“A man just tried to kill me.”
“Who? Where?” Sawyer sputtered as he grabbed a pair of pants off the
bed and started to shove them on.
“I don’t know who he is.”
“Are you okay?” he asked anxiously.
Sidney looked around at the crowded train station. A number of New
York’s finest were in attendance. Problem was, they were the enemy now
too. “Yes.”
Sawyer let out a deep breath. “Okay, what’s going on?”
“Jason sent an e-mail to our house after the plane crash. There was a
password in that e-mail.”
“What?” Sawyer started to sputter again. “Jesus Christ, an e-mail, you
said?” Sawyer’s face was now blood-red. He stamped around the room,
throwing on a shirt, socks and shoes while holding the cordless phone.
“I don’t have time to tell you how I eventually received the e-mail,
only that I now have it.”
With a massive effort at self-control, Sawyer managed to calm down.
“Well, what the hell did it say?”
From the pocket of her coat, Sidney pulled out the single sheet of paper
containing the e-mail. “Do you have something to write with?”
“Hold on.”
Sawyer ran into the kitchen and snatched a piece of paper and pen from a
drawer. “Go ahead. But make sure you give it to me exactly as it
appears.”
Sidney did so, including the absence of spaces between certain words and
the decimal points segregating portions of the password exactly as they
appeared on the printed page she was holding.
Sawyer stared down at what he had written. He went back through it
again with her for accuracy.
“Do you have any idea what this message means, Sidney?”
“I haven’t had much time to focus on it. I know that Jason said it was
all wrong, and I believe him. It is all wrong.”
“But what about this disk? Do you know what’s on it?” He quickly read
the message again. “Did you get it in the mail?”
Sidney hesitated and then said, “I haven’t yet.”
“Is the password for the disk? Is it an encrypted file?”
“I didn’t know you were such a computer expert.”
‘Tm just full of surprises.”
“Yes, I believe it is.”
“When do you expect to get it?”
“I’m not sure. Look, I have to go.”
“Wait a minute. The guy who tried to kill you. What’d he look like?”
She gave him a description. The thought of the maniacal blue eyes made
her shudder. Sawyer wrote it down. “I’ll run it through the system and
see what comes up.” He jolted upright. “Wait a minute, I’ve got you
under surveillance. What the hell happened to my guys? Aren’t you at
your house?”
Sidney swallowed hard. “I’m not exactly under surveillance right now.
At least not by your people. And no, I’m not at my house.”
“Then would you mind telling me where you are?”
“I’ve got to go.”
“The hell you do. Some creep just tried to punch your clock, my guys
are nowhere on the scene. I want to know what’s going on,” he raged.
“Lee?”
He calmed down slightly. “What?” he said gruffly.
“Whatever happens, whatever you encounter, ! want you to know that I
haven’t done anything wrong. Nothing.” She choked back some tears and
added softly, “Please believe that.”
“What are you talking about? What the hews that supposed to mean?”
“Good-bye.”
“No! Wait!” The phone clicked in his ear and he angrily slammed it
down. He looked at the message and then put it down on the table next
to the phone. He bent over. His knees felt wobbly, his stomach more
upset than normal. He went into the bathroom and gulped down some
liquid Maalox. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he returned
to the kitchen, picked up the piece of paper he had written the e-mail
down on and sat down at the small table. He silently mouthed the words
as he read them. Watch your typing. The first portion of the message
seemed to suggest that Archer had sent the message to the wrong person.
Sawyer read the recipient’s name and then the sender’s. Sidney said
Jason had sent the e-mail ro their house. ArchieJW2. That had to be