Fate (Wilton's Gold #3) (16 page)

Wanting to check on Jeff after taking the elevator up to the atrium, Dexter walked across the expansive floor, nodding to a few co-workers he recognized as they hurried past him in their daily business. He stopped to talk to one of his colleagues who had just gotten back from New Orleans to ask how his trip had been, then badged into the secure area where the exam room was. He followed the hallway to the room where he’d dropped Jeff off. The door was still closed, which likely meant his friend was still inside. He checked his phone again, not wanting to stick around if he didn’t need to. But he wanted to mention to Jeff the possible connection the program had found.

He purposefully had not shown Jeff any reaction to his choice of the Gold Rush when he’d named it as his destination, and Jeff hadn’t made a point of bringing it up to him either. He figured Jeff intended it to be a silent understanding between the two of them. It was a terrible idea to highlight Wilton, but Dexter knew that, even if he’d had the chance to try to change his mind, it wouldn’t have worked. Jeff was planning something.

Choosing not to wait, he started to turn and leave but the door opened suddenly. Jeff came out, and past him Dexter could see Victoria collecting her supplies at the end of the table. “Impeccable timing,” he said, to which Jeff nodded. “How’d it go?”

“It was fine,” he said, grabbing Dexter by the arm and leading him down the hallway away from the room.

“What’s going on?”

“I’ve just got to talk to you,” he said.

They pushed through the security doors and out into the atrium, where Jeff let go of his arm. They walked quickly but casually across the floor, past the guards and out the main doors into the cold air. Jeff pointed at a grouping of picnic tables in an overly landscaped area of the USTP grounds.

“What’s up?” Dexter asked once they were seated.

“Do you think there are microphones here?”

He looked around. “No, I don’t think so. Why?”

“I’m just learning we can’t be too careful,” he said. “I need to find Agent Fisher. Tonight. Do you know how I can reach him?”

“Agent Fisher? Why?”

Jeff shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I just need to get hold of him.”

“Geez, I have no idea,” he said. “Have you seen him today? It’s possible he’s here somewhere.”

“I don’t get the sense from talking to him that he’s stationed here. I think that he’s working on USTP work, but I don’t know that he’s officially assigned. I think the link is me.”

“Honestly, Jeff, I don’t know him that well.”

Jeff sighed and leaned his elbows on the table.

“Why did you choose the Wilton Heist as your destination?”

His friend laughed, looking back up at him. “Honestly? I don’t know. I was just having some fun. Couldn’t think of anything else that might trick the system into making a clear mistake.”

“You could’ve chosen anything in history, and you choose somewhere where you have an actual connection. And somewhere where I have a connection. I can’t believe you did that.”

“Well, I didn’t think anyone could make that connection, except for what’s written in the journal,” he said. “Which is nothing. A pipe dream. There wasn’t anyone really, besides you and me, who knew about it. Oh yeah, and Victoria.”

“And the fact that your device was found…Wait, Victoria?”

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “Idiot other me told her about it.”

“For someone who’s worried about planted microphones in the grass, you’re being awfully haphazard.”

He held up his head. “Alright. It was stupid. What do you want me to do?”

“Well, now it’s more stupid,” Dexter said, annoyed at his aloofness. “The computer found a link between you and your destination, and I think it’s me.”

“You?”

“Yes. There was what we call a proximity alert, which means that you or someone close to you was in close vicinity of the targeted destination. This particular one was someone in your inner circle making some kind of traceable action in Sacramento, four years ago. Sound familiar?”

He looked confused. “Yeah, but how would they be able to trace you to me? Inner circle? I don’t understand.”

“They said social media, business transactions… There’s all kinds of connections they can make,” he said.

“Well, I don’t do social media,” Jeff said. “Oh, wait – you know what? I used to have you on that Friend Finder app on my phone. I wonder if…”

“Don’t wonder, Jeff. It’s that scary.”

Jeff clapped his hands. “Duh,” he said. “This isn’t as confusing as we think. We work together. Our names show up on the same payroll.”

Dexter smiled. “Okay, that one was right in front of my face. I’m overwhelmed by all of this intrigue.”

“I’m assuming you’re talking about the trip to the Gold Rush Museum?”

“Has to be.”

Jeff buried his face in his hands for a moment, quietly thinking. Dexter found himself succumbing to his friend’s anxiety about being watched or listened in on, and searched the surrounding area for any signs of tracking. He didn’t see anything, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.

“I need Fisher,” Jeff said into his hands, then looked up.

“What about the connection? They’re going to research it, and if it’s me, they’re going to think something’s up.”

He was shaking his head, correcting him. “I’m not worried about that,” he said. “Couple reasons. You’re a well-traveled historian. Why would it be strange that you might be in Sacramento? You’ve probably traveled lots of places to do research, not to mention conferences, speaking engagements, your own personal travel. Them trying to make that into a connectable incident would be a pretty big stretch.”

“But I didn’t say anything when they brought it up. Won’t they think that’s strange?”

“What would you say? ‘I went to Sacramento once’? Who cares?”

“What’s the other reason?”

“The other reason is that our friend Abby is the one analyzing the data. I don’t imagine she’ll throw either of us under the bus.”

“Let’s hope not,” he said. Jeff’s points were good. Only a few hours ago, he’d been accusing Jeff of being a conspiracy theorist. Now
he
was getting bent-out-of-shape about a line of data in the midst of a trillion other lines of data. Though, he was confused about why he himself was having a guilty conscience about something they’d never actually done. Probably because he was planning his own subterfuge to come. Which was not his strong suit.

“So, no ideas on Fisher?”

Dexter shook his head. “How do you find an FBI agent? Unless... No, that won’t work.”

“What won’t?”

“Well, you think he’s assigned to you, right? As opposed to the program in general?” Jeff nodded. “Maybe if you do something stupid, you’ll attract his attention. Get him to come to you.”

He watched Jeff think. “Do something stupid,” his friend repeated thoughtfully. “That might work. I wonder if it’d get his attention fast enough. I don’t want to do anything that will cause permanent harm. You know?”

“Use their tracking you to your advantage. Go somewhere. Or, no how about this... Make a phone call to someone that would be suspicious. From your hotel room.” He brainstormed as he talked. “I got it... Call Russia. Call Russia from your hotel phone. Make them wonder why.”

Jeff was nodding. “Yes, yes. That might work. I’ll have Fisher all over me in no time if I do that. Good thinking.”

“See? I can be devious too.”

“Well, you’d better use your deviousness and get planning on how you’re going to stop Benjamin Kane,” Jeff said. “The window of opportunity is shrinking.”

Dexter’s plan played like a fiddle. Jeff had rushed home and called the office where he remembered Ekaterina Batrudinov – the woman who had led him through his Russian adventure – worked, and within a half-hour Agent Fisher called him. He started off simply with, “What the hell are you doing?” It hadn’t even carried an admonishing tone, more one of exasperation. But Jeff was pleased that the gambit had worked.

He’d told Fisher that he needed to continue their conversation as soon as possible, and Fisher had responded that his timing was perfect. He’d given Jeff instructions to meet him on East Basin Drive, the road right behind the Jefferson Memorial in Washington. About a half-hour drive once rush hour had cleared out.

That was where Jeff now sat in his rental, waiting for Fisher to show himself. He hadn’t offered any details on the phone as to why he was meeting him there, so Jeff realized it all could have been a giant set-up. But Jeff had felt that their last conversation was significant enough to create some degree of trust between them, and made himself comfortable with the decision to blindly follow his instructions. Besides, he’d reasoned, it wasn’t as if the FBI couldn’t find him when and as they needed him, so there really was no need for misdirection.

As he sat, he recollected his day starting with Bremner’s frightening linkage of threat analysis to past events. From the moment that he’d determined human time travel was possible, what the USTP was doing – or what he suspected they were doing – had been his greatest fear. In the wrong hands, time travel was quite possibly the most dangerous weapon man had ever constructed. Certainly, there were good things that could be accomplished with it from a scientific perspective, including a greater understanding of the universe in which they lived, but from a military or societal perspective, absolute catastrophe was a legitimate concern.

Then there was Victoria’s comment about his “plans.” She’d deduced something from his conversation, or perhaps she knew enough about him from their prior relationship that she understood he wasn’t going to tolerate being out of control of his life for very long. He wondered what her intentions were with the diagnosis she’d made. But she had stopped recording during that line of questioning. As much as he was trying to work through everything, she seemed to be doing the same.

There was a knock on his window, which made his heart palpitate. He looked up to see Fisher standing next to his car, the very last remnants of daylight setting behind him. Jeff pushed open the car door and got out.

“Do you think you were followed?” Fisher asked.

He laughed. “I would assume so. Though, if you’re the one who’s supposed to be following me, then I’m probably okay.”

“Well, we won’t stick around for long then.”

“Stick around?”

“Come with me.”

They walked briskly across the grounds of the Jefferson Memorial, which was now brilliantly lit. Jeff had visited as a teenager on a high school class trip from New Jersey, and hadn’t seen the Memorial this close since then. They walked past the structure to the edge of the water in the Tidal Basin, where they stopped, facing the Washington Monument, and beyond it, the White House.

“Alright, here’s the story,” Fisher said once they could no longer see another human being. “Ever since you ran, we installed a system to check on the status of the time devices. When one is removed from the security facility, Bremner and I are automatically alerted. That’s whether it’s legitimate or unauthorized. It’s really only a failsafe that would lead to an investigation later, because if a device is taken, it’s probably already too late to do anything about it. Since you disappeared, there have been no
unauthorized
removals of a device. And there probably won’t be. The system is too well-equipped.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Jeff asked. He started to think that Fisher was subtly telling him how to get to the devices. But why the strange location?

“One of the devices was removed today.”

“Oh. But you just said-”

“It was legitimate. It was taken by the USTP director.”

“Bremner?”

“Yes. And don’t look like you’re trying to see something, but he’s about a hundred yards behind us.”

“What’s he doing?”

Fisher sighed deeply. “This is the location I was telling you about. I’ve tracked him here a few times now. He legitimately checks out one of the devices, supposedly for analysis, and then brings it here. He uses the device, disappears, and then reappears in about a minute and leaves. He’s been doing this for some time.”

“And you’ve been following him?”

“This is the third time I’ve followed him. Outside of the 15 or 16 trips they’ve sold, and the one where you ran away, the only times the devices have been removed from security were when Bremner took them.”

Jeff peeked over his shoulder. Sure enough, Dr. Bremner was inching along the side of the monument. He appeared to be out of sight of anyone but them, so Jeff quickly turned back around. “You said you see the records of the missions?”

“Yes. I do monthly checks on the devices and can get the coordinates history.”

“You do this in the room where they’re held?”

“Yes.”

“He doesn’t seem to be very worried about getting caught. Am I missing something?”

Fisher shook his head. “No, he doesn’t. Which tells me one of two things: One, he thinks he’s infallible; or two, he’s got all the authorization he needs to do what he’s doing.”

“But wait,” Jeff said. “Didn’t Dexter say that after I left they changed the system to require simultaneous security checks for access to the devices?”

“Yep.”

“So Bremner has an accomplice?”

“He does.”

Jeff looked at him in the dark for a moment. “It’s not you, is it? I’m sorry, that came out wrong. They don’t have you get Bremner into the room, do they? That’s what I meant to say.”

“No, Dr. Jacobs, it’s not me,” Fisher said with a tone telling Jeff he wasn’t pleased with the insinuation. You’re going to have to get used to the fact that the military is now in charge of your technology.”

It dawned on him. “It’s that general from the meeting yesterday morning, isn’t it?” He tried to trace back to some of the conversation, but his thoughts were dominated by the supercomputer in the basement of the USTP analyzing “threats.” Any lingering doubts he might’ve had about what he was doing had officially vanished.

“General Carr, yes.” He saw Fisher turn and look behind them. “Yep, Bremner’s gone now. He’ll be back shortly. Let’s talk while we wait. What did you need from me?”

Jeff paused for a moment to focus his thoughts. He didn’t want to get so deep in conversation that they missed Bremner’s return. “I’m starting to buy into your theories,” he said. “I learned some stuff today about the computer system they’re using and, frankly, it’s frightening. They have the ability to eliminate any threat to the program, to the country, or to themselves personally, as they see fit – past or present. With what you’re showing me here, it appears that could be what Bremner is doing.”

Fisher was nodding along with him. “Yeah. That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“Man, I’d have to be on their short list, wouldn’t you think?” he asked. “I’ve run. I know more about time travel than anyone else because I’ve lived it. And because I didn’t know I was supposed to do so, I’ve given them no indication that I’m loyal to the program. Other than the fact that I invented it. Which could be interpreted either way.”

“How’d your tests go today?”

There was an ear-splitting crack behind them and they both jumped, turning without being able to stop themselves. There was Bremner, standing right where he’d been moments before. They composed themselves quickly and turned back to the water.

“Wow,” Jeff said. “That sure brings back a memory.”

“Yeah?”

He looked at Fisher. “I’ve only been on this side of a time travel once before – every other time I was the traveler. The Russian woman stole my device and traveled right into what was about to be a very dangerous situation – she’d come from the future, this time now, actually – and when she arrived, I heard that noise. Never forget it.” Despite their burgeoning relationship, Jeff didn’t feel comfortable telling Fisher that Ekaterina’s arrival in Belochkin’s backyard had actually been the second time he’d heard the sound. He’d heard it in the forest when Erica Danforth had arrived down the road from them in 1849.

“Well, it’s not very subtle.”

“No, it’s not.”

They looked again and Bremner was gone, so Fisher put his hand on Jeff’s shoulder and led him to their waiting cars. “How were the tests?”

“I don’t have the results back from the computer analysis yet,” he said. They walked slowly, knowing this was their opportunity to talk. “The psych exam was interesting. It turned more into a lovers' quarrel of sorts. Did you know that the other me was dating Dr. Graham?”

“I’ve told you. I didn’t know the other you.”

“Ah, that’s right. Well, it’s like a soap opera over there at USTP,” he said, drawing a laugh. “I’m doing the physical tomorrow, and they’re supposed to show me the results of the analysis, too.”

“That’ll be interesting. Always is.” They were walking underneath a tuft of trees. Jeff looked around. Bremner was nowhere in sight. “Don’t worry,” Fisher said. “He’s gone already. He drives a black Infiniti, which is usually parked right over there. It doesn’t behoove him to stick around.”

“Though, if they’re trailing me...”

“I thought of that,” Fisher said. “But no one knows the significance of this place. If you’re being followed, they’ll report back tomorrow that you came out here to meet me. It’ll look like some clandestine meeting that we’ll have to explain. But Bremner will put himself in harm’s way if he says anything about his presence here. What it could do is put us both a little higher on his list of ‘people to do something about.’ Me more than you. Though I suspect I’ve already made my way onto their list. But they still need you.”

“Why do they need me?” Jeff had a momentary inclination to also ask Fisher why he thought he was a target, but didn’t.

“My understanding is that the program is stuck. This is from scuttlebutt that I’ve heard, but the science hasn’t moved forward an inch since you left. From Bremner’s perspective, any covert ops on his agenda can only be sustained by legitimate scientific work. Without it, the USTP will start to become very political very fast.”

“That’s really great insight.”

“Just my theory,” he said, “but that’s the best I can do right now.”

Jeff stopped at the edge of the tree line. “I’m nervous,” he said. “Let’s stop here for a minute. I need some things from you. If I’m going to take a run at fixing this.”

“I thought you might. I have them in the car.”

“What do you have?”

“Your computer tablet and your old time device. I think your wallet’s in there too. Maybe your cell phone. But I need your absolute assurance that you’re going to do the right thing if I give them to you. And... I need your absolute assurance that saving my life is part of your plans.”

There was little light in the shadows, but Jeff looked him in the eye as best he could. He gambled that he could trust him. “You have both.”

“I was thinking about it,” Fisher said, “and realized that the only way this could be fixed is you going back in time and changing something. I haven’t come up with what yet, but I figure that’s your job. You know the science of it. Maybe you make yourself not leave, or maybe you do something to get in Bremner’s way. I don’t know. But please,
please
promise me that your plan is not just to go back to your present time and reenter your life, leaving everything else normal. I know that’s what you want to do – I’d want to do the same. But you invented this. The way I see it, you have a responsibility to protect us all from it.”

“Believe me, I feel that responsibility very strongly.”

“Good.”

“I still need access to the devices, though,” he said.

“Why’s that?”

“Power. My device is out of battery. I used the last charge to escape.”

Fisher sighed, looking past him to the Memorial. “Alright, let me think about how to make that happen.”

“One other thing,” Jeff said. “Can I get a phone number for you so I don’t have to put on a show to get your attention?”

He laughed. “Sure,” he said, then listed off the number.

Jeff took a pen from his pocket and wrote the number on his hand like a teenager. “Would you believe they haven’t
given
me a cell phone yet?”

“Yeah. I wouldn’t have either. That was pretty clever, calling Russia from your hotel phone.”

“Oh, I can’t take credit for that. That was Dexter’s idea for how to get your attention.”

They walked the rest of the way to the cars in silence. When they reached Fisher’s car, he turned to Jeff and said, “I can’t give you the stuff right here. Don’t look at it, but I’m guessing that suburban over there is your tail. What I want you to do is go out for a while – deliberately have them follow you. I’m going to go to your hotel and have these things put in your room while no one’s keeping an eye on it. Give me drive time plus an hour.”