Authors: Philip Donlay
“As usual, right on time.” William opened the door as Donovan came closer.
Donovan stepped into the house and the two men shook hands, then embraced. William lived alone. His wife had died years ago and the statesman had never remarried. Donovan always felt as though this house and this man represented home for him. Somewhere over the years, William had begun to call him son. It somehow made them both feel closer. Donovan didn't know what he'd do if he ever lost William.
“Good to see you.” Donovan stood back and smiled. “Did your staff run away again?”
William chuckled at the old joke. “I gave them the weekend off. We'll have to fend for ourselves. I've got breakfast ready in the study.”
Donovan fell in step beside him as they walked down the wide hallway to the south wing of the house. The carpets and paintings were like old friends. The ornate woodwork and massive chandeliers seemed to sparkle as if welcoming him home. Donovan felt a security with William he rarely found with anyone else.
“Here, sit.” William gestured toward two rich leather chairs situated in a corner of the large room. Bookcases filled two walls,
and opposite them was a gallery of photographs that showed William in the presence of a veritable Who's Who of American industry and politics. As always, Donovan's eyes went to the picture of his parents. It was taken in Venice when he was a boy. His mother and father, forever young and in love. On a nearby table sat a silver carafe of coffee, two cups, and a small platter filled with danish.
Donovan filled both cups, handed one to William, then sat down in the soft chair. He waited until William added cream and sugar to his coffee, then slowly stirred the mixture. Donovan was patient. William was a man who always carefully crafted what he was going to say.
“I received some disturbing news this morning.” William softly placed his spoon on the saucer and took a measured sip. “I understand there was some unpleasantness in Bermuda yesterday?”
Donovan nodded, “There was an automobile accident. Two people were killed. I arrived in time to keep it from being three.”
“The third being Lauren?” William looked directly at Donovan.
“Yes.” Donovan lowered his eyes. “I had no idea she was in the group we were asked to pick up. They were late and I went off to find her. The car went down an embankment and she was trapped inside. There was also a man named Ian; he was injured. I'm going to have Eco-Watch pay for his medical bills.”
“Of course.” William paused. “Are you okay?”
Donovan knew the question was intended to probe at several different levels. Virtually nothing occurred in Donovan's life without William's knowledge. William represented the only person Donovan could truly talk with at times. William had been there from the very beginning of his relationship with Lauren.
“I'm fine,” Donovan lied.
“I'm glad to hear that,” William nodded, but an expression of concern came over his face. “The information I was given indicated that some sort of computer theft took place. The authorities have made you their prime suspect.”
“What? Her computer was destroyed.” Donovan's mind whirled from the implications.
“I'm only relaying what I've been told. Unfortunately, it's going to be an issue we need to deal with.”
“I will tell you, I don't think the car wreck was an accident. I saw one of the brake lines. It looked to me like it had been cut.”
“Right now the DIA is in an uproar. Seems they also have a murdered scientist who was supposed to leave Bermuda aboard a Navy ship.”
“Lauren works for the DIA?”
William nodded. “It was news to me too. She's been working on some cutting-edge technology to measure hurricane intensity. I don't know much beyond that.”
“That would explain why she was in Bermuda.”
“As you know, the DIA will try to throw a net around anyone they think is involved. Including you and Eco-Watch.” William sighed. “The fact of the matter is that they still haven't forgotten that you flew an airplane full of the latest satellite communication technology into Russia. Of course, that in and of itself wasn't the end of the world. But, here you are again at the scene of another incident. In their eyes, you and Eco-Watch are the common denominator.”
“I had a bad feeling the Russian thing hadn't died. You and I both know I'm not involved in any of this. It's purely circumstantial. I guess it doesn't matter that we helped save thirty-seven Russian sailors, the
Galileo
was never tampered with, and once we were fueled, we flew back to Alaska. Case closed.”
“Obviously they couldn't find a direct connection, but the case definitely hasn't been closed.”
Donovan clenched his teeth and nodded. He felt his world begin to close in on him. He unconsciously made a fist. Of all the things he'd fight to protect, Eco-Watch was at the top of the list.
“There's something else I need to show you. I don't know yet if it's related, but it couldn't have come at a worse time.”
Donovan took the folder that William handed him. He opened it and pulled out the contents. Clipped to the first page was a passport-sized picture of Erin Walker.
“How do you know about her?” Donovan, startled, looked up at his mentor. “She's why I was going to call you today. I met her yesterday afternoon. She was snooping around mother's house.”
“That doesn't come as much of a surprise, I'm afraid. Just read.” William gestured for Donovan to continue.
Donovan scanned the first page. It consisted of a short biography. Erin Walker lived in Arlington, was twenty-seven years old, unmarried, and a graduate of Georgetown's School of Journalism. She was currently employed by The Washington Post as an investigative reporter, though she'd worked there less than a year. She'd grown up in Boston, raised by a middle class couple. Donovan flipped the sheet over. Page two was a photo of him at the house in Aldie. The next showed him driving his Porsche. Obviously, someone had been following him. He could tell the grainy photographs had been shot with a telephoto lens. The next picture was of his townhouse, followed by a photo of Lauren.
“She took these?” Donovan couldn't take his eyes from the pages. He felt the little hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Someone had managed to make copies of Erin's files. Donovan glanced up and gave William a questioning look.
“I know. It's not something I do very often, but sometimes it's a necessity. Keep going and you'll know why I had this woman investigated.”
Donovan turned to the next document and was horrified to find a copy of a DIA report. It had CLASSIFIED stamped at the
top. Quickly, Donovan scanned each paragraph. He and Eco-Watch were named as possible security risks. It outlined his rescue mission to Russia. He saw not only his name, but Michael's as well. It was almost more than he could bear. It was bad enough that the DIA was trying to link him to their problem, but Eco-Watch and Michael as well?
“How can she have all of this? I mean, I can understand she followed me, though I always thought I was being careful. But this report from the DIA?”
“I'm not sure. But it was obviously leaked to her, since there's no other way for her to have those files. You said you met her last night?”
“Yes. She set off the alarms at the country house. By accident, I came across her camera and confiscated the film. I developed it last night and discovered pictures of the grave-markers in the cemetery. I managed to get a picture of a license plate, someone who picked her up. It would be nice to know who else is involved.”
“If she's seen the cemetery, it's only a matter of time before she figures out you're not who the world thinks you are.” William slowly shook his head, a look of regret filling his eyes.
Donovan looked down at the report in his hands. “Is this all of it? Or is there more? How much does she know?”
“You can read the rest at your leisure. The crux of the matter right now is that she has more questions than answers. But she's looking for a conspiracy. She thinks Eco-Watch could be a front for clandestine government operations. Then she goes on to theorize that you might be selling top secret informationâhence your big house in the country and a half-million dollar sports car.”
“She what!” Donovan slapped the papers down on his lap. “Who does this woman think she is?
“As I said, the timing is unfortunate. If she's tied you to the house and has seen you in your car, the logical question she must be asking is how you afford such luxuries.”
“We both know it's not what it appears to be.”
“If she has a source inside the DIA, then it's only a matter of time before she finds out about what happened in Bermuda. As we speak, I can assure you the DIA and the FBI are starting a full investigation of you and Eco-Watch.”
Donovan's temples throbbed.
“We need to stop her,” William said solemnly.
“I can't believe this is happening,” Donovan said, reeling at the implications. “This could be the end of everything I've worked so hard to build. In one fell swoop it will not only destroy the life I've tried to have, but Eco-Watch could also cease to exist. I can't let it happen.”
“What would you like me to do?”
“Nothing.” Donovan looked down at the dossier. “I think I need to read the rest of this.”
William nodded as he rose. “I should also add that what you have there is only a small part of what Ms. Walker possesses. My source was, shall we say, interrupted as he was obtaining this for us.”
“I just can't believe she's doing this. I mean, what would prompt her to start looking into my life? As far as anyone is concerned, I'm a nobody. There's got to be a reason for her to go to all this trouble.”
“When you discover her motivation, you'll know how to deal with her.”
“How much time do you think I have?” Donovan knew that discovery meant an instant change in his life. Relationships would shift overnight. It would destroy everything.
“I have no idea. Maybe a week? Hopefully we can find out more before we have to make any major decisions.”
“I can't imagine anything worse than this. After all we've done, to be found out by a single reporter.”
“I'd like to tell you something.” William leaned forward and
put his hand on Donovan's forearm. “You haven't had an easy life, son, and I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of all you've accomplishedâ¦But I always feared that this day would come. My only surprise it that you managed to stay hidden for so long.”
“I still might pull it off.” Donovan knew the words sounded hollow.
“If anyone can, it's you.” William gave Donovan's arm a squeeze of encouragement. “Whatever happens, you know I'll do everything I can. I'm here for you always.”
“I know.” Donovan put a hand over William's. “I'll live. All I ask is that if I have to leave Eco-Watch, you'll do everything you can to make sure it survives. It represents the best thing I've ever done.”
“You have my word. I'll leave you alone so you can read.” William started to leave, then stopped and turned. “Are you sure this wouldn't be the time to explain everything to Lauren? It might be useful.”
“I can't,” Donovan said honestly.
“Costa Rica was a long time ago.”
Donovan crumbled a little inside at William's words. “It doesn't feel that way at times. I can still see Meredith as if it were yesterday.”
“I won't even pretend to understand how you must feel. I loved Meredith too. But life does go on, son. You survived the loss of Meredith. You grieved as any man would. Years later you met Lauren and she fell in love with youâ¦and you her.”
“Then she left,” Donovan remarked quickly. “Let's not forget that part.”
William reached for the door to the study. “Don't forget the reason she left.”
William's soft-spoken words were like a blow to his stomach. Donovan inwardly sank at the memory. Lauren had confronted him just after he'd finally brought his mother's remains to rest in
the family cemetery. There was no way he could include Lauren in the process. It would have created far too many problems. It had been a difficult and emotional time for him as he stood at the plot and buried her once again. There had been only three other people at the tiny ceremony. A minister, William, and William's niece Stephanie. She lived in Europe, and had flown back for the memorial. He could still remember his shock and fear as Lauren had asked him point-blank about the blond. He had no response; he'd been caught off guard at a time when his defenses were down. He wouldn't lie to her, yet he couldn't tell the truth. He'd stood there mute as he ran through a full range of emotions. He couldn't explain that Stephanie was a friend, that Elizabeth was his mother. It would have led to his having to tell Lauren everything, something he wasn't prepared to do. He could still see Lauren's wounded expression. Her eyes were full of anger and betrayal, condemnation he didâ¦and didn't deserve.
“Am I not right?” William challenged quietly.
“Yes and no.” Donovan sighed. “But right now I have far bigger problems than my relationship with Lauren.”
“Yes you do. All I'm suggesting is that if everything is going to be made public, she might appreciate it coming from you, instead of reading about it in the newspaper. There might be some tactical value in your being the messenger.”
“I'll keep that in mind.” Donovan watched as the only link with his other life let himself out of the room. Alone in the study, Donovan took a moment to collect himself. He looked down at the picture of Erin Walker. Her eyes were pretty, as was her smile, but to Donovan she represented a threat to everything he held sacred. If she divulged who he was the world would once again make him its focal point. It wouldn't take her long to start unraveling the mystery. The disturbing thought hurtled him back in time, seventeen years ago, to when Robert Huntington became Donovan Nash.