Victor could feel his grip tightening around the phone. He knew that if he lost the contract and word somehow leaked to the press-which the government would make certain happened-stocks would plummet and he would lose billions.
Not only that, but in the obligatory investigation that his board of directors would call for, it was possible, just possible, that some inconsistencies might be found in the third quarter earnings statements from 2007. And after Enron and WorldCom, that might not fare so well for Drake Enterprises and its CEO.
Even worse, someone might uncover evidence of the tests.
“Drake,” snapped the general, jarring him back to the conversation. “I’ll be arriving on Thursday. I’ve scheduled a Project Rukh Oversight Committee meeting for 1400 hours sharp. I want you there.”
“General, that won’t be necessary. I can assure you that-”
“I want to see firsthand what our taxpayer money has gone toward producing. And I’m telling you now, the device had better work.”
“But not in two and a half days. That’s not possible. We have thousands of pages of research to evaluate before final delivery. It’s not enough time-”
“You’ve had two years. That’s plenty of time.”
Victor had to try his hardest not to let on that he was speaking through gritted teeth. “Well, then. I look forward to your visit-”
And before he could finish his sentence, the general hung up.
Drake slammed down the receiver. No one hangs up on Victor Drake. No one!
He yanked out a desk drawer, twisted open a bottle of pills, swallowed five of them, and then pocketed the bottle for later.
Smacked the drawer shut.
So.
All right then.
They wanted to make sure it worked. Well, OK.
One more test.
One final test.
Tonight.
That would at least give Dr. Kurvetek Tuesday and Wednesday, two full days, to evaluate the results before the general arrived.
Victor called the team members and told them that he needed their services one last time and that they had better bring in some definitive results. He only used four men because he’d learned over the years that it’s difficult to keep things confidential, so the fewer people who know your secrets, the better. He asked the fourth man, “Do you have the site picked out?”
“Have I ever let you down?”
“All right. You know the drill. Just don’t get there early.”
A pause. “The money better be transferred within twenty-four hours this time. I don’t like to wait.”
“It will be. Don’t worry about that.”
Victor ended the call and elevatored down to the parking garage, all the while trying not to think about the general’s veiled threats concerning future contracts.
Just forget him. Forget Biscayne. Go home and relax. By morning, the test will be completed and you’ll be able to give him exactly what he asked for.
Victor fired up his Jaguar, roared out of the garage, and aimed his car toward his estate on La Jolla Farms Road.
While his four team members prepared for the test.
4
As Tessa and I ate, I tried to steer the conversation away from my work, but when we were nearly done with our salads, Tessa steered us back. “So, Patrick. Is it true you have the highest clearance record for cases involving serial offenders in the history of the FBI?”
“Wow. That was random.”
“You’re not allowed to say that. You’re over thirty.”
I took a slim breath. “Tessa, where did you hear that statistic?”
“Fox News. A couple of weeks ago. After that whole thing with Ramirez.”
Julio Ramirez had abducted young boys from playgrounds in Maine. He would take them to his home, do the things to them that parents have nightmares about, then lock them in a pit in his basement until they starved to death. Eight in all. My friend, Special Agent Ralph Hawkins, and I had caught him just after the first of the year.
“Well, I’m not sure if that stat is exactly accurate.”
She punched her fork into her salad and stuffed an olive into her mouth. “They said it was.”
“You can’t always trust what you hear. Look, I don’t really want to talk about all this right now. Let’s plan our schedule for the next couple-”
“They only call you in when everyone else is, like, totally stumped-which is pretty cool, by the way, I have to say.”
“Thank you. Now, let’s talk about-”
“But don’t get a big head or anything,” she said. “Because, I don’t really get it.”
“You don’t get what?”
“What you do.”
I didn’t like where this was going. “I thought you read the two books I wrote?”
“Well, I did. Sort of.”
“Sort of?”
She dropped her gaze. Let it wander around the table. “I did read ‘em, I mean… until I fell asleep.”
A needle through my ego. Punctured. Drifting to the ground.
“You fell asleep reading my books?”
“Look, I didn’t mean to, OK? It’s just… I couldn’t help it.”
She stuffed some lettuce into her mouth. “No offense or anything, but don’t quit your day job.”
How nice.
“Anyway.” Talking with her mouth full again, “What I mean is, maybe you can explain it better in person than on paper.”
Boy, she really knew how to lay on the compliments.
I decided to go for it, though. I might not get another chance.
But make it quick, then get back to planning the week.
“OK. Let’s see, where to start… So, crimes only occur when five factors intersect.”
“Time, location, offender, victim or object of desire, and lack of supervision or law enforcement presence. That was in the introduction to Understanding Crime and Space. I hadn’t fallen asleep yet.”
“Well, that’s encouraging.” I grabbed a saltshaker and slid it in front of me. It would be too complex to talk through all fourteen fires, but I could at least give her an idea of what I do by referencing four or five of them. “So then, with these arsons, let’s say this is the site of the first fire…” I tapped the saltshaker, then moved the pepper to the far side of the table. “The next arson was down here, south of San Diego in Chula Vista…” I put the rental car keys behind my salad bowl. “And the third fire was here, in Clairemont…” I moved the coffee creamer and the teacup into position.
“And these are fires four and five, what does that tell you?”
“Nothing. They’re just spread out all over.”
“Actually, it tells us several things.” I crumpled up a napkin and set it in the middle of the table.
“Is that the next fire?”
“No, it’s where I believe the arsonist might live. Think about this for a minute: if you started those fires, do
