by Robin Mahle
Primal Deception
A Lacy Merrick Thriller
By Robin Mahle
Published by HARP House Publishing
October, 2016 (1st edition)
Copyright ©2016 by Robin Mahle
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, including mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or broadcast. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Cover design: LLPix Photography, www.llpix.com Laura Wright LaRoche
Editor: Hercules Editing and Consulting Services www.bzhercules.com
1
The green wire was fastened into place with a tweezers-like instrument and the final step was now complete. The man with aged brown eyes set wide from his prominent nose removed his glasses and pulled upright in his chair. He returned the instrument to his desk and pushed away the rotating arm of the magnifier, switching off its light. With his hands pressed against his thighs, he inspected his handiwork before closing the briefcase in which the device was housed. He fully exhaled. The job was done.
Footfalls approached from beyond the back office where he worked. The time had come to deliver on his promise and for them to deliver on theirs.
“Is it ready?” In the doorway stood a younger man, short and slender with thick black hair and eyes that were shadowed by a heavy brow. He appeared indifferent as to the reason for his arrival. “If it isn’t, then…”
Before he could finish, the older man, who went by the name Ferran Basara, began to speak. “It is ready, as I promised your superior.” Ferran raised the briefcase from his desk. “Now you must keep your end of the bargain.”
“Your family’s safety will depend upon the successful deployment of your device. Then and only then will you know peace, my friend.”
Ferran shed his gaze from the man. “I doubt that it will bring me peace. Please—you must go now, before you draw unwanted attention.”
“Of course.” The man turned and proceeded to exit the shop where Ferran’s daughter remained standing behind the front counter. Her eyes followed him, but he didn’t give her a second look and pushed his way through the door.
At his departure, Izzah, Izzy to her friends, walked toward her father. Her petite frame stood firm inside the opened door. “Who was that?” She placed her hands on her hips.
Ferran looked at her and smiled, the creases on his face deepening as their eyes met. “No one you should be concerned with, Izzah.” He glanced at his watch. “Shouldn’t you be heading home soon?”
Izzah regarded her father with uncertainty. “In a little while. I need to finish taking inventory.” She remained with her eyes fixed on his.
He felt them burn into him but could say no more of his visitor. “Okay, then. I’ll be out in a moment.”
♦♦♦
The late afternoon sun glared down on Imad Mufid as he made his way to his car, swinging the briefcase and disregarding its fragile contents. With a press of a button, his car, which was parked alongside the curb that fronted Ferran’s shop, unlocked. He stepped inside and set the case down on the passenger seat. He made the call. “I have the device.” Imad scanned the street ahead, noticing the passersby glance through his windshield. “Yes, sir. It will be taken care of soon. I’ll make the arrangements.” He pushed the key into the ignition. “Thank you, sir. I’ll let you know when it’s done.”
The car’s engine purred to life and he pulled the gearshift of his small but newer model BMW into drive. Imad Mufid still had several tasks to complete before his job was done and the day was not nearly over for him.
♦♦♦
“So this guy has the nerve to complain about our fees.” Owen Ballard reached for the bottle of merlot and topped off his glass. “And yet he suffered twice that in financial losses because he didn’t see a need to upgrade his software and got hacked because of it.” He gazed around the table at his wife and friends who were hosting their dinner. “How much proof do you need to know that signing with our firm was the right thing to do?”
Jay Merrick raised his glass, “I hear you, my friend. It’s a tough sell, but that’s why we get twenty percent.” His merlot-stained lips parted into a smile. “I mean, take Lacy for example.”
Lacy Merrick turned to her husband as if caught off guard by the mention of her name.
“She’s tasked with analyzing online chatter, data breaches, social media posts, and red-flagged language. And yet for helping to protect our country, she’s paid only slightly more than our programmers.” He glanced to Owen. “We might have a tough sell, but we’re paid handsomely for it while she works to protect our country and isn’t paid shit.”
Lacy didn’t appreciate the topic of conversation. Her job was generally off limits to discussion, especially in front of guests, but Jay was on his third glass of wine and what was that saying about loose lips and sinking ships?
“You should come back to work for us, Lacy.” Owen turned his glossy eyes in her direction. “We need someone to knock your husband from his perch as top salesman.”
Owen Ballard had a way of making Lacy uncomfortable just by the manner in which he looked at her and this time was no different. She knew him well and couldn’t understand what it was Jay saw in him. Though she would never admit it, Owen was part of the reason she left the firm. “No amount of money in the world would get me back there to work with the likes of you two again. Am I right, Jules?”
Julianne Ballard, second wife to Owen, was the youngest of the four people sitting at the table. Here was a woman who never worked in her life and whose only job was to look good on her husband’s arm. And that was the way Owen preferred it.
Lacy missed Owen’s ex. They had all been very close, including their children. She hadn’t blamed Melissa for divorcing him. And in the two years since she’d known Julianne, she’d seen Owen become even more of a narcissist than he was before. It was no surprise to her that the topic of conversation Owen had instigated revolved around income, in general terms, of course. He wasn’t so brash as to speak outright about the kind of money he pulled in. She didn’t need to know because Jay pulled in the same kind, probably a little more, which made Owen jealous. It was written on his face, even now.
“Absolutely.” Julianne flashed her bright-white smile, which was in stark contrast to her bronzed skin and brassy blonde hair. She could have easily been cast in The Real Housewives of Annandale, Virginia, if there was such a thing. “Owen doesn’t need any more competition from the Merricks.”
The three erupted in laughter and it seemed Owen hadn’t caught on to the joke.
“I’m just teasing.” Julianne reached for his arm but released it immediately as he cast a scathing glance in her direction.
“Well, I couldn’t eat another bite,” Lacy, noticing the exchange, began. “Why don’t we finish our drinks in the living room?” She nodded to Jay for affirmation.
“Sounds like a great idea.” Jay reached for Lacy’s hand to help her from her chair. He leaned in as though he was about to kiss her cheek but began whispering in her ear. “Dodged a bullet there, didn’t we?”
She raised her eyebrows and stretched her lips into a wide smile. “Let’s just wrap this up. I think I’ve had about enough of the Ballards for one night.”
Owen pushed his chair from the table. “You’ll excuse me while I make a pit stop?”
“Certainly.” Jay nodded and continued into the living room. “Julianne?”
Owen turned left through the arched opening of the formal dining room and walked along the travertine floor in his Ferragamos, which clicked with each step. He stopped midway and turned back. The others had disappeared from view.
He’d been to this house many times before and was well acquainted with its layout. Jay’s study was ahead and to the right, at the end of the corridor, and that was where he would make a quick diversion. Another glance over his shoulder and still no one came into view. The Merrick children were already upstairs asleep in their rooms and their live-in housekeeper was cleaning up in the kitchen. Owen had but a few minutes before someone might question his whereabouts.
The study doors were closed, but unlocked, and Owen pushed them open with care. An espresso-colored desk with modern design appeared first as it was placed near the rear wall, fronting the built-in shelving units adorned with books and knick-knacks. He approached the desk and noted Jay’s laptop resting on the center. He didn’t consider opening it because it was most certainly password protected and this was an exploratory mission in any case.
Jay’s schedule was what he needed and had hoped to find an organizer or journal, but on further examination, it seemed that information would remain elusive. He would need to turn to something more surreptitious in order to uncover what he needed to know.
“Mr. Ballard?” Celeste stopped as she glimpsed inside Jay’s study and noticed Owen. “Did you need something?”
Owen, startled by her arrival, quickly stepped away from the desk. “Oh, no, thank you, Celeste. I was just looking for a business card Jay mentioned he had.” He began to walk toward her. “I’ll have to have him come and find it for me.”
Celeste, the Merricks’ housekeeper-slash-nanny, eyed Owen as he brushed past her.
“There you are!” Julianne patted the sofa. “Come join us, sweetheart. I was beginning to worry about you.”
Profoundly suspicious, which was perhaps why Lacy was good at her job, she studied Owen as he returned to the party. “Me too. Thought maybe you got lost.”
His eyes averted her stare as he answered his wife’s invitation to rejoin the group.
The evening had become prolonged and Lacy realized it would be up to her to call it. A glance at the wall-mounted clock above the fireplace and she raised her arms in a stretch. “We should probably call it a night. Got to get the kids up for school and get into the office early tomorrow.”
“Right. I suppose it is getting late.” Jay submitted to his wife’s unspoken request and rose from the side chair. “Thank you both for coming over tonight. It was a real pleasure.”
Owen stood and reached for Jay’s hand. “Thank you for hosting. It’s my turn next.” He turned to Lacy. “Thank you for a lovely evening and be sure to give Celeste our regards. She’s an amazing cook.”
His flesh-crawling look was again hurled in her direction. “I will, Owen. Thank you both for coming.”
Julianne soon followed and the Merricks showed their guests to the door.
“See you tomorrow, buddy.” Jay stood with the door open, letting in the still-cool evening breeze that was growing warmer with each passing day.
Owen leaned in to Lacy and pressed his lips gently against her cheek. “Good night, Lacy. See you soon.”
Jay reciprocated the gesture with Julianne, but Lacy didn’t feel the least bit threatened. His was distant and friendly, but she wondered if he noticed the way Owen looked at her and the way he placed his hand on the small of her back as he went in for the goodnight peck on the cheek.
When the guests finally stepped outside, the Merricks waved them off as they sped away in Owen’s Mercedes, top of the line model, of course.
Jay closed the door. “Well, that was fun.”
“Sure.” Lacy patted him on the shoulder and slogged her way toward the stairs.
“Oh come on, it was fun. You looked like you were having a good time.” Jay caught up to her at the bottom step. “I know Owen’s kind of an ass, but he’s all right. You only see him when he’s on, so to speak. He isn’t always that way.”
“If you say so.” Lacy kicked off her high-heels and held them with the crook of her fingers. “I haven’t worked with him in a while, so maybe I don’t remember that part. What was the deal with talking about my job anyway? You know that bothers me.”
“Ah hell, hon. I’m sorry. I guess it just slipped out.” Jay placed his hand around her waist. “Let me make it up to you?”
“Slipped, eh? You sure it wasn’t the three glasses of wine you had?” She was playing with him now but didn’t want to take it too far, as she was prone to do. “Come on, then, you owe me—I guess.”
♦♦♦
Lacy arrived at her desk and wasted no time getting to work. With headset on, she began studying the scrolling contents on the multiple monitors that curved around in front of her. A civilian data analyst at FBI headquarters in Washington, Lacy was among the elite men and women who were highly trained in matters of cyber security and data interpretation. Her interest in the field and an exceptional skillset led her to make the move from her former position with a high-tech cyber security firm to the FBI. Her husband, Jay, still worked at that firm.
“You ready to get started?” Michelle Vogel was the department head and now stood beside Lacy, peering down at her.
“Yes. I just need to pull the reports off the printer.”
“Great. I’ll see you in the conference room shortly.” Michelle’s tone was often mistaken as harsh, but this was a woman who’d fought for and won a position previously dominated by men. There was little room for niceties in this line of work.
Lacy retrieved the reports and followed a few of her colleagues into the conference room. The weekly meeting was about to begin.
“Okay.” Michelle leaned back in her chair and cocked her head. “Who wants to go first?”
A few glances were exchanged around the table before a man by the name of Brian Eckhart began to speak.
“I was asked to provide information to the Criminal Division regarding a few potential assets currently being handled by Counterintelligence.” His round cheeks puffed as he spoke. “I coordinated those efforts and provided them the necessary information. You’ll find the summary in this week’s reports.”
Michelle opened the file and began to peruse the data. “Great. Thank you, Brian.” As she glanced again at her team, her eyes landed on Lacy. “What have you got for us, Lacy?”
“I was contacted two days ago by Field Ops and asked to compile data from specific websites with IP addresses originating along the east coast. The data,” Lacy continued, “pointed to communication efforts via comments and blog posts from flagged countries. The IP addresses originated around Metro D.C. and well as Richmond, Charlotte, and a few others I detailed for you in the report.”
“Which flagged countries are we talking about?” Michelle asked.
“North Africa, Tunisia in particular.”
Tensions were high in North Africa and Tunisia was in close proximity to the hostilities of the neighboring nations of Libya and Egypt. It was a hotbed of instability and terrorist activity.
“And you provided the data to your field ops contact?”
“Yes. You may receive a call asking for further analysis. I only scratched the surface and I think those guys may be on to something.”
“Understood.” Michelle pushed back her shoulders and straightened her back. “Myra, what have you got?”
The meeting continued for more than two hours. There were times when Lacy believed it was all in vain—like they were helpless to stop anything. Those were the tough days to get through; San Bernardino, the Boston Marathon. The game was changed, and it was getting harder to stay abreast of the new rules.
“You got a minute?” Michelle approached Lacy while she gathered her things at the conclusion of the meeting.
“Sure.” She followed her boss and waited in her office while Michelle briefly excused herself without explanation. A perfectionist at heart, Lacy became concerned that she’d done something wrong in the meeting. Perhaps someone outside her department, say, Field Ops was dissatisfied with the data she’d turned up on the recent request.
“Sorry about that.” Michelle returned with a manila file folder in her hand. “I just had to go get your file.” She closed the door behind her and returned to her desk. “So, the reason I asked you in here was because we’re going to be adding a new supervisory position and I’m recommending you for the job.” Michelle peered over her reading glasses, anticipating a response.
Lacy’s mouth hung for a moment while she grasped the news. “Thank you, Michelle. I—I’m honored to have your endorsement.” It was finally happening. A masters in computer science, three years at Argus Solutions, and four years as a Data Analyst. Lacy was one of the best in her field and now she was being recognized for it. “When will they make a decision?”
Michelle flipped through Lacy’s personnel file, retrieving her salary information. “They’ve got five candidates, but between you and me, you’re the strongest one. If granted, you’ll be bumped to a GS-12 pay grade. That should be a fairly nice increase for you.”
Lacy had made far more in the private sector, but this would be a significant increase. “That’s great. Do I need to test for the position?”
“No. Not with your credentials. They’ll make the decision by the end of this week. They don’t want to leave anyone waiting in suspense longer than necessary. That’s all I’ve got for now.”
Lacy began to rise. “Thank you for your recommendation. Coming from you, it means a lot.”
♦♦♦
“I think you’re making the right call, Dan.” With his chair pushed back and his feet resting on his desk, Jay twirled his pen as he spoke into his cell phone. “Absolutely. We can have it up and running by the end of the month.” He continued to appease one of his best clients.