Read Project Moses - A Mystery Thriller (Enzo Lee Mystery-Thriller Series) Online
Authors: Robert B. Lowe
Project Moses - A Mystery Thriller (Enzo Lee Mystery-Thriller Series) (35 page)
He opened the envelope. Inside was a one-page letter on AgriGenics’ stationary and a yellow rose, dried and pressed, inside a clear, sealed package about the size of a cigarette pack. The letter read:
Dear Friend,
We at AgriGenics are dedicated to leading the coming revolution in agriculture that new discoveries in genetic research will bring. We are at the dawn of a new era that we believe will reshape man’s relationship to nature. We invite you to sample the aroma of what we call our Cinnamon Rose, a new species of rose developed with the special scent-producing genes of the
Cinnamomum
tree. It proves that a rose can be more than just a rose.
With our compliments,
AgriGenics
When Lee left Sarah’s flat - tidy, clean and freshly aired - the only things he took with him were the letter and the rose in its unopened package.
• • •
LEE SAT ACROSS a small table from Sendaki in a small, informal dining room connected by a closed doorway to the kitchen. He had gone to the palatial home of AgriGenics’ new chief executive to tell Sendaki of the story he was planning to write. It was to be Sendaki’s first-hand account of the company’s involvement in the government’s covert biological weapons program.
Sendaki had just finished saying that he would deny everything and sue Lee for libel if the News ran the story.
“I have the resources to destroy you, Enzo,” said Sendaki. “And I can intimidate the News. You will never get the story published.”
“I see,” said Lee. He felt like ripping out Sendaki’s throat with his bare hands and was struggling to control himself. “And, what happened to Arthur Sendaki, the patriot and champion of truth?”
Sendaki looked down at his lap and then shrugged. He looked up at Enzo.
“Look at it from my point of view, Enzo,” he said. “What’s to be gained?
“I’m sorry about Sarah…and the others,” Sendaki continued. “I truly am. But, it can’t be undone. What is important now is the future. I will do everything in my power to extricate AgriGenics from this morass, undo the damage caused by Brian Graylock, and accomplish what I originally set out to do.”
“What about the people in government who were involved in this?” said Lee. “They killed Sarah. Are you going to let them go?”
“I don’t expect you to understand,” said Sendaki. “But, there are greater issues here. And if you think the people in government are actually going to be held accountable…well…just look at recent history. Graylock is dead. Spreckel is dead. Everything will be blamed on them.”
Lee studied Sendaki. He tried to put aside his anger to understand what was going on. Then, he thought he understood. With Graylock gone, Sendaki also could lay all of AgriGenics’ wrongdoing on him. The AgriGenics founder could even skirt the issue of his own involvement in the illegal biological weapons program and keep his company up and running. Sendaki would emerge from this without a blemish. The only problem would be the claims against AgriGenics brought by the farmers whose crops had been destroyed. But, Sendaki would have thought of that.
“You’ve cut a deal, haven’t you?” Lee said. The short scientist looked away, and Lee knew he was right.
When Sendaki looked back he had a bemused expression, bordering on the smug, that infuriated Lee. “The king can do no wrong,” he said.
“What the hell are you talking about?” demanded Lee.
“That’s the concept, the motto, really, behind sovereign immunity,” said Sendaki. “The king can do no wrong. That’s why you can’t sue the government unless it allows it. And, that’s what will allow AgriGenics to survive and realize its destiny.
“You’ve got to take the long view, Enzo,” Sendaki continued. “I can’t undo what has been done. But, I can still save lives – hundreds of millions of them – if the work continues. The survival of AgriGenics is paramount.”
Lee had had enough. There was no need to prolong this. He reached into the pocket of his jacket, pulled out the Cinnamon Rose in its clear package and laid it on the table between them.
Sendaki stared at it. His eyes widened as if he was seeing the most incredible spectacle in the world. He couldn’t divert his gaze from the pressed flower on the table. The scientist started getting out of his chair.
“Don’t,” said Lee. He had taken his pen, a fine-point Papermate, and was holding it like a dagger over the Cinnamon Rose. Sendaki looked at Lee and must have seen the rage that Lee felt. He sat back down.
“I only want one thing from you,” said Lee. “Tell me who Spreckel worked for and I’ll leave.”
• • •
LEE SAT IN his car outside of Col. Rodney Hobart’s townhouse in Alexandria, Virginia. He had watched Hobart leave for work an hour earlier. Pretending he had a package for somebody named Joyce Walker, Lee had elicited from two neighbors that Rodney Hobart lived alone in his townhouse. That was consistent with court records Lee had found the previous day showing that Hobart had divorced his wife two years earlier. She had custody of their two children.
Lee took the AgriGenics letter and the Cinnamon Rose he had taken from Sarah’s flat and put them into a plain envelope. He had already typed Hobart’s name and address on the front along with the word “Confidential.” He got out of the car and walked down the cement walk to the front of Hobart’s townhouse. The flap covering the mail slot screeched when he lifted it. He inserted the envelope, hesitated for a moment and then let it slip through his fingers. He heard it land on the other side. Then, he walked back to his car and began the drive back to the airport and his flight home.
About the Author
R
OBERT
B.
L
OWE was a newspaper reporter for 12 years for publications in Arizona and Florida. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his investigative reporting. He attended Harvard Law School and practiced law in California’s Silicon Valley for five years before becoming a software entrepreneur. He has co-founded two high-tech startups and worked as a consultant for other technology companies. He resides in the Bay Area with his family. Project Moses is his first novel.
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