“Text me the initials found on her record, and tell me which ones match with existing staff.”
“Will do. There’s one very positive match: initials GWH matching a Dr. Gary William Hager, cardiothoracic surgeon and transplant specialist. I don’t think this is a coincidence; I think this is him, the surgeon who operated on Melanie. I’ll text you his mug.”
“OK, thanks much, Lou. You’re a life saver.”
“Speaking of which . . . watch your back! These guys are pros, and I’m not there.”
“Speaking of which . . . were you careful snooping around?”
“What do you think?”
Alex hung up, immersed in scenarios playing wildly in her head. One thought bothered her. If these guys are such pros, why is this patient record still available in the Transplant Center’s computer system? It should have been deleted long time ago, erasing all evidence that anything had ever happened. What am I missing?
...46
...Wednesday, February 10, 9:01PM EST (UTC-5:00 hours)
...News of the Hour Special Edition Report
...Nationally Syndicated
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.” Stephanie Wainwright’s smile filled the screen. “We’re revisiting today the controversial issue of vote secrecy in the light of the e-vote overhaul. This issue has been increasingly visible, with strong opponents rallying support and lobbying Congress for an injunction. With us in studio to help us understand what’s at stake, California Senator Sidney Mulligan, pioneer of the e-vote reform, the man who started it all. Welcome, Senator.”
The Senator appeared on the screen. The camera zoomed out, showing a two armchairs studio setting, very common when Stephanie had a high profile guest.
“Thank you for inviting me,” the Senator answered. The relaxed demeanor and friendly attitude were a constant with Senator Mulligan, no matter how heated the debates became.
“Senator, what do you think this concern for vote secrecy could do to your initiative? Is it a serious concern?”
“Any concern with the integrity of a constitutional right is a serious concern. We are taking the concern very seriously. We have launched a campaign of educational videos to demonstrate how the voters’ identities will never be correlated with the actual vote inputs into the system at any given point in the voting process. This will simply not happen. I am hoping that the people will learn to understand how e-vote really works, and when doing so, also learn to trust us.”
“I have seen the videos you’re referencing; they are quite informative, engaging, and very well done.”
“Thank you, Stephanie, you are very kind.”
“Senator, the voices in the streets are getting louder by the minute, despite these educational efforts. Let’s watch together some snapshots our crew took yesterday in the heart of New York City, at the corner of Bowery and Canal.”
The screen switched to show the hustle of a busy New York City street corner, countless people hurrying through a cold, slushy, windy winter morning. The reporter, almost unrecognizable under his heavy parka hood, was asking the same question over and over again.
“How concerned are you with your constitutional right to voter secrecy and why?”
“Ha! That’s a good one. No one has any secrecy anymore, no privacy, nothing. Rights? Pfft . . . This is the land of Big Brother. Where do you think you are? Ha!” A man in his late thirties, battling the street slush in light shoes.
“I’m very concerned. I’m not even sure I want to vote anymore, if that’s the case. I am scared.” A middle-aged woman who avoided making eye contact with the camera and didn’t stop to deliver her response. She just kept going, making the reporter chase her with the microphone.
“Are you for real? No comment!” A man wearing high-end business attire and holding an expensive leather briefcase.
“You seen them videos, my man? What do they want us to do, trust the government? I ain’t stupid, dawg.” An African American man in his twenties, bundled up and wearing a colorful knitted scarf.
“I . . . I . . . no vote,” an elderly Chinese woman managed to articulate.
“It’s all a big conspiracy. I know it is. I am sure of it. You see, they already know everything about us. They have these big databases buried under mountains. I know they do. I read about it. Seen it on TV. They listen to our calls and read our emails. They know everything. What we eat. What we buy. What we say. What we see on the Internet. But so far they don’t know what we think. So this is the last step, I am telling you, to figure out what we think.