by R D Hathaway
Rennie grinned when she thought of Bud’s tirade earlier in the day. She was certain the pressure he was under came from this office. It had nothing to do with noble platitudes.
“That’s what we like to think, ma’am. May I ask a question?”
Katherine smiled and glanced at Larry. Rennie noticed their connection. “Of course. We expect questions from our best reporter.”
“I just wondered if you read the copy I gave to Bud, and what you think of it.”
“I’m glad you asked. That’s why I wanted to visit with you. The story is most impressive; historic really. It certainly would put the Record into a remarkable position. We wondered if you have fully checked it out. The profound nature of the story begs the question.”
Rennie relaxed. “Before I answer that, may I ask another quick question?”
Everyone’s eyes quickly looked at everyone else. Katherine’s smile slid away. She nodded.
“My computer is down right now. I wondered if that might be related to this.”
Katherine’s nostrils slightly flared. “We will look into that. I don’t keep track of those things.”
Bud stood. “If you don’t need me, I should go back downstairs.”
“Fine, Bud, thank you,” Katherine replied without looking at him.
He offered a faint smile to Rennie and left the office, closing the door behind him.
Katherine shifted in her chair. “So, please tell us about this discovery by the professor. Very sad, him getting killed and all that. To the point, have you seen these letters? Do you know what they say?”
Rennie’s lips lifted into a soft grin. Her mind was clearer than ever. “You ask a good question, ma’am. Did you read the story?”
Katherine tried to disguise her annoyance with Rennie. “I can say I looked at it.”
“Well, in there I mentioned how the letters were found at the British Museum, in London. I went there and was fortunate to meet a distinguished fellow who is the son of Professor Justus. He told me the story he was told of the Professor’s death.”
“So, the letters were lost or stolen, or were they recovered?”
Rennie felt cornered. She leaned forward. “It turned out he had not taken the letters with him. They remained in his room in London.”
“That is all very interesting, but my question was whether or not you have seen the letters. I think verification of this fact is fairly important here.”
“Yes ma’am, it is and, I intend to get that verification.”
“Are the letters in your possession?”
“No, ma’am, they are not. I contacted someone in London who was going to try to get his hands on them and when available, authenticate them.” Rennie smiled. “He has outstanding credentials and connections with the British Museum.”
“So, your contact in London has them?”
“My source in London will arrange everything.”
“I hear you use the word ‘source.’ Is that for a reason?”
“Well, we know the importance of those in this business. I’m sure you appreciate that. Given the importance of this discovery, this is an obvious situation where confidentiality is paramount.”
“Even from your own people?”
Rennie again remembered to manage her breathing. “We all know that managing our sources protects the team.”
She controlled her desire to laugh. “By the way, could you arrange for my computer to get going again? Obviously, it’s important for me to get some things done here.”
Katherine stared at her.
Rennie turned to the quiet man in the chair. “Larry, are you with the Record?”
Katherine gave a subtle nod in his direction. “I am not with the Record. My firm is retained by the company for advice and assistance in special situations.”
“I’m not clear on who you are, Larry. As Katherine said, this is a very important situation. I like to know who is on the team.”
“Of course, I’m sorry my role wasn’t explained. I’m outside legal counsel for the Record.”
Rennie shifted toward Katherine. “I knew we had legal staff. I didn’t know we retained outside counsel as well. Very interesting.”
“Your cooperation with Larry will be most appreciated. It will serve the company well.”
“Certainly. Larry, call me anytime I can help. Should I clear things through Larry before going to Bud?”
Katherine’s lips twitched. “No, you work with Bud as you always have. We don’t want to hinder proven success, do we?”
“No, ma’am. May I get back downstairs now? I need to see if my computer is up.”
“Of course. Thank you for bringing your wonderful story to us. Many would never have gotten this far with it. Please keep us up to date. By the way, the interest in those letters is higher than you may think.”
“I think the interest in these letters is higher than anyone in this world can understand,” Rennie replied.
Katherine slowly stood and placed her knuckles on the desk. “If you have the letters, they need to go into the right hands. It’s best you do not underestimate the situation or overestimate yourself.”
Her icy stare didn’t intimidate Rennie. “There are people who should have them, and it’s time to not play games. Deliver them to me, and I will see they are properly handled.”
Rennie arose from her chair without looking away from her powerful boss. “Where do you see this going?”
“That’s not easy to say. Would you like to know your future?” the publisher responded with a modestly disguised sneer.
“Katherine, if one is right with God, they know their future. Do you know yours?”
“I may have some knowledge of your future.”
“It is said, the future is where the dust will blow. We all are dust. But I know the wind.”
Katherine looked confused.
Rennie pivoted to Larry and offered her hand. He hesitated, got up, and shook her hand.
She walked with casual grace out of the office without looking back. Riding the elevator down to the seventh floor, she raced to an empty desk to call Angie. Her cell phone number responded with a voice message. She hung up and looked at her watch. It was 4:28 p.m.
Where is she?
Rennie didn’t know what to do. She dialed her home phone number and listened to a new message. It was from Angie.
“Hey partner, I’m taking off early. I figured it might be a late night again, so I’m going home to take a nap. Could we meet at your place at seven? We can go over some ideas before going to the airport to pick up Matthew. See you then.”
Rennie returned to her cubicle and found her computer was on. Someone had not only started it, but it was online. She called Floyd in IT. His voice mail took the call. She hung up hard.
She did a quick review of her files to see if anything was different. She had so many folders and documents it was difficult to remember what should be where. Giving up on that, she got into her e-mail to check for messages. Something looked wrong.
She found the screen print of new messages. It indicated that three messages were no longer there. She found them in the old message file. Someone had gone through her e-mail. She jumped up so fast her chair slammed into the cubicle wall. A man working a few spaces away stood up, looked over the wall, and saw the fury in her face. He quickly sat down.
She logged off her computer, looked around her space to see if anything had been moved, and then left the office. As she walked through the parking ramp to her car, she thought about her e-mail and the vulnerability of her communications. Her cell phone and computer belonged to the newspaper. If people wanted to, they could probably also get into her home phone and the computer there. It was time for a new perspective and attitude.
On the way home, Rennie stopped at a traffic signal in front of a consumer electr
onics store. She cranked the steering wheel around and raced into the parking lot. She went straight to the cell phone section of the store and inquired about various plans. Leaving the store, Rennie had two new cell phones and monthly service on a “family share” plan. She felt empowered with the thought of being a step ahead of whoever might intrude on their mission.
Rennie returned home and welcomed a greeting from Balderdash. He purred loudly, arched his back, and brushed against a corner of the wall. She laid down her bag and hurried through the house opening windows to release the contained warmth of a summer day. She kicked off her shoes, tossing them under a table.
She considered how to accommodate Matthew for the evening and beyond. Running upstairs, she surveyed the small rooms. She leaned against the doorjamb and wondered where he would feel most comfortable. Glancing at her suitcase and clothing on the floor, she returned downstairs with a sense of urgency.
PART ELEVEN
Des Moines, Iowa
XI - 1
Angie approached Rennie’s porch and noticed a note taped to the front door inviting her in. She stepped inside and called out, “Hey Rennie. Are you here?”
“Yeah, come on up. I’m fixing the bedroom for Matthew.”
Angie greeted Balderdash and went up the stairs. Entering the bedroom, she saw Rennie smoothing the comforter on the bed. Towels were piled up on a dresser.
“Very nice,” Angie said, “the place looks great. Is someone special coming?” She laughed.
Rennie was in no mood for joking around. She shook her head “no” and put her finger to her lips. She waved for Angie to follow her.
Rennie picked up the bag of cell phones and went down to the kitchen. She closed the swinging kitchen door behind them and shut the window. She turned up the volume on a CD player and turned on the sink faucet.
Angie looked confused and whispered, “What’s up? What happened at your office and with your computer?”
Rennie was intent and strong. “I know this seems odd. We need to be very careful. My meeting at the office raised red flags like crazy. I met the publisher. No one meets her unless it is very good or very bad. I’d like to think our story is on the good side, but she didn’t give me that impression.”
Rennie’s voice softened. “Angie, it was all very sinister. She wanted the letters, and earlier, the IT guy in our office called me. He said they were doing a routine system check. But my computer was the only one shut down and someone checked my e-mail. I didn’t have time to see what else they did.”
“Oh, my gosh,” Angie whispered, “they don’t trust you. Or, maybe they aren’t to be trusted.”
Rennie took a deep breath. “Angie, in my meeting with her, I was so at peace. It was amazing. I asked the right questions, and I think I said the right things. This transformation we’ve been going through is wonderful. I feel empowered.”
“Me, too. I have this sense of separation from the world, like a visitor.”
“Right. Me, too. I need you to keep me on track. All things are new now.”
She turned up the water faucet to create additional ambient noise.
“There’s something we need to do. Until this gets sorted out and we know the letters are safe, we must be careful with our communications with each other.”
“I don’t understand.”
“People have followed us Angie, they broke into my house, and I think they’re now monitoring our communications. They want the letters. To keep ahead of them, I got a couple of new cell phones.”
She opened the bag from the store. “We should use these only to talk with each and with no one else. If we call anyone else, they’ll get our numbers and make the phones less secure.”
“I can’t believe it, but you’re right.”
“The letters are too important for any mistakes. We don’t know who’s after them and what they’ll do.”
“I agree. What about Matthew? He’ll be in soon. Have you figured out what we should say?”
“We need to lay the whole situation out for him. We’ve got to trust him. What do you think?”
“Absolutely. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Matthew is part of this. We’re now a three-person team.”
Rennie nodded. “We still need to decide on where and how he reads and reviews everything. Where are the journals, by the way?”
“I left them in the car.”
Rennie felt a moment of panic.
“Just kidding. I’m not that dumb. I set them on a stand in the entry when I came in. They’re wrapped in some textbook covers I got from school. Pretty good, huh?”
Rennie hurried out of the kitchen and found the journals. She opened each one and fanned the pages. Then she looked around the room trying to decide where to hide them.
“What’s up?” Angie asked.
Rennie whispered, “I’m just thinking about where to hide these. I’ve never dealt with this kind of thing before. We need to step back and relax a little.”
“I just thought of something. Do we need to go into the kitchen?”
They returned to the kitchen, and Angie suggested a plan. Rennie agreed and removed a roll of aluminum foil from a cabinet. She wrapped each of the journals in foil and then bound each again in plastic wrap.
“Now, where can they go?” Angie asked.
“I’ve got an old freezer downstairs and I’ll put them in there. It’s not likely that someone would look there. Is that okay? Will the cold damage them?”
“Is the freezer on? Is there food in there?”
“No to both. I’ve not used it for a while.”
“If it’s not too cold or hot inside then no, and not with the foil on them and with this type of paper. A little cold is not a problem, but any humidity would not be good for the paper. This is okay for a few days.”
Rennie took the wrapped journals downstairs and returned a few minutes later.
“Angie, did you bring any food?”
“No, sorry. I was focused on the,” her voice softened, “the journals. How about if we go out for something on the way to the airport? We have time.”
“Fine with me. Are you ready? It could get strange.”
“I’m beginning to like strange. Let’s get food and then Matthew.”
Rennie hurried through the house and made sure all doors and windows were locked. She pulled down the window shades and turned on two lights. When they went out the front door, she locked it, and paused to look around the neighborhood. It seemed quiet. Rennie made sure her car was locked.
They got into Angie’s car and slowly drove away. As they did, Rennie looked out the back window. A dark sedan about a hundred feet down the street came out of a parking space and drove past her house. It slowed down, and then it picked up speed as it followed them from a distance. Two blocks later, the car turned and disappeared.
They stopped to eat at a chain restaurant and didn’t discuss anything but the fun parts of their trip to London. Their laughter felt good. A reminder tone on Rennie’s phone triggered a change in attitude. They said nothing as they put together some money, paid the bill, and returned to Angie’s car.
She parked in the ramp next to the airport terminal then walked to where schedules for arriving flights were displayed. Matthew’s flight number was indicated to be on time and arriving within minutes. They found two seats together in the waiting area.
“Rennie, I hope Matthew can handle it.”
“What, the flight? He’s a veteran of travel.”
“No, the discovery. He’s an old guy. His ticker may not be strong enough.” Angie tapped her chest. “Wouldn’t it be awful if Matthew died as a result of the letters just as Matthew did?”
Rennie rolled her eyes and responded with a soft tone, “We simply need to present it to him gently. First, give him the journals. Get him started in the one toward the end where
Matthias talks about finding the letters. Then, when Matthew knows of that, we tell him we found them or what we think might be them. He has to review them to see what we found. We don’t really know what’s in that box. It’s like my editor always says, we need verification.”
“Look, people are coming down the escalator. I wonder if they were on his plane.”
They tried to see Matthew down the concourse. Rennie looked around at the others who waited. She noticed a young man sitting in the most remote chair from the walkway where passengers would pass by. He didn’t seem to be anxious or look toward the escalator. Rennie glanced in his direction several times but never directly at him.
Several dozen passengers walked by and were greeted with affection by those awaiting them. Rennie and Angie shared their excitement, anticipating Matthew’s arrival. Rennie looked again in the direction of the young man. He continued to read a magazine and paid little attention to the arriving passengers.
Angie grabbed Rennie’s arm and said in a hushed voice, “There he is.”
When Matthew saw them, he grinned and gave a subtle wave. Reaching the bottom of the escalator, he stepped to the side.
“Hello Angie.”
She hugged him.
When Rennie embraced him, she caught a glimpse of the young man looking with indifference at the greeting line for the passengers.
“Thank you for coming, Matthew,” Rennie said. “We’re so happy to see you again. Let’s get your luggage, then we’ll get you home so you can rest. Are you hungry?”
“Not at all, my dear. I lose my appetite when I travel long distances.”
Angie put her arm through his and drew him toward the baggage claim area. They engaged in small talk, but Rennie kept watch in her peripheral vision for the young man. As they made the turn to go to baggage claim, the man got up, left the arrival area, and went out of the terminal.
When Matthew excused himself to use the men’s room, Rennie pulled Angie’s arm and moved close to the wall.
“We’re being followed. There was a guy sitting with all of us waiting for the arriving passengers.” Rennie looked around. “He didn’t greet anyone, but the moment Matthew arrived, he got up and left. He’s probably outside waiting for us to take Matthew home.”