Page 39 of Radar

“In the meantime,” Hiro said. “I have some answers as to the question, why is Orest Kalinsky spending a whole day in Fairbanks, Alaska? His foundation has been sponsoring a researcher who studies arctic squirrel hibernation.”

“Say again?”

“Arctic squirrel hibernation. A guy named Dr. Claude Burns.”

Xander pulled his water bottle from the side pocket of his pack. “I’m trying to see how that would help The Family.”

“I’ve been trying to figure it out myself, as a matter of fact, we round-tabled it to brainstorm ideas. We’ve landed on one that was pretty farfetched and one that might be reasonable given Orest’s obsession with food.”

Reaching into Radar’s vest, he pulled out a collapsible bowl. “Squirrel meat?” Xander poured water until the bowl was half full and dragged it toward Radar. “Let’s start with reasonable as a warmup for farfetched.” He took a swig and spun the cap back in place.

“Reasonable,” Hiro said, “he wants to know how to hibernate animals so he can use them as fresh food.”

“If you can hibernate a squirrel, why not a cow? So instead of just freezing the meat, he hibernates the animals, then brings them back to life—well, reanimates them and eats them fresh?” Xander asked. “Something about that is wholly unappealing.”

“Agreed,” Hiro said. “Our records indicate Orest isn’t just a foodie, but his focus on food might be a manifestation of an obsessive-compulsive disorder. He dislikes any kind of preserved food. Orest insists that everything be fresh. Freshly caught, freshly picked, freshly butchered.”

“What’s the farfetched idea?” Xander asked, wondering if he really wanted to know.

“What if Orest was considering the possible outcomes of what the family was about to attempt. He wanted to make sure the family was safe.”

“Okay, stop,” Xander said as he checked his watch. His flight to Chicago had just left. He’d have to figure out a new path to Fairbanks. “If you’re about to tell me that Orest was going to deep freeze the family, I don’t need that insanity in my head.”

“Except that it might be a real-life possibility,” Hiro said.

“Are you being serious right now?”

“I am,” Hiro said. “This Claude Burns guy was just hired by NASA to work on their Mars project.”

“Like they think that it would be a good idea to hibernate the astronauts?” Xander ran that thought through the lens of all those sci-fi books he enjoyed so much. He enjoyed them as fiction, Xander clarified. He didn’t like them so much when they might be coming to fruition in the here and now. “I can see why NASA would want to try it. I mean, they’re talking about a possible three-year stint in a very small space. It would, in fact, solve a lot of problems. Food and water consumption, fecal production. Speaking of shit situations, I’m switching subjects.” Xander crisscrossed his legs. “What’s happening with York?”

“He’s out of critical care in a step-down unit. But it was a sixteen-hour surgery. He’s still in the ‘anything can happen’ window. Watch and wait.”

“But his heart is pounding, and he’s breathing on his own?” Xander pushed.

“Fortunately, he’s at the same hospital where they took Finley’s ex-girlfriend. Grace Del Toro, who was Lacey Stewart back then. Finley met her at a car crash when she was overcome by palytoxins. The hospital had her medical records and was able to do a comparison. HIPAA, so that’s all I have on that unless and until someone can produce a warrant or York and Grace sign off on it. I do know York’s on oxygen but breathingon his own. We’ve got people sitting with him around the clock, checking credentials when anyone comes in, and closely monitoring what they do. The secrets that man holds in his head are of vital importance to the U.S. government. They’re not cutting corners on his security. Speaking of security,” Hiro said, “We don’t have access to the code words to figure out the surveillance that York put in place when he was tracking Orest. We’ve got some high school hotshot code breaker who works for us after school and on weekends, trying to figure it out.”

“Funny,” Xander said.

“Our mission isn’t ranked as critical,” Hiro said. “Don’t hold your breath. In the meantime, a judge gave permission to tap Orest’s phone. That’s how we know about the car to Lumberjack.”

“He’s traveling alone?” Xander saw a car pull up and three people with FBI emblazoned windbreakers get out.

“The car stops at Orest’s address at the hotel, and then at the apartment building where Claude Burns lives. I have Burns’s picture. I’m sending it over now.”

Xander stood and lifted a hand to identify himself to the special agents before opening the message and blinking. “Serious?”

“What?” Hiro asked. “Do you know this guy?”

“Yeah, he’s every squirrel that’s ever run in front of my car. Bushy hair pulled back into a ponytail, big liquid brown eyes, and a pointed face. This man looks like he’s in the same general family.”

“Once seen, it cannot be unseen,” Hiro sighed. “But Claude is a terrible name for a squirrel.”

Xander watched as the FBI agents took safety equipment from the trunk. “Moving back to the question at hand. Claude is working for NASA? That means he’s no longer working for Orest Kalinsky.”

“Claude works for Orest’s foundation until the end of the year’s hibernation,” Hiro said. “At any time in the next few weeks, the squirrels should wake up. That’s what NASA told me when I stuck my thumb out and got a heli lift down to Hampton with a colonel who had a meeting. I flashed my badge at their human resources folks, got the information, and came back. I’m not saying that those helicopter rides aren’t one hell of a perk and make life that much more interesting, Iamsaying that we didn’t tell the tower about the flight.”

“How do they get away with not telling the tower?” Xander asked.

---