Deep Sleep (Devin Gray #1)(71)



“We went through the rest of the names and disqualified anyone with a sensitive or an on-call position in state or federal government, along with anyone at a high-enough level in that we might be running an outsize risk by grabbing them. Anyone protected for sure.”

The list dropped to less than twenty names.

“That doesn’t leave us a lot to work with,” said Berg.

“Even less if we want to avoid five-day car rides,” said Graves, clicking his mouse and eliminating everyone west of the Rockies.

Twelve names remained.

“We may as well focus on opportunities within easy or easier driving distance of the Ozarks,” said Rich.

“That leaves us with Susan Belker. Secretary of state for Missouri,” said Graves.

“Too high profile,” said Rich.

“Harrison Jeffries. Deputy chief of staff to the attorney general in Illinois?” said Graves.

“That’s a possibility.”

“Or William Barber, the supervising deputy attorney general for the litigation division in Indiana?” said Graves.

“Let’s look at Barber’s profile,” said Rich.

“These seem like low-profile jobs for Russian sleeper agents,” said Scott.

“State-level secretary of state is a stepping-stone toward governor, which can launch a national political career,” said Berg. “Deputy chief of staff to the AG puts you in a position to run for AG, and failing that, an appointment to the state supreme court or US district court. The sky’s the limit from there. Politics. Higher courts. Same with a supervising deputy attorney general position. Governor. AG. Courts. Politics. These are solid roles.”

Barber’s face appeared on the screen.

“William Barber. Forty-four years of age. Married to Stacy Barber. Same age. She works as an IT specialist at Defenders in Indianapolis. That’s an ADT subsidiary.”

“As in the home security company?” asked Devin.

“Yes. ADT bought them out a few years ago,” said Gupta. “That’s actually good news. We have some regularly updated, custom hack kits for ADT systems. We can shut it down so it’ll look like it’s still working.”

“That’s a disturbing thought,” said Marnie.

“Just a little,” said Devin.

Graves continued. “They have two children, David and Melissa. Sixteen and fifteen years old, respectively. All-American family.”

“That’s how it’s supposed to look,” said Berg. “What do you think, Rich?”

“Can you bring up an image of their neighborhood?” asked Rich.

Gupta brought up a Google Earth satellite image of a wooded lot on a golf course. An expansive patio featuring a pool and hot tub. The level of detail they could glean about the property from this publicly available tool was disturbing.

“Nice and private. Easy access to the backyard from the golf course. We won’t even have to drive up to the house, until we’re ready to leave. And it doesn’t look like a gated community,” said Rich. “Can you confirm that?”

The image shifted a few times, zooming in to street level on a few of the roads leading into the neighborhoods surrounding the golf course. No gates.

“I say we start with William Barber,” said Rich.

“Looks about as good as it gets,” said Berg. “Not too far of a drive from the Ozarks, if we manage to strike gold.”

“Seven hours and thirty-seven minutes,” said Gupta.

“Harrison Jeffries will be our backup plan,” said Rich.

“Rich?” said Marnie. “Or Karl?”

Rich took a sip of his coffee before answering. “Yeah?”

“Why don’t we just digitally package this entire room and send it to every media outlet in the country? Put it in their hands and let the chips fall where they may. Post it online if they won’t take it seriously,” said Marnie. “I’m not doubting this team’s abilities, but we are talking about a long shot strategy here. Exposing the entire network, or at least what Helen uncovered, would effectively shut it down, right?”

Rich glanced at Berg, who addressed what Devin considered to be an excellent suggestion.

“It’s tempting, but here’s why I fear it won’t work,” said Berg. “One: The Russians will deny everything and feign outrage. Two: We have things like due process, courts, evidentiary standards, and a whole list of other safeguards designed to protect our own citizens, and everyone on Helen’s list is entitled to them, particularly the second-generation sleepers who were born in the US. The names would be public, so the government couldn’t pull any of their secret shenanigans. And all of the first generation is deceased, so they can’t confess. Wilson was the last alleged sleeper, and Helen shot him to death after stuffing him in the back of her trunk. This is sounding crazier by the minute to the public and the ACLU—and the Department of Justice task force assembled to investigate this bombshell conspiracy theory.”

“But it would draw an unhealthy amount of attention to the conspiracy—and the network,” said Devin. “Stopping it.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. The alleged sleepers would leave their jobs, because that’s what a normal person assumed by colleagues to be a spy would do, so we would have accomplished that much. But then what? The most dangerous sleepers may be the ones your mother didn’t find.”

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