The Surge - 03 (17 page)

The woman flushed for a brief second, obviously pleased to hear such words from the tall, handsome ranger.

With his warmest smile, Zach continued the flirt, “You wouldn’t happen to have a cell phone I could borrow … would you?”

After a late night stop at headquarters in Austin, which included acquiring a requisition for a new phone and filing the minimal paperwork, the ranger caught a few hours of sleep and a quick, hot shower. He was on the road for College Station before dawn the following morning.

While driving east, Zach decided to call Sam on his new phone. The lady ranger was having breakfast. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Terrible. I’m going to go insane if I have to spend much more time in this place. They wake you up at all hours of the night, the food is terrible, and my nurse is Attila the Hun’s great, great, granddaughter.”

“Could be worse,” Zach chuckled. “I bet you would be even more sleep deprived if you were on the road with me.”

The two officers exchanged thoughts and theories on the case as Zach headed toward the small, central Texas town.

“Have the College Station cops found the doctor yet?” Sam asked.

“No, and that is troubling. Not only is he missing, but there is very, very little information regarding the man. He received U.S. citizenship after working as an academic at Texas A&M for 11 years, yet the campus police said he’s no longer listed as being on the university’s staff.”

“What’s so weird about that?” Sam responded. “He went into the corporate world or started his own business.… Could be anything.”

“He hasn’t filed any tax returns with the republic,” Zach continued. “We’ve got a request into Washington for any records they have, but you know how long that takes.”

“Let me know what you find out, okay? And Zach, please promise me you’ll come bust me out of this place if they don’t let me go home tomorrow?”

The thought of Sam fussing with the nurses and doctors provided Zach with some much-needed comic relief. “You got it, partner,” he chuckled. “I’ll tie a rope around your window bars, and pull them out with my horse.”

“You don’t have a horse.”

“I’ll use my pickup then. We rangers have to keep up with the times, I suppose.”

The ranger arrived at College Station just after 9 AM, his first stop being police headquarters. A few minutes later, he was talking with the patrol supervisor who had been tasked with finding the missing doctor.

“His address is a rented home on the southeast side of town. My officers found no sign of foul play. The place was locked and tidy. We didn’t go in, and I don’t think there’s enough probable cause to get a warrant. A phone call to the landlord this morning confirmed the rent was paid on time each month, and that Dattatreya was a quiet, trouble-free tenant.”

Zach nodded his agreement. “No idea where this guy works?”

“Not yet. There is no social media presence that we can find, nor any relatives as far as we know of. We are positive he was a professor in A&M’s veterinary school. One of my buddies on the campus force looked up his record for me. Single, no dependents. Resigned three years ago.”

“Did he just retire?” Zach inquired. “Maybe he was enjoying the quiet life.”

“Doubtful. He is only 44 years old. We also know that he travels back to India from time to time. We’re trying to run that down as well.”

The ranger rubbed his chin, “Who was his boss at A&M? Have you had a chance to interview anyone over at the school?”

“No, everything was pretty locked down by the time we got the call last night. I’m hoping to get someone over there this morning.”

Zach offered his hand and said, “I’ll take care of that for you, Sergeant. Appreciate the help.”    

It took the ranger some time to find the right building in the maze that was the massive university. Since the secession, the institution found itself in a constant state of accelerated expansion.

Two of the republic’s new military academies, Texas’s versions of West Point for the Army and Colorado Springs for Air Force, were being developed in conjunction with A&M. Corpus Christi was the new home for the Naval, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine schools.

Once he’d finally managed to navigate the huge construction projects and found the right location, Zach had to show his badge three times before he was finally ushered into the office of an associate dean.

Dr. Herbert Womack wasn’t a tall individual, nor did the intellectual appear to be athletically inclined. At just under 5’9”, a good 40 pounds overweight, and sporting a billy goat beard, the ranger wasn’t initially impressed. After experiencing a handshake that was wet, lethargic, and exhibiting the enthusiasm of a dead snake, Zach wanted nothing more than to finish the interview and get on with his day.

The ranger wasn’t the only one, Dean Womack making it absolutely clear that he had far more important items on his agenda than talking with a cop.

“Do you know Dr. Myer Dattatreya?” Zach asked the rather stuffy gent.

“Yes.”

There was more than a hint of apprehension in the dean’s response, the ranger initially interpreting the fellow’s attitude as unfavorable toward law enforcement.
He probably got a speeding ticket yesterday and is still pissed
, Zach thought.
Or maybe his daughter ran off with a deputy instead of that nice young man in the lab coat working on his Ph.D.

“When was the last time you saw Dr. Dattatreya?”

“What’s this about, officer?” Again, there was an edge.

“A missing person case,” Zach replied.

The academic seemed surprised by the response. “Who is missing?”

“The doctor,” Zach answered, mystified by Womack’s obvious stonewalling.

The man across the desk was again taken aback by the ranger’s statement. With a sudden case of fluttering hands, he said, “That’s absurd. I just spoke with Myer yesterday morning. He was initializing an important phase of his latest research. He’s not missing; he is sequestered at the lab.”

“That’s wonderful news,” replied the ranger. “I will, however, need to speak with him immediately. A car registered to the doctor was used in a serious crime yesterday, and I need to investigate the circumstances.”

The dean was now clearly upset. “I’m afraid that’s not possible, sir. Dr. Dattatreya’s research is extremely sensitive, and established safety protocols require complete isolation.”

The ranger was now utterly confused. “I was told that the doctor was no longer employed by the university. Is that information incorrect?”

“Yes, that is accurate. He left A&M over two years ago to join the private sector.”

“Who is his employer?”

Dean Womack didn’t answer, his eyes darting right and left as if searching for a way out of his own office. He then started to reach for the telephone sitting on the desk’s corner but stopped. Finally he responded, “I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to divulge that information.”

In less than a second, Zach experienced a parade of emotions. First came a short eruption of anger, driven by the ranger’s lack of sleep, one very dead El Paso detective, and the number of bullets recently fired in his direction. It took a considerable amount of effort to check his rage.

Then came frustration. Not everyone had voted for the secession. It was common for those against independence to focus their disdain on any government official who crossed their path. Law enforcement encountered such attitudes often.

Finally, the ranger arrived at curiosity. The dean was sweating now, small beads of perspiration showing on the man’s nearly-bald head.
Why? What was this guy’s issue?

De-escalate
, Zach thought.
Take down it down a notch. The man isn’t a criminal. He’s not stupid. Work with him.
      

“Sir, I’m not sure what’s going on, but I really, really need your cooperation in this matter,” Zach began in a calm, even tone. “We believe Dr. Dattatreya’s automobile was stolen by some extremely dangerous criminals. I only need a few moments of his time.”

The dean’s next move was completely unexpected. Reaching for the phone and staring hard into Zach’s eyes, he waited for his admin to answer. “Get me the university’s legal department, please. Tell them it’s urgent.”

For a moment, Zach thought that Womack was calling to get permission to answer his questions. The look on the professor’s face, however, told a different tale – one that was soon confirmed.

“I have a law enforcement officer in my office,” the academic stated into the mouthpiece. “I need legal representation immediately, please.”

Zach shook his head as Womack disconnected the call. “Why?” he asked, not really expecting any answer. “I don’t understand, sir? I just need to speak with the good doctor about his Jag.”

The man across the desk folded his arms, his expression now set in stone. “I invoke my Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, officer. I have been advised not to speak with the police until I have an attorney present.”

The ranger was now getting pissed. “That is your right, sir. Is your attorney on the way?” he growled.

The dean became smug, “I wish to remain silent, officer.”

There were several options available to Zach. He could detain Womack for questioning. He could haul the frumpy, old goat down to the station. He could dream up any number of half-assed charges in an attempt to leverage or intimidate the fool. Obstruction came to mind. Hindrance was another option.

The ranger, however, didn’t like operating that way. While a lot of hard-nosed cops would push the limits, Zach had always found such tactics distasteful. Long ago, he’d arrived at the conclusion that threatening to trump up charges was a method employed by lawmen of lesser skill and intellect. He was a ranger, a member of an elite organization, sworn to serve and protect. There was always a better way.

Again, the Texan pushed down his rage. Reaching to fish his new cell from a jacket pocket, it was the ranger’s turn to make a call. “Major Putnam, I’m at Texas A&M and have run into an obstacle,” Zach stated calmly. “For some unknown reason, the assistant dean that I’m interviewing has invoked his Fifth Amendment rights, and we are currently awaiting the arrival of his university-provided attorney. Would you be so kind, sir, as to call President Simmons’s office and let him know that our investigation has been stalled due to this development?”

Zach listened as his supervisor acknowledged the request, and then read off the dean’s full name and title. “Thank you, sir. I will inform you of my findings shortly.”

For 20 minutes, the two men sat in silence, staring at each other across the dean’s desk. The university’s legal counsel arrived first.

The polite but cold introductions had just finished when Herbert’s desk phone jingled.

Annoyed at the interruption, Womack picked up the headset and snapped, “Not now. No interruptions, please.”

“But sir,” came the admin’s voice. “It’s
the
chancellor on the line. He says it’s urgent.”

Zach couldn’t control himself, smirking as the dean’s expression turned sour.

“But, sir … but … the sensitive nature … but,” Dr. Womack tried to protest into the phone. Even through the tiny speaker, Zach could hear a little voice shouting some very big words.

In the end, the dean’s argument fell on deaf ears. After returning the headset to its cradle, the professor’s expression registered total defeat. Glancing at the newly arrived lawyer, he announced, “Your services are no longer required, counselor. Thank you for coming by, but the chancellor has made his wishes quite clear. I’m am to cooperate fully with the ranger.”

After they were alone, Zach asked again. “Who is Dr. Dattatreya’s employer?”

“The U.S. government,” the dean answered with a sigh. “More specifically, the Center for Disease Control and the Department of Defense.”

The answer wasn’t shocking. Texas had been a state for over 150 years, a republic for less than three. There were still entanglements at practically every level of business and government. Why should the world of higher education be any different?

“Where can I find Dr. Dattatreya?”

Despite the dean’s boss’s boss and the president of the republic being involved, the man across from Zach still hesitated. “He’s working at a secure research facility, about 30 miles north of Bryan.”