Trove (The Katie Walsh Mysteries) (26 page)

“I will assume, Dr. Walsh, that there was a malfunction with the call and that you did not hang up on me.”

Sounds good to me
, she thought. She felt he was not one to argue with or there’d be a price to pay. She didn’t like this guy, but until she could figure out his game, she better play along.

“As I emailed, I know that there is a strong connection between the runes and your past.”

Katie couldn’t help herself. She knew what he meant, but she had to figure out how much he knew. “What runes?”

He yelled, “DO NOT PLAY GAMES OR ELSE.”

“What do you want?” she asked calmly, her voice not betraying her trembling hands.

“I want the full translation the moment you figure it out.”

“What makes you think I can do it and why would I just give it to you?”

“If you can’t, I doubt anyone can.”

Who would know this about me
, she pondered.
I haven’t published anything related to runes. The only people who know about my knowledge would be…

She gasped. The answer took her breath away. It had to be someone at the Institute.

“Dr. Walsh?” the distorted voice called. “Dr. Walsh, are you still there?”

“Yes, yes, I’m still here.” She pulled on her hair.
Concentrate
, she chided. She hit the record button on the phone app, determined to save what she could of the conversation. She listened, trying to hear if there was anything in the background that would help her identify where the caller was or maybe who.

“Will you do it?” he asked, sounding like a hissing snake in the distorted static.

“Why? Tell me why I should. I don’t know who you are and the translation, assuming I can do it, may be nothing more than gibberish, a tantalizing glimpse into the past.”

“If I prove to you, in a good faith manner, that the information I have is important to you, then will you agree to give me the translation immediately upon completion?”

Katie exhaled. “So you’ll give your information first.”

“Yes,” the distorted voice hissed.

“Why would you do that? You give up your bargaining chip in exchange for the
chance
that I’ll up hold my end of the agreement. To put it politely, I could screw you royally.”

“I know you won’t. I know because the daughter of Anna and Lincoln Walsh was not raised in that manner.”

Katie gasped. “You knew my parents?” They’d been dead ten years. Who at the Institute would’ve known them? But this man intimated he knew them. He was a link to her past, her parents.

“Will you or won’t you, Dr. Walsh?”

She ran the scenarios in her head. What would she care if this nutcase got a copy of the translation? They were never straight forward and her interpretation might not be correct. He wasn’t asking for it to be valid. He was asking for her best faith translation. She’d never agreed to keep it confidential and the Institute would have access as part of the project notes, so she didn’t see a problem with forwarding the translation to the caller since he had to be connected to the Institute. She just needed to verify the person
was
attached to the Institute. “I need an honest answer from you.”

“Proceed.”

“Are you associated with the Institute? And if so, I need proof.” She waited almost a full minute for a response.

“Yes, I am connected to the Institute, and in fact, you know of me.”

She choked on an intake of air. “I knew it. I knew you had to be. I don’t suppose you’ll identify yourself?” Her skin crawled as the caller’s mechanically distorted laugh crackled in her ear. It was the eeriest, creepiest thing she’d heard. It belonged in a horror movie.

“Excellent try, Dr. Walsh, but no. I will tell you this. I keep close tabs on you. As a matter of fact, I know that you and Dr. MacGowan were previously acquainted before he was hired.”

She felt a pit in the hollow of her stomach as the butterflies fluttered, readying to take flight. “Yes, I met him in London last week.”

“Don’t play coy with me, Dr. Walsh,” the caller snapped. “I know you picked him up in a bar at the Uber Metro Hotel five years ago and spent one wickedly sinful night together. I actually know much more about you if you’d like to hear. Perhaps you’d like some photos from that night, something to keep you company on a cold winter’s night. I must say, I enjoy them quite frequently, and I might add, you are extremely… agile.”

Her knees buckled and she collapsed in a heap. “YOU SICK BASTARD,” she screamed before she flung the phone across the room.

Alec knocked on the door. He thought he heard a murmured reply and opened it. He found her leaning against the window, arms crossed, staring out the window seemingly lost in thought. He knocked again on the now opened door to let her know he was there. He crossed the threshold into the room and stepped on her cell phone. He bent down and picked it up. The glass panel was cracked. He approached her slowly. “Katie? Is everything okay?”

Katie didn’t answer. She just kept staring out the window. He inhaled.
She’s zoned out. What the hell from?
He reached out and stroked her hair. “Katie?” He watched as she came back into herself, the blank expression morphing into a frown.

She jumped, startled by his nearness. “Alec. What… what is it?”

“I’ve been looking for you. I wanted to let you know that the SUV and supplies should be here tonight. We can head out tomorrow.”

She nodded.

“What happened to your phone?”

She reached for it then turned it over and examined it closely. “I think I killed it.”

“No doubt, but why?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t like what it was telling me, I guess.”

“Cut the bull shit.” Alec lifted her chin with his hand. “No secrets, remember?”

She exhaled and calmly told him that the caller wanted the translation passed to him immediately upon completion. She
thrust her hands into her pockets. She then proceeded to tell him about the fact that the caller knew about the night she and Alec spent together five years ago and how he implied that there was photographic evidence of them. “Son of a bitch,” Alec bit out. “Do you think he was trying to blackmail you?”

Katie shook her head. “Maybe. I don’t know. “I hit the ‘Record’ button toward the end, but I think I may have ruined it when I tossed it.”

He chuckled. “You didn’t
toss
it. You
slammed
it.”

Katie grinned. “Yeah, I guess I was a little upset.” She turned to face him. “Am I right thinking it’s someone at the Institute? He admitted as much and he did seem to know about me and my expertise. I mean, who else would know those things about me?” She scowled. “I bet Lucy Millar’s involved somehow.”

He shook his head. “She’s not the monster you make her out to be. You should give her a chance. I think you might be surprised.”

“Are you insane? Or did you hit your head? She’s been the bane of my existence since I started at the Institute. I don’t know what she told you, but she wants me out.”

“People change, Katie.”

“Not that much.”

“I’m just saying give her a chance.”

Katie shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. I won’t be there much longer. Any hope for my phone?”

“It’s shot, but I think we can transfer the SIM card. I’ll see if we can send it express to Robert or maybe he can have someone here have a look. And we can have someone analyze the call, use some filters to clear the voice and any background noise. I’ll go give him a call.” He headed out the door. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I think I’m more angry than anything else. Just wait until I find out who he is…”

“Okay then, see you downstairs, Katie.”

****

Katie stared back out towards the ocean, glimpsing the surf starting to increase in intensity. She opened the window and heard the waves pound into the cliffs.
The caller said something odd. He said I knew of him. Not that I knew him, but that I knew of him.
She shivered. A storm was headed this way but was it a weather-related storm or one that hung over her head like a microburst ready to strike at any moment?

Katie headed back to the library to pack up her laptop. She checked her inbox one last time and she saw it, a new email with the subject line
TAKE A LOOK AT THE PHOTO. IT CAN GO VIRAL ANYTIME. AND FOLLOW YOU EVERYWHERE
. Her hand hovered over the mouse, while her stomach clenched. She clicked to open the attachment and froze. It was her and Alec in his hotel room five years ago. There was no doubt it was them. The picture was exceptionally clear, and there was no doubt what they were doing. And worse, this apparently was a still shot from a video file. She collapsed in the chair.

Another email arrived.
DO WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT?

She felt she had no option. This monster could and would ruin her professionally. The hit to the Institute’s reputation might take years to overcome. She’d be famous, or more accurately infamous, for starring in a sex video. The insular, cutthroat, nasty world of research would forever brand her as “Dr. Walsh… the Dr. Walsh… of the sex video” totally ignoring her legitimate contributions to the field. She knew people whose careers were nothing more than a footnote due to far less serious faux pas.

Katie sighed. Worse would be the notoriety should this drop at Dr. Austin’s feet. He’d carefully created and nurtured the Institute into a world-class research facility. While she’d survive the public humiliation somehow, she didn’t want to hurt the Institute and perhaps more importantly, the man she considered a surrogate grandfather. Ultimately she would be leaving the Institute, but she needed time to get her future financing signed off on. What would be the harm? He wasn’t asking her to do anything illegal. It might be somewhat unethical, but certainly not illegal. She dropped her head into her hand. And what would happen to Alec if she ignored this man’s threat? She raised her head, her hands hovering over the keyboard. “God help me,” she whispered as she typed back
YES
.

****

Dinner was a quiet affair. Alec outlined the itinerary for the next few days, starting with an early morning departure. Katie listened but absorbed little and said even less.
I know of him.

She didn’t tell Alec about the video still. This was between her and robo-voice. She had to find a way to discover his identity and turn the advantage to her side. The question was how? She’d have very little access to email over the next few days and her cell phone was kaput, at least until they could secure a replacement. Her biggest problem now was who to trust. Could she rely on anyone at the Institute? The only one she trusted was Laura. She needed to call Laura.

“I think since we’re getting an early start, I’ll head off to bed,” she said.

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing,” Alec replied.

Outside the bedrooms she turned and said, “Good night, Alec.”

Alec quietly replied, “Night.”

She shut the bedroom door behind her and leaned against it. Part of her was disappointed that he made no attempt to touch her, not even a kiss. It seemed that he had blown her off sexually. The other part was glad she didn’t have to make the decision herself. She wanted him but he no longer wanted her. She knew she would have waged an internal war as to why she shouldn’t spend the night with him. But still she wondered what she did to turn him off. He became so cold, so distant after they made love on the cliffs. She replayed it over and over and was at a loss as to why the shove-off attitude.

She pushed away from the door and sat on the bed, reclining against the pillows. Her bags were packed. She was ready to go. Her emerald blade was tucked safely in her clothes. She glanced at the clock. It was just after eight, time to get her plan in motion.

She picked up the bedside telephone and dialed Laura’s cell phone.

“Hello, this is Laura.”

“Laura, it’s me.”

“Katie, where are you? I don’t recognize the number.”

“I’m still at Willowton, but Alec and I are going on a little excursion starting tomorrow. I probably won’t have access to my email for a few days and my phone is… Well, let’s just say I’ll be getting a new phone, hopefully soon.”

“Everything okay?”

“Um, well, I was hoping you could do me a favor. Can you take a walk, say out to the wharf with your cell phone? I don’t want anyone to hear you.”

“Sure. I’m heading out now.”

“Great. I’ll call you in a few minutes. And Laura, thanks.”

Katie waited exactly three minutes and redialed.

“I’m on the wharf,” Laura answered.

“Good. Now what I’m about to tell you and then send via personal email is not to be shared with anyone other than Willie. You have to promise me that. And once you give it to him, please,
please
delete the email and ask Willie how to make sure that no one can retrieve it from your hard drive.”