Point of Control (13 page)

C
HAPTER
24

Saturday, March 21, 8:30 a.m., Wanapum, Washington

Shawn went for a run along the deer trail at the base of the foothills. Even though the living space in the house near the mine was primitive compared to his California home, he rather liked being out here in the quiet open space. Such a change of pace from the traffic and constant chatter of Silicon Valley. And the air was amazingly clear and fresh. Yet he knew he would grow restless if he had to be out here too long. Thurgood’s extraction process, specifically tailored to the Palisades Mine, was almost finalized.

The unknown factor was Dana Thorpe. She claimed to be near a breakthrough, but he didn’t trust her to be truthful. She might have said it just to keep his hopes up. Or she could have already finalized the new material but, out of fear for her life, didn’t want to tell him. Maybe he would have Thurgood evaluate her work. The Australian, who was staying in the mine’s bunkhouse, knew she was down there, but was smart enough not to ask questions.

If Thorpe was simply stalling, what would motivate her to finish the work? Without the replacement material, he couldn’t produce a new generation of cell phones on the scale he’d planned. He would stay in business while his competition struggled and failed, but surviving wasn’t enough. He’d had a taste of what real success felt like, and he wanted more.

The trail sloped gently uphill, and his legs ached. Sweat ran down his back and temples, and he hated the feel of it. Running and swimming both worked his heart, but they were completely different exercises. Doing laps was a sophisticated gentleman’s workout, while jogging in the wilderness felt primitive, like a hunter chasing prey. He would never get used to it, but he had to do something during this exile. Drops of moisture landed on his bare arms. From bad to worse. It rarely rained in Mountain View. Another good reason to wrap up this phase and get back home.

Shawn turned around and ran back to the house, passing an oversized metal shop before he got there. The property had been dirt cheap and it showed. The house was only eighteen hundred square feet, and he and Jia had to share a bathroom. The half bath next to the kitchen didn’t count.

He stepped inside and cringed. The space even smelled bad. They’d pulled out the carpet as soon as they bought it, but the walls and vents still stunk of deep-fried food.

Let it go.

Once the kidnappings were old news, and his production line was running at full speed, they’d go back to California and buy a new home, one that was even more private.

Jia was setting up a workspace in an alcove next to the only big window in the house. She turned when he walked in. “How long do we have to be here?” His wife had arrived late the evening before, exhausted after a long day of driving, and hated the bungalow even more than he did.

“Three weeks at the most.”

“I’ll never make it that long. The kitchen is ridiculous!”

“You don’t have to cook. We’ll buy prepared food.”

Jia rolled her eyes. She didn’t like anyone’s food but her own, plus a few high-end restaurants’. The nearest town was miles away and offered two diners and a pizza parlor. Jia would never try any of them. The mine, plus a few cattle ranches, was the main source of employment and revenue. People drove to Ellensburg or Moses Lake, sixty miles away in either direction, to shop and attend movies. He’d learned that during the two days they’d spent in the area when they bought the house and mine.

His wife put her hands on her hips. “Now that I’ve delivered your personal stuff, I don’t see why I have to stay.”

Keeping her here meant he could prevent her from being questioned by the FBI. He also knew her well enough to predict what she wanted to hear. “I need you to keep me company. I’d be miserable here without you.” Her presence made little difference to him in this environment with everything he had going on, but he wanted to keep her away from probing FBI agents. Jia didn’t know what he was up to, but she knew enough about his transactions to get him in trouble if she talked.

She smiled. “Well, I’ve always said I could work anywhere, so we’ll see if it’s true.” She sat down in front of her monitor and opened a file.

Shawn showered, ate a breakfast bar, and got online. His first objective was to buy Aptiom or some other anti-seizure medicine for Dana Thorpe. She was becoming a real pain, but at least she wasn’t violent like Nick Bowman had been. He’d been a terrible mistake. Shawn opened a website where he’d purchased OxyContin once after hurting himself waterskiing. His doctor, the prick, had only given him a three-day supply. He could order the medication under a different name, but the credit card could still be traced back to him. Another problem was that the pills wouldn’t ship until Monday. And where would he have them mailed? He didn’t want to use one of his real addresses either.

Dana Thorpe probably had a bottle of the medication in her home in Seattle. Could they get away with a middle-of-the-night break-in? With no ransom demand, the FBI agents had to be gone from her house by now. Harlan and Rocky weren’t back from DC yet, so they couldn’t handle this for him. But Harlan had called, and the grab of the North Korean had gone smoothly. They’d flown out of the Beltway area immediately afterward and would make the rest of the trip today.

Maybe he should just drive to Seattle and—
no.
Too risky. He might not find the medication in her house, and if he did, the bottle could be almost empty. If he was considering a smash-and-grab, why not just hit a pharmacy in Ellensburg? It would be closer and more of a sure thing. His pulse quickened at the idea. He could get there right before it closed, then bolt in wearing a ski mask, threaten the clerk with a gun, and demand a month’s supply of Aptiom.

Crazy! But would it trigger any red flags? It might, if the FBI knew about Dana’s prescription. So he would ask for OxyContin, Versed, and some other type of anti-seizure medicine. That way, the robbery—if the FBI even got wind of it—would look like it had been done by a drug addict desperate for a high. Shawn googled the phrase
anti-seizure medicine that produces euphoria
and came up with Lyrica. The drug had originally been developed for epilepsy, then had proved effective in treating nerve pain. But it also acted like a benzo, so some people took it for a tranquilizing effect. Good enough.

Could he pull this off? Shawn laughed out loud. After everything else he’d done lately, he could do anything. And the thought of the robbery actually excited him. Waiting for it to get dark would be the hardest part. He might as well drive up to the mine and see how things were progressing. He climbed into the truck he kept at the property, a silver Tacoma that looked like half the vehicles in the area, and headed north.

At the mine, he walked to the edge of the massive pit. Seeing the deep layers and busy earth-moving equipment calmed his nerves—and made him feel smart. He’d had the foresight to invest in producing his own rare earth metals. That bold move had caught the attention of venture capitalists, who’d pushed him to think even more boldly. The production facility, with its silos and feeders, was still a mystery to him, but that’s what he paid a manager for. The mine’s real secret, though, lay beneath the bunkhouse. He’d discovered the huge bomb shelter after he bought the property. When Max mentioned funding a research lab, the underground space had seemed ideal. Especially once he’d realized he might have to resort to kidnapping to get the personnel he needed.

The secret rooms were the perfect bonus to his investment. No one but him and his trusted crew knew they were down there. Maybe a few old-timers in the area might remember the bomb shelter being built before Palisades became a ghost town, but who would ever ask them? Shawn was tempted to visit Dana Thorpe and check on her progress, but he couldn’t access the underground lab and then disappear for a while during the day without attracting suspicion from the manager. Besides, he needed to keep his contact with her to a minimum and mask his face every time if he hoped to let her go eventually. He still clung to the possibility of that outcome, but didn’t spend much time thinking about it.

But he did need to check in about production. Shawn stopped in the office and found Tom Boxer, his manager, arguing with Milton Thurgood, the extraction specialist whose presence here was supposed to be a secret. They both turned to him.

“We need a bigger crusher,” Tom said. His otherwise thin body sported a fat belly, making him look pregnant. Shawn had hired him for his résumé, knowing he wouldn’t have to see him much.

“No, we don’t,” Thurgood argued. “We just need more highly skilled workers than these local half-wits.” Thurgood’s wild gray hair made him look a bit like Einstein. Shawn had researched him extensively and spoken with him on the phone several times before making the job offer. He’d learned that Thurgood wanted out—of his marriage and his university contract. A perfect fit for his plans.

“We’ll do both.” Shawn moved toward the computer on the desk. “I’ll order the new crusher now.” His investors seemed to have unlimited funding for equipment and believed in spending money to make it. Shawn patted Thurgood’s shoulder on the way. “And you’re right. We’ll increase the wage so we can recruit people from out of state with recent mining experience.”

“Good.” Thurgood shook off his hand. “I’ve about done everything I can do here.”

Shawn decided to order the crusher later. He turned and walked with Thurgood toward the back door. “Milton, I need you to stay out of sight as much as possible.”

“I know the rules, but I’m leaving soon anyway.”

That surprised Shawn. They had set benchmarks to meet first. “We’ll have to review our agreement.”

Thurgood scoffed. “Don’t bother. I’ve almost met your terms, and I’ll be out of here in a few days.”

Shawn didn’t have any leverage to stop him. Except to tell Thurgood’s wife where he was headed. But he had bigger things to focus on. “I’d like you to evaluate the other scientist’s work before you go.”

“That would take more time and energy than I’m willing to give. G’day.” Thurgood stepped out the back door and headed for the bunkhouse.

For a brief moment, Shawn imagined himself following him out and shooting him in the back of the head. That would guarantee Thurgood’s silence forever. He shook off the thought. There would be the body to do away with and Tom Boxer to mollify. Besides, Thurgood wasn’t quite finished, and the Australian planned to head for the Cayman Islands when he left, so Shawn wasn’t really worried about anyone ever questioning him.

He turned around in the narrow hall and stepped into one of the cluttered storage rooms. From a canister, he grabbed the ski mask he kept handy for his visits with Dana Thorpe and stuffed it into his pocket. He’d already chosen the pharmacy, looked at photos of the area on Google Earth, and taken a booster dose of dextro. He was ready.

C
HAPTER
25

Back in the truck, Shawn checked the glove box. The Colt was there, as usual. He kept it there for safety against bears and rattlesnakes, but now decided he should start keeping it on his body at all times. On the way out of town, he called Jia. “I’m headed to Ellensburg for supplies, so I’ll be home late. Do you need anything?”

“Yeah, I need to get the hell out of here. Why didn’t you come by and pick me up?”

“Sorry, I didn’t think you’d want to make the drive after your long trip getting here.”

She didn’t have a good comeback. After a moment, she said, “Fresh fruit, please. Mangos and cherries, if you can find them.”

He would pick up a few things at the market in Wanapum on his way, just to cover his tracks. “I’ll look, but don’t count on it. See you later.” He hung up before she could add to her list.

Even with the stop at the store, the trip to Ellensburg took less time than he’d thought, so he drove around the small city for a while killing time. It had been raining off and on all day, and the streets were sloshy and nearly deserted. Finally, he stopped behind a tire store and took off his license plates. At seven forty-five, he drove past Decker’s Pharmacy on Pine Street, parked a half block away, and pulled on the ski mask. In that moment, the risk became real and his pulse thumped in his neck. So far, he hadn’t seen a single police car, and he hoped that in this Podunk town, the two cops on duty were taking turns napping at the station.

Shawn charged toward the little drugstore tucked in between an antique shop and a bakery, both of which were closed. A bell jangled when he jerked open the door, surprising him. But no cameras that he could see. He trotted down the narrow aisle to the counter in back. The clerk, an older woman with short gray hair, let out a little scream when she saw him.

He pulled out the gun, leaving the safety on. “Be quiet, don’t be stupid, and you won’t get hurt.”

“We don’t keep much cash here.”

“Just get me some OxyContin and Lyrica. A big stash of both.” He’d forgotten the third drug, but it didn’t matter.

“The pharmacist left already, and I don’t know where anything is back there.” Her voice trembled with fear.

“Find it fast!” A rush of intense pleasure flooded his brain. He hadn’t known how much he would enjoy making someone fear him.

She moved toward a narrow door behind the counter and fumbled with the lock.

“I said fast!” Despite the thrill, he worried about getting caught.

The clerk finally got the door open and went straight for the back wall. Shawn stood in the doorway, watching her, then glanced back at the front door. The shop was about to close and he didn’t expect anyone, but still, he had to stay alert.

Plastic containers covered the back shelf, and the clerk picked up a few before she said, “Got it. This is oxy.” She turned to him with a large white bottle.

“I need the Lyrica too. Now!”

Panic rippled across her face. “I don’t know where it is. We don’t get much call for it.”

“It’s a tranquilizer. Find it!” His pulse raced as if he were running for his life. Was it pure adrenaline or the amphetamine in the dextro?

She turned to the partition beside her and started grabbing bottles off an upper shelf. “I don’t see it.”

Shawn rushed into the cramped back room, put the gun into his waistband, and searched with her. A few minutes later, he found it next to the prednisone. He grabbed two bottles, stuffed them into his pockets, then snatched up the OxyContin she’d tried to hand him earlier.

“Get on the floor and don’t move for twenty minutes!”

He turned and bolted through the narrow door, past the counter, and down the aisle. No one had come into the drugstore. He sprinted for his truck, jumped in, and gassed the engine. If the old woman stayed down long enough for him to get out of sight, he could pull this off. When he took the freeway entrance a few minutes later, he let out a howl, then burst into laughter. What a rush! He almost wished he’d participated in the kidnappings. After a life spent carefully monitoring his behavior and doing everything expected of him, it was exhilarating to break the rules!

On the drive home, Max called. Shawn answered, feeling upbeat. “Things are under control,” he reported. “We just grabbed the best cryptographer in the world, the mine has doubled its capacity, and Dana Thorpe is on the verge of finalizing the new compound.”

“We have another problem.”

The chill in Max’s voice made his gut tighten. “What is it now?”

“Rocky’s been identified by the feds.”

Oh fuck!
“How did that happen?”

“Obviously, he was careless during Dana Thorpe’s abduction. Deal with him.”

“I’ll make him lie low for a while.”

The pause unnerved him. Finally, Max said, “If he’s arrested, they’ll offer him a sweet deal, and Rocky will turn on you.”

“We’re out at the mine now, we’re done picking up resources, and Rocky will be fine.”

“You don’t understand.” The deadpan tone had shifted to menacing. “I don’t like it either, but Rocky has to be silenced. We’re the majority stakeholders, and we make the decisions. Just do it and don’t look back.”

Shawn’s gut fluttered, and he closed his eyes for a moment. But he forced himself to focus on driving and thinking. The unspoken threat was that the venture capital company would pull their financing or take over his company. He had to tell his backers what they wanted to hear. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it. I won’t let anything stop our plans.” He couldn’t ask Harlan to do this. He and Rocky had become friends. But Shawn didn’t know if he could pull it off. “How soon?”

“Tomorrow.”

A lump formed in his throat. “I’ll try.”

“This isn’t something you try. Just get it done and hide the body well.”

“Yes, sir.” Shawn hung up, deeply troubled. The man who’d fired him early in his career he hated with a passion and could easily kill without guilt. But Rocky, the pilot he’d gotten to know and come to depend on? There had to be another option.