Techno Crazed (Hacked Investigations) (6 page)

During the shower, she noticed her wounded side was a ghost of what it had been. The initial gaping wound had reduced, and the pain lessened. Sure, the gnome was annoying, but at least she wouldn’t have to spend the next two weeks changing bandages.

Walking into the living room, she caught the lingering scent of coffee in the air. The clinking of dishes came from the kitchen. Ian plopped a piece of egg into his mouth. Bernard sat near him on the kitchen table, sulking with a big cup of coffee.

“What’s wrong with him?” she asked, nodding toward Bernard.

“Hangover. Seems like he managed to sneak a bottle of rum into the house before I locked him up.” Ian raised an eyebrow at the gnome. “He most likely drank until morning, enjoying last night’s emotional overload too much. He’ll be fine. Won’t you, Bernard?” Ian said loudly and nudged the small guy’s cap.

The gnome grimaced and shot Ian a look of murderous intent with his bloodshot eyes. Bernard hopped off the table and walked down the hall. A moment later, a door slammed and more soft snores echoed from the gnome’s house.

Hannah couldn’t help but feel just a little sorry for the gnome.

Ian left as well, heading to the bathroom.

She sat on the armchair in the living room and leaned her head back, taking deep breaths and relaxing.

The sound of running water droned on for a while. Ian seemed to be taking his time, but she didn’t mind. It gave her a chance to disconnect and have a moment to herself. She stood and went to find the documents Ian had printed the night before.

A few things popped up at her after a moment. It was odd that Ian had missed them, but then again, she knew why he hadn’t noticed the lack of certain stores. Rich had paid the mortgage, groceries, and so on, like every normal person would, but there were no clothes, books, entertainment, or magazine and newspaper subscriptions in the regular purchases.

Rich had lived with someone.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Ian got out of the shower and shaved. It’d been a while since he’d had a long and relaxing shower. In the living room, he heard Hannah snickering. Smiling, he put on a little cologne and dressed.

The morning had been good for a change. No binary dreams, codes or images of machinery and the internals of micro-controllers filled his head. He didn’t even wake to the sound of his neighbor leaving for work or the dogs barking in the alley.

Walking out to the living room, he saw Hannah grinning with a few papers spread in front of her and staring directly at him. “What are you so smug about?” He looked at what she’d been reading. “Oh, those. Did you find anything?”

“I don’t know… just the obvious, of course.” Hannah told him about her discovery.

He blinked, stunned. The idea that he, security expert and technomage, had missed something so elementary dumbfounded him.

Hannah giggled and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. It’s something you men never get. It’s called shopping.” She winked and went toward the kitchen.

He looked over the new information and started to see the connections. “If he was living with someone, we might be able to get new details off his girlfriend. But first things first, let’s see this person he has tea with.” Ian grabbed his jacket and slid on his tennis shoes.

Hannah came out of the kitchen and prepped to leave too. A few moments later, they were ready to go.

“Want to say something to your gnome?” Hannah pointed toward the room Bernard was in.

“He’ll be fine. The ward will keep people out.” Ian opened the door for her.

* * *

They arrived outside a traditionally decorated Japanese teahouse, an oddity among the dozens of skyscrapers reaching toward the heavens around it. The building’s fortified wooden frame gave it a sense of elegance, but here and there, the metallic superstructure of the teahouse showed from the corroded siding.

Ian watched the people entering the place. Most were either Asian or dressed in business casual, making the environment feel businessy during the afternoon. But he’d been in this area before. Later that night, the casual crowd would arrive, along with thugs from the nearby suburbs. The general atmosphere that lingered during the day would drastically change as modern-day geishas and prostitutes waited around for customers.

Their host eagerly awaited them behind dark, exotic wooden doors decorated by various kanji of tea and fortune. “We’re here for the tea ceremony under the reservation for Rich Granger,” Ian said.

The host led them to the table.

Although they were nearly fifteen minutes early, the waitress agreed to let them make the initial order without further hassle. The table was on a secluded balcony that offered an excellent view of the city. Ornate vases with various oriental plants blocked their table from the public eye, giving the section an intimate feel.

“I wonder who he is,” Hannah said, leaning back in her chair. She stared at the tall, high-tech buildings surrounding the quaint teahouse.

“Why do you think it’s a he?” Ian raised an eyebrow.

“The man didn’t do his own shopping, which speaks of a steady relationship. Also, the fact he meets this person at a teahouse makes it more business related as opposed to romantic. If you were to take someone out, would you rather go to an expensive Italian restaurant or a Japanese teahouse for a traditional tea ceremony?” She smirked and crossed her arms, gloating over her victory. She had a point.

“Italian.” The likelihood of Rich bringing someone he was interested in to a Japanese teahouse was slim to none. He’d always bragged about being a meat and potatoes guy. A steakhouse would’ve been more his style. Sure, Rich and Ian had ordered the occasional sushi for lunch, but Rich didn’t like tea.

Their tea arrived in tall ceramic cups. The light green liquid inside was very hot, yet inviting. Hannah raised her cup and took a small sip. After a few minutes, Ian took a few sips of his own. The tea was strong but tasty.

A few minutes later, an older gentleman walked to their table, preoccupied by flipping through documents in his hands. His custom tailored suit and restrained manner spoke of experience, wealth and power. The graying hair did little to draw attention from his strong features and the charisma he radiated. He sat before noticing they weren’t his usual company.

“We need to talk. Your contact has been killed.” Ian willed his tone to betray little of his feelings.

Surprise widened the man’s eyes, and his jaw went slack. The waitress came back to their table, and he ordered a cup of green tea while regaining his composure.

When she left, the man turned his attention to Ian. “What happened to Rich? How did you know to come here? He promised not to tell. If they know I’m here, you’ve just put my life at risk.” He huffed, and a severe frown tightened his lips.

Hannah looked at Ian and back at the older man. “Senator Kendall, I’m pretty sure that while some don’t pay attention to politics, I still do. Rich was a friend of Ian’s, and an informant to me. I presume you two met on business regarding his work?” She nodded toward the documents he’d brought in.

Kendall sighed. “My work, actually. You must have heard about the other senators being involved in ‘accidents’ lately. There were three of us, and now I’m the only one alive. We had evidence we could use to bring MAX Home Security down for good. However, each time one of us took a stand, that person was killed. Murdered, even.” He curled his hand into a fist on the table and lowered his head. Kendall’s shoulders slumped forward.

Ian held Hannah’s hand under the table.

Kendall straightened in his chair and let out a breath. “In the beginning, they bribed and blackmailed us to get what they wanted. To become a force to be reckoned with in the security sector like they are now. But we grew tired of it and decided to come clean. First, it was a few easy bribes for pushing the paperwork along or giving them heads up on deals being made, but now it is an entirely different ball game. McGee and Daniels both died for this. I have no intention to, but MAX must be stopped.”

“How can we help you?” Hannah asked. “They are after me as well, and Ian used to work for them. So I think we are all on their unwanted people list.”

“More like unneeded people,” the senator said and took another long sip. He gave them an assessing look and then reached into his coat pocket. “Here’s my card. The number below is my direct line. I can’t talk right now. I just came to give Rich this.” He tapped the documents with his forefinger. “Copies of blueprints he wanted from the city archives.”

Ian looked at the blueprints, which had information on major electricity, sewer and communication cables in the east part of the city. “Can I keep these?” he asked. After getting an approving nod from the senator, he slid them inside his jacket. What had Rich needed with these?

A commotion came from the lounge nearby, and a small group of men in suits strode toward the corner Ian, Hannah, and the senator occupied. The bushes between them gave Ian and Hannah a small advantage, but it would be only a matter of time before they were found.

Kendall frowned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I feared this would happen. Please, get out of here. I’ll take care of them.” He picked up his teacup and continued sipping, but his hand shook slightly.

Ian stood and grabbed Hannah’s hand. He ran across the balcony to a small hallway with a restroom.

The suits went straight to the table with Senator Kendall and didn’t bother looking around. Hannah darted through the staff door, which led them to a small break room and office area. Stairs led down to what seemed like the teahouse’s logistics and staging area. Behind them, the door from the hall swung open, and the sound of heavy boots stomped through the small office before their pursuers left.

Ian looked around. They seemed to be alone down here. The area probably was used strictly for new deliveries. He leaned in closer to Hannah. “Follow me,” he whispered.

The delivery door was locked with an old-time electronic lock. Smirking to himself, Ian reached out and forced his power into the device, resetting the chip to all zeroes, effectively causing a short and forcing the door open.

They walked along the delivery alley and tried to avoid attention. Once they reached the closest side alley, they sprinted away, not worried about going anywhere in particular, just away from the Japanese teahouse.

When they were several blocks away, they slowed.

Hannah placed her hands on her knees, bent over and took a few deep breaths. “Wow, I can’t believe Rich was meeting with those government officials. How could he have possibly gotten their ear in the first place?”

“Guess Rich had more sway than I’d thought, or maybe the senator is that desperate for leverage to put MAX Home Security down.” Ian rubbed his hands over his hair and stared up at the sky.

“The senator probably is frantic, especially after all he and his colleagues have been through.” Hannah grimaced and looked around at their surroundings. “Heck, I’m not even sure who to trust after this. For all we know, they could be listening in on our conversation.”

Ian shook his head. “That’s paranoia. I worked with them for long enough to have a decent idea about their inner workings.” He took her hand and started walking toward the street.

“Paranoia?” Hannah pulled away. “No, I’m not paranoid. Not with all that’s gone on. In fact, I feel rather enlightened. I hadn’t known the security systems were this bad.” She crossed her arms under her breasts and stared down the alley they’d been running through. “Geez.”

“I’m sorry.” He grimaced. What was he thinking? “You’re right. It’s not paranoid. Self-preservation and becoming aware of the problem. Heck, I’m becoming more aware too.” He grabbed her and pulled her close. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

She rested her head against his chest and trailed her fingertips over his torso. “It’s fine. I guess I overreacted a little.” Looking up at him, she pressed her lips against his and ran her fingertips through his hair. They needed to hurry back to his apartment.

Who knew if the bad guys would hop out at them any minute now?

CHAPTER EIGHT

After reaching the apartment, Hannah leaned against the wall, weary from running. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. Ian seemed out of breath as well.

In their absence, the gnome had turned the television to a gardening channel and made multiple mugs of coffee. He sat on the couch wrapped in a blanket and was looking pale. Instead of spewing his usual obscenities, Bernard simply stared at them, muttered something under his breath, and turned back to the TV, where turnips were being harvested from a large field.

The air stunk of unwashed clothes and something acidic. While Ian locked the door and placed the ward back on, Hannah took the opportunity to pour herself some juice and went to Ian’s office.

In the living room, she heard Ian and Bernard talking, but right now, she needed to focus. She pulled her e-ink pad from her purse and wrote out the incidents they’d been through, along with all the information, rumors and what she knew about MAX Home Security. A few moments passed, and she noticed Ian standing at the doorway. Reluctantly, she pushed aside the short list she’d barely begun.

“You should see this,” Ian said and turned around, heading into the living room. The TV had been switched to the 24/7 news channel. A male reporter stood outside St. Gregory’s hospital. “Senator Kendall was viciously beaten by a young couple at a local Japanese teahouse. The attack took place early this afternoon in a section of the restaurant for business purposes. How the couple was able to enter the private section is unknown. A security detail sent over by MAX Home Security intervened before things could get worse for the senator. No further information is available on the couple, other than they were very skilled and masked, making identification difficult. MAX Home Security is working with the police to bring the assailants to justice.”

Ian crossed his arms and looked at Hannah. “They are going too far. I understand that they want to be brutes, but to beat up the senator so badly and force him into silence?” He shook his head. “At least they didn’t kill him.”