Deception Point Page 101

Now, with sexton standing(a) before her, staring down, she perceive him searching her centre of attentions for a lie. Sedgewick Sexton could smell untruths like naught Gabrielle had ever met. If she lied to him, Sexton would know.Youve been drinking, Gabrielle said, turning away. How does he know I was in his office?Sexton put his hands on her raises and spun her prickle around. Were you in my office?Gabrielle felt a rising fear. Sexton had and so been drinking. His touch was rough. In your office? she de adult maleded, forcing a confused laugh. How? Why?I heard my Jourdain in the background when I called you.Gabrielle cringed inwardly. His clock? It had not however occurred to her. Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?I spend all mean solar twenty-four hour period in that office. I know what my clock sounds like.Gabrielle sensed she had to end this immediately. The fade hat defense is a good offense. At least thats what Yolanda Cole unendingly said. Placing her hands on her hips, Gabrielle went for him with all she had. She stepped toward him, captureting in his face, glaring. Let me get this straight, senator. Its four oclock in the morning, youve been drinking, you heard a ticking on your phone, and thats why youre here? She pointed her finger indignantly down the hall at his door. except for the record, are you accusing me of disarming a federal alarm system, pick out two identifys of locks, breaking into your office, being stupid enough to answer my electric cell while in the process of committing a felony, rearming the alarm system on my way out, and then calmly using the ladies room before I run off with nothing to show for it? Is that the story here?Sexton blinked, wide-eyed.Theres a reason people shouldnt drink alone, Gabrielle said. Now do you ask to talk about NASA, or not?Sexton felt wooly-haired as he walked back into his office. He went straight to his wet break off and poured himself a Pepsi. He sure as hell didnt feel drunk . Could he really have been wrong about this? Across the room, his Jourdain ticked mockingly. Sexton stagnant his Pepsi and poured himself another, and one for Gabrielle.Drink, Gabrielle? he asked, turning back into the room. Gabrielle had not followed him in. She was still standing in the doorway, rubbing his nose in it. Oh, for Gods sake Come in. read me what you found out at NASA.I think Ive had enough for tonight, she said, sound distant. Lets talk tomorrow.Sexton was in no mood for games. He demand this information now, and he had no intention of begging for it. He heaved a tired sigh. Extend the bond of trust. Its all about trust. I screwed up, he said. Im sorry. Its been a hell of a day. I dont know what I was thinking.Gabrielle remained in the doorway.Sexton walked to his desk and set Gabrielles Pepsi down on his blotter. He motioned to his leather chair-the purview of power. Have a seat. Enjoy a soda. Im going to go begin my head in the douse. He headed for the bathr oom.Gabrielle still wasnt moving.I think I saw a telefax in the apparatus, Sexton called over his shoulder as he entered the bathroom. Show her you trust her. Have a air at it for me, will you?Sexton closed the door and filled the sink with cold water. He splashed it on his face and felt no illumineer. This had never happened to him before-being so sure, and being so wrong. Sexton was a man who trusted his instincts, and his instincts told him Gabrielle Ashe had been in his office. barely how? It was impossible.Sexton told himself to forget about it and revolve around on the matter at hand. NASA. He needed Gabrielle right now. This was no time to alienate her. He needed to know what she knew. Forget your instincts. You were wrong.As Sexton dried his face, he threw his head back and took a involved breath. Relax, he told himself. Dont get punchy. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply again, printing better.When Sexton exited the bathroom, he was relieved to see Gabrielle had a cquiesced and come back into his office. Good, he thought. Now we can get to business. Gabrielle was standing at his fax machine flipping with whatever pages had come in. Sexton was confused, however, when he saw her face. It was a mask of disorientation and fear.What is it? Sexton said, moving toward her.Gabrielle teetered, as if she were about to conduce out.What?The meteorite she choked, her voice frail as her trembling hand held the stack of fax papers out to him. And your daughter shes in danger.Bewildered, Sexton walked over, and took the fax pages from Gabrielle. The top sheet was a handwritten note. Sexton immediately recognized the writing. The shipment was awkward and shocking in its simplicity.Meteorite is fake. Heres proof. NASA/White offer attempt to go through me. Help RSThe senator seldom felt totally at a passing play of understanding, but as he reread Rachels words, he had no mind what to make of them.The meteorite is a fake? NASA and the White House are tr ying to kill her?In a deepening haze, Sexton began sifting through the half dozen sheets. The first page was a computerized image whose principal read Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR). The picture appeared to be an ice-sounding of close to sort. Sexton saw the extraction pit they had talked about on television. His eye was drawn to what looked like the faint outline of a body move in the shaft. Then he saw something even more shocking-the clear outline of a second shaft directly beneath where the meteorite had been-as if the judder n roll had been inserted from underneath the ice.What in the world?Flipping to the next page, Sexton came face-to-face with a photograph of some sort of living ocean species called a Bathynomous giganteus. He stared in utter amazement. Thats the animal from the meteorite fossilsFlipping faster now, he saw a graphic display depicting the ionized hydrogen content in the meteorites crust. This page had a handwritten scrawl on it Slush-hydrogen burn? NASA Expander bike Engine?Sexton could not believe his eyes. With the room starting to birle around him, he flipped to the final page-a photo of a rock containing all-metal bubbles that looked exactly like those in the meteorite. Shockingly, the accompanying description said the rock was the product of oceanic volcanism. A rock from the ocean? Sexton wondered. But NASA said chondrules form only in spaceSexton set the sheets down on his desk and collapsed in his chair. It had taken him only fifteen seconds to military personnel together everything he was looking at. The implications of the images on the papers were crystal clear. Anyone with half a brain could see what these photos proved.The NASA meteorite is a fakeNo day in Sextons career had been filled with such extreme highs and lows. Today had been a roller-coaster ride of hope and despair. Sextons bafflement over how this enormous scam could possibly have been pulled off evaporated into irrelevance when he realized what the s cam meant for him politically.When I go public with this information, the presidency is mineIn his upwelling of celebration, Senator Sedgewick Sexton had momentarily forgotten his daughters claim that she was in trouble.Rachel is in danger, Gabrielle said. Her note says NASA and the White House are trying to-Sextons fax machine suddenly began ringing again. Gabrielle rotate and stared at the machine. Sexton found himself staring too. He could not hypothecate what else Rachel could be sending him. More proof? How much more could in that location be? This is plentyWhen the fax machine answered the call, however, no pages came through. The machine, detecting no data signal, had switched to its answering machine feature.