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Gil met Lili in Northampton to play some pickleball. It was chilly out and threatening to rain. They volleyed a bit to warm up, then they started a singles game until another couple showed up. Gil invited them to play and they all introduced themselves. Sue and Rich Fontaine were retirees who’d moved to a condo in town several years ago.
After Sue and Rich warmed up, they played girls against the guys. It was a lively game, but the girls prevailed. While they were taking a break, Gil found a message from Rona Polo on his phone, so he called her back. “Hi Rona, did you find anything?”
“Hi Gil. I actually found something interesting. The storm-drain system isn’t just for stormwater. It encompasses several brooks running through the town. They were buried during the 1800s, as the town developed. The storm-water and the brooks all drain into the Green River.”
“Huh, I remember something about that. When I was a kid, the field behind the junior high school had a sinkhole. My teacher told us that a culvert collapsed. A brook was flowing under the field through a series of culverts. It was called Graves Brook because way back in the pioneer days, a couple of settlers were killed by Indians and buried there.”
“There is a Graves Brook on the map, but that’s up by Highland Pond. The biggest brook is called Maple Brook. Also, Cherry Rum Brook is partially covered with culverts, but isn’t connected to the system.”
“Do you have a map that shows the brooks?”
“Sure. I’ll send it through to Karen.”
Lili poked Gil in the ribs and told him to hang up and get back to the game.
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A STEADY RAIN WAS FALLING by the time they got back to Lili’s house. Gil followed Lili into the house and called Karen. “Did Rona send you a new map?” he asked.
“Yes, she did. What’s it for?”
“It turns out that the storm-drain system was also used to accommodate the flow of several brooks in town. The brooks were buried to accommodate the town’s development. One of the brooks was called Graves Brook because a couple of settlers were buried there after being killed by Indians. Maybe the tunnelers were looking for the graves?”
“That’s a lot of effort and expense to find old graves.” said Karen.
“Maybe they think the dead guys had something of value. I’ll look into it.”
“The object we pulled out of the tunnel looks like a button. The lab x-rayed it. They’re soaking it in an acid solution overnight so we can get a better look at it. I don’t think it belongs to our culprits, though. Maybe it’s from those graves.”
“Yeah, maybe it’s cursed!”
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LILI HAD A MISCHIEVOUS smile on her face. “Martha sent me a message!”
“How?”
“There was a small note taped to the window above the kitchen sink that said, ‘Back Porch.’ I opened the back door and there was a blank envelope between the back door and the screen door.”
“What did the message say?”
“WITSEC not safe. Someone tried to kill me again. I still have no idea why anyone is after me. I’m safe in my network and having a good time. If you want to contact me, please be careful. Assume you are being watched. Then she explained how I could send her a message.”
“That’s very helpful. I’m glad she’s okay.”
“I have to figure out what to do with this. I’m not sure if I should tell the FBI.”
“What was that FBI agent’s name?”
“Elsayed. Mayet Elsayed.”
“If you called Agent Elsayed and told her about Martha’s message, do you think that would put Martha in more danger?”
“Well, the US Marshals are definitely compromised. Martha was with them when they were attacked. Whoever is after her had a link into at least one branch of the Federal Government. The FBI could be compromised, too. There’s no reason to think that Special Agent Elsayed is compromised, because she wouldn’t have had any links to the US Marshals. We know she already assumes that Martha is in her underground railroad. Maybe I’ll call Mayet and just tell her that I am able to contact Martha, but I can’t tell her how. What do you think?”
“I think that’s a better plan than not calling her. You should hide or get rid of Martha’s message, though. What if someone breaks in and finds it? Wait, come to think of it, what if your house is bugged?”
Lili’s eyes went wide and she slapped her hand over her mouth. She grabbed a pad of notepaper and wrote, “Get your stuff, we’re getting out of here!” They quickly gathered up their clothes and toiletries and left in Gil’s car. Lili used a notepad to write down some key phone numbers from both of their phones, after which she removed the batteries. They drove to Walmart and bought four prepaid phones.
Lili called Special Agent Elsayed. “Hello, this is Agent Lili D’Amico regarding the Martha Eames case.”
“Yes, how are you, Lili?”
“Right now, I’m worried that I could have put myself and my boyfriend in danger. I just received a note from Martha and I read it out loud to my boyfriend, Gil Novak. He asked what if my house was bugged, and I realized that I’d never considered that. We left my house in Gil’s car, and I took the batteries out of our phones. I’m using a prepaid phone right now. Have you checked your phone?”
“Supposedly, my phone cannot be compromised, but I’ll double check. What did Ms. Eames say?”
“She says she feels safe in her network. She also told me how to contact her, which I prefer not to share with you.”
Agent Elsayed paused for a few seconds and said, “I think that’s okay, given the circumstances. If your house is bugged, would anyone who was listening have heard you say how to contact Ms. Eames?”
“No, I haven’t told anyone.”
“Would it be okay if I have your house and car checked for surveillance equipment?”
“Yes please. What about my phone?”
“Is it a work phone from the State Police?”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you talk to your boss and see if that can be arranged. If we find that you’ve been under surveillance, we can check your boyfriend’s house, car, and phone, as well. It might be good if you told somebody else how to contact Martha in case you become unable to.”