Double-Back (Jake Waters Book 3) (21 page)

Sunday, May 15

"They still came?" Paul had asked when Natalie looped back after the repeat visit by Carlson and the others.  "Canceling the attack had no effect on what they knew.  That means it must be something else that they stumbled across."

"They clearly are aware of me.  I saw them pointing towards my parking space when they arrived.  It almost has to be our attack on Anne," Natalie said, chewing her lower lip.

"I don't think so," Paul countered.  "You said a moment ago that you were certain that Carlson was surprised when she learned from your security guard of Anne's death.  You made a point of being where you could observe the exchange.  That suggests they weren't driven to your firm by the attack.  However they found you, it wasn't because we killed Anne.  That means undoing it won't change the fact they have discovered you and your relation to Anne.  Besides, you have said even attempting to go that far would be a challenge, and it would leave you unable to perform this miraculous time shifting for several days.  I don't think it would be to our advantage to render you ineffective in such a manner."

"Yes, but killing Anne is murder.  While they apparently know of the other things we have done, those things now have never happened.  In part because of their Backsliding actions, and in part because of mine.  They cannot prosecute us for them.  The killing of Anne is different."

"Anne's death was an accident," Paul said calmly.  "They would have great difficulty in proving otherwise.  Aaron is very good at these things, and even if they could trace it to him, something that is extremely unlikely, he would never reveal who gave the order."

Natalie was silent while she considered Paul's reasoning.

"The bigger problem is what they might eventually learn about your activities leading to the acquisition of the serum."

"I cannot see how they could tie me to those deaths.  The girl I never knew, and the Professor died of a heart attack.  There is nothing to prove I had a hand in arranging it."

"I'm not certain they would require proof," Paul said.  "I have come to the conclusion the fact they have someone with your ability they can call on is a secret that Carlson and a few others hold close.  They must use it carefully, and I can see where they might act without the legal formalities in cases that might be deemed outside the normal justice path. But that aside, why did you want me to act against Carlson in the beginning if you were certain you couldn't be tied to the deaths?"

"I cannot be certain that a careful investigation into Professor Morris's death wouldn't reveal he was the brilliance that developed the serum.  I fear I could lose the credit and fame for the discovery, not to mention an incredible amount of money the product is going to bring in.  It seemed prudent to prevent any investigation along those lines."

Paul chuckled.

"The money is unimportant.  With your ability, you will never need worry about money.  There are untold ways you can become wealthy beyond reason without committing any recognizable crimes.  As for recognition for developing the cure.  I fear that might be forfeit."

"What do you mean?" Natalie asked.

"I believe that Carlson and her team have logically linked the attacks against her and the reason Anne contacted her some weeks ago to you.  She is going to dig into your past and try to discover what skeletons are hiding there.  If she is anywhere near as capable as I've been told, she will figure it all out.  That means you are going to have to disappear.  Unfortunately, I wouldn't doubt she has linked us together.  If not yet, she will soon enough.  Unless . . ."

"Unless what?"

"Unless we can figure out who in their group knows what has been discovered, and can somehow arrange for all of them to be killed before that knowledge can be spread.  If theirs is a normal investigation, that would be impossible.  There will be records and documents that would reveal too much, but if they are working secretly, then there might be a chance."

"We know who they are," Natalie objected.

"We know some of them, but the most important person we aren't sure of.  We need to eliminate their Backslider, or none of the rest matters.  We have a guess of who it might be, but at this point it is only that, a guess.  We cannot afford to be wrong."

"The death of so many agents wouldn't be taken lightly," Natalie said softly.

"No, but if there is no trail of evidence to point anywhere, there would be nothing they could do.  We will have to be very clever to pull it off, and we might ultimately have to simply run away."

"Your uncle?" Natalie asked.

"He would not be pleased about this situation.  He would also not support such an attempt.  It is something he must not be aware of until it is done."

Natalie was silent as she considered the mess in which she had landed them.

"I can't figure out why they didn't do anything about Anne.  She's Carlson's friend and they could save her.  Why haven't they?"

"How do you know they haven't?" Paul asked pointedly.  "Or, perhaps they have not done so yet.  You were first to Backslide after their visit.  When they arrive next Tuesday and learn of Anne and that you are missing, maybe they will do just that."

"I don't think so," Natalie said.  "This wouldn't be happening.  Anne would be alive, and our plans would be very different."

"You understand the time shifting implications, but maybe this will all disappear once they do so.  Or, have you considered that they saved Anne, but arranged for it to appear that she died.  The policeman who reported her death might have been one of their people.  None of you saw the body.  They could be keeping her hidden so all of this can play out."

Natalie looked at Paul in surprise.  Clearly such a possibility had not occurred to her.

"What would that gain them?  With Anne alive, they could simply move against me - us - without all the game playing."

"I don't know, it is just a possibility that occurred to me.  Actually I don't think they have acted.  For some reason I think they want us to undo our efforts?"

"Why?" Natalie asked.

"I cannot say.  Perhaps they are unable.  Perhaps they are being tricky, and they are using the situation as a way to trap us.  It might be their way of determining which among our group has the ability to Backslide.  If they lack the ability, then it would be a mistake for us to alter the situation, and if they can, they are up to something we should stay away from.  I doubt they have figured out which of us has the ability any more than we have figured out which of them is the Backslider."

"Well, in another couple of days, that event will have passed too far back for me to do anything about it," Natalie warned.

"Good.  Then we'll be able to concentrate on things we can affect.  In another day, we'll be out of sight in Atlantic City."

"What?  Why Atlantic City?"

"They know about you, and probably Jeff, and by association I'd have to assume me.  Come Tuesday when they discover what happened to Anne, they are going to be searching even more diligently for us.  I know people in Atlantic City, and we can disappear there.  It's located roughly midway between New York and Washington, so it's also convenient.  We are going to have to mount our own effort to reveal their Backslider and then determine how to clean this mess up.  If we can work quickly enough, then once we know who their Backslider is, we might be able to come back to this time, act against him before he or she knows we know their identity, and end this before they even learn about Anne.  That would also result in your situation at the company remaining secure."

"You're better at understanding what I can do than I am," Natalie admitted.

"You don't have the right kind of mind to appreciate the usefulness of your skill," Paul replied.

By noon Monday they were in Atlantic City, residing in one of the high roller suites in one of the larger casinos there.  They had made the drive that morning, after Paul made arrangements through one of his contacts.

"How come you don't want your uncle to know about this?" Natalie asked.

"A couple of reasons.  He wouldn't like the degree to which we have stirred up the Feds, and wouldn't like what we are planning.  Oh, if he knew about this Backslider fellow, he'd make certain he was located and eliminated.  He wouldn't like someone with that kind of ability around.  But he'd be curious what this is about, and sooner or later he'd learn you had that same talent.  That would mean you would meet the same fate.  While your ability could be useful to him, it's not the kind of thing he would trust.  It's too easily used against him.  Your life is at risk if he ever learns what you can do.  If this works out, and I eventually move into the position he's been planning for me, we can use your talent in a variety of very profitable ways."

"You know we have warned Jeff about what Carlson has learned," Natalie said.  "Tomorrow morning they are likely to go after him when they learn I've fled and Anne was killed."

"I was thinking of using your brother as a means of finding out who the other people involved in this might be," Paul said.

"You want to use Jeff as bait?" Natalie said incredulously.

"You'd rather it be us?" Paul asked.  "We need some means of finding out their plans and who their Backslider is.  I can't see them harming Jeff, and if anything does happen, the people I'll having watching Jeff will let us know. Then you can Backslide and we'll make sure he's out of danger.  That's another reason I didn't want your ability to be weakened by too much advance use of the ability.  You warned that could happen."

"You think they'll be watching Jeff?"

"You weren't involved in the early actions against Carlson, and they didn't get the information from your CFO, that pretty much means they somehow have learned about Jeff's involvement.  He has to be the way they stumbled onto you.  Yeah, I'm certain someone will have their eye on him."

"I should have simply killed Anne the day I learned of her call," Natalie said unhappily.  "No, I should have killed her the day before her call, and risked the consequences."

"Yes, you should have," Paul agreed. 

Tuesday Morning, May 17

"What were the circumstances of her death?" Susan asked Karl Harriman when they were seated comfortably in his office. 

Susan, Jim, and Norm had come first thing that morning after spotting the connection in the material Shaun had come up with.  He was back at Headquarters trying to see what else he could find about the Rineri sister.  They had learned upon arrival that Anne had been killed in a car accident a few days earlier and were meeting with the firm's CEO.  Susan had anticipated something when she spotted the empty slot for Anne's car, her name lettered carefully on the concrete bumper.  Interestingly enough, the slot next to Anne's was empty as well, and had the name Rineri lettered in the same careful script.  That had to be Jeff Rineri's sister, and for some reason she also was missing.  This was all very disconcerting.  She'd have to think about changing the assignment she had given Lester and Solly this morning when they had arrived at the office.  Finding out more about the Rineri girl's background might be more useful.  She could send them up to Boston and see what they could learn.  She'd also have to speak with Jake and bring him up to date, and discuss whether going back to prevent the accident was a reasonable approach.  That decision would have to wait until she knew more.

Karl Harriman, the firm's CEO sighed, and explained what had happened that day.  For a moment Susan had sensed he might avoid the matter, but he told them what had happened.

"She left early," he said.  "She was mad.  Mad at me.  She'd made another push against one of our people, and I disagreed with her.  I've known Anne for a dozen years, and I think this is the only issue where we've had such conflict."

"Who was she at odds with?" Jim asked.

Harriman hesitated, then shrugged. 

"Natalie Rineri.  She's our Chief Technologist, and key to the future of where we hope to go.  She discovered the new drug we are currently testing.  If you've looked into our company, you would have seen we hope to release an anti-diabetes drug sometime next year."

"What was Anne's problem with Rineri?" Norm asked.

"I have attributed some of it to jealousy," Harriman said.  "Anne's had a bad year.  But she claims there is something strange about Natalie, and distrusts her explanation of how she came up with the serum.  She thinks she came by it illegally somehow."

"Why would she believe that?" Jim asked.

"Little things.  Things Natalie's staff have casually mentioned that they believe Natalie should have known, but apparently didn't."

"What do you think?" Susan asked.

"Up until Anne's death, I didn't place any credence in her claims.  Now I'm not sure what to believe.  It's also odd that Natalie, who just returned from vacation, was here over the weekend, but failed to come in yesterday or today, and I'm unable to reach her at all.  Something strange is clearly going on."

He stopped speaking and looked carefully at Carlson.

"Is your presence here related to what is going on?  Do you know why this is happening, and do you have some reason to believe Anne's death wasn't an accident?  I asked the police, but they assured me there was no doubt."

"Anne called me about a month ago about a problem here at your firm," Carlson said.  "Now she is dead.  I find the circumstances suspicious.  I think we need to find Natalie Rineri and ask her a few questions."

Norm handed Harriman a card with his number.

"If she shows up, please say nothing to her of our visit and call us at that number," he said.

The call from Susan came much later in the day than Jake had expected.  They usually were called for a status check early in the morning, but that hadn't happened today.  Something must have kept her busy early this morning, and Jake hoped that she might have learned something important.  Certainly he and Tony hadn't accomplished very much.  This was the beginning of their third day in New York, and little had happened.  They still hadn't seen any sign of Paul, and Jeff Rineri's actions were difficult to interpret. 

"Jake here," he said, as the call came through.  Tony sat next to him and he put the communications device on speaker so they could both participate.

"Sorry we're late," Susan said.  "We had an unexpected development and I was motivated to pursue it."

"Something led you to Paul?" Tony asked.

"No, actually I believe the thread leads to Jeff Rineri's sister."

"You mean the scientist that we decided had broken off from the family?" Tony asked.

"That's the one," Susan said.  "We'll be sending you a packet of information on her, along with a number of photographs.  I believe you'll want to keep an eye out for her.  With any luck, she might show up where her brother is."

"Back up," Jake said.  "I don't see how this all connects."

Susan and Jim spent ten minutes explaining the discovery that Natalie worked at the same company as one of Susan's old friends, who had coincidentally called with a problem some weeks ago.  Then she explained what happened when they went there.

"You believe this Natalie is the person your deceased friend wanted to speak with you about?" Tony asked.

"I do, and I don't believe her death is an accident.  It's all too much of a coincidence."

"But this Natalie wasn't there when you arrived at the facility?" Jake asked.

"She wasn't, but I have a strange feeling that might not have been the case originally," Jim said.

"You think some Back-Tracking is involved I take it?" Jake asked.

"It seems strange that she returns from vacation, during which time Anne was killed, and then suddenly disappears without a trace," Jim said.  "

"We believe she might have spotted us when we visited, then either she, or whoever she knows with the ability, Back-Tracked, told her what was going to happen, and she disappeared rather than return to work to face us."

Jake considered the situation and concluded it could easily have worked that way.

"Jake, do you think it would be possible to Back-Track and meet with Anne before her accident?  We could learn what she is concerned about, and prevent her death."

"We have time to do that if we choose, but I wouldn't do it now," Jake said.  "For the first time we have some real leads.  I assume you are of the same opinion as me, that the initial attacks against you were instigated by this sister of Jeff Rineri?"

"That now seems likely, although I have no reason why," Susan agreed.

"I think the CEO gave us a clue," Jim said.  "Apparently Susan's friend questioned whether this Natalie was truly responsible for the discovery of the extremely valuable serum they are testing.  I'll bet if we check back into her history, we might come up with something that supports that."

"I think we should pursue Jim's idea for now.  Going back is something we have lots of margin to attempt," Jake said.

He didn't know exactly how to explain to Susan and the others the risks of looping back.  He'd learned that great care was required to maintain a time flow that wasn't changed except in the small way one desired.  He'd learned the hard way what carelessness could cause.  Once he'd skipped a meal at a restaurant he'd eaten at and found horrid the first time around.  The effects of that simple change had almost cost him the reason he'd looped back.  Now it was clear that there was another person looping around in the period.  Even if he could be diligent, was this other person aware of the importance of minimizing changes, not to mention what they might do once they realized their murder, assuming that's what it was, was undone.  Their new actions might disturb the flow making Jake and Susan's efforts impossibly more difficult.

"What will you be doing?" Norm asked.

"If Susan is right, we might be seeing this woman, and maybe even the truant Paul before long.  When did they disappear?"

"We don't really know, beyond the fact Natalie was in the facility Saturday.  So the earliest was Saturday night, more likely the next day."

"That suggests they aren't coming here.  We'll have to have a closer look at what Jeff is doing, and I guess Tony was correct we should plant some listening devices in Jeff's rooms.  I think you should initiate the background checks of this woman, and we need to rethink what we've been seeing with Jeff's activity of late.  Maybe it will tell us something."

"You don't think looping back to save Anne is wise just now?" Susan asked again.

"I don't think it would tell us anything we don't know or suspect at the moment, and it risks losing our path.  It's taken us too long to get a break like this."

"Okay," she replied reluctantly. 

Jake felt bad, but he really was concerned at the potential screw-ups that could result from modifying the timeline with an enemy Back-Tracker on the loose.  Normally, it would have been automatic.  He also suspected that whoever this Back-Tracker was, his or her talent was limited.  The fact they didn't go back farther to block the actions that led Susan to them suggested as much.  Either they couldn't, or didn't understand their ability sufficiently to realize what was possible.

"Call us if anything develops," Jake said.  "We'll do the same."

Immediately upon hanging up, Jake said to Tony, "Let's go check on our friend Rineri.  I would hate to discover he has suddenly disappeared also."

As they headed out to their vehicle, Jake considered what they had learned.  He realized that Susan would have preferred to send Solly and Lester to New York to support them, but she realized having the two retired agents there would have prevented Jake from operating as he preferred.  Besides, Susan had great faith in Tony, and had decided the two agents could be better used in Boston checking on Natalie Rineri's background.

Tony drove, knowing the city far better than Jake, but by now their route from the house near Columbia University, across the East River to Astoria where Jeff Rineri had his home was burned into both of their memories.  Tony took Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard which led them to the Robert F. Kennedy Toll Bridge.  On the far side of the river they turned onto the 278 freeway, and in a relatively short time were in Astoria, where the Rineri brother lived.

"Do you think he'll still be here?" Tony asked as they neared the house.

"We can't know how far back their Back-Tracker jumped after Susan and the others showed up at East Coast Pharmaceuticals," Jake explained.  "Clearly enough that the sister didn't come to work that day or the day before.  That means she was alerted before Monday morning, and possibly even earlier.  There's no reason to believe they hadn't alerted Jeff at the same time."

"Maybe I'm confused, but if he had been alerted, and elected to run, would we have memories of trailing him the past couple of days?"

Jake grimaced. 

"No, you have it right.  Just like Susan found Natalie absent from her workplace, we wouldn't have spotted Jeff.  That means they haven't warned him, which doesn't make much sense, or he was waiting to leave for some reason.  I'm going to be curious whether he is still around.  He could have decided that we couldn't learn of Natalie's disappearance and Anne's death until today, so he didn't need to hurry.  He would have been told when Susan would show up at the firm."

"You don't believe he's the one who has your ability?" Tony asked.

"No, too much about the way he acts suggests otherwise," Jake said, thinking back on what they had observed the past couple of days.

Then Tony was pulling into a parking slot across the street and half a block down from where Jeff Rineri lived.

"His car is still here," Tony said, spotting the sporty Mustang in the front drive.  "So is the car of the girl he picked up last night who followed him home."

That suggested, but didn't prove that he was still here.  Until they had a visual on him, they couldn't be certain.

"I should have planted those video cameras in his place like I wanted," Tony said.  "Then we'd be certain."

Jake admitted that Tony had been correct, but at the time he hadn't wanted to risk anything that might reveal their presence.

"The fact he is still where he can be easily found proves to me that he isn't their Back-Tracker," Jake said.  "What I don't understand is why he hasn't disappeared.  Do you think they are concerned he might lead us to them?"

"They could have warned him without revealing their location if that's their concern," Tony said.  "I think they might be using him as bait."

"Bait?"" Jake asked.  "To catch us you mean.  That's pretty cold."

"Maybe not," Tony pointed out.  "You've showed me how you do this Back-Tracking, and they would have to believe they could loop around and save him if anything bad happened to him.  They have to have realized that it wasn't Anne who led us to where Natalie works, so it had to be a connection to her brother.  That suggests someone would be watching him.  Since they know where Susan, Jim and Norm are, they might be thinking, correctly as it turns out, that our Back-Tracker could be watching the brother."

Jake thought about what Tony was suggesting.

"Jeff could have known about the possibility we would be watching him for a couple of days," he said finally.