“No, sir.” Mick shook his head. “Tonight I was sent to kill Stanley at the waterfront. But the four of us slipped away undetected because we were unsure which parties we could trust. Then your son gave us the slip after we pulled over for a restroom break. He’s more than likely still alive.”
The governor stabbed his finger at Mick. “More than likely? More like, he’d better be.” The governor took a deep breath and settled back into the red chair. “You said this is all for national security reasons. What does that even mean, especially as it relates to Stanley? How is my son a threat to national security? And who gave you the order anyway?”
Mick cleared his throat. “My job, sir, was to kill your son to protect the security of our nation. My orders didn’t come with an explanation or rationale of what Stanley had been doing to justify that order. That’s what we’re trying to figure out now.”
The governor pushed himself out of the chair and stood. He looked at Mick. “So you’re basically a government hit man then, doing their bidding?”
“Essentially,” Mick said. “This is the first time I’ve been directed to eliminate a domestic target.”
The governor began pacing the room. “Stanley has done nothing wrong, certainly nothing to warrant his death.” He stopped pacing and looked at us. “You guys agree with that, right?”
“Governor,” I said, “we know this whole situation is completely illegal—”
“A major conspiracy,” Mick added.
“Right,” I said, “a conspiracy. The fact that I was targeted too definitely proves that. I’ve done nothing to compromise national security. I know that much.”
The governor jabbed his finger toward me. “So you think Stanley did then?”
“I highly doubt it, sir, and that’s why we’re here. We want to know more about your son so we can figure out this conspiracy. We need to find Stanley and speak with him.”
“Well, I don’t know where he is. In fact, he hasn’t checked in with me for a while.”
I thought back to our recent car ride, when Stanley was texting. When Mick questioned him, he’d told us he was texting his father.
“Did he not text you about two hours ago, sir, and tell you he was safe?”
“No, he definitely did not. He never texts me. He calls.”
I exchanged glances with Mick and Karla.
“What is it?” the governor snapped.
Nobody said a word.
“I’m taking it my son’s been lying, then, is that it?”
“He told us he’d texted you to tell you he was safe,” Karla said.
The governor pulled his phone out. “Maybe I missed it. Maybe he couldn’t talk at that time.”
There were a few moments of awkward silence as the governor rifled through the messages on his phone.
I broke the awkwardness. “Never mind the text, sir. Do you know where Stanley would go? He was having a hard time grasping the reality of his situation, with Agent Cranston commissioned to kill him and all, which is understandable. I’m guessing he panicked over it all so he gave us the slip at a gas station. We’re not exactly sure why he left us. That’s why we really have to find him soon. Is there any place you think he might be?”
The governor paced a few steps, then looked up. “Other than his house or the Long Beach State coffee shop, I can’t think of any.” He looked at Mick. “You never did tell me who specifically gave you your orders.”
“I’m not exactly sure,” Mick said. “My orders came via encrypted email from the chairman of the SCS.”
“And the name of the chairman?”
“Actually, sir, field agents like myself don’t know the names of the executive branch of the SCS. Because of the secrecy of our missions.”
“Plausible deniability,” the governor said.
“Basically,” Mick replied.
“What can you tell me about this chairman?”
“The chairman is the head of the executive branch of the SCS, which is a rotating position; CIA for three years, then the NSA. Currently, the chairman is from the NSA. That’s about all I know.”
The governor walked back to the chair and wedged himself in.
I wondered if I should tell the governor my theory that Agent Gates was the chairman. After a quick thought, I decided to keep that to myself until I had more proof.
The governor looked at the three of us and said, “Why would Stanley’s former employer want him killed? Stanley told me he left there on good terms. I don’t get it.”
I leaned forward on the couch because I thought I’d misheard. “What did you say, sir?”
The governor looked at the three of us. “By the looks on your guys’ faces, you' obviously didn’t know some key facts.”
“No, we didn’t, sir,” Mick said. “We sure didn’t.”
“My boy made history,” the governor said, beaming. “Stanley was the youngest employee ever at the NSA.”
CHAPTER 23
I tuned out my surroundings and collapsed into the couch. My mind replayed the conversation I’d had with Stanley at the coffee shop. I remembered questioning Stanley about what he did after deferring acceptance to MIT. He said it was classified. I’d laughed at his quick wit and didn’t pursue the line of questioning. Obviously, I should have pursued it further.
Smoothing my hands over my head, I looked at the governor. “Stanley works at the NSA, sir, really?”
“Worked,” the governor corrected. “And briefly, I might add. I’m not sure if he left of his own accord or not. He wouldn’t, or perhaps I should say couldn’t, let me in on the details. Never did tell me much about his time there.”
Karla had collapsed backward at about the same time I did. She leaned forward and asked, “Sir, can you go back to the beginning and tell us how your son got involved with the NSA? We had no clue. We’re all a little in shock here.”
“Sure.” The governor paused and thought for a moment. “It all started after Stanley graduated high school, which was at the age of fifteen, by the way. I’m not sure if you know this, but the NSA recruits high school grads, mainly the top mathematical students across the country. They invite these students to an intensive summer intelligence training program in Maryland.” He looked at us. “Did you guys know that?”
“No, we didn’t, sir,” I said.
“Even though Stanley was young,” the governor continued, “he was still the top mathematics student in the nation. So the NSA extended him an invitation. From what I understand they’d been following Stanley’s academic path since he was about twelve. Crazy, I know. Anyway, after the summer training session, the NSA extends full-time offers to the top students in the summer class. Those students go on the payroll for the agency and subsequently enroll in the NSA’s National Cryptologic School. Other students choose to go the more traditional college route first, which the NSA doesn’t mind since they’ll foot the college bill if the student agrees to work for the agency after graduation. Not surprising, Stanley was the top student in his summer program. But he was too young to go on their payroll. So he started taking courses in their Cryptologic School, without pay, though the courses and his expenses were covered. Stanley breezed through every course the school offered. When he turned sixteen, he officially became the youngest employee ever at the agency. I’m not too sure what happened from that point on, only that one day, over a year ago, he suddenly quit.”
“Or was terminated, maybe?” Karla said.
The governor stroked his chin. “Perhaps. Stanley never told me why he left or what was going on at the agency. He said he was forbidden to talk about his particular situation, and the agency in general. Considering that it was the NSA, I didn’t think it was strange. Besides, the whole time Stanley was there he didn’t seem happy. So I wasn’t bothered by him quitting or being fired, whatever the case was.”
“Do you know why he wasn’t happy?” Mick asked.
The governor looked away for a second. “No, but Stanley alluded to the fact that he’d p
robably go back. He said something about the timing not being right. That’s all he mentioned.”
“What about MIT?” I asked.
“MIT?” the governor said. “What about MIT?”
“Stanley told me he deferred acceptance. Did he go to MIT after the NSA?”
“No idea what you’re talking about. He and I talked about MIT, but Stanley never deferred acceptance. As far as I know he never applied.”
I felt Karla’s eyes boring into the side of my head. The kid had lied about a lot.
“Listen,” the governor said. “Stanley took the whole NSA thing seriously. I believe all NSA employees and ex-employees are forbidden to talk about the agency, so it doesn’t surprise me that Stanley would make up a little white lie to detract from what he really did.”
I wanted to ask the governor if Stanley was a habitual liar, but knew if I did I might meet one of his fists, so I refrained.
Mick didn’t. He looked right at the governor and said, “Did Stanley make it a habit of telling white lies, sir, or of stretching the truth?”
Tuchek pounced. He struggled out of his chair and took two long steps in Mick’s direction. While towering over his chair, he said, “Watch it, Agent Cranston. My son has had death threats made against him, has been shot by you, and now is who knows where. A couple of lies to you three is the least of my concerns, and should be the least of yours too.” He pointed a stumpy, sausage-like finger about a foot from Mick’s face.
Mick held up both hands. “I apologize, sir, you’re right. I’ve been under a lot of pressure as well.”
For a second I thought Mick might tell the governor about his daughters being taken, but he decided against it and stayed tight-lipped. Mick’s silence seemed to calm the governor down.
Karla helped by changing the subject. “So what did Stanley do after his time with the NSA?”
The governor dropped his hand and turned to face Karla. “Loafed around the house, mainly. He spent far too much time on that damn computer of his. I pressured him for about a year to get a job. But then he started making money on his website because of that TV show. What was I to tell him at that point? He was making far more money doing that than at any job I could help him secure. Anyway, the death threats started, then I requested protection – and here we are.”
Just then a cellphone in the governor’s pocket started ringing.
“Maybe that’s Stanley,” he said. The governor pulled out a snapcell, looked at the screen, and shook his head. “Not Stanley, a different phone.” He reached into another pocket, pulled out an iPhone, and looked at us. “Hornsby.”
While the governor walked out of the sitting area and took the call, Karla leaned over and said, “This kid is something else.”
“How many times has he lied?” I asked.
We sat in silence, trying to process what we’d just found out. After a minute or so, Mick walked over to the couch. “Stanley must be into something really bad. We have to find the kid.”
“We’ll find him,” I said. “It’s our number one priority. I’ll waterboard the kid if he feigns ignorance again.”
“I’ll hold him down,” Karla said.
The governor breezed back into the room. His eyes were glued on me as he walked past and struggled into his chair.
“Now I’ve started lying,” he said. “Damn you three, you’ve put me in a bad position by being here.”
Since he was looking right at me, I said, “Lied about what, sir?”
“To Hornsby. He and a team of agents are at your office right now. They’re confiscating your hard drive, Agent Chase. Apparently they received some tip about incriminating evidence being stored on your computer. What’ve you been up to?”
“What kind of incriminating evidence?” I said.
“Hornsby wouldn’t say. It was a courtesy call, that’s all. He asked me to let him know if I see you or if you try to contact me. He said they have a BOLO and an APB out on you. Your whole office and the Long Beach PD are searching for you at this moment.”
“I’m being set up.” I looked from Karla to the governor, then to Mick. “Trust me. The most incriminating evidence I have on my computer is my lack of response to emails. I promise.”
“Did Hornsby specifically ask if you’d seen Agent Chase, sir?” Karla asked.
“No.”
“Did you tell him anything about us being here, or what we’ve just discussed?”
“No, I told him I’d let him know if I hear from or see Agent Chase. That’s all.”
“I’m not sure if this helps,” Mick said, “but you really didn’t lie, sir. Just withheld information. It’s a nuance, I know, but not a direct lie.”
The governor glared at Mick, then turned back to me. “The only reason I didn’t tell Hornsby about you three is that I’m paranoid now as well. I’m not sure who to trust in the Bureau, or the Agency either. Plus, I know that you’re risking everything to be here and that you want what I want: to find Stanley. So let’s make that our mission.”
“Agreed,” I said. “Did Hornsby say anything else at all about the supposed evidence on my hard drive?”
“Not a word.”
Karla stood. “Has anything else come to mind, about where Stanley could be?”
He thought for a few seconds, then shook his head. “If my son is going to make contact, it will come via this phone.” The governor held up the snapcell phone. “I’ll call you right away if he does. Now this may sound rude, but you three have to get out of here now. I don’t want anyone knowing you were here.”
“Two more quick things,” I said. “If Stanley calls you, be sure to call me on his backup snapcell.” I held up the phone Stanley had given me. “I’m sure you have the number.”
The governor nodded.
Now that I felt the governor was 100% on our side, I thought it best to bring in my Gates theory. “Also, sir, we need you to pull some strings and find out as much as you can about a federal agent by the name of Anfernee Gates. It’s a distinct possibility that he could be the chairman of the SCS. Rumor has it he also works for the CIA.”
The governor looked at me. “The CIA? How could they be involved? They don’t operate on American soil. They—”
I held up my hand. “I understand, governor. I’m hoping you can pull some strings and find out anything you can on the man.”
The governor eyed me, then nodded. “What’s the story with Gates, anyway?”
“He’s involved in all this, perhaps the mastermind behind it. He was at your son’s place after Agent Labonte was shot.”
“I don’t remember him.”
“He’s a darker-skinned gentleman,” Karla said. “Puffy hair and tight grey pants.”
“His face looks like he ran into the back end of a porcupine,” I added.
The governor smirked. “Right, he was at the hospital, too. He was the one who told me you dove in the opposite direction when Stanley was shot, Agent Chase. I figured he was with the Bureau. Why exactly do you think he’s involved?”
I answered the question as succinctly as I could. “He showed up at the waterfront when we were trying to lure Mick out. Gates could be the chairman and showed up at the wharf to ensure Mick completed his orders.”
The governor scowled at me. “What do you mean, lure Mick out? What exactly happened at the waterfront?”
Damn. I’d shot my mouth off without thinking. At least I hadn’t told the governor that we used his son as bait.
“It’s a long story,” Mick said. “Probably not the best time, governor, since we need to get out of here immediately.”
He dropped the scowl. “You’re right.” The governor walked to the front door and opened it. We followed in single file. As we walked out the door, he said, “No more contact from you guys, understand? I’ll do the contacting.”
“Understood,” Karla said.
“I’ll call on Stanley’s backup cell if I hear from him, or if I learn anything about Agent Gates.”
Before
anyone could respond or say goodbye, the governor of California shut the door in our faces. We brushed it off, loaded into the stolen car, and barreled down the driveway. While negotiating the curves, I tried Stanley on his cell again. By the fifteenth ring, I gave up and jammed the cell into the console.
Karla leaned forward and put her arms on the bucket seats. “So what do you guys think?”
Mick turned to his left. “I think the kid has been lying to us from the start. I think he’s into some super-serious illegal activity. He’d have to be, right? To be targeted by the SCS like this. I just can’t imagine what.”
“What about the whole TV show thing?” Karla asked. “Do you think this is all about the show?”
“How so?” Mick said.
“Obviously Stanley had some incredible computer skills,” Karla said. “Skills taught to him by the NSA. Maybe he was hacking into the network’s server and finding scripts for the Stranded show. That’s how he was able to predict the show’s outcomes and gain all those followers, which in turned generated financial support by his website sponsors. And the NSA found out Stanley was doing this.”
“Sure,” Mick said. “That’s illegal, a serious felony even, but not exactly a national security threat that would necessitate his death.”
“You’re right,” Karla said. “What do you think, Chase?”
“I agree. The TV show thing, if true, doesn’t constitute a national security threat. Maybe Stanley is into some other spying stuff that does constitute a threat. Like Karla said earlier, maybe the Facebook death threats and the kill order from the SCS are two totally separate things. Or maybe the Facebook death threats were a ruse to draw attention away from the real attempts on Stanley’s life that were being planned. What I don’t get is how I’m targeted in all this. I have no incriminating evidence stored at my house, or on my computer. It makes no sense that I was part of Mick’s orders. Even if Stanley isn’t who we think he is and he’s selling secrets to the Russians or something, there’s no reason to burn down my house. Stanley and I haven’t been colluding on some evil plot. I was simply chosen as his protector. Yet I’m being framed with some sort of illegal evidence…”
The Greatest Good Page 19