Meet At Joe's

7 Circling the Wagons Part 2 They Ain't Gonna Find Ya

 

John was at the bar talking with Lupin. Lupin insisted on following us back to the office to find out what had us so upset. When I explained to him that he might not want to hear what we were about to discuss; so, that he would have plausible deniability when the FBI showed up, it only strengthened his desire to be a part of it. Lupin looks like a lumber jack, talks like a redneck, has a heart of gold and the mindset of a revolutionary. Anything to thwart the government is right up his alley. He believes very firmly in the principles this nation was founded on. He just doesn't trust the government to abide by those principles.

So, we explained what was going on to John and Lupin and that the FBI agent would probably be here in a few hours.

"What are you going to do John?" The stress in Julie's voice was heartbreaking.

"I have no idea." John sat down in the office chair and put his head in his hands.

"I'll tell you what you're goin' ta do," Lupin spoke up. "You're goin' ta go in ta hidin'! You can't let them Feds get their hands on ya."

"I can't do that. They know where I live, and I can't stay on the run for the rest of my life."

"Ya jest need ta hide out till we can figger out who really leaked your stuff. And ya won't be stayin' at your home. Go pack a bag. Call your company and tell them yer takin' sick leave or goin' on sabbatical, or sumthin'. Yer comin' with me."

"I can't do that. I mean, I'm already on sabbatical, but I think I'm just going to have to take my chances and hope the FBI can sort it all out."

"Put yer life in the hands of a bunch of guvmint burecrats? Are you nuts?"

"I appreciate your offer Lupin, but I don't think I have much choice. If I am in hiding, how can I track down who leaked the software."

"Hold on," Pixie stopped him. "I have a bit of expertise in that area. Maybe you could hide out with Lupin for a little while and give me some time to see what I can find out. What can it hurt? We just tell the FBI you dropped out of sight and we have no idea where you are."

"What about the rest of my group? Don't we need to warn them too?

"No, no one can even know we warned you. The rest of your group will be okay. Yours is the only name the FBI knows about. As the ring leader they will want to get you into custody before going after anyone else. Besides, someone in your group may be responsible for the Russian code. We don't want them going into hiding before we find out who they are."

"But if I go into hiding and they find me, you could all get into trouble."

"Trust me. If I'm hiding you, they ain't gonna find ya," Lupin assured John.