No Place to Hide (7 page)

The chief leaned forward, dark eyes intense. “I say we keep this as quiet as possible. It will give us a better chance of catching the people who’ve done this. If we release the fact that we let someone steal the smallpox virus, we’ll have chaos.”

Nods all around the table.

“This is considered a terrorist act,” stated Rebecca Wilson, FBI Special Agent in Charge in Atlanta. Her head bobbed with emphasis. “As such, we’ve formed this additional Joint Terrorism Task Force. We will continue to add people to it as it becomes necessary.”

Tobias nodded. He’d expected nothing less. “We’ll want to encourage the public to get the smallpox vaccination.” He paused and blew out a slow breath. “I’m not one for lies. I never could have imagined I’d condone lying to the public, but this . . .” He shook his head. “We’ll have to find a way to protect the people without causing a panic.”

Special Agent Elizabeth Miller pursed her lips, then offered a quiet sigh. “Unfortunately, you’re right. We can’t tell the truth just yet. What do you think about saying there was an outbreak on a remote island in the Philippines or something?”

“And as a result of that outbreak, there’ve been several cases reported here in the States,” Special Agent Wilson said.

Tobias cleared his throat, not at all sure he liked the idea of concocting a lie, but knowing the truth had to be withheld for now. He would get on his knees and ask forgiveness when the time came.
Lord, tell me what to do.
“Protect the people. That’s the priority.”

“How did Anwar Goff manage to steal the smallpox virus without any alarms going off? That’s what I want to know.”

Tobias shook his head. “Goff had top security clearance.
He was a long-term trusted employee and often worked late. There was no reason to suspect he’d ever do anything like this.” Tobias paused and met each eye in the room. “And he wouldn’t have if his family hadn’t been threatened.”

“Now we don’t know for sure his family was threatened,” Rebecca said. “There’s no concrete evidence of that.”

Tobias lifted a brow. “You mean other than the fact that they’re all dead?”

Rebecca cleared her throat.

Tobias honed in on the chief. “You may not know it, but I do. Whoever’s behind this held his family hostage and threatened to kill them if he didn’t get the virus for them. I don’t need any investigation or concrete evidence to tell me that. His actions, his dead family, and the missing virus are all the proof I need.”

The chief nodded. “I think you’re right, but we still want to prove it without a shadow of a doubt.”

“Now,” Tobias looked at Rebecca, “you have the lead on this. Who else do we need to bring into this circle of confidence?”

Rebecca pursed her lips, then leaned forward. “We’ll have all the manpower we need. All of our resources will be going toward finding that virus and getting it back where it belongs. I’ll keep you updated if I think of something.”

Tobias nodded. “FBI media coordinator Mark Hughes will handle the media. We’ll give him our statement and let him fend off the sharks.” He looked over the top of his glasses. “I think our best defense is a good offense at this point.”

“You think they’ll connect the murder of the Goff family, one of whom worked for the CDC, to the sudden encouragement for citizens to take the smallpox vaccine?” Rebecca asked.

“They’ll speculate, but won’t be able to prove anything.”

Rebecca narrowed her eyes and leaned forward. “What about a connection between Ian Lockwood and the CDC?”

Tobias nodded. “I’ve thought about that. The timing is just too much to be a coincidence. The smallpox virus goes missing on Thursday and Lockwood, a trusted employee of Wainwright Labs, is accused of working with enemies of the United States to sell a mutated malaria virus?” He steepled his fingers and rested his chin on them. “I’m going with the assumption the two are related.” He looked at Rebecca. “What do you think?”

“I’m inclined to agree. We’ll work it like it’s the same case—or at least related. I’ll fill in my agents and headquarters. I’ll assign as many as needed to this task force.” She tapped her chin. “As well as the agents from South Carolina where Lockwood started this chase. We may even need to swear in other law enforcement officers as federal marshals at some point if Lockwood and Sellers cross state lines.”

Tobias narrowed his eyes and once again looked at each individual person. “Right now, we are the only ones aware of what’s going on. If something gets leaked to the media that didn’t come from Hughes, the consequences won’t be pretty. I hope you understand what I’m saying.”

Rebecca stood. “Indeed. No leaks of any kind, no talking to prosecutors, nothing. I want complete silence on this. Because if this gets out, we’ll all go down. And I don’t plan on being one of the casualties.” She sounded confident, ready to take on this disaster of mammoth proportions and walk away a hero. Tobias could only pray that’s the way the scenario would play out.

8:15 A.M.
VIRGINIA

At the bus station, Jackie left Ian sitting in one of the chairs with Gus at his feet. She’d picked a spot as distant from other people as possible. Ian’s newly dyed hair looked more salt and pepper than the gray color the box promised, but it gave him a distinguished appearance.

The dark sunglasses and the white piece of PVC pipe with red electrical tape wrapped on both ends gave the impression that he was blind. The orange vest Gus wore completed the disguise.

Jackie just prayed it was good enough. She hadn’t had time to get as creative with her own looks as she would have liked, but she thought the large glasses and the black hair did the trick. The station attendant didn’t look at her twice as he passed their tickets to her through the slot. “You have about thirty minutes before boarding.”

“Thank you.”

“Yes ma’am.”

She turned and nearly ran over a man in his early sixties.
He had silver hair, a grey Fedora, and thick glasses. Behind the lenses, his bright blue eyes blinked a rapid beat as he caught her by the forearm.

Jackie regained her footing. “Excuse me, I’m sorry. I need to watch where I’m going.”

He tipped his hat and winked. “I never mind running into a pretty young woman.”

Jackie gave a short laugh and stepped around him. “Excuse me.”

“Of course.”

She made her way back to Ian and settled in the seat beside him. “Thirty minutes.”

“I haven’t noticed any suspicious looks, have you?”

“Not yet.”

He shifted. “I feel like scum impersonating a blind person.”

“You’re not scum. You’re trying to stay alive. I think anyone would understand that.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Jackie leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. “Why do you carry Gus’s service vest with you when you don’t need it anymore?”

He didn’t answer right away and she peeked at him from beneath the dark glasses. His focus was on the dog at his feet. “I don’t know. I suppose because it reminds me of Gina. She took such pride in Gus and all he could do.” He gave her a slight smile. “She trained him herself, you know.”

“I didn’t realize.”

He nodded. “I suppose I should let him go to someone who could use his special skills, but—” he gave a micro-shrug—“I just can’t do it yet. He’s a little part of her.”

Jackie squeezed his hand. “Thanks for sharing that.”

“Sure.”

“And now, I’m going to continue my little catnap if that’s all right with you.”

“Perfectly all right. I’m sorry I zonked out on you last night. I’d been up almost thirty-six hours.” At her frown, he shook his head. “Not all related to our current situation. I was working on something at the lab and I didn’t want to leave until I was finished. By the time I left work and those guys tried to kill me, I was pretty much a zombie. When we got in the car—” He shrugged.

“No need to apologize.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep my eyes open. You get some rest.”

A slight smile curved her lips just before she allowed her muscles to relax and sleep to claim her.

Ian watched Jackie doze. The lines in her face smoothed and she looked peaceful. Young. He was amazed that she could just fall asleep like that. Like she’d flipped a switch. Old feelings rose to the surface as his gaze skimmed her lips. When he’d been a senior in high school, he’d dared to try to kiss her. She’d rebuffed him gently, saving his pride by claiming that she wasn’t in the market for romance at the time, but if she was, he’d be her first pick.

A slight smile curved his lips at the memory. He wondered what she’d do if he tried to kiss her now?

Probably knock him senseless.

Which is what she should do. The reason for their frantic flight to New York swept over him and he turned from her deceptively fragile beauty to stare through the dark lenses at the crowd around them.
God, I don’t know what your plan is in this, but just keep us safe so we can see it through.

What if God’s plan was for him and Jackie to wind up in jail?
He felt silly even thinking that, but he was mature enough to admit God worked in weird ways. His mind went to the Bible.

Innocence hadn’t helped John or Peter, or Paul and Silas—or Jesus. It had happened in biblical times—innocent people going to jail—even dying because they were wrongly accused.

And it for sure happened in present times.

But God had used those situations in miraculous ways. What if Ian was just making things worse for the both of them by insisting on running? What if—

“Bus 591 departing for New York is now boarding.”

Ian shut off the what-ifs. If God wanted him in jail, he’d put him there one way or another. In the meantime, Ian planned on running and searching for a way to prove his innocence.

He tapped Jackie on the shoulder. Her eyes opened, clear and aware as though she’d just had a good eight hours of sleep.

“Ready?”

“Definitely.” She sat up and grabbed the bags.

Ian stood. “I bought a new phone at the little store over there and tried Holly again. Still no answer. I’m really worried. I even tried my uncle again.”

She frowned and he shrugged. “What did he say?” she asked. “Was he able to say if she was all right? Did he say where Lucy was?”

“He was a bit more kind. He said he hadn’t heard from Holly yet, but expected to soon. He didn’t say anything about Lucy.” He grimaced. “Then he tried to get me to tell him where I was and to turn myself in.”

Jackie bit her lip. “The feds convinced him to cooperate with them and were probably listening. What about her friends?”

“I don’t have their numbers and he wouldn’t give them to me. Said he wouldn’t be responsible for letting me get anywhere near them.” He shifted the cane to his other hand.

“Ouch.”

“I don’t really care what he thinks of me, I just wish he’d told me where Holly was.”

“You think he knows?”

“No. Holly doesn’t have much to do with him since I busted him on his affair with his secretary.” He snorted. “So cliché, it’s stupid.”

“What about your aunt, Holly’s mother?”

“She finally took off about three years ago to get away from my uncle. We haven’t heard from her since. At least I haven’t. Holly hasn’t said whether she’s been in touch with her or not.” He paused. “I’m sure my uncle blames me for my aunt’s leaving too.”

“Wow.” She rubbed her eyes. “Okay, let’s ditch the phone, they’ll have that number now.”

He tossed it in the trash, then reached for one of the bags.

She took his hand and gave it a gentle push aside. “You can’t see, remember?”

“Right, but that doesn’t mean I can’t carry a bag.”

“Today it does. Just look straight ahead. Hold your cane and Gus’s leash in your left hand. With your right, take my arm just above my elbow. You need to look like you’ve been doing this for a while. Otherwise people are going to stare.” Ian followed her instructions and together they merged with the crowd. He kept his head straight, but let his gaze roam. People were staring anyway. Mostly at Gus.

“I don’t see anyone that rings alarm bells, do you?”

“Not yet.”

Ian kept his hand wrapped securely around her arm. They made their way onto the bus and found their seats. They’d been given priority seating and Ian felt lower than scum. “I can’t take up this seat. Let’s move back.”

“And draw attention to ourselves?” Jackie asked as Gus settled himself at their feet.

Ian sighed and settled back in his handicapped seat and turned to look at her. “Fine, but if someone gets on this bus who really needs it, you’re going to have to move us.”

“Deal.” She glanced at the driver. “And stay in character a little better,” she muttered. “Don’t look directly at me. Look straight ahead. The bus driver’s watching us in the mirror.”

Ian stiffened. “Sorry, I never was one for the drama department.” He blinked and made his eyes as blank as possible behind the dark glasses, doing his best to stare at nothing and pretend he didn’t see the man watching them.

The driver shook his head and shut the door.

Five minutes later, with no one needing the seat Ian occupied, they rolled out of the terminal.

10:00 A.M.

Jackie leaned her head against the window and allowed the past to flood in. Ian’s cousin, Holly, was a redheaded, green-eyed little firecracker whose zest for life and fun infected everyone who came in contact with her. Probably one reason Ian enjoyed spending so much time with her.

Jackie had often escaped her home and found the two of them in his backyard, heads bent over a puzzle book or the newspaper’s daily cryptogram—or creating one of their own. She looked at Ian. “I knew Holly was living in New York. She called me and told me when she and Brant decided it was a great career move for her.”

“Yes. That was about three years ago. She was super excited about it. It was going to be a big change from that job she had right after college.”

“The one with the Navy. Yeah, I knew about that.”

“She served about five years with them, then went civilian and outsourced her skills to the highest bidder. That happened to be a large financial banking institution in New York. She now lives near Central Park. Did she tell you that?”

Jackie let out a low whistle. “No, she didn’t. That’s not cheap. Good for her.”

“She’s been there a little over two years. She does well with her job, but she married an Army man who came from money, remember?”

“I remember. How is Brant?”

Ian blinked and turned to stare at her, then seemed to remember her admonition not to look at her. Shifting his gaze straight ahead again, he cleared his throat. “He disappeared while on tour last year. You didn’t know?”

Jackie sucked in a deep breath. “What? No. No, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry. Obviously, I . . . I haven’t talked to Holly in a while.”

“Why not? You two used to talk every day.”

She looked away. “Things change, Ian. People change.” She gave a light shrug.

“Lucy misses him.”

Jackie felt his hand on her arm and turned back toward him. He still stared through the front window. “How is Lucy?”

“She’s a great kid.”

“Yeah,” Jackie whispered. “She is.”

“You’ve met her?”

Jackie smiled. “A couple of times.”

The driver caught her gaze for a moment, then looked back at the road. A sliver of unease slipped up her spine. The driver spoke into his headpiece. She knew he was in constant contact with dispatch and wondered what he was saying. She couldn’t hear over the chatter of the other passengers and the baby crying in the seat behind her.

“What is it?” Ian asked, his voice low.

He must have noticed her sudden tension. It amazed her that he was so in tune with her emotions even now. “The driver
keeps looking back here at me. Us.” She drew in a deep breath. “Okay, so he may just think you’re faking it to get the good seat on the bus. It doesn’t mean he recognizes you from the news.”

“Probably not.”

“So let’s not overreact.”

“Right.” Jackie saw him take a deep breath. “Right.”

Jackie curled her fingers around the cell phone in her pocket. Should she call Ron and ask him about a backup plan? She knew he’d have one. He always had one.

10:45 A.M.

“A person I care about is in trouble and you’ve waited this long to tell me you knew about it and were helping her?” David asked.

Ron could feel the man’s anger pulsing through the radio. “It couldn’t be helped, David. I’m sorry. She wouldn’t tell me anything until I promised I’d keep my mouth shut.”

“I get it but I don’t like it. If I had known sooner, I could be doing more than scrambling to help.”

Ron stayed silent. There was nothing he could do about it now.

David’s sigh reverberated through the line. “All right, I’m done whining. What did you find out?” he asked.

“The feds are waiting on them at the bus stop,” Ron said into the headset. He shifted in his seat and felt the seat belt tighten around him. It mirrored the conflict gripping him, like a noose around his neck. The pilot gave him the thumbs up. They were almost ready to land. “The bus driver called it in. As soon as they get off the bus, they’ll be arrested. I’m ahead of them and I’ve arranged for an escape if they can pull it off.”

“Won’t the FBI stop the bus?”

“No, they want to let the bus get to the original destination. Because of the explosive evidence found at Ian’s home, the feds are too scared to make them feel trapped. They’re worried if Ian or Jackie have explosives on them and they feel like they’re backed into a corner, they’d simply blow the bus up.”

“The good news is that we know they don’t have any explosives.”

“Exactly, but the feds don’t know that, and in their minds, just because Jackie and Ian got through bus security doesn’t mean they’re clean. We’re going to use that belief to our advantage.”

Ron heard footsteps and could picture David pacing in front of the large window of the Operation Refuge conference room. The slight echo said he was on speakerphone. “I can’t believe you’re just now bringing us in on this.”

“That horse is dead, David. You’ve gotten to know Jackie well enough by now to know how she thinks. If she’s going down, she’s going to do it alone. She won’t want to take anyone with her. She’s going to be mad as a wet hen that I told you.” He shook his head and guilt flooded him at the broken confidence. Then he stiffened his spine. “But sometimes you have to make an executive decision for those you love and want to help.”

“In spite of the fact that she’s with Ian Lockwood.”

“Yes.”

“Helping him run from the authorities.”

Ron didn’t like David’s calm, flat tone.

“Yes.”

David went silent and Ron let him think. “All right then,” he finally said. “She trusts you, but she can trust us too. What can we do to help?”

Ron pulled his phone from his pocket. “I have an idea. Give me an hour to put something together. I’ll call you.”

Ron left without a backward glance and fifteen minutes later found himself pacing District Attorney Kenneth Thompson’s spacious office. “What are the charges against them?”

Kenneth steepled his fingers in front of him and studied Ron. “Terrorism charges.”

“So you have evidence?”

“Emails on his computer at work, emails at home. Detailed notes about his work at the lab.” The DA paused. “Names of potential buyers for what he was working on.”

“Which was?”

“A way to take the malaria virus and turn it into a fine powder that could be spread over a large area.”

“A fine powder? Seriously?”

“Yes. But that’s not all. He was actually enhancing the virus.”

“Enhancing it?”

“Strengthening it, mutating it, whatever. He was making it impervious to antibiotic treatment. He’d made a batch and was getting ready to sell it to the highest bidder. Wainwright found out about it and called in the authorities. Unfortunately word got back to Lockwood that he’d been discovered.”

“Bioterrorism at its finest.” Ron sighed and rubbed his chin. “That makes no sense. Not only is malaria a stupid choice of bio-weapon, but he’s never been connected to anyone even remotely suspected of terrorism.”

“Stupid weapon?”

“Come on. Think about it. Lockwood had access to everything from anthrax to Ebola, for crying out loud. Why choose malaria? He may have been working on something with malaria, but it wasn’t to turn it into a bio-weapon. It’s a bunch of fabricated hooey and you know it.”

Kenneth held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “I don’t know. And I don’t know what to tell you, Ron. The FBI has
done a thorough job of collecting the evidence and bringing the charges. We’ll be notifying the media in about one hour, upgrading Lockwood from person of interest to one of the FBI’s most wanted.”

Ron dropped onto the love seat opposite the man’s desk. “What about Jackie?”

“Same thing. Looks like she’s helping him.” Kenneth narrowed his eyes. “You know as well as I do, anyone aiding a terrorist is not a friend of the US. And anyone aiding and abetting a terrorist will face charges and prison time.”

“Of course I know that.”

“Anything you want to tell me, Ron?”

Ron stood and walked to the window, hands shoved deep into his front pockets. “No. Nothing.” He turned and walked to the door and pulled it open. “I’ll be in touch.”

12:10 P.M.

Three hours into the trip, Jackie knew the bus driver was up to something. Or suspected something. His gaze had been constantly shifting between her and Ian and the road.

She elbowed Ian. “We have a rest stop coming up in about an hour. We’re going to have to get off the bus before then.”

“How do you propose to do that?”

“I’m not sure, but I’m thinking.” She really only had one choice. She called Ron. Heard the background noise. “Where are you?”

“In a chopper coming after you.”

“What? Why? How did you know I needed you?”

He barked a short laugh. “You’re in trouble, Jackie. I’m calling in every favor ever owed in order to stay one step ahead.
Now listen up, I’ve got a plan. They’re going to arrest you as soon as you show your faces at the next stop, so here’s—”

“No, Ron.” Jackie’s stomach tensed and she lowered her voice further. “You’ll get in major trouble.”

“I said I’ve got a plan.”

“You always have a plan.”

“Of course. Now quit interrupting and start listening. I won’t be able to get to you in the helicopter, there’s no place to land that the cops aren’t covering. You won’t be able to get through. So we’re going to get creative. Remember this address and directions to get there.” He rattled it off and Jackie closed her eyes, concentrating on his words. “You got it?”

“I’ve got it.”

“Now David, Summer, Adam, and everyone are working around the clock to help figure this out. But it’s bad, Jackie, very bad. Someone has a lot of power, influence, equipment, and everything. I’ve talked to the DA, and he told me the evidence against Ian and you is overwhelming. They’ve started an all-out nationwide manhunt. You’re fugitives and terrorists and are now on the FBI’s most wanted list.”

Jackie closed her eyes, doing her best to ignore the fear shooting through her. What had Ian stumbled onto? “I promise I’ll never pick a lock again,” she muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing. What kind of evidence?”

“You have emails in your account that I’m working on tracing because I know they’re bogus. Ian does too. They found explosive devices in Ian’s house along with a detailed plan to blow up several churches in the area. They also have detailed notes about his work with malaria and even some written scribbles that look like formulas that may be ways to enhance the malaria virus and turn it into a bio-weapon. The FBI is examining everything.”

Jackie pressed her forefinger and thumb to her eyes. “Okay, let’s start with the emails. What emails? What did they say they had?”

“They’re mostly between you and Ian, plotting to sell the information he stole, including a bio-weapon—probably the malaria thing—from Wainwright Labs to enemies of the United States, most specifically the highest bidder.”

“But that’s crazy—what—how—?”

“We’re working on figuring that out, but whoever set all this up is good. Very good and very powerful.”

Jackie pulled in a calming breath. “Ian wouldn’t do anything to hurt this country. His sister gave her life for it and he wouldn’t sell it out.”

“You sound a hundred percent.”

She looked at Ian and knew by his absolute stillness that he was listening and following the one-sided conversation. “A hundred and ten.”

“Then that’s good enough for me.”

“All right. So we keep going?”

“Absolutely. If you turn yourselves in now, you’re going to prison. And once you’re in prison, it’ll be a lot harder for me to protect you.” He paused. “Which is what I think the people after you may have in mind. Getting the cops after you and getting you in prison will allow easy access. Not too hard to find someone on the inside who’s willing to carry out a hit.”

“Right.”

“So they can only charge you if they catch you. Make sure they don’t before you have evidence to back up what you know.”

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind,” she muttered. “What about the explosive devices and the plans?”

“Same thing. Evidence that’s going to make them search for you and Ian and search hard.”