Sequence 77

by Darin Preston

  “No!” exclaimed the agents in unison as Seth appeared a full shade whiter and Leo inadvertently kicked his chair, causing an annoyingly familiar squeak to echo throughout the room.

  Manisha stifled a knowing giggle.

  “We’ll walk, thanks. We could use the fresh air.” Although he wished to appear more macho in front of the lovely professor, Leo thought it better to survive to flirt another day.

  “Would you gentlemen be able to meet me here tomorrow morning around ten?” Manisha looked at her watch, knowing it was going to be a long night. “Actually, make it noon. I have a lot of analysis ahead of me and probably won’t have anything figured out before then.”

  Seth looked at Leo, who was clenching his fist, ready to pound his should shoulder if he dare say no. “That should give us enough time to look into those records for you,” he said, grinning slightly at his partner.

  “Thank you,” she smiled. “Here are the reference numbers you will be looking for. Please call me if you find anything.” Handing Leo her personal business card with the file numbers written neatly on the back, she let them know that’d she’d be doing her part as well. “I’ll work from here for a while longer. Then I have to head home to let the dog out and get a bite to eat, but I’ll be back here later this evening.”

  “We’ll see you tomorrow, Manisha,” said Leo, smiling dreamily, but not moving toward the exit.

  Nudging his lollygagging partner toward the door, Seth opened it and wished the professor well. “Have a good evening. Good luck.”

  Except for a few students and faculty moving from place to place, the hallway was quiet. The midmorning atmosphere was refreshing as the building’s ventilation system pulled cool air in from outside to replace the stale air of the night.

  Not one to mince words, Leo moved his head side-to-side as if listening to dance music in a nightclub. “The professor is pretty nice looking, eh bro?”

  Punching Leo in the arm a bit harder than usual, Seth rolled his eyes. “It was sure obvious that you thought so.”

  As any self-respecting grade school student might, Leo returned the gesture. “Oh c’mon! I wasn’t that obvious…was I?”

  “Nah, I’m sure she didn’t notice. She’s just a scientist, after all,” laughed Seth, dodging a second punch aimed at his shoulder.

  The sophomoric mood passed quickly as Leo cringed upon realizing what they needed to do next. “So, do you want to be the one to tell Bob there’s actually something to this or should I?”

  Stopping dead in his tracks, Seth thought about the proposition of telling his direct, generally cantankerous supervisor the news. “Let’s wait until we have more information before our check-in. I’d hate to waste Bob’s time if this ends up a wild goose chase.”

  “I’m with you, bro. I don’t feel like getting yelled at today either,” nodded Leo in complete agreement.

  Adopting a quicker pace, Seth wasn’t sure how long the walk back would take on foot. “We’d better get moving if we want to talk with Alice, just in case she goes home for lunch.”

  “I’m sure she’s there, man,” said Leo confidently as he caught up to Seth. “I haven’t heard the sound of anyone burning rubber out of the parking lot yet.”

  Seth laughed as they reached the front doors, taking a deep breath of fresh air as they emerged into the bright sunlight of the new day.

  Chapter 16

  Now Was Found

  THE FILE STORAGE room where Alice had left the agents was poorly lit by a small cell of halogen tubes recessed into the ceiling. Never meant for long-term storage, the area and was no bigger than most of the offices on campus. Bureaucratic red tape, lawyer speak, and paperwork redundancy had created a severe backlog of sensitive documents which couldn’t simply be thrown in the trash. Dust and stagnant air swirled around the two men as they worked in close quarters, looking for a specific needle in a stack of similar-looking needles.

  Agents Alejo and Alexander rummaged through seemingly endless boxes of files, each with a sticker which prominently read “INCINERATE” in large letters. The stickers were applied liberally across the boxes, some with so many stickers that very little of the actual cardboard could be seen. Those boxes were, of course, searched first. They found some interesting paperwork which appeared to point to cover-ups of medical mistakes, missing medical equipment, and even a local politician who wanted a quiet paternity test, but nothing relating to the four files they were searching for. It may have been just as well. Any first-year law student would know to have the evidence thrown out due to the lack of a judicial warrant. Access to these files was allowed only as a courtesy, and they were instructed that nothing could be taken from the room without express permission from the hospital administrator. The fact that they were granted entree at all was helped by the reality that the administrator in question was out of town until the next evening.

  After a full afternoon of opening and then resealing boxes, the two men emerged from file storage with vacant, defeated expressions. Their clothing appeared gray with dusty grime as they reflexively patted themselves down to remove the unwanted filth. The action created a small dust storm around them, reminiscent of Peanut’s Pigpen, which promptly caused both men to sneeze loudly. Once recovered, the agents breathed sighs of relief at escaping the small room and walked back toward the lobby.

  As they approached the lobby, it became apparent that the atmosphere in the hospital had changed. It was decidedly darker now as the sun had begun to set and the artificial light inside began to overtake the natural light that had been pouring through the windows when they first arrived. Fluorescent bulbs in the hallways cast harsh white beams to the floor but left the ceilings pitch black. It appeared to Seth that the conical light fixtures were simply hovering in a night sky devoid of stars. Alice was not at her familiar post, no doubt racing home by now as the scant evening shift began to arrive.

  “I need a bite to eat,” said Seth, noticing his stomach rumbling.

  Not one to need much convincing when it came time to eat, Leo patted his equally talkative belly. “I’m with you, bro. That bag of stale potato chips from the vending machine just didn’t hack it.” Missing a meal may have been in the job description, but it wasn’t in his nature.

  Seth grinned at his partner’s obvious anticipation. “Since we are in the area, do you want to hit State Street Brats? I could go for a hunk of fatty pork product on a bun.” His stomach made an exceptionally loud gurgle which sounded like agreement.

  After serious consideration, Leo thought better of it after the previous evening’s gastrointestinal adventure. “I love that place, but I think I need something a little lighter this evening. How about a gyro at Parthenon’s? Gotta get the Greek!” He chanted with the excitement of a three-year-old asking his parents for a toy.

  “As long as I get some protein, I’m happy. A gyro does sound good though...Parthenon’s it is!” agreed Seth happily as he rubbed his hands greedily together. “Let’s check out of here and pray they didn’t tow Gert while we were running around campus today,” he mocked.

  Slapping Seth on the back, Leo caused another small could of dust to rise into the air. “Ha, you wish!”

  Although their search for the files ended in failure, they could feel their spirits lift with the prospect of a good meal in their near future. They walked side by side, pushing through the tall glass doors of the lobby and stepping into the waning light of the day. Overlapping hues of the color purple dominated the darkened area of the parking ramp where Gertrude had been left. Many of the lights in the parking structure were still off, their low-light sensors yet to be triggered by the approaching dark. Nearing their destination, both men stopped in their tracks as if connected by a single thought. They tensed, their training and experience taking control. Each man reached for his concealed sidearm, wary of an indistinct figure partially obscured behind a steel support beam, watching as the two men approached.

  Seth was the first to draw his firearm but kept it pointed
at the ground. “Come out, hands raised above your head!” he commanded in an authoritative voice.

  Having already moved to his partner’s left in an attempt to outflank their unannounced observer, Leo’s gun was drawn and pointed at the ceiling with his right hand while his left hand instinctively grasped his wrist. Both men could see the still-hidden figure stiffen, having been startled by the booming echo of Seth’s verbal demand.

  The figure remained motionless as a soft, broken response came from the shadows, “Ye-s-s sir.” Anxiety threatened to throttle the woman’s ability to speak. “I’m sorry, I was just waiting for you to get here,” she said breathlessly. Cautiously, she stepped into the dim lighting of the parking garage.

  As the woman gradually appeared from the shadow, Seth could see immediately that she was frightened and unarmed. Her hands were held up in front of her, shaking noticeably. Her eyes were wide as she waited for the agent to speak. Placing his sidearm back into its holster, he looked toward Leo and nodded. Nodding back, Leo was already relaxing his posture and securing his own weapon. “May I ask why you felt it necessary to hide by our vehicle?” asked Seth, with far less volume to his voice than just moments prior.

  “I’m sorry, I just thought you’d want these,” she said, using her right foot to slowly slide a cardboard box from behind the pillar she had been standing behind.

  “You can put your hands down, miss,” said Leo, wondering if they had scarred the poor woman. “If it makes you feel any better, you probably scared us almost as much as we scared you.” Smiling warmly, he focused upon easing her tattered nerves.

  Seth could see the woman relaxing as she brought her hands gently down in front of her and color returned to her face. Wearing a light blue dress and white sneakers, she appeared to him as many of the hospital staff, professional yet mobile. With no reason to suspect deception, he knelt down and opened the box which had been clearly marked for incineration just like the dozens of boxes that he and his partner had already rummaged through. Inside he discovered more than a dozen sequential files, including the four Professor Shukla had hoped they would be able to find. He looked up at the young black woman looking thoughtfully down at him. Good fortune rarely played a role in his time with the Bureau, so it made sense to be cautious of such a change in his favor. “Who are you and how did you know we were looking for these?”

  “My name is Kendra Anderson, and I’m the administrative assistant to Virginia Kemp,” she said bleakly while spitefully omitting her boss’s official title from the introduction. “I was talking with Alice when Professor Shukla called and asked that two FBI agents be given temporary access to our discarded files room. When I saw your car, I knew you were the same agents who had met with Miss Kemp on Monday.”

  Nudging his partner’s shoulder, Leo puffed out his chest proudly. “See? I told you mine was better than one of those boring fleet cars. Crown Vics all look the same.

  Giving him a sideways glance, Seth still wasn’t willing to bestow a true compliment on Gertrude. “Yeah, she’s distinct, all right.” Standing up, he studied their benefactor more closely. There was kindness, but also fierce determination in her eyes as she stared directly back at him, waiting for the next question. “You could have kept these files hidden and we’d never have found them. Why are you helping us?”

  Gazing downward for a few seconds, Kendra saw no reason to hide the truth behind her decision. “Because that lady deserves whatever’s coming to her, and I want my self-respect back,” she said, her chin rising slightly as she felt pride begin to return.

  Sensing years of built-up torment feeding her response, Leo envisioning how it might feel if he had to work for someone that made Robert Simpson seem like Mother Theresa. “After meeting the fine doctor, I think we have an idea of what you mean.”

  It turned out that Seth was wrong. It wasn’t luck that turned things their way, it was Administrator Kemp’s bad karma. “I have to agree. I think reassignment or quitting would be better than having to put up with a tyrannical boss day in and day out.” Sharing a grin with Leo, he also wondered where Bob fell on that spectrum.

  Kendra took a deep breath and let it out slowly, blinking back sudden tears. “I’m a single mom with three little kids. I just couldn’t take the risk of losing a job that pays benefits,” she said frankly, putting her hands on her hips and shaking her head to regain her composure. “I’ve come close to quitting more than once, but my babies are too precious.”

  Compelled by a combination of gratitude and compassion, Leo walked toward Kendra and offered her a firm handshake. “Thanks for your help, Ms. Anderson. I promise you we’ll pursue charges against her for attempting to get in the way of our investigation.”

  The anxious lines of Kendra’s face almost disappeared as the reassuring words and gesture gave her hope that she had made the right decision. She brushed back tears of relief. “Thank you both.”

  Also shaking her hand, Seth hoped that Kendra’s actions proved a positive turning point for her future. “Thank you, Ms. Anderson. You did the right thing.” Head held high, she walked briskly back toward the building’s lobby.

  “It looks like our date with a gyro will have to wait. Manisha is going to want these files.” Leo’s voice was excited as he pulled the professor’s business card out of his jacket pocket and held out his hand, expecting his partner to hand him the phone. “I’ll let her know we’re on the way over.”

  “She’s probably going to flip when she hears what we’ve got,” added Seth, watching his partner’s eyes open wide at the suggestion. “But I’d better make the call. I don’t want to have to explain to Bob why one of us spent three hours on the taxpayer’s dime playing a game of ‘no, you hang up first.’ ”

  Before Leo could respond, Seth swiped the card from his partner’s grasp and began dialing the number. It was easy to hear the exuberance in Manisha’s voice as Seth delivered the good news. After a few additional moments of cheerful conversation, he terminated the call and put one hand on Leo’s shoulder. “Well, my friend, it looks like we get to go eat supper after all,” he said amiably, putting his other hand on his stomach which had transitioned from hungry to uncomfortably empty.

  “Aww man, why’s that?” asked Leo, patting his incessantly rumbling stomach as well. “Never mind, let’s get some food.”

  “The professor said that her analysis of the recovered data will take most of the evening. I guess that means she won’t need these files until tomorrow morning.”

  Bending at the knees, Seth scooped up the box with a grunt. “There’s more in here than I thought. We’ll drop them off in the morning and see what the Doc’s put together.” Realizing what that meant, he pumped his fist up and down emphatically, unable to contain his excitement at the prospect of heading back to Milwaukee. “It’s sure gonna be nice to finally get the hell outta Dodge!”

  “Son-of-a-gun, you’re right!” said Leo, frowning. “That only gives me one more shot at making a good impression.” Slapping one hand on the top of his head, he appeared genuinely distressed.

  Used to having his partner take a jovial approach to most things, Seth wasn’t used to seeing him act with such awkwardness. It was something different that was absolutely worth the price of admission to witness. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m pretty sure your first impression won’t be forgotten,” he surmised in an effort to further antagonize the smitten man.

  Completely missing the insinuation, Leo jingled his cosmic mass of keys and motioned toward the old Ford Galaxie. “Great! Then let’s eat!”

  Seth smiled and shook his head while hunger took prescient over his desire to torture Leo. Most of the parking garage’s lights had flickered to life by now as they climbed inside the car and drove into town to enjoy a well-deserved meal.

  For once, things were looking up.

  Chapter 17

  Backup Blues

  ASSISTANT SPECIAL AGENT in Charge Robert Simpson leaned back in his chair, barely hearing the squeaking no
ise that coincided with every such movement. Thanks to the loud rattle and hum of industrial fans coming from the room just above his own, he hardly heard anything lately. With the end of the heat wave, the maintenance crew had turned on the building ventilation system that was designed to pull fresh air in from outside and push the warmer, stale air out. Unfortunately for Bob, his office was directly below the primary exchange that, in addition to being incredibly loud, acted as a heater even on the most temperate of days. Shaking his head as he surveyed the room, he was discouraged that cleaning efforts the day before failed to make a significant dent in his collection of clutter.

  Sighing pessimistically, he forcefully pushed the intercom button on his desk phone. “Dolores, has the repair crew showed up to fix my air conditioner yet?” Glancing at the infuriating machine continuing to silently mock him from the window, he decided to take out his frustrations where he could. “Oh, and have Goober and Gomer checked in? They’re overdue.” He frowned at the phone as if she could see his gruff expression.

  Loud static could be heard from Dolores’s office down the hall. “No to both, Bob,” she answered with calm efficiency. “The repair crew called and said that they would try to get here today sometime, but I told them there was no rush since the weather changed.” Oblivious to the sweltering conditions just down the hall, she still sensed that her boss might not be pleased with her decision. “Oh, and this morning Seth said he would let us know if anything interesting came up,” she added quickly, hoping to shift his focus.