by Lynn Ames
“Still thinking about today?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Rebecca got up from her chair and went to sit next to her. “You thinking about scrapping the project?”
“What? No.” Dara adamantly shook her head. “Why would you think that?”
Rebecca shrugged. “It’s one thing to hear in the abstract that the federal government doesn’t want a manuscript to be published. It’s quite another to have the FBI contact you and ask for an audience.”
“The FBI can kiss my keister.”
“Very alliterative.”
“Very true.”
“You’re not scared?”
“No. I’m petrified. But I made a promise to Jay and I intend to honor it. She was forthright about the potential for adverse attention. I chose to move ahead anyway. I told her I wouldn’t be cowed or intimidated, and I meant it.”
“What does Ross think?”
“He didn’t say I’d lost my mind, but he clearly was perplexed why I would open myself to this kind of attention.”
“I can see that. It isn’t like you need to do this for publicity or the paycheck. Why would someone of your stature invite this kind of scrutiny?”
Dara turned fully to face her wife. “Are you having second thoughts? You think I’m making a bad decision by going forward?”
“No. I’m with you all the way. Jay’s work is brilliant and deserves to be seen by the public. As I said at the outset, this is a work of fiction. Stories like this that are based on truth get made everyday. There’s ample precedent for it.”
“But this isn’t a hypothetical scenario we’re talking about. This is our lives and our reputations.”
“All true. I’m willing to take the risk if you are.”
“I am.”
“One more of the many reasons I love you so much. You’re brave.”
“Don’t forget smart.” Rebecca leaned over and kissed Dara thoroughly.
“And sexy. Don’t forget sexy.”
“Never.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Lorraine stared at the data until her eyes blurred. The government issued thousands of contracts and the major recipients of those contracts, in turn, hired hundreds of subcontractors. Somewhere in here was the key to whatever the Commission was up to now. But where?
“Need some help?” Vaughn asked. She was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame.
“I could use a fresh perspective. I’ve been culling the contractors, dividing them into groups according to industry type. But there are so many of them, I feel like I’m spinning my wheels.”
Vaughn came the rest of the way into the room and sat down in the chair opposite Lorraine. “Let’s review what we know. The Commission is most likely operating in more than one of these companies, correct?”
“No question in my mind.”
“And we assume they were behind the leak of the Hyland files.”
“Yes.”
“We know that Jay has a history with the Commission. So that would explain why she’d be a target. So, the question in my mind is, why would it be so important to them to set up Sabastien to take the fall?”
“Good question.”
“As far as we know, there’s no personal reason why the Commission should go after Sabastien. So they must have wanted him out of the way for professional reasons.”
Lorraine flipped the pages of the document she held in her hands. “That was something I wondered about early on. What did Sabastien know that posed a threat to their plans?”
“He said part of his job was to vet all of the cyber interfaces between the government, the main contractors, and the subcontractors to make sure they weren’t jeopardizing national security or government systems. Right?”
“Yes.”
“What if he discovered something the Commission didn’t want him to find?”
Lorraine shook her head. “This is where I keep getting stuck. If Sabastien had found something truly damning about the Commission, he’d be dead, not discredited. They wouldn’t have spent months of manpower shadowing him in cyberspace in order to frame him. They would’ve taken him out before he even knew what was happening. Not only that, but we’ve already surmised that the Black Knight had been shadowing Sabastien’s cyber-movements for months without doing anything overt.”
Vaughn jumped up and started to pace. “Okay. Assuming you’re right that the Black Knight had been keeping an eye on him for a longer horizon, what changed? Why make a move when they did?
“What if Sabastien was about to find whatever it was the Commission was protecting or was getting too close?” Lorraine asked.
Vaughn stopped pacing. “Where is Sabastien, by the way?”
“He was falling asleep at the computer, so I made him go take a nap.” Vaughn took a step toward the door and Lorraine held up a hand. “Let him sleep. He really needs it. He’s been working nonstop for days.”
Although Vaughn seemed as if she wanted to object, she sat back down. “When he wakes up, we need to know what contractors and subcontractors in particular he was testing at the time of the leak.”
“You’re right. If we can pinpoint the timeframe and match it with the companies in question, we just might have our answer.”
As they rounded the last corner and headed toward home, Kate felt Jay tense beside her. The black sedan sat across the street, in plain view. The agents hadn’t tried to engage either of them since Jay invoked her attorney, but their presence outside the house cast a pall over their lives.
It was time to lighten things up. “Race you. Loser buys dinner.” Kate started to sprint.
“No fair. You got a head start.”
“Catch me if you can.” Kate held back just enough to let Jay come even with her, and then sped ahead again.
“Razzzmfrazzm long legs.”
Kate laughed. “Not my fault.”
“Not mine either.”
At the last second, Kate pulled up and let Jay pass her.
“You let me win.” Jay bent over and put her hands on her knees, straining to catch her breath.
“First, you accuse me of cheating by getting a head start. Then, you complain because I let you pass me.”
Jay patted Kate on the cheek. “It’s a tough life.” She took off up the driveway, leapt up the front steps, and touched the front door. “Now I won, fair and square.”
Kate followed, lifted Jay into the air, and spun her around. “Yep. You’re the champ. Dinner’s on me.” She lowered Jay to the ground and kissed her. “You do have a key, right?”
“Very funny.” Jay bent over, untied her shoe, untangled the key from the laces, and unlocked the door.
Kate’s phone buzzed. She unhooked it from the waistband of her shorts and glanced at it as she trailed Jay into the house and closed the door. “Damn.”
“What is it?” Jay stretched her hamstrings.
Kate finished reading the New York Times breaking news alert. Briefly, she considered not showing the story to Jay. You can’t protect her from everything. She turned the screen so that Jay could see it and waited for the reaction.
“Oh my God!” She looked up at Kate. “They’re charging Niles with intent to disclose classified information?”
“Looks that way. Read the rest of it.” She waited for Jay to get to the part of the story where Niles reportedly had disappeared and his attorney commented that he’d been unable to reach his client.
“No way! He wouldn’t…”
“Sounds like he did.”
“What could he be thinking? He’s only going to make it worse for himself. He hasn’t published any story yet. He could fight this and win.”
Kate nodded. The charge was troublesome. Would Jay be vulnerable under the same statute?
As if reading Kate’s mind, Jay said, “You don’t think they could…?”
Kate pulled Jay into her arms. “We’ll call the attorneys and ask whatever questions we need to ask. Niles is dealing in classified documents. You�
��re writing fiction. There’s a big difference. Nothing you’ve written divulges top secret information. Even if they wanted to charge you, they couldn’t make it stick.”
Jay tightened her arms around Kate’s waist. “We’re doing the right thing, aren’t we?”
Kate leaned back and tipped Jay’s chin up to make eye contact. “What you’re doing is important. If you have any doubt—”
“I don’t.”
“Okay, then. I’m with you all the way.” Kate kissed her on the forehead. “Want to conserve water and shower together?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
“Have you seen the latest story in Variety?” Carolyn glanced surreptitiously around at the other diners to make sure she and Dara couldn’t be overheard and that no one was paying them undue attention. She and Dara were situated in a corner booth, having lunch at a small, exclusive restaurant overlooking the beach in Santa Monica. Confident of their relative privacy, she slid her phone across the table.
Dara expanded the screen to enlarge the size of the text on the screen and read. When she was done, she returned the phone to Carolyn, closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. “Well, they got the details of the cast and the location for the filming right. I was hoping we could keep this quiet a bit longer.”
“It’s Hollywood, Dar. Something this juicy was bound to get out there.”
“I know, but I thought we could get the location nailed down and the table read under our belts before everything hit the fan.”
“Too late for that now.”
“Apparently. I can understand word of the cast leaking. That was bound to happen sooner or later, but I only talked to the other investors and gave George the green light to shoot outside of London a few days ago. I can’t believe that’s already out there.”
“Why’d you pick England?
“The UK gave us the best incentive package. Our guys started roughing out and building the sets yesterday.”
“So who’s feeding Variety the intel?”
“I have no idea. I don’t think that’s the most pressing question, though.”
“No?”
“No. I’m wondering how long it’s going to take for Ross to call me again and tell me the FBI is making another request to interview me.”
Carolyn put a hand on top of Dara’s. “You’re sure about this project?”
Dara withdrew her hand as if she’d been slapped. “Why would you ask me that? You’re the one who negotiated the contract.” She took a deep breath and reined in her annoyance. First Rebecca, now Carolyn. “You read the screenplay and the manuscript, right?”
“I did. They were brilliant.”
“Exactly. Nothing’s changed. Jay fully disclosed the potential fallout to you and to me. We both acknowledged and accepted the probability of government scrutiny when we signed on the dotted line. End of story.”
Carolyn sat back. “You’re awfully touchy for someone who’s fully on board.”
Dara bit off an angry retort and counted to five in her head. It was rare for her to lose her cool, especially with her best friend. So what was this really about? “I have no qualms about the movie. Excuse me if I’m not crazy about the FBI inserting itself into my business.”
Carolyn held her gaze, but said nothing. Dara was well familiar with the tactic. After all, she and Carolyn had known each other since they were little girls.
“This is not grade school, Car. You’re not going to win a staring contest with me. Say what’s on your mind.”
“All right. I think you’re scared, and I know you. When you’re afraid, you dig your heels in and become intransigent. I just want to be sure you’re making this movie for the right reasons, that’s all.”
Dara rubbed her neck to release the tension there as she considered her answer. “Fair enough. It’s true that I’ve been known to be stubborn.”
Carolyn raised an eyebrow. “You think?”
“Sarcasm will get you nowhere.”
“So you keep saying.” Carolyn smiled as she said it, and Dara accepted that the familiar banter was meant to diffuse the situation.
“Mostly because it’s true.”
“I’m waiting. You were admitting your pig-headedness.”
“Stubbornness.”
“You say potato…”
“Big difference. Stubbornness is one degree shy of pig-headedness.”
“Now you’re just stalling.”
Dara had to concede that Carolyn was right. “Okay. I confess that this whole thing with the FBI makes me nervous. But more than that, in my heart of hearts, I believe in Jay and I believe in this movie. Car, this film has the potential to be a huge blockbuster. And it’s a game-changer. It won’t just entertain the masses, it will give them something to think about. It will educate them and force them to question what they think they know about the way the world works. It’s important, and meaningful, and I really, really want to see it through.”
“And?”
“And I’m afraid that this is going to become a clash of wills between our government and us, about creative freedom and truth-telling.”
“And?”
“And I’m not sure who will win in the end.”
Carolyn nodded. “Okay. For the record? My money’s on you and Jay.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now can we order some food?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. Your credit card has been declined.”
“That can’t be.” Jay took her MasterCard back from the store clerk. “My balance is paid in full every month.” She checked the expiration date on the card; the card wasn’t due to expire for another two years. “Okay. Well, I’ll get that straightened out. In the meantime, use this card.” She handed over her American Express card for the clerk to swipe.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. This card has also been declined.”
Deep crimson stained Jay’s cheeks. Never in her life had she had a problem with credit. And I shouldn’t have one now. She checked the total amount due on the cash register and counted out cash, instead. “Here. Good, old-fashioned money ought to work.”
“Thank you, ma’am. Have a nice day.”
“You too.” Jay hustled out of the store with the packages in her hand. When she’d loaded them in the car, she called Kate.
“Hi.”
“Can you think of any reason our credit cards would be declined? Did you pay the bills last month?”
“Of course I did.”
“Two of our cards just got declined for $38.88.”
“That’s impossible.”
“I thought so too.”
“Hang on. I’m in front of the computer. Let me check our accounts. Which cards?”
“MasterCard and AmEx.”
“Okay.”
After a minute of silence, Jay asked, “Well?”
“I don’t understand it. The accounts show that our bills were paid in full, but the credit cards have been frozen.”
“What do you mean by ‘frozen?’”
“I don’t really know. There’s a red exclamation point and it just says, “A hold has been placed on this account until further notice.”
A chill ran through Jay and goose flesh popped up on her arms. “Both accounts show the same thing?”
“Yes. And so does the Visa.”
“That can’t be a coincidence.”
“No, it can’t.”
“What do you think—”
“Hang on. Peter’s calling in on the other line.”
Kate disappeared and Jay started the car. She’d been planning to run the rest of their errands while she was out, but something told her she needed to go home instead.
When she got there, she dropped the shopping bags on the counter and headed directly for the office. Kate was sitting at her desk, one hand in her hair, the other holding the encrypted phone Peter had given her when he’d returned from Casablanca.
“Okay… No… You
did that?”
“Who did what?” Jay asked softly.
Kate held up a hand to wave her off. Her face was ashen, and Jay’s stomach twisted in a knot.
“Okay… Where would I pick that up…? Right. Got it.” Kate scribbled something on a piece of paper. “Okay. Thank you, Sabastien. I had no idea you’d done that. That was smart thinking… Right… Okay, then. Thanks. Goodbye.” Kate disconnected the call, dropped her face into her hands, and cried.
Jay couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her wife shed tears. “What? What is it, babe?” She knelt in front of Kate and pulled her hands away from her face. “Come here.” Jay wiped away the tears with her fingertips. “What’s all this?”
Kate cleared her throat. “The IRS.” Her voice caught and she swallowed hard.
“What about the IRS, Kate?” Jay’s own throat constricted.
“They say we have a bank account in Switzerland with $5 million dollars in it and that the money came from Yemen. They’ve frozen all of our accounts and they’re auditing us.”
Jay’s heartbeat hammered in her ears and the world around her tilted. She sat down on the floor. Words tumbled around in her head, but none of them made coherent sense. Finally, she managed, “They can’t do that, can they? We don’t have any foreign bank accounts. They can’t just make one up and plant false evidence, can they?”
Kate stared straight ahead and said nothing.
“Kate? They can’t do that, can they?”
Kate shook her head.
“Who were you just talking to?”
“Sabastien.”
“You broke protocol?”
“No. He did. That was why Peter was calling. He had an urgent message for us from Sabastien and he wanted to be sure we had the phone ready to receive the call.” Kate’s voice sounded hollow.
“I don’t understand.”
“I didn’t either at first. But apparently, when all of this started and you said that agents from the IRS showed up threatening your publisher, Sabastien set up a system of silent alarms on our bank and credit card accounts.”
“Why would he do that?”
“So that if the IRS ever tried to threaten you or me, personally, or do anything to harm either of us, he would receive an early warning.” Kate ran her fingers through her hair to get it out of her face. She blew her nose on a Kleenex she fished out of her pocket.