Transparency: Bio-Tech Cavern Secrets Untold (12 page)

Part Three

Deception

At 10:30
p.m.
in his apartment Halliday grasped a sci-fi novel while he moved around on the sofa to avoid a broken spring.

His phone rang. He wasn’t in the mood for conversation.

“Detective John Halliday of the Santa Reina PD?”

The general public did not have access to his number. “That’s correct. What can I do for you?”

“My name is Special Agent Roger Coulter. I’m with the Department of Defense, DARPA, and Emerging Technologies. I’m on temporary assignment at Genevive Labs.”

The voice sounded familiar. It also sounded slurred, as if he had been drinking.

“The reason I’m calling, Detective Halliday, is in regards to security at Genevive Labs. First of all, I request you keep our conversation in strictest confidence.”

The black suited agent from the meadow this morning. “What’s this all about, Agent Coulter?”

“We understand that you are working a case involving a disgruntled ex-employee at Genevive.”

Disgruntled ex-employee? “Get to the point, Coulter.”

“The name is Laurel McKittrick… ah, deceased.”

“Miss McKittrick? She was an employee of Genevive Labs?”

Coulter had unveiled a new wrinkle.

“Yes, she held the position of executive secretary for CTO Wendell Jackson, prior to her dismissal. Executive VP Brad Palmier subsequently divorced her. I believe you are acquainted with Mr. Palmier.”

“Palmier didn’t mention anything about Miss McKittrick’s employment. What prompted her dismissal?”

“Security issues.”

“Can you elaborate?”

“It was in regards to theft of company confidential documents. Listen, Detective Halliday, the real issue here is the voicemail Miss McKittrick sent to you. It’s the potential damage she—I mean the perpetrators behind her resurgence—could have on Genevive Labs.”

Palmier had passed the voicemail file on to Coulter. “Why is DARPA so interested in security at Genevive Labs?”

“DARPA has a vested interest in Genevive Labs. They are a valued contractor. Genevive’s security is of vital importance to us. We don’t like to publicize it. DARPA have been conducting exercises throughout Genevive Labs’ land grant. It has to do with military applications that are of vital interest to national security. There’s a third party involved that may jeopardize that security.”

That last sentence brought Halliday on full alert.

“I’m sure you are aware of the bio-extremist demonstrations planned at Genevive. We have reason to believe that the group may be responsible for the bogus Laurel McKittrick voicemail you received. The demonstrations are no coincidence.”

Palmier had filled him in, too. “What proof do you have?”

“It’s confidential. I can’t provide you any details. This is more of a courtesy call than anything else. As far as the public is concerned our conversation tonight never occurred.”

Courtesy my ass. “What do you want from me, Agent Coulter?”

Halliday waited out the pause.

“Because of the Laurel McKittrick factor, Detective Halliday, I’m requesting that you refrain from pursuing your investigation. It will only muddy the water.”

“What authorization do you have to order me off this case?”

“First off, I’m not
ordering
you off any case. Besides, I don’t need authorization, detective.”

“I worked for U.S. Diplomatic Security for a few years. Don’t bullshit me, Coulter. You’re aware that you would need authorization to order a civilian policeman off a case. Now tell me, who do you report to?”

“That’s none of your… That’s not your concern, Detective Halliday.”

Why hadn’t Coulter contacted the chief first? Or had he?
“Then we don’t have anything further to discuss, do we?”

“Let me be clear, Detective Halliday. Consider your actions carefully over the next few days.”

The threat moved Halliday atop the broken sofa spring.

“This is just another case for you. Right, Halliday?”

“Agent Coulter let
me
be clear. From now on my
life
—this case—is my work.”

“Then you’d better reassess your life.”

Coulter hung up.

Halliday checked his received calls register. There was no record of the call from Coulter. That was no surprise. The DOD could make anything disappear at will.

The reason why Genevive Labs had managed to avoid notoriety pointed to the DOD.

Halliday did something that days before he would have never considered. He scrolled down to DS in his phone’s address book, hesitating before he clicked on it. He hadn’t called the number in over three years.

“Special Agent Tolbert speaking.”

“Stan, John Halliday.”

“John? Where the hell are you?”

Halliday had expected the great surprise in Stanley Tolbert’s voice. He had left DS with few goodbyes. “I’m working in California.”

“LAPD? Jesus, we miss you man. Why didn’t you keep in touch? You just disappeared off the radar screen. How is life treating you?”

“I’m working in a small town called Santa Reina. We have a police chief and three detectives working a population of sixty-five thousand.”

“Wow, John, that doesn’t sound like you. Bored shitless yet?”

During Halliday’s tenure with Diplomatic Security, Stanley Tolbert had had the nickname of
Stan the Pusher Man
. The agent would laid low until tension filled the air. Then he stepped up the pace, often criticizing his cohorts if he believed they weren’t performing up to snuff. “I do a lot of trout fishing.”

Tolbert’s silence questioned the real reason why Halliday had ended up here of all places.

“Stan, I have a favor to ask.”

“Go ahead.”

“First off, has anyone contacted you or any member of the team regarding me?”

“No one has contacted me. I haven’t heard anything.”

Good. “Does your brother still work for DOD?”

“Yeah, Alan got promoted to GS-14, section chief, last month. What’s your interest in DOD?”

“You ever hear of Genevive Labs?”

“Sure, the biotech outfit that just came out with a miracle drug for prostate cancer. I heard they constructed a posh facility up in the California redwoods.”

“Fifteen miles down the road from where I speak. I’m working on a case that involves Genevive Labs. Possibly the DOD, in concert with DARPA, has their hands in it.”

“Are you saying federal laws have been broken?”

The same old
Stan the Pusher Man
. “I don’t have any proof at this point.”

“John, you’re going to have to be a little more specific.”

“Do you have a pen?”

“Go ahead.”

“DARPA Special Agent Roger Coulter. What’s his position? Who does he report to? Why is he supporting Genevive Labs in California? What is the true relationship between DOD or DARPA and Genevive Labs? His cover may be a firm called Sierra Contractors.”

“Wow. If this is high up in the security realm, then you’re SOL, John.”

“I’m aware of that, Stan. Let’s see where it goes.”

“I know one thing, John.”

“What’s that?”

“You wouldn’t have called me at two o’clock in the morning after all these years unless it was pretty damned important.”

“Damn, I forgot the time difference.”

“I’m sleeping in tomorrow. Caught the red-eye from San Fran after a trip to Japan and South Korea. I just unlocked the door to my apartment. It smells like leftover pizza. Hey, I’m glad to hear from you man. I’m sure those same sentiments apply from the team.”

He wanted to ask about the team. The right words wouldn’t come.

“You hear what happened to Blankenship? The ex-AIC is now Regional Security Officer at our embassy in Berlin.”

Tolbert let that settle in.

“Blankenship married a German gal. We couldn’t figure out whether he took the RSO job because of her or the German beer.”

“Asshole-in-charge,” Halliday said.

“Yeah, I say good riddance. The new Special Agent in Charge is a good man. He worked for WHCA security for a few years.”

“White House security? Isn’t DS a step down?”

Tolbert’s silence told him that Santa Reina PD represented a huge step down from DS.

“The new Special Agent in Charge got an increase in pay grade,” Tolbert said

“I would have thought you were up for the AIC position, Stan.”

“I decided to leave DS. It’s funny that you should ask. I’m working for DOD since last week. My brother helped me get on board.”

“Stan, don’t get into any shit that could jeopardize your start with DOD. My request isn’t mission essential. Will this DOD gig get you behind a desk?”

“Twenty percent travel beats sixty percent any day,” Stan said.

“Yeah, it got to be a grind before Judy…”

Stan knew the story. Halliday appreciated that he remained silent.

“John, give me a day or two to run this through the DOD mill. I’ll get back to you as soon as I get any word on Genevive Labs and Agent Coulter.”

“Thanks, Stan. Talk to you soon.”

Halliday laid the phone on the table. Could he depend on Tolbert after three years of silence? A lack of security clearance placed Halliday in the stack labeled, “has a need-to-know nothing.”

No doubt he had complicated things a bit for Genevive by sounding an alarm outside the confines of Santa Reina.

Halliday fidgeted at his desk after leaving his third message for Brad Palmier.

Palmier finally returned his call. “Halliday, what can I do for you? Is anything wrong?”

He wondered if Palmier had been privy to his conversation with the DOD agent, Coulter. “Yes there is something. I received another voicemail from your ex-wife or whomever. She upgraded her threat. Her exact words were: ‘Tell my ex-husband that I will incapacitate him on Friday, the 31
st
of October.’”

Palmier offered muffled expletives.

“That’s just three days off, Halliday. You and the Santa Reina PD have to get your act together. My god, you still haven’t found the imposter in this berg of sixty some thousand people.”

“How did you know we haven’t found her?”

“You said you received a voicemail from her. I would think if you had located her she would be down at the police department right now answering to Chief Brayden. Man, are you incompetent or what?”

Hearing Palmier lose his cool comforted him. The man’s perfect façade was crumbling. Halliday would use a tone of voice reserved for irate citizens. “Mr. Palmier, I understand your apprehension. No one enjoys a threat. This woman, for whatever reason, has made her public life invisible. Whether or not her reasons are for revenge or extortion, it’s presenting a roadblock to my investigation.”

“Halliday, why do you say ex-wife as if she’s still around?
Deceased
wife, got it? Laurel McKittrick is dead, man.”

He had to be careful. “Mr. Palmier, this woman may have been close to Laurel. Did your
deceased
wife have any relatives or friends at all in the area?”

“She mentioned an aunt living in Duluth, Minnesota. Laurel called her on one of the holidays. I don’t recall her name. Friends? I’m sure you’ve checked Santa Reina Hot Springs. She belonged to a nature club in Sonoma.”

“Did she have friends at Genevive Labs?”

“Are you kidding? Laurel made my life a living hell. She alienated most of the wives before our divorce. My male friends would seldom drop by. They viewed her as poison.”

If Palmier didn’t volunteer that Laurel had worked for Genevive Labs, Halliday wouldn’t pursue it. At this point he wanted to remain aloof or at least give that impression. “You have good reason to be upset, Mr. Palmier.”

“You don’t understand detective. Genevive is poised to change mankind in the same manner as the silicon wafer has changed the way we communicate. I need to get on with my life.”

Despite the distaste it left in his mouth he placated Palmier further. “I understand you play a pivotal role at Genevive. It must’ve been difficult regarding Miss McKittrick. Mental illness is a silent killer.”

There was a pause before Palmier said, “I appreciate your understanding, Halliday.”

“Your ex-wife had many acquaintances, few close friends. I’m beginning to understand your concern. You mentioned her fits of paranoia before. How often did they occur?”

“It began before our marriage. I mistook it for infatuation. One day I went downtown to do some shopping at the mall during lunch, stopped for a haircut. Then I went to the grocery store. I noticed this gorgeous brunette following me. She said she had mistaken me for a college chum. She came on to me. I didn’t have to do anything. When I mentioned that I enjoyed Jersey Mike’s submarine sandwiches she’d show up at my apartment with a sandwich bag. I couldn’t resist her.”

Halliday thought the guy must be putting him on.

“After we married she became jealous of every woman I came in contact with. I spent half the time apologizing to people for her crazed phone calls. My job at Genevive suffered. At the company picnic she became paranoid. She singled out our CFO’s wife. Laurel began shouting obscenities, warning the woman that she had better stay away from me or else. You can imagine my embarrassment.”

Was Palmier the world’s best liar or what? “Does her birthday falling on October 31
st
have any significance?”

“I still have the feeling you are searching for some incantation of my deceased ex-wife, not her imposter.”

“The imposter would have to have been close to your ex-wife to take over her cause.”

“What cause?”

“Possibly revenge, for what reason I’m not quite sure. Is there something you’re not telling me that happened before your ex-wife’s death?”

“Halliday, I’ve already told you everything you need to know. Why don’t you do your job?”

Why don’t you stop lying to me Palmier? “Considering the 31
st
of October threat I would recommend that you overnight on campus this Thursday and Friday, as a precaution.”

“I spend most of my nights here.”

“How’s the perimeter security at Genevive Labs?”

“Concertina wire, security cameras, the usual stuff. Why?”

“It’s possible that a bio-extremist group manufactured the woman. It’s not inconceivable that they’ve hired professionals to carry out her threat even if it meant trespassing on Genevive Labs property.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit farfetched, Halliday? Bio-extremists trespassing on Genevive Labs property? My security force wouldn’t allow it.”

“She, or they, has been smart to evade us this long. I’ll exercise due diligence and ask to talk to a security professional there at Genevive.”

“You think that’s necessary?”

“You want me to find her or not? I’d be negligent if I didn’t follow through. Besides, with the bio-extremist demonstrations coming up next week I should know your security layout.”

“I’ll have one of our security supervisors give you a call.”

“Before 5:00
p.m.
?”

“Sure, after we hang up. Did you have a talk with Chief Brayden?”

The swagger in Palmier’s voice resurfaced. Halliday said, “You didn’t have to go over my head.”

“You mentioned due diligence. Well, I have a responsibility, too. My belief is that a bio-extremist group’s idea of incapacitating me involves Genevive Labs. I wouldn’t rule out cyber attack or physical confrontation.”

“Do you know a Special Agent Coulter from the Department of Defense?”

Palmier paused before he replied, “Roger Coulter is head of a small DOD team here to monitor a defense program that we are providing research for.”

“What is it?”

“I’m sorry detective, it’s classified.”

“I see.” He wondered if Brad knew that his ex-wife had found the incriminating memo he had left in his pants. He debated whether to bring up the MP, Lamar Festus. “Hello, Mr. Palmier, are you still there?”

“Are we finished then?”

Finished?
What about Genevive’s alleged dumping of remains underneath building C14? Who was Genevive’s mole in the police department? He had no proof of either allegation except for unverified documents and the voice of a supposedly deceased woman.

“Halliday, I have a meeting to attend to. Sufficed to say, we have various government agencies that visit us. That includes the Departments of Agriculture, Interior,
and
the Department of Defense.”

Yeah, right. “I’ll expect to hear from your security man soon.”

After Palmier hung up Halliday kept the phone at his ear. The possibility that environmental extremists had manufactured Laurel’s ghost to help bring down Genevive Labs wasn’t that farfetched. They had a motive, the personnel, and the technology to pull it off. They could have created the top secret incriminating documents that Laurel had forwarded to him.

It bothered Halliday. If true, it meant that they had recruited him as their main ally.

Their main ally to do what?

Twenty minutes later a talkative Genevive security supervisor called. The man with a southern drawl allowed him to utter an occasional, “I see.” When the guy muttered that the security teams changed shifts at exactly 1:00
a.m.
, Halliday sat up in his seat. During that time they took the cameras off-line to reload them.

He asked the security hack if any of the employees ever ventured up the hill after dark to ring the chimes. The guy fired back, “Hell no, detective, nobody goes up there after the sun goes down,” as if they would never be heard from again. Jillian had said the scientists chimed, in the evenings. Halliday didn’t pursue it.

After learning of the standard security arrangements at Genevive Labs Halliday thanked the security man. When the guy wouldn’t stop praising Genevive’s superior security system he hung up.

Was it a coincidence that Laurel had requested to meet at the chimes at 1:00
a.m.
when the cameras went off line?