Flying in Shadows (The Black Creek Series, Book 2) (31 page)

Duncan's fingers flew and he still didn't look but spoke up. "Are you ready to go
on?"

His head might have been in a fog, but the information Andy had taken in and his option
of the next few steps were in perfect clarity and likely matched that of his brother's.
"I'm all right. Where are you at on there?"

Duncan finished a few strokes, then turned the screen to face him. "I'm in three internet
cafés in three different states. I've got their pass codes memorized, but I need you
to look it over."

Andy took lead and started backing up each process to look at the big picture. This
was how they worked. Duncan had the memory; Andy had the sense of building. "You've
got some holes, here." He pointed to the screen. "Here. And here." Andy worked while
his brother got up to warm his coffee and to make Andy a to-go cup. They sat for nearly
an hour, Andy working with Duncan over his shoulder, giving suggestions when needed.

"We'll need to move remote next." Andy ran his hands over his face.

"And we need to wait for someone to log in to track their ID and password key strokes."

They spoke at the same time regarding their next stop. "Internet café and coffee?"

Nodding in succession, Duncan copied files to a flash drive, logged off and shut down.

"First, the police station. I'll meet you there. I'm going to pick up a paper copy
of the Gazette."

"Okay. I'm going to pick up my girlfriend. I'm sure she'll take this well," Andy said
sarcastically.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait until after your trip to tell her?"

"Can't say I didn't think about it, but no. I won't keep this from her. Or anything
else ever again."

* * *

Tossing a newspaper on Tanner's desk, Dave paced the worn carpet. On the front page
of the Northridge Gazette was the sketch artist's rendering of Rose's biological father.
"Copies of the profile and the sketch are also both printed and posted on newspaper
sites in each of the five cities that have reasonably confirmed case connections."

Together, they turned at the knock on the door.

"Duncan." Dave looked honestly surprised. His first instinct was to tactfully explain
that he was in a meeting and to come back later. Then, he realized Duncan had never
once stepped foot in the station before. "I'll be just another minute. Would you mind
waiting for me in my office?"

Duncan nodded and turned. As he swaggered down the hall, he wondered if he should
bother yet with rescheduling his flight, which was taking off at that moment.

He opened a door down the hall with the plastic nameplate reading
Detective Nolan
next to the doorjamb. Walking in, he first scanned the room from top to bottom just
as he habitually did when he entered anywhere new. Then, he headed to the case board.

He'd read the article that went with the photo, knew the man had Rose's eyes and was
able to fit the pieces together easily enough. His eyes traveled to the other women—all
dead and badly beaten, some naked.

"Who are you and who gave you permission to be in here?" Duncan had heard the footsteps
before the voice.

Slowly, he turned and saw a uniformed officer standing with a white paper tray that
carried a coffee and an enormous soda. The other hand rested on her gun, although
he judged it to be more of a comfortable stance rather than a threat. Cat-like, steel-gray
eyes kept contact with his, even though he sensed they were looking him up and down
peripherally.

Turning back to the case board, he answered, "Duncan Reed to the first question. Detective
Nolan to the second."

She walked over and pulled an empty slide across the case board. "Have a seat, Mr.
Reed. He's due shortly."

He obliged. "Do you mind?" he asked, referring to the blank sheet of paper he pulled
from the printer next to Dave's desk.

The officer shrugged and went to stand near the window, clearly babysitting him. He
certainly could have had a less appealing sitter. Casually, he began sketching as
he returned the favor and watched her through his own peripheral vision.

* * *

Dave turned back to his boss. "We're compiling an extended data search for victims
who've reported a combination of more than three robberies with batteries or robberies
with sexual assaults over the past decade as far west as Illinois and as far south
as Virginia. How much longer can I keep the extra paper pushers?"

Tanner shook his head. "I can't make any promises, but keep what you need for now."

"Nick's gone above and beyond again. We won't be keeping her long. She's gathered
more solid leads than the rest of the team put together."

"Yes, I've thought about that. I think an early promotion might keep her around a
little longer. She's earned it. I don't want to rush you, but are you going to see
about your friend?"

"Oh, shit." He stacked papers and stuffed them into his file. "I'll keep you updated,
sir. Thank you for the support and the manpower."

He walked briskly to his office, running the next several steps in the investigation
through his head. He was feeling better but not quite on his game. This was personal,
and he knew he had to keep it professional, cross all of his Ts and dot all of his
Is if he was going to keep the case. He walked in and saw his assistant standing by
the window, the case board covered and Duncan with an ankle resting on top of his
knee, an elbow leaning on the arm of the chair.

Duncan didn't stand.

"Duncan Reed, Officer Nickie Savage. Officer Savage, Duncan Reed."

"We've done introductions, sir. Mr. Reed here stated that you requested he come into
your closed office to wait."

Dave smiled at the public face Nick could turn on a dime. "That's right. He's an old
family friend." He turned to Duncan who hadn't moved since he walked in. "What can
I do for you, Duncan?"

Duncan pulled out his phone and Dave assumed he was checking a text. "If you could
give me just a few minutes, your daughter and Andy are..." The three of them heard
her before they saw her.

Chapter 25

Andy held the door for Rose. He let her fume, red-faced and breathing hard.

"Bastard!"

"Officer Nickie Savage, this is my daughter, Rosemarie and her... boyfriend, Andy
Reed."

The officer gave him and Duncan and once over.

"Yes, they're brothers," Dave answered her silent question.

She held out a hand. "I recognize you from the news," she said to Rose, then offered
a hand to Andy.

Dave used what Andy thought sounded like a disclaimer. "Her language tends to be a
little more colorful when heated up and not in front of a camera."

Andy placed a hand on the middle of her lower back. She didn't elbow him. That was
a good sign.

"What brings you all here?" Dave sat partially on the corner of his desk.

Rose blurted, "Let's let Duncan start. He's the one that saw the bastard."

"In person?" Dave dropped his file on his desk.

"Yes, walking along the street in front of my folks' home."

Andy watched Dave take three breaths, then sat in his chair. "Why don't you start
from the beginning?"

Expectedly, Duncan didn't change his annoyingly relaxed posture. "Rose was walking
her dog. She stopped to greet me. I squatted down to rub his ears... the dog's ears
that is, when movement from down the drive caught my eye." Duncan looked toward him
to see if he had indeed shared all of the details with Rose. Andy nodded.

Visibly shaking, Dave took out a notebook and pen. "Where exactly were you, Duncan?
Up by Nathan's house, the middle of the drive, down toward the street? Please be specific."

"Up by the house. I was loading some things in my rental, getting an early start on
packing some things for my departure." Duncan looked at his watch. "Which was a half
hour ago."

Ignoring the reference to Duncan missing his plane, Dave went on, "Are you sure it
was this man?"

Duncan sighed, annoyed, and squinted but only slightly. "I remember thinking the eyes
looked familiar. I didn't think too deeply about it at the time, since I had no idea
of what you now have hidden behind that whiteboard." Duncan nodded his head toward
the covered wall. He rotated the paper in his hand that Andy hadn't noticed until
just then. "This is Rose's father, biological father," he corrected in respectful
succession to Dave.

Duncan held up the sketch he'd been drawing.

Officer Savage took a step forward, craned her neck, then tilted her head back, looking
down her nose at Duncan.

Andy didn't turn his head or his gaze from Dave.

The drawing was definitely of Rose's father, dressed in a light jacket, dark jeans
and ball cap, and had a dark wound circled with light markings around his neck. His
hair was sloppy, short and black with lighter pieces showing through.

"Bastard," Rose repeated and paced.

The officer interjected, "You drew this just now? You're quite an artist, Mr. Reed.
It's interesting how you gathered this much detail from a, what, half-second glance
from down a drive that is long enough to have
up by the house, middle of the drive and down toward the street
sections."

Duncan maintained his casual posture, but this time, he turned his head to look at
her straight on. "Don't hold back, officer, say what you really have on your mind."

She answered without hesitating. "I'll simply repeat myself, Mr. Reed. How did you
gather this much detail from a quick glance such a distance away? How far is it? Twenty-five
yards, thirty-five?"

Andy winced as he stood between his fuming brother and his equally fuming fiancée.
He watched as Duncan looked at the officer, then closed his eyes as he turned back
to face Dave. "Is there anything else I can do for you? If not, I'll be catching the
evening plane to L.A."

"Yes, Duncan. We'll need about an hour for questioning." Dave turned to Rose and Andy.
"From all of you. We might be able to spark some additional details from your memories."

Duncan looked toward the case board and rubbed the back of his neck.

"You can use the break room to phone the airline," Dave said as he scribbled notes
in a small spiral pad. Dave stepped closer to Rose. "I'd like to tell you that I'm
making you still take your trip, but I know better."

"Damn right I'm still taking my trip. Bastard. He's not running my life." Andy noted
the slight softening in expression. "What about Mom?" she asked.

"I'll keep her close."

Dave rotated to Andy. "I know I can't tell you to keep your whereabouts from your
family, but I will ask that you tell them to keep it confidential and don't tell anyone
else. No one."

"We'll check in." He nodded as he repeated Dave's words. "I'll keep her close."

* * *

Andy nearly had to threaten Rose in order to get her to promise to stay at the action
center until his return. She'd calmed down slightly since learning that her father
was possibly following her.

He sat with a glass of iced tea in a corner of the internet café, waiting for his
brother. He and Duncan always had an interest in hacking, an interest and exceptional
talent. Duncan's memory combined with Andy's perspective on building codes and taking
them down meant seamless entry into secured databases, internet sites and governmental
agencies.

They set rules, of course. They never stole or cheated. That was for the weak and
the lazy. They simply surfed for information of use to them or used their talents
to
adjust
options, as they liked to call it. They would get information about trouble clients
or options regarding appointments. He thought about how, back in the day, both ironically
had been fixing their college class schedules from different parts of the country.

Running lines through several public ports, Andy was able to hack into the Systems
Department in the Nicaraguan capital city. In theory, they were in Aruba. Much like
the dummy desktop they'd used to anonymously log into the cafés, he waited for anyone
in Systems to log in to their computer... hopefully, someone with decent security
access.