by Lynn Ames
“And do we?” Jay asked. “Have everything we need?”
“We do indeed.”
He loved seeing the light in his friends’ eyes. It had been forever since either one of them had smiled this broadly.
“Can you tell us?”
Peter checked their surroundings. There wasn’t another soul in sight or likely in hearing distance. “Sure. Let’s walk.”
They turned around and headed in the opposite direction, toward the Washington Monument.
“Well? Come on, the suspense is killing us,” Jay said.
“All right. Sabastien was able to isolate what he believes is all of the code and the evidence proving that Vector was using its contract to extract state secrets, insert commands that would allow them unfettered access to virtually every sensitive government program and communication, and expose Homeland Security and all of the agencies under its aegis to untold attacks from anyone to whom Vector sold the information.”
“And he was able to send the evidence to you without tipping anyone off?” Kate asked.
“He was. He finally solved the interference and sent me everything he had.” Peter put a hand on Jay’s shoulder. “That includes what he was able to uncover about the wire transfer, the phony Swiss bank account, and the IP addresses involved. We’ve got them now. I just have to give that information to Derek and he’ll be able to take care of it.”
“Thank you, God.”
“What about the Black Knight?” Kate asked.
“This is where it gets interesting,” Peter answered. “As it turns out, we were right about a lot of things. He is hiding in plain sight on Vector’s employment roster and, according to Sabastien, his ID card is swiped daily at Vector Research headquarters, right here in Chevy Chase, Maryland.”
“Who is he and what do we know about him?”
“His name is Dustin Wolford. A dozen years ago, he was working for a large tech firm in Silicon Valley. He was part of a team testing new programs the company was developing under a government contract. Wolford was poking around in one of the company’s products and determined that it was flawed—the code would trample all over people’s privacy.
“Wolford brought this to the attention of his superiors. He argued that the information collected was illegal at the time, even in light of the emergency legislation and powers afforded the government after 9/11, and could result in damaging or embarrassing disclosures for everyday folks whose data would be swept up in the collection process. Two days later, he was fired.”
“Oh my.”
“Right. He brought suit against the company, accusing them of wrongful termination.”
“Is that where you got all this background information? It was in the legal papers?”
“Not me. Sabastien. I just led him in the right direction. Not long after Wolford got fired, John Robie showed up. Guess who was his first hacking target?”
“His former employer,” Jay said.
“Bingo.
“And that’s how you found him,” Kate said.
“That’s how we confirmed that he was our guy. Eventually, the company in question went belly up, but our man Wolford holds a grudge and has used it to fuel his anger at corporations similar to his former employer and the government, since they’re the ones offering the contracts.”
“Lovely,” Kate said.
“Once Sabastien figured out the technique Wolford was using to sabotage him and set traps to trip alarms, he was able to disable all of that. When he did, Sabastien hacked in and retrieved financial records and correspondence from West Industries, Techtronics, and Vector, proving that Vendetti was the one personally responsible for ordering the hack of the Hyland Commission Report and subsequent payment to Wolford.”
“Now what?”
“I give everything I have to Derek, and he orders the bad guys arrested and all of their electronics and any other potential evidence gets confiscated before they can destroy the proof.”
“Why are we waiting until tomorrow?” Jay asked.
“Honestly? Because I want Derek to spend the night reading your book. We need someone in a position of authority to have read it to put to rest any discussion about whether or not it reveals top secret information.”
“Peter’s right, honey,” Kate said. “Even with every piece of proof we have confirming who the hacker was, who authorized the leak, and what the Commission is up to, none of that addresses the question of whether or not the manuscript, and now the screenplay, contain classified information, and therefore, whether you’re breaking the law.”
“What if Wolford or Vendetti figure out we’re on to them?” Jay asked. “We risk their destroying all of the damning evidence and getting away.”
“No one’s going anywhere, sweetheart.”
“What Kate said. Walk you two home?” Peter looped an arm through Kate and Jay’s arms. “Where are you staying?”
“The Ritz-Carlton.”
Peter whistled and turned them in the proper direction for the hotel. “Nice digs. You had enough cash for that?”
“No. Dara insisted on paying.”
“Nice new friends. I can see Lorraine and I are going to have to up our games to keep top standing.”
“Never.” Jay snuggled closer to Peter.
“That reminds me. I figured neither one of you brought appropriate attire for a meeting with the president—”
“Oh my God! That’s right. I can’t go to a meeting with the president dressed in what I brought.”
“Relax. As I said, I anticipated that you’d need something more formal than you had, so I went to your place and picked up a suit for each of you.”
“You, Peter Enright, let yourself into our house, rummaged through our closets, and came up with outfits for us to wear tomorrow?” Kate asked.
Peter nodded. “I did. And I have to say, never have I seen two more anally organized closets in my life. Suits ordered by color and type? Really?”
Jay playfully punched him in the arm. “Please tell me you selected matching blouses and shoes.”
“Of course.”
“Why am I frightened to see what you brought?”
“You could just say thank you, you know.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
“By the way, why are you two in D.C.?” Peter asked. “Last I knew, you were going to meet Dara and Rebecca at the airport in Albany.”
“Dara, her director, and some of the cast members have scheduled a press conference here for tomorrow afternoon. The Feds and the Brits are throwing up roadblocks to forestall the filming. We thought a little adverse publicity might lead them to reconsider.”
“Brassy.”
“I’m pretty confident the Brits will capitulate, even if the Feds won’t,” Kate said.
“I’m sorry to have thrown your schedule off,” Peter said. “You should be spending time with Dara and Rebecca and friends.”
“Well, what we’re doing with you and Derek is kind of important,” Jay pointed out.
“And it was rather convenient that we happened to end up in the perfect place to tackle both issues,” Kate added.
“All true,” Peter agreed. “Listen, there’s no reason for you to drag your butts out of bed at the crack of dawn to hear me rehash for Derek what I just told you. Why don’t you have breakfast with your friends? I can meet with Derek, and then he and I will swing by and pick you up for the sit-down with the president.”
“What about our clothes?” Jay asked.
“I’ll have them delivered to you first thing in the morning.” They came to a stop in front of the Ritz-Carlton. “I believe we have reached your destination.”
“Where are you staying?” Kate asked.
“The Willard. I thought it would be most convenient since that SCIF is where Derek wants to meet.”
Kate and Jay were just finishing up breakfast in the hotel with Dara, Rebecca, and George when Kate’s phone buzzed with a text message from Peter saying that he and Derek were
on their way to get them.
“I’m so sorry we have to run,” Kate said. “I know this has turned into a crazy trip. Jay and I expected to be available to you the entire time and—”
“Kate,” Dara interrupted her. “Go. This is important, even if you can’t tell us exactly what it is you’re doing and why you’re both dressed for some serious business. You both look smashing, by the way.”
“If I said that, you all would say I’m sexist,” George said.
“Right,” all three women said in unison.
“Which is why I wouldn’t dream of saying it,” George finished.
“Smart man.”
“We’re not going to ask about where you’re going, who you’re seeing, or what you’re up to,” Rebecca said, “but it doesn’t mean we’re not curious as all get-out.”
“Sorry, folks. We’ll be happy to fill you in when it’s all over.” Kate put the napkin that had been in her lap on the table, rose, and handed Dara some bills to cover the cost of breakfast.
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just try to hand me money.” Dara closed Kate’s fist with the money still in it. “Get out of here. You’re going to be late.”
“We’ll text you as soon as we’re done, and then we can go over the details of the press conference, okay?” Kate asked.
“Perfect,” Dara agreed. “We need your moral support and expertise. Don’t leave us hanging.”
“We won’t,” Jay said. Kate took her hand and they hustled out of the restaurant and onto the street where a black stretch SUV was idling at the curb. The door opened and they stepped inside.
“Good morning, ladies,” Derek said. He and Peter sat on one bench seat. He invited Kate and Jay to sit opposite them. “You’re just in time.”
“For…?” Jay asked.
Derek handed her a laptop identical to the one sitting on the seat beside him. “I thought you might want to see this.”
Kate scooted closer to Jay and squinted at the screen. The images were in grainy black-and-white. “What are we looking at?”
“These are four simultaneous live feeds courtesy of our FBI and Homeland Security Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force. Top left is from the spy glasses camera of an FBI agent in Chevy Chase, Maryland. He and his team are about to arrest Dustin Wolford. Top right is a collar camera from another FBI team leader also in Chevy Chase. That team’s objective is the CEO of Vector Research. Bottom left is a feed from our team in the Adams-Morgan neighborhood here in D.C. Their target is Michael Vendetti. Bottom right is Rock Creek Park, where our dirty CIA operative thinks he’s meeting with his IRS contact. He is, since we sent them each a cryptic message supposedly from the other. The only problem for them is that they’re both meeting our FBI agents.”
“Team Leader Alpha in place.”
“Roger that, team leader…”
Kate, Jay, Peter, and Derek watched in silence as the action unfolded on the screens. It all happened very quickly, with surgical precision, and without a struggle from any of the suspects. Less than three minutes after the last arrest was made, Derek’s phone rang.
“LaPointe… Right… Excellent… Make sure we execute all of those search warrants right away… Good… Everything from Wolford’s house is secured? Make sure you triple-check. We don’t want to miss anything. Keep me posted. And Todd? That was really good work out there today. I’m proud of all of you. Let the rest of the teams know.” Derek ended the call.
“That was just confirmation of what we saw. All of the major players are in custody. We’ll get more search warrants and make more arrests in the coming days, I’m sure.”
“Good job, my friend,” Peter said. He shook Derek’s hand. “That was fast work.”
“Are you kidding me? You’re the one who did all the heavy lifting. I had no idea you were that proficient with technology issues.”
Jay opened her mouth to say something and Kate surreptitiously squeezed her hand. She was certain that Jay would mention Sabastien and his hard work. As much as all of them would love for him to get the credit he richly deserved, he was the prime suspect in the leak. It wouldn’t help their case for him to be known as the one who uncovered the truth. It might make all of their findings circumspect.
“I had a lot of help,” Peter said.
“Do I want to know who?” Derek asked.
“Probably not.”
“Will I live to regret this, Enright?”
“Definitely not. You’re a hero, LaPointe.”
The SUV pulled to a stop in the White House drive. “We’re here.” Derek got out of the SUV and buttoned his jacket. “Let’s go tell the president the good news.”
Derek and Peter had just finished briefing the president and his top advisors on the scope of the Commission’s infiltration into the country’s national security systems and the details of the just-completed Joint Task Force operation. Peter had cleared Sabastien’s good name, opening the door for him to return to the United States and to the job he loved. Everything had gone like clockwork.
Jay bit her lip. She knew the protocol where meetings with presidents was concerned. She knew she should remain mum and be grateful that the good guys had won today and the bad guys were likely going away for a very, very long time. She knew all that, but…
“Mr. President, sir? I know I probably shouldn’t say anything, but I can’t stay silent any longer. With your permission—”
The chief-of-state waved Jay off. “The president’s schedule is very busy—”
“I’d be happy to hear what’s on your mind, Ms. Parker.” The president gave his right-hand advisor a warning look. “I have to say, you’ve made quite a stir lately.” He glanced at her over his reading glasses. “I read the papers, you know. And I saw what Mimi Hyland had to say about you the other day. My, that was an impassioned defense.”
Jay was slightly unnerved that the president knew so much about her situation. “Mr. President, you heard firsthand just now what the Commission is capable of. This organization has its hand in every sector of our society, spreading its darkness like a stain on our democracy. Many years ago, when we first learned of the Commission and I wrote the original Time magazine story about the events that comprise the Hyland Commission Report, I went along with our president and his advisors who believed that to admit publicly how powerful the Commission was would weaken our country. Over the years I have come to feel differently.
“If we truly want to eradicate the darkness, we must shine light on it. The more we give in to fear and stay quiet, the more this insidious evil festers. In order to shine light, we have to speak up. We have to tell the truth. I implore you to tell the truth about what the threat really is. As you know, there have been insinuations in media reports, and frankly, in some segments of your own government, that I might have improperly disclosed top secret data in my latest work.
“This has caused me great consternation, as I would never, ever do anything to harm my country. I love my country, Mr. President.” Jay’s voice faltered. “I resent any implication to the contrary.”
“Ms. Parker—”
“I’m not finished yet.” Jay held up a hand. Next to her, she noticed a ghost of a smile on Kate’s face. “What I have written—this manuscript and adapted screenplay that seems to be frightening so many people—is a work of fiction. It is fiction, Mr. President. Every good work of fiction contains elements of truth, yes. But I promise you that there is nothing the least bit threatening to national security contained in those pages. My work is simply designed to make people think, to start a dialogue, to raise awareness and shine light. That is all.” Jay took in a deep breath.
“Are you finished yet?” The president asked. His eyes twinkled at her.
Jay cleared her throat. “I am.”
“Good. Ms. Parker, I am well aware that your work poses no threat to national security and that you are not a traitor.”
“You are?”
“Do you honestly think I’d take a meeting with you in the
Oval Office if I thought otherwise?”
“Good point.”
“Coincidentally, I discussed you at length with Mimi—Mrs. Hyland—when she joined us for dinner last night. Not only that, but Deputy Secretary LaPointe here read the manuscript in question and advises me that it is his best professional judgment that your work poses absolutely no danger and violates no existing statutes or regulations.”
“Oh.”
“I want to personally apologize to you for the troubles you’ve had. It wasn’t my doing, but it happened on my watch, and for that I am truly sorry. I assure you, heads will roll over this.”
“Sir—”
“I’m not finished yet.” The president smiled at her. “You know, for a long time, I was inclined to agree with President Hyland that we should just let sleeping dogs lie and not give any attention to nefarious groups like the Commission. But this whole episode has made me rethink that strategy.”
Kate stepped forward for the first time. “Mr. President, sir. If I could be so bold as to give you a little public relations advice?”
The president laughed. “You two are quite the pair. Ms. Kyle, I am well-familiar with your prowess in such matters. I yield the floor.”
“Well, sir. I think you have a golden opportunity here to shine the kind of light Jay just referenced. It’s to your advantage to take a strong stand against those who would threaten our national security, whether those threats come from within or without. I would urge you to hold a press conference, announce and take credit for the arrests, and put the Commission on notice that you’re not afraid of them.”
“Sound advice, Ms. Kyle.”
“One more thing you might want to know, Mr. President. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but someone in your government has asked the Brits to withdraw cooperation and support for the movie based on Jay’s manuscript, and the Brits have accordingly notified the producers that they’ve nullified all of the permits and agreements already in place for filming. One of the film’s executive producers is the Oscar-winning actress, Dara Thomas. She and her co-stars are holding a press conference here in town this afternoon to decry deliberate obstructionism. It doesn’t look good for your administration—”