| |
As Pam drove into the Lansdowne Hospital complex, Tim was thankful that is was not a Monday or any other weekday. The parking lot for the medical offices was no more than a quarter full, so finding a space would not be a problem. As a matter of fact, the problem was finding the right space. Pam wanted to park behind the building with her car at an angle, which would prevent anyone from parking to close to her new Mercedes. Tim, on the other hand, thought that parking in the middle of a vacant parking lot would attract attention. After considering this, Pam finally agreed that parking at an angle would be a little too conspicuous and decided to park with a group of other cars closer to the hospital.
At this point, Tim felt that this had to be the strangest operation he’d ever been involved in. He was keenly aware that the country was on the verge of collapse and that his and Pam’s lives were in grave danger, yet they were arguing about where to park.
“So how do you think we should do this, Tim?” Pam asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve never been a B and E guy,” Tim replied as he looked around. Across the lot next to the medical building was an Audi parked in the Doctors Only spaces. “It looks like they’re here. What do we do if the door is locked? I kind of doubt they will open if we knock.”
“I got that covered,” Pam replied as she reached into her bag and produced a set of lock picks. “I did take a course in this, but it’s been a while.”
“And locks change all of the time,” Tim added.
“Fuck it, let’s just get this done,” Pam declared as she got out of the car and began to walk towards the building. Tim got out as well and had to hurry in order to catch up to his wife.
“I hope you still have your Deputy Marshal ID, Tim,” Pam asked, but did not seem to care to hear the answer. She was focused on the building and the front door. “There may be security at the desk—”
“But yeah, let you do the talking,” Tim finished. Although it was Tim who was really interested in interviewing the two doctors, it was apparent that Pam now wanted to as well. Tim could tell that she was angry at being double-crossed by Sebastian. This indicated to Tim that Pam would want to take the lead in the interview, which did scare him. Pam could be headstrong and was certainly capable of screwing this up. The last thing either of them needed was for the two doctors to clam up.
As they entered the building, there did not seem to be any security whatsoever, just an empty desk. Tim looked it over, but it did not appear that anyone had used it recently. The doctors’ office was on the fourth floor, and Pam had already pushed the elevator call button.
A loud ding sound soon followed, and the two elevator doors opened wide. Tim pressed the button for the fourth floor. When the doors reopened, Tim and Pam stepped out slowly, since neither knew what to expect. The medical building was rectangular in shape, and suite 420 would be at the end of the hall. Tim and Pam both turned to the left and slowly walked to the office.
When they reached the office door, Pam placed her finger to her lips and pressed her ear to the wood. She nodded, indicating that she could hear that both doctors were in the office. Pam then motioned for Tim to produce his gun, placing her hand on her own pistol and slowly removing it from her holster. Pam next placed her hand on the doorknob and smiled when she discovered that the door was unlocked. She turned the knob and counted, “One, two...”
On three, Pam pushed open the door with her shoulder, and Tim followed in behind her.
Opening the door activated a chime, which the two doctors apparently did not hear. Pam and Tim stood alone in the waiting room.
The doctors were in separate offices but speaking to one another through an interconnecting door. There was also a television on, showing Meet the Press. The subject, of course, was the condition of the President. Tim motioned to Pam that he would enter Dr. Jennifer’s office first if she covered Dr. Justice. Pam nodded to indicate that she understood the plan.
Tim silently counted it off, then raised his Glock using both hands and kicked open Dr. Jennifer’s door. Tim saw that her head was down as she read a document, but she quickly looked up and saw Tim.
“You!” Dr. Jennifer screamed, staring at him. “Richard, run!”
Tim heard motion in the next office and a door opening, but his attention and the Glock remained trained on Dr. Jennifer.
“Freeze, fat boy, or you’re fucking dead,” Tim heard Pam command from out in the waiting room. He then turned his attention back to Jennifer.
“I need you to slowly place your hands behind your head and lace your fingers together,” Tim said as he paced around to Jennifer’s left side. He did not see any weapons. He also noticed that Jennifer was sitting in an office chair with wheels.
He next looked at Jennifer’s face to gauge how she was reacting. She did appear to be somewhat afraid.
“Okay, Jennifer, I need you to relax,” he said once she’d complied. “We have no intention of hurting you or Dr. Justice, but if you do try anything, you may get seriously hurt. Now, I need you to slowly push your chair back away from your desk using your feet. Slowly, now.”
Jennifer pushed her chair back until it was close to the window. Meanwhile, Tim could hear Pam speaking softly to Dr. Justice and next what sounded like handcuffs closing; then, the sound of duct tape peeling off the role.
“Do you have everything under control out there?” Tim yelled to Pam, careful not to use her name.
Yeah, we will be in there in ten seconds.”
Tim was still focused on Jennifer, afraid to take his eyes off her until Pam came in. He had to admit to himself that he just was not very good at this kind of thing.
“Okay, fat boy, let’s go.”
Tim moved aside as Dr. Richard Justice entered the room. His hands were cuffed behind his back, and Pam had wrapped duct tape around his head two or three times to gag him. Pam took Dr. Justice by the shoulders, turned him around, and pushed him onto the couch.
Pam next looked at Jennifer. “Okay, honey, it’s your turn. I don’t trust this one,” she added to Tim. “If she tries anything while I’m securing her, shoot her. Don’t worry about me. I’ll get out of the way.”
Pam pulled a pair of handcuffs from her bag and walked behind Jennifer, grabbing one of Jennifer’s wrists to place the cuff on it. She then took Jennifer’s other wrist and placed it behind the back of her chair, effectively handcuffing her to the chair. Pam then took a roll of duct tape and wrapped it around Jennifer’s ankles five or six times. “You can lower your firearm,” she assured Tim. “Neither of these two are going anywhere.”
“How did you learn how to do all of this so efficiently, Pam?” Tim figured there was no longer any point to not using names.
“Oh, I had a day-long class with the Marshals, learning how to effectively restrain fugitives. It was a blast, and we all went out for drinks afterwards.”
Tim once again thought that his wife had joined the wrong agency.
“So, Tim, pull up a chair and let’s start talking,” Pam said.
“I don’t know what you two want, but just take what you need and leave,” Jennifer interjected.
Ignoring her, Tim pulled up a chair and sat on the other side of Jennifer’s desk. “Okay, Nurse Jennifer. Or is it Doctor?”
“It’s Dr. Lockwood to you,” Jennifer said, attempting to take control of the interview.
Tim looked at Jennifer for almost a full minute but did not say a word. Finally, he turned to Pam.
“You better make sure the door is locked, Pam. I think this is going to take a while.”
Pam laughed and walked out to the waiting room.
“Jennifer, my wife and I are your last hope. Sebastian and his henchmen will be coming soon to kill you, but I think you’ve already figured that out. But when they do come, there will not be any talking. Just shooting.”
“Fuck you,” Jennifer said.
All of a sudden, there came the sound of a key entering a lock and then a door opening. Tim looked at Jennifer and saw a very worried look.
“Shut her up,” Pam whispered, referring to Jennifer. Tim stepped behind Jennifer and placed his right hand over her mouth. Jennifer tried her best to bite it, but Tim held firm.
“Mom? Dad? I’m back with the Starbucks.” It was a young woman, probably college age. And it was their kid.
She walked directly into her mother’s office and saw Tim with his hand over her mother’s mouth. She would have screamed if not for Pam grabbing her from behind.
Pam took the young woman’s arm and twisted it behind her back. “Tim, get a roll of tape.” When he obeyed, Pam quickly forced the young woman onto her stomach and tied her wrists with the duct tape.
“What’s your name?” Tim asked
“Joanna,” the young woman sobbed.
“Okay, Joanna, just relax,” Pam told her, “and I promise you will not be hurt.” She quickly finished tying and gagging the young woman.
“So, what do we do now, Pam?” Tim wanted to know.
Pam motioned Tim to follow her into a corner of the room. When he did, she hissed, “This is a stroke of luck, Tim. Those two weren’t talking before, but I bet they’ll start now.”
“Yeah, I know, I know,” Tim agreed.
Pam looked around and saw two keys hanging on the wall behind the receptionist’s desk. Pam took one of the keys. “Tim, pick Joanna up and follow me.”
Tim did as Pam ordered, following her to the office door and out into the hall. Pam then used the key to open the door to the ladies’ restroom. She entered, and Tim followed with Joanna. Pam opened one of the stalls and placed Joanna on a toilet. Pam then took the roll of duct tape and wrapped the tape around Joanna’s waist and the pipe, securing her to the seat.
Pam knelt down to speak with her. “Joanna, I’m sorry that we had to do this to you and to your parents, but everything will be all right. You will only have to stay here for an hour or so, and we will make sure someone comes and finds you, okay?”
Joanna nodded. “Okay,” Pam said again, then walked with Tim back to the hallway.
“Tim, when we get back in there, I will question the fat man. You take Jennifer,” she ordered. “Tell Jennifer that if she doesn’t cooperate, she will never see her kid again.”
“Yeah, sure,” Tim responded.
Pam glared at him. “Look, Tim, I don’t like doing this either, but it’s the only way we are going to find out what we need to know. Do you understand?”
Tim nodded
“Then let’s get this done.”
Tim and Pam reentered the doctor’s office to find Justice on the floor while Jennifer was struggling. Pam and Tim took it to be a good sign, since it showed that the two doctors were becoming desperate. Pam and Tim walked over to Justice and got him to his feet.
“Come on, fat boy,” Pam told Justice. “You and I need to talk.” Pam directed Justice back to his office.
Tim waited until they were gone, and then looked at Jennifer as if he were considering something. Jennifer spat at Tim, which landed on his pants leg. Tim raised his right leg and pushed Jennifer’s rolling chair across the room. The chair hit the wall and then fell over to one side. Tim took his Glock out and pulled back the slide until it clicked.
“We have your kid now, Jennifer, and all it will take is one text from me and she’s dead. Now start talking. Start at the beginning and tell me what happened in China.”
“Sebastian Oak is behind it all,” Jennifer gasped. “Please don’t hurt my child!”
“That is fucking up to you, Jennifer. Continue.”
“Sebastian has been moving intellectual property to the Chinese.”
“Why?” Tim wanted to know.
“Money, just for money, but he needed to get you out of the way, so he came to us before he left and wanted some drugs that would make you lose your memory. He had us make up some syringes with Propanol, which he injected you with at some point. I don’t know when.”
“Okay, Jennifer. Now tell me what happened when I came home from China and what happened in Santa Domingo.”
“Richard and I thought that we were done with all of this. I mean, we really never wanted to be involved in the first place, but we received an overseas call from Sebastian telling us that we needed to meet him at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. So, we drive up there in the middle of the night, and we meet him at the front gate. Sebastian and these MPs take us to an airplane hangar for a private jet. Sebastian takes us on the jet, and we see that it’s a medical transport plane with a patient. The patient is hooked up to monitoring devices and IVs, plus he is also wrapped in bandages. So, Sebastian orders everyone off the plane except me and Richard. He takes the bandages off the face of the patient, and for the first time we see that it’s you. You appeared to be comatose, but all of your vitals looked good to me.”
“What’s your medical background, Jennifer?” Tim thought this might be good to know.
“I attended Harvard Medical School and did a residency in Emergency Medicine at John Hopkins and at Baltimore Shock Trauma.”
“And you know Dr. Gray, my neurologist?”
“Yes, I know Felix, and I’m crushed that he’s dead,” Jennifer said, appearing to mean it.
“Just so you know, Pam and I are trying to make sure that you and your husband do not suffer the same fate. So, let’s get back to the airplane.”
“Yeah, so I checked your vitals, and you looked stable to me. Hey, would you mind picking me up off the floor?”
Tim looked to make sure that Jennifer was still secured to her chair. She was, but one of the handcuffs was beginning to cut into her wrist. Tim rubbed it to try to return some of the circulation.
“You know, that would be a lot easier if you removed these handcuffs,” Jennifer suggested in a way that made Tim almost comply with the request.
“Forget about it, honey,” Pam said. Tim turned to see her standing in the door.
“Tim?” Pam motioned him to come toward her and spoke to him in a low voice. “I can tell you’re really out of practice. This woman is starting to play you. Remember, she is a mother, and the only thing she’s thinking about right now is saving her daughter. We are making progress, so please focus on the task at hand.”
Tim nodded to indicate that he understood. Pam was correct, of course, and he thought once again about how much better than him she was at doing this kind of work. When Tim was in the field, all he did was find out information, take that information to base, and talk about what it meant. Pam was more hands-on. In any event, Tim was happy that she was with him.
Tim walked back and sat opposite Jennifer again. He decided to change his tactics. “Okay, Dr. Lockwood,” he began, “how is your wrist?”
“Fine, besides losing circulation. I didn’t know your wife was such a bitch, Tim.”
“Yes, she is, and I’m doing my best to make sure she does not murder your family. So, let’s get back to me and the airplane in the hangar.”
Jennifer looked startled by Tim’s sudden change in tone, but she did continue the story. “So, you looked stable to me, and I asked Sebastian what this was about. He told us that he had administered the four syringes we had prepared and that he needed more, but both Richard and I told him that it would not be wise to just keep administering Propanol, and we asked what his intentions were. He asked us if there was any such thing as drug-induced amnesia. There actually have been some studies looking into that possibility using propranolol and a variety of benzos—”
“What kinds of drugs are benzos?” Tim interrupted, although he was pretty sure he knew.
“Well, originally there was chlordiazepoxide, better known as Librium, which was discovered by accident in the 1950s. That led to the development of diazepam, which is Valium, and alprazolam, which is better known as Xanax, but of course there are other kinds of benzodiazepines, such as Rohypnol, which you may know as the date rape drug.”
“Okay, Dr. Lockwood, back to the airplane hangar.”
“Well, we told Sebastian that yes, there were drugs which if administered over time could possibly induce amnesia for an extended period.”
Tim finally felt that he was getting someplace. “So, what happened next?”
“We left you in the plane and sat at a table in the hangar, and Richard started writing prescriptions. I told Sebastian that we were going to need the cooperation of a neurologist, and that was when we decided to bring in Felix. Felix and I were in med school together. Sebastian said that he would take care of getting you transported to John Hopkins and transfer the case to Felix; I mean Dr. Gray. Richard and I then drove to Baltimore and checked into a hotel. I called Felix and we—meaning Richard, me, and Sebastian—met with him the next day. You had been transferred to Hopkins and were placed in a secure unit.”
“Okay, I think I get it. Now tell me what the Santa Domingo trip was all about.”
Jennifer looked over to the next room, where her husband seemed to be having an extended conversation with Pam. Earlier, Tim had heard Dr. Justice scream as Pam pulled the duct tape off his mouth, and Tim thought for a second that Pam may have enjoyed doing it. Pam had never tried to duct tape Tim when playing around in bed, and he made a mental note that he would never let her.
“Your husband can’t help you, Jennifer, so why don’t you just tell me what happened in the Dominican Republic,” Tim said to redirect Jennifer’s attention.
“Like I told you, we did not want to be involved with any of this, but Sebastian has been blackmailing us for years—”
Tim cut her off. “Just tell me what fucking happened in the Dominican Republic, Jennifer.”
“Sebastian came to visit us and said that we needed to come up with a treatment for you to recover your memory, but we told him that it probably could not be done. After all, it had been over two years. How is your memory?”
It did seem like Jennifer wanted to know. “Pretty good now,” Tim answered. “As a matter of fact, I’m beginning to remember just how big of an asshole I can be when I become angry.” Tim said this while giving Jennifer a very cold stare.
“Okay,” Jennifer answered, sounding more subdued. “So, Sebastian said that he needed you to recover your memory and that it had national security implications.”
“Oh, I bet he did,” Tim commented.
“So, I suggested that there were a number of things that we could try, and one was using embryonic stem cells to stimulate neuron functions in the brain. Of course, the other therapy we would need to do would be to induce a coma and flush all of the drugs out of your system. It’s called a rapid detox. That could have been done anywhere, but the closest place for the stem cell implantation was in the Dominican Republic.”
“So, all of this was arranged for a run-of-the-mill drug detox?” Tim asked.
“It was far from run of the mill,” Jennifer protested. “Your body had become so accustomed to having several different kinds of benzophenones administered that the sudden discontinuation could be life-threatening—and believe me, in the 72 hours you were in the coma, you needed to be resuscitated twice. You owe your life to that man in the next room, Tim.”
God, how many times had Tim heard that phrase? “Screw you, Dr. Lockwood,” he answered. “You and your husband were the reason I needed to be resuscitated in the first place. You were just covering your asses. I only have two more questions. First, why the whole Nurse Jennifer bit with the chair and the straps, and why did you and your husband take seventeen thousand dollars from me?”
“Sebastian kept telling us that he would reimburse us for all the expenses we incurred setting up the phony clinic and everything, but he never did. We had to get some money for this—and believe me, it cost us a lot more than 17K.”
“And the Nurse bit?”
“Oh, that’s just this silly thing my husband and I do where I pretend to be a nurse, and he—”
“That’s all I need to know, Jennifer,” Tim said as he cut Jennifer off. He really was not in the mood to hear any more sexual fantasy stories.
“One more question. The President has apparently been poisoned. Do you have any knowledge of what he has been poisoned with?”
“No, not a clue,” Jennifer said.
“Has Sebastian ever discussed poisons with you, Dr. Lockwood?”
“In the years that I’ve known him, he’s asked me all kinds of medical questions, Tim, and that started when I met him at Harvard.”
“So, you two go back a ways?”
“Yes, but he has not asked anything about poisons recently.”
“Tell me anything he has asked about poisons, Jennifer. It may be very important.”
“Well, he did ask me once if one poison could mask another poison. In other words, could a doctor feel that he was treating one poison while missing another?”
“And when was this, Jennifer?”
“Oh, two or three years ago, I think. I figured he was asking in regard to some kind of CIA operation. That’s why he usually asked.”
Tim turned and walked out to the waiting room. Pam was waiting for him. “So, what do you think, Pam?” he asked.
“He basically told me the same story as your new girlfriend did,” she answered. “He just told it quicker because I did not need to flirt with him.”
Tim rolled his eyes. “Pam, why are you so fucking jealous? I mean, you apparently want me out of your life, but then you get angry if I have a civil conversation with anyone of the opposite sex.”
“Because you belong to me, Tim. I picked you. I married you. You’re mine until death.”
Tim thought that this was a little crazy, given the circumstances—but it had been a stressful day, so he was willing to let it go.
But Pam was continuing. “You just have this way of flirting with women. I don’t even think you know you’re doing it. But we do.”
By “we,” Pam was referring to women in general. They’d talked many times before about how women had innate powers to figure out what men were thinking.
“Well, did your fat man reveal any clues about what the President may have been poisoned with?” Tim wanted to know.
“As a matter of fact, he seemed to think that it was thallium masked by arsenic. If that is the case, then the President would have about three weeks or less; but the longer it goes untreated, then the chances of recovery decrease.”
“So, what now?” Tim asked, hoping that Pam would provide the correct answer.
“Well, we need to get a message to the doctors at Bethesda telling them that there is a good chance the President has been poisoned with a thallium-based compound. That may be harder than it sounds.”
Tim was pleased with Pam’s answer, since he half expected her to say, “Fuck it, let him die,” but it was good to know that she was using her head instead of her heart.
“We need someone who is not involved, someone who is innocent; but first, let’s finish with the two doctors.”
Tim looked into Dr. Justice’s office and saw that Pam had bound and gagged the doctor to his chair using the duct tape.
“Okay, Pam, looks good. Let’s bring in Dr. Lockwood.”
Tim walked over to Jennifer’s office to see that she was actively trying to squeeze out of her handcuffs. “Okay, Jennifer, let’s join your husband,” Tim told her as he began to push the woman and her chair through the connecting doors.
“Tim, it doesn’t have to be this way. Maybe we can make a deal. We can certainly give you the money back from your trip to the Dominican Republic,” Jennifer pleaded.
Oh my god, Tim thought. Do these two really believe this is all about a lousy seventeen thousand dollars? Tim’s trip to Santa Domingo seemed like it was years ago, but what had it been, really? A few weeks, maybe? It really was only a few weeks back that Tim had been sitting at a bar in Baltimore flirting with a woman bartender who looked as though she was a member of a motorcycle gang. Now, he was deeply involved in an assassination conspiracy along with his wife. A wife who just a few weeks ago he’d thought to be dead.
This made Tim think of one more question. “Jennifer? Tell me again why Sebastian wanted so badly to bring me back into all this madness?”
Jennifer appeared to be trying to see if Pam was listening to their conversation. Tim saw this and knelt down in front of Jennifer so that they were on eye level.
“He said it was important to your wife,” she answered. “As a matter of fact, he mentioned that she insisted.”
“Have you ever met my wife before today, Jennifer?”
“No.”
“Seen her around somewhere?”
“No.”
“And I second that, Timothy,” Pam said from behind him. “Let’s finish this up.”
Pam walked behind Jennifer and pushed her chair much harder than Tim had until it was in the center of her husband’s office. Pam took one of the rolls of tape and wrapped it around Jennifer’s midsection until she was tied securely to the office chair.
“These are mine,” Pam remarked as she took the handcuffs off of Jennifer’s wrists, momentarily freeing them. Pam then taped her hands and wrists, wrapping them almost to her forearms. Pam next pulled Jennifer’s long red hair back and began to gag her.
“You don’t need to do that, Pam,” Jennifer said very nicely. “I promise to be quiet.”
“Not a problem, honey,” Pam replied as she grabbed Jennifer’s nose. This resulted in Jennifer opening her mouth, and Pam shoved a piece of gauze in it. Pam then proceeded to wrap the tape around Jennifer’s head four times.
“I think that’s enough Pam,” Tim said, suggesting that perhaps Pam was overdoing it.
Pam looked at Tim, then at the tape. “Yeah, I guess.”
She turned her attention to Jennifer. “I’m sorry, honey, but my husband just can’t help himself,” Pam said, referring to Tim’s tendency to flirt with every woman he encountered; but Jennifer just looked confused.
“I don’t think she knows what you’re talking about, Pam,” Tim said.
“Oh, she does,” Pam replied. “Now, let’s go and get their kid.”
The mention of Joanna startled the two doctors, as they both made sounds of protest. Ignoring this, Pam led the way out of the office and used the restroom key again to open the door. Joanna made a screaming sound as they entered.
“It’s just us, Joanna, so calm down.” Pam said, but Tim doubted that letting the young woman know that her kidnappers had returned would result in a calming effect.
Pam pushed open the door to Joanna’s stall to find her just as they left her, although Tim could tell that she had been crying. Tim felt terrible and sensed that even Pam did as well.
“Tim, take your knife and cut the tape so Joanna can get up.”
Tim did as Pam asked and cut the tape that was around the toilet fixture and Joanna’s ankles. Tim then helped her to her feet.
“Now turn around, Joanna, and let me untie your hands,” Pam said very gently as she peeled the tape from Joanna wrists. Pam next turned Joanna around so she was facing her.
“Now, Joanna, we are going to take you to see your parents so you can see that they are all right—but after that, we are going to need you to do something very important. So important that your parents’ lives depend on it. Do you understand?”
Joanna nodded.
“Okay, then. I’m going to take your gag off—but no screaming. It’s important for you to stay calm.”
Joanna nodded again and did seem more relaxed. Pam slowly began to peel the tape away from her mouth. “This may hurt a little,” Pam warned,
“Ouch!” Joanna said as the tape came off. “Who are you and why are you doing this to my mom and dad?” she demanded.
“Let’s get one thing out of the way, Joanna: Tim and I are giving the orders and asking the questions. Your job is to answer the questions and do what you are told. If you do, then you and your mom and dad will have many more happy occasions. But if you try and cross us, then everybody dies. Understand?”
Perhaps it was the firmness of Pam’s voice or something else that convinced Joanna to do as she was told, but her attitude completely changed. “Tell me what I need to do,” she said.
The three of them returned to the doctors’ office. “Okay, Joanna,” Pam began, “we are going to see your parents now. They are both gagged and will not be able to communicate with you, but I just need you to tell them that you are okay, and everything will be fine. Understand?”
“Yes, I understand,” Joanna replied.
Tim pushed open the door to Dr. Justice’s office, and Joanna saw her parents bound and gagged. Both doctors tried to communicate with their daughter, but Pam held up her hand.
“Your daughter has something to say.”
Joanna nodded. “Mom and dad? They are going to let me go, but I am coming right back. Everything will be okay. I just wanted you to know that I love you.”
With the exception of Pam, everyone seemed to have tears in their eyes, including Tim. Pam simply shook her head from side to side and took hold of Joanna’s arm to guide her back to the reception area.
Tim closed the door behind them. “Joanna?” he asked. “Do you go to school around here?”
“Yes, Georgetown Law.”
“Really? Well, good for you. Do you live in DC?”
“Arlington, around Ballston, if you know where that is.”
“Sure do,” Tim replied almost a little too enthusiastically. “As a matter of fact, Pam and I used to live over by...”
“Tim, cut the shit,” Pam said, sounding a little more flustered than usual. “Just get to the point.”
“Okay. Anyway, Joanna, do you know where the CIA is in McLean?”
“Yeah, I guess I do. I’ve seen the signs for it.”
“Like where, Joanna? Off of the GW Parkway?”
“Yes, there’s a sign right when you take the exit off the Beltway before you cross into Maryland.”
“Okay, great. What we need you to do is to drive there. Take that exit and follow the road until you come to the gate. Give them this note and tell the guards that you cannot leave until you speak with this man.”
Joanna looked at the piece of paper and read the name. “Okay, but will he want to see me? Maybe they’ll just think I’m crazy and arrest me.”
“That’s okay if they do,” Pam interjected. “Just stick to your story. Tell them about your parents. Tell them that they are being held hostage. The important part is to tell them that the President needs to be treated for thallium masked by arsenic poisoning. You have to get that across.”
“But why me? Why not you or my parents?” Joanna wanted to know.
“Because we would be killed before we had any chance to tell someone,” Tim said.
“Look, this is a big deal,” Pam told the young woman, “and I’m sorry that you just stumbled into all this. It certainly was not part of anyone’s plan, but sometimes things like this just happen, and it’s important that you are able to step up when called upon. Do you understand what I mean, Joanna?”
Joanna nodded.
“Then let me walk you downstairs. Tim, better stay here and watch Mom and Dad. “
Pam took Joanna by the hand and left the office. Tim walked over to the window and, in a few minutes, saw Pam leave the building with Joanna. Pam placed both hands on Joanna’s shoulders and appeared to give them a squeeze. Then she watched Joanna get in her car and drive off.
Tim checked from his vantage point to make sure no one was following the girl. From what he could tell, no one did.