grabs the first symbol page from his desk drawer and as he’s leaving Josh says, “Only if you steal my test notes again.” Josh rushes from the office, leaving Amanda behind.
Amanda shouts after him, “I borrowed those, Mr. Hilarious.”
Chapter Twelve
Inside the N.S.A. Natan stands in front of Marsh as he sits at his desk. “You requested me, Sir?” she asks.
Marsh’s voice grumbles a bit. “So, you still want me to believe that you don’t know Professor Josh Sails?”
“Sir?”
“There’s evidence that you have been in contact with Professor Sails since your return from Mexico .”
“Sir?”
“Agent Natan, please take a seat.”
“I’ll stand, Sir.”
“Agent Natan, sit…please.” Natan sits in a chair in front of Marsh’s desk. Marsh leans in, speaking in a lowered voice, “I’m concerned for you, Agent Natan.”
“Concerned about what, Sir?”
“This is just between you and me…” Marsh rings his hands together as he looks at Natan intently. “As you know, the N.S.A. has been involved in a blanketed domestic wiretapping program. What you don’t know is that all government department telecommunications received after the Boston incident have been included in that agenda. All calls have been recorded and logged in a separate database…”
Natan’s shock interrupts him. “What? I knew the civilian wire tapping and data mining was extensive, but now they’re monitoring their own? Is the N.S.A. still facilitating this?”
“We are…along with the C.I.A. They needed someone to monitor the monitorer. I guess they’re trying to find Al Queda cooperatives within the government. Things are unfolding within the government that are shocking, Agent Natan.”
Natan shakes her head. “It was only a matter of time.”
“It gets worse. I’ve been instructed to question you regarding your contact with Professor Sails…”
Natan replies, “Well, if my calls have been logged, Sir, you’d know that he contacted me here just after my return from Mexico .”
“The fact that he’s contacted this office on more than ten occasions has been brought to my attention,” he says.
“Sir, it may not be completely appropriate to have contact with an individual from a case after the case terminates, but it isn’t illegal or even directly recognized to be against agency protocol, particularly with this case, as strange as it was.”
Baxter looks at Natan directly. “You’re right about that…but conspiracy is recognized as such.”
Natan is appalled. “Conspiracy? Of what?”
“Do you recall your conversation, Agent Natan?”
“Yes. I haven’t engaged in any…”
Marsh interrupts Natan by playing a digital tape of the call, a filtered Natan’s voice emerging from the tape. “Professor, why are you calling me here?”
A filtered Josh’s voice answers her, “Agent Natan, I must finish our discussion from the plane…the Code…things have already been set in motion.”
“I can’t discuss this now, Professor.”
“There is little time, Agent Natan. Can you meet me at the u niversity tonight?”
“It won’t look good for me to meet you. I can’t be involved in this, Professor. As an N.S.A. agent, I can’t be a part of this.”
Josh pleads, “It’s urgent. I have something I need to show you.”
“Does this involve the end date and the symbols?”
“It involves you, Agent Natan. Lives may rest in your hands.”
“When and where?” she replies.
“Mathematics building. Third floor. Nine p.m. ” Josh pauses on the tapes, “Thank you, Agent Natan. You won’t regret it.”
Marsh and Natan hear dial tone. Marsh looks at Natan, “Did you meet with him?”
“Yes Sir, I did,” she confirms.
“Do you have an explanation?” he inquires.
“That conversation places me under suspicion of some conspiracy?”
Marsh replies, “The language involved and
Amanda shouts after him, “I borrowed those, Mr. Hilarious.”
Chapter Twelve
Inside the N.S.A. Natan stands in front of Marsh as he sits at his desk. “You requested me, Sir?” she asks.
Marsh’s voice grumbles a bit. “So, you still want me to believe that you don’t know Professor Josh Sails?”
“Sir?”
“There’s evidence that you have been in contact with Professor Sails since your return from Mexico .”
“Sir?”
“Agent Natan, please take a seat.”
“I’ll stand, Sir.”
“Agent Natan, sit…please.” Natan sits in a chair in front of Marsh’s desk. Marsh leans in, speaking in a lowered voice, “I’m concerned for you, Agent Natan.”
“Concerned about what, Sir?”
“This is just between you and me…” Marsh rings his hands together as he looks at Natan intently. “As you know, the N.S.A. has been involved in a blanketed domestic wiretapping program. What you don’t know is that all government department telecommunications received after the Boston incident have been included in that agenda. All calls have been recorded and logged in a separate database…”
Natan’s shock interrupts him. “What? I knew the civilian wire tapping and data mining was extensive, but now they’re monitoring their own? Is the N.S.A. still facilitating this?”
“We are…along with the C.I.A. They needed someone to monitor the monitorer. I guess they’re trying to find Al Queda cooperatives within the government. Things are unfolding within the government that are shocking, Agent Natan.”
Natan shakes her head. “It was only a matter of time.”
“It gets worse. I’ve been instructed to question you regarding your contact with Professor Sails…”
Natan replies, “Well, if my calls have been logged, Sir, you’d know that he contacted me here just after my return from Mexico .”
“The fact that he’s contacted this office on more than ten occasions has been brought to my attention,” he says.
“Sir, it may not be completely appropriate to have contact with an individual from a case after the case terminates, but it isn’t illegal or even directly recognized to be against agency protocol, particularly with this case, as strange as it was.”
Baxter looks at Natan directly. “You’re right about that…but conspiracy is recognized as such.”
Natan is appalled. “Conspiracy? Of what?”
“Do you recall your conversation, Agent Natan?”
“Yes. I haven’t engaged in any…”
Marsh interrupts Natan by playing a digital tape of the call, a filtered Natan’s voice emerging from the tape. “Professor, why are you calling me here?”
A filtered Josh’s voice answers her, “Agent Natan, I must finish our discussion from the plane…the Code…things have already been set in motion.”
“I can’t discuss this now, Professor.”
“There is little time, Agent Natan. Can you meet me at the u niversity tonight?”
“It won’t look good for me to meet you. I can’t be involved in this, Professor. As an N.S.A. agent, I can’t be a part of this.”
Josh pleads, “It’s urgent. I have something I need to show you.”
“Does this involve the end date and the symbols?”
“It involves you, Agent Natan. Lives may rest in your hands.”
“When and where?” she replies.
“Mathematics building. Third floor. Nine p.m. ” Josh pauses on the tapes, “Thank you, Agent Natan. You won’t regret it.”
Marsh and Natan hear dial tone. Marsh looks at Natan, “Did you meet with him?”
“Yes Sir, I did,” she confirms.
“Do you have an explanation?” he inquires.
“That conversation places me under suspicion of some conspiracy?”
Marsh replies, “The language involved and
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