“I-I can’t.”
“Callie, tell Jarvis to kill Ellen. Drown her in her tub.
“No!” Roger cries.
“And tell Jarvis I want a video feed. Have him hold her under with one hand and video her with the other. I want Roger to see what he’s forced us to do.”
Callie punches a button on her speed dial.
“After he kills Ellen, tell him to go upstairs and stand outside Bug’s room and wait for further instructions.”
To Roger I say, “This is your last chance. You don’t even have to name the place they’re holding Rachel, because I already know. All you have to do is verify it. She’s at Mount Weather, isn’t she?”
Callie says, “Jarvis? It’s showtime.”
Roger says, “Wait!”
I hold up my hand.
Callie says, “Just a minute. Mr. Creed might grant a stay of execution.”
Roger says, “She’s in the hospital at Mount Weather.”
“Callie,” I say, “Tell Jarvis to stand down.”
“Sorry, Jarvis,” she says. “You’re going to have to wait awhile.” She ends the call.
To Roger I say, “Does Sam have access?”
“Access?”
“Clearance. Whatever you call it.”
“I’m not sure I—”
I slap his face. “Is Sam able to gain entry into Mount Weather?”
“Yes, of course.”
To Lou I say, “What do you know about the facility at Mount Weather?”
“No more than you, I expect,” he says.
“Ever been inside?”
“No. You?”
“No.”
We’re silent awhile, realizing what we’re up against. Finally Lou says, “We’re screwed.”
“Not yet,” I say.
39.
Here’s what I know about the facility at Mount Weather: it’s more than a hundred years old. There’s an underground bunker the size of a small city, built to withstand repeated direct strikes from nuclear weapons. It’s where the top government officials were taken by helicopter after the 9/11 attacks, because their lives are so much more valuable than those of us who elected them. I also know this: there has never been a security breach at Mount Weather.
Lou calls me back after doing a quick computer search and adds the following details: “There’s an above-ground section of more than 400 acres, called Area A. The underground bunker, Area B, is more than 600,000 square feet in size, and contains a hospital, crematorium, dining and recreational facilities, self-contained power plants, and is equipped to broadcast TV and radio.”
I was suddenly worried that Sam might be able to determine how close Sensory Resources is to Mount Weather.
“What route did you take to get him there?” I ask. “You didn’t just drive him straight to Bluemont, did you?”
“Of course not. We blindfolded him, sedated him, flew him to Atlanta, stopped, woke him up, drove him to Macon, sedated him again, then flew him back to Sensory, and drove him to Bluemont, still blindfolded.”
“What about his cell phone?” I had removed the battery because I didn’t want him using his GPS system to determine where he was. But he could always get another battery.
“We destroyed the cell phone. But Sam’s a bright guy. He could figure out a way to contact people without it.”
“True. But he wouldn’t be able to tell where he’s been.”
“Well, at least our location appears to be safe.”
We’re both trying to keep from stating the obvious. That Sam is in the bunker with Rachel, and for now, there’s nothing we can do about it.
“Thanks, Lou. You did everything right. But we both know he’s in there with her.”
“Do you have a plan to get her out?”
“I do.”
“How can I help?”
“For now, sit tight.”
To Roger I say, “When did Sam start working with you?”
“Let my family go, and I’ll tell you everything I know.”
“Why the sudden change of heart?”
“Because killing my family won’t help you get what you want. And when I tell you everything I know, you’ll see that I can’t help you, either.”
“I’ll spare Bug if you tell me what you know about Sam. Or I can kill Ellen while you think about it.”
“I have your word about sparing my granddaughter?”
“You do. Unless I catch you in a lie, in which case she’ll be the first to go.”
“I’ll tell the truth, as I know it.”
“Go ahead, then.”
“I don’t know when these events first occurred,” Roger says, “but Sam made his deal after the first kidnapping.”
“What kidnapping are you talking about? Dr. D’Angelo?”
“Is that Rachel’s doctor?”
“He was her doctor.”
“Well, you say he’s been killed, but I don’t know anything about that.” He takes a breath, fighting to make his voice clear. Then says, “All I’ve heard is that Rachel Case went to a doctor and gave blood for the first time in her life. When our computers generated a match, the Department of Health contacted whoever they contact for such matters of national security, and they went to Rachel’s home to extract her.”
“That’s ancient history. What’s all this about the first kidnapping?”
“When Rachel filled out the forms at the doctor’s office, she used her old address, from when she lived with Sam. That’s where the security team went to find her, but of course, she was living somewhere else. Sam agreed to cooperate, on the condition we put him in the loop. When he learned why we wanted her, and where we planned to keep her, he gave the team her new address, and even provided a key to her apartment.”
His comment about the key hits me hard. If Roger’s telling the truth, Rachel’s been in contact with Sam, and gave him a key. I think about that a moment. No. She wouldn’t give him a key. Like Lou said, Sam’s a clever guy. He found a way to get a copy of Rachel’s house key. I don’t know how, but I’m certain she didn’t give him a key.
“Did he go with the team to kidnap Rachel last Monday?”
“I don’t know. I do know that Sam’s only condition for helping us was that he be allowed to live in Area B as long as Rachel was there. We agreed, because he’s her husband, and because he’s brilliant. He plans to work full-time to help us develop a synthetic gene, based on Rachel’s blood cells. Of course, being her husband, it makes sense that he live there, because he and Rachel can raise their children together.”
“Rachel is an unwilling participant in this scheme.”
Roger Asprin smiles wearily. “Aren’t we all?”
“So Sam’s plan is to buddy up to her, and manipulate her into getting back with him. Meanwhile, he gets to work on the synthetic gene that can cure the Spanish Flu, at which point he’ll be a hero. You guys will release them both, and he will have saved her and their children.”
“You think he can do all that?” Roger says.
“I don’t give a shit. I want her back. And I’m willing to kill your family to get her.”
“How will killing my family bring Rachel back?”
“It won’t. But using them as a bargaining chip might. I’ll spare your family, and your life as well, if you tell the scientists you were wrong about Rachel’s blood.”
“But I wasn’t wrong.”
“I understand that. But if you tell them you made a mistake, they’ll have no reason to hold her there. Especially if it means keeping the heat off the government.”
“What heat?”
“Ever hear of WikiLeaks?”
“Of course.”
“They’re one of more than a hundred international sources I plan to use to announce what’s happening in Area B with Rachel, and how you plan to harvest her eggs and keep her children hostages forever.”
“Not forever. Just until we can develop a synthetic form of the gene.”
“How long will that take?”
“Ten years, give or take.”