But, mostly, I wondered what the ghosts looked like in Silvina’s family. What were the words and phrases carried forward. What version of “drive a clutch” or “shoulder turning”? How far apart had we been growing up? Her accustomed to the newly aristocratic wealth, no matter how she would reject the trappings. Me in the lower middle class and living on a farm to boot. What would friendship have looked like? Couldn’t imagine it.

And how did Langer fit into that? Just as an enemy or was it more complicated than that? At first, I thought Langer wasn’t too far off from Matias. In the sense that Alex knew just which of our clients would hit it off over dinner. Even if they seemed to come from different worlds. Something always bound them, and that binding didn’t bear too much scrutiny. If you wanted to pretend you lived a moral, ethical life.

Langer’s sketchy background, pieced together, didn’t help much. Grew up in New Hampshire out in the woods. His father had collected guns and Nazi memorabilia. Even had a cannon—it was there in the estate sale after the father died. Langer moving from business administration in college (flunked out) to a stint in the army (also brief). Peace Corps for a two-year tour, then ex–Peace Corps, too—Sumatra. Divorce while in Guatemala, no kids. Moved on to Ecuador, Chile. “Go overseas no matter what” seemed to be his mantra. Special ops? Then just regular ops—stumbling into import-export that happened to include wildlife trafficking? While also belonging to left-wing anarchist groups. An on-the-nose rejection of his conservative father.

It would be a long time before Langer came into focus, like some deep-sea creature glimpsed briefly through the murk.

I thought of Allie’s warning, thought of my search on Larry’s computer, then put it all aside with a rum and Coke.

On the way to New York, in blanketed dark comfort.

The last time I flew anywhere.

[27]

The conference had a small, tight feel. Insular. Familiar logistics. The jokes familiar, the words “disruptor” and “drone” meaningless—the first from repetition, the second through transformation, camouflage. The new, shiny thing, the way biotech advances could dovetail with new ways to view security. That kind of hum and babble that spreads like a wave, but isn’t reflected in programming locked in months before.

The hauntings we could rationalize, become full-throated here, conjured up by panel titles on subjects that might be obsolete or irrelevant soon. “Smart Phone Virus Displacement in Reporting Tools.” “Home Security Exfiltration Tactics in Totalitarian Regime Change.” “Future Opportunity in Zoonotic Viruses Sector.” “Wireless Trail Cam Lamprey™ Remote Access.” Nation-state infiltration, third-party nihilists, ransomware, Defcon.