The Charity Chip (31 page)

“
Bueno
, we believe you about the chip, but then what? Why did they kill Graciela?” asked Angelica.

Martín released Angelica and began pacing. “According to the emails, it is just like we suspected. They are harvesting organs, but it is more elaborate than that.” He stopped pacing and talked faster. “They chip street kids here in Lima and give them a little bit of money each day—enough to live on. They give them health care, schooling, and an opportunity at a life.” He began pacing again, waving his arms as he continued to explain. “Then they sell some sort of organ-insurance policy to rich people over in Europe. Apparently a lot of Europeans opt out of the presumed consent law and the demand for organs is greater than the supply. The poor kids enrolled in Caritas are simply a live organ pool. They get an opportunity at a great life, until some rich kid in Europe needs a kidney, then the chip sedates them and they get chopped up for organs.”

Julio felt the blood drain from his face.

Martín sat down at his computer. “This would never have worked a few years ago, but now they can keep the organs alive during transport, or just transport the body using the same technology.” He pushed back his cap and shook his head. “It looks they harvest most of the organs at the Caritas facility, or at least prepare the body. They can get an organ, or an entire body, all the way around the world without losing the ability to transplant it.”

Angelica fumed. “I knew it,” she hissed.

Martín continued, “It’s actually a brilliant system. I’ve seen the actuary tables and they have done the math. For every one child that they harvest, they can feed, clothe, and teach almost one hundred needy street children.” He smiled. “And make a tidy profit on the side, not to mention the money from the United Nations. All of that money is gratis—icing on the cake. To top it all off, since Caritas membership is voluntary, everything they are doing falls within the bounds of international law. Unless they harvest someone outside of Caritas, they’re practically untouchable.”

He rubbed his hands together like he was about to eat his favorite dessert. “So I focused on what I do best. I couldn’t hack into Isak’s personal account, but they have over fifty thousand euros in the Caritas account.”

“Okay, Martín, enough,” said Angelica. “How do we stop them? What do we need to do to shut them down?”

Martín adjusted his Yankees hat and shook his head. “I’m not sure we can.”

“What?” screamed Angelica. “You said you found the evidence we needed.”

Martín waved a finger in Angelica’s face. “No, I said I found proof that the chip was controlling you.” He sat down at his computer and pulled up a window. “If you look at the agreements that you signed when you joined, you agreed to allow your organs to be harvested in the event of your death, and even then the laws of presumed consent take over. Even though it’s very likely that Graciela was sedated by the chip, we don’t have any real proof. The only paper trail they left was the insurance policies and the sale of her organs, which by current international law, was perfectly legal. Again, unless they harvest someone outside of Caritas, they are practically untouchable. It’s a lot of information to sift through, and it looks like foul play, but it’s mostly circumstantial evidence. Nothing like irrefutable evidence.”

“What about Ariano?” asked Angelica. “He was knifed.”

Martín shook his head. “The police found nothing. His organs were harvested and sent to Europe.”

“And Joselín?”

Martín shrugged. “No mention of her.”

Julio sat on his skateboard and put his head in his hands. “What about Sergio and Turco? I saw Doctor Kozyar hooking them up to some sort of machine after they died.”

Martín typed at his keyboard. “I don’t see any record of them, but I could dig a little deeper.”

“
Bueno.
Print out the evidence you do have,” said Angelica, undeterred. “Julio and I will find someone to help us.”

Martín shook his head. “No, I have other plans.”

“Other plans? What do you mean?”

Martín pointed at his computer screen. “Come here and look at this.”

Angelica gave Julio a puzzled look and approached Martín’s off-limits computer desk. When she leaned in to see the computer screen, Martín reached up with something black in his hand and held it to Angelica’s neck. Julio heard a series of short pops, and Angelica collapsed to the ground with a groan. Her arms and legs were twitching involuntarily.

It took a second to register in Julio’s mind.
He just tased her
. Julio jumped to his feet, but as soon as he moved to save her, Martín put the black weapon to her neck and gave her another shock.

“Come any closer and I’ll do it again,” threatened Martín.

Julio stopped, but he looked around for something he could use to disarm Martín. The display counter only had a few cell phones. His skateboard would work, but by the time he got close, Angelica would get shocked several times. He stood there feeling helpless as Martín rolled Angelica over and bound her hands with plastic restraints like Comandante Ugarteche had used on Julio.

Having regained some of her control, Angelica tried to scream, but it sounded more like a stifled groan. She kicked her feet. Julio flinched when Martín shocked her again and then stuffed a rag in her mouth.

Martín rested on one knee beside Angelica and held the Taser to the back of her neck. He looked up at Julio and pushed his Yankees cap back on his head. “Now that I have your attention, here’s what you’re going to do for me. You will go to the bank at the plaza,
Groupe BPCE,
and you are going to withdraw some money for me. I have removed the restrictions on your chip and given you access to all the money in the Caritas’s account. So you shouldn’t have any trouble. I want fifty thousand euros on a free chip. Use my name as the password. When you bring it back here, I will release Angelica.”

Julio clenched his teeth. “
Huevón.
I never did trust you.”

“Smart boy, but you were stupid enough to trust Isak and Caritas.” Martín held the Taser to Angelica’s neck. “You have thirty minutes, and if you try anything, I will trigger the drug in her chip and then in your chip. Then Isak can come carry you both off and chop you both up.” He waved the Taser at the door. “Now go, before I lose my patience.”

Julio looked down at Angelica and could see the fear and anger in her eyes. He wanted to run over and set her free, but he knew that Martín would have both of them both tased and tied before it was all over, not to mention activated the chip sedative. Then it dawned on him that Martín couldn’t get the money himself. He needed Julio or Angelica to make the withdrawal.

Julio picked up his skateboard, but instead of leaving, he faced Martín. “I’ll go get you the money, but if you want me to deliver it to you, you have to give me all the information about Caritas on a flash drive in exchange. I want copies of emails, information about the chip, medical records, everything.” Julio glanced down at Angelica and thought he saw her smile.

“Fair enough, but if you try and double-cross me, you might find yourself suddenly getting sleepy.” He pressed the Taser to Angelica’s neck. “If you are late, I will tase her every minute until you get back.”

Still clenching his teeth, Julio nodded and looked at the clock on his cell phone before hurrying out into the street. He kissed the Saint Michael’s pendant, made a running start with the board, and kicked like he was being chased by
los mALditos
again. He made it to the bank in four minutes.

This time he knew the drill. He swiped his chip and entered, nodding at the guard as he tried to catch his breath. He handed off his backpack and cell phone to the front counter and got in line for a teller. Fortunately, it wasn’t very crowded, and within a couple of minutes, he was face to face with the same teller that had helped him a few days ago, and her eyes sparkled with recognition.

“How can I help you today?” she asked with a genuine smile today.

“I need to withdraw some more money,” answered Julio as he swiped his chip over the sensor. “Can you tell me the balance on my account?”

“Certainly.” When she looked at her screen, she wrinkled her forehead for a moment. She squirmed in her seat but regained composure and smiled. “Let me jot down the balance for you.” She scribbled on a small piece of notepaper and slid the paper across the counter for Julio.

Julio read the figure on the note and had to suppress his surprise—€ 52,321.47. He took a deep breath to stay calm and asked the teller, “How much is available for withdrawal?”

She looked at the screen and shrugged. “It appears that all of it is available.”

“Good. I want to withdraw all of it and put it on a free chip.”

The teller leaned forward and whispered, “Well, sir, if you do that, you have no protection, except for the password. That is a great deal of money, and I wouldn’t recommend it. I think it would be safer if you left it controlled by the smart money chip in your hand—”

“I know. It’s just that . . .” He knew he couldn’t tell anyone the truth. They would never believe him. “Well, when Mamá died she left me some money, but she left my uncle in charge of the account.” He put on a pitiful face. “I am sad to say that my uncle has been stealing money from me. This is the only way to protect my money from him.”

“Well, we could change the account protocols,” said the teller as she studied the screen. “No . . . it appears that this account is locked out.”

Julio leaned forward. “Like I told you. This is the only way.”

“Do you have a chip disguise already?” she asked, still speaking in a low voice.

“No, I need one. Do you have a silver crucifix?”

“We do. Are you sure you want all of the money on one chip?”

Julio fingered the Saint Michael pendant around his neck. “Let’s put fifty thousand euros on the crucifix, and the rest on my personal one.”

The teller arranged the transactions, and after the obligatory hand scan, Julio walked out of the bank with over fifty thousand euros around his neck. He wondered what would happen when all the other participants from Caritas tried to use their money chips. The transaction would most likely be denied, and they would go hungry, but that was better than the alternative. He stepped on his board and kicked down the street, anxious to save Angelica. He checked the clock on his phone. He had only been gone fifteen minutes.

He stopped. He needed a moment to think. He had only one chance to get this right. If he gave Martín the crucifix before he freed Angelica, she would never get free. They would have to make the exchange at the same time.
How do I keep Martín from sedating us both before we get away?
He dug into his backpack and pulled out the glove Martín had given him to shield the signal. He wasn’t sure if it would work, but it was his only chance. He slipped it over his left hand before he skated back to make the exchange.

The door to Martín’s shop was locked when Julio pushed on it. He peered through the glass and saw Martín moving for the door and stepped back to avoid getting tased.

Martín unlocked the door and then hurried back to his desk and Angelica. When Julio thought it was clear, he slipped inside and shut the door behind him. He held his skateboard with his gloved hand and kept it behind his back.

Angelica was still bound with the rag stuffed into her mouth and lying on the floor next to Martín’s desk, but her eyes expressed relief when she saw Julio. The workshop had been cleaned out. The only thing left was the workbench with a pair of scissors and a flash drive on a lanyard. The used cell phones and electronic items in the display cases were still there.

“Lock the door,” commanded Martín, still holding the Taser.

Julio complied using his right hand, still trying not to expose his gloved hand. “I did what you asked me to do, and I made it back in less time than you allowed.” He slipped the crucifix from his neck and held it out in front of him. “Fifty thousand euros, just like you asked for. Now, release Angelica and give me what I asked for.”

Martín knelt and showed Angelica the Taser. “Don’t try anything with me, unless you want another shot from this.” He rolled her over onto her stomach and cut her free with the pair of scissors.

Angelica immediately rolled away and jumped to her feet. She yanked the rag from her mouth and shouted, “
Sinvergüenza
! You said you would take care of me!”

Martín wagged his finger at her and stood ready with the Taser. “What? Did you think I was going to take you in and give you room and board out of the goodness of my heart?” He smiled. “I’d been watching Caritas before they enrolled you. But when you got arrested and were forced into the program, it was my perfect opportunity.” He opened his arms and tried to endear himself to her. “It doesn’t have to end, Angelica. You’re still one of the best. We have a lot of money now. We can escape and start over.” He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. “The taxi is loaded and ready to go.”

Angelica started to lunge at Martín, but when he held up the Taser, she stopped. For a moment, Julio thought she would attack him anyway, but she stood there with her fists clenched and stomped her feet.

“Angelica,” said Julio, trying to calm her down. “Mamá used to tell me, ‘Live to fight another day.’ Let’s get the information we need and find someone that can help us stop Caritas from hurting anyone else.”

Angelica glanced over her shoulder at Julio and then back at Martín.

Martín held up the lanyard with the flash drive. “I have everything you asked for—emails, documents, bank transactions, and medical records. With the right help, you might stop them.”

Julio held out the crucifix to Angelica. “Make the trade, and let’s get out of here.”

Angelica shook her head and took the crucifix. She held it out to Martín in her left hand with her right hand open to receive the drive. Martín stepped forward, still ready with the Taser. He grabbed the silver crucifix and deposited the lanyard with the drive at the same time. Angelica spit at him as he jumped back.

He pulled out his smart phone and checked the crucifix. “Well done,” he said as he slipped the crucifix around his neck. “I might find religion after all.” He laughed and then pointed to the display cases. “You might want to grab a couple of new cell phones from the case. Once they catch on, they’ll probably get your numbers and track you. Help yourself.” He moved to the back door. “Good luck charging your windmills, Don Quixote.” He kissed the crucifix and laughed before slipping out the back door.