| |
Katerina made tea in a daze, her mind frantically busy with what she had just learned.
Patrick was blackmailing her mother! Dating her seemed to have been merely a ruse to gain access to Sarah. He was demanding information from Sarah in exchange for not harming her family, namely Katerina and her father. Patrick wanted information from Sarah’s work and her mother had written in her journal when she had given it to him. There wasn’t much detail about what the information was; just references to files which Katerina assumed to be code-names. Except near the end of the diary where Sarah had started to mention a name Katerina recognized only too well — Wilhelm.
It appeared that Sarah was in fact investigating the existence of Kainnan as Aaron had suggested. But what did she know? Did she have any idea that Katerina had been there? Was actually there right now?
It all begged the question — who was Patrick really? Who did he work for? And why had he released her at the airport so easily? Did he no longer need access to her mother?
And how could her mother be alright with Katerina dating a blackmailer? Why hadn’t her mother warned her? Or found her a way out?
There had been a short time around six months prior when Sarah vigorously opposed the relationship. She had argued that Patrick was too old and getting too serious for Katerina. They’d had some unpleasant disagreements over it until abruptly her mother backed right off. When Katerina checked the diary again, sure enough that had happened around when Patrick’s blackmailing had started.
There were no more answers to be found in the diary. The plan to break into her mother’s workplace would have to go ahead.
But where exactly was that? Because she actually didn’t know. She pulled out the photocopies she had made of everything to look again at the third photo, the one of the building. ‘I know where you keep them,’ it said. Maybe this was where she would find answers.
The building looked vaguely familiar. She was sure she had seen it before. She ate dinner quickly, mulling it over. It was one of those illusive memories she could not quite grasp, try though she might. A thought occurred to her as she rinsed her plate off, and she went looking for their family photo albums.
She had to go back to pictures of her childhood, but eventually there it was. Katerina and her uncle Phil clowning around outside the high gates ringing the building in her mother’s photograph. Her aunt had taken it and somehow it had found its way into their album. Her aunt and uncle ate early, which meant now would be a good time to pay them an unexpected visit with the photo.
Only her aunt was home and Katerina was shocked at how much she had deteriorated. The Alzheimer’s was clearly making headway. Nevertheless, she greeted her niece warmly and made her a cool tasty lemonade while they chatted. Because she kept spacing out as they talked however, Katerina began to wonder if her trip had been wasted. But Aunt Dori recognized the photo immediately.
“Oh yes, we had gone to meet your mother there,” she said, examining it closely. “Not a good move.”
“Really? Why?”
“She didn’t want us there. She tried to get us out of there as quickly as possible. I think she was upset we had brought you with us.”
“No doubt,” Katerina muttered. She took a breath and asked casually, “Do you remember where the building is Aunt Dori?” Her aunt looked sharply at her but Katerina kept her face as guileless as possible, explaining, “I’ve been trying to find Mum to ask her about something important. She won’t answer my calls right now. But that is where she works sometimes, isn’t it?”
Her explanation seemed to satisfy the older lady and she nodded. “Yes, sometimes she works there — she told me that last time we talked about her work.” She leaned in conspiratorially. “I think she was a bit tipsy because normally she’s as silent as a steel trap about that job of hers.”
“Do you have the address?” Katerina asked, all innocence.
“Not exactly. But we can look it up.”
She made her getaway as soon as she dared after getting the location from her aunt. She called Noah’s mobile from the car. He sounded strained when he answered, listening without comment as she told him what she had discovered.
“It sounds even more dangerous than we thought,” he said finally. “I think you should reconsider.”
“No,” she said sharply, “I have to know what’s going on in my family.” There was a long silence and she asked, “What is it? What’s happening with you?”
“I can’t go into it right now. Some big stuff...Look I’m just meeting a friend for a quick meal now, then I’ll head your way. I should be at your mum’s office by eight — is that too late?”
“No, but call me when you’re nearly there.”
“Okay,” he paused. “And Kat, I want you to know something. Meeting you has changed my life for the better. I know it sounds cheesy but I wanted you to know it — just in case...”
“Just in case what? You’re scaring me Noah!”
“Nothing...I’ll see you soon.”
It was ridiculous telling her that, Noah reflected as he hung up, but he just could not shake the feeling that had prompted him to do so. It was a feeling that something was about to go very badly wrong — whether for him or for her he wasn’t sure.
Because he was so on edge and couldn’t seem to shake it, he nearly called off dinner with his friend to head over to Katerina early. But his friend knew Kaia well and Noah wanted to debrief with him so he grabbed a coat from his empty house and headed out again.
There was a certain relief in Kaia’s decision to walk away; it let him off the hook. But despite the relief, he knew he could not let her go that easily. It was not right for him to abandon his future child; to contribute to creating it then walk away. He had a responsibility to Kaia and the baby to do better than that.
He was nearly at the restaurant when his phone rang. He pulled to the side of the road quickly to answer it and saw by the caller I.D. that it was Kaia’s number.
“Kaia?”
“No, this is her mother.”
“Hi Mrs. Martin,” he said politely.
“We’re at the hospital and we need you here now,” the woman got straight to the point, her voice curt.
“What is it? Is Kaia alright?”
“She tried to hurt herself after your talk. She’s in with the doctors now.” The anger was thick in her voice.
“No! Oh, I’m so, so sorry...which hospital?”
“St. Mathews.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” he calculated.
“Okay,” Mrs. Martin said brusquely and hung up.
The drive felt like an hour. Mrs. Martin had never liked him and he could already anticipate their meeting was going to be awful. What had Kaia done? And had she done it because of him?
Mr. Martin was waiting in the foyer for him, as awkward as ever. He looked like he had come straight from a business meeting dressed in what was surely a thousand-dollar suit. He took Noah upstairs to the appropriate ward filling him in uncomfortably as they walked, never making eye contact. Apparently, Kaia had tried to take matters into her own hands and remove the baby herself. The damage had been bad enough that the baby’s life was at risk and she was only half conscious when they found her.
Hearing this, Noah felt tears threatening to come and had to fight for control. “Can I see her?” he asked, when he could speak.
“Not yet. They said maybe an hour.”
Mrs. Martin was in the reception area but barely glanced at him. Her body language said it all — she blamed him for what had happened.
They sat in uncomfortable silence and waited. Noah was so distraught over Kaia’s choice he thought of nothing else. Thus eight came and went without him letting Katerina know he would not be making it.
{
By quarter past eight, waiting near her mother’s office building, Katerina decided she was too exposed to delay any longer. She tried Noah’s mobile phone but he was not answering. Then, because she had always planned to go in alone anyway, she went ahead with that plan.
She had toyed with many ideas on the drive there. In the end she had decided on the direct approach. She started her car up and drove straight for the front gate.
The guard came out to her window immediately. “I’m here to pick up some urgent paperwork for my mother,” she said cheerfully. “She gave me her clearance to use. Here’s my I.D. to prove who I am.” She smiled as she held her driver’s license and the pass from her mother’s secret box out to him, praying he would just accept it, not check with Sarah.
“This is somewhat unorthodox,” he said uncertainly, examining the two.
“I know, and it’s kind of a pain for me,” she sighed dramatically. “But she’s caught up in a meeting and needs these papers urgently so I thought I’d better be a good daughter, right?” she grinned conspiratorially at him. He smiled back.
“Okay I’ll let them know to expect you. She’s floor two, room twenty. But you probably know that...”
“Sure, thanks. See you on my way out.”
She parked in the garage and made her way to the nearest elevator. Her biggest problem was going to be whether she would be alone in her mother’s office. They might assign people to watch her and she couldn’t have that.
Sure enough a huge, dangerous looking man was waiting for her when she stepped off the elevator. He nodded silently and moved on ahead of her, leading the way. She was still frantically racking her brain as to how to lose her new minder when her mobile phone rang. It was Noah.
“Hi Mum,” she said, an idea forming in her mind.
“Kat? It’s Noah.”
“I know. I just got here. I’m just being taken to your office now.”
After a moment’s silence, Noah asked, “You can’t talk?”
“No, not right now.”
“Just tell me then, are you alright?”
“Fine, nearly there I think. I’ll get you the papers as quickly as possible.”
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it; a crisis came up. I’ll call you later.”
“Everything okay?”
“It will be. Please be careful,” he replied and hung up.
“Okay, I’m sure I can do that,” she said to the dial tone. She waited a moment, then continued, “That might take a while...but alright, I guess I can be late for the party if it’s that important?” She paused again, finished with, “Okay, see you soon,” and hung up.
Her guide had stopped at a steel colored door and now looked at her inquiringly.
“Mum said she needs more papers than she expected and she’s asked me to fax her the ones that aren’t classified. I guess I might be here half the night at this point.” She put frustration in her tone.
He nodded then entered a code into a panel on the door. He followed that with a fingerprint then a retina scan. Silently Katerina congratulated herself on not trying to get in there alone. She may have made it into the building but certainly not her mother’s well-guarded office.
Once she was inside the man left, still without saying a word to her. It just felt too easy, she thought nervously, watching him disappear down the corridor. If this was such a high-security place, why had they just let her in and left her alone? She had no answers but there was no time to waste so she headed for the first filing cabinet and started looking.
She really had little idea what to look for other than information on Patrick or Kainnan. She tried under Wilhelm first and sure enough there was a file. The first part was nothing new. It was all the sort of information they had already learnt from actually being on Kainnan.
The second part contained a series of scientific reports which were hard to understand, but eventually she worked out that they related to how to get from Earth to Kainnan. It made for fascinating reading but as she understood little of it she eventually put it aside to look at the third lot of papers in the Wilhelm file. There she hit pay-dirt.
It was, incredibly, transcripts of communications between an unnamed man and first Wilhelm, then later on Zeus himself. It seemed Wilhelm had requested the help of this man to do exactly what Kat, Noah, Alice and Caleb had been doing — remove his children. There were details of entry points to Kainnan, areas of vulnerability in regard to his children, even proposed timetables. Wilhelm had held little back and there seemed such a note of desperation in his choice of words that it got Katerina wondering if he had actually been in some sort of danger at the time. She wondered too who he was talking to. Her mother clearly didn’t know, or if she did, she had chosen to keep it hidden.
The strangest part about the transcript was that the way Wilhelm talked seemed so familiar. It was like she already knew him. There were phrases he used that jumped out at her. Yet despite re-reading parts of the transcripts over and over again, in the end she gave up on trying to work it out, aware how short her time was.
She moved on next to the transcript between the unknown man and Zeus. As she read slowly through the conversation, it became clear that the unnamed man was working both sides, as it was a negotiation to work with Zeus, not against him. The man was offering Zeus safety in exchange for information about his father’s location and vulnerabilities. It was such engrossing reading she did not hear the door open, only realizing she had company when a woman’s voice said, “Hello Kat.” She looked up and there was her mother.
{
