Final Notice, page 13
They discussed a number of points and said their goodbyes. Vijay and Jennifer were free to confirm their dinner reservation publicly; after all, she was the Account Manager and was simply entertaining the client. They didn’t, however, discuss their sleeping arrangements.
As everyone left, Maria stayed behind to see Vijay. “I’ve got a strange feeling about this. Do you think Don and J. Edward are plotting something?”
“Like what?”
“J. Edward seemed very interested in Don’s scenario about the effect of a breaking story. And he steered us away when Don elaborated.”
“You mean that he thinks it would work in our favor?”
“Yes. Even to the questions about our ability to handle huge volumes.”
Vijay admitted to himself that he was probably gazing at and thinking about Jennifer more than he realized. “I’ll talk with Don and make sure he doesn’t go rogue on us.”
“What about J. Edward?”
“I’ll talk with him, too, but he had a point. We need to have a strategy to cope if something does come out. Have you thought about it?”
“I’m just finishing up a number of draft responses to deal with a variety of scenarios. I’ll send them to you when I go back to my office.”
“OK. I probably won’t get a chance to look at them until tomorrow morning, so no rush. Thanks. Have a good evening.” Because he knew that he would.
***
CHAPTER 14 – FOR THE BENEFIT OF SCIENCE
Austin, Texas. Dr. Madison Manatta was a climate scientist who had contributed to the scientific understanding of climate change by pioneering techniques to find patterns in past changes. He had been working with the Institute for Environmental Science in Austin. As a scientist, he dealt with … well, science: facts and information supported by recognized tools and techniques, using verified data, trends, observations and other evidence. Recently, he published a comprehensive report that proved, beyond any study to date, that climate change was real and, in fact, accelerating.
Invitations poured in from around the country and internationally, asking him to speak; and Dr. Manatta was suddenly very popular everywhere, except with people who made their money through oil and/or gas ... and particularly with two of the wealthiest people around, the Couch brothers. The brothers eschewed publicity and generally kept under the radar, spawning instead a myriad of organizations to help fight renewable energy ... attempts to contain exploration of oil and gas ... and pretty much anything that was based on scientific views. To fight their battles, the Couches funneled billions of dollars into their organizations and politicians. The Competitive Energy Institute (CEI) was one of those organizations, and Texas House Representative Lamont Dumble (seriously) was their politician.
Nobody knows exactly how the marching orders were issued, but the Competitive Energy Institute issued a lot of negative releases about the validity of Manatta’s research. The CEI information was based on “experts” who were being paid by the Couches. In the well-orchestrated attack, the press releases – using snippets of information from Manatta’s work, out of context – came fast and furiously. And then, as part of phase two, Congressman Dumble, who – had taken millions from the Couches in political contributions, along with a whole lot more from other oil and gas interests – began to file enormous Freedom of Information Act demands for all of Manatta’s emails, data collection, information from other collaborating scientists, and anything else they could think of. They then used selected pieces of information, again out of context, to suggest misconduct and even launch a civil investigation into Dr. Manatta’s use of taxpayer money.
Others chimed in. U.S. Representative, Tea Party Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), shared his belief that scientific evidence of climate change is “absolute nonsense.” His basis of that has not yet been revealed. But it was lifelong lawyer and politician Dumble, who ‘knew’ about climate change better than anyone. "We now know that prominent scientists were so determined to advance the idea of human-made global warming that they worked together to hide contradictory temperature data." That quote landed him in court and his “disputed” data was proven, even to skeptics, to be true and complete.
None-the-less, even when their accusations were found frivolous, without merit and empty, they weren’t deterred, and the propaganda continued. And, given their enormous influence, it wasn’t long before funding for Manatta’s program was withdrawn, and all that remained was an unemployed climate scientist with a black cloud over his reputation.
A fortuitously scheduled speech in Austin, however, gave Dr. Manatta a means of redemption of sorts. Following his humiliation and being pushed out of his life’s work, other research scientists and grant-based academics expressed concern about their futures and questioned aloud if the Institute for Environmental Sciences or other scientific research programs were viable places to continue their research. The Administrator of the Institute was concerned and asked Dumble, seen as the main perpetrator, if he would speak to them and address their concerns. Upon hearing this, Manatta asked to formally present a question to Dumble during the speech, and Dumble agreed. He was quite sure that he could ride roughshod over the disgraced scientist, boosting his own ego in front of all these people on government handouts. Friends of Manatta warned him that Dumble would attack him mercilessly, but he persisted ... because he had his own plan.
As fate would have it, not long after Manatta was forced to pack up his office, banished from his profession, and made to be content with receiving hundreds of supportive emails and calls from fellow scientists around the world, he received his Final Notice. Following his death, Manatta’s physician expressed surprise that his patient’s condition had deteriorated so quickly; but then, he wasn’t the one who was dragged through hearings, forced to listen to false accusations from ‘scientists’ who undermined his work with completely bogus data and assumptions, and literally destroyed his legacy.
Unbeknownst to Dumble (amongst many other things), was that Manatta was one of the 61 people in the alpha test group of the VT2 who had access to guns ... quite a number of them, in fact.
It was all so easy. Manatta chose his Sig Sauer P938 Extreme to accompany him to the speech, given its very compact size. He was a little concerned with security, but as a special guest, he was not even checked. His other concern was his proximity to Dumble. As it turned out, however, Dumble invited him onto the platform and even introduced him. “Gentlemen” (even though there was a decent number of women scientists present) ... “Many of you know Dr. Manatta and have heard about his abrupt departure from the IES. Dr. Manatta and a number of his colleagues colluded with each other to politicize data and studies relating to climate change and as a result, the Institute had no choice but to shut down the program. In the interest of fairness, I have invited Dr. Manatta to give you his version of the story. It will differ, of course, and you will not hear any substantiation to back up his version. Dr. Manatta.”
Manatta stepped to the mic and, keeping his eye on Dumble so he didn’t wander off, said, “I am very thankful to you for giving me this opportunity tonight. You and your co-conspirators have successfully set this country, no, the world, on a course that will truly hasten our demise through a complete set of lies and misinformation. You have not only ruined my life, but those of generations to come. And so, for the benefit of science … ”
Even Dumble picked up that ominous note and his eyes widened as Manatta pulled his P938 from his jacket and began to empty 5 of his 7-shot clip into Dumble’s body ... slowly, one shot at a time, watching the blood flow out along with Dumble’s life. He dispassionately observed the changing look in Dumble’s eyes as his journey from the first intended wound through the penultimate wound unfolded, his expression changing with each shot, from incredulousness to shock and then increasing degrees of fear and pain.
After an initial gasp from the audience – virtually sucking all the oxygen from the room – an icy silence descended. (The attendees would agree unanimously that “sucking all the oxygen out of the room” was a scientific impossibility; however, more than one of them pondered whether or not there had been a brief drop in atmospheric pressure.) Dumble slowly sank, first to his knees and then – as Manatta drilled shot number six into the center of his forehead – fell forward, smashing his face to the floor with great force. Manatta looked out at the audience, who were strangely calm – before emptying the last round into his own temple. Only then erupted cries of “Oh no!” ... “Oh my God!” ... and other cries of grief.
But when questioned by police, the attendees remained noticeably quiet ... answering with scientific detachment. What they saw were two deaths. Fact. One removed a threat to their careers and all they stood for. Fact. The other removed a revered colleague. Fact.
***
Quincy, Massachusetts. VitalTech’s technology captured data indicating that Dr. Manatta’s death was not consistent with the expected algorithmic results, therefore flagging the incident. But given the late hour on the east coast, nobody would see it until morning.
***
Kansas City, Missouri. Due to the high-profile nature of Dumble and Manatta, however, Zoe Brouet did pick up the shooting from news bulletins and quickly matched it to the list that Vijay had just provided. Personally, she felt that some higher form of justice might have just been carried out. Professionally, however, she knew that a crime had been committed and she was pretty sure she knew the why ... if not the exact trigger ... that caused it. She contacted the Austin FBI office to have someone collect the VT2 and smartphone.
***
CHAPTER 15 – MILES AND QASIM
Pasadena, California. Trudi was attending a song circle at the Pepper Tree Gallery. About a dozen people were there, and all of them were about her age. The chairs were arranged in a circle and the musicians had their guitars, banjos and fiddles sitting in their stands. The gallery was small, and it was a pleasant venue with the walls lined with local, original art.
She had been working on an anti-gun song and wanted to share it in the safety of supportive, fellow singer-songwriters. They loved it. Loved her melody and lyrics, and offered a number of good critiques and ideas, as well. But more than anything, she realized that she wasn’t the only one who felt that the NRA had gone too far. Trudi was having more fun than she’d had in a long time.
Back at home, Vince was surfing the internet when a notification from his LA Times app popped up on his screen reading, “Congressman Lamont Dumble has been shot during an address in Austin, Texas. It was reported that Dr. Madison Manatta, a renowned climate scientist, shot and killed Dumble before taking his own life. For more … ”
Vince eagerly clicked for more information and in a nanosecond he was looking at a news article: “MURDER-SUICIDE OVER CLIMATE?
“Dr. Madison Manatta, the world’s leading climate scientist shot and killed Congressman Lamont Dumble (R-TX) at gathering of scientists in Austin, Texas, this evening. Congressman Dumble is Chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology and is widely known for his disbelief and attacks on the legitimacy of climate change as well as his close relationship with the oil industry.
“Congressman Dumble, along with BrightFahrt News and the House Science Committee, had attacked Manatta’s groundbreaking research, hacked his email to gain access to cooperating scientists’ information and memos, and then used excerpts out of context to smear Manatta with false allegations of misusing taxpayer money. Their claims were all proven false, but behind the scenes, Manatta’s grants were withdrawn and he was forced to leave his post at the Institute for Environmental Science.
“At this point there is no additional information and police are questioning the 250-plus witnesses who attended the event.”
Vince wondered if there was a geriatric aspect, which led him to look up Dr. Manatta’s bio, but his hunch was disappointing. Manatta was 68 and that seemed too young to fit into the same mold as the Tucson and Joplin killers. Hell, Manatta was younger than Vince. Besides, there appeared to be a motive that was far more compelling than an old, unhappy guy in a retirement home or killing a store cashier over an argument.
He was suddenly alerted by Miles’ whimpering that it was time to let him out for his evening ‘business.’ In fact, it was beyond that time but surfing the internet had a way of helping you lose track. He opened the door for Miles, but the warm breeze beckoned him. Realizing that he had been sitting for hours, he decided to take Miles for a short walk, so they could both stretch their legs.
He scrawled a note to Trudi, grabbed Miles’ leash, and stood out on the back porch, breathing in the warm air, perfumed by the nearby flowering orange trees in his and the neighbors’ yards. Miles returned and Vince clipped on the leash, delighting Miles, who was always ready for a walk.
Down the street and around the corner there was a patch of vacant land, due to the layout of the houses, which belonged to the city and was always in a state of overgrowth. As Vince and Miles passed the area, they heard some voices and then suddenly, they heard a vicious growl and Vince felt the leash jerk wildly. It was quite dark, but it looked like Miles and a wild animal of some sort were fighting. It smelled like a skunk but was much larger and stronger than he presumed a skunk would be. Vince screamed and tried, fruitlessly, to pull Miles away. He reached down along the leash to grab Miles’ collar for a stronger grip, when he felt his hand and wrist gripped by the very strong jaws of a pit bull. Two dark figures approached and one of them yelled, “Rambo. Stop!” The jaws loosened but the growling continued. A car started to drive past but then stopped when the driver saw the unusual activity. He reversed and then nosed the car in to their direction, with the lights illuminating the area.
Vince quickly took in the scene and saw Miles lying motionless on the sidewalk, two scruffy men, one of whom held a dog by his collar, and his own hand, which was covered in blood and hurt like hell. The driver of the car shouted, “Are you hurt?” Vince looked at his hand again and replied, “Yes,” but looking at Miles again he screamed, “Miles!!!!” And he fell to his knees to hold and comfort his furry friend. The driver pulled out his phone and called 911 and when he started to explain the situation, the two men mumbled something to each other and started to leave. The driver said into the phone, “Hold on,” and then to the two men in accented English, “You must wait for the police.”
One of the guys yelled, “Get the fuck out of my country!” as they melted into the darkness. The driver finished his call with 911 and knelt down to assist Vince. Miles was still breathing but bleeding badly around his neck. They were deciding what the best action plan was when they heard the sirens. A police car with two officers arrived first, followed by the paramedics, moments later.
As soon as they were told about the men and dog, one of the officers jumped back into his car and went to look for them. The other one started taking down details of what happened – names, addresses, etc. The Good Samaritan driver’s name was Qasim Melho, an Uber driver on his way home. Both Qasim’s and Vince’s description of the two men were vague, as it was dark, and a lot was happening. White, mid 20’s to early 30’s, mostly black and/or brown clothes, loose fitting. One wore a baseball cap, the other a wool knit cap. That was about it. They knew the dog’s name, Rambo, and that it was dark brown/black and medium size.
The paramedics were concerned about Vince’s injuries and wanted to get him to a hospital without delay, but Vince – and the paramedics agreed – was also concerned about Miles, and they couldn’t take Miles to Huntington Hospital ER, which was the closest. One of the paramedics suggested, given the late hour, to take him to AEC, the Animal Emergency Clinic on East Foothill Boulevard. Qasim said that he would take Miles to the AEC and let Vince go with the paramedics to have his hand looked at asap. So, Qasim and the paramedics loaded Miles into the back seat of Qasim’s car with an improvised bandage around his neck to help stem the bleeding, and everyone sped off, leaving only the remaining policeman, who was looking around the area where the two men and their dog had been.
Vince asked one of the paramedics to help him get his phone out to call Trudi. Trudi had just walked in the door and saw his note. Vince explained what had happened and that Miles was being taken to the AEC on East Foothill by Qasim, an Uber cab driver who had saved them. He suggested that she go to the AEC and meet Qasim there in case questions were asked about payment, responsibility, etc. She could relieve Qasim if he was still there, and if he was, to please get his contact details. He owed Qasim a huge debt of gratitude.
The paramedics radio was squawking non-stop, and one of the paramedics told Vince that there had been an accident involving a tour bus and that the Huntington ER was overrun so they were diverting to St. Lukes. When they arrived, Vince wondered how much worse Huntington could be, as St. Luke’s seemed like a war zone, too, filled with many of the bus accident victims. It seemed to take forever before he eventually saw a doctor, who seemed to be barely managing the chaos of the ER, barking orders to younger doctors taking care of the less injured bus passengers. It was only the pretty strong anesthetic they gave him that reduced his anxiety and put him out while they worked on his hand. A couple of hours later, Vince came around and another young doctor told him that there was no permanent damage to his tendons and ligaments, but he needed 35 stitches, internal and external. He would be in a lot of pain for a while and would need some physical therapy when the healing was underway.
