Nolan carefully turned the next few pages of Wolff’s notebook; each was similar to the first.
‘The only thing on any of these pages that I recognize are the dates he’s put in the upper corners. Here’s twenty-two-eight-forty-six.’
‘Twenty-two-eight-forty-six?’ Ptashnik inquired.
‘The twenty-second of August 1946,’ Nolan explained. ‘He’s using European notation: day-month-year.’
Nolan pulled the remaining notebooks out of the briefcase and checked the dates on each.
Martin was curious. ‘What are you looking for, Nolan?’
‘His last entry.’
The sixth book started with the latest date he’d found. Thumbing through the blank pages in the back, he reached Wolff’s last entry about halfway through the volume.
‘Ten-twelve-forty-eight,’ Nolan read. ‘Ten December.’
‘That’s the last day I saw him,’ Martin recalled.
‘And likely the day he was murdered,’ Ptashnik added.
As Nolan slowly closed the notebook, he noticed some writing on the thick front endpaper. He opened the cover to expose the page and found a series of carefully written mathematical equations. Nolan recognized some of the functions, but others were used in ways that were unfamiliar to him.
‘What you got there?’ Ptashnik asked.
‘I’m not sure, but at least it’s in plain text. Maybe this is the algorithm Wolff used to encode his notebooks.’
Martin flipped open the first notebook, then glanced back at the one in his grandson’s hands. ‘Take a look at this, Nolan. I think this page is the same as that one.’
A quick check revealed that all the notebooks bore the same formula on the front endpaper.
‘What are you thinking?’ Martin asked, completely confused.
‘I’d say there’s a pretty good chance that this is Wolff’s cipher. Now if we just had the key, we could decode all this. Detective, what are you going to do with the notebooks?’
‘The techs will take a look at them for physical evidence, then we’ll put ’em in the evidence storage center with anything else we collect. Why?’
‘Can I make a suggestion?’
‘Shoot.’
‘These notebooks are old and potentially valuable. Why don’t you take them over to the Preservation Lab at the university library? The people there know how to handle old books.’
‘That’s probably not a bad idea. We’ve used their services on cases before. I’ll arrange it with our techs.’
‘Also, I’d like to get a copy of the letter, to put with the others he wrote to Paramo. If you like, I can get you copies of what we have.’
‘Are they written in code?’
‘Plain English. They’re a mix of personal stuff and physics. I don’t know if they’ll be of much help to you, but there’s a lot of day-to-day commentary. Maybe there’s something in there that you’ll find useful.’
‘I’d appreciate that,’ Ptashnik acknowledged.
‘Can I ask a favor in return?’
‘Depends on what the favor is.’
‘While the books are at the lab,’ Nolan explained, ‘I’d like to have some work done on them for my project.’
‘What kind of work?’
‘Nothing destructive, I promise. I just want to scan the pages into the computer for analysis. Raphaele Paramo thought enough of Wolff to suggest that a stack of letters from the guy might help the physicist I’m working with solve a very complex problem. So I want to know what Wolff was working on.’
‘All right,’ Ptashnik relented. ‘Just keep me posted on what you find.’
24
Moscow, Russia
‘Dmitri, it’s good to see you again,’ Zoshchenko said coolly as she walked into Orlov’s anteroom. ‘My condolences on the loss of your brother.’
‘Thank you,’ Leskov acknowledged with a nod. ‘Pavel knew the risks involved in our work, and he died with honor. He was a good man, difficult to replace.’
‘He will see you both now,’ Irena Cherny announced as she set the phone in its cradle.
Leskov opened the door for Zoshchenko, then followed her into Orlov’s office. The view across Moscow to the Kremlin was breathtaking on this sunlit summer morning.
‘Please, have a seat,’ Orlov offered, his hand motioning toward the couch and chairs near the window. On the table in the center of the furniture arrangement sat a silver tea service.
‘Dmitri, what is the status of our surveillance in America?’
Leskov unbuttoned his blazer before sitting in one of Orlov’s prerevolutionary antique chairs. ‘The physicist Sandstrom is still receiving treatment for extensive burns at University Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His condition is stable, but he is in for a long and difficult recovery. Electronic devices have been placed in his room, and his phone has been tapped. The team monitoring him has leased an apartment in a tower across the river from the hospital, high enough that they are receiving very clear transmission from the devices. Sandstrom has two regular visitors – Nolan Kilkenny and Kelsey Newton. Both were present during the raid on Sandstrom’s lab. A thorough background check on Kilkenny has revealed that he was once a junior officer in the U.S. Navy SEALs.’
Orlov arched an eyebrow at Leskov’s final comment.
‘ Da, Victor Ivanovich. That is why three of my men are dead. Kilkenny’s training is equal to Spetsnaz. Per your request, surveillance of both Kilkenny and Newton is also in place.’
‘Excellent, Dmitri. Have you learned anything from the surveillance?’ Orlov asked.
‘ Da. We have confirmed the assumption that the MARC/ND-ARC combine intends to continue its support of Sandstrom’s research. Their support is contingent upon Sandstrom’s recovery.’
‘It’s a little premature to consider any further offensive actions against Sandstrom. Any such move would have to be handled with the greatest care. What is the status of the police investigation into the raid?’
‘It’s at a complete standstill. Other than the eyewitness reports given by Sandstrom, Kilkenny, and Newton, the police have no leads from which to work.’
‘Good. Keep monitoring that situation, but at a safe distance. In all likelihood the whole matter will fade into obscurity due to lack of progress.’
Orlov turned to Zoshchenko, who sat quietly on the couch drinking her tea.
‘How are things going at our research facility, Oksanna?’
‘There’s a lot of material to review, but Lara Avvakum is making excellent progress. She has an almost intuitive grasp of the conceptual aspects of the project. I anticipate that by the end of the month, she will be ready to address the experimental work. She has embraced the project fully and is very enthusiastic.’
‘I thought she might be receptive to our offer; ten years in Siberia does that to a person.’ Orlov drank his tea, savoring the taste of the imported blend. ‘Any other issues we need to discuss?’
‘One, sir,’ Leskov replied.
‘Go on.’
‘Our surveillance has uncovered something unusual. On several occasions Newton was heard reading letters to Sandstrom. In analyzing the transcripts of these conversations, I believe these letters were written to Sandstrom’s colleague, Raphaele Paramo, several years ago. One transcript shows Sandstrom expressing amazement that the author had a better grasp of quantum physics fifty years ago than anyone today.’
‘Do you have the transcripts of those letters with you?’ Zoshchenko asked as she moved forward in her
