“Exactly. Which means that someone physically tampered with your vehicle, Qilzar, and they had access to either your home parking structure or Galacticount’s.
Qilzar’s head snapped back as if he’d been slapped.
“By the Gods! The thought had never crossed my mind.” He paused for a moment, as if in shock, then shook his head. “It wouldn’t have been anyone in my parking structure. There are only ten of us and none have ever shown the slightest interest in me. And none of them know you or Gsefx.”
“Which means someone at Galacticount is in league with the Ricnor gang,” they said together.
Chapter 41
Don’t Go Away Mad
“The only truth I’ve found is that Henry Backus is no longer needed in this investigation,” said General Alcorn to his wife during breakfast. “Keeping the poor fool locked up in maximum security won’t do us any good, and it’s likely to get him killed.”
Over the years Alcorn found talking to Janice about his work to often be beneficial in helping him see things from a new perspective. Early on in his career he had to be careful what he said to her, especially when it came to classified material. As he progressed through the ranks, gaining more clout along the way, he worried less about what would happen if someone found out he was sharing classified material with his wife, and more about what would happen to those under his command if he didn’t. By the time he pinned on his first star, Janice Marie Alcorn was an official Pentagon consultant, with a security clearance equal to his own and a need to know that was based fully on his discretion. In other words, after nearly forty years of service to his country, Janny, as he called her, was the only person on the entire planet he trusted without reservation.
“I understand not keeping him in max-sec,” said Janny, “but why go to the trouble to lie to him like that? Seems kinda silly, not to mention completely unnecessary to tell him you “found your truth” when you didn’t.” She made little air quotes with her hands as she said the last, emphasizing her point.
Alcorn mumbled something while suddenly becoming very interested in the last piece of bacon on his plate.
“What was that, Teddy?”
He looked up at his wife, certain that he looked as much the old fool as he felt.
“I said, I didn’t want to disappoint the poor bastard, he’s been through enough.”
Janny reached over and put her hand on his.
“Why Teddy, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’d actually grown fond of this young man.”
“Maybe. I don’t know, Janny. I think maybe it’s just a combination of feeling sorry for him and not wanting to deal with him anymore. Telling him I found my truth gets me off the hook from having to deal with him again. He’s safe enough for now. I’ll get him transferred into a psych facility when I get back from Washington. They’ll be able to make sure he doesn’t try to hurt himself again, and it will keep him out of my hair for good.”
Janny quietly sipped her tea while her husband ate his final piece of bacon and washed it down with the last of his coffee.
“What if he’s right, Teddy? What if your truth really is in those paintings and you need to find it? What if this planet needs you to find it?”
“Good God Janny, not you too?”
Janny went on, as if she hadn’t heard him. Alcorn noted that she did this quite often.
“Henry told you that, since we now know for certain that we’re not alone in the universe, we needed someone to lead the discussion and decision-making about where and how mankind is going to fit into the grand scheme of things. He seemed to think you were that someone.”
Alcorn took a deep breath and tried not to lose his composure. That was a guaranteed way to lose an argument with his wife.
“Janny,” he said as gently as he possibly could, “that boy is a nutcase who was about to blow his own brains out until that spaceship practically landed on top of him. What exactly do you think he knows?”
“I’ve seen his paintings, Teddy, and I’ve seen enough in them to know that yes, he was depressed enough to want to take his own life, but he’s far from a nutcase. I can also tell you there’s a whole lot more to those paintings than I can see.”
That took a little of the wind from his sails. Alcorn looked at his wife, suddenly very intent on listening to what she had to say.
“Like what, Janny? Tell me.”
“I wish I could,” she said. “I can see that there is a certain kind of truth in them, but I can’t see what it is. I don’t know how to look any deeper.”
Teddy shook his head. “I don’t know how you see anything at all. It’s just a bunch of damn gobbledygook to me. I wouldn’t even know about his intention to commit suicide if you hadn’t figured it out.” He paused. “Are you sure there’s more?”
Janice nodded. “A lot more. But if you want to know what it is, you’re going to have to do something you don’t want to do.”
“No,” he said, a bit too loudly. He got up from the table and took his dishes to the sink. “No, that’s out of the question.”
“I thought you might say that,” said Janny, as she calmly sipped her tea. “That’s why I called him. He should be here by three.”
Alcorn cursed under his breath as he looked down at dirty plates in the sink. As many times as he and Janice had danced this dance, he should have seen this coming.
Dammit, she was good.
All he wanted was to have a quiet conversation with his wife this morning, without any games. It was too late for that now. He caught his breath and turned around to face her.
“Did you now?” he said. “I suppose that’s reasonable enough; a mother inviting her son for a visit from his home in New York, to hers in Virginia. I mean, it’s been at least six months since …”
“Eight months.”
“Eight months since he’s been here.”
He was stalling, trying to get his bearings. He wasn’t going to win this one, that much was certain, but he might be able to …
“Why thank you, General,” said Janice, interrupting his internal tap dance. “I didn’t think I needed your approval, but it’s nice to know I have it.” She took another sip of her tea as Alcorn watched her closely. “Oh for the love of God, Teddy, aren’t you the least bit interested in seeing your own son?”
He turned back toward the sink, unable to face her, and looked out of the window to the large gray barn where Henry’s paintings were currently being stored.
“Of course I am,” he said, his voice strained. “You know how much I miss him. But you also know what’s gone on between us. Theo and I have never had an easy relationship, and with what’s going on right now, I’m not sure this is the best time to try and resolve our differences.”
“And I disagree, Teddy. This is the perfect time. Whether you like it or not, whether you accept it or not, Theo is one of the foremost art experts in the country, certainly on the entire east coast, and he will be here, at your disposal, later today. Now, before you puff up and tell me that I’m not allowed to bring up the artwork or Henry Backus or aliens, that it is a matter of national security, let me set your mind at ease by reassuring you that I am well aware of my responsibilities. I’ve been in this game almost as long as you have and I know the rules just as well as you do. But let me go one step further, General, by telling you that you are a damn fool if you do not put your personal situation aside and take advantage of his expertise on this matter.”
Alcorn sighed. The game was over and he not only didn’t win, he didn’t even get a chance to play.
“Is that all, Ms. Alcorn?” he asked as he straightened his uniform and turned to face his wife.
“Yes, General, I think that about sums it up.”
“Very well. I’ll take your recommendation under advisement.” He walked over and kissed her on the top of the head. “I’ve got some phone calls to make.”
“Don’t go away mad,” said Janice, a sly smile on her face.
“Wouldn�
�t dream of it,” said Alcorn as he left the room.
He walked across the house, doing his level best to keep from exploding. One of the benefits of his rank was the option to work from home when the time and situation allowed. This situation not only allowed, it practically demanded it. He couldn’t think of anywhere else where the paintings would be safer than his barn, which, in truth, was no more a place for cows, horses, and hay than was the rest of his so-called farm. While he and Janny referred to their ten-acre spread as the farm, and the large building near their house, the barn, the entire property was more like one giant safe, a place where they could store all of the things they needed to keep secure. The barn was particularly well-protected, as its walls and roof were formed from steel reinforced concrete, three feet thick. The single entrance was secured with the highest tech locking system available and the entire structure was wired to detect even the most minute movement. A team of highly trained soldiers were on standby to swarm the building if even the slightest unauthorized movement was detected.
Now that Backus was of no more practical use, but safely confined, Alcorn needed some time to think and a peaceful place in which to do so. His meeting with Secretary Langhorne was just ten days away, and there wasn’t a more perfect combination of security and solitude than the Virginia countryside. Besides, between the secure phones, computers, and other techno-toys at his disposal, he might as well be sitting in his office at the Pentagon. The only difference is that he didn’t have to put on his uniform, which he did on most days anyway.
He reached the other side of his house, went into his office, shut the door, and fell back against it, struggling between his nearly uncontrollable desire to scream at the top of his lungs and the certainty that he had no other choice but to maintain control. The effort left him shaking and gasping for air.
When he finally regained his composure, he sat and stared out the window for what seemed an eternity, unwilling to move. He wasn’t mad, he decided, not really. Certainly not at Janny, anyway. She was just doing what she always did. Prodding and poking at him, forcing him to think through his decisions more clearly, while engaging the parts of his psyche he would rather leave quietly dormant. In other words, all of those maddening things that had caused him to fall in love with her in the first place. No, as much as he might want to be at times, he couldn’t be mad at her.
If forced to admit it, however, he was mad. More than that, he was furious. He just wasn’t quite certain where to direct his anger. Perhaps, if he could figure that out, maybe he’d know this “truth” Henry seemed to be all fired up about. It was possible that he was just mad at himself. God knew he had a right to be. He’d made enough mistakes in his life to justify plenty of self-rage. Even so, he didn’t really believe that was all there was to it.
Regardless of his own failings, he didn’t think he was the sole target of his inner hostility. The one thing he knew for sure was that it had to do with his son, Theo, and their relationship. Like many father/son relationships, theirs was a complicated one. No, that wasn’t right. It wasn’t all that complicated, it was just difficult. Difficult beyond measure—and completely his fault.
He remembered when Theo was first born. Good God, could a man have been any prouder?
A son, he’d thought then, this is my son. The continuation of the life I started. The one who will take over where I leave off.
Never in his life, before or since, had Teddy been so happy and proud. So much so, that he convinced Janice right then and there to name the boy Theodore Eustace Alcorn, Junior.
The happiness and pride remained for a while, but as the infant grew into a toddler, and then into a little boy, Alcorn began to notice that Theo was much more like his mother than he would ever be like him. It wasn’t supposed to matter, of course. He loved Janny dearly, and he certainly didn’t love little Theo any less. It was just, well, disappointing, if a word had to be assigned to the feeling. He so wanted Theo to follow in his footsteps, but the more he tried to interest Theo in the things that interested him, like hunting, fishing, and athletics, the more the boy turned away. As if to compound the problem, the more disappointed Alcorn felt, the more ashamed of it he became, which, in turn, caused him to withdraw from Theo and throw himself further into his career.
He knew it was wrong. Why the hell should he care if Theo was more like his mother? Janny was beautiful, intelligent, and great with people. On top of that, she could sing. God, could she sing. Theo had all of that and more. All except the singing part. His gift was painting and, even though Alcorn could tell he would never be on the level of a Henry Backus, he was pretty damn good. Even so, Alcorn just couldn’t seem to accept the fact that, no matter what he did, his son would follow in his wife’s footsteps and not his own.
Things between father and son worsened as Alcorn focused on his career, which often meant months at a time away from home. By the time Theo was ten, and Alcorn was off to Iraq for Desert Storm, the two barely spoke.
Major Alcorn spent twelve months in the Iraqi desert, with very little time to do much of anything except command his troops and send the occasional letter home. The only thing he did a lot of was miss his wife and son. With all that had happened, he was surprised how much he missed the boy. There was no doubt about his love for Janny, but as terrible as his relationship had been with Theo, he didn’t expect the absence of his son to weigh on him like it did. On more than one occasion, he vowed to himself that once he made it home, he’d change things with Theo. He’d make it right, whatever it took. But by the time he finally made it home, Theo had changed. He’d grown harder, more distant, and try as he might, Alcorn couldn’t get through; Theo was lost to him. Finally, Alcorn gave up and decided Theo’s life would be better if he just stayed out of it altogether.
Over the years since, he and Theo had come to an uneasy truce. They acknowledged one another, even granted each other the occasional small talk, but there was no relationship, no bond, and no trust. Teddy still loved his son, more than life itself, but at this point in their lives, he didn’t see any chance of their relationship ever changing.
Alcorn looked at the clock, then took a deep breath and let it out. He had a few hours to get some work done before Theo arrived. He punched Lieutenant Skinner’s number into the phone and waited for the answer.
“Yes, Lieutenant, good morning. Report please.”
Chapter 42
I’m Ricnor, By the Gods!
Ricnor tried to calm his nerves as he entered the numbers into the vidcon. The Master had said this was going to be a simple job. Kidnap a couple of accountants, one of whom was supposed to be some weak, pathetic coward, the other smart and capable, but not terribly heroic, along with his wife. After kidnapping them, obtain the painting, eliminate them, and then go to some out-of-the-way planet named Irt and get the rest of the paintings from its pitifully primitive inhabitants. Simple, or so he had said. The reality, however, had been much less so.
Capturing the first accountant, Qilzar, the supposedly cowardly one, had been as easy as promised. The Master had fixed his vehicle so that Ricnor’s team took control of it without any issues. But as it turned out, Qilzar wasn’t nearly the coward he’d been made out to be. Even after being held prisoner in his own vehicle for almost half a rotation, and then several sars of torture after his arrival at Mindaal (mild though it may have been), he still insisted he knew nothing about the painting. As much as Ricnor hated to admit such things, he’d been as impressed by the Dremin’s defiance as he was annoyed by it. The Dremin race had never been known for having principles, much less standing by them, which made Qilzar’s display all the more impressive.
The wife, Lhvunsa, hadn’t been much of a problem either, at least not yet. But then again, Ricnor’s only demand of her so far was to serve as leverage, a frightened beauty to keep her husband in line. An easy task, considering the razor sharp spike he’d been holding against her striking green throat.
No, it was her husband, this Clangdorian nobody
who fancied himself a hero, that was the real problem. He didn’t seem to realize who he was dealing with.
“I’m Ricnor, by the Gods,” he said in a nearly inaudible mutter, “where in the galaxy does this accountant get off thinking he can cross me?”
It simply wasn’t done. In the early days there had been a few who had tried, and who were promptly made into examples. Terrible, gruesome examples. But that was before the Master had come into the picture, unbidden, holding leverage over Ricnor that couldn’t be ignored. The Master had forced him to change his ways, refine them in order to become more discreet in his dealings with those who attempted to oppose him. At first Ricnor had resented and resisted the Master’s meddling. But when he found he could not break free of the Master’s grip without cutting his own throat in the process, he stopped fighting and gave his unwanted overlord the respect he demanded. In the process, Ricnor became more prosperous, and more feared than he ever dreamt possible. He and his gang also became virtually untouchable by any form of law enforcement.
The Master remained discretely hidden behind the scenes. No one, aside from Ricnor, even knew of his existence, not even the rest of Ricnor’s gang. It was the way the Master wanted it. His only demands were a cut of the profits and final say on all major decisions. The respect Ricnor once gave begrudgingly to the Master, only because he had to, soon began to come naturally, as did his fear of failing him.
Now he had to call the Master and tell him how this simple plan he’d been given had been thrown into chaos because of what that overzealous accountant, Gsefx, had done. Worse yet, the prisoners, Qilzar and Lhvunsa, who were being monitored, of course, were starting to piece things together. As much as Ricnor feared the Master’s wrath, he had to be told of these developments.
Your Truth is Out There (Find Your Truth Book 1) Page 17