“I thought the call with Lester went on a little too long,” I said. “You made more than one call. That was risky. I thought we assumed Porter and Moore had our cellphone numbers and could listen in and track our locations.”
“What does that matter now? We sat in the room with the bastard. It’s my family, Ron; my parents,” Valerie said. “I told David not to call the prepaid cellphone number unless it was an emergency, and even then, to just text me ‘911.’” She stopped and turned to face me. “I know it’s exciting to be working with Tammy again. I also know she was never happy about having me around, but never mind that. What counts is we are up against Army Rangers, Ron. It’s been almost twenty years since,” she paused, checking her anger before continuing, “since that life I lived.” She was fighting back tears, now. “I didn’t have anything to lose back then, or at least, I didn’t think I did. Now I have everything to lose, and for what? We don’t even know.”
I didn’t say a word. I was angry with Valerie for taking that shot at me in front of our daughter. But I understood. She was scared, and lashing out at me was safe. She knew I could take it.
Leecy picked up on it right away.
“Wait, what did you just say? Did you and Wakefield have a thing back in the day, Dad?”
Valerie was staring up at the treetops, collecting her thoughts before leveling me with a stare.
“Let me make myself clear to you and anyone listening. If giving these guys what they want protects my family from harm, then I’ll give it to Porter and Moore and whoever else it is that wants it, and don’t even think about trying to stop me.”
With that said, she turned and sped down the trail toward the Jeep. Leecy and I looked at each other, and then jogged to catch up to her.
The Jeep was just as we had left it. Valerie handed me the key from her Go bag as I climbed behind the wheel. It took an eight-point turn to get the Jeep turned around, but we were finally on our way. Leecy broke the long silence with a question.
“Mom, are you saying Dad cheated?”
Valerie turned sideways in her seat to face me. Placing a finger to her right ear, she turned off the earpiece. “Turn yours off, too.” We did as she asked.
“I’m sorry,” Valerie said to Leecy, “No, your dad didn’t cheat on me. I lashed out at your father because I feel helpless right now and that makes me angry. I know all about your father and his time with the CIA. We’ve been together for twenty years. We have you. Please excuse me. I’m just a bit… scared.”
“That goes for me, too, Leecy. I love your mother. I love you. I love our life together. I’ll do anything to protect my family, and that includes your mother’s parents and brothers.”
“I knew the moment Wakefield smiled at you, Dad, that there was something between you two,” Leecy said.
“Well, miss smarty pants, you’re wrong. The only thing between us is a relationship forged in the fires of covert operations. Life and death situations have a tendency to bring people close. Our relationship has always remained professional. There were times when the bounds of that professionalism were tested, especially when she saved my life, but that was a very long time ago. End of story.”
“Tell me how she saved your life.”
“Sure. In 2035.”
I smiled at my daughter in the rearview mirror, and we all enjoyed a much needed laugh.
“So, what’s the plan?” Leecy said, changing the subject.
“Valerie?”
“Well, hopefully my brothers will have a list of all the employees we’ve ever hired at INESCO as part of this state program. Assuming that’s the connection. It’s the most logical theory we have.”
“That shouldn’t take too long, right? A quick computer search and they’re done?”
“Not really. For all the innovation we do at INESCO, there are some aspects of our business that are behind the times.”
“Like what?”
“Like everything that doesn’t involve production or research and development. We have very sophisticated equipment in those areas, but bookkeeping is still done the old fashioned way. Mainly because the building where the record keeping is done is the original office space from seventy years ago, and that building wasn’t built with modern technology in mind. We looked into wiring it for computers and security systems and cameras, like the newer buildings have, but it just wasn’t possible. We have plans to move into a new building one day, but that doesn’t help us right now. All the searching your uncles and grandparents are doing is being done by hand.”
Fifteen minutes later, the INESCO company sign came into view.
“We have work to do. Power up your earpieces and focus.”
As we pulled into the parking lot, Valerie’s family came out to meet us, pulling Leecy from the Jeep and showering her with kisses and hugs. They formed a human shield around her and walked her into the building. Once we were all safely inside with the door locked, Catherine Simon, Valerie’s mom, took over.
“I knew it; I knew it,” Catherine cried.
“You knew what?” her husband, Reuben, asked.
“I knew all this business with the government, all these secrets we keep and secret things we make, would put my baby in danger.”
She was not referring to her daughter, Valerie, but Leecy, her granddaughter. I knew that because she was squeezing Leecy’s cheeks so hard the poor girl was grimacing in pain.
“Don’t be so melodramatic,” Reuben scolded. “You’re being ridiculous.”
“We’re okay, Catherine,” I interrupted. “Leecy is okay; Valerie and I are okay. But to keep everyone safe we really need to focus on searching the files.”
I knew my in-laws all too well. The situation could easily spiral out of control and into an argument about who knew what and when and don’t forget about that time thirty years ago when it was entirely your fault and you know it. Like every other time I’d seen my in-laws argue.
“Have you guys had any luck with the files?” I asked.
David, the older of the two Simon boys, said, “Yes, let me show you what we found.”
Everyone followed David through the small office and in and out of its series of doors to the file room, which was full of dusty, old four-drawer filing cabinets that lined the walls. In some instances, filing cabinets were stacked on top of filing cabinets. David led us to the table in the center of the room and the mound of paper there.
“It’s here somewhere. I was just writing down the last name when we heard you arriving. Where is it? Ahh, here it is,” he said, handing a list to Val. “We found the file on Daniel Pickett and used it to reference the state agency called Georgia’s Second Chance Program. Two names came up.”
“So you were right, Leecy. But who hired Pickett and why?”
“I did,” Val’s father said. “But he wasn’t the first one from the program. You weren’t here, young lady. We were struggling to implement your plan for our future. We needed more help, but couldn’t afford to hire any new employees. I heard about this program at one of my Chamber of Commerce meetings. I called them up, and they recommended Roderick Anderson.”
“Rod Anderson came from the Second Chance Program?”
“Yes, and he’s been a great employee.”
“Yes, Dad, I know. He’s also head of our R&D department,” Valerie said.
“Of course,” Reuben said. “And when we needed an entry level fork-lift driver, he recommended another guy from the program named Daniel Pickett.”
“Roderick Anderson…. Wow….” Val said, and then glanced at me. “We go to Rod’s house and find out what we need to know; then we’ll be back here to get it, whatever it is.”
“Good idea. Sounds like I may have trusted the wrong guy and now we’re in danger,” Reuben said as he stepped aside to let us out.
I walked past him, saying, “Don’t worry. I’d rather die than allow any harm to come to our girls.”
Reuben nodded. “Don’t
let it come to that, my son.”
I smiled at the tough old man and left the room. Leecy was kissed and hugged by them all, and they locked the doors as we left. Valerie asked her brothers to call Lester and have him come and stay with them, but I knew they wouldn’t do that.
“Let’s go,” Valerie said as the doors to INESCO closed behind us. “Anderson lives in Marion, Georgia. I know where his house is; he hosted the holiday party two years ago.”
“I remember that. What? About twenty miles away?”
“That’s right,” Valerie answered. “Leecy, when we get to Rod’s house, you stay in the car.”
“No. If I’m going to be a spy, you can’t protect me from the bad stuff. I need to see what you do and how you do it. I assume this guy isn’t just going to tell you what he and the others are after. You and Dad are going to make him, aren’t you?”
“We’ll give him a chance to talk first.”
“Okay. I can handle it.”
I didn’t offer any opposing view, because she was right. If being a spy was to be her career choice, she needed to see the unsavory side of the job. Wakefield’s voice in my ear startled me.
“We’re en route to Marion, but can’t access the address for Rod Anderson. Please advise.”
“Advising it’s better to keep your distance. Those black SUVs will draw a lot of unwanted attention. Wait for us at INESCO instead,” Valerie answered.
“Already have two men on scene at INESCO. Your family is well-guarded. We’ll hold on the outskirts of Marion. Is that position advisable to offer support?”
“Yes, stay on State Road 27 at mile marker three. You’ll be less than five minutes out if we need help. The address is 1719 Pine Knoll Lane.”
“We have it here on the GPS. Good to go.”
I was passing mile marker three at that very moment and wondered where Wakefield might be. A few minutes later I saw Pine Knoll Lane ahead on my right, and slowed to make the turn.
“I’m going to pull right up in the driveway and play it casual,” I said. “Like we’re just in the neighborhood or something. I’m sure he and the family are eating dinner or cleaning up after dinner. What do you think?”
“Good idea,” Valerie said, and then to Leecy, “Look in my Go bag and hand me my Glock, and look in your father’s and hand him his straight knife and collapsible police baton.”
I watched Leecy in the rearview mirror searching the bags for the items. She passed each item to her mother before asking, “This is about to get real, isn’t it?”
“You tell me. This guy is working with a group that broke into our home and tried to kidnap you as a hostage to steal from our company and our country. Unless he has a very good reason why he did all those things, what do you think is about to happen?”
“Okay, sorry I asked.”
“No, you haven’t seen sorry yet,” Valerie said.
Val opened the door to the Jeep before I’d brought it to a complete stop in the driveway at 1719 Pine Knoll Lane.
“Last chance to stay in the car,” I offered.
Leecy’s answer was to climb out of the Jeep. I stuck my knife in my right back pocket and the baton in the left, and followed the girls up the walkway to the front door.
Valerie rang the doorbell. I could hear the TV and other sounds of family life behind the door, and the faint sound of approaching footsteps. The door opened, and there stood Rod Anderson, INESCO’s very own Mr. Wizard. He could pass for Bill Nye the science guy any day. He was still dressed in his work khakis and blue INESCO shirt.
“What a surprise!” he said. “Come on in. We were just cleaning up from dinner, so excuse the mess.”
“Actually, Rod, we’re here about work stuff, and it would be better if you came outside.” Then pointing to the detached garage, Valerie suggested, “How about in there?”
He hesitated a moment and then called to his wife. “Honey, Valerie Granger is here about work. I’ll be in the garage for a bit,” he said.
He closed the front door behind him and walked between us back down the pathway toward the exterior garage door. He was startled and said, “Leecy? I didn’t see you there. What are you doing here?”
“My parents have been taking me on a little family vacation during school break,” she said.
He keyed the passcode into the garage door’s keypad before he said to Valerie, “Is it okay for Leecy to hear about work?”
“Oh, absolutely she can. It concerns her,” Valerie said, and followed Rod into the garage just as the overhead door stopped.
Leecy and I followed Valerie inside. I pressed the button on the interior wall so the garage door would close behind us.
The detached garage was as cold and uninviting as Valerie’s mood was dark. She was standing in front of Rod now. Her right hand held the Glock steady at her side. She was listening, but I could sense her patience wouldn’t last very long. The look on Rod’s face said two things: ‘I know why you’re here, and please don’t hurt me.’ I thought for a moment he was going to cry, but he held it together. He just started talking instead.
“I had nothing to do with the kidnapping. You have to believe me. That was all Moore’s idea. He said we needed leverage, and Leecy was the best we could get. I tried to tell him it was a bad idea, but these guys don’t really listen to me,” he said.
“Slow down, Rod,” Valerie said. “It’s okay. Everything is going to be fine. Just start from the beginning.”
I took down a folding chair that was hanging on the wall with neatly-organized garden tools, and unfolded it for Rod.
“Sit,” I said, “and tell the story.”
Rod looked around at the three of us, and began. “I was hired by your dad back in ‘89. He gave me a job through the Georgia program for ex-cons. Did you know Reuben never even asked me what I’d done time for?”
“I don’t care about that, Rod; that’s not why I’m here,” Valerie barked.
Rod was starting to get jumpy and scared. Valerie’s exercise in control would be short-lived if he didn’t get to the point soon.
“I’d done five years in prison for computer fraud. It was back in the early days of computers, and the old machines were easy to hack. I stole some money from a bank by hacking their system and triggering the ATM to release funds to my account. I was arrogant. I didn’t cover my tracks like I should have, mainly because I didn’t think the bank would be able to trace the transaction log so quickly. I got caught. Anyway, your dad hired me because INESCO was installing computers and needed a computer guy. I was thrilled to have the work, and you got to believe me when I say I worked clean till last year.”
He looked from face to face for some sign of approval or agreement, but found none.
“So, last year I got a call from a guy that said he was running the Georgia Second Chance program now. The guy said the state wanted to highlight the program’s thirty years of successfully placing ex-cons with local business owners, and they wanted to feature INESCO and me in the article. I checked with your father and his sons, and with their approval agreed to meet with the man in Atlanta.”
I watched as Rod folded in on himself like a dying star. His head dropped and tears began to leak out of the corners of his eyes. He took a few deep breaths and slowly regained his composure.
“But when I arrived at the offices of Georgia’s Second Chance Program, I met some of the most vile and terrible creatures on earth. These men, they threatened to do awful things to my wife and children if I didn’t do exactly what they wanted me to do.”
“Did they give you a reason?”
He started nodding before he said, “Yeah, they told me I was working for a company that was sitting on a gold mine. Porter, the black guy of the group, told me that I was going to help them steal an INESCO invention and they were going to make lots of money selling it. He told me they would cut me in on the take if I did exactly what I was told to do. And if I didn’t do it, they would torture and kil
l my family.”
Rod dissolved into tears again.
“So I had no choice. I told them what they wanted to know about INESCO. I told them what I knew about our security protocols. I told them everything. I was there for what felt like days, but when they let me go I realized it had only been hours. The one calling himself Porter drove me back to Marion. He warned me against going to the police or talking to anyone about what had happened. He showed me an FBI badge. He said he could get to me and my family anytime and anywhere, and to prove it, he showed me pictures he had on his phone of my wife shopping in Atlanta, at the grocery store in Marion, and of my kids at school.”
Rod was crying again now. He was as rattled as any man I had ever seen. I realized his sobbing would have to run its course, but Valerie wasn’t having any of it.
“Stop that, Rod,” she said. “Those same men came after my daughter. Tell me what they want.”
“I don’t know. They never told me what they wanted. They only wanted to know how to get what they wanted. That’s why I told them what I knew about all our security measures. I made it clear there was no way to walk into INESCO and walk out with their hands on any one project, because you, Valerie, coded all the projects. Only you know what the codes correspond with. No one else knows anything.”
Valerie slapped him hard across his face and said, “That’s why they came after Leecy, you idiot. You sent them to my house.”
“No, no, no! I didn’t mean for that to happen. You have to believe me. I was scared. I’m sorry, but I was scared. These guys were real tough military types. The one named Porter said that he and the others had been part of some special Army unit that killed people. I believed them. They scared me and threatened my family. We’ve been living in fear for a year. We started homeschooling the kids because of all of this. Please,” he begged, “I’m sorry.’’