and his stomach tied into a knot. It was him again, the man that a twisted fate had brought into his life, the man by the name of Helms.
“Hello?” He picked up the call in an almost normal voice.
“Who was that?”
“Who was who?” Kanellis asked, confused.
“The woman who just left your office.”
“Umm . . . nobody. Just a patient’s daughter looking for an exception.”
“What was the issue?”
“Patient’s a smoker, won’t qualify. I sent them to China. I probably won’t see her again.”
“Very good.”
“Listen, you said you were going to leave me alone. It’s been months! How much longer are you going to be lurking around?” Kanellis was getting angry.
“We’re going to leave you alone when we decide you can keep your end of the deal and your mouth shut.”
The caller hung up, leaving Kanellis boiling with frustration. It had been months since he had made the biggest mistake of his career, and it just seemed like it would never go away.
...44
...Tuesday, February 10, 9:09PM Local Time (UTC+1:00 hours)
...Millennium Ballroom, Zurich Marriott Hotel
...Zurich, Switzerland
The last of the guests were leaving slowly, smiling and chatting left and right. They had enjoyed themselves very much, and their generous donations to the Eastern Africa Relief Fund were statements to the caliber of parties Ahmad Javadi could throw. The venue was classy and well-serviced by armies of waiters with impeccable manners. The music was soft, not too loud, yet encouraging his guests to dance if they liked. The hors-d’oeuvres were the best in all of Europe, freshly imported from exotic destinations and complementing a selection of the most exquisite wine collection. The custom fireworks at the end of the evening, a splendid show of light and color, caused everyone to gasp when the last round of bursts wrote EARF above the Zurich skyline. His guests, bankers, businessmen, and high-ranking officials, deserved the best in food and drink but also in company. Javadi’s negotiating abilities had secured for the evening the presence and endorsement of famous musicians, entertainers, and movie stars. Even last year’s Wimbledon champion had spoken on behalf of EARF. The evening, carefully planned out by one of the greatest fundraising minds of the time, had been a complete success, one that would be mentioned in newspapers for weeks to come. Almost ten million dollars in donations in one evening. That was impressive, even by Javadi’s standards.
All his rushed efforts to set things up had paid off. Javadi was happy. Satisfied, he headed out onto the terrace, where just an hour earlier everyone applauded his fireworks show in the brisk Swiss mountain air. He lit up a cigar, then extended the antenna on his sat phone. When the other end of the line picked up, he only said three words:
“Phase one complete.”
...45
...Wednesday, February 10, 3:15PM EST (UTC-5:00 hours)
...Starbucks, Burlington Town Center
...Burlington, Vermont
“Thank you,” Alex said gratefully, grabbing the Grande coffee from the barista with both her frozen hands. Winter was serious business anywhere else but California.
She sat at a small table in the corner of the coffee shop and started sipping the hot liquid, savoring the heat and inhaling the strong scent of fresh brewed house blend. Her encrypted cell buzzed, displaying Louie’s mischievous smile on the LCD screen.
“Shoot,” she said.
“Yep, got what you asked for, with some limitations though,” he blurted at machine-gun speed.
“Meaning?”
“I found the procedure in their systems, but the details are sketchy. Most of the surgical staff is identified by initials, not by full names. There’s no patient registration information, just a note saying that the patient had been transferred from Municipal to recover post surgery; although there are entries that confirm the surgery took place here at the Transplant Center.”
“Huh,” Alex said, “so there’s a discrepancy, right there.”
“Spot on, partner. There’s more. The patient is marked in their system as a VIP, with instructions to provide special care, whatever that means, and to keep isolated. Restricted access, even from Center’s personnel.”
“Very interesting. What else?”
“There are obviously no insurance claims filed for this and no insurance information on file, yet the account shows paid in full. Probably a cash transaction.”
“OK, I was expecting that.”
“Probably you weren’t expecting that most of the initials marked on the case file in the system don’t match any of their current surgical employees.”
“What? So where were they coming from?”
“No idea,” Louie said. “Her discharge date matches what Robert gave us, but there’s no surgery date and time like there should be. The drug regimen is documented in detail, but again, no insurance claims attached to