by JC Ryan
“I’ll give it some thought and get back to you,” Barry said, beginning to get an idea that he wanted to execute himself, with Impes.
“Make it quick. I’m getting flak from above, and I don’t like it much.” Sidus considered it too easy to make flagrant threats, so he used sinister hints to do the job.
“I will.”
~~
Now Barry called Impes, who, when he heard Barry’s voice, flipped on a recording device to protect himself. It hadn’t escaped him that Septentrio didn’t believe in his story about a traitor. If he didn’t give Barry up, he’d take the blame for any further problems, and he’d need evidence.
“What can I do for you, Barry?”
“Sidus wants me to put pressure on Sarah Clarke,” Barry answered.
“So? What did you have in mind?”
Barry lowered his voice, as if that would hinder anyone overhearing what was traveling across the airwaves. “I still think they know more than they’ve told me. Sidus doesn’t want me to tip my hand, but I’ve thought of something you could do.”
Once again, Impes was faced with a decision. He’d been told directly by Septentrio not to do anything without Sidus ordering it. On the other hand, Sidus had more or less ordered this, even if it was indirectly. “What is it?”
“Rossler has a grandfather, an archaeologist who was prominent before he retired.” He didn’t want to specify what he had in mind, hoping for deniability, but he knew how Impes operated. He could rely on the man to take the hint and run with it.
“So, if some threat of harm were to come to the old man, you think they’d give up the rest of what they have?” Impes clarified.
“I’m sure of it.”
“What’s the geezer’s name?” Impes asked.
“Nicholas Rossler. Sorry, I don’t know where he lives,” Barry answered.
“We can find him. I’ll get on it.”
Chapter 28 - Don’t Upset The Marines
Bess Rossler was in the kitchen as usual early on the morning of September 18, preparing dough for biscuits to serve for breakfast. As she’d done every morning Nick was home for over fifty years, she started the coffee, then turned back to the counter to drop the biscuits onto the cookie sheet. Next, she started a few strips of bacon and got the pan ready to fry eggs before placing the biscuits in the oven. Satisfied that Nick’s breakfast would be ready in about ten minutes, she went down the hall to wake him.
As soon as she had left the kitchen, the man who had been watching through the window signaled his partner at the front of the house, and both quickly picked the old locks. Slipping in from both sides of the house within seconds, they took their places, one in the kitchen next to the door where he could grab the old woman as soon as she returned, and one concealed behind the doorjamb on the other side of the hall, ready to overpower the old man when he went to the aid of his wife. Their directions were to fulfill the mission with as little violence as possible, not because their employers abhorred violence, but because if they damaged the hostages, they would no longer be of use.
Their plan went off without a hitch. Bess barely had time to squeak in surprise before her captor’s hand effectively cut off further communication by the simple expedient of covering her mouth and pinching her nostrils shut at the same time. He whispered fiercely to her, “Don’t scream and I’ll let you breathe.”
With her faded blue eyes wide in fright, Bess had the presence of mind to nod and go limp, allowing her captive to release her nostrils, though he kept his hand over her mouth.
“Good girl,” he said approvingly. “Behave and everything will be fine.” He then walked her over to a kitchen chair and bound her there, with a gag in her mouth.
At the same time, the other intruder had grabbed Nicholas, who at over six feet was still brawny and strong for all his years. Struggling to control him, the intruder found himself slammed into the wall and pinned by Nicholas’ big body, his breath knocked out of him with a whoosh.
“Bess!” shouted Nicholas, alerting the other that his partner had failed to secure the old man. He rushed to help, and finding them entangled where he couldn’t get a purchase, delivered an expert chop to the old man’s neck karate-style. Nicholas dropped, unconscious.
~~~
When he awoke, Nicholas was puzzled at first, not remembering what had happened earlier that morning. He was bound to a kitchen chair, with Bess weeping silently beside him, also bound to a chair. The odor of burned bacon and biscuits flavored the air, along with the aroma of coffee. His neck hurt, and something was wrapped around his mouth, preventing him from asking Bess if she was okay, other than being tied to the chair. It was a bewildering state of affairs, like nothing that had ever happened to him in his 80 years.
When she saw he was conscious, Bess drew a ragged breath and sighed deeply, then blinked slowly at him. He thought she was trying to tell him something, and wondered if she would remember enough Morse code that they could communicate. Pausing to get the sequence in mind, he blinked out U OK? But she didn’t know the letters, though she did appear to understand it was Morse code he was trying to get across with short and long blinks. She nodded and then shook her head, so either she was unhurt but not okay, or she understood that it was Morse code but didn’t understand his message. Before he could think how to resolve it, a stranger came into the kitchen.
The man was of medium height but displayed an impressive build, even disguised as it was by parachute-style clothing. A black balaclava hid his features. Seeing the man did more to snap Nicholas into full understanding even than realizing he was tied to a chair. It was frustrating, being gagged. He’d like to ask the man what he wanted. Not that they had anything of intrinsic value. While he and Bess were comfortable in their retirement, they didn’t have expensive baubles lying around, nor a lot of cash. He only hoped that when the robbers discovered their mistake, it wouldn’t cause them to take it out on their persons. Best to remain calm and wait for more information for now. If only he could reach out and hold Bess’s hand.
Bess was also watching the man warily, and if he’d been able to read her thoughts, he might have been given pause. For a woman nearing eighty herself, and very petite, she was feisty for all that. If he gave her a chance to get at her iron skillet, she’d show him a thing or two. She lowered her eyes when he looked at her, lest he read her murderous thoughts in them.
The intruder spoke, interrupting the couple’s musings. “Tell us what you know about Daniel Rossler’s research.” Bess’s eyes went wide and then flew to Nicholas, who was shaking his head.
“Mmmmph,” he said, reminding the man that he was gagged and couldn’t answer the question. The second intruder came in then, and told the first that he hadn’t been able to get the computer booted up, because it had a password. “What’s the password?” the first asked Nicholas.
Irritated at the man’s stupidity, Nicholas frowned and shook his head, which both strangers took to be a refusal. The first backhanded him across the face, causing Bess to cry out, muffled though it was. With a trickle of blood running from his cut lip, Nicholas tried again. “Guh.”
The second intruder had watched the exchange with disbelief. “You are a fucking idiot,” he said to his partner. “How’s he supposed to answer with that gag in his mouth?” He moved to Nicholas to remove it, and then for good measure removed Bess’s. “Be good, now. One scream and it goes back on. Do you need some water?”
Bess was desperately in need of water, and then of the restroom, but she was so relieved that the second man was being somewhat reasonable that all she could do was nod. He went to the cupboards and found a glass, filled it with water and returned to hold it to her lips. “How about you?” he asked Nicholas.
“Thank you,” Nicholas replied. “The password is verde1300, and only the D is uppercase. But you won’t find anything about my grandson’s research there. We know nothing about it.” It was a half-truth. Nicholas had kept no records on his computer, going so far as to wipe o
ut the browsing history so no one could tell he’d navigated to the email server for the hidden accounts. He had no doubt that a forensic computer examiner could find it, but these clowns didn’t seem smart enough. On the other hand, he knew rather more than he wanted to right now about the process Daniel and Sarah were using. To protect his grandson, he’d take what he knew to his grave, but he didn’t want to leave Bess at the mercy of these thugs. He hoped he could hold out if they decided to torture it out of him.
In truth, the intruders’ mission was just to take the old couple hostage. They had taken it upon themselves to get more information if they could. The objective was to get Rossler to volunteer everything in return for his grandparents’ safety. Impes was even now contacting Rossler to let him know of their predicament. Nicholas was thinking hard, trying to come up with plausible but false information to feed these guys, who he’d named in his mind Clown #1 and Clown #2. It helped ward off the fear that tried to creep in, though he suspected that Clown #2 was a lot smarter than #1. Maybe he should call them Good Thug and Bad Thug instead. The thought gave him a little chuckle that he suppressed. He said to Bess, “Don’t worry, honey. This will be over soon.”
Clown #1 sneered and tried to make it seem like that was a bad thing, like maybe it would be over because they wouldn’t survive, but something told Nicholas that they’d be okay if they could stay calm.
~~~
The phone number wasn’t one he recognized, but because the call had come in on his old cell phone, the one that he still used for work, Daniel answered. His senses went on alert the moment he realized that the voice was being electronically enhanced, no doubt for the purpose of disguising it. “We need to talk about your research into the pyramid code,” the voice said.
“I don’t think so,” Daniel answered. “I’ve abandoned that story.”
“You’ll still want to talk to me. A messenger will bring instructions. Pay attention or it won’t go well for your grandparents,” the distinctive echo of a dead line followed that.
“Wait, what? What about my grandparents?!” Frantic, Daniel dialed his grandparents’ home from his throwaway cell. There was no answer. Daniel forced himself to remain calm, understanding that going off half-cocked would do his grandparents no good. There was no choice but to wait for the messenger, and then do whatever the voice wanted to ensure their safety. While he waited, he composed a message on his laptop for the hidden email address. ‘Something wrong about grandparents. Waiting for messenger with instructions. Protect yourselves.’ With no more information than he had, it was the best he could do. Across the room, he saw Raj’s head pop up from his cubicle, looking at Daniel.
Daniel shook his head, and deliberately turned back to his computer. Until the messenger got there, he wouldn’t expose Raj. Not even then if he could help it. He had only a few minutes to wait. Tearing into the sealed envelope, he read instructions to go to a certain payphone a few blocks away and wait for a call. That was easy enough, and probably safe. Even in New York City, people couldn’t get snatched away from phone stands without exciting comment. This person obviously didn’t want a fuss, and was careful enough not to want to risk a phone conversation. He stood to go. Risking a glance at Raj’s cubicle, he noticed that Raj was looking up and around the room now and then. He waited just long enough to catch his eye, lifted the paper with the message, and ostentatiously dropped it into the wastebasket. He’d leave it to Raj to take it from there.
Moments later, he was striding down the sidewalk, dodging the crowds, on the way to the designated phone. It was ringing when he arrived.
“What took you?” said the same disguised voice.
“Had to make it look like I was going for coffee,” Daniel answered, hoping his excuse would be good enough. “What’s this about my grandparents? Where are they? What do you want?”
“Patience, Daniel. All in good time. We know you haven’t abandoned your research, so don’t try to lie to me. What have you discovered?”
“Look, I don’t know who you are or what this is all about, but one man has been killed over it already. It’s dangerous. We’re setting it aside. Tell me about my grandparents.”
“I know very well that someone has been killed; I gave that order. Shut up and listen, or your grandparents could be next. Their safety depends on your cooperation, now, and to ensure that, I’ve embedded a team at their house.”
Daniel’s blood ran cold at that. He was no doubt talking to Mark’s killer! And nothing was as important as his grandparents’ safety. He had no choice but to cooperate. A movement nearby caught his eye and he spotted Raj arriving at his side. Spontaneously, he reached out his free hand, and Raj caught his wrist in a gesture of friendship and support. No doubt Daniel’s face showed his distress.
“All right, you have it. What exactly do you want?” he said. Raj startled and started to shake his head.
“We know you had some sort of breakthrough in the translation. What did the message say?” continued the voice.
“We didn’t get all of it, but we think it corroborates our theory that there’s information of some sort coded into the pyramid. We have some of the data to translate it, but not all of it. What do you want, the data?” Daniel answered. Now Raj was violently shaking his head.
“We want everything you have. You’ll compile it on a flash drive and I’ll be in touch to tell you where and when you can exchange it for your grandparents.”
“I’ll have it for you within twenty-four hours. It’s not all in the same place, it will take a while to compile it. Please tell me you won’t harm my grandparents in the meanwhile; they have nothing to do with this.”
“That’s not entirely true, is it? Your grandfather’s been helping you. By the way, who’s your friend that seems to have such an objection to our conversation? Is that Rajan Sankaran?”
“How…where are you?” Daniel asked, looking around wildly. At this, Raj’s eyes went wide, too, but he stood his ground.
“We know more than you think. Your grandparents are fine; they’re at home and under my protection. My team will see to it that they’re comfortable, as long as you cooperate. By the way, you understand, don’t you, that if I see police or anyone else near your grandparents’ house, they’re dead and it will be like you pulled the trigger yourself. So you and your buddy there better get your asses in gear. The clock is ticking.” said the stranger.
“Wait, how will I communicate with you?” Daniel asked.
“I’ll be in touch. Keep both of your phones on. Just make sure that your girlfriend and your buddy there cooperate also.” With that, the line went dead again. Realizing that his throwaway phone had been compromised but that he couldn’t replace it until this was over, Daniel wondered, Who are these guys? Their access to information was as sophisticated as some government agency, if in fact they weren’t one of those agencies.
As Daniel hung up the receiver, Raj exploded.
“Who was that? Was he watching? What did he say that made you look around? What’s going on, Daniel?”
“One question at a time, Raj. I need some coffee, let’s sit down.” Daniel’s defeated tone made Raj look at him more closely. He took Daniel’s elbow and guided him across the street to a bakery, where they ordered coffee and Danish, and sat outside on a street side table.
Raj waited patiently. It was clear that Daniel needed to organize his thoughts, and was laboring under some powerful emotion. Finally, he spoke. “Raj, I’m sorry, but I think your cover is blown. What made me look around like that was the caller asked if my friend who objected to our conversation was Rajan Sankaran. He was obviously watching.” Daniel could go no further, because Raj had jumped from his seat and was pacing in agitation, speaking rapidly under his breath in Hindi. Daniel waited for him to calm himself, realizing that it might not happen immediately. To his surprise, though, after a few minutes, Raj sat down.
“I have known this would happen someday, I am prepared. Tell me the rest, Daniel, and then I must go,�
�� said Raj in a deceptively calm voice.
“Okay. I got a call from the same person earlier. He said he wanted to talk about the pyramid research. I told him we weren’t doing it anymore, and then he said something about my grandparents suffering if I didn’t talk with him. Then the messenger brought me the instructions that you must have read, leading me here.” Daniel paused, waiting for comment from Raj.
“Go on. What did he say this time?”
“He said he knew we were continuing, and that we’d made a breakthrough. But instead of wanting us to give him the data, he wants us to give him everything we have. They’ve taken my grandparents hostage, Raj, I’ve got to cooperate. Oh, my God, what have I gotten us into?” Daniel dropped his face into his hands, overcome for the moment with the knowledge that some of the people he loved most in this world were in danger because of his obsession.
Raj said, “Come my friend, this is no time to falter. There is a solution, we just have to find it.”
Surprised, Daniel looked at Raj, thinking he’d never understood the other man’s character quite as well as now. “You’re right. Okay, first tell me what you’re going to do now. I’m so sorry they found out about you.”
Raj shrugged. “I always thought it would be the CIA. You don’t think the person who called you is CIA, do you?”
“I don’t think so, but how would I know? I mean, they’re already watching us and we’ve already agreed to cooperate with them. There’s no one we can trust, and whoever that was has to have all the resources he needs to track us and compromise our communications. In fact,” he said, remembering suddenly, “I’m sure that the person I just spoke to was responsible for Mark’s death. He basically admitted it.” He explained what the voice had said.
“All right, then I don’t see that I’m in any more danger than I was before, as long as I’m prepared to turn over the data and everything I know if they come for it,” Raj said calmly.
“And you must, certainly. But, what if they decide they don’t want you as a witness? Wouldn’t they kill you?” Daniel worried.