by Kat Wheeler
Cameron looked shocked that he’d ordered for her but recovered quickly. “Sure. Blue Moon?”
“Got it. I’ll get that in for you now.” The waitress smiled and walked away.
“I know you’re upset, but you need to eat.” She just nodded in response. “If I had to guess, I’d say you’re right. Someone was searching for something. Unless there’s another reason somebody would be in your place, I’m going to assume this is about the chip.”
“It makes sense, I guess. It’s just so fast. If we assume your murderer is also responsible for what happened to Casey, they must have discovered he’d identified the chip and knew what it could do. Since it only transmits once every day, the last time they could’ve tracked it would have been last night, when it was at the SmartTech office. They must’ve searched for it there and not found it. Maybe they can even ping its location anytime they want. Who knows? We can also assume it had been transmitting all weekend, so they’d know I was the person who took it from the Digital Lifestyles office and delivered it to SmartTech. It would be likely for them to assume I’d be the only other one aware of it and that I’d have it now. They probably wanted to get it before it could be delivered to the police. Did your team get it?”
“They did,” he answered, taking his first sip of beer that the waitress had just dropped off. “I got a message from Al earlier. Our tech guys are working on it now. They’re going to try to find a way to track the transmissions to see if they can’t find out who’s behind all this. But even if they can’t, somebody will get a big shock tonight when they discover their device is in the hands of the police.” He smiled.
“Hopefully that’ll get them to leave me alone. There’s no reason to go after me if I don’t have the chip,” she responded thoughtfully as she removed the orange slice from her beer and set it on her napkin.
“I agree, but what are you going to do until then? You aren’t going to stay at your place tonight, are you?”
“No,” she replied, worrying the hard wooden table with her thumb. “I don’t think I could get any sleep. Assuming your team is finished when we’re done here, I’ll head back and pack a bag. I’ll get a room in the hotel next to the office in New Jersey tonight. That way I can be there first thing in the morning. I think I need to tell my boss about this now. If you question Mark Minsky, it’s going to come out how you found out about all this. He needs to be prepared. Call the lawyers and do whatever it is they do to prevent any liability. He’s not going to be pleased.”
“Why? If I understand all this correctly, it’s not related to your system at all. Your discovery got the device out of his home. You did a good thing.”
“Yeah.” She suddenly realized she was almost finished with her beer. She should slow down since she’d be driving to New Jersey later. “I doubt he’ll see it that way. Steve isn’t a very understanding person. He’s going to be pissed I didn’t come to him earlier. I don’t know what he’ll think of me involving Casey.”
The conversation paused as the waitress delivered their meals. Will got another beer, and Cameron switched to water. They both tucked into the food.
“I guess I was hungrier than I thought,” Cameron commented after putting away most of the plate. The fries were nice and crispy, the fish was light and fluffy, and the tartar sauce was tangy in the way she liked. She’d nearly demolished it all.
Will smiled in answer, and Cameron thought how cute he looked just then. Geez, her mind was wandering. There was too much happening too fast for her to process. It seemed almost unreal that it had only been four days since her discovery of the chip. So much had happened since then.
“You know, this case is making me feel so out of my depth.”
“How’s that?”
“I don’t know if you noticed,” he said, gesturing to his phone sitting on the table, “but I’m not a tech guy.”
She smiled back, trying not to laugh at the ancient flip phone sitting across from her brand-new iPhone gleaming on the old rough wood table. The contrast was pronounced.
“I noticed.”
“I don’t think I realized how advanced home technology has gotten. I didn’t understand a lot of what I heard in our initial interviews with the employees at Synergistic, and if you hadn’t been so patient today explaining everything to me, I’m not sure I’d have been able to understand that either.”
“Wow, that’s the first time anyone’s ever called me patient.” She looked into his eyes across the table and could see a genuine frustration on his face. He seemed a very capable man and probably wasn’t used to feeling out of his depth. “Look, it’s not you. Only people who do this for a living understand it. And not always even then. I’m in sales. I hardly know how this stuff works. If you felt out of your depth at SE, it’s because they meant for you to. Their product, outside of the proprietary software, isn’t that complicated.”
“Maybe, but I’ve let a lot of this stuff pass me by, the home automation stuff you do, the social media. I don’t understand any of it.”
“And look what good that did Mr. Minsky. Someone could spy on his whole life. Every move he’s made. Every place he’s been, everything he’s done. People like new technology because it usually makes their lives easier in some way, but they don’t realize how exposed it makes them. You hear Americans always talking about how many surveillance cameras they have in England and feel superior. The information you can get being in someone’s digital network far surpasses anything like that, and people don’t even protect themselves. Their only concern is someone getting their social security number and opening credit cards in their names. I could do more damage in an hour with the chip that was in that hub.”
“Hypothetically,” he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
“Of course, hypothetically.” She grinned back. “But seriously, don’t let anyone make you feel ignorant about any of this stuff. No one is an expert at everything. Even geniuses like Einstein and Neil deGrasse Tyson don’t know everything. I saw Neil deGrasse Tyson on Celebrity Family Feud once, and he was terrible. Not to mention, you looked pretty comfortable with that gun earlier. I bet you could outshoot Einstein.”
That got a smile out of him. “Eight years in the Army will make anyone comfortable with a weapon, although I bet Albert would’ve been pretty handy on the bomb squad.”
Cameron laughed out loud at that, arranging her silverware in the middle of her plate and then pushing it to the side of the table. She settled back in the booth, feeling more comfortable than she had since finding the chip in the HTH. She was beginning to think the detective might have something to do with that, or maybe it was the beer.
“You’re probably right. But seriously, if anything comes up regarding this case you don’t understand, you can always ask me. That is if your tech guys can’t help.”
“Funny you should bring that up. We’re bringing in the principals from SE tomorrow afternoon. I’m going to try to get Mr. Minsky in for an interview as well. I’d love for you to sit in on the interviews. Let us know if you notice something we’re missing. Our tech guys are good, but they’re unfamiliar with the extent of the Home Automation applications. If you have the time, we’d surely appreciate it.”
He stunned her. Cameron assumed this would be the last involvement she’d have in the case. She couldn’t help but admit to herself she was intrigued. She was curious about who had planted the device, and what they were using it for. She didn’t even hesitate. She knew accepting his invitation was the only way she was going to get answers.
“Sure, happy to, but I need to talk to my boss in the morning. I can’t put it off any longer.”
“Understood. Just come to the precinct when you’re done. We had to schedule everything with their lawyers, so we’re not starting until at least one. I’d be surprised if any of those people show up on time.”
“I can do that.”
“Then c
ome on,” he said, throwing enough cash on the table to cover their meal and a nice tip. “I’ll walk you back to your place and wait for you to pack a bag.”
The crime scene team was finished when they got to her apartment, and she quickly gathered her things. Being on the road for work so often made her a very efficient packer. She had double of all her toiletries and always kept them loaded up and ready to go, so she only needed to throw some clothes in her bag, and she was on her way. She was starting to believe Detective Will Justus was a gentleman when he carried her suitcase down to the garage for her and loaded it into her car.
The drive to New Jersey didn’t take long at that time of night, and it gave her plenty of time to reflect. So much had happened this week, and it was only Wednesday. She wanted to research more on Synergistic tonight, see what she was getting into tomorrow. She needed to reach out to the guys on her team, find out about the service for Casey, but she didn’t want to dwell on that or the possibility that she contributed to it. Until she heard from the detectives, denial seemed like the best option. It was the only way she could keep it together. She could compartmentalize. Working for SmartTech had taught her to set emotion aside and focus on the task in front of her.
Sleep was elusive that night. She tossed and turned, running through all her actions since the previous Friday. What, if anything, she could’ve done differently? Dreading her meeting tomorrow. No matter what happened, she was sure Steve was going to be pissed off.
Freakin’ Steve.
Chapter Twenty-five
Another uncomfortable chair, another grumpy old man
Cameron was sitting in another uncomfortable chair, staring at a clock on the wall, and having a strange sense of déjà vu during her meeting with Steve. To say it hadn’t been going well was an understatement. He was on a call when she knocked on the open door to his office first thing Wednesday morning. He’d looked irritated when he saw who it was and waved her in to wait. And boy, did he make her wait. It was a little game he played, his way of saying “My time is more important than yours.” Such a petty move, but she was a little grateful for his pettiness that day. She spent her time waiting for his call to end by trying to get her thoughts together. Trying to map out a way to explain the situation that wouldn’t piss him off. No matter what she came up with, she hadn’t figured it out yet.
When he finally got around to dealing with her and she began her story, his expression slowly morphed from a mask of irritation into one of pure anger. She could tell he wanted to lay into her, but he held it back. He didn’t say a word after she completed her recounting of the events of the past week. He just put the phone on his desk on speaker and asked his secretary to call up the heads of HR and the legal department ASAP. Then he sent her outside to wait.
She’d been sitting outside his office in the uncomfortable chair against the wall in awkward silence with Abby Maria for over an hour. She’d heard raised voices coming from the office but couldn’t make anything out. She was playing a game with herself, trying to decide how much longer she would wait before she just got up and walked out, even though she knew she never would. There were a lot of challenges in her job, but deep down she loved it. As tough and high-stress as it was, she was surrounded by exceptionally smart people who were all extremely hardworking. She’d learned more working at SmartTech than she thought she could. Not only about sales but about teamwork and friendship as well as business. There was something magical about being in a room with so much talent, soaking it all up and finding a way to hold your own and be respected among such high-caliber people. The sense of validation was indescribable. She’d found something in SmartTech she hadn’t even realized she’d been looking for. She hadn’t known how much her job meant to her until she was so close to losing it.
The ring of the phone on Abby Maria’s desk jolted her out of her self-reflection. Steve’s assistant gave her a slight nod, indicating she should go back inside. Her look of pity was obvious. Seemed like Cameron wasn’t the only one who thought this might be her last day at SmartTech.
Walking back into the office, she saw her fate clearly. Steve was seated at his large wooden desk but not facing her. His fingers steepled near his face, his attention was directed out the windows overlooking the lobby of the SmartTech complex. He could see all the SmartTech buildings from his office. King over all he surveyed. How had she never noticed how narcissistic that was until this moment? The lawyer was seated at the conference table to the side, also taking care not to look her in the eye. The only person to meet her gaze was Sandy, the HR rep. And it was never good to have the attention of HR.
“Please sit, Ms. Caldwell,” Sandy said from her position leaning against the front of Steve's desk, putting herself uncomfortably close to the chair she gestured for Cameron to use. Sandy waited for her to sit before she continued. “Steve, Chris, and I have just been discussing the events of the past few days. There are some things we need you to clear up for us.” She paused in her speech, waiting for some sort of response so Cameron gave her a nod. “Did you ask Casey Keane to examine an HTH you received from one of your customers on Monday?”
“Yes,” she answered hesitantly.
“You are aware of SmartTech’s policy on not troubleshooting or offering tech support for third-party devices, correct?”
“Yes.” This was not the direction she thought they’d be going. She thought they’d focus on Casey’s death or the possible liability concerns for the company if their connection to all this got out. Why were they asking questions about tech support?
“You knowingly violated company policy. You used company resources for your own purposes. Effective immediately, you’re suspended without pay.”
Cameron felt her stomach drop. It was over. She finally got their line of questioning. They probably hadn’t had time to investigate or examine any of the legal repercussions that might arise from either Casey’s or Matt Rodriguez’s cases. They probably also figured that she hadn’t legally done anything wrong. But they wanted her out, and this was the way they could do it. She imagined her suspension would peter on for a while until they got around to firing her. Or until she got desperate for money and quit. That was the more likely option. Living in New York wasn’t cheap, and she couldn’t get by for long without getting paid. She had maybe three months of expenses in savings, but it would go quickly.
At that moment, she felt the loss in her entire body. Her heart hurt and her body got hot. All that work, five years at SmartTech, the move to NYC, the camaraderie of her team. All of it was just gone. No more Friday therapy calls with Bill and Phil. She wouldn’t have stories to contribute now. And what about her clients? She loved working with them, even the crazy ones like Barry. It was all just over. The worst part was, no matter how she tried to justify what happened, it was unmistakably her fault. She’d made the decisions that led her here and had no one to blame but herself.
She must have been sitting in that dreadful silence for too long because Sandy broke the quiet with a terse “You can go now.”
It was enough to shock her out of her self-deprecating thoughts and get her moving to the door. She had just reached for the handle when she heard Steve's harsh “Wait.”
“Steve—” Chris tried to interject to silence whatever was coming, but he was stopped from continuing with a sharp hand movement.
“You went rogue. You violated company policy, and you dragged one of our best people into your crap with you. The repercussions of this will be enormous. I just want you to know, whatever is said here, whatever happens, I hold you personally responsible for all of it.”
With that parting shot, Steve killed her career with the same efficiency he ran his business.
Cameron made a vow to herself. She may have brought Casey into this, but she wouldn’t give up until it was finished and the person responsible for his death was punished.
Chapter Twenty-six
Just a sa
lesgirl
Bright and early Wednesday morning, Will, Alan, Captain Lovett, and ADA Goodrich were back in the conference room, updating their board and discussing the case. The captain was pleased with their progress. They finally had a direction to take the investigation. The ADA had joined them, as Kim wanted to be present during the interrogations. She was concerned regarding the admissibility of the technical evidence and wanted to be on hand to make sure the investigation was all done by the book. She wasn’t hiding her irritation at the suggestion of Cameron Caldwell’s continuing association with the case, a sentiment Alan seemed to share.
“Doug and the tech team were able to confirm Ms. Caldwell’s story regarding the HTH and the chip she found. It is a transmitter. It records and sends every bit of data connected to the network,” Alan reported. “No audio capabilities when it’s not connected to the HomeTech Hub, so at least they don’t have to worry what they say around it. They’re unable to determine where the data is being sent except it’s to a cloud account of some sort. They tell me trace is next to impossible, but they’ll keep trying.”
“Was it able to transmit last night?” the captain questioned.
“It was, so we can assume whoever controls this thing now knows we have it.”
“We can’t use it,” Kim broke in. “There’s no chain of custody. We can’t prove where it came from or apparently who it belongs to. We only have the girl’s word that it was found in Mr. Minsky’s home.”
Will felt a sense of agitation at her words. The girl. Typical Kim, passive-aggressively undermining Cameron even though she wasn’t present. Her negativity wasn’t helpful. “That may be true, but at least we have a new line of questioning to pursue. We have Mr. Minsky coming in today. We’ll know then if he was aware of the device and if he has any suspicion as to who would’ve planted it.”
“Good,” said the captain. “Maybe he can point us in a new direction. Have we narrowed down the suspect pool at all?”