Ghosts in the Machine (A David and Martin Yerxa Thriller - Book 3) by Ed Markham

Author:Ed Markham [Markham, Ed]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2017-03-10T05:00:00+00:00

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Chapter 27

As he pressed his phone to his head, David peered through the restaurant’s window.

He saw his waitress return and set down a beer in front of his vacated seat. She also handed Martin his George Dickel on the rocks.

David turned away from the window as a sleepy voice said into his ear, “I bet you’ve had one hell of a day.”

Just hearing her, he felt some of the tension slide off his neck and shoulders. “It’s been a busy one,” he said to Lauren. “I’m sorry to call so late. I can tell you’ve been sleeping.”

“It’s fine. I’m glad you called. I wanted to try you earlier, but I knew you’d call me when you could.” She paused to yawn. “I saw Blanchard’s press conference. How’re you holding up?”

He took a moment to consider this. It was nearly eleven at night, and he and his father hadn’t stopped moving since they’d left their hotel to meet with Kirill Mozgov that morning. “It’s been a long day,” he said finally. “But I think we’re making progress.”

“How’s your dad?”

“He has his elixir now, so he’ll be fine.”

“Where are you two?”

“At some bar around the corner from our hotel.”

“So tell me,” she said.

“I don’t know where to start.”

He meant it. He and his father, along with the rest of their team, had spent most of the evening taking up and examining the various threads of their investigation, which were so numerous and varied that David felt as though he couldn’t possibly hold onto them all.

Stanford’s lab had called back to report that all their rabies samples were intact and accounted for. Also, regarding his calls with Pool and Ketchner following the ideas summit, Beatrice had told David and Martin he’d been calling Ketchner in part to patch things up but also to reiterate that his events were not forums for new product roll-outs or other marketing tactics. He’d made a similar call to Garrison Pool, who he knew was heavily invested in Ketchy’s success.

“Don’t you worry these guys aren’t going to show up the next time you have a party?” Martin had asked him.

“Agent Yerxa, men like Brad Ketchner and Garrison Pool attend these gatherings precisely because I restrict that sort of self-promotion. What we discuss is not supposed to go viral. It’s supposed to help us all see the big picture of what we’re doing—to keep a sense of perspective.”

Their search of the event’s videos and transcripts—as well as their combing of Ketchner and Pool’s old email and phone records—had proved similarly fruitless.

David said to Lauren, “A lot of questions right now. Not many answers.” Again, he glanced through the glass at his father. “Pop and I both can’t figure out why we’re working this case.”

“Yeah, I saw the director’s shout-out earlier. That was weird.”

“Very.”

“And Weissman disappearing today . . . any leads there?”

“You heard about him?”

“Word was going around the office this afternoon.”

“We found video footage of him leaving his building through an alley. We kept track of him on street cams for a few blocks, then we lost him.

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