The Exchange: After The Firm

The nightmare was back. The horror of trying to live normally while knowing someone was watching and listening. Fifteen years had passed since the Bendini mess in Memphis, and it had taken a long time to relax and stop looking over her shoulder. Now, as she dodged pedestrians along Madison Avenue, she wanted desperately to turn around and see who was watching her.

Five minutes later she opened the unmarked door of Epicurean Press on Seventy-Fourth, spoke to the usual lineup of friends and colleagues, and hustled to her office. Her assistant wasn’t in yet. She closed her door, locked it quietly, sat at her desk, took another deep breath, and opened the envelope. In it was a phone and a sheet of typing paper.

To Abby McDeere. (1). The most disastrous thing you can do is involve your government in any way. That would guarantee a bad ending for Giovanna and possibly others. Your government cannot be trusted; by you or anyone else.

(2). Involve Mitch and his law firm, a firm with plenty of contacts and money. You, Mitch, and his firm can succeed and bring about a good outcome. Involve no one else.

(3). You know me as Noura. I am the key to Giovanna. Follow my instructions and she will be delivered. She is not being mistreated. The others deserved to die.

(4). The enclosed phone is crucial. Keep it close at all times, even when you sleep. I will call at odd hours. Do not miss a call. Use the same charger as your cell. The code is 871. The Menu has Photos, which you will find interesting.

Abby put down the sheet of paper and picked up the phone. Unmarked and about the same size as other cell phones, there was nothing distinctive or suspicious about it. She tapped 871 and a menu appeared. She tapped PHOTOS, and was instantly nauseous. The photo was of her, Clark, and Carter, less than an hour earlier, as they said goodbye on the sidewalk outside of River Latin School, four blocks from their apartment. She took another deep breath and reached for a bottle of water, not the coffee. She unscrewed the top, took a sip, and spilled water on her blouse. She closed her eyes for a moment, then slowly scrolled left. The next photo was an exterior shot of the brownstone in which she was now sitting. The next photo was an exterior shot of their apartment building, taken from Sixty-Ninth and Columbus Avenue. The next photo was a long-distance one of 110 Broad, where Scully & Pershing was headquartered. The last photo was of Giovanna, sitting in a dark room, wearing a black veil, holding a spoon, and looking into a bowl of what appeared to be soup.

Time passed but Abby was not aware of it. Her brain was a jumbled mess of rapid thoughts. Her heart pounded like a jackhammer. She closed her eyes again and rubbed her temples and became aware that someone was gently knocking on her door.

“In a minute,” she said and the knocking stopped.

She called Mitch.

They were frozen, too stiff to move as they looked at the wide screen and waited for Abby’s video to appear. And there it was: a close-up of the typed note to Abby from Noura. They read it quickly, then slower a second time. The camera moved to the mysterious phone on Abby’s desk, next to the envelope it came in. After twenty-two seconds the video was over.

Mitch finally breathed and exhaled and walked to the window of Jack’s office. Jack stared at his small conference table, too stunned to say anything. Cory, who had been operating under extreme duress since the bombing in Athens, stared at the blank screen and tried to think clearly. Without looking at Mitch he asked, “And there were five photographs on the phone?”

“That’s right,” Mitch answered without turning around.

“Tell her not to send the photos, okay?”

“Okay. What do I tell her?”

“Not sure yet. Let’s assume they are monitoring everything the phone does. Let’s assume the phone can be used to track Abby wherever she goes, whether or not it’s turned on. Let’s assume the phone hears and records everything said around it, whether it’s on or off.”

As if he heard nothing, Mitch said, “They took a photo of my kids going to school this morning.”