Aaron Dietz of the NSA cleared his throat and said, “The nation insists on your help.”
“Civilization as we know it will disappear,” Nina said.
“Don’t take this lightly, Ms. Reilly.”
“This code has only been used for ten years, Professor. All codes are broken eventually. Isn’t the real problem that XYC is built around this encryption code? Your corporate world may be in danger, but I think the rest of the world can adjust in due course.”
“You simply don’t understand. The impact-”
Nina interrupted. “When did you talk to Mr. Wakefield?”
“His home was searched yesterday in the early-morning hours,” Dietz said. “He was present at that time. On NSA’s affidavit and pursuant to court order.”
“I haven’t spoken with him about that,” Nina said.
“No? Well, he didn’t resist. He didn’t ask to talk to his lawyer, if that’s what you want to know.”
“And the notebook?”
“Still wherever he hid it,” Dietz said. He gave his red silk tie an angry yank.
“The worst thing is that he won’t show anyone his results,” Professor Braun said. “There is probably a mistake somewhere. It could all be a mistake, which would explain why it’s taking him so long to provide a proof. But we have to proceed as though he has found a way to break the XYC encryption system. What have you seen of his work, Ms. Reilly?”
He had asked nicely. “Oh, nothing, really,” Nina said. “We talked about it a little. I’m no mathematician. Generally, he shows that the primes are strictly analogous to eigenvalues of a Hermitian quantum operator associated with a classical Hamiltonian.”
Braun’s face paled. He gripped the table. “What Hamiltonian is that? Is he using Alain Connes’s p-adelic Hermitians?”
“I’m sorry, Professor. You understand.” Nina smoothed her skirt, had a sip of water.
The men looked at one another. Braun muttered, “Connes. Incredible.” Foster nodded at Branson and the atmosphere in the room electrified.
Nina straightened her back and prepared herself.
“Ten million and a confidentiality agreement for Wakefield, two million for you, properly sheltered from income tax, and a million for your client Mr. Hanna,” Branson said. “And Mr. Flint’s ass, encased in a sling and delivered in a white limo.”
Nina wrote down those lovely round numbers. It gave her a second to think.
“And in exchange?”
“Confidentiality agreements all around. The notebook. Mr. Wakefield’s cooperation. Dismissal of your causes of action against XYC.”
“Is this severable?” Nina asked. “Because Mr. Hanna and Mr. Wakefield don’t have the same interests. In fact, there’s a conflict. For example, what if Mr. Hanna agreed to drop the suit against XYC in exchange for a million dollars and Flint?”
“And Wakefield?”
“Let’s say his side of things would have to be negotiated independently.”
Branson said, “You already know the answer to that one. Nobody gives a shit about Hanna’s lawsuit. You want Flint, you bring Wakefield to the table. You want to handle the Wakefield part without Hanna, that’s fine with us, though we’d like to take care of everything at once. Am I being nice enough?”
“I’m afraid not,” Nina said. “I want to talk to Carleen Flint before any decisions are made.” There was a stir around the table. They were all looking at Elias again. “Mr. Elias?” Nina said. “Is she available?”
Tom Elias scratched his cheek. “Mr. Branson?”
“What do we get in return?” Branson said.
Nina said evenly, “Mr. Elias? She’s here, isn’t she?”
Elias shrugged and said, “Five minutes.”
Branson brought Carleen Flint in and made a place for her. Nina barely had time to reflect that her loyalty to the company was crucial to them. Carleen was small and slight, wearing a nice gray suit. She wasn’t a pretty woman, and she was very nervous right now, trembling like a greyhound.
“This lady has a few questions for you,” Branson told her. “As we discussed.”
“May I?” Nina asked Branson.
“Five minutes,” he reminded her.
“You know who I am?” she asked Carleen.
“They told me.”
“You are Leland Flint’s sister?”
“Yes.”
“You are willing to talk to me today? No one is forcing you to talk to me?”
“No.”
“It’s all right, Carleen,” Tom Elias said. “Be frank.”
“How long have you been employed at XYC?”
“Two years full-time. Before that I was a student intern for a summer.”
“How did your brother come to work there?”
“He had just been discharged from the Navy. He was in an operation in the Indian Ocean and there was an accident. He was injured. His leg. His face was scarred. He decided to get into security work, and there were openings at XYC. After he started working there, he told me he liked it there and he encouraged me to apply for an internship.”
“What was your relationship with your brother?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you get along?”
“Yes. He was very protective of me, but he was the one who needed help. He was always athletic-he was physical-but after he got hurt he changed a lot. I worried about him being able to work. Our parents are dead. We had to make it on our own.”
“What do you mean, he changed a lot?” Nina said.
“Well, he felt like a pariah. His leg-the corrective surgery only made it worse. He was very angry.”
“Did he find out about Elliott Wakefield from you, Carleen?” Nina asked gently.
“Yes. After I started working at XYC I realized that Wakefield’s work could be extremely valuable. I told Lee about the notebook and how much XYC might pay to have it. He knew I-I was mad at Wakefield. He decided to steal the notebook. But I didn’t know! I didn’t know, Mr. Elias! I swear it! He did it to make money for himself, not because I was angry or-he never told me his plan, and as soon as he told me what happened, I went straight to you, and-”
“And I believed you, Carleen,” Tom Elias said. “Or you wouldn’t still be with us.”
“So you had no idea he might try to steal the notebook from Mr. Wakefield?” Nina said.
“None at all. He only told me afterward, when he got back to Boston. I was horrified. I did some research and found out about Sarah Hanna and confronted him. He swore he didn’t shoot her. I couldn’t get him to admit it. It was all a nightmare. I went to Mr. Elias and told him everything, and my brother disappeared. He knew how to hide, how to fake IDs. I didn’t have one word from him for over a year. Then he called me from Nevada. He was living there, in Reno. He asked me not to tell on him a second time. I saw him a few times. I’d fly out to Nevada and do some gambling and see him. I was worried about him. He just kept obsessing about how his life was ruined and that shooting.”
“Until a few weeks ago?”
“Yes. You were fighting the motion to throw out the case. It was in the local paper. Lee kept close track of the Tahoe paper. I decided to fly back and help him figure out what to do, and the first night I was at Tahoe, we saw Wakefield wander into Caesars. I was working a blackjack table and I let him find me, and Lee was watching. After Wakefield left, I had a minute to talk to Lee, and we decided I would go back to Wakefield’s place with him and make sure he wasn’t planning to do anything reckless. But we got into an argument instead. Lee’s impossible. I flew back, but I kept getting his phone calls. He didn’t have anyone else on earth to talk to. I couldn’t give him away again.”
“And Lee didn’t quit,” Nina said.
“He was afraid. The police seemed to have reopened their investigation, too. He has a thing about small places. A jail would kill him. And-I don’t know.” She had finally begun to cry. “He went back to Tahoe and tried to stop you. I told him-I couldn’t make him see. After-after the girl died-Chelsi Freeman-I told Lee he was on his own. I told him to stay away from me, not to call. I’m the only one-Lee’s my family-but I couldn’t stand it. I went to Mr. Elias again. I told him everything.”