Paige arrived home about 30 minutes later , and as Ralph made his way towards his bedroom , she called him back .
" Ralph i need to speak to you . Have you got any homework tonight ." "Yes ." Was all he would say ." " Well once you have finished it , come back out here i have something important to tell you ." "Ok." With that Ralph made his way to his bedroom without any more words .
Ralph was back after about 40 minutes and sat on the sofa at the side of his mom . Paige looked at him and smiled but Ralph did not return one to her . With a deep sigh she began to speak .
"Yesterday you said some very hurtful things to me . But today i realized a lot of what you had said was actually true . What you must understand though is i do miss and i mean really miss Walter . Today i broke up with Tim because i realized i had only taken up with Tim because i was upset and annoyed at Walter , he had recently been dating Linda and when i saw them hugging on the roof i was jealous and because i did not know it was a goodbye hug , i agreed to go on a date with Tim . My heart still belonged to Walter , but when he told me about the Tahoe ticket i was really hoping he was going to ask me to go with him . Instead he told me to ask Tim to take me . That broke my heart it felt as if Walter was throwing me away . So i asked Tim , then Walter pulled those childish pranks , it was to much so i decided to cut him out of my life . However after what you said yesterday i realized i was still and always will be in love with Walter . So i told Tim today i was stopping something i should never as started . "
Ralph looked up into his mom's eyes and with a half smile he began to speak . " I know you used to love Walter and he was a complete fool to do that to you . But you should have known because he was still low EQ and he did not have the ability to respond to you . Imagine if i do not understand something because my EQ was the problem , you would be the first person to tell me , just what i should do . Well it was really up to you to tell Walter how you felt about him . He would take his time to process the information , but would soon realize what to do ."
Paige sat there , opened mouth at what Ralph had just said , she realized that Ray had told her the same thing nearly a year ago . She marveled at the progress Ralph had advanced since that day they had both met Walter for the first time .
" I know and in hindsight you are correct , in fact Ray told me something similar . But i know Walter was afraid any sort of relationship could effect Scorpion if the relationship did not work out . It was something i had to accept when he first told me , but the more we worked together my feelings for him wre growing . So when Walter rejected me or that is how i felt . Tim just happened to be there and if i am honest i wanted to hurt Walter . Now i cannot tell him how much i miss him and would give anything just to be able to hug him just for a minute ."
By now tears were streaming down her cheeks .Ralph was beginning to understand just how much hurt is mom was suffering and for the first time in a long time he put his arms around her neck and hugged her tight .
BACK AT THE CABIN
"How are you doing ?" Asked Cabe .
"Not to bad , i have managed to find a $250,000 transfer into his account , it only remained there for about a hour before it was transferred to an account in the Cayman Islands . I'm now trying to back track from his account to find out who arranged the transfer . It is proving difficult as it seems to be transferred though a lot of other accounts before reaching his . I am sure it is almost cracked and i am hoping the program i am running at present will give me the answer ."
Cabe went over to the kitchen area for coffee to find the pot empty and cold .
"Hey kid no coffee brewing ."
Walter looked up from his computer screen looking a little blank .
"OH,oh , sorry got to tied up with this program , i forgot to refill it ."
"No worries , I'll put a pot on now ." Replied Cabe , turning his back on Walter .
"GOT IT !" Shouted Walter so loud it shocked Cabe who almost dropped the coffee pot . "Got what Walter ?" Asked Cabe .
" Come and see ." Replied Walter while his fingers were flying over the keys of his computer .
Cabe approached Walter who pointed to a name on the computer screen . " You've got to be joking . " Said a surprised Cabe .
"Yes it as been routed through numerous bank accounts in nearly as many countries . Now to try and make a probable connection between the two . I cannot at the moment understand how the connection between the two as been made , but knowing the main person in this , he has the ability to manipulate people to do what ever he wants them to do ." Replied Walter while still working at his computer .
" It is time to get Katherine more involved , i will give her a ring ." Said Cabe .
" But so far , with what we know now there must be at least one other person employed by Homeland who is also involved ." Warned Walter .
"That's true but you do not think it is Katherine do you ?" Concern in Cabe's voice as he questioned Walter .
"Of course not , but it might be prudent to try and contact Katherine and arrange a meeting outside of the office , just in case whoever else is involved will get less chance to over hear or see something that could warn them that something may be going on ." Suggested Walter
" Good idea kid , I'll phone her and suggest going for coffee , then i will bring her back to the cabin ." Said Cabe pulling his phone out to contact Katherine .
BACK AT THE CONDO
For the first time in the weeks since Walter was killed , Paige and Ralph enjoyed an evening meal together and carrying on with a civil conversation . Ralph had apologized to his mum for the way he had been behaving and explained he was grieving for Walter but really did not know the right way to do it . So he had taken all the hurt he had and his feelings about his dad out on her . Paige was now only to happy to accept his reasoning , she had lost Walter but got back her son .
BACK AT THE CABIN
Ninety minutes later after leaving Walter Cabe was back at the cabin with Katherine .
"How are you coping Walter ?" Asked a concerned Katherine .
"I am fine but annoyed as to how much damage they have managed to do . Unfortunately we need more proof to make sure the case is watertight against both of them , but especially for him pointing at the first name on the computer screen . Walter spoke between clenched teeth .
"What proof do you have at present ?" Katherine asked Walter who was still seething at what he had so far seen .
"We know there as been a money transfer of $250,000 between the two of them . My biggest worry is that i am sure there is a third person involved and i am pretty sure that they work for Homeland as well ." Replied Walter .
"How do you think that a member of Homeland is involved ." Asked a very concerned Katherine .
"Well someone who as a lot of influence would be needed to enable a lot of things to go on that have . What i need to try and sort this out is a list of employee's who would be able to arrange things without really giving cause for an investigation into their activates . Katherine is it possible to collate a list of people , without raising any suspicion ."
"I am sure i can do that , i will do all the work myself , and give you a handwritten list , so that there is no computer trace for some one to find ." Katherine replied .
"That is a good idea , how quickly do you think you can get the list done , the sooner i get it the sooner i can put an end to this fiasco ." Asked Walter .
" I know you are keen to bring this to an end , but i need to be careful , so give me at the most two days , but i will try to get it to you sometime tomorrow . To be safe i will send it with Cabe so as not to raise any suspicion by leaving the office without a good reason . Will that be alright with you Cabe ." In answer to Katherine , Cabe just nodded his head .
"OK i am going to leave now , good luck Walter , i will get that list to you as soon as i can ." Said Katherine as she made her way to the cabin's door .
Once Katherine had left , Walter was back on his computer his fingers flying over the keys , his mind totally consumed by the problem in front of him .
"Do you need anything Walter ? " Asked Cabe . Not getting an answer Cabe realized it would be a waste of time him staying , he quietly made his way to the door , opened it and left making sure he shut the door without making any noise .
BACK AT THE CONDO
After spending the first evening with her son since Walter died and not getting into any sort of argument put Paige into such a good mood , she slept through the night without any bad dreams , which she had been experiencing since the love of her life had passed .
Next morning she woke up feeling fresh and better in mind and soul for a very long time . In fact she recalled she had really felt like this since before she started dating Tim . She realized that was the biggest mistake of her life . Why did she not refuse to take those Tahoe tickets from Walter , unless he would go with her , she knew in her own mind that was the correct thing to do , but her stubbiness kicked in again . Thinking back to that night they arrived at Tahoe she has not actually enjoyed it and that stupid thing to say to Tim , she had no ties back at the garage , not when the love of her life was there . Unfortunately looking back now could not be of any help at all , she needed to look to the future , but what she saw was a loveless one , she did not think she could ever feel enough love from anyone that can overcome the love she still has in her heart for Walter . Shaking these thoughts from her head , she showered and got ready for work . She woke Ralph once she was ready , giving him breakfast , at 8.15 Ralph's carpool arrived .
Arriving at the garage , once again she was first to arrive . Since losing Walter jobs were not coming in so much , so most of the team tended to arrive late . Tim came but rarely stayed for more than a hour . She knew that something would need to be done to improve business or else Scorpion would fail , something she was determined would not happen . It needed to remain strong as a memorial to Walter .
Sitting at her desk she started to put together a plan of action to build up Scorpion's profile as a company still capable of providing services equivalent to when Walter was in charge . Her first thought was to contact Richard Elia to see if had any work they could help with . The problem she was having was the fact her heart was not in the job , her heart was only full of love for Walter . But she knew she would never be able to act on it , Walter was dead . She needed to concentrate , the whole future of Scorpion was in her hands , none of the geniuses were capable of running the business , brilliant as they where , in their own fields , money , speaking to normal's and being able to communicate feelings and meanings to anyone outside of their tight little circle . All these were an alien thing to them . It was therefore essential she get her head and heart back in gear if only for the memory of Walter .
She was sitting at her desk , staring ahead at nothing in particular , when she was shaken from her trance by the garage door slamming and the voices of Happy , Toby and Sylvester , arguing over why Toby had bought Hazelnut creamer again . Seeing Paige sitting at her desk all three said . "Morning Paige ." She did not reply , but put her hand up to acknowledge she had heard them . "Any work come in ." Asked Toby . "Nothing so far ." Answered Paige . " How much longer can we carry on without any work coming in , our reserves must be dwindling ." Remarked Toby .
"Well i am putting together an e-mail to send out to all of the people in our contacts list , to see if that will create any business , plus i intend to phone Richard Elia and see if he can pass some work to us even if it is only coding .It may be enough to keep us going at least in the short time . Happy do you have any ideas for products that you may be able to come up with improvements for so we can approach companies with ideas ."
" I will certainly try , excuse the noise i will probably make , i can concentrate better when i am bashing metal . "
" Good , any other sensible ideas would be appreciated ." Said Paige staring straight at Toby .
BACK AT THE CABIN
Walter was still typing on his computer , it had been constant since Cabe left over four hours ago . He suddenly stopped typing , and sat bolt upright , saying to himself , i am hungry . He got up and walked over to the fridge and pulled out a container of fermented fish , he poured himself a cup of well brewed , still warm coffee . He settled himself down at the small table to eat his food and drink his coffee .
After Thirty minutes he had finished his food , getting up from the table he started to make his way back to the computer when he heard a knock on the door . He opened the door to see both Katherine and Cabe standing there , both with a smile on their faces .
"Hi Katherine , Cabe , come in ." Said Walter . They both came in and made themselves comfortable on the two chairs in the cabin .Walter sitting at his computer desk . Katherine removed an envelope from her pocket , passing it to Walter , and began explaining .
"This is the list of Homeland personnel who would have the clearance and the knowledge to pull off the sort of thing you think has happened ."
Walter thanked her and began reading down the list . For about ten minutes he studied the list without saying a word . He looked up with a strange look on his face and then began scanning the list again , he began mumbling to himself and eventually he put the list down and turned to Katherine and Cabe .
" Looking at the list i am fairly certain this one is the person involved ." Walter pointed at the third name on the list . "However i need to do some real deep research on them before i can be certain , it may take me all night . However i am sure by tomorrow morning i will have the proof we require ."
A some what confused Katherine could not help but ask . "How can you be certain that is the person involved in all of this ." "Well , the job they do puts them in an ideal position to manipulate the records and do all of the other work that as been necessary to bring about all the other problems . Also looking at the salary they are paid , they are the lowest paid on the list , so there is a good chance they are resentful of the people who are on a higher salary . I am sure when i start researching them they will be living above their means ."
" So you gleaned all this all from a list of names ." A confused Katherine asked .
" To be truthful it is more of a sixth sense i just get a feeling , occasionally i am wrong but not very often . " Answered a grinning Walter .
" OK Walter we will leave you to your research , i will see you around ten in the morning ." Said Cabe as he eased himself off his chair , and holding his hand out to assist Katherine out of her chair .
"Good luck Walter . I will wait for Cabe to ring me tomorrow and then we can go on from there . Bye!" Said Katherine as she walked with Cabe to the cabin door and left Walter to his research .
Walter settled down at his computer and began his research . He worked through the night , stopping only for bathroom breaks . By the next morning he had found all the evidence he needed to prove his intuition was correct .
Cabe arrived at 10.00am and Walter showed him the evidence he had gathered during the night . "Well that seems fairly conclusive . I had better ring Katherine and tell her so we can start putting a plan together and into action to bring this to an end .
" Slow down Cabe , i agree we need to put the plan into action , but we still need to be careful . Homeland L.A. is compromised ,but if you keep meeting up with Katherine people may become suspicious , they might even think you are having an affair with her . We need another method of contacting her .
"But how ? Even if we meet at her house someone could find out . What do you suggest . Asked Cabe .
"What about your friend Dusty , would you trust him .?" Queried Walter .
" You mean Rusty , i would trust him with my life , and i think he is a bit sweet on Katherine ." Replied Cabe with laughter in his voice .
" Would he be able to arrange a meeting with her without causing any suspicion ."
"That should not prove a problem and with his team of Simone and Nick ,they would be the first team Katherine would call , if any serious problems occur ." Proudly stated Cabe .
" Can you contact him , it might be an idea to get him involved at this stage his tactical abilities may be useful . "
"I'll get him on the phone and fill him in . In fact i am going to my SUV and contact him on my sat. phone , there is less chance of someone else being able to pick up the signal , plus we can talk over a scrambled line . "
" That's a good idea at this stage we do not need to make even the slightest error ."
"OK Walter , i will be back in a few minutes ."
While Cabe was outside Walter began running copies of all the evidence he had found on the case . Within five minutes Cabe was back inside . "OK Walter all arranged , Rusty was on his way to Homeland to see Katherine about another case , so it should be perfect , he can fill Katherine in on all aspects of our case ,whilst talking over his own case with her , He is going to leave Homeland first and will follow Katherine here to the cabin . They should be here within the next two hours ."
During the time they were waiting Walter ran off more information and collated it all with copies for himself ,Katherine and Cabe .
Katherine and Rusty arrived in separate vehicles a hour later , Cabe introduced Rusty to Walter , Who gave him a quick outline of what he had found out , Katherine listened intensely in case she heard something she may have missed during previous conversations , or Walter may not have told her .
After having coffee , they all sat around working out a plan of action . Because Homeland H.Q. L.A. was compromised , Rusty suggested they should use teams from another office , suggesting the Dallas office , which should be far enough away from from L.A. for no gossip to get to them . This suggestion was accepted by all the others
"OK what will we need manpower wise ." Walter looking at Rusty with expectation of advise from him .
Rusty rubbed his hand across his face before speaking . "Well my team can take care of Target one."
"Are you sure your team is only three people and target one is very slippery customer . " Walter at this time feeling a little nervous .
"You have never met Simone ." Said Rusty with a laugh in his voice , his voice changed to a serious tone as he continued . " We will need two teams of five agents , in case we have to cover the rear of the premises when we go in the front . Cabe could lead the team for Target two . Katherine would you be able to lead the team for Target three ."
"It would my pleasure , i would love to take them down . By the way Walter how did you know it would be them ?"
"Well they were in a position to manipulate records without any suspicion , then i tracked their bank account records and found another $250,000 transfer similar to the other one and traced that back to the same source ."
"You are still always able to surprise me even after more than twelve months , since we were first involved in that submarine fiasco ."
"To me it just seems normal , but i am willing to accept the thanks . Back to business if we use the teams from the Dallas office we cannot bring them into LAX , there are far to many Homeland agents around there . I would suggest you bring them in on a private jet and land at Palmdale Airport ,there will not be any Homeland agents there . They could be met by Cabe and Rusty and taken to a hotel in the area around Palmdale . We could then hold a full briefing at the hotel ."
All three agreed this would be the best way to deal with the situation .
Katherine decided it would be safer to contact the Dallas office from somewhere outside the Homeland H.Q.
Next day .
Katherine took two personnel days holiday and flew down to Dallas to make the necessary arrangements with the Dallas office . After making all the arrangements and booking rooms at a hotel for the two teams , she spent some time with the director of the office discussing what was going on and with some pride in her voice the work that Scorpion were capable off .
Next Morning they boarded a private jet arranged through the Dallas office and took off for Palmdale . They landed a 8. L.A time and were met by Cabe and Rusty and taken straight to the hotel.