Page 51

“Because I’ve been trying to cut a deal with the Justice Department to come in.”

Hope leaped in my chest. “You…want to come home?”

“I’ve wanted to come home since the moment I left. I’m tired, Angel, and I think we’re running out of time to stop the ambitious plans this secret group has for the NSA. Now is a perfect time for them to execute their plan, given the upcoming retirement of the director. The problem is, I don’t knowwhoto trust at the NSA. This makes it very difficult for me to figure out a clear path forward.”

I leaned forward. “I might be able to help with that part. What if I told you I could offer you a relatively current directory of current NSA personnel who work with Remington? Would that help? I found it when I hacked into King’s Security looking for information on you.”

“You hacked into King’s Security?” he asked, looking at me intently. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. I found some old, assorted documents, but there wasn’t anything of interest other than the directory.”

His expression was a mixture of pride and concern. “You didn’t get caught?”

“I did not.”

“But…how did you do that, Bitsy? That’s incredible.”

“I was careful. Very careful.”

“And you still have this directory?”

“Of course. That’s how we solved the riddle. Once we came across the name Remington when researching Ilion, New York, we double-checked the directory. But I already knew he was there. I knew he was your boss, and Mr. Lando’s. I saw his photo in the paper at Mr. Lando’s funeral. Remington’s name is in the directory, and the people in his directorate are listed there, too. After that, I used the directory to identify possible associates from the time of your disappearance. We’ve narrowed the list to seven names. Maybe you can help us further refine it, based upon who his close associates might have been at the time.”

“Do you remember those names?”

“I don’t have to remember them.” Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a handwritten note with the seven names, positions, and addresses of the potential targets and handed them to my dad. He stared at the list, and I could see in the intensity on his face, the churning that was going on inside his head.

“I don’t know what to say, Angel. What you’ve done, what you kids have done, it’s astonishing. This is very helpful. Remington’s conspirators are most likely on this list. Having said that, you can eliminate Thomas Wilkenson. Unless he had a total change of heart, he wouldn’t have participated, and Remington would never have gone to him. He is the biggest by-the-book individual I’ve ever known. He wouldn’t have approved of illegal spying and kept quiet all these years. Glen Sampson, however, is a genuine possibility. He was young and had just joined the directorate when I was still there, but he was malleable and a pompous jerk, if I remember. But just in case you missed someone, I need you to get that entire directory to me.”

“I’m happy to send it electronically, if we had a secure means.”

He considered for a moment. “Let me think about how best to do that. Starting with the names you’ve identified here, minus Wilkenson, see what you can dig up on the rest of them, as much as you can in the next few hours. We have to hope that one of them is going to know where your mother is. In the meantime, I’m going to stall Remington and keep your mother alive until we can get to her.”

“Dad, I know someone at the NSA. His name is Slash. He’s a good guy, I promise. You can trust him.”

“I’ve heard of him, am familiar with some of his work, and I know he’s helped you in the past. He seems like a good guy, but I have to be careful. I’m sorry, Angel, but you mustn’t trustanyoneat the NSA, or anywhere else for now. Do you understand? J. P. made that mistake once and paid for it. Your mom’s life depends on our discretion.”

I looked down at my hands. “I understand.”

He must have sensed my disappointment, because he patted my shoulder. “That doesn’t mean I’m doing this completely alone. I’m already taking a risk by communicating with an executive at the NSA named Candace Kim. She doesn’t appear to be a fan of Remington’s, although I’m not certain she’s entirely trustworthy, either. But she’s all I have right now. She’s either going to help me or betray me, but that’s on me.”

He pulled a cell out of his pocket. “This is one of my burner cells. I’ll call it in the morning. Remember, talking on the phone, don’t mention my name, my avatar, or even say the wordNSA. All these things may trigger a search of your location. All I need is information. Use initials for Remington, such as IR. From here on out, I want you and your friends to stay safely at the farmhouse. Under no circumstances are you to put yourself at any more risk. I can handle it from here.”

“I understand, Dad.”

“Good, because we’ve got a lot of catching up to do after we get your mom home safely.”

“Yes, we do.”

We stood. Dad shook hands with Wally and hugged me one last time, pressing a kiss on the top of my head, before he slipped out the door.

We waited a few minutes and followed. As we headed to the car, Wally glanced at me sideways. “Well, that was pretty sneaky.”

“What was pretty sneaky?”

“The way you avoided making a promise to your dad. You didn’t actually agree to anything.”

“Did you really think I’d agree to sit quietly at the farmhouse when both my mom’s and dad’s lives are at stake?” I opened the car door and climbed inside.