The Athena Factor by W. Michael Gear Read Free Book Online Page A

roof. Woke up half the neighborhood.”
    Lymon rubbed his chin. “Like he didn’t care if anyone found out that he’d been there?”
    â€œYeah. The police have already been in touch with the FAA. Did you know there were a hundred and thirty-seven helicopters flying in the LA Basin? Traffic control actually had the chopper on their screens for a while until they lost it against the San Gabriels.” Ensley made a waving gesture. “Do you know how many private heliports there are up in those multimillion-dollar estates? He could have gone anywhere.”
    â€œI’d start checking with the rental companies. Not just everyone has a copter for hire. What about the house? The thief leave anything?”
    Ensley sipped his coffee. “Police just finished going over Julia’s room with a microscope. Nothing. Nada. Not a print, nor hair, nor bit of fabric. Nothing on the ropes, pitons, or parasail. It’s all clean. You’d think it was the CIA or something.”
    â€œHow’s Julia?”
    â€œI hear she’s freaked. You got any idea how this is going to line out for her security guys?” He looked up, grinning weakly. “You may be up to your neck in job aps when she cans her protection.”
    â€œOnce she settles down, she won’t fire them, Mark. They couldn’t have known some creep was going to parachute in, for God’s sake.” Lymon cocked his head. “It was too well planned. Not just some obsessive fan.” He paused. “Shit.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œI don’t know. Just shit. Who’d want dirty sheets? I mean, why not take something really personal, like her Oscar, or jewelry, or a dress, or something?”
    â€œI’m stumped, Lymon.” He tossed off the last of his coffee. “I just needed to talk it over.” He glanced at his watch. “For now, I’m headed home for a nap. Julia’s got a meeting with her people at three this afternoon. This shit’s gonna be
all over the tube tonight, and I’d better be sharp enough to stick in the floor when it happens.”
    â€œYeah.” Lymon stood. “Listen, if there’s anything we can do for you?”
    Ensley grinned. “Nah. But if she cans her security team, I’ll put in a good word for you. She’s got to go somewhere.”
    Â 
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    The waiting was driving Christal mad. She had packed most of her small Alexandria apartment. The boxes sat in neat stacks in her living room. On the TV, the talking heads on Headline News were reviewing the sports world. For something to do, she’d taken up pacing both the length and breadth of her small apartment. She’d liked it here, had considered it home while she built a nest egg bank account in preparation for down payment on a real house one day.
    Christal paused by the breakfast bar to stare at the phone. She tapped her fingernails on the countertop and sighed. Lifting the receiver, she punched the familiar numbers.
    â€œHarness ,” the voice on the end said.
    â€œHey, Sid.”
    â€œ Christal? What’s up? ”
    â€œWhat are you doing?”
    â€œKidnapping. Young woman. Graduate student at Washington. Real hotshot. Hey, did you know there ’s a string of unsolved kidnappings going back five years? ”
    â€œNo, Sid. I didn’t know that.” She glanced at the TV. “Most of the news is about Yoko Ono. Someone ripped off her penthouse. Took a lock of John Lennon’s hair, can you imagine?”
    â€œYou haven’t called Lymon yet.”
    â€œI’ve been packing.”
    â€œ Where you going? ”
    â€œI don’t know.”
    â€œCall Lymon. Me, I’ve got three more interviews to conduct. You wouldn’t believe some of the things they can do with genetics these days.” He chuckled. “In theory, at least .”

    â€œSounds like fun.” She hesitated. “Wish I was there.” She meant it.
    Sid