“Your friend was in a hurry. Who was that?” I asked.
“My cameraman, but no cameras inside the courthouse, so no point in him hanging around.”
“Got it,” I replied, wondering if he was romantically linked with her.
Jennifer scratched her lithe, tanned wrist. “Mosquito bites. They ate me alive on that boat.”
“Yeah, I got bitten, too. We had to be the only people on the Chesapeake Bay without any mosquito spray.” I recalled seeing mosquito spray inside Jennifer’s handbag on the boat when she had searched for a hair-tie, but I did not know why she had denied having any last Sunday. Perhaps she had forgotten, but it was odd.
Before I could consider the possibilities, she said, “They’re real itchy now, but it’ll pass. I’m looking forward to lunch with you, Bryce, but the way this trial is going, it’ll be a late lunch.”
“More likely dinner. E.J. Nielsen is a lot of things, but not short-winded. We’ll probably go all day.”
“Dinner works for me,” she replied as she reached for my hand and gently squeezed it. “And good luck.”
“Thanks,” I said, feeling a flush of warmth surge through me. “I’ve got to get back in there.”
Judge Arnetti must have still been in chambers. The bench was empty. Inside the door to Courtroom One, I paused and scanned the observers in the gallery.
Glenn Bernthal was talking to that Chinese professor whom he supposedly had met just this morning. As an employee of the National Security Agency, Glenn had to limit contact with suspicious foreign nationals, but he was again whispering with a likely spy from the People’s Republic of China. Glenn was my closest friend at NSA. I trusted him, but this was out of character, especially since Chinese hackers had launched a cyberattack against me and everyone else involved in this case.
At least, that was what Glenn had told me. He was my sole source of information about the Remora Shadow, Project Transparrior, and the Chinese hackers.
My head was churning with theories. Now I had added my friend to the list of people covertly searching for the Remora Shadow. Then I dismissed the thought. Not Glenn.
I strode down the aisle and sat next to Marisa at the trial table. She looked relieved that I was back. Perhaps she had been wondering if I planned on leaving the hearing midway and ditching her, just as I had thought the same thing about her.
“You good?” I asked Marisa.
“I suppose so. Just want to get this over with.”
I turned around to Hailey, who was scrolling through pages on her phone. “You better click that off before the judge comes back.”
She drew the phone close, so I could not lean over and see the screen. “Yeah, I will.”
“What are you looking at?” I asked Hailey.
“Well, more research.”
“For this case?”
“Yeah,” she said innocently.
“Like what?”
Hailey paused as if she were gathering her thoughts or weighing her options. She eventually said, “I’m looking into the Remora Shadow some more.”
“You’re not back on …”
She nodded shyly. “Uh-huh. Project Transparrior. Seeing if there’re any new posts about the underwater drone. Might help.”
“Hailey, I appreciate your efforts, but log off that site. Judge Arnetti has a temper when it comes to phones in her courtroom. Not just mute, but completely off.”
Hailey nodded and complied with my request.
A courtroom deputy stood up and said, “All rise.”
Judge Arnetti entered the courtroom and sat on the bench. “Mr. Seagraves, I have read the plaintiff’s motion for a protective order. I assume you have, as well. Would you like to be heard?”
“Yes, Your Honor,” I replied, standing up to address the court. “To obtain an injunction, Benton Dynamics has to prove irreparable harm. The data that was allegedly stolen is directly related to that point. The defendant doesn’t have the burden of proof. The plaintiff must present evidence that specific, confidential data was improperly downloaded. Without that, there’s no proof of irreparable harm. Questions about the missing files are relevant and should be permitted.”
Judge Arnetti’s huge leather chair creaked as she leaned back. “Normally, I might agree, but not in this case. Not based on the evidence submitted thus far. Plaintiff’s Exhibit 5 is a Confidentiality Agreement signed by the defendant, Marisa Dupree. All data and files at Benton Dynamics are considered proprietary, by contract. Dr. Patel testified that all employees are trained not to take confidential files off site without authorization. As Mr. Nielsen’s legal brief pointed out, national security is at risk in this case. The court is satisfied that any missing data is proprietary and not subject to public disclosure, including in this proceeding. The plaintiff’s motion for a protective order is granted.”
With that ruling, the door closed on any further inquiry about the Remora Shadow.
“Mr. Seagraves, any additional cross-examination of Dr. Patel?” the judge asked.
“No, Your Honor.”
The judge turned to my opponent. “Redirect, Mr. Nielsen?”
“None.”
Judge Arnetti turned toward the witness. “Dr. Patel, you are excused. You may be called back to testify, and you remain under a sequestration order. You are not to discuss your testimony with other witnesses until this hearing is finished.”
Sanjana Patel nodded, stood up, and left the witness stand a bit less cocky than when she had first arrived. She exited Courtroom One.
Judge Arnetti said, “Your next witness, Mr. Nielsen.”
My opponent gripped the lapels of his sport coat with both hands and turned to the bailiff. “The Plaintiff calls Steve Gunther.”
While the bailiff retrieved the witness from the hallway, I thought about the line of questions Nielsen would pose to the new chief of cybersecurity. A highly secure company like Benton Dynamics had lost valuable research and development. With all the safeguards that had to be in place, the theft of secret plans for an underwater drone should have been impossible.
The bailiff took longer than expected, and I reviewed notes about the Remora Shadow in file, even if