BackTrek (25 page)

“To get paid.” Jack said.

“Exactly!”

“It’s an account number! The first number is
an routing number. Then an account number. It has to be.” Jack
exclaimed.

“And the third set of numbers? The one with
letters?” Ted asked, as slight smile appeared on his face.

“The encoded name of the bank?”

“They would already know which bank, the
routing number contains that info. What about a passcode?”

“Of course! Come on, let’s go!” Jack said as
he turned and left for the door. Ted followed close behind.

As Jack started the jeep and pulled out into
traffic, Ted dialed a number on his cell phone. A voice on the
other end answered.

“Mike, hey, it’s Ted. Can you access banking
records via the internet?”

“Sure...as long as you don’t tell anyone. Has
it got anything to do with Von Hogue?”

“Yeah. Why?” Ted asked, perplexed that Mike
would be ahead of the game.

“While I’ve been waiting on you guys, I did
some digging around. This guy was loaded. So far I’ve found fifteen
separate accounts that this guy has accessed in a Switzerland bank.
There’s no telling how many he’s actually got. Until he accesses
them they are still tied to whoever opened them. I’ve added up over
five million in US dollars so far.” Ted stared at Jack,
dumbfounded. He covered the mouth piece of his phone.

“Your brother seems to have found the bank.”
Ted said quietly to Jack. Jack turned his eyes from the street and
looked at Ted. His face mirrored the surprised look that Ted wore.
“Let me give you an account number and passcode. See what you can
find out.” He read the account number and the passcode, and Mike
read it back to him for verification. “We’ll be back in a little
while.” He told Mike and ended the call.

“I always knew he was smart, Ted.” Jack said.
Ted just nodded his head. There was something about this that he
didn’t like. Sure he was glad to progress on the case so fast, when
at every turn it had looked like the leads would dry up. But the
pieces of this puzzle seemed to be coming together too neatly for
him to feel comfortable. He just had that gut feeling that
something was amiss.

Mike punched in the alarm code on the keypad,
and armed the alarm. He pulled the door closed behind him, and
nervously inserted his key into the lock and locked the dead-bolt.
He turned and walked towards his car and waved to the men from the
coroner’s office who still sat in their van at the street. Von
Hogue was inside in a body bag. He had watched them zip it up and
carry the body outside. The driver was engrossed in his paper work,
and didn’t notice Mike as he waved. Mike got into his car and
backed out into the street, and drove quickly to the end of the
street. He stopped briefly at the stop sign, before he turned
towards the main road. The driver of the coroner’s van finished the
last little bit of paperwork, put it away, and cranked his vehicle.
He fastened his seat-belt and pulled away from the curb. Jack
pulled the jeep into the driveway, just as the coroner’s van drove
off down the street.

“Looks like our friend has been bagged,
Jack.” Ted said as he climbed out of the car.

“And tagged. Couldn’t have happened to a
better sleaze ball. Let’s see if Mike has found anything.” He said
as the walked towards the front of the house. He grabbed the door
knob of the front door and turned it, but it was locked.
Absentmindedly he reached for his key and inserted it in the lock,
and then paused just before he turned it. He looked around the
front of the house, the driveway, the street. “Where’s Mike’s
car?”

“Maybe he left.”

“But he knew we were on the way back.” Jack
said as he turned the key and opened the door. The alarm pad began
to beep and he stepped towards it. He entered his code to silence
the alarm. They walked to the rear of the house and entered Jack’s
office. The computer was still on, but the house was empty. Jack
peered at the display of the computer. The flying windows that
often were displayed on computers that had been left unattended
fluttered across the screen. Jack tapped the keyboard. The
screensaver disappeared. The home screen was up, and a small
notepad window contained a message from Mike. He said that he had a
few things to check out and that he would see him later.

“I don’t get it.” Jack said as he sat down at
the computer.

“What’s the matter?” Ted asked, as he shared
his friend’s uneasiness about Mike’s disappearance at such a
crucial time. Even though Mike was not a member of any law
enforcement agency, Ted knew that he was aware that his computer
skills could definitely be useful. Jack began to tap away at the
keyboard. “What are you doing?” Ted asked.

“Mike’s not the only hacker in this family.”
He said as he grinned slightly. Moments later he brought up a
detailed diagram. Evidently Mike had tracked the owner of the
account that they had found at the bus station to an overseas
holding company. On the computer screen the diagram of ownership
appeared as a web of connections. The overseas company apparently
was owned entirely by another holding company out of Tokyo, which
in turn was held by a British investment firm, which was wholly
owned by another investment firm out of Texas. The Texas firm was
in turn owned by a California corporation who had only one stock
holder. Steven Leslie Atwater.

“Atwater!” Jack exclaimed. Ted had followed
Jack’s revelation and was shocked as he realized the ramifications.
His own boss, one of the most powerful men he knew, a man that
answered to no one, not even the president. His friend. Atwater was
behind it all.

“That son of a bitch, I’ll rip his fucking
heart out!” Ted said as he pounded his fist on the desktop.

“Let’s go.” Jack said as he turned and ran
towards the front door. Ted followed close behind.

“Where are we going?” Ted asked.

“We need some equipment.” Jack said as he
jumped into the jeep and started the engine before he had even shut
the door. He tore out of the tranquil neighborhood and merged with
traffic as he headed for the precinct. Shortly, he pulled in front
of the station, locked his brakes, and slid to a stop. A few
officers looked in his direction, but no one even lifted a hand to
reprimand his driving skills. He and Ted leapt from the car and ran
into the building. Jack banged several times on the elevators up
button before finally the doors opened. Half a dozen officers
spilled out into the lobby. Jack and Ted worked their way through
the miniature crowd, and entered the elevator. Again Jack began to
punch the button for the second floor. Moments later the doors
closed and they rode up to the second floor. Jack bolted down the
hallway and into the equipment room with Ted at his heels.

“Jack. What’s the hurry?” Bob Lemke asked
from behind the counter.

“I need your help.” Jack said desperately.
Lemke’s smile faded as he looked at the expression on his friends
face.

“Whatever you need, Jack.” Jack explained to
Lemke what equipment he needed, and without question Lemke gathered
it all together and moments later handed Jack two duffel bags
loaded with the required equipment. “Sign here, Jack, and try to
bring this stuff back in one piece if you can...be careful.” Jack
signed the paper, and then smiled slightly at Lemke.

“Thanks, Bob. I owe you one.” He said as he
passed one of the duffel bags to Ted and then slung the other over
his shoulder. They made their way back to the elevator, more
patient now that they had what they needed. Once back in the jeep,
Jack peeled out of the parking lot into traffic.

“We’ll call for backup once we get there and
we’re sure that he’s still there.” Jack said.

“No backup.” Ted answered.

“No backup? Are you crazy? It’s a military
installation for Christ’s sake!”

“Exactly. You guys don’t have any
jurisdiction. And besides, you saw the diagram, Jack. Just how deep
are this guys pockets? How many people has he bought and sold. We
can’t risk calling in backup and them being under his control.
Surprise. That’s our edge.” Jack looked from the road to his
friend, as Ted stared ahead. He knew he was right, but he had to
fight his years of training to accept it. Jack drove to the
military base. He speeded when able, and was cautious when he could
not. He pulled over to the side of the road, just before they
reached the main gate.

“Okay, how are we going to get in?” He asked
Ted.

“That’s the easy part.” Ted said as he
pointed to the windshield at the base decal that was affixed in the
corner. “Remember...you stole this jeep from here.” Jack smiled and
pulled back out into traffic and followed the flow right into the
military base. As he slowed before the guard house, he expected the
guard to wave him through with out hesitation. The guard motioned
for him to stop. Jack hesitated as he thought about running the
gate, but that would tip off Atwater and it would all be a wasted
effort. He put his foot on the brake and brought the jeep to a
stop. Jack leaned out of the jeep to speak to the guard.

“Yes, sir.” He said, as his heart beat in his
chest. The guard looked him over, and then stared at Ted for a
moment.

“Your left front tire, sir. It looks like its
low on air. You need to take a look at it.” Jack tried not to
visibly show the relief that he felt. He smiled slightly and
thanked the guard. He leaned back in as the guard stepped away from
the jeep and waved them through. Ted chuckled softly as Jack drove
towards the complex.

“Park at the rear where we came out.” Ted
directed. Moments later they were parked. They pulled out the
duffel bags and sat them on the back seat, and began to remove
their contents. First Jack put on a bullet proof vest, which Ted
did as well. Next he removed the laser sighted rifle, snapped a
clip in place, and chambered a shell. The vest had pockets where he
began to store extra clips. He hung stun grenades from the loops
across the bottom on the left, and tear gas canisters from the
loops across the right. He pulled riot headgear from the bag and
put it on, and tightened the chin strap. Lastly he strapped a
utility belt around his waste, and unsnapped the holster’s flap. He
checked the handgun inside to ensure that it was loaded and ready
to fire. He checked the pouches of the belt and found extra clips
for the nine millimeter, and several sets of handcuffs. Jack was
ready, and as he looked at Ted, Ted tightened his own chin strap.
He nodded that he was ready and they both headed for the door that
they had exited from the night before.

They reached the door, and Jack handed Ted
the keys that he had taken off of the guard. Ted inserted the key,
turned it, and the lock opened. Stealthily, they entered the
building.

They had rounded several corners and went
through several doors before they ever encountered anyone. Ted
opened the door in front of them which led to the freight elevator.
He saw the guard that stood just on the other side. Jack walked up
behind the guard, his gun drawn. He grabbed the guard around the
neck and shoved his gun into his back.

“We want to be smart about this, soldier. Put
your hands on your head, and be very, very quiet.” The soldier was
startled, and hesitant to comply, but when he saw Ted’s piercing
blue eyes as they stared down at him from behind the face plate of
the riot helmet, and the barrel of the gun pointed at him, he
reluctantly complied with Jack’s demands. Jack cuffed first his
left hand, and pulled it behind his back. He holstered his gun and
grabbed the soldier’s right hand and locked it behind his back.
“Where are we going to put him?” Jack asked Ted. Ted walked up the
hallway and motioned for Jack to follow him. As Jack caught up, he
pushed his prisoner ahead as he went. Ted opened a door near the
entrance to the freight elevator, a door that Jack had not noticed
before. Inside was a small desk, a single chair, and no windows. As
they entered the room Jack saw the bank of video monitors on the
far wall.

“Can you see the whole complex from here?”
Jack asked. The guard nodded. “How do you-” Jack began to ask.

“That panel by the wall.” Ted answered. “Find
him.” Jack walked to the panel and began to switch from camera to
camera. The views changed as Ted seated the guard in the chair
behind the desk. Ted ripped the wire attached to the desk phone out
of the wall, just as Jack found Atwater.

“He’s in the lab.” He said.

“Sit here and take a break, buddy.” Ted said
to the guard as he stood behind him. “Do anything else...and you’re
going to wish you were dead.” Ted said, and slammed his gun into
the back of the guard’s head as if it was punctuation to his
sentence. The guard slumped over the desk, unconscious. Jack looked
open mouthed at Ted as he turned and left the room.

“Hey...was that really necessary?” Jack asked
as he followed him back into the hallway.

“Look Jack! You’re not getting it! Atwater’s
here. He controls this whole place. Every system, every detail,
every man. Either you’ve got to get a grip on reality, or I’ll do
this myself.”

“But-” Jack began.

“But what? He didn’t hire Von Hogue? He
didn’t put the hit out? He didn’t kill your family this time?” Jack
looked into his eyes and saw truth. He let his head tilt forward as
he pushed his eyes away from Ted’s intense gaze. “Either you’re
with me or you’re not. But I’ve got to know, and I’ve got to know
now.” Ted demanded. Jack looked up again.

“I with you. Let’s get the bastard.” Jack
said with new determination. Ted grabbed his shoulder, smiled
slightly and nodded. He turned towards the freight elevator and
motioned for Jack to follow. Without hesitation, Jack did. Jack
punched the button for the elevator and the door began to slide
open. Suddenly Ted grabbed Jack by the shoulder and pulled him to
the side just as gunfire erupted from the elevator. Before Jack
could react, Ted threw a stun grenade into the elevator. They both
ducked behind the wall as the grenade clattered to the floor inside
of the elevator. A scream echoed from inside and a guard attempted
to run out when the explosion rocked the building, and launched the
guard into the air. He landed with a sickening thump in the
hallway. Jack went first, and found another guard face down inside
the elevator.