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Walter Scott.
Sean Cameron.
Miriam Glenn Davis.
Dennis McCallister.
Noah wasn’t sure if the names were in order of importance or not. Old phone numbers beside each had been crossed out and updated. Nothing in the rest of the book may have revealed a location or organization—just documentation and recording procedures. The USB keys Noah tossed out the window as he drove away. Malware could be activated once it was plugged into a system, and he didn’t have the knowledge to break encryptions.
With the speed at which he was tracked from the burner phone, Noah was hesitant to get another. However, there were more old-fashioned methods.
It took two hours to drive to Richmond, Virginia, and by seven o’clock, Noah sat in Millie’s, a diner downtown, eating a large breakfast. The lack of sleep, coupled with a few injuries, had given him a headache, and the bright lights and background noise didn’t help.
Noah needed to rest. A bottle of aspirin, an ice pack, and a soak in a hot tub would not hurt either. He added bourbon to the list.
“Excuse me. Can you recommend a good hotel nearby?”
The waitress had tucked the bill under his orange juice.
“My sister-in-law works at The Berkeley Hotel on East Cary Street. Although, it’s a little pricey. There’s a Holiday Inn a few blocks farther down.”
“Thank you.” Noah left an extra twenty dollars on the table before heading outside.
It was time for John Visser to earn his living.
Before heading to The Berkeley Hotel, Noah bought a tablet. It would have to be connected to a Wi-Fi signal to be of any use, and with five floors and over one-hundred-and-fifty rooms, it would be almost impossible to pinpoint. Besides, he was just using the email client, which no one else knew. He used the credit card from the bank to book a suite for the week. It wasn’t in his name, and the electronic trail back would be a dead end.
Once he showered and sent the request to his lawyer, Noah was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
~
WHEN HE AWOKE SEVEN hours later, his shoulder was sore and stiff when he tried to move it. He would have a colorful bruise in a few days, but nothing was broken. After ordering room service, he read the report.
The lawyer must have a good team working for him, and Noah knew he would be billed accordingly.
Walter T. Scott joined the Air Force in 1959 and left in 1971 at the rank of major. He worked at the Pentagon for five years as an analyst, then moved into the CIA. Current administrative position—unknown. The only other information on Scott was a photo opportunity with President Ronald Reagan in 1988, outside Nevada, at a military test range. Despite the thirty-two years which have passed, Noah easily recognized him. It was the same man that escorted Hutchings and himself to the airport.
Sean Cameron had the title of Information Assurance Director (IAD) at the National Security Agency since 1992. There wasn’t any information on what task the IAD cell performed, but Noah could guess. If Cameron had the capabilities of the NSA and worked with Walter Scott, following Noah from the airport and tracing a cell phone would have been fairly easy. Before joining the IAD, there wasn’t any background or picture available.
Miriam Davis had the most publicly available background. From 1976 to 1992, she rose to Executive Assistant Director of the Counterintelligence Division. She spent eleven years working with the CIA in the Directorate of Operations. In 2003, Davis moved into Homeland Security after helping the administration push the Homeland Security Act as a response to the 9/11 attacks. Her current Disaster Prevention and Management Director title made Noah’s brow furrow. The position did not make sense with her past experience, but he didn’t know what it entailed. Over the last few decades, there were several pictures of the woman, and she reminded Noah of Diane Keaton, the actress.
Dennis McCallister was the Deputy Special Agent in charge of the FBI based out of Jacksonville, Florida. After forty years of bouncing around the country in various positions, it seems he had settled down in the Sunshine state. There were several reports on his administrative actions and accomplishments, but he flew under the radar. The picture of Dennis posing in front of the American flag would have been taken for the bureau. He had a rather large nose and a receding hairline with dark circles under his eyes. However, the half-grin didn’t reach his eyes, and it gave him a sinister look. Noah figured him for a hard ass. It was just a hunch, but he had seen that same look many times before.
Four different branches of the government, and as to why their names were written in the book, Noah had no idea. They had the answers, and that left him little choice. He promised to do his best to find Leslie’s daughter, and he would do so.
When room service arrived, Noah groaned as he got off the bed. Everything was stiff and sore. He would be going nowhere for a few days, and that would also give him time to rest before heading east.
The scope of the investigation seemed daunting, and despite the dangers that awaited, Noah would see this through.
It was time to pay one of the four a visit, but first, there were a few things to do.