d never see Justin again. So I either keep doing my research, knowing it will be stolen, or try to figure out what happened to Justin. I can't tell you any more about what I’m doing, but please deliver the attached list to Dr. Vance and ask him to help me. Don’t tell the FBI or anyone else with the government about this and don’t save this file anywhere on your computer. I'm sorry I can't tell you more.
Love, Ron
Andy closes the file. Before opening the other one, Andy calls Amanda.
"I need you to come to my office. Can you get here right away?"
"I’m kinda busy here, but you sound pretty serious.”
"I am. It involves, well, I don’t want to say anything on this phone. Can you leave now?"
"I guess so. You realize my FBI escort will be with me.”
"He can wait out in the reception area. Please hurry, but drive safely."
He glances down at his watch, figuring it will take her about 45 minutes. Before he can open the second file, his cell phone rings and displays a familiar number he is not at all surprised to see.
"Andy, Steve Solarez here. We have a crisis. Over the weekend, Ron vanished while he and Mrs. Kolfax and Justin were at a parade in Annapolis. He was in disguise and was escorted by four FBI agents. We have no idea what happened. I have some other disturbing information too, about Justin, but I want to talk to you in person."
This is too much for Andy to take in all at once. Solarez knows about Justin? How long has he known? And now Ron is missing?
“I assume you’re doing everything in your power to find him. How could he disappear?”
“We have agents in Annapolis and D.C. assigned exclusively to this case. All of them are searching the entire region.”
“Amanda should be here within an hour. Can you meet us at 11:30?"
"Yes, and that’s great Amanda will be there too. I'll see you then."
Right after the call with Solarez it dawns on him that Amanda needs to bring her password. He texts her to confirm she got an email with a password and tells her he will explain more when she arrives. Only after sending the text does it dawn on Andy someone may be tapping into his text messages.
Chapter 53
TeloGurl 13
Amanda miraculously finds a parking space a couple blocks off M Street, a reasonable walking distance from her uncle's Georgetown office. The FBI agent following her parks in a space not available to the general public. She walks down the cobblestone sidewalk and he picks up next to her as they walk the remaining block.
"I wouldn't mind working on this block, it's a cool neighborhood," Amanda says, trying to make small talk. The agent smiles slightly and nods.
Once they arrive at the office, the agent takes a seat on the couch in the reception area. Myra announces Amanda to Andy. They exchange hugs and Amanda follows Andy to a conference room where his laptop is set up. As soon as he closes the door, Amanda asks him about the urgency.
"This is only about the third time you’ve asked me to come here. Something bad must’ve happened."
"It's your dad. He vanished."
"From a government-run facility? How is that even possible? Have they checked their surveillance cameras?”
Andy motions to a chair. “Take a seat. He didn’t vanish from inside the compound, he was in Annapolis with Justin and the nanny. Someone delivered an envelope here over the weekend with flash drives for you and me from your dad. Do you have the email I texted you about?”
"Yeah.”
Amanda scrolls through the emails on her phone and finds the one called “Flash drive password.” She opens it and finds one phrase: Telogurl 13. Andy pushes his laptop with the flash drive inserted across the table to her and she types in the password.
Amanda:
Believe it or not, Justin is not our Justin. Someone kidnapped him somehow after Odette gave birth. I don't know who has him, but they’ve been sending me messages. They said I need to keep researching. They hacked into my laptop and the servers at the lab, and if I don't cooperate or if they find out I told the government anything, I’ll never seen Justin again.
I struggled with this for several days and finally decided I couldn't keep going. I couldn’t continue to give them my research, and I couldn't live knowing they might kill Justin if I didn't cooperate, so I made a decision. I'm going to do everything I can to find Justin without handing my research over to whoever took him. I’m not sure when you'll hear from me again, but remember I love you more than the moon, the sun and the stars.
Love, Dad
Amanda can barely breathe. She gets up from the conference room table and starts pacing. "Our family seems cursed. Why?"
"I don’t know, I really don’t. First the plane crash and you being kidnapped, then the newspapers suggesting I'm part of some government cover up, and now this—”
"It's got to be the Chinese again, right?"
"Makes sense to me, but who knows. I got a call from Solarez literally a minute after I hung up with you. He’ll be here at 11:30. You and I need to figure out what the hell we're going to ask him. He told me Ron disappeared from a parade he took Justin to. Oh, and get this, Solarez wants to tell us something about Justin. I’ll bet he knows about the swap, so why didn’t he tell us before? How long has he been keeping that from us? One thing is clear though, we’re not telling him anything about these flash drives. Agreed?”
“Yep. We gotta figure this out. Hopefully Dad will contact us soon.”
Chapter 54
The Hunt
Solarez greets his agent on Amanda’s detail when he gets off the elevator at Andy’s office. Rather than joining Amanda and Andy in the conference room, he asks them to take a walk with him, not trusting the law firm isn’t bugged. He tells the agent they will be back soon and to remain in the reception area.
The three of them walk north down the cobblestone sidewalk toward M Street, Solarez between the other two.
"Remember when I told you both if I brought Ron back into the United States to do research it would have
to be a well-guarded secret? Well, obviously someone found out, and one of the foreign intelligence agencies is using Justin as leverage. Ron never gave you any idea he was under pressure from anyone, did he?”
"Absolutely not,” Andy says.
"When did you find out Justin isn’t my real brother?” Amanda demands, “because if my dad found out and disappeared…well?”
"I found out a few days ago, and wasn't sure the information was credible. I was planning to drive to Sherwood to discuss it with your dad in person, but he vanished first.”
“Who told you?"
“I'm not at liberty to tell you that, but it’s a credible source. We reviewed the medical records from the infirmary at Sherwood and we had a simple pinprick test done on Justin, or whoever he is. We confirmed he doesn’t have the right blood type or carry the vWD gene that is hereditary in your family.
“I have a team of 10 agents working on finding Justin and your dad. We're tracking down Odette and her parents, I've got agents investigating every person at the hospital who had anything to do with Justin’s delivery, agents and officers are scouring the area between here and Annapolis, and we’re analyzing all possible motives so we can find both of them.”
"Have you got any ideas or leads? Is it the Chinese?”
"We're operating under the assumption the Chinese are involved, given the close connection to the research your dad was doing.”
Andy chimes in, "Have you questioned their liaison to the United States government? And all those contacts from before?"
A temporary logjam of people appears on M Street. They pass them single file before returning to each other’s sides.
"Yes, Andy. I talked to Stein and we're pinging our Chinese contacts. The first responses were total denials, as you would expect. I don't know enough yet to give you my opinion on whether or not they were being truthful."
They turn around and start re-tracing their route back to Andy’s office.
"By us taking this walk, are you suggesting my office is compromised?”
"It's a possibility. We shouldn’t discuss any issues relating to Ron or Justin in your office.”
"Great, just great. And my cell phone?"
"Ditto."
Amanda looks at her phone, "I guess that goes for mine too. I wonder who's been listening or tracking me.”
At the entry door to the office, Solarez stops. “Amanda, it's incredibly important that you keep our agents with you 24/7. No more side missions, your safety is even more jeopardized now."
Andy gives Amanda a questioning look as Solarez opens the door for the three of them.
“I wanted to meet Jonathan without any agents hanging around, sorry. You have been stripping me of any privacy I once had.”
Amanda knows Solarez worries about her, but she's not at all convinced the FBI will find Justin or her dad. “Why don’t you hire me to help find them?”
“What? Not a chance,” Solarez says.
“I’m more motivated than 10 of your analysts.”
Andy looks at her with a frown. “I agree with Solarez, let their agents keep working on it.”
Amanda narrows her eyes and exhales with disgust through her nearly closed lips. If they don’t find them, I will, she thinks.
They say goodbye to Solarez and she walks up the stairs to Andy's office with him.
“I don't think your dad’s been kidnapped or taken hostage," he whispers to her.
"Why? What did the file on your flash drive say?”
“You just have to trust me on this one, but let's be extra careful from here on out. Are you doing okay at Crossroads, I mean besides this mess?”
“Yeah, except it’s lonely there. I talk to David some. And I saw Jonathan, we met up at Cafe Loco.”
“Jonathan Parkinson? That’s surprising.”
“Whatever. I’m not a child, you know.”
“Yes, I know, just be careful. There’s too much happening right now. Let the FBI protect you and don’t get involved in any hijinks, please.”
“Hijinks?” Amanda rolls her eyes.
Chapter 55
Lab List
The reason Andy was so confident his brother was alive and not being held hostage was the second password-protected file on his flash drive, the one he didn’t share with Amanda.
Andy:
Please provide this list and instructions to Dr. Sid Vance, my former professor. He should be able to obtain all these materials without difficulty from the labs at Georgetown. Please stress to him how important it is to keep this confidential.
Materials:
Adenoviral vector constructs (engineered to target P21 locus)
qPCR equipment, specific to aforementioned gene targets (minimum four complete sets)
CRE enzymes (at least 50 mL)
DNA polymerase and electrophoresis machinery (and associated ultraviolet imager)
Centrifuge, automatic pipets (50)
Confocal microscopes with lasers corresponding to aforementioned stains (2)
Consumer nail polish (Minimum 10 bottles)
Vectashield fluid (10 bottles, as least 4 oz each)
Mitochondria-targeting antibodies for microscope imaging
Mounting slides and cover slides (50 each)
Place all materials, surrounded by bubble wrap, in sealed boxes no larger than 32 x 32 x 32 labeled “fragile” and have them inside your office within 7 days if possible. Type XX in the top third of your faculty webpage and someone will pick up the boxes when you aren’t present.
Andy decides to deliver the materials list to Dr. Vance right away. He struggles with keeping his brother’s wishes from the FBI. Solarez is hustling and doing all he can. What if I’m failing to provide information that could lead his team to either or both of them?
He suddenly remembers the big deposition of one of his expert witnesses scheduled for tomorrow and realizes he has to spend at least an hour or two preparing.
Chapter 56
Accosted
The subject of Andy's case, a 26‑year-old graduate student, was driving his two-month-old SUV on a rainy night when it lost traction and rolled over twice. The second roll crushed the roof inward, and he died before the rescue squad arrived. The wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of his family claims the manufacturer knowingly installed a roof that would not support the weight of the vehicle in a rollover.
The deposition of the engineering expert took six hours, thanks to the relentless manufacturer’s attorney’s endless droning. However, it felt twice as long with the awkwardness between him and Angie. He has a feeling she is aware he knows because she had avoided him as much as possible for the last few days, ducking into the restroom if he headed her way down the hall, or stepping back into her office as he passed by her doorway.
Ever since he found out about her and Franklin, Andy has been torn between having an open conversation with her to hear her side of the story and just firing her outright. She has worked for him for years and has always been nothing but an asset to his practice, but the thought of her being intimate with his opponent and what confidential information she might have shared with him in the heat of the moment makes Andy wonder if he can ever fully trust her again. This indecisiveness is what stuck the two of them in a room together for the last several hours, avoiding eye contact and only speaking to each other when absolutely necessary.
Bleary eyed and exhausted, his cognitive abilities reduced to only automatic functions, Andy feels fortunate to locate his car in the K Street underground parking garage. He drives the few short miles in the early evening darkness to his Georgetown home. After pulling his Mini Cooper into his driveway and getting out, he presses the lock button on his key fob and turns toward his front door.
A man in a black hoodie and ski mask materializes out of nowhere and points the muzzle of a Glock in Andy’s face. "Unlock the car, get back in, and look straight ahead.” The attacker's voice is electronically distorted to avoid recognition.
Andy complie
s, slowly pushing the unlock button and sliding back into the front seat. The man continues to aim the pistol at him while making his way into the back seat.
Andy barely turns his head—
"Face forward!"
The Glock presses into the back of Andy’s head as he turns back to face the windshield.
"Don't do anything stupid. I want some answers. Why did Hemispheres settle all the lawsuits without a fight?"
“Good question. It was totally out of character for Franklin and the airline. I don't know why.”
"I don't believe you. Did the government pay Hemispheres the $200 million? Don’t feed me any bullshit.”
Even with the assailant tapping the Glock against the back of his head to convey his seriousness, Andy decides to honor his promise to Stein.
"I don’t... know," he stammers.
"You're lying!" The gun knocks harder against the back of his head. "I'm gonna to give you three seconds to come clean, then I’m blowing your lawyer brains all over this windshield. Amanda will be next."
"Okay, okay! They paid the money, but I didn't know until after I settled all those cases, I had nothing to do with any of it.”
“Why did they pay?"
"The government didn't want the media to find out they were running a counterintelligence operation involving my brother and his research. China had a mole inside his research lab and the government wanted to expose the mole. Then China sabotaged the jet because they thought my brother was going to sell his research to Russia. That’s the truth, I swear.”
"China sabotaged the jet?”
“Yeah. You have my brother, right?”
Targeting the Telomeres, A Thriller Page 15
