The Voting Machine

Urgent Ambition

I met Alistair in the courtyard and we walked through the rose garden into the main house. We entered a brightly colored dining hall with French windows overlooking the ocean. A plasma TV screen on one of the walls showed paneled views of security cameras throughout the estate. A second giant plasma screen played a cable news channel reporting on tomorrow's general election. A crystal chandelier sparkled with the reflection of natural sunlight, hanging over a wooden dining table set with computer workstations, networking equipment and virtual reality helmets. 

Larry was seated facing the window, next to a tall man wearing sunglasses. My old friend was usually quiet in group settings, preferring to observe others and make sure he was never the center of attention. I figured it was part of the technique he'd picked during his years as an investigator. Larry had taken big risks for me since I met him in the cemetery this morning. Dean and Alistair stood in opposite corners of the room as Chet entered and planted himself directly across from me. It was the first time I'd seen him in the flesh since the charity poker game in Las Vegas.

"I saw your press conference," I said.

He grinned. "I was hoping you would."

"So you think Marcus is the man behind the mask?"

"I believe he is in complete control. Of course the Articles of Incorporation are the only way to prove that unequivocally. An organization as large and complex as Shiro must have some governing documents. That's why Juan Ricardo has gone to such extreme measures to get them."

"Alastair said something about baiting the trap to get my daughter back."

"That's right. We have a plan that will work. Did Dean and Alastair tell you about their background in Special Operations? Did they tell you they were involved in over a dozen successful search and rescue missions?"

"No they didn't."

"They were being modest."

Chet turned to Dean. "What was the last job before you entered the private sector? Darquan? That mountain on the Tajikstan border?"

"That's right."

"Five aid workers held by the Taliban in a cave. Only one way in and out. Dean and Alastair entered with infrared goggles and assault rifles, eliminating ten hostiles in less than a minute. All five aid workers emerged from the cave unscathed, isn't that right guys?"

Dean and Alastair nodded.

"That's just one mission they led, one of a dozen. All successful. Never lost a hostage. I've handpicked the best team in the world for you and your family, Temo. Los Empresarios will never know what hit them. Dean has been coordinating the response during the ride down from Harbor Gateway. We have their main safe houses in OC and San Diego under surveillance already. We've narrowed the list to two locations where we think they are holding your daughter. One is a grow house off of Highway 74. The other is a beach home in Oceanside owned by one of their lawyers. We have the numbers to storm both simultaneously if necessary. But it's better to do it when they initiate movement. First we give Juan Ricardo some sign that we really have the articles, some detail that's plausible so he doesn't think we're bluffing."

"I don't know how to find the articles. Everyone thinks Gina told me. But she didn't."

"Gina told you about her idea of the memory palace, didn't she? It came from the kings and queens of the ancient world. They would have men in their courts who would store facts in their minds. She was such a brilliant woman. Sometimes a person like that with no background, no pedigree, they can see possibilities that men like me would miss. Our minds have all been molded by the same elite institutions and we start to think the same thoughts. But a woman like Gina could come up with ideas that were truly different."