Sam was on a video conference in the New York office of the FBI and they were set up with Jill at Sam's LA office. They had downloaded the laptop C-drive to LA to Big Brain over the Internet. Both the CIA technicians and the FBI technicians would be present while Grogg worked his magic. Grogg went to a government facility and connected to Big Brain online. Sam wasn't going to have government people he didn't know anywhere near his company. Ernie, in New York, was petting Harry as Harry sat in the middle of the conference table and took in the big screen and watched every move that Sam made. Although Ernie tried, Harry didn't look all that happy with the attention.
'Harry is worried you'll leave again. I don't make a good substitute dad,' Ernie said.
'Harry doesn't like police dogs. Maybe somehow that rubs off on you, Ernie. I don't know.'
Assistant Deputy Director Dennis Wagner, of the CIA, was seated next to Jill. He'd been to Sam's LA offices before and was one of the few on Sam's approved list. Dennis cleared his throat, undoubtedly certain that such banter in the face of national security risks was out of place. An anti-terrorist task force and Homeland Security were also on the call.
'We're here to discuss the French government, Benoit, and the threat-the so-called Cordyceps plan,' Dennis said. In true bureaucratic fashion Dennis went on to summarize what the government already knew. Although they were con fused about some important details, and didn't have a clue as to what Benoit Moreau was up to, they seemed to have the rest of the big picture fairly well in hand. Someone had obviously made them eager about Chaperone. Sam was happy to see the government's high level of interest.
'So far, we know that Gaudet tells Benoit that they are using police helicopters-that's of interest to the FBI and Homeland Security,' Sam said.
'We've got thousands of people literally from all law enforcement agencies checking out every conceivable means of delivering a vapor spray to a populated area,' Ernie said.
'Good. Of interest to the CIA: Benoit says that France has been told that Cordyceps will be unleashed in five days, but, in fact, it will be three. I have asked Figgy Meeks, the representative for France, if he has any new information and he says no,' Sam said. 'What does the SDECE say?'
'Well, of course that's classified, but they are saying noth ing,' Dennis replied. 'Simple stonewalling, if your Benoit Moreau is right.'
'She's right about Baptiste and Larive, that's for sure.'
'Those are serious charges she's making,' Dennis ob served.
'She's a serious woman. She wants asylum in the United
States.'
'Asylum from whom?'
'France. She doesn't like the butter sauce and says it's hell over there.'
'I thought she wanted a pardon from the French government.'
'Woman is full of surprises. Actually, she thinks that Larive and agent Baptiste are eliciting her cooperation by lying about a possible pardon. At the same time they're stonewalling us and investing in the markets to take advantage of the coming disaster. I'd call that being accessories to attempted mass murder,' Sam pronounced.
'Let's pray it remains 'attempted.' '
'Amen. Now it's Ernie's turn. I promised to put this right in your lap, Ernie. Are you ready? I want you to ask the pres ident of the United States if Benoit Moreau can have protective asylum, if she is a major factor in successfully stopping Cordyceps.'
'Are you mad? I've met him once for two seconds.'
'Maybe, but the question is uncomplicated. Will you ask?'
'The president?'
'You can start with the vice president. He has a lot of suck. And I suppose you can go through your boss's boss, or whatever.'
'I don't know the law.'
'Damn the law. The president can pardon any U.S. crime; he can refuse to extradite. We could give her asylum.'
'We'd be flying blind. We don't know all of what she's done.'
'It's better than losing a few million Americans. If that happens and you don't prevent it, when you might have, you'll be having a reduced pension-goes with disgrace and early retirement.'
'Don't be an asshole.'
'Dennis, now it's your turn for some glory. Actually, the entire administration. Call Dr. Carl Fielding at Harvard Uni versity. Ask him how badly he wants Chaperone to be owned by a United States foundation, with Harvard on the board of directors?'
'I can well imagine. But it's moot. Grace Technologies was the proper owner; now the technology belongs to France. The French are all over it.'
'You're not listening to me. Think about it. Would I be saying it if it wasn't possible?'
'For me, 'possible' means 'legal.' What you're saying is contrary-'
'To everything you thought. But it's only what you thought and it's only what the French government thought. You ask the vice president of the United States if hypotheti cally Benoit Moreau could deliver Chaperone… and be completely legal under international law
… to a U.S. foundation and deliver us from Cordyceps; then could she have asylum and a complete pardon?'
'She can do all that?'
'I'm betting the farm on it.'
'So, this is really about the redemption of Benoit Moreau.'
'And the beatification of the careers of Dennis and Ernie. Don't forget that.'
Benoit Moreau was losing her faith. We pac maw would not save her from an enraged Gaudet. Once the French discovered the truth, it would take Gaudet only minutes on the e-mail to find out that the French were after his ass and as sume that she was up to something. Trotsky's suggestion that she be killed sounded appealing in comparison to what Gaudet was capable of.
This bathroom had a window that was latched with rubber- handled, L-shaped locks. Quickly she experimented-they opened enough for her to crawl out and jump, but it was twenty stories down and there were no ledges. She pressed her face to the glass and looked up for a ledge of some sort. What she saw shocked her. A rope led upward to a horizontal surface, apparently the aluminum carriage of a window cleaner's platform.
'Is anybody up there?' she called.
'Yeah. Sam's window washers.'
Oh, thank god, she thought. 'Hurry!'
After the video conference Sam walked out the door of the FBI building and took a cab. In the cab he placed three calls. One was to the vice president's staff to grease the skids and to get them reaching down the chain of command, even as Ernie and Dennis were crawling up. The second was to Dr. Carl Fielding. Although he was a Harvard applied mathematician whose expertise was modeling brain func tion, he was familiar with the technology in question and was Sam's go-between with the internal medicine people interested in Chaperone. Never in Sam's career had he so seriously risked his reputation. If this didn't work, he would be finished with big government contracts. And the world would have even greater concerns, he reminded himself.
The third was to Jill.
'Benoit and Gaudet have now moved to a Trump condominium complex. I had probably twenty men around the St. Regis.'
'Sam, you-'
'In three minutes, call Whalen for all the details. He knows more than I do.' He hung up.
Sam dialed Whalen.
'The guys were hanging just above the bathroom window like you said, about to put a mike on the window, and Benoit Moreau called to us. Then somebody grabbed her and that was that.'
'What do you mean somebody grabbed her?'
'Someone inside the apartment. We couldn't get in touch with you, so we just took a chance and sent everybody out in the open and one team right through the front door.'
