Mortal Fear (44 page)

The beginning of the end.

Maybe now the words are true.

I am highlighting passages from the Brahma printouts when the high-pitched ring that announces a satellite video linkup with EROS headquarters in New York chimes through the office. On the screen of the EROS computer, Nefertitis head evaporates, and the face of Jan Krislov materializes in its place. A small window opens near Jans left ear, giving a running status report of the video link.

Hello, Harper, Jan says in her cool voice. Her moving lips have the jerky quality of low-speed digital video, but the audio is clear. I pull on the headset mike.

Hello, Jan.

Someone wants to speak with you, she says. Just a moment. She looks away from the camera. All right, go.

Jans face remains on my screen, but after a harsh click, a static-ridden voice says, Harper?

Im here, Miles.

Did you find the Trojan Horse?

I found it.

Did those goddamn deputies confiscate your computers?

No.

Thank God. Or Daniel Baxter, rather. The locals knew hed been using EROS to try to trap Brahma, and they didnt want to risk crashing the system by screwing with your end of it.

What the hell were you doing using a real picture of Erin to mask your Trojan Horse?

It was the right thing, Harper. You know it. Shes not in any danger. Absolutely nothing weve done leads to the
real Erin. Shes not even on the map. He pauses. You used it, didnt you?

I say nothing.

Did the cops find the dummy disk I left in the coat?

Yes.

He laughs sharply through the static. Come on. You got him to download Erins photo, didnt you?

Like I had a fucking choice?

Yes!
he exults. I knew you could do it. What happened?

Brahma told me his whole life story going back three generations. It was like hed been holding it in forever. And its some kind of story.

Well?

Hes a doctor, just like Drewe guessed. Third generation, actually. Theres way too much to tell, Miles.

Give me a summary.

Looking down at my highlighted pages, I quickly sketch Brahmas journey from incestuous birth to his marriage to Kali. I quote some of his more chilling passages, but Miles absorbs them all in silence. The only thing that elicits a shocked comment is Brahmas hemophilia.

Harper, you realize that most hemophiliacs born before 1985 got AIDS from tainted blood transfusions?

Brahmas a doctor. Maybe he suspected early that there was a problem with the blood supply and acted preventively. Dont ask me how. I think the disease had a lot to do with shaping his character, though. Hey, whats Cellinis
Perseus
? A painting?

A sculpture. The Renaissance version of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Mikhail Baryshnikov with better muscles. Hes holding a sword and the severed head of Medusa.

Severed head... wow. Lenz will flip over this guy. Miles, I know theres enough here for Baxters people to figure out who Brahma is. After I black out some of the stuff I had to say to get him to talk, Im going to fax copies to Quantico.

They may not need it.

What? Why not?

I think they may have figured out who Brahma is.

What?
How?

Maybe the organ donor registries. As soon as the FBI started checking donor networks, they turned up two kidnappings, both from the same registry. Its called DonorNet. One was a long-standing missing persons case that had basically been written off. The victim disappeared about eight months ago in Florida. It was a man.

A man?

Yep. A guy named Peter Levy. The other happened the night after Rosalind May was kidnapped. Virginia Beach, Virginia. Jenny something or other. Drewe hit it right on the head.

And you think this somehow led Baxter to Brahma?

I dont know. I do know that an hour ago Baxter asked Jan to temporarily shut down EROS.

Did he say why?

He
said
it was because the media has picked up on what weve been doing, because of Mrs. Lenzs death. He told Jan that staying on-line any longer would be counterproductive, even to catch Brahma. The perception of risk to our clients would be too great.

The
perception
of risk?

Baxters words, not mine.

But with EROS down... and with potential hostages, theyll need my information more than ever.

Maybe. But I think Baxter told us to shut down because he knows who Brahma is, and hes trying to cover up the Lenz fuckup as thoroughly as he can, however late it might be. He threatened us with an injunction if we didnt go off-line.

And?

Jan decided to comply. The risk of client lawsuits is pretty high at this point. When the FBI wanted us on-line, we could pass the buck to them. Now that shield is gone.

Miles, Ive got to pass this stuff along. How many hemophiliac doctors can there be?

I dont know. Go ahead and pass it on. But even if Baxter has a name on Brahma, catching him could be a whole different thing. Why dont you fax me the printouts
of your conversation? Fax them to Jan at EROS. Shell get them to me.

I hesitate. I will if youll answer one question. The one youve been avoiding from the beginning.

What?

How did Brahma get into the system? How did he get the master client list?

A flicker of interest on Jan Krislovs inscrutable face.

I dont know, Miles says simply. I may never know. But every account Brahma hijacked is over a year old. He could have done everything hes done so far by breaking into the system a single time over a year ago and downloading the list. And theres just no way to check that now.

How good was your security a year ago?

As good as anybodys.

Like what? A firewall?

Give me a break. Thats corporate pacifier stuff. I use traps, filters, alarms, other things.

Logs?

Yes.

You know what Im thinking?

Yes. Miless voice is strangely flat. Brahma got physical access to a company computer, either in the office or in one of our homes, and printed out the list.

Right. Any break-ins at the office?

No.

Your house? Jans? The techs?

Krislov shakes her head. Miles says, One of my techs had a burglary seven months ago, but thats too recent.

Im mulling this over when he adds, There is one other possibility.

What?

Its a little uncomfortable to talk about.

People are dying, Miles. Spit it out.

Can you hear me, Jan?

Krislovs lips move jerkily, but I hear nothing.

Okay, Miles says. Youre a widow. You date men of the age were considering as suspects. Its possible that Brahma could have begun a relationship with you just to get access to your house. Your computer.

Even before he stops speaking, I know hes found the truth. His words seem to hit Krislov with physical force.

Thats got to be it! I tell him.

Except, he says quickly, Jan doesnt exactly date guys off the street. She dates corporate people, architects

Doctors? I cut in.

The static closes around me like a malevolent embrace. Jans lips are moving again, her eyes wide in anger or fear as she talks to Miles. Its over a minute before he speaks again.

You going to fax that stuff through, Harper?

One more question. How is your Trojan Horse supposed to work? Can it really nail Brahma by itself?

If he uses the EROS UUEncoder-Decoder software, theres no doubt about it.

So how does it work?

Just be patient, okay? I dont want to jinx it.

Shit. Then
when
is it going to happen?

I cant predict that exactly. But it will.

Damn it, Miles! I want to push harder, but I know its useless. All right. Just keep your head down.

Harper, wait. Did Brahmas messages show any typos during the time you talked to him?

I didnt notice any.

Not during the entire exchange?

No, but Ill check again. You think hes on the move?

I just want to be careful.

He cant trace anything to my house, right?

No way. Im just being paranoid. Even if Baxter hasnt identified Brahma, the Trojan Horse will have sealed his fate by dawn tomorrow.

Tomorrow! Miles

Tell Drewe thanks for letting me stay there, he says, his voice full of hackers glee. And fax your stuff to Jan. Ciao.

The static ends.

I can tell from Krislovs face that she wants to speak to me, but I am not interested. Our professional relationship will very soon be over. I terminate the video link, walk over to my desk, and get the number of Investigative Support at Quantico. My name gets me quickly past
the operator, but instead of the person I asked for, I get voice mail.

Dr. Lenz is on compassionate leave at this time, says a sterile female voice. His calls are being handled by Dr. Weaver of the Behavioral Sciences Instruction Unit. If you need further assistance, please remain on the line.

When the operator comes back, I tell her I want Daniel Baxter. She says hes unavailable. Two minutes after I tell her its life-or-death and the EROS case, Baxter comes on the line.

Cole?
he shouts, like a man in the pit of a mine.
Talk fast, Im in a hurry.

I heard youre shutting down EROS. Is that right?

Yes. Speak up!

How do you plan to catch the killer without it?

The old-fashioned way.

What?

We know who he is, Cole. Our UNSUB is no longer
UN
.

So Miles was right. How? I mean, who is he?

I cant tell you that.

Well, I just talked to him.

You mean the killer?

Yes. For over an hour, via EROS. He thought I was a woman. Ive got pages of stuff, practically his whole life story.

Ill be damned. You have any idea where he was when he was talking to you?

No. But if he was at home, my guess would be New York, or some other large city that has brownstone houses.

A brief pause. Thats consistent with what we know.

I really think you should look at this stuff Ive got.

Cole, youve been a big help and a pain in the ass. But the games over. Were about to arrest the guy.

A charge of excitement races over my skin, but my experience with Brahma tells me such statements are premature. Let me ask you something, Mr. Baxter. You dont have to answer unless Im right, okay? Is this man youre arresting a doctor?

How did you know that?

I know a lot more than that.

Fax everything you have to Quantico. We may need it if we have hostages, and well definitely use it to build the case against him.

Ill do that if you tell me one thing. Howd you figure out who the guy is? Was it the organ donor stuff?

Silence. Then Baxter says, I knew that had to be you. You and Turner, right?

No comment.

It wasnt that. It was flight records. He flew to all the crime scenes.

Commercial flights?

Private. A Beechcraft Baron. Ever since you linked the murders, weve been checking everything that moved in or out of each murder city near the death dates. We finally found a private plane that had flown into tiny airports near three of the cities.

Baxter pauses so long that I think weve lost our connection. Then he says, Okay listen, Cole. The plane is owned by a doctor from New York. Weve got him under surveillance now. Hostage Rescue is going to arrest him as soon as I land, to eliminate any chance of a barricade situation. Did the UNSUB reveal anything to you that might have bearing on a plan like this?

A doctor from New York. Miless home territory. Hes got a woman helping him. An Indian woman. In our conversations he called her Kali, but I cant be sure thats her real name. Im almost positive shes the real killer.

Good. What else?

Is this doctor a neurosurgeon, Mr. Baxter?

No. Why?

What kind of doctor is he?

Hes an anesthetist.

You mean an anesthesiologist? An anesthetist is just a technician.

Anesthesiologist, right. Hes an M.D.

Is he married?

I cant tell you anything else. This things about to explode in the media. I want this guy hog-tied and any hostages freed by the time RBJ open their mouths tonight.

RBJ?

Rather, Brokaw, and Jennings. Gotta go, Cole. Fax your stuff through.

Wait! Is Dr. Lenz okay? He doesnt seem like the type to take compassionate leave.

I made it compulsory. His wifes murder put him over the edge. Now thats it. Ill see you at the trial, if there is one.