Open Source

by Matthew Frick

  “I don’t know, you tell me. Did the report say anything about him retiring too?” George shook his head, his mouth full of bagel and smeared with cream cheese.

  Susan handed George a napkin and answered the question for him. “Alam is too low on the totem pole for the Iranians to feel the need to announce his retirement to the world. It wouldn’t be in the press. But I can make a call and try to find out.” She picked up the phone and checked her watch before dialing.

  Casey screwed the top back on his drink and took one of the last two bagels for himself. Susan began speaking Farsi into the phone. Unable to eavesdrop, Casey asked George, “So what did you think of O’Reilly last night?”

  George finished sucking cream cheese from his fingers and wiped his hands with the napkin. “On Fox?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Didn’t see it. Why? What happened?” George asked.

  Casey didn’t understand the Persian language, but he could tell by the inflection of Susan’s voice that she was about to end the conversation she was having. He waited until she hung up the phone before continuing. “O’Reilly talked about the Baltic Venture.”

  “Really?” Susan looked as amazed as Casey was the night before that such a big national media program would be talking about the same case they were working on.

  “Not just that,” Casey said. “Bill cited the IWG report y’all published last week.”

  “Really?” This time it was George.

  “Yes, sir. He was commenting on the missile deal more than anything else. Specifically how it showed that you couldn’t trust the Iranians as far as you could throw them. Pretty cool, I think. See, Susan. You’re making a difference already. Do you know how many viewers probably Googled your company after that? That’s gotta make you feel good,” Casey said.

  Susan smiled. It did make her feel good. If Bill O’Reilly didn’t know “Susan Williams” was behind the report, people who did a little more digging after the show would, like Casey suggested would be the case. Her name was listed as a co-author. Maybe her hard work was starting to get her the recognition she deserved. The recognition she never got when she was growing up, and until recently, that she never even got from her own employers. “That is pretty cool.”

  “Can I have another bagel?” George asked Casey.

  “Knock yourself out.”

  “Thanks.”

  As George noisily dug an oversized onion bagel from the bag, Phil Davis stepped into Susan’s cubicle with his ever-present coffee mug in hand. “It’s like a party in here,” he observed.

  “Morning, Phil,” Susan said.

  “Good morning,” Phil said. “Look, I don’t mean to interrupt everyone’s breakfast, but Jim wants us in the department conference room in ten minutes.”

  “What for?” George asked.

  “I don’t know. He just caught me in the coffee room and asked me to spread the word.”

  “But you don’t even work for Jim. Why does he want you there?” Susan asked.

  “He probably thinks I do work for him, since I’m always hanging out down here. Anyway, I’m not doing anything right now. Figured I’d come too. He seemed kind of distant, like his mind was working through something big. It must be important.”

  Casey looked at Susan, who only shrugged her shoulders.

  “Alright. We’ll be there. Thanks, Phil.”

  Ten minutes later the members of the Middle East/Southwest Asia cell, and Phil, were gathered in seats around the big table and along the wall. The muted conversations came to a halt when Jim entered the room and shut the door behind him.

  “Thank you all for coming,” Jim Shelton said as he took his seat. He looked around the room at the faces of the people gathered around him. “I wish I had called this meeting because I had some good news to put out. Unfortunately that is not the case.” When he was sure he had everyone’s undivided attention, he continued. “Pete Grozny is dead. He suffered a fatal heart attack last night at his home. We were just informed about the tragedy this morning, and I ask that you all keep his family in your prayers.” Jim let the news sink in. He quickly stifled the inevitable hushed comments that followed with a raised hand, indicating he had more to say.

  “As you know, Pete and I have worked very closely since I came to IWG. I am very familiar with everything he was working on. Because of this, I have been put in charge of the Russia cell for the time being. That does not mean I won’t continue to give one hundred percent effort to you or the work you all are doing. Barry Messick will be running the day-to-day operations, but I’ll be the executive rep for their cell until a replacement is found. The bottom line is that work will continue, but I wanted you to hear the word from me before the water-cooler talk started. So, unless anyone has any questions, that’ll be all.”

  There were no questions, and everyone silently filed out of the room. Jim knew the water-cooler talk would start regardless, but he felt it was his duty to weigh in with the facts before the rumors took over. “Susan, could you and Casey hang on for a minute?”

  George looked back at Susan, who nodded her head for him to close the conference room door behind him. When they were alone, Jim said, “Please, have a seat.” They both did as requested and waited for Jim to begin.

  “I don’t know if either of you are aware, but the report you two wrote about the Baltic Venture was referenced on Fox News last night. The boss was pleased, and given the timing, he thinks there could be no better tribute to Pete Grozny’s work. Thank you.”

  “But Grozny actually wrote the piece. Why thank us?” Susan asked.

  “I wasn’t even here,” Casey added.

  Jim smiled. “We all know everything that’s come out of this investigation is because of you two.” He looked at Casey. “Even if you’re not a paid employee. Pete Grozny knew it, I know it, and so does Doc Borglund.” Glenn “Doc” Borglund, PhD, was the founder and CEO of the Intelligence Watch Group.

  Susan’s face flushed red as she smiled, looking down at the table in front of her. Casey noticed her obvious embarrassment and smiled too, not because he enjoyed the compliment for his own efforts, but because he was happy to see Susan get some recognition. He had noticed her lack of confidence in her own abilities from the first time they talked on the phone. Since then, he had really grown to like her. It didn’t hurt that she was easy on the eyes, but she was also smart. Very smart. The more Casey worked with her, the more he found himself actually caring about her. He hoped Jim’s words would help her overcome whatever it was in her past that gave her such a low self-esteem. Casey decided to save her from her current state by redirecting the conversation, which had, until then, been a one-way transmit from Jim.

  “I actually did see that on O’Reilly last night, sir. Good PR for your company. And more importantly, now our theory has some corporate backing.”

  Jim was pleased that Casey made that comment. It showed the guy was still thinking big picture. “Exactly. Well, at least part of the theory.”

  “No Israel,” Casey said.

  “No Israel,” Jim acknowledged.

  Susan had regained her composure and decided to join the conversation. “So then only part of the truth is out there. Israeli involvement is the key to the whole thing. I mean, if people only focus on Iran’s actions, they are missing the point that Israel is also thumbing its nose at the civilized world by playing games of political manipulation....”

  “And thinking they can get away with it,” Casey said, finishing Susan’s sentence.

  “Right,” Susan said. She really was feeling confident.

  “Regardless, our clients got the full report,” Jim said, “so the word is out there.”

  A thought came suddenly to Casey. “And what do your clients do with that word?”

  “Depends on the client,” Jim said. “Why?”

  “Well, I met a guy last night who read the Baltic Venture report. Said he was a consultant from D.C. here on business.”

  “Where did you meet him?” a
sked Susan. She was more than surprised that the Savannah vending machine guy, in New York, hiding from people who had twice tried to end his life, somehow managed to get into a conversation with a stranger who just happened to have read the report that, for all intents and purposes, was the very reason he was in hiding in the first place.

  “At Bar 50,” Casey said. “That’s where I saw the report on TV.”

  The same thought Susan just had, briefly crossed Jim’s mind. Unlike Susan, however, Jim knew Casey was a big boy and could watch out for himself. Casey had actually survived the two attempts on his life, after all. What concerned Jim Shelton was not Casey’s lapse in concern for his own preservation, but something more sinister. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad people are reading our products, but how do you know he wasn’t just commenting on the show?” Jim asked.

  “Because he talked about what O’Reilly didn’t.”

  “Israel.” Jim felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

  “Yes, sir. That seemed like all he wanted to talk about.”

  Jim looked at Susan before turning his attention back to Casey. “How much did you drink last night?”

  Casey had heard that question with the same veiled accusatory tone before. “Not enough to give away state secrets.”

  Sensing Casey’s guard go up, Jim smiled to put him at ease, but he was still trying to process the possible implications of Casey’s run-in with the stranger at Bar 50. He couldn’t bring himself to believe there were any innocent intentions behind the encounter. Until they had more information, though, Jim decided not to jump to conclusions. “Sorry, I had to ask.”

  “I understand, sir,” Casey said. “Look, we were the only two guys in the bar. The TV was on Fox News. It was something to talk about, that’s all. But he definitely had his own opinions about Israel’s culpability in hijacking the Baltic Venture. He said they should be charged with piracy, no matter what their intentions were. He seemed pretty adamant on that point.”

  “Was he gay?” Susan asked.

  Jim and Casey both looked at her questioningly.

  Susan sensed they wanted an explanation. “I mean, maybe he was trying to pick you up.”

  Casey laughed. “When guys hit on you in a bar, do they open by professing their hatred of maritime crime?”

  “No. I’m just talking through the options, jackass.” Susan smiled, too.

  “Alright, kids, that’s enough.” Jim stood to signal the end of the discussion. Casey and Susan followed suit. “I just wanted to thank you both for your work. And since we know Mr. O’Reilly and Casey’s new friend are reading our reports, we need to keep up that level of effort and try to get concrete leads on the rest of our assumptions.”

  “Yes, sir,” Susan said as she started for the door.

  Casey followed directly behind her. “Was he gay? What kind of question is that? Although, the dude was just drinking orange juice. Is that the staple well drink of homosexuals in New York?”

  “What was that?” Jim said, loud enough to startle Susan and Casey and stop them at the door.

  Casey looked at Susan before realizing Jim was talking to him. “Sir?” Casey asked.

  “What did you say this guy was drinking?”

  “Orange juice,” Casey said. He didn’t follow where Jim was going with his question.

  “No alcohol in it? Just juice?”

  “No, sir. I mean, yes, sir. No alcohol. Just juice.”

  Jim didn’t say anything else. His eyes squinted slightly, almost imperceptibly, as the gears in his brain began turning again.

  “What is it, sir?” Susan asked.

  Jim fixed his eyes on Casey. “Why would someone come to a bar and just order juice, when they could get two half-gallon jugs at Waldbaum’s for the price of one glass?”

  “That’s what I asked him. He said he liked the atmosphere,” Casey said.

  “It was a rhetorical question,” Jim said.

  “Oh.”

  “The only reason is because your guy didn’t want his brain clouded by alcohol. He wanted all his wits about him when he confronted you.”

  “Confronted me? Sir, all we did was talk. And it was just a chance meeting....” Casey stopped. He didn’t believe what had just come out of his mouth. Everything he knew about the world, everything that had happened to him in the past two weeks, everything he was up against—all of it was proof that chance was a fool’s explanation. It was naive. And it was dangerous. Casey scolded himself for being so careless. “He followed me there.”

  Susan stayed quiet on the sidelines. Jim folded his arms across his chest and leaned on the corner of the conference table. “I think that’s precisely what happened. The question now is, who was he? Had you ever seen the man before last night? Even in passing?”

  Casey shook his head. Since arriving in New York, Casey had begun to see his trip as a vacation. He was solving a puzzle that potentially had international consequences, and he was having fun. He had forgotten that there was also a personal side to this game. It was the threat to his own life that brought him here in the first place. Last night he just might have come face to face with that threat, and he didn’t even know it. Casey wasn’t a counterintelligence agent, but Jim was, at least he used to be. He hoped Jim could help him now.

  “If this man was trying to get information out of you, that’s bad enough,” Jim said. “What bothers me most, however, is that he found you in New York. That means the threat followed you up I-95, and you may not be safe here anymore.”

  Casey didn’t like what he was being told. The idea of being on the run did not appeal to him, and despite how it appeared, he had come to New York to deal with his enemies, not hide from them. “But...wouldn’t he have killed me as soon as I left the bar? And why risk talking to me in the first place? If something went wrong and I only got injured, I could finger the guy in a line-up.”

  “If you ever got the chance,” Jim said. “Casey, these people don’t generally do things without a purpose or a plan. If he wanted to feel you out before ending your life, it was probably to gather information on how much of a danger you still posed to whoever he worked for. Specifically, who you worked for and who else might know exactly what you know.”

  “You mean trying to find out who should be next on his list?” Casey asked.

  “Possibly,” Jim said.

  Susan followed the discussion and began to feel sick. She looked at the two men seated next to her. “He already has a name...mine. I’m next on his list.”

  “What?” Casey said. “Why would you be on anyone’s hit list? You haven’t done....”

  “She might be right,” Jim interrupted. “Assuming there is a list, and this guy you met last night is knocking off everyone he puts on it.” He put his hand on Susan’s arm. “I don’t want you to be scared, Susan. We’re just talking hypothetically here. The fact that nothing did happen to Casey last night may be a good sign.”

  “I still don’t see why y’all think she’s in danger,” Casey said.

  “Because my name is on that report,” Susan said, in a volume that betrayed both her anxiety and frustration. In a more even tone she said, “You wrote a blog post on the internet that probably got, what, forty hits? A hundred? And they sabotaged your van and shot at you. The IWG report was distributed to thousands of people, including the man you talked to, who may or may not be some sort of assassin.”

  Casey ignored the comment about the lack of readership on his blogsite, instead feeling slightly guilty for having brought this trouble upon his new friend. “I’m sorry.”

  Jim sighed. He had dealt with differing levels of danger throughout his government career, but he knew his young analyst had not. The knowledge that there was possibly someone out there, a nameless face on the streets of New York City, who was targeting her directly was obviously something she was not emotionally prepared to handle. But Jim also knew Susan well enough to know that she was a realist, and was not a stranger to adversity. The present situation
was merely something new.

  “Susan, if there is one piece of advice I can give you, it is to stay the course,” Jim said. “You can’t let fear consume you. If your life really is in danger, and we are not even sure that it is, it’s because the bad guys don’t want you to succeed in letting the truth get out. If anything, it is a testament to your own strengths. You hold a weapon more dangerous than any bomb or gun. You have an ability to see beyond the rhetoric and bullshit, and you find the real story, and more importantly, the real meaning behind the actions of some of the most opaque people and organizations in the world. Every day, whether you realize it or not, you are armed with information that can shape the course of international events—if you choose to use it. That is what makes you dangerous to them. That’s why they fear you. Take courage in that fact.”

  Chapter 36

  Susan and Casey both listened without saying a word as Jim spoke. Though specifically directed at Susan, Jim Shelton also intended for Casey to take his words to heart. Before they returned to Susan’s cubicle, Casey and Susan stopped in the break room for coffee, not that the caffeine would help calm anyone’s nerves, but because coffee in the break room was always a good way to gather one’s thoughts. And both of them had a lot of thoughts running through their heads. It was Susan who spoke first.

  “So what now?”

  Casey wiped his mouth after spitting coffee back in his cup to prevent a third-degree burn along the lining of his esophagus. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, what now? What do we do about the guy who wants to kill me?”

  “What? Nothing,” Casey said. “Hell, we don’t know for a fact that anyone wants to kill you. That’s just straight conjecture on our part. And I’m still not convinced it’s even a good possibility.”

  “You said that guy read the report,” Susan said.

  “Yeah, but he followed me to the bar, not you. And my name’s not anywhere near that document.” Casey could tell Susan was getting angry with him. “Look, Susan, I’m not saying you aren’t in any kind of danger—you very well might be—but I think Jim’s right. We have to just keep doing what we’re doing. If we sit around worrying about what might happen around every corner, we might as well stay indoors and never come out.”