Palo Alto Jail | Palo Alto, California
It wasn’t Ross Eckhart’s first time in a jail cell, but his previous stays had been over far more petty criminal activities.
When he was twelve years old, he’d been picked up for shoplifting, and because he refused to identify himself he’d been “given the treatment,” as his father had later put it. Cuffed, carried away in a squad car, and put in a holding cell. He’d spent only a couple of hours there, and was by himself the entire time. His parents had been furious, both at him and at the officers for “locking a child up like a criminal.”
The officers, for their part, had been congenial about it. “He is a criminal. And since he wouldn’t tell us who he was or even how old he was, we couldn’t know he was twelve.”
Eckhart’s father, a practical and pragmatic man, decided at some point that the officers were right, and that having young Ross sit in a cell for a bit might actually do some good.
It did, though not the way his father might have intended.
What the experience taught Eckhart was that, as scary as going to jail was, it was something he could deal with. If it happened, he’d get through it.
Years later, he was picked up for racing on a public street. His car was impounded, and Eckhart was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment. Once again, he had refused to identify himself, which led to further charges. And once again, he found himself in a cell. This time for fifteen days.
Being charged and jailed hadn’t scared him much, but it was something his father told him that did shake him up.
“There are going to be many laws and rules you’ll want to ignore,” his father said. “And for some of those, maybe you’re right. But if you build a reputation for being a criminal, you’ll always be under scrutiny. They will always be watching. And that will make it more difficult for you, no matter what it is you try to do.” He forced his son to look him in the eye. “I can’t make you do anything, and I won’t even try. I just want you to know this. Pushing the rules, without breaking them, can give you many advantages. When you break the rules, and you get caught, it becomes that much harder to work in the gray areas of life. And the gray areas are where all the opportunities are.”
It was a lesson Eckhart had taken to heart, because it was the first time anyone had given him a philosophy to live by.
Eckhart’s own father had worked in “gray areas” all of his life. He’d never broken any laws, as far as Eckhart knew. He’d faced scrutiny, had been sued a few times, had been threatened. But he’d always managed to come away not only free but somehow advanced.
His father was a good man. Not a criminal. He was successful, because he was willing to take risks. What he wasn’t willing to do was create a rebellious reputation for himself, because that would stack things against him from the start. Breaking the rules was only effective if no one expected you to do it.
Eckhart stopped doing things that crossed the line, from that point forward. He nurtured a reputation as someone who pushed the line, who flirted with breaking the rules, who nudged things right to the edge, but never quite crossed over.
Until now.
He’d known that Alex Kayne was a fugitive. Talking to her didn’t necessarily break any laws. His mistake, he realized, was flying her to San Francisco, after openly identifying her to his security team. Stephen Spencer—his security chief, and a man who had worked with Eckhart for years—had absolutely done the right thing by calling the FBI. It smarted a little, that someone Eckhart considered a friend would turn on him that way. But Eckhart, like his father, was practical and pragmatic. If Spencer hadn’t called it in, he wouldn’t be the man Eckhart hired.
So it was settled. Eckhart crossed the line, and here he was. Sitting in a cell might be just the first of several consequences, and he would face and deal with them as they came. That was that.
Now what?
Now, he waited.
Adele Bertrand herself had accompanied him to the police station, where he was being held and interrogated. She’d advised him the whole way, had immediately ordered him to say nothing, and had done all the talking with both the police and the FBI. She began hinting that Alex Kayne had coerced Eckhart into flying her to California. She had reminded them all that Kayne was listed as a very dangerous and capable fugitive. “My client had no way of knowing whether his life, or the lives of his employees, might be in danger, if he refused to do as she asked.”
It was a pretty elegant defense, when it came down to it. And Eckhart figured that it would ultimately work. Though he felt a bit of shame about throwing Alex under the bus.
He wondered about her, even worried over her. It was weird.
How did she know?
How did she know that law enforcement was approaching, when she ducked out and made her escape?
It wasn’t just Eckhart’s question. Bertrand had asked him the instant they were alone together.
“How did she know the FBI were approaching?”
“She has ways,” Eckhart said. “She must have been tipped off.”
“So she excused herself, went to the restroom, then… disappeared.” Bertrand was just outlining the facts, not asking for verification. So Eckhart simply nodded and said nothing.
The thing was, even though Eckhart knew that Kayne had her mythically powerful AI software doing her bidding, he couldn’t quite figure out when she’d realized there was a problem. They’d been in the middle of scouring BO&C’s files when Kayne had sort of… well, stiffened was the only way he could think of it. He’d noticed her getting tense, but hadn’t asked her about it, figuring she’d tell him if she wanted him to know. And when she’d excused herself to go find a restroom, he didn’t pry. He felt they’d established a rapport. Trust.
But then the fire alarm went off. And shortly after, the whole building was locked down as FBI and police raided the place, floor by floor, eventually storming in to put Eckhart in cuffs, with Adele Bertrand right on their heels.
And Alex Kayne was already gone.
Again, as a practical and pragmatic man, Eckhart didn’t entirely hold it against her, that she disappeared and left him effectively “holding the bag.” This was what she’d been doing for the past three years, by all accounts. She had instincts forged to protect her, to push her to run, to escape danger and avoid capture. That must have been what kicked in.
Or, he was force to admit, maybe she’d seen him as a threat.
He had sort of “captured” her, after all. He’d confronted her in the lab, and had arranged it so that escape would have been impossible, even for her and her magic software. In fact, it was those arrangements which had ultimately snared Eckhart himself. When he’d led Kayne out of the building and straight to his private jet, it was really a given that Spencer would report it. That was his job. And at that point, for all Spencer or the rest of the security team knew, Eckhart really was in some sort of danger.
Though it was curious that what the FBI initially said about Spencer’s report was that it was about Eckhart “aiding and abetting a fugitive.”
Why would he jump to that conclusion, instead of assuming that Eckhart might have been abducted?
And why had he changed his story to coincide with Bertrand’s strategy, after the fact?
An officer arrived at Eckhart’s cell, opening it and telling him to follow. Eckhart followed.
He was ushered into yet another interrogation room, and introduced to the FBI agent who would be asking questions—Agent Eric Symon.
Also present was Adele Bertrand, who quickly whispered to Eckhart to let her do all the talking, at least initially.
With introductions complete, Bertrand talked to Agent Symon at length, as Eckhart sat silently. She deflected his questions and doubled down on the assertion that Eckhart had been coerced. Eckhart was tempted to interrupt many times, to make assertions and correct the record. But silence was the order he’d been given, and it was a good one. He would learn more and stay out of trouble, if he remained silent and let Bertrand do her job.
After a while, however, Bertrand looked to him and said, “You can answer Agent Symon’s questions.”
Eckhart nodded. He had been prepared for this. Inevitably, it would never satisfy the FBI for him to keep silent. He’d have to give his testimony eventually, if only to try to clear his own name. “Alright, Agent Symon. Fire away.”
“Thank you,” Symon said. “It was a long flight, getting here from Austin, and I’d hate to waste the trip. Five hours in coach has done a number on my back.”
He smiled, and Eckhart smiled back.
This was a tactic, of course. Camaraderie. Common ground. But also, a little jab. Some of us don’t have private jets, Symon was saying. It was a way to put Eckhart on the defensive, to alienate him. In the presence of Eckhart’s attorney, Agent Symon was doing anything he could to tip the scales in his favor, to try to make Eckhart slip.
“I can recommend several very good chiropractors and massage therapists,” Eckhart smiled.
“Ah,” Symon waved, “my health insurance probably wouldn’t cover any of it. Government policies, right?”
“Right,” Eckhart said. “So, what can I do for you?”
“Well,” Symon said, “since you were arrested for aiding and abetting…”
“Allegedly,” Bertrand interjected.
“Right, allegedly aiding and abetting,” Symon nodded. “And since your attorney is claiming you were abducted and coerced, I was hoping you’d be willing to cooperate, to help me track down Alex Kayne.”
“And if he does so,” Bertrand asked, “will there be an offer of immunity?”
Symon shrugged. “I can always ask about it.”
“How about doing so, and then coming back with a guarantee?” Bertrand remarked.
Symon looked directly at Eckhart. “Well, it’s hard for me to take that to my superiors when I haven’t gotten much cooperation yet.”
Eckhart knew the play. Give me something, and maybe I’ll see about getting you immunity.
It was a sucker’s bet, Eckhart knew, and one that the FBI was in no way obligated to honor.
Bertrand knew that, too, and she was about to say something when Eckhart put a hand on her arm. “Adele,” he said, “It’s ok.”
“Ross…” Bertrand started.
He shook his head, then leaned forward a little, looking at Agent Symon.
“The truth is, I have no idea where Alex Kayne went, after leaving that conference room. We didn’t discuss anything outside of what she was looking into.”
“And what was she looking into?” Symon asked.
“She has a client,” Eckhart replied. “A young engineer who was cheated out of some patents, when Curie Motors acquired the company she works for.”
“Do you have the name of this engineer?”
“He’s under no obligation to share that with you,” Bertrand said.
“It’s pertinent to my investigation,” Symon said.
“Which Mr. Eckhart is under no legal obligation to assist you with,” Bertrand replied.
“If he’s withholding evidence, any chance of immunity is gone. I’ll make sure we prosecute him for aiding and abetting, obstruction of justice, transporting a known fugitive over state lines, and anything else we can come up with.”
“That’s your right,” Bertrand nodded. “But since we’ve already established that Mr. Eckhart was coerced, I’m more than certain your case will fall apart before it even reaches the bench.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Symon replied. Then he turned back to Eckhart. “But we can skip all of that, if you’ll consider something.”
Eckhart, curious, glanced at Bertrand, then back to Symon. “What would you like me to consider?”
Symon locked eyes with him for a moment, then held up a finger, rose from his chair, and left the room.
Eckhart blinked and exchanged another look with Bertrand. “Is he asking me to consider that he’s weird?”
“Don’t agree to anything,” Bertrand said firmly. “And be very guarded about what you say. They’re recording everything.”
“Not anymore,” Symon said as he re-entered the room. He pointed to the camera mounted near the ceiling, and Eckhart saw that the red recording light was off.
For good measure, the agent slid his chair to that corner of the room, and tilted the camera so that it aimed at the wall. He then unplugged the cable from the rear of the camera, letting it dangle.
He returned the chair to the table and took a seat.
“Off the record,” Symon said.
“Agent Symon,” Bertrand said, rolling her eyes. “We know better than to believe that anything could be off the record in this investigation.”
Symon nodded. “You could be right. But I’m asking you to trust me, at least for the moment.” He looked back to Eckhart. “For Alex Kayne’s sake.”
Eckhart was studying him. There was something in the man’s demeanor. A tone. Eventually he nodded. “Ok. I’ll take the risk.”
Bertrand was alarmed. “Ross, I can’t allow you…”
“I’ll take the risk,” Eckhart said, locking eyes with her.
She shook her head, sighed, and then shrugged. “Ask away,” she told Agent Symon.
Symon nodded. “I know that Alex didn’t coerce you into anything. I can’t prove it, of course. But… I know her. I’ve been chasing her for years now. I’ve been in direct contact with her, more than once. She’s one of my confidential informants.”
“The most wanted person on the planet is your CI?” Bertrand asked.
“And an asset to the task force I work with, the Historic Crimes Unit.”
“Historic Crimes?” Eckhart asked, smiling. “Sounds like the name of a CBS police procedural.”
Symon smirked and nodded. “I didn’t name it. But I do work for the HCU, as an FBI contingent. Basically, I’m on loan. But the point is, Kayne is an asset to the unit, and I’m her contact. I probably know her better than anyone else on Earth. And I know she would not kidnap you and force you to bring her here. Not unless you were into some pretty bad stuff. And if that was the case, she wouldn’t just leave you to the FBI, to be picked up on charges that might not stick. Not without making sure there was plenty of evidence to shut this case tight. She’s… more thorough than that.”
Eckhart was listening. Everything Symon was saying sounded so absurd, but also intriguing.
And it lined up with what he’d experienced.
He had sensed a few things about Kayne, as they traveled to San Francisco, and as they worked side-by-side, poring over the patent files. He felt a kinship with her, in a way. They had a shared ideal—to use the technology they created for the betterment of humanity. And they had a similar attitude toward the “rules” of life and society. The fact that she was a fugitive didn’t faze him and didn’t change his impression of her.
He believed her, when she said she was innocent.
“You believe her, too,” Eckhart said suddenly, the realization dawning on him. “That she’s innocent. That she was framed for those crimes.”
Symon hesitated, as if considering the ramifications of a confession, then nodded. “I do.”
“But you’re still planning to arrest her?” Bertrand asked.
Again Symon nodded. “I am.”
“Why?” Bertrand asked.
Symon looked at her. “Because she’s innocent. Because it’s my job to bring her in. And I believe that’s the only way I can really help her get out of this. But the thing is, she’s good. Very good. She has as… resource…”
“QuIEK,” Eckhart said.
Symon looked them. “She told you.”
Eckhart nodded.
“That means she trusts you. As much as she trusts anybody.”
Eckhart felt a sort of thrill at this, for reasons he couldn’t explain. It was as if, on some level, he and Agent Symon were agreeing on a somewhat abstract reality—the trust of Alex Kayne did not come easily, and only came to those who were worthy. It was something to… well, to covet, in a way. Her trust was a signal, of sorts. I’m on the inside. I’m part of the inner circle.
“Agent Symon,” Eckhart said, leaning forward. “Alex came to Curie Motors to track down a series of patents, and to bring justice for her client. A woman named Shai Salide. She’s a brilliant engineer. And when my company acquired the company she worked for, someone orchestrated the theft of her intellectual property. I was…” he hesitated, knowing that what he said next would completely destroy the coercion defense that Adele Bertrand had constructed. He glanced at her, apologetic. “I was helping her track down the people responsible.”
Bertrand stiffened slightly, but let it pass.
“And how did that bring the two of you here?” Symon asked.
Again Eckhart watched Bertrand’s face as he spoke. “We believe someone at BO&C is behind this. Not just stealing Ms. Salide’s patents, but doing it over and over with every acquisition made by all of my companies.”
Bertrand said nothing.
Symon turned to her. “Do you know anything about this?”
“I knew that’s what they were looking into,” she replied. “I don’t know who could be responsible. I assure both of you, I have no knowledge of any such activity within my firm.”
Symon nodded. “Ok,” he said. “At least we’re getting somewhere.” He thought for a moment, then said, “Mr. Eckhart, I’m inclined to drop the charges against you, in exchange for a favor.”
Eckhart’s eyebrows rose. “What favor?”
Symon leaned forward, “Help me find her,” he said. “Help me find Alex Kayne. And help me to help her.”
Eckhart studied Symon, then nodded. “Alright,” he said. “I’m in.”