Blue's Code

by James Abel

  “If I can get you some listening devices, do you think you could hide them down there somewhere?” Bennings asked.

  “I don’t think it would do any good. She had some super high-tech jamming equipment put down there that won’t let any unauthorized signals get in or out. I heard her talking to a security contractor before we moved in. Besides the jamming equipment, every signal that gets in or out of that room, even on the TV screens, gets encrypted somehow.”

  Bennings nodded and said, “Well, maybe something as simple as a digital recording device behind the walls could work, even an iPhone. Let me talk to a specialist I know who still works for the Bureau, and I’ll get back to you. In the meantime, hang in there. We’ll try to figure out a way to get you out. It’s not gonna be easy.”

  “I know. She’s watching me more than ever.”

  “Understood. As for now, what can you tell us about the layout of Warring Pharmaceuticals? Have you ever been inside?” Bennings asked.

  “Yes. I’ve been there three or four times, usually so Mom could show me off to someone making a big contribution to WWA or some high-end pharmaceutical client.”

  “What we’re most interested in is their security setup and where their research is being done.”

  “Well, I know they have cameras everywhere. They monitor them from a room just inside the main entrance to the building. When you go in, there’s a security checkpoint where you wave your access badge on a scanner. Behind the counter, there’s a security guard who processes visitors, and behind that guard, there’s a room where all the monitors are.”

  “Any idea how many people they have monitoring the cameras?” Bennings asked.

  “One, maybe two at most. It’s a pretty small room.”

  “Any chance that you have your own access badge?”

  “I do. In fact, I keep it in my purse.”

  “Could we borrow it?”

  Blue reached into her purse, pulled the badge out, and pressed it into Bennings’s hand. “Take it. If anything goes wrong, I’ll just say that someone stole it.”

  “Thanks. Now what about the research area? Is there any part of the complex that seems extra secure, maybe off limits to almost everyone?” Bennings asked.

  “Yes! I was never allowed on the second floor. In fact, I never even saw a stairway. Anyway, I need to get back inside now.”

  Blue gave Jordan a quick hug. As she did, Jordan slipped a piece of paper in her hand and said, “That’s my cell phone number. Memorize it, and then throw it away. I know that your phone may be bugged, but if you ever need help, we can be there in a heartbeat. Take care. I owe you my life.”

  Blue smiled and said, “No, you don’t.” Then she turned and walked back inside.

  Twenty yards away, a silver Chevy Traverse pulled out of a parking spot and headed toward Bennings and Jordan. The driver, a pasty-faced man in his mid-fifties with round, wire-rimmed glasses and slicked-back blond hair, slowed his car and stared at Bennings and Jordan as he drove past. Bennings looked at Jordan and said, “Wow. Nothing subtle about that.”

  “Nope. We better let Blue know that we’ve been spotted.”

  The driver was Willard Lance, Warring’s head of security.

  CHAPTER 16

  It was 8:30 a.m., and Heather Warring had just dismissed her team from one of their twice-a-week campaign strategy sessions. As they filed out of the war room, Willard Lance remained behind. When the bookcase closed, Lance opened a manila file folder, slid it in front of Warring, and said, “Here are the photos. I had them printed so they’d be easier to review.”

  Warring opened the folder, pulled out a stack of glossy pictures, and quickly flipped through them. Then she closed it, looked at Lance, and asked, “Who are they?”

  “The shorter one is William Bennings, former FBI. Get this: He was the man heading the task team charged with looking into our operations related to both the Covid vaccine and the LUV Act.”

  “You mean the one that I had closed down?”

  “Yes.”

  “And who’s the man with him?”

  “Jordan Nichols, the father of Jessie’s long-lost friend, the one she met up with at Cornell.”

  “You mean her pen pal friend?”

  “You got it.”

  “Well, Mr. Lance, it would seem that we have a problem, so what is it that you suggest we do?”

  “I’m not sure yet. If we come at these guys head-on, we’re likely to attract more attention than we need right now. Whatever we decide, it needs to be well thought out.”

  Warring stared off thinking for a moment and then turned to Lance and said, “Willard, I think I have a different way to approach this.”

  She pushed some buttons on the panel in front of her, and Jimmy Harris, her campaign manager, soon appeared on the monitor.

  “Good morning, Governor,” Harris said. “Sorry I couldn’t attend the meeting, but I’ve been busy working on the logistics of the upcoming convention and the hit list of friends and family we’re trotting out to sing your praises.”

  “A bit early for that, isn’t it?”

  “Never too early. But what is it that I can do for you today?”

  “Are you alone?”

  “Of course. I take all your calls in complete privacy. In fact, I have to. The encryption technology is here in my private office.”

  “Good, because I was just wondering: If a hypothetical female candidate running for high political office had something tragic happen to one of her children, would that have a positive or a negative impact on her candidacy?”

  Harris smiled through his tobacco-stained teeth and said, “A grieving mother running for office? Unless the death was due to parental negligence, a drug overdose, or something quite scandalous, the election would turn into a blow-out. She’d have the vote of every mother in America, guaranteed.”

  “Thank you, Jimmy. That’s all I needed to know. Good day.”

  Warring hung up the phone, and Harris’s face disappeared from the screen.

  Warring looked at Lance and said, “And that’s how you turn a problem into an opportunity. To be clear, it needs to happen soon, and it needs to be tragic in nature. Perhaps a car crash—hit by a drunk driver in broad daylight. Oh, and Peanut might just as well be in the car with her. Do you have any problems with that?”

  “No, ma’am, of course not. But before I go, I need you to see one other thing.” Lance quickly scanned through the pictures until he found what he was looking for. He handed the picture to Warring, pointed to something, and said, “See that? Right there. Jessie’s got something in her hand, and she’s giving it to Bennings. Trouble is, I can’t make out what it is.”

  Warring nodded and said, “Well, that’s just one more reason to eliminate the problem. Two weeks from tomorrow, I’m scheduled to appear at a rally in Boston with Jessie on stage with me. Perhaps my personal tragedy should occur shortly after that while poor Jessie’s image is still clear in everyone’s mind. Understood?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good. We’re done here . In the meantime, please continue to monitor all of Jessie’s communications. We must remain diligent, Mr. Lance. Always diligent.”

  “Yes. Of course.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Bennings was sitting in the passenger’s seat of the Camry. Jordan was driving. They had just pulled off a rural road 60 miles northeast of Milledgeville, and Bennings was looking at Warring Pharmaceuticals through a pair of binoculars. Unlike most of the other big pharm companies, Warring Pharmaceuticals had only one location where all research, manufacturing, marketing, and management originated for the family-run empire. The complex sat on more than 100 acres of wide-open land surrounded by a security fence, complete with razor wire at the top, that formed a tight perimeter around the buildings and the parking lot. The fence sat about 50 yards back from the road. To get beyond the fence, you had to check in with a security guard at an outside gate.

  “You were right,” Jordan said. “It does
look more like a maximum-security prison than a pharmaceutical company.”

  Bennings pulled down his binoculars and said, “Yup. This is the third time I’ve been out here, and I’ve learned a little more each time.”

  “Like what?”

  “Little things. Who comes and goes. When the shifts change. And today’s Sunday, so I wanted to see what kind of shift, if any, they were running today.”

  “Look any different than during the week?”

  “Actually, it does. Look at the parking lot. It’s only 10 percent full. The other two times, it was packed.”

  “Yeah, but I bet the staffing of the security team stays the same.”

  “Probably. But let’s move down the road and turn around, just out of sight of the guardhouse. I want to sit awhile and see what kind of commercial traffic they have going in and out of here on a Sunday.”

  “You think that’s our ticket inside? Hitching a ride on a delivery truck?”

  Bennings nodded and said, “Maybe. We do have Blue’s entrance badge, but I’d rather not dress up and try to...”

  Jordan cut him off laughing and said, “What! Dress up like Blue, or should I say Jessie Warring and then just sashay right on in there?”

  “Actually, yes. I think I could pull it off. You know I did work undercover for the FBI for over 10 years, and I happen to know the best makeup man in the business!”

  Jordan laughed and said, “Yeah, right. You’d end up looking more like Mrs. Doubtfire than Jessie Warring!”

  Bennings smiled and said, “Well, we’ll never know because I think we have better odds if both of us hitch a ride in on a delivery truck. From there, I’m hoping that we can use Blue’s card to open doors if we need to.”

  “Well, they sure as hell are gonna have cameras, and likely some big dudes standing around the loading dock to onload and offload stuff.”

  “Unless you have a better idea, just shut up, settle in, and we’ll see who comes and goes.”

  Twenty minutes later, Jordan broke the silence and asked, “What would you think about adding some sort of a diversion?”

  Bennings turned to him and asked, “What are you suggesting?”

  “Remember that Marine we met at Bully’s?”

  “Yeah, his name is Riggs. So what?”

  “Well, he and his buddies certainly don’t have a warm spot for Heather Warring or any politicians. We might be able to talk them into holding a protest rally outside of Warring Pharmaceuticals on the day we’re breaking in.”

  “Yeah. I like it. Wait! What’s this?”

  Bennings pointed to a mid-size lift-gate truck with its left turn signal already on as it passed their car. The signage on the side read Bell’s Bakery, Food, and Catering Service, Milledgeville, Ga. Forty yards further down the road, it turned left into the entrance of Warring Pharmaceuticals. Bennings picked up his binoculars, and in a command and control voice Jordan had never heard before said, “Don’t pull out until I say otherwise, and then move slowly up the road, emphasis on slowly!”

  Jordan, sarcastically responded, “Roger that, sir!”

  Bennings smiled but kept his binoculars on the back end of the truck as the driver waited at the gate for the guard to let it pass. When Bennings saw the truck start to move forward, he said, “Okay. Pull out and drive slowly, so I can see where that truck heads. Please!”

  As Jordan drove past the plant, Bennings continued to peer through his binoculars. He saw the truck move through the parking lot, go along side of the building, and then disappear around the back. He lowered the binoculars and said, “Perfect. Loading dock is in back, out of sight. Now all we have to do is check out this bakery’s base of operations. How lucky can we be? They’re somewhere in Milledgeville! Now, on to your idea. I got Riggs number off the side of his truck the other day. I’ll give him a call and see if we can buy him lunch.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Jordan and Bennings were sitting at Bully’s talking to Kylie when Riggs walked in the door and approached their booth. When Riggs saw Kylie, he paused and said, “Hi, Kylie. How are you doing these days?”

  Kylie smiled and said, “Good as can be expected. How’s that little one of yours? Bet he’s growing like a weed.”

  “Sure is. Stop by some time. I know Holly would love to see you.”

  “I’ll do that.”

  “Great! You take care now, ya hear?”

  “Will do.”

  The exchange didn’t escape Bennings. As Kylie walked into the kitchen and Riggs sat down next to Jordan, the first words out of Bennings mouth were, “I couldn’t help but notice that you’re friends with the waitress. What’s the story with her anyway?

  Jordan looked at Bennings and said, “What the hell?” at the same time that Riggs asked, “In what way?”

  “Well, I don’t see a ring on her finger, and I’m pretty sure that Jordan here has a bit of a crush on her!” Bennings continued.

  Jordan stared at Bennings and said, “You never quit, do you? and then turned to Riggs and said, “I’d like to apologize on behalf of Bennings here. I know you’re a busy man.”

  Riggs smiled and said, “No, that’s okay. I couldn’t blame anyone for eying her up. She’s about as nice as they get. She lost her husband a little over a year ago to a drunk driver. Damn shame. She’s got a 15-year-old girl at home. But that’s not why you called me here, so let’s get to it.”

  Bennings nodded and said, “Okay then. Here’s the deal. The three of us have more in common than you might think, and we need your help.”

  “How so?”

  “We need you and as many of your gun-loving friends as possible to stage a pro-gun, pro-Second-Amendment protest rally out at Warring Pharmaceuticals. Nothing where anyone gets hurt, just a noisy, sign-toting mob denouncing Heather Warring as an enemy of the Second Amendment.”

  “What are you up to? Almost sounds like some sort of a diversionary tactic.”

  Bennings said, “You saw action. Didn’t you? I can tell that you think like a Marine—one who’s seen some combat.”

  “Yeah. Operation Iraqi Freedom. I was all of 18 years old.”

  “That was Regimental Combat Team 1, right?”

  “You know your history. But you’re avoiding my question.”

  “Look, the less you know right now, the better off you are.”

  Riggs said, “In that case, the answer is no. I don’t even know who you guys really are, and I don’t know what kind of trouble I might be putting my friends in the middle of.”

  Riggs started to stand up when Bennings grabbed hold of his forearm and said, “Just look me in the eye, bro, and I promise, you’ll know what I’m all about. I love this country every bit as much as you do, and right now, we need your help. I just walked away from the FBI because of the things I’ve been seeing and hearing in Washington. Truth is, I think we’re fighting for more than just the right to bear arms.”

  Riggs pulled away from Bennings’s grip, but he slowly sat back down. He looked at Jordan and asked, “What about you? Where do you fit into all of this?”

  Jordan exhaled and said, “Fair question, one that I keep asking myself. Right now, all I can tell you is that I know someone who, not by choice, is in very close proximity to the governor, and that individual has reenforced everything Bennings just said. Trouble is, right now we have no proof. That’s what we’re working on, and it’s why we need your help.”

  Riggs didn’t answer right away. He sat there in thought, rubbing his hand over his shaved head as Bennings and Jordan exchanged worried glances.

  Finally, Bennings broke the silence when he said, “Look at it this way, Riggs. If you and your friends make the evening news for a peaceful protest, that’s a good thing, right? You’re protesting for what you believe in. In the meantime, it will be us two taking all the risk. Come on, what do you say?”

  Riggs stood up, looked down at both of them, and said, “Give me a week’s notice, and I can get about 50 of my friends out there, making as much com
motion as you’d like.”

  Bennings looked up at Riggs towering over him, smiled, and said, “Thanks, Riggs, and Semper Fi!”

  *******

  That same night, at 9:30 p.m., Jordan walked into Bully’s alone. Kylie was still there, busy wiping the counter down when she looked up and saw him. He smiled and pointed to his regular booth. She smiled back and nodded, so he walked over and sat down. A minute later, Kylie came over, sat down across from him, and said, “Jordan, you know we stop serving at 9. Don’t you?”

  “I do. But I didn’t stop in to eat. I wanted to talk to you for a couple of minutes,” Jordan smiled and added, “Without my nosy partner along.”

  Kylie returned the smile and said, “Oh. Okay. What would you like to talk about?”

  “I’d like to tell you a few things about myself.”

  Kylie nervously glanced around and said, “Well, I only have a few minutes, but go ahead. I’m listening.”

  “First off. I just heard about your loss, and I’m very sorry.”

  Kylie choked up a bit, looked at Jordan, and said, “Thank you. I won’t say it hasn’t been difficult, but between my family, the good Lord, and a few friends…my daughter and I…well, we manage. Some days are better than others, if you know what I mean.”

  “I do. At least I think I do. Ten years ago, I lost my wife. She was murdered. Since then, my daughter and I, well we’ve seen our share of struggles as well.”

  Kylie reached out, patted Jordan’s hand, and said, “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

  “That’s okay. I just wanted to be up front with you because, well, you’re the first woman, since... in the past 10 years that I’ve felt any kind of connection to. I like you. That’s all I came in here to tell you.”

  Kylie smiled and said, “That’s so sweet. I’m really flattered.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. Really.”

  “Well, then maybe, sometime down the road, do you think we could meet for lunch or dinner?”

  She smiled and said, “Only on the condition that we do it out of town. This place is way too small, and the folks are way too nosy for you and me to be seen out and about.”