While Justice Sleeps(62)

“Maybe Ling can explain what this means.” She tabbed the page and continued reading. For a few years, Hygeia produced lauded research, its innovations drawing international attention to Mumbai’s latest gem. Venture funding poured in from around the world, and the founder scored invitations to Davos and the Clinton Global Initiative.

    Then, abruptly, Hygeia folded. News clippings from the Indian press reported a fire sale of Hygeia’s assets to Advar Biogenetics, Ltd. Avery thumbed through the articles. Every one told the same story: rising star company crashes to earth. Everything came back to the GenWorks/Advar merger.

“Avery?”

She looked up to find Jared standing in the doorway. Glancing at the computer clock, she realized how late it had gotten. “Jared…hi. Lost track of time.”

“No worries. I talked to Noah, and he told me you were holed up in here reading. Any luck?”

“Not that I can tell.” Avery massaged the juncture at her neck and shoulder where a knot had begun to form. “What about you?”

“I think VGC is in Georgia.” Jared explained, “I went through all my mother’s boxes and found a photo album—lots of old pictures from when my mother and father and I were actually a family.” He sounded tired, looked emotionally drained as he leaned against the frame. His low voice continued: “Once a year, before she died, my parents would take a fishing trip together. After I came along, they kept up the tradition. We drove down to Black Rock Lake in the North Georgia mountains. The annual family road trip. Mom used to call the cabin her hiding place.”

Avery’s eyes lit up. “Your mother’s name was Vivian. Vivian’s Georgia Cabin.” Jared nodded and confirmed her guess.

“Your father liked games,” she said. “Everything is a chess match—move, countermove. To him, we’re just pieces trying to get across the board.”

“You want to quit playing?”

She gave a short, rueful laugh. “No—he knew I liked games too. I need to know what all this means.”

“I see why he picked you.” Jared stepped into the office. “Also, I pulled your phone records, like you asked. Tried to trace the unknown number.”

    “And?”

“Whoever called you bounced the number off several satellites. The trail was convoluted but not impossible to unravel. According to what I found, the call terminated in Raleigh, North Carolina.”

“Raleigh? Are you sure?”

“That’s where it landed. I had a friend in intelligence double-check my work. Someone from there went to a great deal of trouble to hide, only to leave a marker in the data trail.” Jared hesitated. “But no one who could ping satellites like that would be so sloppy at the end. There’s a backdoor that I’m trying to pick the lock on. Should give me an identity soon.”

“That’s what you do for a living? Pick electronic locks and chase satellites?”

“I have a number of special talents courtesy of Uncle Sam, and they are still willing to work with me, even though I can no longer serve.”

Noah appeared behind Jared. “What’s going on?”

“Jared discovered what VGC means. Vivian’s Georgia Cabin.” Standing, she stretched muscles that were cramped from hours of sitting. “You two up for a road trip?”

“How can you be sure that’s what he meant?” Noah asked. “Georgia is a long way to go for a scavenger hunt.”

“It has to be.”

Jared stared at her. “Why?”

“Because otherwise, I’m stuck.” She closed her eyes in exhaustion. “Justice Wynn said to look in between. I don’t have anywhere else to start.”

“What?” Both men asked the question in unison.

Jared added, “What are you talking about, Avery?”

In for a penny, she thought resignedly. “I got a message from his nurse on my machine at work yesterday.” She quickly explained what she’d learned.

“Did you call Mrs. Lewis?” Noah asked. “He was paranoid about her eavesdropping on him. Perhaps he was right to be suspicious. She might be able to unravel his clues.”

Avery repressed a shudder. “No, she won’t. Yesterday afternoon, I went to see her at her apartment. I found her body. She’d been shot in the head.”

    “Christ,” muttered Jared. “Do the police have any leads?”

“I don’t know. Other than trying to arrest me this morning, neither the FBI nor Homeland Security is being very forthcoming. But if her death is linked to Justice Wynn, the reason why may be what was on my answering machine.”

“Did my father leave any other clues? Other than VGC and the binder?”

“I found files on his computer that included several SMS text messages to India. He referenced the game Chessdynamo.com. There were two messages. Ani Is in the River. Find Ani. Another code: WHTW5730. On several of the messages, the subject was ‘In the square.’?”

“WHTW5730?” Jared gave a short chuckle in recognition. “When I was a kid, Dad liked to compare himself to William Howard Taft. If I were to guess, I’d assume the code uses his name and tenure. William Howard Taft Wynn, and the numbers are Taft’s dates of birth and death: 1857 to 1930.” He moved to Avery’s desk to grab a pen. “I don’t recognize the phrases about Ani, but WHTW5730 looks like a gamer’s handle.”