Failsafe

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  Chapter 21

  Charlotte urged her horse to a gallop. The wind whipped through her hair, leaving it streaming behind her. She spotted a beautiful stallion on the other side of the fence. Dark chestnut in color with a black mane and beautiful lines, he seemed to take her desire for speed as a challenge and raced alongside them.

  An eagle circled over some nearby trees. She reined in her horse and watched the bird glide on the wind until it disappeared from view. She stayed where she was a moment longer, her eyes sweeping the countryside. The deep green of the trees painted a majestic landscape against the paler green of the rolling pastures and the brilliant blue sky. Such simple beauties, ones she took for granted far too often. She wondered if her dad had ever taken the time to enjoy such things.

  So often his focus had been on making sure she was going through the exercises he had outlined for her. Ever since her childhood, he had taught her how to ride and shoot, how to use and program computers and expand her mind in his favorite field of mathematics. She had loved their time together and the puzzles he had placed before her. It wasn’t until she reached high school that she discovered she had already learned more about math than most of her teachers.

  She finished calculus in tenth grade and went on to exhaust the junior college’s supply of math classes by the time she graduated from high school. Tackling difficult problems had been a fun challenge, one she had often enjoyed with her dad, but she’d always felt like he was preparing her for something.

  She had thought it was to someday become the liaison between the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency for the guardian program, but now she wondered if maybe he had been preparing her for this day. Had he known it would come?

  She turned back, trying to leave the negative thoughts behind. She tried to imagine what it would be like to live here for real. The countryside seemed more peaceful than the farm she had grown up on. Could it be because it was really a working farm and not a training ground in disguise? She liked to think she could spend her future enjoying the beautiful pastures, the rich beauty of the trees, and the simple gift of choosing her own future.

  Unfortunately, she knew this couldn’t last. As much as she loved the idea of a simple life, she also knew how much she thrived on the challenges associated with working on the guardian database. She had just never considered that her father wouldn’t be part of her life when the responsibility fell fully on her; nor had she truly understood the danger.

  The day would come, she knew, when she would need to leave this place and take her spot in the guardian program. Though part of her was terrified by the prospect, she owed it to her dad to try to fill his shoes and safeguard the guardians—those who protected those who couldn’t protect themselves.

  * * *

  Jake walked along the path from his private entrance and headed for the back of the house. He’d reached the end of a chapter and decided to take a walk by the gardens to stretch the kinks out of his neck and back. He would have to shift the storyline soon to bring his main character into the present day. He wasn’t sure how he was going to accomplish that and still make it believable. How would his characters react when a woman from the 1800s fell through a portal in time and found herself in today’s world?

  He walked around the corner toward the back entrance of his apartment and saw Hannah riding toward the stables. He reminded himself what day it was. Friday. And he didn’t have a single plan for tonight. Standing here in the rolling hills of Virginia, he felt like he was a world away from the life he had been living only a few weeks ago.

  How long had it been that his Friday nights had been consistently double and triple booked? It had been flattering at first to think that so many people had enjoyed the stories he’d crafted and come to love the characters he knew so well. Now that he was away from the fast pace of the city, he was starting to realize how empty his life had become. Half the people he associated with probably didn’t even know where he came from or what was really important to him.

  He remembered Max’s suggestion to take Hannah out for the evening. With that in mind, he changed his course and headed toward the stables. He caught up to Hannah as she was dismounting outside the stable doors.

  “If you’re out here, my grandmother must be taking a nap.”

  “Yes,” Hannah said. “I hope you don’t mind that I went for a ride. I was feeling a little restless.”

  “That’s fine. She usually sleeps most of the afternoon away.”

  “Very true,” Hannah agreed. “She really is a sweetheart.”

  “She is that, and you’ve been wonderful with her,” Jake said. His heart pounded a little harder in his chest, and he tried to keep his voice casual. “I was wondering, do you have any plans for tonight?”

  Both elegant eyebrows lifted. “I think your plan is for me to spend time with your grandmother.”

  Now he could feel his palms growing damp. “I thought it might be fun for us to go into town. Can I take you to dinner at the country club?”

  She didn’t hide her surprise. “The country club? Sounds fancy.”

  “Not really. I mean, it’s nice, but it’s mostly a place for the area farmers to get together and socialize since we’re so far from the city,” Jake explained.

  “That makes sense.” She looked into the distance. “The houses are so spread out through here.”

  “The club isn’t too far away,” Jake continued. He knew he was rambling, a habit he always seemed to fall into when his nerves surfaced. “My dad had a membership. He was big into golf.”

  She clasped both her hands on her horse’s reins. “Are you a golfer too?”

  “I enjoy a round now and then but not the way my dad did. I guess he needed the release after spending so much time working in the fields. And, of course, it was a great way for him to socialize with the neighbors.” He took a deep breath. “So what do you say? Are you up for a night out?”

  She fiddled with the reins some more, twisting the leather strap between her fingers. “I’d love to, but what about your grandmother? I’m not sure it’s a good idea for her to be home alone.”

  “Max said his wife would be willing to come over for a visit if we wanted to go out,” Jake said, his nerves settling a little now that she had in essence said yes. “Why don’t I go check with her to make sure tonight will work, and then we can make our plans.”

  “That sounds good.”

  Jake tilted his head toward the house. “I’d better get back to work. I have some characters who aren’t very happy with me right now.”

  “Well, good luck. I hope you can get them to cooperate.”

  “Thanks.” Abandoning his earlier plan to walk in the gardens, he headed back toward his apartment. He glanced back at Hannah to see her unsaddling her horse and discovered he was looking forward to spending the evening with her. In fact, he couldn’t remember looking forward to a Friday night more.

  * * *

  Charlotte checked on Abigail before going upstairs to get ready for her evening out. The idea of going out with Jake hadn’t quite settled into her mind yet. She couldn’t deny she was flattered, even though she wasn’t sure if this was a real date or just two people going out together.

  Not since college had she dated anyone for any length of time. Now, for the first time in three years, she found herself looking forward to spending time with a man who didn’t think in algorithms and computer languages.

  She walked into the closet in the master bedroom and looked at the dresses hanging inside. Although Jake had insisted that it was all right and had even encouraged her to help herself to as many things as she could use, she still felt odd wearing clothes that didn’t belong to her.

  She had limited herself to a few simple items she could wear comfortably, but with the prospect of needing to dress up, she didn’t have any choice but to expand her wardrobe once more. She had never been to a country club before, and she wasn’t sure what to expect, although she was quite certain her pi
oneer dresses wouldn’t count as appropriate attire.

  The closet held everything from simple cotton dresses to glittering formals. Charlotte ultimately chose something that fell between the two, a knee-length dress in deep blue. The cowl-neck collar begged to be accented with jewelry, but that was beyond Charlotte’s current capability.

  Shoes became the next challenge. Her feet were a size smaller than Jake’s mother’s. She looked through the assortment in the bottom of the closet, choosing an open-backed sandal she hoped she wouldn’t step out of.

  She finished getting ready and went downstairs to the kitchen. After a quick discussion with Abigail, she heated up some leftover meatloaf for her dinner; Abigail had just sat down to eat when a knock sounded at the door. Charlotte went to open it, hoping this experience would be an improvement over the last time someone had come to visit.

  A woman in her midfifties stood on the porch, her light brown hair cut short to follow along her jaw. “You must be Hannah. I’m Stella, Max’s wife.”

  “Thank you so much for coming over to visit. Abigail is in the kitchen, eating dinner,” Charlotte said. “There’s plenty more in the refrigerator in case she’s still hungry, and I set out the crackers she likes to eat for a snack. They’re on the counter beside her bedtime medicine.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine,” Stella assured her. “You have a good time tonight. Jake is waiting for you outside. He said for you to come out when you’re ready to go.”

  Charlotte thanked her and walked outside to find Jake standing out front, leaning against a newer model pickup truck. His attire of dress slacks and a sport coat helped put her at ease over her choice of an outfit. She drew in a breath and exhaled slowly, willing herself to relax.

  She thought she saw a flash of surprise on his face when she stepped out onto the porch. His eyes locked onto hers, and he pushed himself away from the truck. He closed the distance between them and reached out to take her hand and help her down the stairs. “You look beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” Her eyes met his, and suddenly she felt very much like she was on a real date, complete with nerves dancing in her stomach.

  Her hand warm in his, she followed him to the truck, appreciating the way he opened the door for her and helped her into her seat. The leather felt smooth against her skin, and the bucket seats were separated by a center consol.

  As soon as Jake settled in beside her, she asked, “How far away is the country club?”

  “Not far. Maybe twenty or thirty minutes.” Jake slid the key into the ignition. “You know, it occurs to me that I still don’t know very much about you. Where did you grow up?”

  “I grew up on a farm not that different from this one.” Changing the subject, she asked, “Have you made any decisions on what you’re going to do when you move back to New York?”

  “Not yet. I’ve actually been so productive in the past week or so that I haven’t wanted to get outside of my writing time to think about the real world.”

  “What sort of things do you write?”

  “Usually general fiction. Everything I write has some kind of history in it.”

  “You like history?”

  “Yeah. I never realized how much until I moved away,” Jake said. “I guess growing up in a house that was built before the Civil War makes you really appreciate where you come from.”

  “I wonder what that would be like, to know who your family is, to share those bonds.”

  “Didn’t your parents tell you about your family?”

  Charlotte hesitated for a moment and then shook her head. It wouldn’t hurt for her to share this little bit of information. “I don’t remember my biological parents. They died when I was little, and I was raised by my adoptive parents.”

  “I’m sorry,” Jake said. “Do you know anything at all about your biological parents?”

  “No. I don’t even know their names or where they were from. I only know that one day they were gone.”

  “How old were you?”

  “Three.”

  “Do you remember them at all?”

  “Not really. Your grandmother offered to help me do some research, but we don’t really have a starting point.”

  “I could help,” Jake offered. “I do a lot of research for my writing. I’m pretty good at finding things other people have overlooked.”

  “That’s sweet of you to offer, but I know you’re so busy with your work.”

  “I’m sure we can carve out some time to work on it. Maybe after dinner some night.”

  “I’d really appreciate that, but there’s actually another family I wanted to research first,” Charlotte said. She needed to know where she came from, but she also wanted to know about the family in the newspaper article she’d found.

  “Who are they?”

  “I’m not sure. I found a newspaper article in my mom’s things about a family who was killed in a car accident. It must have been important to her to keep it all these years, and I’d like to know why.”

  “Sounds like an interesting puzzle,” Jake said, intrigued.

  “I think so.”

  Chapter 22

  “You aren’t going to believe this,” Cheng said, looking up from the laptop he had been working on across the hotel room from his partner.

  “You found a back door into the guardian database?” Owen asked.

  “I wish.” Cheng snorted. “But I do think I found where Charlotte Martin dropped off the grid.”

  Owen straightened, interest lighting his eyes. “Where is she?”

  “I don’t know that yet, but I tracked her to Culpeper, Virginia, and couldn’t figure out where she went from there. I thought maybe she bought a car with cash, but when I checked with the local dealers, nothing lined up.”

  “You think she’s still in Culpeper?”

  “No. I think she bought a horse there.”

  “A horse?” Owen said. “And what do you think she did with it?”

  “I think she’s using it for transportation.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “Think about it. The first thing she did when she realized we were following her was to ditch everything with an electronic signature and take off on horseback,” Cheng reminded him. “And from what we’ve heard, she grew up on Martin’s farm, so she probably has basic survival skills.”

  “What? You think she’s living in the woods like some hippie?” Owen asked incredulously. “That’s absurd. She had emergency cash.”

  “Maybe she’s using the horse to get somewhere specific,” Cheng suggested, not giving up on the possibility. “She went to a lot of trouble to backtrack so her trail would be hard to follow.”

  Owen tried to wrap his mind around Cheng’s suggestion. Regardless of Charlotte’s mode of transportation, Cheng did make a good point. If she’d gone to so much trouble to hide her trail, Charlotte likely already knew where she was going. “She’s following a predetermined emergency plan.”

  “That’s what I think. The question is how do we figure out where she’s going? For all we know, she could be leading us on a wild goose chase only to circle back to either CIA or NSA headquarters.”

  “If she does that, she’ll play right into our hands.”

  “And if she doesn’t?” Cheng asked.

  “We keep looking.”

  “She could be anywhere.”

  “That’s true, but unless she’s willing to watch the guardian program fall apart, eventually she’ll have to reinitialize the system,” Owen said smugly.

  “And since you used your Nick White identity to return to the farm, we have all of Martin’s equipment and we’ll be able to tell when she does.”

  “Exactly. We’ll still have to hack into it or get her to do it for us, but we should be able to use Dwight’s equipment to pinpoint the other computer using the program.”

  “How long do you think the guardians can function without access to their data?” Cheng asked.

  “I don’t know. The ori
ginal plans put safeguards in place so each guardian would have limited access to his or her area of expertise. My guess is the funding will drive the time line.”

  Cheng considered for a moment. “In that case, maybe we need to turn the heat up a bit and adjust their time line.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “I have to think you know at least one or two agents who have been granted access to the guardian resources. If a few end up in distress or we can stir up some unrest in a key country or two, the guardians won’t have a choice but to reactivate their system to keep up with the increased operational demands.”

  “I like the way you think,” Owen said. “I’ll see what I can find out tomorrow when I go into work. In the meantime, start asking around in the towns near where Charlotte was last seen. Maybe there’s still a clue or two left that we haven’t found.”

  * * *

  The wonder on Hannah’s face told Jake this would be a new experience for her. He looked at the tidily groomed golf course and the club located at the heart of it all and wondered what it would be like to see it for the first time. So much of his childhood had been spent here, learning to golf, fish, shoot, and swim. The stately clubhouse maintained its historic charm while employing the best of modern amenities.

  It had been founded in 1745, as evidenced by the small plaque on the wall. Originally a hunting club, it hadn’t featured the golf course until later. Wide windows stretched along the back wall of the reception area, inviting guests to enjoy the beautifully manicured grounds and woods beyond.

  Jake took Hannah’s hand to lead her upstairs to the dining room. Another set of windows lined the far wall, and he was surprised to see most of the round tables in the room were occupied.

  The maître d’ greeted him by name. “Mr. Bradford, it’s so good to see you again. I’m so sorry about your parents.”