David Baldacci - Simple Genius

After making sure Viggie was all right Michelle rose and stood beside him. “Thanks. It was getting pretty crazy out there.”

“I was out for a walk; saw Viggie capsize first and then you heading out to rescue her. That’s when I ran to get the powerboat. I figured the best way was to grab you both as fast as I could.”

He smoothly docked the boat and helped Michelle get Viggie off. The girl was still pretty much deadweight at this point.

“Sure she’s okay?” Champ said anxiously.

“Yeah, just scared.”

“Can’t blame her.”

Michelle took Viggie gently by the shoulder and led her up the path to Babbage Town. Champ walked with them to Alicia’s cottage.Michelle said, “If you pilot a plane as well as you do a boat, tomorrow should be very pleasant.”

“Uh, do you mind if we push our flight back a day? Something came up.”

“That’s fine, Champ. Whenever.”

Champ smiled shyly, mumbled something incoherent and hurried off.

“You saved my life, Mick,” Viggie said after they had both changed into dry clothes.

“Mr. Champ deserves a lot of the credit,” she said. “And what were you doing out on the river all by yourself?” she added in a scolding tone.

Viggie studied her hands, her face drooping like a rain-soaked flower. “I… I just wanted to be by myself.”

“I can think of lots of ways to do that that don’t involve putting yourself in danger.”

“Thank you for saving my life,” Viggie said.

“I’m just glad I was there.”

Viggie stood, went over to the piano and started playing. Softly, not frantically, as she had last time. The notes were slow, almost mournful. She looked up at Michelle as she played, her features inscrutable.

After she finished, Michelle said, “Thank you, Viggie, that was beautiful. What was it?”

Viggie didn’t answer. She turned and walked up the stairs. A moment later her bedroom door closed.

Back out on the York River, a twenty-foot RIB or rigid inflatable boat, the backbone of the military’s light amphibious assault teams, was cruising around, Ian Whitfield at the wheel. The man seemed oblivious to the storm raging around him. On the deck of the RIB was Michelle’s kayak, with the rope still attached to its stern ring. He hit the throttles and the RIB sprinted toward the Babbage Town side of the water. He docked the boat, climbed out and slid the kayak up onto the floating pier. He grimaced a bit as he jumped back into his vessel. He wore a yellow rain slicker and khaki shorts. His lower legs were muscular and deeply tanned. The right one, though, was also heavily scarred. Chilly rain always made it throb.

He hit the throttle and the RIB took a huge leap forward; its bow at a forty-five-degree angle as it rode up the wall of chop. In another minute the RIB and the head of Camp Peary were just a speck on the river as the storm continued to slam the area.

BY EARLY THE NEXT MORNING the bad weather had passed and Sean and Michelle convened at the same isolated spot about a mile from Babbage Town. When they had talked yesterday Michelle had recounted her experience on the river. In turn he’d brought her up to speed about Champ’s lack of an alibi. They were meeting this morning to go over things in more detail away from prying eyes at Babbage Town.

He said, “Tell me again what was Viggie doing out on the water in a kayak all by herself?”

“She basically said she wanted some alone time.”

“Or maybe she wanted to get a better look at Camp Peary?”

“Why?” she asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Did you find out anything on your end?”

Sean nodded. “I talked to Hayes. He got a look at Monk’s passport and it shows that he did travel to Germany.”

“Do we know where?”

“He entered by way of Frankfurt. That’s all Hayes could tell me. I’ve called Joan and she’s trying to run down more specifics for us.” He unrolled a large piece of paper and spread it out over the hood of Michelle’s truck. “I took a picture of the satellite map of Camp Peary that Freeman had in his office and had it enlarged.”

He pointed out various sections to her. “I’ve heard different numbers, but I believe the place is about ten thousand acres, most of it undeveloped. As we already knew, the runway is fairly near where Monk’s body was found. A bit south are what appear to be a series of bunkers. Farther down from that is a boat dock.” He traced another section with his finger that had names printed on it. “This looks like some of the neighborhoods Freeman mentioned. Bigler’s Mill Pond is here, Porto Bello house there, Queens Lake behind it and Magruder there. The main complex is bordered on the west by Interstate 64 and to the south by Colonial National Historical Parkway. And the Naval Supply Cheatham Annex is there,” he added, poking the paper with his index finger.

“There’s an inlet from the York south of the runway and it carries you deeply into the grounds,” Michelle pointed out.

“And we can be sure it’s well guarded,” Sean said. “Certainly on land and for all I know they have the inlet mined.”

“So over the fence we go? Did the equipment come in?”

Sean nodded. “Yeah, all of it.” He suddenly slumped back against the truck. “Michelle, I don’t want to go over that fence, it’s insane. Even if we don’t get killed I’m not looking to spend the rest of my life in prison, and I’m not going to let you do it.”

“But if you do go I can’t let you go alone.”

“Maybe we don’t have to if Joan finds out where Monk went in Germany.”

“Which may not tie into any of this.”

“How about Viggie? Codes and blood?”

Michelle shook her head. “Nothing new. She was understandably subdued when we got back from the river. Her piano playing was very restrained which is unusual. Normally she says, ‘Michelle, I like you’, and then she plays like a banshee, screams ‘Codes and Blood’ and then runs up to her room. She didn’t do it this time. She just thanked me for saving her life and then sat and played very slowly and beautifully, like she was thanking me again with music. It was actually very touching. And…”

Michelle’s voice trailed off as she stared at Sean.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” she said in a barely audible tone.

“Yes, and I’m also thinking how big an idiot I am for not seeing it before.”

They jumped in the truck.

He checked his watch. “What about your plane ride with Champ?”

“Postponed until tomorrow.”

“Good, maybe by then you’ll change your mind. Call Horatio and tell him to meet us at Alicia’s cottage.”

“Why?”

“He’s a piano player, that’s why.”

AFTER WHAT HAPPENED on the river they kept Viggie out of school today,” Michelle said as Horatio and Sean followed her up the walk to Alicia’s cottage. “But I think she’ll only play for me.”

“Horatio brought his recorder,” Sean explained. “We’ll stay out of sight but we’ll still hear the song.”

“And then what?” Michelle asked.

“Then if it is code we can get some help decrypting it. I know at least one genius hanging around this place.”

Horatio placed his sound-activated recorder near the piano, but hidden behind some books. Afterward he and Sean snuck out to the screened-in front porch. Through an open window they could hear the music from here.

Michelle went upstairs, got Viggie and asked her to play the song for her again.

The girl dutifully did and then went back upstairs. Michelle retrieved the recorder and joined Horatio and Sean.

Sean said, “I’ve contacted Alicia at work. She’s coming over shortly. Horatio, in the meantime can you write down the notes to the song she was playing just by listening to it?”