The Chain(82)

“We download the app, see if it works. If we can find them, we’ll locate their residence and call the police.”

“And if we can’t?”

“We call Ginger and tell her everything and ask her to take Kylie into protective custody. Then I guess we turn ourselves in.”

Pete looks at her. “How long do you think we have?”

“I don’t know. Hours? Let’s get started,” Rachel says.

She turns on Erik’s app. It has downloaded successfully but when she tries to open it, a message flashes on the phone’s home screen: For this app to work you need to enter the next number in this sequence: 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 20…If you enter the wrong number your phone will be locked and all devices associated with your account will be disabled for twenty-four hours.

Rachel shows the message to Pete.

“That is a powerful bit of tech. We need the exact digits or we’re screwed,” Pete mutters.

“What about the number pattern? Recognize it?”

He shakes his head. “It’s not prime numbers. It’s not the sum of the numbers before. It’s not any series that I know of offhand.”

“We get only one shot at this. If we mess this up, we won’t be able to get back in until tomorrow.”

“And tomorrow will be too damn late.”

“Eight, nine, ten, fifteen, sixteen, twenty,” Rachel says aloud.

“I’ll Google it,” Pete says, but all he gets are links to YouTube videos teaching kids how to count.

Rachel closes her eyes and tries to think. What sequence is this? It’s something she has seen before somewhere.

“An additional security protocol makes no sense at this stage, does it, Pete?” she says, thinking out loud. “I mean, Erik knows that the only person who is going to download this app is me. Right?”

“That’s right,” Pete agrees.

“And possibly The Chain, if The Chain has gotten his notebook and begun deciphering it. So what code would he have introduced here that would slow them down but allow me to pass through freely?”

“I don’t know,” Pete says.

Rachel puts the phone down on the table and paces the living room. Rain pounds on the skylight. A foghorn sounds from the Coast Guard ship.

“Something from your philosophy background?” Pete suggests.

“All he knows about me is that I have cancer, I’m a mom, and my team is the New York—shit, I have it!”

She picks up the phone and types in 23.

A message flashes on the screen: That is the correct number. You may start the application after entering your username.

“Twenty-three?” Pete says. “I don’t get it. It’s prime, but twenty isn’t prime.”

“They’re retired Yankees’ numbers. A Bostonian’s not going to know that, but a Yankees fan will,” Rachel says.

The app opens up on a map of the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. The app is simple and user-friendly. There’s a green Begin Trace button and a red End Trace button. The simplicity, however, conceals some pretty clever mathematics and statistical analysis.

“What’s the username?” Pete asks.

Rachel types Rachel.

Username not recognized. Two more login attempts, a message on the screen says.

She types Erik.

Username not recognized. One more login attempt.

She types Ariadne.

A screen full of text appears.

Welcome, Ariadne. This app should work with text messages and with phone communications. The beta version will also work, to some extent, with encrypted communication apps. Version 2 will work with most encrypted message apps. Simply click the red button when you are on the phone and this app will attempt to locate the cell phone tower nearest to the call’s point of origin. The longer you are in communication with your interlocutor, the closer and more accurate the app will be.



She shows the text to Pete.

He reads it, nods. “So if they respond to your Wickr text with Wickr only, it might not work.”

“I guess not.”

“If we weren’t under time pressure, I’d say wait until tomorrow morning. Sunday morning, early, most people are generally at home. Saturday afternoon…”

“It’s now or never. We have to take the gamble.”

“OK, then.”

“Here goes,” Rachel says.

She clicks the Wickr button on her phone and begins typing.

I was thinking about what you said on Thanksgiving. I want to know if there’s a way of getting off The Chain forever. I’m having nightmares. My daughter gets terrible stomach cramps. Can we somehow buy ourselves off The Chain permanently? Thank you.

She shows the message to Pete and sends it to Wickr 2348383hudykdy2.

Ten minutes later, she gets a notification that her interlocutor is sending her a response. She clicks Begin Trace, and Erik’s hunter-killer algorithm powers up immediately.

It is a pleasant surprise to hear from you. It is a little early for Christmas presents, don’t you think? It is with regret that I must inform you that we do not offer the service you require, the message says.

The GPS map on Rachel’s phone lights up, but then nothing happens. The map freezes and the app crashes. She stabs at the screen, but it’s dead.