Page 124 of Code 6
“Religious education five days a week and Mass every Sunday. Until I was fifteen,” she added, and her voice trailed off. “Until Javier took me.”
It made Patrick glad that scumbag was dead. It made him hate men like Jeremy Peel even more.
Liu rose from the chair and walked around the desk to the hostages. He stared at Patrick with those shark-like eyes and held the phone up before him.
“On the count of three, I’m going to hit therecordbutton. I want you to say the following: ‘Kate, it’s me, Patrick. I’m fine. Do exactly as the man says.’”
The kidnapper counted to three and hitrecord. Patrick repeated the message exactly as instructed.
“Well done,” said Liu, and he walked back to his desk.
Patrick and Olga exchanged a nervous glance, and no words were needed. Each could see it in the other’s eyes:
Escape is our only hope.
A phone rang on the desk. It was Javier’s cell, sitting right where Liu had left it. Liu checked the incoming number and answered in a voice loud enough for Patrick to hear.
“Hello, Jeremy.”
Peel held the satellite phone a little closer to his ear. He’d placed the call at an altitude of 39,000 feet from Buck’s corporate jet. Perhaps the reception was bad, or maybe the roar of the jet engine was making it hard to hear, but the voice on the line didn’t sound at all like Javier.
“Who is this?”
“You know who this is.”
Peel did. And he didn’t dare hang up. “Where’s Javier?”
“Javier can’t come to the phone. Ever.”
The news wasn’t shocking, but it chilled him nonetheless. “I want you to know that I had nothing to do with the stunt Kate Gamble pulled in the last call.”
“I believe you. You don’t have the stones to deliver the code yourself. Never in a million years would you agree to that plan.”
“But you’re not expecting me to show up with a flash drive and—”
“That’s exactly what I’m expecting, Jeremy. I like Kate’s idea. Don’t you?”
Peel didn’t like it in the least, but he knew his preferences were irrelevant. “We’ll do it the way you want.”
“Good. How soon can you be in Cali?”
“I’m in the air now on my private jet, but we can’t possibly land in time for the six-hour deadline Kate put on the next call.”
“Call her from the plane and let her know you’re on your way. Tell her you talked to Javier and agreed the next call will be tonight at eight p.m. Cali time. Don’t mention me. Don’t youdaremention me.”
The call ended. Peel collapsed in his chair, emotionally spent, dreading the coming night in Cali. Then he dialed Kate’s encrypted phone.
The call from Jeremy Peel lasted two minutes. Kate agreed to make herself ready for a phone call with the kidnapper at the new time of 8:00 p.m. Beyond that, it was like a game of liar’s poker.
“Do you have the ransom?” asked Kate.
“I’d prefer not to have this conversation by phone, even if it is encrypted.”
“I need an answer from you before the eight p.m. call.”
“Let’s meet at your hotel and talk.”
“That’s impossible. There’s not another person on the planet who knows where I’m staying, and I’m certainly not going to tell you. Nothing personal.”