Tuesday
I called Hollander again on my cell the next morning. This time I heard a couple of clicks, which indicated the call was being automatically transferred. A woman’s voice picked up. “Human Resources.”
I straightened up. “Uh, I was trying to reach Charlotte Hollander.”
There was a long pause. “Who is this?”
So far I hadn’t left my name when I called. But this was a direct question, hard to avoid. And I didn’t want to hang up until I got some answers. I sucked in a breath. “This is Ellie Foreman.”
“Well, Ms. Foreman, Ms. Hollander has been transferred.”
“Really? She never said anything to me.”
“May I ask what your business was with her?”
I faltered for an instant, then decided I could tell the truth. Or part of it. “I’m a video producer, and we scheduled a meeting to discuss an upcoming project. Can you tell me how to get in touch with her?”
“I’m afraid that information is classified.”
Classified? Neat trick. “But she specifically requested me to call her this week.”
“I’m sorry. I will note that you called.”
Now there would be a record of my call. “Thanks.” This time I did hang up before I could get in more trouble.
I pulled out my vacuum cleaner, cleanser, and a sponge. I stacked all the dirty plates and utensils in the dishwasher, wiped the counters. I changed the sheets on the bed, then went to work on the bathrooms. I’ve always believed that the physical activity of cleaning, organizing, and putting things into their proper place has a similar effect on my thinking. I didn’t much care whether it was real or a placebo. I needed clarity.
I doubted Hollander had been “transferred.” That happened to mid-level managers, not senior corporate executives. They were the ones who ordered transfers for others. In this instance “transfer” was corporate-speak for the fact that she was gone. But why? And why now?
I came up with two scenarios. The first was that Hollander was doing exactly what she said. Gregory Parks had somehow stolen her DADES system and was selling it to the Chinese. She discovered it, and in her effort to expose him, some greater threat came down. It could have been the Chinese. They weren’t known to honor the milk of human kindness. They could have tried to harm her. Or her son. That reminded me. I should try to find him. Maybe he’d know where his mother had gone.
The second scenario was more troubling. She could be in league with Parks. She could be selling to the Chinese, specifically General Gao, and using Parks as a middleman. Delcroft—or some other entity—found out about it, and she had to flee to escape a life sentence for treason.
Either way, that would explain why people were casing her house over the weekend. Who happened to be the same people staking out my house earlier. The question was, what I was going to do about it.