Page 44 of Mastermind

Theo considers this for a moment. “Patterns are hard because we can only know what we see. Great white sharks were a complete mystery to us because they’d show up in one region, then vanish for a year before returning. Where did they go? In retrospect it was obvious, but at the time it was a big nature mystery. The simple answer is that when an animal goes someplace else, it’s either to eat, breed, or give birth.

“When they finally were able to tag great whites with satellite trackers, they found the places where the big sharks were doing all those things. The feeding grounds should have been obvious, because that pattern was enmeshed in another creature’s pattern. In this case, great whites went to eat where seals went to give birth. A booming seal colony meant a great white buffet. When scientists found out where great whites gave birth, it turned out to be where they didn’t have to worry about being fished or killed by orcas when they were at their most vulnerable.

“The lesson was: if you can’t discern one species’ pattern, look for the patterns of the other species it shares an ecosystem with.”

“All right. How do we apply that here? Or do you just make up nature documentaries in your head as you go along?”

“Good question. I’ve been asked that before. As far as Heywood’s pattern goes, he needs people. Maybe not informed people who know the whole picture, but people to do the physical work for the insanity he dreams up. Talking to some of the people he’s recruited in the past would be helpful, but I suspect that he’s smart enough to leave so many false trails that we’d be running in circles.

“If he’s planning some bigger event, something to make the Void look like a warm-up, then there’s got to be some other pattern we’re not seeing. Maybe not one big one, but several interrelated patterns. Remember the collection of weird cases you showed me?”

“Yeah, but we’re looking for a pattern. Those cases seemed pretty random.”

“Yes, but you and your colleague selected them out of a huge number of weird cases. Why those particular ones? Were there some other criteria about them?”

I weigh how much to tell him. Do I really trust him? I believe so. Do I need answers?

Absolutely.

“I have a friend. Sometimes he sends me information that was obtained in ways that are . . .”

Theo holds up a hand. “I understand. What made these interesting?”

I’ve only told one other person this. If Robert Ailes found out, he’d kill me. It goes against so many bureau directives, not to mention violating the law, even if I’m not the one actually violating it.

To hell with it.

“My friend was worried about my safety and afraid that the FBI wasn’t doing enough. So, he used a device to track cell phone numbers.”

“Where?” asks Theo.

“Heywood’s attorneys’ offices. We suspected that while his own attorneys may have been acting within legal boundaries, a clerk or someone else there who had access to Heywood wasn’t. So, we started tracking numbers and looking to see where they popped up.”

“And anytime you saw a suspicious incident and a related number, or one associated to that, you put a pin in it?”

“Basically. I was looking for weird stuff. Test runs, whatever.” I’m embarrassed to admit this. I may have broken not only the law, but my own ethical standards.

“Clever. You created contact tracing for weirdness in order to find the Warlock’s hidden pattern,” he replies.

“It was wrong.” My cheeks burn at the mere thought of Ailes knowing what I did.

“Is it? I mean technically, yes. So is breaking a window. But if there’s a child suffocating inside a hot car, breaking the window and committing a crime is the only moral thing to do. Sometimes we have to take extreme actions with the hope that we’ll be judged for their impact and not the deeds. Or better yet, hope we never get judged.”

I think about the allegation that Theo created an entire crime scene with body parts and wasted the FBI’s and local authorities’ time and resources. “Is this how you make decisions?”

“Yes. And I’m always weighing them, unsure if I made the right choice. I don’t judge you for what you did. I’d do the same. In fact, I have, and more.”

“So, do any of the cases stand out more than others?” I ask.

“The miracle cures intrigue me, but the one I fear the most is your missing chimpanzees.”

“What would Heywood do with a bunch of chimpanzees?” I ask.

“Lots of things. Pound for pound, they’re one of the most ferocious animals you could encounter,” Theo replies.

“Wait . . . Do you think Heywood’s trying to weaponize chimps?”

“I wasn’t exactly going in that direction. But it is a horrifying thought. It could be another distraction, or it could be part of his bioweapon research. I don’t know. But I’d love to understand how over two dozen chimpanzees went missing without a trace.”