Dead Broke (Lana Denae Mystery Series Book 1) (11 page)

The account is ready to go, with tracking software in place. We do not know if our killer will log in to the account or not, but if he does, we will try to locate and apprehend him before he is able to make his move. However, a more likely scenario is that he’ll learn of this on the news.”

Lana saw the puzzled looks of confusion that instantly appeared on the officer’s faces as they wondered how the news would play a part in this. Quickly, she explained. “In a few minutes, I’ll be doing an interview with Kristyn Falorni from Channel Two News. This interview will be picked up by all the local TV stations and aired on both the evening and nightly newscasts. A similar story will run in tomorrow’s
Oregonian
, which is being printed as we speak.

The story we put out will be partly true and partly fiction—mostly fiction. It is our goal that the killer will see the story and respond. In the past, he has stolen the ID of his victims before killing them, which allows him to easily cash their checks among other things. We assume he will follow the same pattern, and Mr. Holloway and his staff will be monitoring the accounts, which means we should have another chance to locate him before he tries to kill again. However, we are prepared if he decides to go straight for the ‘investor.’

Kurt Stabler, the nephew of one of the victims, will play the part of the investor. We will use his real name, as the killer shouldn’t connect him with Roselyn Wymer. Mr. Stabler will remain out of sight until tomorrow night. In the news story, we’ll be asking for the public’s help in finding him and we don’t want to risk someone actually doing that for us before we’re ready. We want our suspect to ‘find’ him.”

“Where will Mr. Stabler be staying?” a voice from the back spoke up.

Lana said, “That information will be known to only a select group—for his safety as well as the safety of our officers and everyone involved.”

There were a couple of groans from the officers, not liking the idea of being left in the dark. The one who had asked the question simply nodded, satisfied with the answer.

Lana continued. “When Mr. Stabler emerges, Detectives Spencer and Wyatt will become his shadow. In addition, several plainclothes officers will be used, mainly at the scene of our expected crime, the Steel Bridge.”

Seeing she was losing the officers attention with all the routine and tiresome details, Lana paused, waiting for the silence to direct all eyes back to her.

“The moment anyone ID’s this guy, we will move in. Remember, this suspect is wanted for murder. Not just one murder, but seven of them. Don’t take any chances. No one is to attempt to apprehend this guy alone. Follow procedure and wait for backup. Is that understood?”

Instead of answering aloud, everyone simply nodded, almost as if they were miffed that the detective thought they needed to be told.

“And one last thing,” Lana was saying. “Our suspect is an expert hacker. He defeated the top of the line security systems to gain access to the computers at Cascade Global Investments, leaving no trail. We only know he was there thanks to the diligence of Mr. Holloway’s IT professional and our own Ray Chaffe. We also have reason to believe our perpetrator may have electronically disabled multiple security cameras and traffic cams. For that reason, we will conduct all communication regarding this operation, either in person or by cell phone. We will not use the radios or computers.”

Lana fell silent again, going over in her mind the points she had wanted to make. Confident she had addressed each of them, she said, “All right, go home and get some sleep. We’ll all be back here tomorrow afternoon at three. Be prepared for a long night.”

As the officers filed out of the meeting room, Mr. Holloway approached Lana. “Impressive,” he said. “I could use you to run my board meetings.”

Lana gave him a weary smile. “Thanks.” Stepping down from her box, she said, “That’s the longest dissertation I’ve given since I flunked out of speech class.”

“High school? Or college?”

“Both,” Lana admitted with a short laugh.

“Well, then your teachers obviously couldn’t recognize talent when they saw it,” Holloway said. “Would you like me here tomorrow as well?”

“That’s not really necessary. I think it would be better for you to remain at your offices so we can know the moment our killer accesses any accounts—if he does.”

“Very well,” Holloway said as he prepared to leave. Nodding to Jamie and Damien, the only others who remained, aside from Kurt Stabler, the man made his way out the door.

When he was gone, Jamie said, “So are you going to clue us in on where Mr. Stabler will be hiding out or are we supposed to just guess where we should be to keep an eye on him?”

Damien frowned at him. “Of course she’ll tell us, this is our case too, and we
are
the ones who will be guarding him.” His words sounded confident but a hint of uncertainty was evident in his tone.

“And what about me?” Kurt spoke up. “Am I one of the select group who gets to know where I’ll be staying?”

Anticipating the remarks of poorly veiled bellyaching from the detectives, Lana knew their half-joking complaints were due to a feeling of being left out of the loop. Not having time for a distraction of a verbal tussle with the two, she addressed her answer to Kurt. “You’ll be staying with Nellie Langstrom. You may remember her. She was your aunt’s neighbor.”

“Sure, I remember Nellie,” Kurt said. “Nice lady, although a little on the crazy side.”

“A little?” Jamie scoffed. “That woman is nuts. Why there?” he asked Lana.

Lana was prepared for the question and quickly rattled off the reasons. “It’s close to the Steel Bridge where Kurt needs to appear, no one would think to look there, and Roselyn Wymer’s apartment will provide a place for you two to stay nearby.”

“And
The Nellie
is okay with this?” Jamie asked.

“She is. I had a nice long chat with her on the way back from Cascade Global. And,” she added with a twinkle in her eye, “ she is expecting you, all three of you, for dinner.”

“Thanks,” Jamie said as insincerely as he could muster.

“Guess I better call my wife,” Damien said. “Let her know I won’t be home tonight.”

“Be sure to tell her you’ll be having dinner with another woman,” Jamie called as his partner went off down the hall. To Lana, he said, “You won’t be joining us?”

“Me? No,” Lana said. “I’ve got to get ready for an interview.”

Chapter Twelve

Arriving at the TV studios, Lana stared at the maze of hallways and doors. Checking her notepad for the studio number she’d been given, she looked up and down the halls. Just when she’d decided this was the wrong building, a side door opened and out stepped Kristyn Falorni, the news anchor, and host for the interview.

“Detective Denae?”

“Yes,” Lana said. Then with a sheepish smile, “I thought I was lost.”

“Oh, no. We’re on the other side of the building,” the host explained. “But it’s okay. Everyone comes in this way. We probably need some better signage out front.” The woman frowned then. “The receptionist should have directed you to the correct studio set when you checked in.”

“I didn’t really check in,” Lana admitted. “Too used to finding my own way.”

They walked down the empty hall chatting easily. As Kristyn opened the door to the studio, Lana was a little surprised at how small it was. “Looks bigger when you see it on TV,” she said.

Kristyn laughed. “That’s what everybody says.”

The cameraman and a couple other people were already there. As soon as Lana was seated, Kristyn was ready to begin. Taking her cue from the one of the sidemen, she turned to face the camera. “I’d like to welcome my guest, Detective Lana Denae of the Portland Police Bureau. Lana, why don’t I let you tell the folks why you’re here?”

“Thanks,” Lana said. The butterflies that had crept into her stomach when she realized the cameras were rolling, surprisingly faded once she started talking. Feeling totally at ease, she began her spiel. “I’m here in connection with the jumpers we’ve had recently.” She then launched into a repeat performance of the sales pitch she’d given Jamie and Damien the day before.

Laying out the story, she described the computer glitch at Cascade Global and the resulting frantic state of the investors when they discovered their life’s savings had evaporated, which had tragically led to them taking their own life.

Then, her face drawn in a contrived expression of deep concern, she told how other investors had also been affected; saying most had been advised of the situation. “But there is still one we’ve been unable to reach,” she said in a strained voice that she hoped conveyed her “worry.”

Kristyn sat listening intently, interrupting with a question occasionally, but for the most part, letting her guest talk freely.

Emphasizing the part about the pending quarter million dollar payout, Lana disclosed the details of Kurt Stabler’s status.

She was careful to stick to the script, not giving away any information that would compromise the mission. She ended with a near tearful plea for the public’s help in locating the missing Kurt Stabler.

Holding up the eight by ten photo, Lana said, “If you see this man, or if you know him, or have any information on his whereabouts, please give the Portland Police Bureau a call.”

“Can you turn the picture to the right just a little?” Kristyn asked. “So, our camera man can get a better shot.”

Lana complied, holding the pose until the man with the camera gave her a nod that said he was done. Then, she made one final pitch. “Remember, this man could be deeply distraught and suffering from severe depression. If you see him, please do not approach. Call the police and let us do our job.”

“Well, that wraps up our interview,” Kristyn said. “Thank you, Detective.”

“Thank you.”

“I sincerely hope we can be of some assistance in finding this man,” Kristyn said. “Such a tragedy.”

Waiting until she was given the all clear, Lana stood, shaking hands with her host. “The Portland Police Bureau thanks you, as do I.”

“Glad to help,” Kristyn told her. “I only hope you find the man before it’s too late.”

Lana nodded grimly. “I’m confident we will.”

Suddenly, she felt a twinge of guilt at having made up the story and not cluing Kristyn in on the truth. She liked the news lady and forcing the well-respected host to unwittingly play a part in the hustle went against the grain. But if she expected the ruse to work, that’s the way it had to be. Still, she didn’t have to feel happy about it.

Leaving the studio, Lana realized how tired she was. The interview had taken more out of her than she’d expected. Skipping a full night’s sleep was catching up with her.

Deciding to forego watching herself on the news, when she arrived home, she grabbed a quick bite and went straight to bed. The next day could be quite eventful—and long. She might need to get some rest—at least a little more than usual.

* * * * *

Returning from their early evening dining experience with Kurt at Nellie Langstrom’s, Jamie and Damien warmed up the ancient TV set in Roselyn Wymer’s apartment. The six o’clock news would be coming on soon and neither one of them wanted to miss it.

“Think she’ll do all right?” Jamie asked. “Or crash and burn?”

“She’ll do fine,” Damien assured him. “Since when has she failed at anything?”

“Well, if she doesn’t have at least one gaff, I’ll be surprised. This is, after all, her first television experience.”

“Surprised? Or, disappointed?”

“Not disappointed. Not really. I don’t want her to look bad or anything. Besides, our case may depend on her pulling this off.”

“But...” Damien prompted.

Jamie grinned. “Okay, it would give us something to badger her about.”

Pointing to the TV, Damien said. “She’s on.”

They watched the entire interview, all twelve minutes, in silence. When it was over, Jamie let out a low whistle. “That was even more convincing than the preview she gave us.”

“Yeah,” Damien agreed. “She looked genuinely concerned for Mr. Stabler. Almost as if she were really stressed out and tired from worrying about him.

“That’s because she
is
tired,” Jamie reminded his partner. “She’s been up for two days.”

“Hopefully, it was just as convincing to our murder suspect, whoever he is,” Damien said.

Just then, a firm knock sounded on the door. The detectives exchanged glances. No one was supposed to know they were there, except for the Captain and Lana—and Nellie Langstrom and Kurt, but the detectives could hear those two talking next door.

Killing the lights, Damien drifted back to the far corner, gun drawn, as Jamie approached the door. Standing to the side, hand on his weapon, he said to Damien in a whispered voice, “Ready?”

“Ready.”

Jamie pulled open the door part way, keeping his body out of the possible line of fire. Then, as his eyes focused on the figure in the hall, he relaxed, motioning to his partner that there was no danger. The man at the door was the building manager, Paul Borland.

“Can I help you?” Jamie asked.

“Yes, you can,” the man said, his voice betraying his hostility. “You can start by telling me why you’re here, without permission.”

“Sir, this is a crime scene. We’re conducting an investigation. And, as has been made clear to you on at least two previous occasions, we do not require permission to do our job.”

Ignoring Jamie’s sound explanation, Mr. Borland, with a defiant look on his face, spluttered, “I’ve repeatedly asked you people to check with me before entering the premises. Yet, you continue to dismiss me.”

Damien had moved closer, standing now beside his partner. “Mr. Borland,” he said, opening the door a little farther, “you need to go back downstairs and stay out of the way. Do not come back up here.”

“I’ll not be told what to do in my own building!” Borland said, not budging.

“Sir,” Jamie said, trying to keep his voice even. “If you do not leave, we will be forced to arrest you for interference in a police investigation.”