Page 126 of The Chain

It is a pleasant surprise to hear from you. It is a little early for Christmas presents, don’t you think? It is with regret that I must inform you that we do not offer the service you require,the message says.

The GPS map on Rachel’s phone lights up, but then nothing happens. The map freezes and the app crashes. She stabs at the screen, but it’s dead.

“It didn’t work,” she says.

“He didn’t think it was going to work with the encrypted apps. He said the phone trace works better.”

“If I say ‘Please call me,’ it will definitely make them suspicious,” Rachel says.

“I don’t know.”

A thought occurs to Rachel. “You know, Erik might be a crazy person. This might have no hope whatsoever of working.”

“MIT doesn’t employ dummies.”

“But he still might be crazy. Maybe the grief has driven him mad?”

“Do you think you can risk another communication without pissing them off?”

“What does it matter? As soon as they find my name in the notebook, they’ll come for us.”

“We don’t know that they’ve got the notebook. He might have hidden it in a safe or something.”

Rachel looks through the windows. “They have it,” she says. “They’re reading it right now. Sooner or later, they’ll put two and two together.”

“My fault. I’m really sorry about that,” Pete says.

“I couldn’t have gotten Kylie back without you, Pete.”

Rachel opens the Wickr app again.

There must be some way of getting off The Chain forever. Something I can do for you or some amount of money I can pay. A way to close things off permanently, so weknow that we are safe. Please, for the sake of my little girl, tell me what it is,she types and sends the message.

They have to wait only two minutes for a response. Again it comes through Wickr, not the phone. She fires up the hunter-killer application.

You must be pretty stupid. What was the first thing we told you? It’s not about the money. It’s about The Chain itself. It’s got to keep going forever. Lose one link in The Chain and the whole thing collapses. OK, dummy?Wickr 2348383hudykdy2 replies.

The hunter-killer algorithm searches and recalibrates, and Erik’s GPS locator lights up but once more crashes with no result. Rachel’s phone freezes and she has to turn it off and on again.

“Nothing,” Rachel says.

“Shit!”

“I’ll try one more,” Rachel says.

Please. I’m begging you. For the sake of my family, is there anything I can do to get off The Chain?she types.

She shows it to Pete. “Send it,” he says.

She sends the message. This time there is no quick response.

Five minutes go by.

Ten.

“That’s it, then,” Rachel says.

Her iPhone rings.

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