JK's Code (Brooks/Lotello Thriller Book 4)

by Ronald S. Barak

  During the course of the interview with the chairman, Liu said she inquired about EBCOM, but was told that he had never heard of that name, and that Liu must have misunderstood the temp.

  Liu interviewed the other cabinet members, and asked each one of them about EBCOM. Without exception, each denied ever having heard of EBCOM. However, the demeanor of the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission changed noticeably after Liu inquired about EBCOM. He terminated the interview midstream a few minutes later, saying he had to prepare for his next meeting.

  “Wow, that’s quite a story,” Leah said. “It’s fascinating. You could probably write a bestselling book about it.”

  “I haven’t even told you the most interesting part of the story,” Liu replied. “When I shared the story with my editor, and proposed doing a deeper dig and blog, he dismissively told me he had another blog for me to pursue, and to just wrap up this one with a pablum piece on the Secretary of Defense. He redlined everything interesting I wrote. I think it was inadvertent that the one circumspect reference to EBCOM I included slipped through and made the cut.

  ABELSON WAS WORRIED. NOT only was Jake still not answering his phone, he was no longer responding, even by burner phone, to his repeat Instagram posts. I think it’s time to meet the family.

  LEAH RETURNED HOME AND found Frank waiting there to help in any way he could. She filled him in on her meeting with Liu.

  “For starters,” Leah said, “hard as it is to imagine, we definitely now know that Jake was telling us the BAKER he cited in his second email was none other than U.S. President Baker. This has to be true because EBCOM is apparently some kind of highly secret organization in which at least two members of Baker’s cabinet are involved—his Secretary of Defense and his Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. In addition, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is also somehow involved in EBCOM. Moreover, Liu’s boss, who she says is a staunch Baker supporter, did all he could to put the kibosh on any reference to EBCOM in Liu’s otherwise benign blog.

  Incidentally, Liu had no idea what A- could represent. And I still don’t have any idea either.”

  “A private eye as well as a lawyer,” Frank said. “Obviously, Jake was trying to tell us something more when he typed U-—meaning A- in JK’s Code lingo—but was then interrupted and prevented from finishing what he was trying to add. No doubt, he barely was able to add the dash to signal us there was more, and then hit send before his phone was snatched away from him. We’re going to have to press harder on EBCOM.”

  The image of what must have happened to Jake at that precise moment sent Leah spiraling back down into the dark place from which she was trying to rise up.

  Just then, the front doorbell rang.

  ANYA MADE HER WAY from the ticket machine to her private compartment in the first class section of the train. She was suspicious of everyone who passed her, no more than half of them wearing masks and gloves. COVID-19 was nothing to sneeze at, but her greater concern was any agents her handler may have dispatched to find her.

  No sooner had she taken her seat than a man in his late thirties entered the compartment and took a seat opposite her. Moments later, an older woman—but not that old—entered the compartment, sat down, and pulled out a partially knitted sweater, two knitting needles, and a ball of yarn from a large bag. The needles could be lethal weapons, if intended.

  Her mind was working overtime. Either or both of them could be care packages sent from her handler to bring her back home—or worse. At least they were both wearing masks and gloves. And their seats were socially distanced, sort of. Under the circumstances, that really didn’t put her mind that much at ease.

  She opened her laptop with an exaggeration to send a subliminal message that she was not interested in making small talk. Anya attempted to compose and reduce her thoughts to writing on her recently purchased laptop, keeping one eye on each of her compartment mates at all times. She didn’t get very far.

  AMIR FINALLY REACHED NEW Haven and went straight to his apartment. Blessed be, roommate not here. No time for talk small. He searched high and low, until he found what he was after—the handwritten note from Jake with his sister’s name and contact information. Thirty minutes later, he brushed his teeth, took a quick shower, put on a fresh change of clothes and was off for D.C. and Leah Klein.

  FRANK PEERED THROUGH THE peephole in the door. He didn’t recognize the man who stared back at him, but he looked harmless enough. He was wearing a mask and gloves. “Hang on a minute.” Frank reached into the entry hall table drawer and put on his own mask and gloves. He opened the door. “Hello,” he said, “can I help you?”

  “Are you Frank?” Abelson asked. “We obviously haven’t met. My name’s Gali Abelson. I’m a friend of JK’s from SCSU.” He stood back from the door in order to socially distance.

  Frank wasn’t sure what to expect. The man seemed polite and went out of his way to show he knew Frank’s name, Jake’s nickname, and where Jake went to school. He also looked pretty well built. Frank was mindful that he was all that stood between this stranger and Leah. Would hate to get in a shoving match with this guy.

  “Look,” Abelson said. “This is awkward for both of us. Let me try to get us past that as quickly as possible.”

  “I’m listening,” Frank said. He did not yet invite Abelson into the house.

  “I know you’re a homicide investigator. I’m sort of in the same business.” He pulled out a laminated identity card and handed it to Frank.

  Frank looked at Abelson’s ID. “You’re shitting me, right? Mossad?” What the hell interest does Mossad have in Jake?”

  “I know it seems a little funky, but even more so than you might think. I’m not here in the U.S. as a Mossad agent. I’m here as a foreign exchange student. Like Jake, I’m a computer sciences major. Jake and I have a couple of classes together, so we became friendly. Jake’s a lot smarter than I am, but thanks to Mossad, I have access to some pretty high-powered technology Jake was interested in.”

  “Still listening.” And the two men were still standing at the front door.

  “Bottom line, starting last November, with my Tel Aviv boss’s permission, I made some of our technology available to Jake. At least until recently, I knew pretty much what Jake was up to. A few days ago, Jake went completely off the grid. I haven’t been able to reach him, not even using our clandestine way of communicating. I’m afraid Jake may be in some kind of trouble. I feel at least partially responsible—maybe more than partially. I’m here because I didn’t know what else to do. I want to help you and Jake’s sister get things sorted out, and hopefully get Jake back home, safe and sound.”

  Frank had heard enough. He handed Abelson’s ID back to him. “Sorry for being so guarded and stiff. C’mon in. Let me introduce you to my wife, Jake’s sister. Can I offer you something to drink?”

  “Maybe a little later. For now, I’d just like to meet your wife and put our heads together and compare notes, so to speak. Or, at least our thinking, as quickly as possible. Not to sound melodramatic, but I’m afraid Jake’s life may genuinely depend on what we can accomplish.”

  LEAH HAD HEARD EVERY word Frank and the man talking to him had exchanged. Under the circumstances, would Frank have expected otherwise? Before Frank could usher the man into the study where she and Frank had again been scrutinizing Jake’s two emails, Leah intercepted them in the entry hall. She did not want to be perceived as some helpless victim, even though she wavered between thinking of herself as just that, versus a warrior on the attack.

  “Hello, Gali,” she said, now wearing her own mask and gloves, “I’m Leah. Please come in. For sure, let’s put our heads together. As urgently—”

  The doorbell sounded.

  “—and quickly as possible.”

  The three of them froze, as if caught in the middle of some illicit act. Like someone had just tapped on the pause button to send some video back to play, Frank looked through the peephole for the second
time in a matter of minutes.

  FRANK DID NOT RECOGNIZE the man at the door, also in a mask and gloves. What he did recognize was the duffel bag and backpack he was holding in each hand. Jake’s. No quizzes through the door this time. Those items were the only admission pass the stranger at the door required. Frank opened the door. “Yes?”

  “Am—”

  “Where—”

  “—Amir.—”

  “—did you—”

  “—Friend of Mr. JK.”

  “—get those bags?” The notion of social distancing seemed lost in the moment. Frank took custody of Jake’s duffel bag and backpack.

  “Yes, Amir,” Leah intervened. “I’m Jake’s sister, Leah Klein Lotello. I remember Jake telling me all about you. This is my husband, Frank Lotello, and this is our friend, Gali Abelson. Please, come in. But please tell us first where you got those bags.”

  “Yes, yes. Been on trip with Mr. JK. And bags. Many stops. Last stop Atlanta, Georgia. USA. Afraid big trouble. Not see. Mr. JK tell me run fast. Drive fast. Bags in car. Bring here.”

  Leah looked at Frank and beat him to the punch. “Atlanta! As in A-.”

  “We still don’t know who or what, or even exactly why, but we sure as hell know where and when,” Frank said.

  Belatedly, at Leah’s prompting, they all moved to the family room.

  Frank superficially examined the contents of Jake’s bags—nothing out of the ordinary, some clothes and a lot of laptop computers. Typical Jake.

  Abelson was the first to pick up on Frank’s last remark. “May I?” he asked Frank, reaching for Jake’s bags without waiting for an okay. He pulled out the four laptop computers and lined them up on the coffee table around which the four of them were assembled. “I think I might be able to shed some light on the who, what, and why, but I need to open these laptops and they’re each password protected. I can get past those, but it will take a little doing.” He reached for his shoulder bag and removed his own laptop, and a thumb drive. He set them on the coffee table in front of him.

  The other three in the room watched in intrigued silence as Abelson went to work.

  “Jake and I kidded about what I am about to do. Kind of like James Bond’s Q, the guy with all of the gadgets and widgets. You didn’t see me doing what you are about to see me doing. I have some colleagues who might criticize me if they learned otherwise. Kind of like, ‘if I show you, I have to kill you.’”

  “Looks like we’re going to be here awhile,” Leah said. “I’ll get us some snacks. Frank, can you please bring some ice and drinks, water, soft drinks, beer, nothing harder. We have to keep our wits.” She also pointed out the powder room to Abelson and Amir.

  Frank and Leah soon returned with the drinks and food.

  “Frank, can you please call Charlie and Madison at your folks and make sure they stay put there a few extra days. We’re going to need to commandeer their rooms for our guests. I’ll put out fresh linens, towels, and toiletries.” She briefly explained to Abelson and Amir that their two teenagers were doing pandemic duty with Grandpa and Grandma, replenishing groceries and sundries, so the more at risk grandparents who were just fine could stay responsibly hunkered down, while still practicing social distancing with their grandkids.

  “Easier said than done, General,” Frank said. “No way they are going to accept being told we are having houseguests in the middle of a pandemic without an explanation.”

  “Well, we sure can’t lie to them,” Leah said. “Or sugar coat it. They’re not babies anymore. And Jake is too important to them. You’ll have to tell them the truth and promise to keep them in the loop. Good or bad. They won’t settle for less. And we can’t expect otherwise.”

  Frank knew it was often wise to let Leah have the last word, even when she was wrong. Perhaps, this time she wasn’t. Perhaps.

  CHAPTER 96

  July 17, 2020, One Day Later

  ABELSON HANDLED THE GRAVEYARD shift while the others got some sleep. He was able to sidestep the passwords on each of Jake’s laptops, but that was the easy part. He spent most of the night digesting what was on the computers, and figuring what to share with the others in the morning without violating Jake’s privacy any more than necessary. He had also managed to get a couple of hours sleep, figuring that he would need at least a short nap if he were to remain on his toes.

  He was still up ahead of the others. He roused Amir while the others were still sleeping. He wanted to find out how much Amir could supplement the contents of Jake’s laptops with the time he had spent traveling with Jake. Amir was quite helpful in filling in what Abelson had learned from Jake’s computers.

  LEAH GENERALLY ENJOYED PLAYING hostess, even when her law practice was on overdrive. This was one time she was prepared to compromise. She needed to stay focused on the task at hand. The local deli and staff were pinch-hitting. The four of them were congregated, once again, in the family room. Everyone was doing their best to enjoy the brief culinary respite before the expected monsoon would soon hit.

  FRANK WAS KEEPING HIS own thoughts when the doorbell rang once again. My God, another day, another visitor. Wonder who this one is. He got up and quickly went to the door. He returned just as swiftly, looked at Leah and said, “I think this one is for you to handle.”

  LEAH LOOKED OUT THROUGH the peephole in the front door. Is that Anya? Oh my God. What happened to her hair? Where’s her makeup? Look at the dark circles under her eyes. She’s so drawn. She opened the door. “Hi, Anya. Are you okay?”

  “Hello, Leah. I’m sorry to disturb you. I didn’t know where else to go. Where to turn.”

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Is Jake here? Is he okay? Do you know where he is? He’s not been responding to my texts or emails. I just get service-canceled messages, and he hasn’t been sending me any texts or emails of his own. I’m very worried.”

  Leah paused. She wasn’t sure exactly what to say. She stared into Anya’s eyes. “Jake’s missing, Anya. We have no idea where he is or how he is.”

  Anya hesitated for a moment. “I was afraid of that,” she finally said. “I came here because I may be able to help.”

  Anya was masked and gloved. So far, they were socially distanced. Leah broke pandemic protocols and stepped forward. She reached an arm behind Anya and softly placed her hand on the small of Anya’s back. “Come with me.” She guided Anya into her study, closed the door behind them and motioned for Anya to take a seat. She did not tell Anya about the others who were in the family room with Frank.

  FRANK WONDERED WHAT WAS going on. Leah had been gone for almost ten minutes. He had expected her to bring Anya into the family room. Does Anya know something we don’t? He would give Leah another few minutes.

  JAKE HAD BEEN AWAKE for several hours, although he couldn’t be sure how long. No one had come to see him, but at least he wasn’t being abused—at least, not physically. All four walls of his cell were solid, there were no windows. There was one light on the ceiling. It had been on when he first discovered it. At some point, it went off, accidentally or by design. Maybe it was their way of telling him it was time to go to sleep. Sometime later, the light came back on. Maybe that was their way of telling him it was time to wake up. Shortly after the light came back on, a slot in the bottom of the door opened, and a tray of food was slid into the cell. He tasted it. Not very good, but it could be worse. Probably should eat, keep my strength up. If they were going to kill me, it probably wouldn’t be with poison in my food.

  He wondered what Leah was doing, whether she had received his emails and remembered JK’s Code. Been a long time since we played it, but didn’t want whoever has me to know what I was trying to tell her. He had wanted to say “Atlanta,” but ran out of time. Hope Amir gets to her. He doesn’t know where I am, but at least he knows it’s probably near Atlanta.

  LEAH WATCHED ANYA WRINGING her hands in her lap. She tried to connect to Anya through her eyes, but that didn’t work because Anya was looking down at her hands.
“It’s okay, Anya. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

  Slowly, Anya lifted her head and looked squarely into Leah’s face. “I work for Russia.” She paused, as if to let the words resonate with Leah.

  “I know that,” Leah replied. “You’ve been here studying English to work as a translator for Russia.”

  “No. I work for Russia now. I am not a translator.”

  “I don’t understand. What are you saying?”

  “I am a Russian spy. I was sent here by the Russian government to spy on Jake.”

  “What? Why? Why would Russia have any interest in Jake?”

  “They do not tell me, but I can guess. I think it has something to do with the November election. You know, there are lots of rumors that Russia interfered with the 2016 U.S. election. One of the ways was with computers. There are rumors that Russia is going to do so again this year. I think Russia believes Jake has been investigating Russian computer technology to stop Russia from interfering again this year.”

  “Do you know that for sure?”

  “No. I just heard rumors. Like Americans hear rumors.”

  “What exactly did the Russian government ask you to do?”

  “To spy on Jake. Report whatever I see him doing.”

  “What else, Anya?”

  “You know. To … to become close with Jake. Encourage him to tell me what he’s doing, and then report that information to my handler.”

  “Who is your handler? Does he have a name?”

  “Yes, of course. But I don’t know what his real name is. Like me, I have a real name. But not the name on my passport that you and Jake know.”