"What do the numbers on the previous pages mean?" Reacher pulled the crumpled A4 sheets from his pocket and spread them out in front of Dixon.
"You once said numbers speak for themselves. Tell me what they say,"
Jack recounted Chris's speculation. "The good news is, this isn't experimental data from some kind of biological weapon. At least based on the available data, New Age Technologies doesn't have the capability to produce such weapons."
"Some monthly statistics?" Dixon pondered, grabbing two napkins and scribbling on them.
While she was studying the data, Jack dropped one last clue: "What do you know about the missing Tony Swan?"
The others looked at each other, confused by his question, and then he opened the last file on his computer.
"This is the employee list for New Age Technologies' security department. Notice who's listed as the Deputy Director."
The list included names and photos, ensuring no duplications. Therefore, everyone was surprised to see Tony Swan's name.
Jack had originally informed Jubal to investigate New Age Technologies, motivated by the desire to avoid missing any leads. After all, finding a parking pass for the company in the car of a black-handed individual like Trevor Saropian wasn't a strong connection.
Meanwhile, Alice, while accessing Tony Swan's information, was surprised to discover he happened to work at New Age Technologies. This unnatural coincidence instantly heightened the company's suspicion.
Reacher's mind raced, seeming to grasp the implication of Jack's earlier question. A hint of anger rose on his face, but upon seeing the others' expressions, the anger faded into resignation.
"I absolutely trust Tony Swan. He's an honest man."
O'Donnell glanced at Negley and said weakly, "Major, I must remind you that people change, just as you never expected me to marry and be tamed by my wife."
Reacher waved his hand decisively. "No, that's not the same thing. I don't doubt Swan, just as I don't doubt you."
"Uh." Seeing Negley about to join in the questioning, Jack spoke up, interrupting a potential argument between the three.
"You may have misunderstood me. I don't suspect Tony Swan of involvement in this illegal transaction. I'm wondering if he might have sensed the danger and hidden it in advance. The CSI team and the local police have been searching the mountain for days, but no new bodies have been found."
Everyone present was intelligent. As soon as Jack's question came out, everyone, including Reacher, thought of a possibility: Swan, as a mid- to senior-level manager in the security department of New Era Technology, was a strong suspect.
Unlike other companies, as a high-tech enterprise involved in the military industry, the security department held an extremely important position, much like the FBI does to the federal government.
The security department is not only responsible for background checks on every employee to ensure there are no commercial or foreign spies, but also for internal security and the personal safety of senior executives, among other crucial duties.
As the Deputy Director of Security, Swan's position and importance within the company are self-evident, making him at least potentially bribeable.
However, his disappearance is fraught with suspicion. Franz's home and office were broken into and ransacked, as were the offices of Sanchez and Orozco. However, Swan's home showed no signs of any break-in or rummaging.
Therefore, his disappearance could be explained as either murder or house arrest, or as a deliberate act of hiding or even fleeing the country.
Whether he fled out of fear of retaliation or went into hiding, the remaining members of the 110th Special Investigations Unit believe he was a deserter.
While they still don't fully understand the full story, the general outlines are readily apparent.
Everything likely started with Swann. Perhaps sensing something amiss within New Age Technologies, he sought out his former colleague Franz for help in the investigation.
Franz then contacted Sanchez and Orozco in Atlantic City. The four likely initially failed to grasp the danger, and by the time they realized something was amiss, they were eliminated too late to raise the alarm.
Franz's strong sense of confidentiality allowed him to keep the USB drive, but that was all. By the time they realized it was an illegal arms deal involving $65 million, it was too late.
The other party's swift response prevented them from even calling for help or alerting others.
"Tony Swann's involvement is unlikely," Jack concluded, offering a relatively rational conclusion from a bystander's perspective, not a member of the 110 Special Investigations Unit.
"If he was involved in this illegal trade, there was no need to contact Franz and create complications. He was once a member of the 110th Special Investigations Unit and knows your capabilities best.
So my question is, under what circumstances do you think Swan would let his dog die of thirst in his home and not send you a message for help?"
"Imprisoned, or perhaps in hiding. Reacher's constant refrain when he led us was that assumptions get people killed." O'Donnell spread his hands.
"Swan is clean. I told you, he wouldn't let his dog die of thirst. If he had a problem, he wouldn't disappear like the others." Reacher glared at him expressionlessly.
"But he didn't disappear like the others. His body was never found, and his home wasn't destroyed. Perhaps he simply fled because he knew three angry soldiers and a monster would come after him after he messed up everything."
Negley didn't support Reacher as he had in the past. This time, this wasn't a criticism of Swan, nor was it an assumption, but a reasonable speculation based on facts. This actually made Jack look at them with a new perspective.
As if to confirm his hunch, Reacher recounted a story from the past. During an operation, the 110 Special Investigations Unit seized 48 blocks of drugs, each weighing one kilogram. However, during the subsequent inventory, they discovered one block was missing.
During this incident, Swann had been complaining about how drug dealers exploiting the military system could make more money in a single transaction than their entire pensions combined.
Coincidentally, Swann had been driving the SUV transporting the seized drugs. When they returned to the car for a second inspection, they discovered that the missing block had fallen from the trunk into the back seat.
"But that doesn't support your argument," O'Donnell retorted. "Swann may have actually stolen that kilogram of high-purity heroin. It was just a trick of his to drop it from the trunk into the back seat. If we hadn't discovered it, he would have succeeded."
Negley looked at Reacher with burning eyes. "You know what I think? You hope Swann is innocent because you were the one who recruited him into the 110 team.
If he was really involved in this, you would have some stupid ideas, such as blaming yourself for the deaths of others, but in fact it has nothing to do with you."
"Guys." Dixon interrupted the possible argument, "I think I figured out the meaning of this set of data."
Everyone turned their eyes to her, only to see her write two numbers on the napkin. "According to Jack, the number behind a set of numbers represents the number of times that should have happened, and the number in front represents the number that actually happened.
I added these numbers together and got two totals. There should have been 2,197 events that should have happened, but 1,547 actually succeeded. Then I subtracted these two totals, and what did we get?"
"650, 100,000 each, it all connects together." Jack blurted out. He was not good at math, but he was Chinese after all, so he could still do simple mental arithmetic.
(End of this chapter)