Enemy In the Room (40 page)

“So, what shall we do, girls? Shop?”

Jane smiled. “I think we should be able to
do that.”

Callie put her napkin down. “Before our
dinners arrive, I need to go to the restroom.”

David stood up and pulled her chair back.
“Me, too.”

“David, please call and be sure that Rob is
OK. You know I didn’t feel good about leaving him at Justin’s, and
they ought to be there.”

“OK.” Father and daughter left Elizabeth and
Jane in deep conversation about the next day’s itinerary.

The restrooms were located off an alcove,
not in view of their table. Callie was leading the way, but when
they entered the quiet space, David asked, “Did you hear what I
said about that new law?”

She stopped and turned. “Yes. But I don’t
believe it.”

He smiled. “Callie, it’s true. It’s now the
law, and the legal challenges are finished. No one under twenty-one
can participate in porn any more.”

“Well, then how am I going to pay my way?
Uncle Reza doesn’t pay enough for us to live on.”

“You should have thought of that before you
decided to live with Alex.”

She stood up straighter and clenched her
fist. “Why are you making this so hard? Just pay for your
daughter’s college like everyone else does!”

“My daughter has chosen to live with a man
she’s not married to.”

“Me and a couple of million others!”

“That doesn’t make it right.”

“Forget it. We’ll survive somehow.”

“Just leave him. You can concentrate on
legitimate theater. I’ve got some bonuses coming, so after
graduation we could send you to New York, or wherever you
want.”

“It looks like I’m going to Mexico. How
about Mexico? It seems to be pretty popular.”

“Mexico?”

“It’s, like, what Jane was talking about.
She and Alex went down and started some paperwork that registers
them in the Mexican Actors Guild. I had a test so I couldn’t go.
But I’ll go next week.’

“What?”

“Yeah. The XXX upload site now requires us
to be registered in Mexico or Denmark as actors. Something about
how the movies will now be registered abroad and we have to have to
provide some number. I think we’ll now be working for a Mexican
company.”

David’s mouth opened as he listened to his
daughter.

She was smiling up at him. “So, like, I’m
not sure about all the details. Jane says it was easy to do. She
has to go back once the papers are ready, and I have to start mine
so that I’ll be official in Mexico. And the site is going to pay
ten percent
more
because there are so few legally registered
actors for the movies. Not bad, huh?”

He couldn’t breathe. He didn’t speak.

Finally Callie asked, “Hey, I really do have
to use the bathroom. Are you all right?”

“Uh…” He shook his head. “Callie, look, I’ve
got some extra money. You don’t need to do this. I’ll put you
through any acting school, anywhere you want. Just away from
here.”

As she turned to go, she said, “The money’s
part of it, but actually I
like
what I’m doing.”

You couldn’t. Not really.

He watched her until she went through the
door. He didn’t move for a full minute.

Callie’s not coming home. Trevor’s statement
about supporting the President is a lie, and I’ve told everyone,
including the President’s foreign policy advisor, to believe
him.

As if waking from a trance he thought of
their son and called him on his new cell phone.

“Rob, it’s Dad. Are you and Justin at his
house?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Just checking.”

“Uh, Dad. Is Callie there?”

“Yes. We’re at a restaurant with a friend of
hers.”

“She’s in school out there, right?” Rob
asked.

“Yes. Why?”

“I don’t know. Somebody told me he thought
he’d seen her in, uh, a movie, or on the internet, or
something.”

David closed his eyes. “I doubt it. But
maybe. I’ll, uh, tell her you asked about her. OK?”

“Yeah. I haven’t talked with her in a while,
anyway. Maybe I’ll call her tomorrow.”

“The girls will be out shopping tomorrow.
Maybe try on Sunday or next week.”

“Sounds good. Say hello to Callie, and tell
her I’ll call her soon.”

“Thanks. Good night, son.”

David closed his phone and leaned against
the wall for support.

Todd had come into the office that Saturday
about noon to pick up some files that he needed to work on at home.
An hour later he headed for the parking deck. There were not that
many cars in the deck, and he noticed Akbar Kamali, the head of
their IT Security, getting into his black Mercedes two rows
over.

I’d like to talk with him about email and
cell phone encryption in a way that doesn’t seem like I’m pushing
it. Maybe I can get David to create a small working group to look
into it—give me a reason to meet with him.

Todd went through the parking gate right
after Kamali, and both cars turned right on the side street next to
their office, Then right again on the main street. Through two
traffic lights, Todd remained directly behind Kamali.

Todd was changing tunes on his MP3 when
Kamali stopped in the middle of the next block. Traffic kept Todd
from going around him. A moment later the door opened at a computer
store and Victor Mustafin walked quickly across the sidewalk to the
curb. He waved and smiled at Kamali, then got into the car, and the
two sped off.

Todd did not move.
Kamali and Mustafin
know each other?

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22ND

David was in the aisle seat, looking across
Elizabeth’s sleeping form as the sunrise rapidly turned the sky
from black to dark blue and pink. He had not slept at all on the
“red eye” from L.A. As the pilot reduced the throttle and began the
first stage of their descent, scratchy eyes and the first thuds of
a headache welcomed David home.

He had not been able to sleep because his
mind would not stop racing. After Friday night’s dinner he had
immersed himself in checking out their new properties and
formulating the final hold/ sell/lease plan with Bud Purcell. He
instinctively knew that hard work was the best way to dull the pain
caused by Callie’s “registration” in Mexico and all that it
implied. And so he had thrown himself into it, even arriving late
for Monday evening’s dinner alone with Elizabeth, while Callie and
Jane studied. But Elizabeth did not seem to mind any of the
inconveniences. She had a wonderful time shopping and talking with
their daughter and her friend. David was thankful that their
relationship seemed to be OK and that Elizabeth apparently never
found out that Callie had done videos with Alex.

But even as he had worked hard on the
assignment, given his daughter’s behavior, he could not help being
repulsed by what USNet was doing. With the project completed and
the report ready to be typed, David found himself thinking more
about Trevor Knox, the company, the President, and their upcoming
trip to Moscow. His mind replayed for the hundredth time the events
of the last few weeks and the possible consequences.
Maybe
there’s just a misunderstanding,
he thought, as he rubbed his
forehead.
Moving the eighteen to twenty year olds to a Mexican
company is so obvious. What will happen when someone finds out and
calls us on it? But who’s looking? Maybe that’s what Trevor is
counting on. Or maybe he expects the law to change again, so he’s
just parking them temporarily. I don’t know, but I hope it’s a
misunderstanding and Callie will have to quit. I guess I can ask at
today’s meeting with Trevor and Paul. I wonder what Paul
knows.

And what if it’s
not
a
misunderstanding? What if Trevor is doing this for real? What do I
do? Make a big deal out of it? And lose my job? That would be
real
smart. What should I tell Kristen and that congresswoman?
And Sandra Van Huyck? The President? Something? Nothing?

He gently nudged Elizabeth. “Good morning,
dear. We’re descending. Did you have a good sleep?”

She nodded groggily and cracked her eyes. “I
guess, but a short night. I don’t see how you do this so
often.”

“You get used to it, though usually I grab a
few hours sleep. Tonight I was just thinking too much.”

“Well, come home early. We’ll have dinner
and go to bed.” She smiled and nuzzled her head on his
shoulder.

“Yes.” He wished that he could return her
feelings, but his mind continued to race.

Todd told Mary that he had an early
breakfast meeting, but the day before he had organized some extra
time at the RTI console when the load would normally be light. The
Mustafin connection to Kamali had him deeply troubled. Mustafin had
recruited him onto the RTI team with the threat of letting USNet
know about his illegal “finance fee.” But if he and Kamali were
friends? What did Kamali already know? Did they somehow work
together?

After logging into the system and handling a
couple of routine intercepts, he switched his console to Busy
within the network and went looking in the extensive data banks. He
typed in his own name. A large file came up, with intercepts of his
conversations with Mike Campbell. David Sawyer: the file he had
seen earlier. Akbar Kamali. No information. He tried different
spellings. Nothing. Victor Mustafin. Nothing. Trevor Knox. Blank.
The CEOs of USNet’s main competitors. A short paragraph on each.
Paul Burke. A full file.

Then he shifted to companies. For E-News,
which USNet had just acquired, there was a huge file. As he drilled
into it, he found intercepts implying that its CFO had published
false financial figures and that the CEO had agreed to help cover
it up. All that a few weeks before the acquisition was first
announced.

He typed in USNet. Almost nothing—just short
stories from various newspapers.

So as not to attract any attention, he
clicked off the Busy and handled several intercepts. Then he
returned to his investigation. He could not print and take anything
out of the building, but he made notes on a few small slips of
paper.

Callie was still high as she, Alex and Jane
opened the latch to their apartment and collapsed on the sofa at
three that morning. After a final dinner with her parents and
seeing them off to the airport in a taxi, Callie, Alex and Jane had
partied with friends. Tequila and energy drinks. And now Callie was
looking forward to a long morning’s sleep; Alex had already headed
for their bedroom.

From the sofa she reached for the answering
machine by the phone and pressed the Play button. First there was a
message from Kristen, hoping to “just talk and catch up.” Callie
smiled at Kristen’s voice and decided to keep the current messages
as a reminder to call her unusual friend.

There was one more. “Hi, Callie. It’s Rob.
What’s happening? I’m busy this summer at MailDrop. Pretty boring,
but OK money. And my computer stuff. Listen, I just wanted to call
and let you know that a friend saw a movie—an ‘adult’ movie—and
swears that you’re the star. Can you believe that? Weird. Anyway, I
just wanted to say hello and find out how you’re doing. I guess mom
and dad have just been out there to see you, so I’ll talk to them.
But I’d really like to talk, too. OK? Call me when you can. See
‘ya.”

Callie curled up on the sofa. Jane stood up
to go to bed. She had heard both messages.

“What will you tell your brother?” she
asked, heading for the bathroom.

From her near fetal position on the sofa,
Callie said, “I don’t know. But I can’t think now.”

All during the morning David handled the
routine business that always piled up when his work week in the
office began on a Wednesday. A call to Tanya Prescott’s private
line confirmed that the plans for Moscow were proceeding as they
had anticipated, though she admitted to being more concerned at
this point about the state functions than the USNet reception. He
hastily put together written notes for his afternoon meeting with
Knox. By lunch the thud in his head had become a pounding.

David had a sandwich at his desk and felt
his stomach tightening and his heart racing as his mind moved ahead
and tried to imagine how he would broach the subject of Mexico when
face to face with Knox.

A little before three he gathered his notes
and walked slowly up the stairs. He stopped by Paul Burke’s office,
and the two men went together to the top floor. In five minutes
they were seated at Knox’s conference table, and David went
deliberately through the items on his agenda, from the Capital
Tower contract to his trip to California to fulfilling their latest
needs for web hosting space in the Midwest, including Kansas
City.

Throughout the briefing the other men
listened and took a few notes, saying little. David finished with
Moscow, repeating what Tanya had said that morning, that the plans
were on track.

“They’ve decided to have our reception at
five, which will allow them a full day of work, plus a short dinner
afterward at the Kremlin before leaving for the Fourth of July
party. Also, that’s nine a.m. on the East Coast, so there can be
some legitimate live press coverage, too.

“I plan to fly over on the first. I’ll get
in on Saturday about noon and have the weekend to help handle the
last-minute details. “

“Good. I’ll be coming in on the third,” Knox
said. “When I arrive we should meet to review how the plans are
coming along. And of course you can videophone me anytime.”

“Sounds good. I think it will go smoothly.
Paul, that’s about all I had on my agenda, except that there was
one thing I wanted to ask you, Trevor.”

“Yes?” Knox put down his notes.

David could hear his heart pounding in his
ears. “When I was in California touring our new properties with Bud
Purcell, he mentioned that some of our actors are going to visit
Mexico so that they can work for our new Mexican subsidiary.” As he
watched the frown grow on Knox’s face, his stomach rose into his
mouth. He took a deep breath and continued. “I was wondering how
that will work, and will it conflict with what we’ve told the
President about complying with the new laws?”