GENES, DOTS, AND SPIES

It was Saturday night, warm out still, and early enough in the semester that most of the students had time to settle in but not feel pressured yet by midterms. The Moon was hopping this night. It was there that the five inhabitants of the old farmhouse just southwest of town plus their newest friend, Yukiko Kawakami of Higashi-Fuchu, Japan, found themselves celebrating the end of another school week and some good news from Kate. They’d assembled in their back corner reserved table a little after eight. Their food and a pitcher of cold beer had arrived, and they were busy eating and talking at the same time. None of them had noticed the two Chinese men across the room sitting facing away from them. They certainly hadn’t noticed the tiny plastic disc stuck on the bottom of their table.

Quang-Li had monitored tapes from the bugs at the farmhouse earlier in the week, and learned of the students’ plans for dinner this Saturday evening. They had arrived early and planted a small bug with which they hoped to learn more about either the computer lab or Kate’s project, or if they were very lucky maybe even both. There was so much noise in the place that they doubted they would be able to decipher much of anything said, but they’d need to try and clean that up later with the help of the equipment back at their apartment. For now they concentrated on being inconspicuous.

They hadn’t entirely succeeded in their attempt to blend into the background, however. Harry Heckler was sitting at his usual table, hunched over the chessboard like always. Something about these two was a little odd. He’d noticed Quang-Li’s visit to the particular table now occupied by the students. He’d seen Quang-Li reach under the table briefly and his curiosity had been piqued. Harry leaned over to Tommy Lee and said, “Tommy, do me a favor and ask O’Leary to come over for a minute, will you?”

“Man, are you getting so lazy you can’t walk across the room by yourself now, Harry?”

“Just do it for me, Tommy. Think of it as payment for the chess lesson you’re getting, OK?”

“Just for you, Harry. I wouldn’t do this for just any of my regular customers, you hear.”

“I hear you, Tommy. I’ll even spot you a piece.”

A few moments later O’Leary made a trip to the head, and on the way back, stopped at Heckler’s table.

“Hi, Harry. You better keep practicing. I’m going to give you a run for your money this year.”

“Right. And we’ll all be sitting by the pool in December here at CSU soaking up the sunshine. I have some advice for you. I want you to just listen, and then do exactly what I tell you. Don’t ask me any questions about what I’m going to say. Agreed? And also don’t look around the room for anything out of the ordinary.”

O’Leary hesitated a minute as he stared at Heckler, then said, “OK. I’m gullible tonight.”

“When you get back to your table wait a couple of minutes, then drop something on the floor. When you reach down to pick it up just swipe your hand under the bottom of the table you’re sitting at, and if you feel a small piece of plastic stuck there just knock it off, and when you sit down step on it. Don’t try to pick it up or try to look at it. And leave it on the floor when you leave. You got all that?”

Brian’s eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed a little. Somewhat surprisingly, to Harry at least, he merely nodded and said, “Thanks.”

This was not at all the reaction that Heckler had expected. He’d beaten O’Leary each of the last five years they’d met in the annual fall all-university chess championship. The kid had always been very animated and full of comments and questions. Bizarre.

O’Leary walked back to the table and sat down with his mates. “What was that all about?” asked Sheila.

“Oh, Heckler’s just needling me about the upcoming chess tournament. He’s really, really good. I’ve played him five years in a row and I’ve never even come close to giving him a match. But maybe this will be the year.”

“The way he’s almost always sitting over that chess board whenever we come in here, Brian, I doubt you have much of a chance,” observed Jack.

“You just never know, Jack,” responded O’Leary. And with an exaggerated grin he leaned back and dropped his chopsticks on the floor. He proceeded to bend down to pick them up, and rubbed his hand across the undersurface of their table. Somehow he was not surprised to find a small piece of plastic taped there, which he swept off as he arose. And as he sat back down he crushed it with his left foot. A small smile crossed his face.

“What was that all about, Brian?” asked Kate. “Even you aren’t usually that clumsy. Why are you smiling like that?”

“Tell you later. No. I’ll take a chance and tell you now. Heckler wasn’t just talking about chess. He told me to do what I just did.”

“What did you just do?” queried Sheila.

“I just stomped a bug under the table. At least I think I did.”

“There are bugs in the restaurant? What, just another cockroach or something? So what’s the big deal?” went on Sheila.