The Gillespie Five (A Political / Conspiracy Novel) - Book 1 (42) (26 page)

Evidence that didn't exist until a few weeks ago. 

Jane's words echoed in his head, stirring his earlier doubts.  

The evidence
had
seemed to appear rather suddenly.  He remembered thinking that they had appeared almost conveniently, not too long after a rather heated conversation with Barrett. 

Gillespie let his mind wander back over past conversations, the doubts beginning to grow until he found himself reaching for the phone and making a few discrete calls.  Once he had given his instructions to a variety of people, with somewhat nebulous titles, he turned his attention back to his calendar and awaiting meetings.  He was confident that he would get the responses he expected no later than tomorrow.  And the response he expected was affirmation that the detainees
were
, in fact, guilty, and the doctor had just made a mistake.  If not, heads would roll. 

Chapter Fifty-One

"What do you mean she
visited
Gillespie?  What about?"

"We're not sure.  We caught nothing on her phone or her communications.  She must have used the hotel lobby phone or something."

Fessacchione!

Yuri clenched his jaw to keep from actually saying the thought out loud.  As his jaw began to ache, he willed himself to unclench his teeth.  Instead he told his brother, "Find.  Out.  Now!" 

Slamming the desk phone down, Yuri began pacing the floor. 

Tutto per la famiglia,
he kept telling himself.  Everything for the family.  But Gregor's screw ups just kept mounting.  Could he never do anything right? 

Maybe it was time Gregor met with an accident
. 

The recurring thought traipsed through his mind, reminding him that it wasn't like they hadn't gotten rid of other family members before.  Of course
they
had been traitors.  But how much different was Gregor from them?  In the end they had both fucked the family over.

He would have to think of that later though. Jumping online, he opened one of the private chatrooms and sent out an invite.  Not waiting for a response he typed,

Why was the doctor in Denver and why did she go see the senator?

A second later the invitee entered.

?!?!?! no idea.  no word from the watchers.

Nothing from the inner circle?

nope. not sure why she went. there was a mention about a plan c but no details.  don’t think they executed yet.

find out!

Yuri, abruptly logged off and turned to his more immediate priority.  Though they had gathered momentum, he and his team needed to continue to prod the hackers who had joined their cause toward ever increasing acts of outrageousness.  Of course it had been so much easier than he’d anticipated.  Thanks to the help from the Robin Hood wannabe, self-designated ‘watchers’, they were making more headway in the last several weeks than they had seen in years.  It was a shame the idiot do-gooders didn’t realize it. 

Even now, several of the world's governments – each prompted by key persons from supporting families – were readily passing new, or rewriting existing, laws around internet access and use.  These stricter laws would allow the families to advance one of their agendas – to control exactly what people did and did not have access to – in
all
countries instead of just the few they already had control of.  And all of it under the guise of protecting the innocent. 

But they had just gotten started and too many officials seemed to need more prodding.  The protest attacks in support of freeing the Gillespie Five were still too cautious.  If they were going to keep building the momentum, that would have to change.  And Yuri had a few ideas that should accomplish just that. 

In the meantime, he would have to wait and see how, or if, Gillespie responded.  He would also, unfortunately, have to take the doctor out of the equation. 

Chapter Fifty-Two

The blaring sound of his phone ringing, pulled Barrett out of deep sleep.  As the obnoxious sound continued, he glanced groggily at the hotel’s bedside clock.  It was only five a.m. 

Wiping the sleep from his eyes, he noticed the caller ID.  It was Gillespie.  Barrett had expected a call, just not so damn early.  After all, having spent the last several days chasing a lead they ended up losing, they had unexpectedly stumbled on another lead that looked promising.  And
this
lead looked as if it might net them, not one, but two additional people to add to the current group of detainees.  He had sent such a message to Gillespie late last night and was certain Gillespie would call to get more details and to congratulate him.

"What the
hell
is going on?"

"Excuse me, sir?"

"I just got off the phone with a few of
my
people and between what they have told me and what Doctor Lyndsay had to say, we really do not have jack shit! In fact, I have reason to believe all of the allegations we have against the detainees are nothing but a pack of damn lies!"

Barrett
hadn't
expected this.

"Sir, I'm afraid I don't know what you are talking about."

"Do not give me that lame ass excuse.  You know damn well what I am talking about!  We are holding innocent American citizens!"

Barrett's mind raced.  The doctor had obviously told him her version of things but she couldn’t have known they’d fabricated everything.  He would deal with her later.  But who else had Gillespie been talking to? 

"Sir, I can assure you we are
not
holding innocent citizens.  We have irrefutable evidence of their guilt.  I am sure the doctor shared her lack of findings, and we never stated we found anything through our interrogations. In fact the detainees were remarkably resistant.   But the evidence doesn't lie, sir.  Doctor Lyndsay spoke with me herself and I assured her that while I had no doubt she was good at dealing with war prisoners, her techniques just didn't work here."

He paused, waiting.  After several moments passed he said tentatively, "Sir?"

"I want you in my office
tomorrow
with everything you have and where and how you got it.  Tomorrow!  Is that understood?"

Barrett wanted to tell him that what he
understood
was that Gillespie was a pompous, self-righteous asshole who couldn’t tell a hacker from a hole in the wall.  Instead, he replied with, "Sir, we are chasing down two possible real leads in your case that I think we may be able to close in the next day or two.  And I’m not sure I can get a flight out of D.C. this late."

There was strained silence on the phone and then the clacking sound of someone typing on a keyboard, before Barrett heard, "Then be in my office first thing Monday morning!  And, Barrett?"

"Sir?"

"If I have any reason to doubt what you show me, I will wash my hands of you and throw you to the press."

The line went dead and Barrett threw his phone across the room.  It shattered on impact. 

For a long moment he stared at the scattered pieces, then, picking up the office phone, he dialed a number that had become all too familiar to him.

"Hello?"

"The doctor has been talking to the senator." 

"We know."

"You
knew
?  When were you planning on telling me?"

"Not important.  What did he say?"

Barrett tried to brush off his annoyance as he repeated what Gillespie had said and finished with, "He wants me there first thing Monday morning."

"Okay.  You can handle the senator.  But there has been a slight change in plans.  Once you get the information in front of him, we need you to prompt him to expedite the transportation of the detainees to a federal facility and ready them for prosecution.  As soon as possible."

"Why the hurry?"

"Too many people asking too many questions.  It’s time to move forward.  Can you make it happen?"

Thinking about how well the neurolinguistics training had worked on Gillespie before, Barrett responded with, "Sure.  I can do that.  But what about the doctor?  I can start an investigation –"

"We’ll handle her."

Barrett heard the line go dead and swore.  He was getting tired of people hanging up on him. 

00100000011000010111001001100101001000000110000101110111

The alarms sent Michael shooting out of bed and running for his computer.  After not seeing any activity yesterday, he hadn’t been sure if the keyloggers were active.  Being attached to his computer, he couldn’t imagine why Gillespie hadn’t logged in all day yesterday.  He had just been speaking wit
h
µ
β
and wondering about how to get another set of keyloggers in the office, thinking the other's batteries had died or that something was interfering with their transmission.  They already knew that the other keylogger had not made it to its destination, so this was their only chance.

Typing in a few commands, he read the messages and let out a loud whoop.  The wireless keyloggers were not only active, they were recording.  They had their in.

Shooting off a quick encrypted email t
o
µ
β
, Michael started the process that would begin downloading all of the information to a shared server location.  The first step would be to run a few customized programs, searching the captured data for accounts and passwords.  Depending on how much data they had captured, this step alone could take several hours.  And then there would be the not so fun task of sifting through all of the data looking for key terms that would hopefully net them exactly what they were looking for.  Forgetting that he had gone to bed just a few hours ago, Michael began setting everything else up they would need, wondering what they would find.  

Glancing at the clock, he realized that though it was past time for school, his mom had never come to wake him up.  Absently he wondered if she'd even come home the night before.  He hadn't actually seen her in several days.  Just the odd text to let him know he needed to do some chore or another. 

There was a brief flicker of disappointment, coupled with a little sadness that Michael was getting used too.  But his thoughts and feelings were quickly erased in his excitement to find out exactly what flies they had caught in their trap.  He imagined that the next series of attacks, armed with inside information, were going to be off the charts compared to the ones they had already executed.

He fist pumped the air in his excitement and then went back to typing.

Chapter Fifty-Three

John had been camping on top of a cliff for three days, watching the small fenced in area surrounding a barely discernable doorway.  So far he had seen only a handful of soldiers and suits coming and going.  But that type of activity in the middle of nowhere had been enough to keep him around. 

It had taken a little over a week, since his arrival, before the tribal council would agree to allow him here.  But he had not protested.  The Ute did things their own way and he wasn't about to burn any bridges he might need later.  Once the council had made their decision, it had been Kaib who’d led John to where he now lay hidden.  On their way, Kaib - whose name meant 'Mountain' and, at 6'4, did the moniker justice – had explained that there was seldom activity in this area but that had changed a few months ago.  He mentioned several military and black government vehicles had been driving in and out, bringing in people and equipment.  But Kaib couldn't confirm if the people John was looking for had been among them.  When John had asked about the door into the cliff, he'd received the answer he had suspected.  The door led to an extensive, mostly undocumented, underground compound built in the early 1950's to house government officials in case of a nuclear attack.  The government hadn't asked if they could build it on Ute territory.  Like everything else, they had just taken what they wanted when they wanted it. 

John smiled, recalling one of the tribesman's tales about how the chairman of the tribal council had gotten monetary retribution some years later with a combination of blackmail and good old fashioned cunning.  That was one of many unofficial stories on how the Southern Utes had begun to pull themselves out of poverty when other tribal nations were drowning in it.   But it was far from the only story.  The Ute leaders had used their cunning and sheer genius to pull off several successful ventures that had served the tribe well over the years.  John had long admired their skills and their determination to do more than try and preserve traditions the old fashioned way, and instead embrace those things that could keep them solvent and relevant in an increasingly careless world.  He often thought other tribal nations could take lessons.

Sound from below caught his attention.  Pulling out his antireflective binoculars, John zoomed in just as the door opened.  Quickly adjusting his desert ghillie suit and equipment camouflage, he watched as a soldier came into view, followed by three civilians and another soldier.  A few seconds later, two more civilians were led out.  Turning on the bionic ear device he'd purchased several days earlier, he made sure the parabolic booster was oriented correctly, and settled in to listen and watch.

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Alex waited until the guards had retreated back to the door before approaching his nephew.  He saw the shock on Tommy's face when he noticed Alex. 

Alex tried to give him a reassuring smile, but winced when the small cut in the corner of his mouth opened.  "Hey kiddo."

"Why did they hit you again?  I thought they had everything they wanted."

Alex shrugged.  "I don't know.  Something about my time with the doctor and what she had been asking me."  He didn’t add that the questions the guards and suits were asking also revolved around if he knew where she might have been for the last several days.

As if reading his thoughts, Tommy asked, "Have you seen Jane?"

Alex tightened his lips and shook his head.  "No.  Not since Monday." 

He looked at Tommy, thankful that they had not started questioning him again.  But he didn’t have the heart to tell Tommy that he wasn’t sure if Jane
was
coming back.  Or, if she
should
.  And that was if she was still alive.

"Do you think they'll come to ask the rest of us questions again?"

"No."

"How do you know?"

Alex gave Tommy's shoulder a reassuring squeeze and winked.  "Give your uncle some credit, kid.  I know things."

Tommy's head snapped up, his eyes flashing, "I'm not a
kid
anymore."

Alex stared at him, unsure what to say and Tommy looked away, dropping his gaze back to the ground. 

After a moment, Alex said, "No.  I don't suppose you are any more.  Just about as big as your dad."

Tommy snorted.  "Whatever."

His uncle laughed. 

"Don't worry.  You'll fill out soon enough.  I'm betting you'll
top
your dad.  That'll be something to see.  Maybe you could take him down in a wrestling match a time or two for me. 
That'd
shut him up about all his victories over his little brother."

Tommy grunted.  "That'll be the day." 

"Hey!  You commie rag headed scum, I said answer me!"

Tommy and Alex turned to find Wayne going after Uday.  Again. The last time Wayne had swung at Uday, he'd found himself on the ground.  It seemed that Uday would only take so much.  But he wasn't a fighter and Wayne had been trying to get back at him ever since.  As before, the guards were doing nothing to stop Wayne, and Alex wondered what sick enjoyment they were getting from this.

Glancing at Frank, he nodded, heading over to the two.  Before they could get there Wayne hit Uday.  Uday swung back and suddenly they were going at it full on. 

Alex and Frank both moved at the same time, Alex grabbing Uday while Frank took Wayne.  In a quick move, they both twisted each man's arm behind their backs while bending their thumbs down.  Both of the guys went to their knees and Alex immediately released Uday who stood up, brushing himself off, and walked to the far corner of the yard, kneeling once more to pray.

Frank hadn't let go of Wayne, who was screaming, "Get your fucking hands off of me!" 

Despite the almost impossible angle Frank held his arm, Wayne continued to curse and struggle. Frank twisted a little harder before finally releasing him and Wayne shot up, taking a swing.  Blocking it easily, Frank threw a right hook that sent Wayne crashing to the ground.  A moment later, the guards stepped in, taking Frank by each arm and led him away.  

They took Alex next.  Glancing over his shoulder, he gave his nephew – who seemed both surprised and horrified - what he hoped was a reassuring look before he was pushed forward by one of the guards. 

So much for a break
, Alex thought, as he was shoved through the door and almost down the stairs.  A guard reached out to steady him, but Alex got the impression it had been done reluctantly. 

Idly he wondered how much longer it would be before the long term captivity got to the guards as well.  When it did, it would just be a matter of time before they went from getting their entertainment from watching the detainees fight, along with the occasional interrogation session, to something a little more along the lines of creating a series of 'accidents'.  The type that usually led to broken bones and, in some cases, death.  Alex hoped for Tommy's sake, as well as all of the others, that whatever Jane and µβ were doing, it worked and it worked soon.