The Kill Order (26 page)

“There were some computer chips that were manufactured in China for the U.S. and European markets which contain the back door. It’s not that we can spy on a few countries running this program, it’s that this program can spy on
everyone
whose computer contains a chip with the back door. And you’d be hard-pressed to find a computer that
isn’t
running on one of those chips. Everyone from our government and our military to the local dry cleaners.”

Sydney stared in disbelief. “That’s insane,” she said after a few seconds.

“What’s insane are the countries who aren’t aware of it—and that’s the majority of them. They’re running power plants and nuclear reactors. I’d like to think that ours is one step ahead, but to replace every single chip . . .”

“How can our government let something like that happen?”

“Sometimes we don’t find things out until after the fact and then it’s a matter of damage control. If Kane gets the key, and he is part of the Network . . .”

“Maybe he’s just in it for the money.”

“God, I hope so, because simple greed is far more preferable. Until we find out otherwise, keep looking.”

Several minutes later, Griffin was almost through his stack of papers, thinking they were once again striking out. It was nearing two o’clock and the waitress had long ago cleared the table, the majority of lunch diners gone. “I’m not seeing anything,” he said. “You?”

She shook her head. “The only thing I have left are a few pages that look like they were from an appointment book. Unfortunately we don’t know whose, and none of the names on here mean anything. To me at least.”

“Appointment book? Didn’t Lydia Hettinger mention something about an appointment book?” He dug through the pile of papers, looking for the blue sheet of notepaper.

“I thought she said it was missing along with her husband’s case notes.”

“Unless we read it wrong . . .” He found the note. “ ‘I would have gladly sent them to you along with his appointment book.’ ”

“There is no book. Just a page torn from one.” She shook her head. “Can’t be from Lydia Hettinger. Look at the year. Her husband was dead by then.”

“Then who?”

“Everything ends in December. Isn’t that when Ronson allegedly killed himself?” She slid it across the tabletop. “Not much. Last entry December 5. ‘FCC Tuc. RC 2:00.’ Whatever that means.”

“Federal Correctional Complex,” Griffin said. “In Tucson. But RC . . . ?”

“The initials written on the back of my business card Tex and Carillo brought back from Mexico. What if RC is Ronson’s informant incarcerated at the federal prison?”

“Good question. I think we need to contact McNiel.”

“And if they’re listening?”

“We’re going to have to take that chance. It’ll be quicker than calling the FCC to ask them for the name of everyone incarcerated there with those initials. We’re at a dead end, until we can figure out who RC is.”

Griffin didn’t want to burn his own number by calling McNiel directly, and so used the restaurant phone, going through the operator to make a collect call.

McNiel answered, accepting the charges. “Where are you?”

“Sacramento.” He gave McNiel the restaurant phone number.

“Give me five minutes. I’ll call you right back.”

Griffin waited by the phone, which was located at the bar, an area of the restaurant not used during the lunch hour. It rang and he picked it up.

“Sorry,” McNiel said. “I needed to get to a secure landline. How are things?”

“Progressing. We’ve run across a set of initials twice now, that we think is related to the case. Orozco wrote ‘RC has 112’ on the back of Sydney’s card, intending that she be notified. Sydney and I just found the initials of RC on a datebook from a dead investigative reporter in Sacramento. Something about Tucson Federal Correctional Complex with the time of two o’clock.”

“The only name that comes to mind is Rico Chapman. Part of the W2 investigation. One of those names that keeps popping up, but is always discounted. Allegedly he was involved in the original computer program, or rather the design of the back door to it. He was picked up about twenty years ago on drug charges. None of his stories ever checked out.”

“Maybe they haven’t checked out because there was always someone making sure they didn’t. I’d say it’s high time to go see what he has to say.”

“The sooner the better. There have been some significant developments. Kane’s asked that ATLAS be absorbed into his unit at the National Counterterrorism Center. He’s about to issue warrants for the entire team, if he hasn’t already. He said that preliminary ballistics are showing that your gun killed the guard at the
Recorder
.”

“My gun, yes. His man pulled the trigger.”

“And there’s conveniently no video. The good news is that Pearson’s stalling him as far as Fitzpatrick and Carillo, saying that the FBI can handle their own. Kane doesn’t have anything on them, but there’s a rumor he’s going to try to bring Carillo in for kidnapping Piper’s brother from the school. The FBI has sent a couple of agents out to the school to interview the witnesses. Apparently there’s a video showing Carillo pushing the boy into a car, which they construed to mean he was being forced.”

“How long do you think we have?”

“You and Tex? Less time than you think. Carillo likewise. Sydney . . . Look, Griffin. This could get ugly. Kane is threatened, and he’s going to do everything in his power to make sure he wins. Izzy may be the only one right now
not
on Kane’s radar. Thank God, because he’s actually got a halfway decent plan. Implement the program.”

“
The
program?”

“We have the key. Well, we will as soon as Lisette and Marc’s flight gets in from Venice. Izzy’s champing at the bit to get those numbers.”

“Do you think that’s wise? All these years trying to block the program from being implemented . . .”

“Kane’s running a half-assed version of it now, which is how he’s managing to stay on top of us. We need it to beat him at his own game. And if anyone can get it up and running, Izzy can. Izzy informs me that once he connects to the Internet and runs that code, you’ll have about forty-eight hours to get the evidence against Kane before Kane tracks Izzy. That’s not very long, Griffin.”

“If Rico doesn’t have the evidence on Kane, we’ll find out who does.”

43

L
isette didn’t relax until she, Marc, and Piper were halfway across the Atlantic, each of them having boarded with their forged passports. They kept their conversation to a minimum until Piper finally nodded off, and even then, Lisette was careful about what she said, conscious that others around them could possibly hear. Piper stirred in her seat, and Marc pulled out his copy of the in-flight magazine. The poor girl didn’t need any more drama in her life. Not after the nightmare in Venice. Neither she nor Marc had mentioned the two strange men posing as law enforcement officers who had shown up at her brother’s school, trying to pick him up.

Some things were best left unmentioned, Lisette thought as they finally landed at Dulles, and the three cleared customs, their false passports easily passing scrutiny. Marc took Piper’s from her the moment the agent handed it back.

“Don’t trust me?” the girl asked.

“And this surprises you?” he replied.

She gave him a look laced with sarcasm and annoyance, as she matched her stride to his. “So now where are we going?”

“A safe house.”

“I thought I was going into witness protection with my brother. You promised.”

“You are. But not until we can make the arrangements to ensure your safety and his.”

“How long will that take?”

“As long as necessary.”

Another look of annoyance, but this time she didn’t question him. Lisette was going to get the car, then follow them to the new safe house. Donovan would be picking up Marc and Piper, again in case anyone was watching for a group of two women and one man. When the elevator door opened on their floor, Piper surprised her with a quick embrace. “Thanks for helping me.”

“You’re welcome. But you know I’m going to be right behind you in my car?”

“I know. I just . . . wanted to say so.”

Once in the parking garage Lisette took the elevator to her level, which felt very empty after the hustle and bustle of the terminal. Her footsteps echoed across the concrete floor, and she felt strangely alone. The sound of a car engine rumbled to life, and then the squeak of wheels as it pulled out of its parking space a couple of rows over. She glanced that way, then quickened her pace, a feeling of unease coming over her. When she reached her car, she hit the key, expecting to hear a beep-beep as it unlocked.

Apparently the angle was wrong, and she held the key higher, heard the first beep, then
bang!

Lisette jumped between the cars, ducking down. Her heart pounded in her chest as she looked out, tried to determine where the sound originated, but it echoed. And then she saw the car that had pulled out of its space heading toward the exit. Not at any high rate of speed, but slow, cruising through the parking lot.
Bang!

A backfire.

She took a deep breath, had to lean against the vehicle, waiting for her heartbeat to slow. Finally she got into her car, locked the door, then sat there for several seconds. She turned the key in the ignition, then pulled out, thinking that the first thing she wanted to do when she got home was take a hot bath. And then have several drinks. And not necessarily in that order.

Except she couldn’t go home. Not as long as Piper was with them. In fact she had no idea where they were going to go. Where did one hide when being hunted by the government?

When she drove around to the passenger pickup and spotted Donovan’s car as he pulled away from the curb after picking up Marc and Piper, she called Marc. He noticed right away that something was wrong, hearing it in her voice.

“I’m fine,” she said. “A car backfired. I think I’m just tired.”

“We all are.”

“Where to?”

He gave Lisette the address of the new safe house in case they were separated, and she was immediately relieved to know that they had a place to go.

It was not the nicest building they’d stayed at, but it certainly wasn’t the worst, she thought, when they pulled up in the Washington, D.C., neighborhood. The unit was about ten stories high and located in an area that was partly under construction.

“Not my first choice,” Donovan explained when they arrived. “We didn’t have a lot of options, and this was one of the few apartments we had that wasn’t listed on any computers. In case Kane has access to our files, we figured we were better off not using anything we’ve used before.”

“At least it has three bedrooms,” Lisette said. “Always a plus when you have a crowded house.”

Izzy got up from the table where he was working on his laptop. “You’re Piper?”

She nodded.

“Man, you might have the coolest head in the world. Brain. I’d give anything to have it.”

“Most people think I’m a freak.”

“Freakin’ awesome,” he said, and Lisette was rather amused to see that Piper was actually blushing. “So, when do we get started?”

“Started on what?” Marc asked.

“The program. She’s the key, and I’m gonna turn it.” He looked at Piper, his face turning as red as hers had a moment ago. “Guess I should go back to work . . .”

He returned to the table and his laptop.

Piper walked over to watch him work. “Doesn’t it bother you that you have to stay in here? That you can’t go anywhere?”

Izzy shrugged. “It’s kind of fun working with these guys. They’re sort of all about protocol and crap. Like how they won’t let your brother come here until this is over, because he might be in danger.”

“My brother?” Her expression quickly turned serious. “What do you mean in danger? He’s coming into witness protection with me, right?”

Izzy stared at his keyboard, as Marc hesitated, then pulled out a chair and sat. “He’s safe. But they found him. They would have tried using him to get to you.”

“How?”

“They would have asked that we give up the key.”

“Then let’s give it to them.”

“We can’t.”

“Yes. We
can
.”

“Piper,” Lisette said, taking her hand and holding it. “First of all,
you
are now the key. I am not willing to give you to them. Under any circumstances. And I don’t believe your brother would want this for you, either. You must think of how many lives will be lost if these numbers, this key, falls into their hands. That is what we are faced with.”

“So my brother has to live in fear for the rest of his life? Just because this is in my head? What if they come after him again?” She pulled her hand from Lisette’s. “You have to fix this. That’s what you all do, right? You think of a way to get around this. You can’t just sacrifice his life like that.”

“Piper.”

“No,” she said, backing away from them, tears running down her face. “I’m so tired of this.” And then she turned, ran into the bedroom, and slammed the door.

No one spoke for several seconds.

“Sorry,” Izzy said. “I thought she knew about her brother.”

“At least he’s safe,” Lisette said. “She’s tired is all. We all are.”

“Well, I need the numbers from her so I can implement the program.”

“Implement?” Lisette said. “Slow down and please fill us in. We’re a bit jet-lagged and out of the loop.”

It was Donovan who explained. “McNiel wants to get it up and running. Fight fire with fire. Only he’s hoping our flame will end up being bigger than Kane’s.”

“Are we sure this can’t wait until morning?”

“We wish it could.”

“Then at least after we eat dinner.” Once dinner was served, they broached the subject with Piper. She actually looked happy to be doing something for the cause.

Lisette, however, was fading fast; she glanced at the alarm panel, saw it was set. “Donovan, you’ll be up with them?” He nodded. She retired to her room and was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

She awoke the next morning and found Izzy asleep in one armchair, Donovan in the other. Piper was on the couch. Apparently they’d worked all night, and when she started the coffee, Donovan awoke. “Long night,” he said.

“Progress?”

“No. It didn’t work. Our only shot, and it didn’t go off.”

“Meaning what?”

“Meaning this code everyone’s been chasing her around for isn’t worth a damn. At least not the versions she’s carrying in her head.”

Lisette glanced toward the computer. “If he tried to make it work, won’t that come up on Kane’s system? Isn’t that how Kane found Piper’s friend? When he started running those numbers?”

“One, her friend didn’t know what he was doing. Two, Izzy took precautions. It’s not infallible, but he says it’ll take them a while before they can trace it. The problem is they
can
trace it, and the more he runs it, the bigger chance he has of getting caught.”

Piper stirred on the couch, and Lisette walked over, shook her. “Hey. Go to bed, okay?”

The girl nodded, got up and walked to the bedrooms, then stood there a moment, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Which one?”

“The one with the open door.”

Once it closed behind her, Lisette continued the conversation. “Exactly how long do we have before they figure out we’re here?”

“Izzy? Wake up.”

Izzy stared at them, clearly out of it.

Lisette turned back to Donovan. “And if they
do
find us?”

“You don’t want to know. At least not before your coffee.”

Izzy finally stirred and looked up at the clock. “You might want to have that coffee soon. I started running that at midnight . . . Eight hours ago . . . Forty hours max and they’ll be knocking on our door.”