Protecting the Innocent

Slater’s analysis made it sound like he was talking about an experiment. Roman tried to match his detachment. “Exactly what are your goals with Charlie?”

“To nurture and develop his intelligence. At the same time, he must be a well-rounded individual. Too many of our geniuses are antisocial. Charlie will be high-functioning on many levels—theoretical, creative, even political. He might even become President of the United States.”

Did Slater really think he could build his own president? Throw together the proper genetics for intelligence, add training and stir? This plan sounded like the insane ravings of a twenty-first-century Frankenstein.

“That boy,” Slater said, “will be my legacy.”

His legacy? But Slater wasn’t the child’s father or grandfather.

“I need your help, Roman.”

“How?”

“While Charlie is settling into the program, I want his mother to be happy. I want her to feel she made the right decision in coming here. See to it.”

“Could you be more specific?”

“She needs a man,” Slater said.

Roman couldn’t believe his ears. This crafty old bastard was ordering him to do the very thing he had wanted for years. Slater wanted him to become Anya’s lover.

Chapter Two

At seven o’clock that evening Roman connected with Maureen, a slinky redhead. In her tight jeans and see-through blouse, she was hotter than wasabi on sushi. Not that her appearance mattered to him. Maureen wasn’t a date. She was his contact inside the CIA, a special ops agent.

They met at a cheesy tavern in Oakland where the specialty of the house was tequila-fried perch, but they didn’t need a menu. After a quick hello, they went to her car at the back of the parking lot, far from the neon sign above the entrance.

Maureen slid behind the steering wheel and turned on the radio. Instead of music, there was a whirring sound. “This interference noise disrupts any bugs or listening devices pointed in our direction.”

“Nice tune,” he said.

“You know how I love my secret-agent toys.”

She’d been his contact for almost a year. When Roman learned that the think tank had manipulated federal regulations on offshore banking for an emerging Central American nation, he hooked up with a special branch of the CIA, and they assigned Maureen, an attractive woman who could easily pass as one of his dates. That was their cover.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“I’m concerned about two innocent people who are now living on the Legate grounds. Anya Bouchard Parrish and her son, Charlie.”

“She’s the wife of your friend who was killed, right?”

He nodded. “Slater talked her into signing a contract that would allow him to raise and educate her son.”

“Why?”

“Charlie has a genius IQ, and Slater wants to groom him. He thinks Charlie will be his legacy.”

“But he’s not related to the child?”

“No,” Roman said.

In the dim glow from the dashboard, he saw her thoughtful frown. “I don’t get it.”

“Neither do I.” But Roman had given the issue some thought. “Anya participated in a fertilization experiment at Legate. That was how she conceived her son. Slater might feel a proprietary connection.”

“How does Mrs. Parrish feel about this?”

“She doesn’t know.” Roman frowned. None of this made sense. “By bringing her son to Legate, she thinks she’s following her late husband’s wishes.”

“Why?”

“Jeremy made a provision in his will saying he wanted his son to attend the Legate school, starting when he was five.”

“Do you believe he’d do that?”

“Not really,” Roman said. “If his signature on the will is a forgery, how would I find out?”

“Get me the original. Our experts can verify.”

That wouldn’t be easy. He didn’t want to alarm Anya by asking to see the document. “Even if the will was forged, it doesn’t explain why Slater is so fixated on Charlie. True, the boy is smart, but there are plenty of whiz kids out there. Why Charlie?”

“Maybe there’s a connection in Anya’s family tree. Should we run a trace?”

“Not necessary.” Anya’s privacy had been invaded enough, and he knew just enough about her father to realize that an investigation could be a problem.

Maureen swept her thick auburn hair off her forehead and fastened it at her nape with a clip. Though her makeup was sultry, her attitude was all business. As always, when Roman allowed his gaze to wander over her body, he wondered where—in that tight-fitting outfit—she kept her gun.

“Bottom line,” Maureen said. “Are these two people in danger?”

“Not Charlie. He’ll be pampered like a prince.”

“And his mother?”

He’d given Anya’s safety a great deal of consideration and had decided there was no immediate peril. “She’s safe for now. Slater won’t let anything happen to her that might traumatize her son.”

“So why did you contact me?”

“I wanted to give you a heads up,” Roman said. “If it turns out that I’m wrong and Anya is threatened, I’m pulling the plug.”

“Sorry to hear that. Your inside info has given us excellent leads.”

“I’m not cut out for undercover work,” he said. “I feel like crap when I’m encouraging somebody with one hand and betraying them with the other.”

“Make no mistake,” she said. “You’re doing a good thing. Because of your information, we’ve been able to sever terrorist plots, stop an attempted takeover of the government in Burma and shut down an illegal munitions plant.”

“For the greater good,” he said in ironic reference to the Legate motto.

“It still amazes me,” she said. “Who would have guessed that all those international bad guys consulted a think tank?”