فصل 13

chapter-13 Elgen sos.

Christmas Ranch

It was a little after noon when Gervaso knocked on the door to Chairman Simon’s office in the resistance’s main ranch house.

“Who is it?”

“Gervaso. I need to talk to you.” “Come in,” the chairman said.

Gervaso stepped into the small wood-paneled office.

The chairman looked up at him from his desk. “How are the kids?” “Bored. Anxious. Exactly how they should be.” Gervaso laid a piece of paper on the chairman’s desk. It was a printed copy of a newspaper ad that had been cut out. “I think you should see this.” VEY ELECTRIC

Your Full-Service Electrical Experts • Emergency Installations

• Lighting Designs

• Generator Systems

• Electric Water Heaters

• New House Wiring

• Switches and Fixtures

• Outlets and Circuit Breakers • Surge Protectors

Serving the greater Meridian, Idaho, area for fifteen years.

Call 886-555-6423 ext.1

The chairman looked up. “Where did you get this?” “Gabino, our mechanic up in Idaho, came across it in the Idaho Statesman. I had him e-mail it over.” The chairman looked back over the ad, then up again. “Is it a relative of Michael’s?” Gervaso shook his head. “There aren’t any other Veys in Idaho. In fact, there’s no such company as Vey Electric anywhere in the US.” “Then what is this?”

“It was the name ‘Vey’ that caught Gabino’s eye, but there’s something even more peculiar about this. Look at the phone number. The whole state of Idaho’s area code is 208. This is an 886 number. I looked it up. Eight-eight-six is the country code for Taiwan.” “Taiwan?”

“I think someone might be trying to get in touch with us. But it’s not just anyone. It’s someone who knows that Michael Vey is electric, and that makes it a very short list.” A more serious look crossed Gervaso’s face. “And then I found the hidden message.” The chairman looked back down at the ad for a moment, then looked back up again. “I don’t see it.” “Read the first letter of each line.” He looked back down, reading each letter aloud. “E.L.G.E.N. S.O.S.” He looked up with wide eyes. “It’s a call for help.” “I think it’s Welch. He’s trying to reach us.” “Or it could be a trap.”

“It could be, but the Elgen aren’t usually that subtle. They don’t have to be. I think whoever did this only wanted the right eyes to find it.” “Have you tried the number?”

“Not yet. I wanted to make sure that you were on board and ready to send a team to bring Welch back.” The chairman thought a moment, then said, “There’s a good chance the Elgen have found this as well.” “That is a risk. Still, it’s one I think we should take.” The chairman took a deep breath, then said, “Call the number.” * * *

Gervaso walked a hundred yards up the hill behind the main house to the water tower. He climbed the ladder to the top to make the call. The ringing had a far away, tinny sound.

“Vey Electric.”

The voice answering was low and coarse. Gervaso thought it was a strange thing to hear the voice of his enemy.

“I found your message,” Gervaso said.

“Whom am I speaking with?”

“A friend of Michael’s. I presume you are Welch.” There was a brief pause; then the voice said, “We cannot speak long. I need your help getting out of Taiwan.” “Why would we help you?” Gervaso asked.

“Don’t play this game. We both know I have information you need to bring down Hatch.” “How do we know we can trust you?” “Just go online. You can see for yourself that Hatch has put a million-dollar bounty on my head. That’s not something he can fake.” “We’ll send a team to get you out of the country. Where are you?” “Obviously I can’t say that over the phone. Create an e-mail address, and I will send you information. I’ll give you more information after you arrive on the island. I need to be careful for both of us.” “Understood.”

“I’m going to give you another phone number. Do not lose it. It’s the only number where you will be able to reach me. Do you have something to write with?” “Yes. Go ahead.”

Welch gave him the number, then asked, “Is this number one I can reach you at later?” “Yes. This is my personal number.” “I’ll be in touch tomorrow.”

“I’ll wait to hear from you. Good-bye.” Welch hung up. Gervaso put the phone back into his pocket, then looked out over the sprawling ranch. The wind blew softly, and the tapping sound of a woodpecker echoed in the distance like a telegraph. Everything was so peaceful. Not for long, he thought. Not for long.