The Tenth Cycle: A Thriller (A Rossler Foundation Mystery Book 1)

by JC Ryan

  “Who are you? And why are you so interested in my research? I’m a journalist, I don’t have to tell you anything about a story I’m developing, and I won’t unless you give me a damn good reason why I should.”

  “Mr. Rossler, I have reason to believe that you’re investigating something that has nothing to do with a story. It would be in your best interest to talk with me about it.”

  “I don’t think so.” With that, Daniel strode on, pulling Sarah in his wake by the hand.

  Sarah held it together as long as they were in public, and in the car with Daniel’s lawyer, but the moment the front door closed behind them, she broke down. Sobbing in Daniel’s arms, she asked, “Why, Daniel? Why would anyone kill Mark? Honey, we’ve got to go to Martha. They have no children! She’ll need someone.”

  Daniel agreed, but before they went, he wanted to talk with Raj, if he could reach him. He asked Sarah if she could throw together something to eat, while he tried. Operating on only a few hours of broken sleep, he was desperately in need of coffee, and besides, giving a woman something to do was the best way to keep her mind from helplessly circling questions with no answers. Daniel was afraid that the answers they would receive were not going to be pleasant.

  Chapter 18 – Just Because You Are Not Paranoid

  Raj must have rid himself of the cell phone Daniel called him on that morning, because he didn’t get an answer or even a voice mail greeting. The only way to reach him now, unless he called them, would be to leave a message at one of the hidden email addresses.

  Then, he called John Kingston.

  “Boss, I’m in a bit of a pickle.”

  “So I hear. What’s going on, Rossler? Do you need a leave of absence?”

  “I don’t think so, at least not yet. But I’m not supposed to leave town until they corroborate my alibi. Just wanted you to know why I’m not at my desk.”

  “I don’t need to tell you that this is not the type of publicity The Times wants, Daniel.”

  “No, sir, I understand. But it is a misunderstanding, and it will be cleared up soon. I’ve done nothing wrong.”

  “Keep me posted. Unless I hear differently, I expect you back at your desk by day after tomorrow.”

  “I’ll do my best, sir.”

  Sarah then called Barry, to ask him to send a teaching assistant to post a note that her lecture for today was canceled. Once they had taken care of obligations and choked down a piece of toast with their coffee, they dressed more appropriately and went to comfort Martha. It hadn’t occurred to them that the house was a crime scene, but they were unable to get closer than two blocks away. A female officer who was guarding the perimeter kindly radioed someone inside the house, who relayed the news to Martha Simms that friends wanted to see her. It wasn’t long before she appeared, walking slowly and bent over, as if she had aged twenty years. Sarah’s tears started again as soon as she saw her friend. A police officer accompanied Martha to the perimeter and checked their identification before he allowed her to approach them closely.

  “Ma’am, are you sure you want to see these people?”

  Martha’s eyes flashed as she answered with a stronger voice than Daniel expected, “Of course I want to see them! I told you they are our friends and that they had nothing to do with this.”

  Without another word, the officer stepped aside and allowed Martha to rush toward the pair. Daniel let Sarah take the lead in hugging Martha, but put his hand on her shoulder.

  Sarah was sobbing, “Martha, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!” Daniel considered it fortunate that the officer had withdrawn far enough away that he couldn’t hear that. He might consider it a confession.

  At last, Martha stood away from Sarah’s arms and gave her a severe look. “I’m sorry. I never would have given them your names if I thought for a minute they’d accuse you! They asked me who might have seen Mark after I left, and I told them maybe you and Daniel. I was so stupid!”

  “No, Martha, of course you had to tell them about us. They would have found out sooner or later anyway. Honey, can you speak about it? What happened?”

  “I came home from the garden club meeting, half expecting you two to still be there. When I walked into the house, everything was dark, no lights on even in Mark’s study. I called out to tell him I was home, but there was no answer. So I went to his study, and, and, and…” Unable to go on, Martha broke down in sobs again.

  Sarah put her arms around Martha again and said, “Don’t honey, you don’t have to say any more. I’m so sorry.”

  Martha lifted her head and made a visible effort to calm herself. “There’s something you need to know. Mark’s study was ransacked, and his computer was taken. I’m not sure it has anything to do with what you all were working on, but I can’t help but wonder. Mark had no enemies. Please be careful, and if you have any information that will lead to the killer, please tell the police.”

  Daniel held Sarah’s gaze over Martha’s head. If what she thought was true, then they had indeed killed Mark, they just hadn’t wielded the knife. Sarah’s stricken face told him she had the same thought. But, what had they discovered that could possibly be worth killing for? Or did someone think they knew more than they did? One thing was certain. Martha and Raj both needed protection, and they needed to get to the bottom of the mystery, before anyone else got hurt.

  ~~~

  By late afternoon, enough of their alibi was established and corroborated that the investigating officer let Daniel know he was free to leave town. It took every ounce of willpower he had to actually leave Sarah behind. He begged her to come with him, terrified for her safety now, but she was adamant that she had to carry on with her obligations if she hoped to get tenure. She promised to be careful, and showed him a handgun she kept in her bedside table. Daniel was both shocked and impressed.

  “Why didn’t I know you packed a gun?”

  “It never came up, Daniel. Are you upset?”

  “No, of course not, especially if you know how to use that thing. But you’re going to have to keep it with you. Do you have a carry permit?”

  “I know how to use it. Daddy taught me. Remember? I’m the tomboy. I’m actually a crack shot. I don’t have a carry permit, though, and even if I did I still couldn’t carry it on campus.”

  “I want you to apply for a permit on an emergency self-defense basis. And I don’t care about campus rules, I want you safe.”

  “Daniel, I’ll be okay. I’ll get a security system installed tomorrow. Please don’t worry.”

  “My love, I would die if anything happened to you. And if I thought it was because of something I got you into, it would be by my own hand.”

  “Daniel, don’t ever say something like that again. I got into this because I’m just as curious as you are. And now I’m pissed off. They killed my friend. I owe it to Martha to see it through, and to find the killers if we have to.”

  “Don’t do anything crazy, Sarah. If anyone approaches you about the data, give it to them. Call the police if you feel that something is wrong. I’m going to talk to Raj, and then I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “I’ll be careful. Daniel?”

  “Yes, sweetheart?”

  “I’ve been thinking about that James Jones guy.”

  “What about him?”

  “Could he be NSA or CIA, one of those, that’s interested in your research?”

  “Now you sound like Raj.”

  “Well, maybe it’s true. Maybe they’re interested in the pyramid, too. Someone must be. It’s an open secret that you’ve been looking into a code or something. Prof. Barry knows, John Kingston knows, and all those experts you interviewed. What if they thought we had found out something important?”

  “I think we have found something important, but darned if I know what it means or why it would be important to a spy agency.”

  “I still think that James Jones is a spy. I can’t shake the feeling.”

  “You could be right. I’ll bring it up with Raj, get
his take on it.”

  “Okay, honey. Go, and be safe. I’ll be waiting for you to get back.”

  Daniel got to New York late, and took care to examine every inch of his apartment for evidence of intruders. Only when he was satisfied that no one was there now and probably hadn’t been, did he close the blinds at his windows and slide the drawer out to feel for the flash drive hidden on the back. Finding it just where he expected to, he breathed a sigh of relief and sent Sarah a text. ‘Home safe, everything fine.’ She would understand, he hoped, that it meant their information was safe. They couldn’t afford to worry about anything the killer might have taken when they took Mark’s computer. It would have been highly insensitive to ask Martha if she had checked her beans, and of course they weren’t allowed into the house. Their fingerprints and other trace evidence all over the place were already proving to be a hassle for the CSI team.

  The next morning, Daniel found Raj at his desk, giving the impression that he had no cares in the world. But, when they met for lunch, Raj was very agitated. It took quite a while for Daniel to reassure him that no one but he and Sarah knew of Raj’s involvement, now that Mark was dead. True, Mark had known, and it was possible he had talked. But Daniel thought it more likely that the killer hadn’t asked about Raj, only about Sarah, himself, and the data. He was more interested in security going forward, and he apologized to Raj for not taking it as seriously as he should have.

  Daniel checked in with Kingston after lunch, only to be unceremoniously waved out of the office after a terse, “Glad you got that cleared up. Better get to your column.”

  It seemed to Daniel as if his real life were being lived in a dream, wherein he went to work, wrote his column and went home again, while on the side, a completely different life was playing out. Everyone was going about their own business, unaware of his drama, while within that drama, life and death events were taking place hidden from all his friends and co-workers.

  He was on edge, worried about Sarah being alone and deeply disturbed that his research had stirred up something sinister. Not to mention that it had probably gotten Mark killed. Owen’s pranks annoyed him now, as unrelated to his sharp focus as a yapping dog at his feet would be. After the second time he snapped at the man, Owen snapped back, “Who tied a firecracker to your ass?” he said, stomping away angry. Daniel didn’t have time to regret it, but knew he would have to mend fences with his friend sometime.

  That night, he took his computers and drove a circuitous route around the city to be sure he wasn’t followed. At last, he arrived at Raj’s door and stepped inside, anxious to know if he had been hacked.

  To Daniel’s dismay, and Raj’s even greater consternation, the evidence figuratively looked like a public transportation map. Both on his hard drive and on his online accounts, Daniel’s accounts showed multiple access points of long-standing. Anxiously, they checked Sarah’s login, especially to the SkyDrive account they had started with. It, too, had been tampered with, and the spying wasn’t all recent. As they tracked the digital intruders, they developed a calendar and traced back to the first illicit entry they could find.

  Wracking his brain for incidents important to the project with corresponding dates, Daniel realized that one of them was immediately after Sarah had last spoken to Prof. Barry. He remembered that she had an odd feeling about that meeting. Could Barry have something to do with it? Barry had asked pointed questions that Sarah didn’t feel comfortable answering. And now she was in Providence by herself, with no way to know of their suspicions.

  “Raj, I have to call Sarah and let her know about this.”

  “I highly recommend you do not.”

  “She could be in danger.”

  “Her phone could be bugged. For that matter, so could yours. You must get rid of it.”

  “Not until I’ve warned her about Barry.”

  “All right, but call from a pay phone, or a throwaway cell, for god’s sake. Otherwise, you could lead them right to us.”

  Once, Daniel would have dismissed Raj’s paranoia as ridiculous, but too many weird things were happening. He went out to find a place where he could buy a prepaid phone with the fewest minutes possible, as well as another with several hundred minutes. When he dialed Sarah’s number, his message was prepared.

  “Sarah, don’t talk, just listen. Your phone may be bugged and I have important news. Go to an internet cafe. Check for messages,” he said, placing an emphasis on ‘messages’ so she’d know he was talking about the hidden one at the shared email account.

  “Okay.” Sarah knew from Daniel’s abrupt sentences that his directions were both important and urgent. She left her house immediately and drove to campus, where she parked her car and then dodged in and out of almost deserted buildings until she must have lost anyone who might have been following her. Then she headed to an all-night internet cafe close to campus, to follow Daniel’s directions. Since Daniel had said her phone might be bugged, she left it at home.

  Daniel gave Sarah a fifteen-minute head start and then went looking for an internet cafe himself. Since he had used his prepaid phone to call Sarah’s number, it was now useless. He would leave it in a trash bin somewhere, but the other one would be usable for a while. He was getting anxious when, after nearly an hour had passed since his call; there was still no return message in the Drafts folder. Daniel was ready to jump in his car and race to Providence when, checking one last time, he found a message. ‘I’m here. What’s happened?’

  ‘Computers compromised. Disconnect all your devices from internet. Get prepaid phone and call me at 212-555-1246. Be alert, you may be followed.’ Daniel hated to entrust that number even to a private message in a hidden email account, but he had to be able to communicate directly with Sarah, or he would lose his mind.

  ‘Understood.’ With a sigh of relief, Daniel left the store and got on a bus for a short tour of the city. After leaving the bus and getting on a second one, he was a sure as he could be that no one was following, so he made his way back to Raj’s place to talk some more and crash for the night.

  Raj was impatiently awaiting his return, and highly agitated over a second shock. He had continued to trace the incursions into Daniel’s computer, and had discovered an IP address that belonged to the New York Times. Someone from the paper had been spying on Daniel, since April! Daniel was an even-tempered man, seldom flew into a rage, but this was beyond his ability to remain calm. Not given to displays of temper, he went into a slow burn that threatened to break out into violence to Raj’s possessions. After looking around wildly for something to punch, he settled for punching the sofa. At least he couldn’t break that. When he had regained control of his temper, he asked Raj, who was watching him with trepidation, whether they could narrow it down.

  “Perhaps. But it would be better if we had an idea who it could be.”

  “Only two choices that I see, the first two people I told about the pyramid story. John Kingston and Owen Bell. And if it’s Owen, I’ll never trust my judgment about people again.”

  “Oh, no, surely not Owen!”

  “Check John Kingston first. I’d lay money it’s him. Can’t think of any reason for Owen to do it, at least none that I’d want to think of him.”

  A few minutes later, they had the confirmation: John Kingston had been freely roaming the memory of Dan’s laptop since the pyramid story emerged. Why? Daniel struggled to remember the details of their first meeting. Kingston had been indifferent when he first pitched the story, but then hadn’t he had an abrupt change of heart?

  Now Daniel recalled that it had been only a few minutes after his pitch that Kingston called him back and told him he had arranged a collaboration with Barry. He mentally kicked himself for welcoming that idea without protest, but if he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have met Sarah. The chain of events led to the death of Mark Simms, so he couldn’t go down that road. We never know when a seemingly minor event will lead to big changes, he realized. And we can’t be responsible for the consequences
of an innocent decision. So, why did he feel crushing guilt over Mark’s death?

  Raj interrupted Daniel’s thoughts then, with a question about the flash drives with the data and their equations on them. As far as Daniel knew, Sarah’s was safe and he doubted that Mark’s had been found, unless he was using it when the intruder came in. His was in his pocket. Raj wasn’t happy about that.

  “If they come after you, they will search you and find it.”

  “I was more worried about a search of my apartment, but you’re right. What should we do?”

  “Leave it with me, and bring Sarah’s to me as well. If you can find out about Mark’s and it is still at his house, bring that one also. I have a safe place for them. From now on, we must work only face to face on this. But before you move forward, I suggest we figure out who is after this work.”

  “I meant to talk to you about that. One of the people who tried to question us at the police station was dressed in plainclothes, looked like the ones in the Men in Black movies. Called himself James Jones.”

  “Daniel, that sounds like NSA, or something even more secret. What did you tell him?”

  “Essentially to go piss up a rope.”

  “I must talk to some of my acquaintances. What are you going to do?”

  “I’m not sure. I could take a leave of absence from the Times, but then Kingston would know something was up.”

  “When is Dr. Simms’ funeral?”

  “I don’t know if they’ve even released the body.”

  “Call in sick tomorrow, and go take care of Sarah. When you know the date of the funeral, take leave for that. We should know more by then. Do you have a copy of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?”

  Raj’s question was such a non sequitur that Daniel reacted physically, twisting his head and thrusting it forward while frowning.

  “Do you know the meaning of the phrase ‘one time pad’?” Raj asked.

  “I think so. It’s a type of cryptography, yes?”

  “Yes. This will be an adaptation for our circumstances.” Raj pulled out his copy of the book he had mentioned and made Daniel note the edition and publication date. “You must get the exact same book. When I send you a message, it will be in groups of numbers with a hyphen between each two-number code. The first number is the page number, and the second is how many letters to count to reach the letter I want you to use. But you must shift the letters like this: starting with ‘a’ equals eight, if the letter you count to is an ‘a’, count eight letters up, and write down ‘h’. And so forth; ‘b’ equals nine, ‘c’ equals ten. Do you understand?”