At that moment, Starkovich returned to the group, interrupting the discussion. “I’ve got Sully if you want to talk to him before he puts the woman on,” he said, offering his cell phone to Kilmer. “He understands the drill.”
“No,” Kilmer said. “Let’s git the yappin’ over with. I want to run the next test before we quit and mobilize.”
“Okay, put her on,” Stark said.
Jarrod took the phone from Starkovich and waited.
“Jarrod?” Sela’s voice on the end of the line sounded curious.
“Sela, thank God,” he said, relieved to hear her voice. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine for now. What’s all this craziness about?” she asked hurriedly.
“I don’t know how much time I have, Sela, but everything you’ve heard about Ryan and me is a total fabrication…we’ve been set up…” was all he was able to say before Kilmer cut him off, wresting the phone from his hand.
“Listen up, Coscarelli,” Kilmer said. “I’m holdin’ the professor here. Do what yer told and it’ll all be aces. If I hear yer mixin’ it up, I promise it’ll go badly for ‘em. We clear?”
“Very clear, Mr. Whoever-you-are. But mark my words…my father will not take this matter lying down. I’m sure by now every lawman in the country is aware of my predicament. You’ll rue the day you got involved with my family, sir” she brazenly threatened.
Blimey! Kilmer thought. What’s about this clan that makes ‘em threaten the very people holdin’ ‘em hostage? Cheeky blighters, I’ll grant.
“Yer gutsie, lady,” Kilmer chuckled, mildly amused by the woman’s spunk. “I know ‘bout yer father, ma’am. We’ll have a proportional response ready for anythin’ he does. I hope for yer skin he doesn’t interfere. Now put my mate back on the tellie,” he ordered.
“Yes, sir?” Sully asked, replacing Sela on the call.
“Listen, pally…hang tight,” Kilmer said. “Both yer and Marlon chill ‘til I call ya. Keep an eye peeled for Feds. The woman’s too right…the cops’ll pull out all stops to find ‘er. I’ll let ya know when we make tracks to West Point; we’ll all meet there. Has Holloway showed?”
“No, sir, but everything’s fine here. The woman’s cooperating… she’s got a mouth on her, though,” Sully said with a slight chuckle. “We’ll await your call. Oh…and just so you know, Travis was planning on flying back to California. He won’t be happy to hear he’s staying in Hilton Head.”
“Tell the piker to shut the fuck up. He doesn’t make a move b’fore I tell ‘im. And let me know if Holloway surfaces…good oh, mate? I don’t need any of his bullshit, either.”
“Stayin’ frosty, sir. Let me know if you need anything else,” Sully said, disconnecting the call.
Righto…it’s a goer, Kilmer thought, walking to rejoin the group near the trailer. The machine works; Holloway’s not up my nose; no cops… what’s missing? Couple more days we’ll be in Kentucky. Mother, that’ll be a slog.
He walked over to the vehicle. Let’s see if the cheeky professor can flatten the Humvee…
FORTY-ONE
San Francisco
08:30 HOURS
Special Agent Jason Henry was in his spacious quarters along Pilot’s Row in the Presidio near downtown San Francisco. The joint chiefs kept several homes along Lincoln Boulevard for visiting generals and their families while billeted at the old San Francisco Army Base. Staying at the Presidio was one of many perks offered to executive officers of the Department of Defense.
He loved the thought of all the great military minds that had sat at the very desk he now occupied. It was a little before 8:30 a.m., but he was in no rush to leave his room. He sat at the spacious writing desk, transcribing notes from the past several days of investigation, trying to figure out his next move. There was something about this evolving case that bothered him; he just couldn’t put his finger on it.
He gazed out at the Golden Gate Bridge from the picture window framing his room. In the few days he’d been staying at the base, he’d become quite fond of watching a seemingly endless parade of vehicles traverse the bridge. He’d even witnessed a Navy FA-18 Hornet fly underneath it; something he figured would earn the pilot a severe reprimand. What an incredible engineering feat, he thought. Amazing what some people accomplish.
“ We interrupt this program to bring you late-breaking news,” said the television anchor from KGO in San Francisco. This snapped Agent Henry back to reality, drawing his attention to the news flash on the TV.
“KGO has just learned that Dr. Sela Coscarelli, daughter of United States Senator Alfonse Coscarelli, has been kidnapped. Dr. Coscarelli is a cellular genetics research fellow at Johns Hopkins University. The University has not issued a formal response but sources tell KGO that Dr. Coscarelli is a highly respected researcher working to discover a cure for a wide range of genetic diseases, including muscular dystrophy. Authorities have yet to divulge anyone claiming responsibility for the kidnapping or the existence of any ransom demands. There is no comment coming from the senator’s office. KGO will of course keep you apprised of further information as it develops.”
Holy shit, Henry thought. Unbelievable. I knew something smelled about this cousins’ vendetta nonsense. This is way out in left field!
Not a minute after the news flash, his cell phone began to vibrate. The phone identified that Lieutenant David Morris was calling.
“Morning, Lieutenant,” Agent Henry said, quickly answering the call.
“Hello, Jason…hey, did you happen to catch the news about Dr. Coscarelli?”
“Yeah, I just heard it.”
“Did you know she’s Ryan Marshall’s sister-in-law?”
“No. What do you make of this?”
“Well, grab your ass, buddy, ’cause it gets even better,” Morris said, filling Agent Henry in on the happenings at Conrad’s house.
“Whew,” Henry whistled as he listened to the news.
“No, no…wait…that’s not all. There’s more,” Morris continued. “I sent a patrolman to check on Conrad this morning when he didn’t answer his phone. I wanted to get his reaction to the news about Dr. Coscarelli. Now it looks like he’s missing, too. Neighbors tell us that shortly after we cleared the area last night, Dr. Conrad left with two men in a black van. No one’s seen him since. We have people combing the area at the university. Same deal…he hasn’t reported to the lab, either. Can you believe it?”
“Well, no one could make this shit up…I’ll grant you that,” Henry replied. “Let’s see if I have this straight: We have three people ostensibly abducted-all from the same family, two of whom are related to Senator Coscarelli. We have two estranged cousins that are somehow embroiled in a plot surrounding new technology the Defense Department’s been tracking. And we have twenty pounds of missing radioactive material that this contraption needs to operate,” he recited, pausing to see if he had missed anything. “Dare I ask… have you got anything else?”
“Chrissake, there better not be anything else,” Morris replied. “We’ve got the entire department working on this thing. My first priority this morning is to track down Dr. Conrad and hopefully catch Marshall before he and his ex make matters any worse…if that’s even possible.”
“Okay, keep in touch, Dave. I was planning on visiting Niles Penburton this morning. There’s something that’s just not right about this guy. The disappearance of his partner will give me the perfect opening to ask him a few more questions. We’re not out of this thing yet, Lieutenant, but the wind’s shifting. Anything this complex leaves a wide swath of evidence and all kinds of overlooked details. We’ll nail these bastards, mark my words,” Henry boldly predicted.
“Well, I hope you’re right, Jason. We haven’t begun to see the political fallout yet. But brace yourself…the heat’s rising as sure as thunderheads bring afternoon showers,” he said, ending the call.
Jason Henry sat at the writing desk looking astonished. The latest events had exponentially complicated his investigation. Previously it had seemed wildly coincidental to him that the theft of this new antigravity technology at the Quantum Building, which required atomic fuel to function, was followed so closely by the theft of twenty pounds of nuclear material from the Livermore facility. In his twenty-six years in law enforcement, thirteen as a special agent for the Defense Department, he had learned to be wary of coincidences. The current situation confirmed his experience once again.