While Justice Sleeps(45)
“Spare me the psych rotation bullshit,” Avery shot back. “If I decide to help Justice Wynn, it will be because I think it’s the right thing to do. Not some daddy complex.”
“Even if you put yourself in danger? And me?” Ling reminded her. “If a crack addict could find you, Avery, whoever killed that woman can too.”
She had no answer for that. Taking a deep breath, she said, “Then it might be better if you didn’t stay here for a while.”
“You’re kicking me out of my own house?”
“It’s a temporary solution.” Avery dipped her head, the heel of her hand pressed tight against her forehead. “U.S. marshals are circling the building. I’ll ask the Chief to station one right outside the door.”
“And you won’t go outside?”
“I could be misunderstanding his message. We don’t know that I’m in danger.”
“You don’t misunderstand puzzles, Avery,” Ling countered.
“Then I’m going to help him because he asked me. He didn’t trust anyone else.”
“Apparently, he trusted you so much, he left you a handful of unintelligible clues and a crazy man pulling the fire alarm.” The sarcasm traveled clearly into the apartment, but before Avery could respond, Ling warned, “He’s not your responsibility. You don’t owe him your loyalty.”
Avery thought of the subway platform and the moment of chivalry. Her eyes closed, and her head fell against the sofa. “You’re wrong. I owe him. I just don’t know what he wants.”
* * *
—
Nigel Cooper studied the dossier on Avery Keene. Like most in DC, her vulnerabilities were easily discerned and exploited. His meetings with the congressional leaders had gone well, but she had to do her part. Hopefully, his gift would help her make the right choice.
As confirmation pinged on his computer screen, Nigel dialed his partner in crime.
“Nigel.”
“Did you get the information I sent?”
“I did.” In Bangalore, moonlight drifted across dark water, trailing alabaster beams in still waves. She sat on a marble bench along the footpath. At that hour, the few to wander the path were young, employees of call centers and laboratories chasing American ingenuity. Smog hung low over the city, swathing her in heat and the detritus of progress. “The restriction enzyme sequence GenWorks has been perfecting uses a disease similar to Boursin’s as a model for its sequencing.” Nigel’s lack of response forced Indira to bite off a sigh of disgust. “I forget you are not a scientist.”
“I’m a financier and a miracle worker,” he replied. “I got you Wynn’s medical records so you could explain the situation to me in terms I’ll understand.”
“Then I will be plain. Combine the work of Advar and GenWorks, and we can cure the disease.” On the bench, Indira’s fingers curled against the smooth stone. “The potential gene therapies would be based on use of haplogroups.”
“Tigris?”
“One and the same.”
“Fuck.”
“Precisely. Our Achilles’ heel is also a source of hope for Justice Wynn.”
“Could we save him?”
“No, even with our combined technology and resources, his case is far too advanced. However, Boursin’s is a hereditary neurological disease passed from father to son. Jared Wynn is thirty-one. He would not yet have begun to manifest symptoms, but the markers are there.”
“Wynn knew about Hygeia,” Nigel said. “But he couldn’t possibly have found out about Tigris. You’ve assured me that your team has dealt with that.”
“We did.” Indira stared across the pond. “All Justice Wynn would need to know is that we had a potential way to cure his son. His contact on the High Court gave him that already.”
“Hell of a lot of good that does us now. Unless we can keep his guardian from doing something stupid and taking him completely out of play.”
“That is your domain. I’ve transferred the funds authorized by the board. They should suffice.”
“We’re all set.”
“One more item, Nigel. Can you secure a blood sample from him?”
“You have his complete medical records.”
“I require a recent blood sample for my own tests.”
“Why?”
“I do not want to anticipate a new problem, but if I am correct, we have another issue.” Indira paused. “Secure the blood sample. I will keep looking.”
EIGHTEEN
Tuesday, June 20
Avery woke at half past six, one phrase echoing in her mind. Lasker Bauer. True chess aficionados knew about the match, and how foolhardy the gambit seemed. If the man who’d called her was connected to Justice Wynn, perhaps he’d know who or what an Ani was.
Until she heard from him, she’d try to decipher the rest of Justice Wynn’s message. Bleary-eyed, she wove her way into the kitchen and made her daily breakfast of cereal and milk. She retrieved a can of Diet Coke and climbed onto a stool at the breakfast bar. Absent motions added cereal and milk to the bowl, and she gulped deep, grateful for the hit of caffeine. Ready for her dose of news, she clicked on the television. And dropped her can on the Formica surface.