Ian shrugged. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because he was the only one I trusted enough to help me get through it.”
She pulled in a breath and gave a short nod. “All right. But why?”
Ian ran a hand over his face. “I don’t know really. I guess when I was little, all those Vacation Bible School weeks sunk in. My parents were absentee for the most part, more interested in traveling and doing their own thing than parenting. They weren’t horrible, just uninterested in me or Terry and Gina. I suppose I decided that if my parents weren’t going to be there for me, I’d let someone who wanted to. God proved himself over and over to me as a kid. It never occurred to me he wouldn’t be there for me as an adult.”
She stared at him. “I never had any of that. We had similar childhood experiences. You hung on to God and I pushed him away. Why do you suppose that is?”
He gave her a small smile. “Different personalities, I suppose.”
“I suppose.”
“But you’re wondering if you were wrong to do that, aren’t you?”
She blinked. “Hmm. Maybe. You ready to do a little midnight snooping?”
“Changing the subject?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. So. Midnight snooping. I assume you’re talking about Wainwright Labs?”
“Yep.”
He frowned.
She leaned forward. “We’ve got to find something, Ian. Otherwise we’re chasing our tails.”
“Too bad we’re not the only ones chasing them,” he muttered.
She snorted a short laugh at his sour humor, then cleared her throat. “Where’s Holly?”
“She was asleep last time I checked.”
“I’m worried about her.”
“She looks sick, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah.” And she was going to get sicker. Had Holly told him about the cancer? “Did you see the cache of drugs she has on her?”
“I did.”
Jackie moved to the small table in the corner and took a seat. “Are you going to ask her about them?”
“Maybe. If she wanted to tell me about it, she would have.”
“Okay, fair enough.” So Holly hadn’t said anything. Keeping Holly’s confidence chafed at her, but she’d promised. She picked up the pen. “You’ve been to this facility before?”
“Yes.” He shook his head. “But it’s locked up tight. There’s no way to get in there at night.”
She pursed her lips. “All right, what about during the day?”
He blinked. “Well, yeah, we could get in, but getting out would be another story. They’d recognize us as soon as we walked in.”
“Not if we’re in disguise.”
“But—”
“You know where Wainwright’s office is?”
“I do.” He leaned back.
“Then let’s plan. Who are the types that he meets with?”
“Executives, heads of charities, investors—”
She snapped her fingers. “That’s it. Investors. We’ll be investors.”
“How are we going to do that when he knows what I look like?”
“He’s not actually going to see us. You’re going to create a distraction and we’ll get him out of the office. Then while he’s out, we’re in and we get what we need to prove you—we—didn’t have anything to do with any terrorist plot.”
Ian stared at her, certain the stress had finally gotten to her.
She sighed as she returned his stare. “Come on, Ian, what have you got to lose?”
He thought about it. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
24
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25
7:45 A.M.
NEW YORK CITY
The night had been a long one of planning and gathering supplies needed to pull off the plan. Holly had done an excellent job of finding what they needed while Ian and Jackie kept their heads down.
Once everything had been finalized, they’d grabbed a couple of hours’ sleep and now they were nearly ready.
Ian closed the expensive men’s satchel that he’d just finished packing. “Three bombs and a detonator.”
“Bombs?” Holly stood at the door, twisting her fingers together.
Ian gave his cousin a grim smile. “Not real ones. They’re a combination of the stuff you gathered last night.”
Holly looked at the table that held the leftovers. “So you were conducting science experiments while I slept?”
“Exactly. They won’t hurt anyone, but they’ll create a lot of smoke.”
Holly nodded and blew out a breath. “I think I figured out part of this code.”
Jackie’s pulse jumped. “Really?”
“Yes.” Holly walked to the table and set the paper in the middle, then slid into the chair.
Jackie sat next to her. “Show us.”
Holly pointed to the first line, NYonSTBY. “I think this means what it says. Something is going to happen in New York and people are on standby—meaning maybe they’re waiting for further instructions or something.”
“Okay. What else?”
“This.” She tapped the paper. “The key to the code is simply a computer keyboard. If you use each letter to the left of the one in the code, this is what you get.” She pushed the paper across the table to Jackie.
Over each letter, Holly had written the letters to go with the coded letters. “Smallpox delivered,” Jackie breathed. “Smallpox?”
“This must have something to do with the smallpox vaccine the government’s encouraging the public to get,” Ian muttered.
“‘Smallpox delivered.’ Delivered where?” Jackie frowned.
“Somewhere here in New York,” Ian said. “It has to be.”
“But why would you have to code a message about delivering a smallpox vaccine?” Holly asked.
“It didn’t say vaccine. It said smallpox. What if it’s not the vaccine?” Ian murmured.
“But what else—”
Jackie snapped her fingers. “The family that was murdered. The man worked at the CDC in Atlanta.” That whole thing had been bugging her since she saw it on television and then saw the government’s encouragement to get the vaccine.
“Yes.” Ian drew in a deep breath.
“Someone got some of the virus and delivered it to be used here in New York,” Jackie whispered. “There are only two places in the world that hold some of the virus. The CDC in Atlanta and the equivalent of the CDC in Russia.”
“And most of the population under thirty-five years of age hasn’t had the vaccination since it was deemed unnecessary once the disease was considered wiped out,” Ian said.
“But someone stole the virus from the CDC and they plan to use it,” Jackie said.
“As a bio-weapon,” Holly said. “Which is why the government is covering their tails and issuing the suggestion that people get vaccinated now. What do you want to bet they’re keeping it hush-hush while they try to find that missing virus?”
Ian blinked. “You’ve become suspicious in your old age, cuz.”
“I agree with her,” Jackie said. “But where? How? Who or what’s their target?”
Ian shook his head and looked at his cousin. “What about the rest of it?” She rubbed her temples and winced. Ian touched her arm. “Your head still hurting?”
“Yes. I’ve been having migraines. I have some medication I can take once Ron gets here.” She sighed and blinked. “As for the rest of the code, I may have it soon. I tried the same pattern for the other letters, but it’s not working. It looks like each line is a different pattern, but I still think it’s all connected to the keyboard. I’ll keep working on it.”
Ian nodded. “All right, Ron will be here soon. Use his phone to call if you figure it out.” He paused. “Actually, call once you and Gus are safe with Ron in Virginia, okay?”
“What about Lucy? I didn’t call last night. I know she’s got to be wondering why. And so is my friend she’s staying with.”
“Ron’s arranging to bring Lucy to you,” Jackie said. “She should arrive at the cabin about the time you do.”
Holly frowned. “Wait a minute. So far no one has tracked Lucy to my friend. If the FBI or someone go asking, I’m sure someone might mention her name and they’ll find her that way, but so far no one has done that. Wouldn’t it be safer for her to just stay put?”
Jackie bit her lip. She paced the perimeter of the room, then stopped. “I’m sure the FBI know you’re with us by now.”
“I’m okay with that,” Holly said.
“And even if they figure out you have a daughter, which I’m sure they saw pictures when they trashed your apartment, there’s no reason for them to believe she’s not with you now. With us.”
“Okay.” Holly gave a slow nod. “That makes sense.”
“I say leave her there. But, your friend will be worried and wonder why you haven’t called. Does she know about your … ah … business trip?”
“Yes.”
“Then I would say you can use one of the throwaway phones to call her. No one knows about her, they wouldn’t have any reason to be keeping tabs on her number.” Jackie gave a decisive nod. “Let Lucy stay there. I think it’s safer than dragging her into the middle of this.”
Ian took a deep breath. “I guess that’s it then.”
Jackie handed one of the remaining cell phones to Ian and pocketed the second one after a glance at the screen. “It’s time. Wainwright should be eagerly anticipating our meeting.”
“I feel like I should be doing something,” Holly said.
“You are, you’re deciphering that code. Ron will be here soon and you’ll be safe while you work.” Ian hugged his cousin for a long moment.
“I think I want to stay.”
“Your dad already hates me. I don’t want to give him a reason to try to kill me too.”
Holly pulled back and for the first time since Jackie had seen her in the doorway of her apartment, she had some color in her cheeks and a faint smile on her lips. “He wouldn’t.”
“Maybe not, but I don’t want to be the reason you two never reconcile.”
The smile faded and Holly’s eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t be the reason. He did that all by himself.” Then her features softened. “But we’ll have to make our peace sometime soon before I …”
“Before you what?”
“It’s not important. We’ll talk later.”
Jackie felt awkward listening to the conversation, but it wasn’t like she could avoid it.
Holly sighed. “What time is Ron going to be here?”
Jackie glanced at the clock on the wall. “Any minute. He’s been hanging out at my grandfather’s place in Virginia coordinating all kinds of help should we need it.”
Ian stared at her. “Why haven’t the cops been able to connect Ron as the one who’s helping us?”
“Because Ron doesn’t have any connection to Operation Refuge. He’s strictly off the books and doesn’t leave a trail anywhere.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “He has his reasons. I’m not at liberty to share them.”
A knock sounded at the door and Ian checked the peephole. He opened the door and Ron stepped in.
He opened the door and Ron stepped in. His eyes landed on Holly and he gave her a smile. “Time to go, little lady.”
Holly hugged Jackie, then Ian one last time. “Please be careful.”
“We will.”
“See you soon.”
“Real soon.”
As soon as Ron and Holly were gone, Jackie dropped an extra clip of bullets into her blazer pocket. And hoped she didn’t need them.
25
10:15 A.M.
At 26 Federal Plaza, on the twenty-third floor, Elizabeth hovered over the shoulder of FBI cryptologist Tyesha Lee. “Well?”
The pretty black woman turned from the printout and looked up at Elizabeth. “Well, your stalking me isn’t going to inspire me to get this figured out any faster. I’ve been working on it all night and I’m a bit cranky. You might want to keep your distance.” Elizabeth dropped back a centimeter and Tyesha sighed. “I ran it through the system and got nothing, so it’s definitely a homegrown code.”
“Can you crack it?”
“Of course.” Tyesha shot her an insulted look. “It’s just going to take a bit of time.”
Elizabeth surrendered. “Sorry. Call me when you know something.”
“You know I will.”
Elizabeth headed for the door, then stopped. “Hey, Ty?”
“Yeah?”
When Elizabeth didn’t speak, Tyesha lifted her gaze to meet hers. “I think this one is time sensitive,” Elizabeth said. “Don’t ask me why, but I think the sooner we know what this says, the better.”
“Sure, Liz. It’s my priority, I promise.”
“Thanks.”
Elizabeth checked her phone as she headed for the elevator. Her gut said Jackie had told her the truth last night. She and Ian were innocent victims in a super-powered game headed by super-powered people.
People who had a lot to lose because Ian had seen that email. Only now she had it. And she would have it decoded within hours. Hopefully. Cedric Wainwright. She had people looking into him with a magnifying glass. If the guy had any dirt to be found, they’d find it.
Her phone rang. “Hi, Mom.”
“Elizabeth, honey, how are you?”
“Working a case as usual, but fine. You?”
“I’m lovely, dear, thank you, but I’ll get to the point. I haven’t heard from you about Thanksgiving. It’s tomorrow, you know.”
“I know.” Actually she’d forgotten.
“Wonderful. Then can we expect to see you? And maybe a friend? We plan to go to the parade first thing in the morning, then head back to the house to eat.”
Elizabeth grimaced. A friend. As in a male friend. As in a boyfriend. And the parade? No thanks. “I’m sorry, Mom. This case is taking all of my time and attention. If I can be there, you know I will.” A heavy sigh filtered through the line, firing the guilt Elizabeth felt every time she missed a holiday or family celebration. But she had a job to do. A job she loved. But she loved her family too. “I’ll do my best to make it to lunch, all right?”
“All right, dear.”
She heard the resignation in her mother’s voice and closed her eyes. “Love you, Mom.”
“Love you too, dear.”
Elizabeth hung up only to find her phone ringing again. She stepped off the elevator and headed for her car. “Yes, Sam, what do you have?”
“We found the phone Sellers used to call you. She left it at a bar on Garrison.”
“Of course she did. She wouldn’t carry it back to where she was staying. They must have an abundance of throwaway phones.”
“Where are they getting their money?”
“We checked their bank accounts before we froze them. No significant withdrawals were made prior to Lockwood going on the run, so either he had a lot of cash on hand at home …”
“… or someone’s helping them. Someone in Operation Refuge is staying in touch with them.”
“But who?” Frustration bit at her. “We’ve got eyes on all of them. They’re talking back and forth about what’s going on, but I would expect that. However, no one has left town or met them.”
“What if it’s someone not affiliated with Operation Refuge?” he asked.
“It almost has to be.”
“There’s no telling.”
“Right. The best we can do is keep looking and hope someone spots them and calls it in.” Her phone beeped in with yet another call. “Let me catch that. It’s the SAC in South Carolina. I need to talk to him.” She hung up with Sam and pressed the screen to answer the incoming call. “Elizabeth Miller.”
“Elizabeth, this is Cole.” Cole didn’t stand on formality. As long as you did your job and respected the chain of command, he was pretty laid-back. In an intense kind of way.
&n
bsp; “Hi, Cole, what have you got?”
“Have you been in touch with either Jackie Sellers or Ian Lockwood?”
“Yes. You know I have.” She’d dictated the conversation with Jackie and emailed it to him, to Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Wilson in Atlanta, and to the ADIC in New York, Scott Mitchell.
“No. I mean since the last conversation.”
“No, I would have let you know. But I expect to hear something soon.”
“Try to set up a meeting. We need to get him and his accomplice off the streets as soon as possible. We’ve got to get some answers.”
“What’s happened?”
“A Dr. Jason Arnold was found in his office here in South Carolina with a bullet in the back of his head.”
Elizabeth sucked in a breath. Another death? “Who’s Dr. Arnold?”
“He’s a veterinarian.”
“A vet? As in someone who’s a doctor for animals?”
“You get the gold star.”
And then she knew. “Ian’s dog.”
“The dog, Gus, was once a service animal to Gina Lockwood, Ian’s sister. When she died, he took in the animal.”
The light went on. “And Gus has a GPS tracker embedded in him, doesn’t he?” Elizabeth asked.
“Nothing gets past you, does it?”
“Save the sarcasm. So now whoever is after Ian and Jackie has Gus’s code,” she said. “And Gus is going to lead them straight to them.” She paced. “We need to beat them there.”
“We have the code and are running it now.” Cole paused. “We’re not sure how much of a head start the others have.”
“He’s innocent, you know,” Elizabeth murmured.
“No. I don’t and neither do you.” He paused to take a sip of his drink. “But I must say I’m starting to lean in that direction.”
“When … if … Jackie or Ian call me, I’ll let them know about Dr. Arnold.”
“And get them to meet you. Set it up and get them in custody. If he’s innocent, we can protect him.”
“Right.” Elizabeth pressed her fingers against her eyes. “He’s innocent, I know he is.”
“I don’t know. Could be he’s as guilty as they come, and his partners just want him out of the picture for some reason.”
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