“Exactly. You’ve got a good handle on this.” Reinhardt smiled like he was congratulating a toddler for putting a square block in the right hole of his toy. “We wanted a way to immediately dissolve the chip and destroy the nanos—just in case.”
“What happened with the wolves I brought you?”
“Not sure just yet. Those chips contained enough material to create a significant change in behavior. We were also testing visual receptiveness. It might be that their higher temperatures facilitated degradation. They might have dissolved a lot quicker. We don’t know.”
“What about the drones sending their signals?”
“Some hunters used them for target practice soon after the animals’ release.”
“And people call me a hick.”
Only once, I’m sure.
“What about the human trials?” Morfran surfed over Reinhardt’s shoulder when the screen revealed a unique map of Portland.
“Here’s what we have so far. The grid is still spotty. The pushers we’ve chipped are giving us decent feedback, but the second team of installers are a bit behind schedule with getting the net in place. They just moved north on Canal Street.”
“We need to step things up. I’ll get another team in place after a quick chat to motivate the second group. Also, I’m gonna bring you some official guinea pigs.”
“Ah, we don’t have a handle on long-term effects just yet.”
“Consider them practice, then. As far as our mysterious Mindy, she knew about the basement, so either the feds or local PD have drawn a bead on us. The fact they haven’t already descended leads me to suspect they didn’t get into the computers. You are sure of that, yes?”
“Absolutely! There is no malware on either drive. Everything’s been double checked.”
Morfran grunted. “Either way, we need access to both the feds and local PD. I’ll bring you appropriate candidates.”
“Good. We’ll be ready.”
“Since neither Mindy nor Lucas McAllister have surfaced, I’ll find someone who knows them and can direct their movements.”
“You nailed the wrong cop?”
“Calculated risk. I figured the incident would keep the entire department out of our hair long enough to set things up. It seems McAllister stepped out of the airport and disappeared. I didn’t realize it at first, but his initials are DVM.”
“Oh! He received the package from Delaware? That’s one hell of a coincidence, don’t you think?”
“No. I don’t believe in chance. This is a convoluted mess.”
Chapter Nineteen
“Damn it.” Twilight dusted the deer trail with heavier shadows the deeper Luc and Megan hiked. Clumsiness had never been an issue before his injury. He paused to rub his thigh, wondering what portion of pain was derived from cold and how much would be permanent.
He didn’t glance over his shoulder for fear of seeing pity in her gaze. His leg had borne the mountain’s descent yet now rebelled with cramps. “I hear running water ahead. Looks like we’re gonna turn south.” The geographical map on their phones showed heavily timbered land bordered two sides of Reinhardt’s property with the bulk of pastoral land to the north and west.
The familiar pre-mission adrenaline surge heightened his senses. On any other day, he’d prefer the crisp scent of pine needles and moldy aroma of leaf litter over alleys filled with human detritus. Now, he had a partner who was neither trained nor prepared for the job.
Occasional feminine whispers from behind reminded him the night’s objective was anything but normal, and that they would cross many legal lines.
To save lives.
“The good news is that I don’t think anything’s traveled this path in a while. From reading Lexi’s filched records, Reinhardt doesn’t strike me as the outdoorsy type,” Luc offered as a soothing balm.
“What if he has a live-in companion?” Megan’s voice held a slight uncertainty.
“We know he’s not married and earlier, Caden’s drone confirmed there were no other vehicles present and none arrived during the day. That’s the best we can do. It’s all right if you’d rather wait until I’ve gone in—”
“No, not at all. I’ve gotten pretty good at winging it.”
“Plus, you don’t hesitate to shoot. You shot me without blinking an eye.” Lucas understood nervousness converted Megan’s excess energy into chatter. A skilled investigator, she was not.
“I thought you were going to kill me.”
“I had no intention of hurting you. But this dumb shit’s gonna do a lot worse to a lot of people unless we stop him.”
“Jesus. I thought of evil geniuses as a cliché found in novels.” Megan snorted before continuing her sarcastic vein. “I’ve always wanted to scrape someone’s sinuses to make them think I’ve implanted a chip in their brain.”
Lucas mentally visualized Megan pursing her lips and wrinkling her nose during the procedure. They still had a good distance to travel, yet he needed to relieve her anxiety and give her something different to think about.
He grimaced at aiming for one of her sore spots. “Do you think he’s chipped any more wolves? Maybe they’re protecting his property?” He stopped short and braced for impact.
“No. He—Oomph.” A decidedly unfeminine grunt filled the air after collision. “From what I understand, there’s no way to micromanage their physical movements. What’s up?”
A slow pivot and relieving her of the medical bag allowed time for confusion to build. He wanted her off balance—for the moment.
“What?” An insidious alarm crept into her voice.
Filtered light, which had guided their steps through the woods, now created a bizarre patchwork quilt of shadows across her face.
Though not visible now, he remembered the small golden flecks dappling warm chocolate irises just as a sprinkling of freckles splashed across the bridge of her nose. The details before their first kiss remained strong in his mind.
For the night’s mission, she’d tucked her long braid under her jacket. He’d itched to comb his fingers through their rich depths while she’d slept cuddled against him earlier, but the likelihood of not being able to stop preserved his run of abstinence.
No preamble, no warning, no time for her to change her mind. He framed her face with his palms and lowered his head. The first kiss paralleled a slice of heaven while the returned fervor of her response set him on fire. The taste of her provided the impetus to prolong the moment, despite having achieved his objective.
A low groan mumbled against his lips drew the seconds out until they both stood breathless. Inching back, he caught the gleam in her eyes that declared the nonverbal conversation unfinished. The lightest of touches guided her fingers twining in the fine hairs at his neck before she pressed her body closer.
He couldn’t deny them both what they needed. “Hmm, you know this isn’t the time.”
“You shouldn’t have started something you didn’t intend to finish. And you did start it, chief. I’m just tagging along for the ride.”
“Oh, we’re going to finish. But not here, not now.” The ride jumped forefront in his thoughts if not his initial intention. Redirecting her to the strategy ahead would help her find balance between her painful past and possible horrors ahead. “You sure you can fake it? Make him think you’ve implanted him with his own microscopic barbarians?”
“Yeah, I can fake the procedure, but depending on their accounting system, he might suspect we don’t have the actual nanos or chip.”
“As long as he doesn’t know for sure, and you can reference Jackie’s sending you the initial package, we can keep him off balance enough to extract his plan.”
“I wanna know if they’ve done anything to Kilregard, and where he secured the chip stolen from Jackie’s package.”
Lucas stepped away and retrieved her bag after adjusting his backpack. Evening winged songsters and the furtive scurrying of squirrels flitting over leaf beds filled their subsequent travel, allowing each
to their own thoughts.
From the wood’s edge, a hundred yards of shadowed pasture proclaimed a calm eeriness that eclipsed the softer hues of sunset, while the barn’s silhouette lay bold against a low rise. Beyond that, Reinhardt’s home stood sentinel on a broad knoll. The binoculars retrieved from Luc’s pack allowed him to view the CEO’s grounds. “No sign of dogs or security lights along the outside.”
“Odd. Guess he’s so arrogant he doesn’t think he can be touched.” Megan’s soft touch on his back reminded him once again, clandestine operations were not her forte. A slight trembling in her fingers reminded him to take a minute and go over their plan.
“I’ll bet Reinhardt has a lab in his barn. It’s not like there’re crops in the fields or any animals grazing. Why have all the space?” Megan’s whispered words advanced a new layer of malevolent possibilities into an already surreal scheme.
“Who can guess the reasoning behind a megalomaniac’s decisions? At least we don’t have to dodge cow pies.”
Lucas wrapped his arm around her waist to pull her close. Her slight tremble could’ve originated from either of several sources. “Follow my lead and don’t stray. All right?”
“Got it.”
Once they left the tree line, they’d be exposed and vulnerable for a good distance. Each heartbeat could be their last. He’d faced similar circumstances but understood Megan was neither experienced nor cut out for such clandestine exercises.
The visible side of the barn contained two Dutch doors, neither oozing telltale beams of visible energy. On the gable end, double sliding doors remained sealed against prying eyes. No stray shafts of luminescence seeped through the weathered plank boards. According to the building permits issued, the barn’s construction had been approved eleven months prior. Why would he have such a large structure if he doesn’t keep any livestock or farm equipment? The thought of the slick executive donning coveralls and bumping along on a tractor proved his sense of humor hadn’t suffered.
A split rail fence enclosed an acre of ground behind the outbuilding and joined the structure on either shorter end. Once at the barn’s corner, he paused to gauge the advancing darkness. A well-manicured lawn led the way to the glass-and-stone, one-story home with a wing set back on either side of the main structure. The brick and wood extensions appeared as a deranged architect’s experiment in new mediums and architectural style. The two additions jutted north on either end to form a horseshoe-shaped courtyard. No lights betrayed the owner’s presence.
“Hold tight right here, Megan. I want to check out this barn.” Whispered words he hoped she’d obey.
Luc crept to the front where three windows reflected the sun’s last ambient light. Thanks to Lexi’s hacking, he knew the alarm company securing the main house didn’t include the barn in their system. On the other hand, if Reinhardt carried out any experiments there, he might employ a different strategy.
Regardless, he wanted his hands on the man in charge.
The perimeter check yielded no telltale sign of life, human or otherwise. No fresh tracks meant the building wasn’t currently in use. By the time he’d circled around, Megan was shifting her weight from foot to foot. She jumped with the distant scream of a fox.
“Are we good to go?” She murmured.
Again, he leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “Barn’s dark. Let’s head for the house. Lexi’s intercepted the alarm so we can go in the west wing.” He’d come prepared with tools in his backpack. “He’s in his bedroom on the other wing. This should be a breeze.”
With anger and guilt chewing at Megan’s spirit, Luc knew she could accomplish the night’s task, but at what cost to her soul?
Chapter Twenty
“Detective McAllister? My office please.”
Matt unclipped Damien’s leash to give him free rein in the squad room. After an exhausting morning spent hoofing it back to his truck then working with Lexi to decipher Reinhardt’s latest digital files, the logistics of their fluid plan proved the equivalent of plugging the holes in a sieve.
Damien padded by his side then sat at his feet after Matt dropped into the indicated chair. The minor hesitation in his boss’ tone infused a niggling doubt that blossomed into full-blown alarm when the captain turned away from the window.
Silver railroad tracks indicating rank sat askew on a collar that had never before shown a wrinkle. Darkened pink to red discoloration under his right eye would turn blue and dark purple within twenty-four hours.
“You feeling all right, sir?” Suspicion raised the hair on his neck. He knew ClickChip’s thugs would take a bead on them in some fashion yet didn’t expect the current scenario.
“Yeah, yeah. Just caught a cold, it seems. Where’ve you been today? I got no answer from your cell.” The white handkerchief produced to gingerly dab at the captain’s nose came away spotted with blood.
“I worked with Damien over some rough terrain. Didn’t want him losing his edge.” Though reflection of his boss’ behavior over the prior nine years hadn’t ventured far into OCD territory, the ex-military man had never adopted a slovenly appearance. “Did you have a good weekend?”
“Hmm? Nice and quiet. Marci took the kids to visit her parents, which gave me time to catch up on my sleep. Two teenagers in the house can equate to a circus at times.” Multiple hard-candy wrappers robbed the desk of its usual pristine surface.
“I’ve never been married, but I’ve heard enough horror stories to avoid that particular entanglement.” Damien’s whine brought Matt’s hand to rub behind the dog’s ears.
“I’ve sent Billy to back up Ethan on a joint endeavor that I’d like you to follow also. Seems Ethan ran into a spot of trouble earlier. I thought at first it was related to our current drug war problem.” The captain retrieved another piece of hard candy from his desk. “A body turned up on Wooten Ave. Several members of a rival gang showed up and raised hell—then according to reports, just keeled over dead. This is too weird for my liking. I’m wondering if it’s a battle over a new drug.”
Acid rose in Matt’s throat. If the tech company’s assassin nabbed Kilregard coming out of the station, it seemed likely they’d either bury him deep or deliver his chopped bits to the sharks, unless used as a warning to the McAllisters. “Do they have IDs yet?”
“No. That’s another bizarre twist. The first body had all his fingers cut off and his jaw smashed, post mortem. Until now, each faction of the drug war has advertised their kill in a public manner. Either way, your brothers are gonna need a hand.”
“You’re sending three detectives, each from a different discipline?” Something screamed off in a big way. Sifting through his most recently acquired knowledge, Matt studied the captain closely.
In addition to his offbeat appearance, he unwrapped another sweet and left the crumpled paper on his desk before continuing. “I received a visit from the feds this morning. They asked specific questions concerning electrical work being done around the city. Any ideas on that?”
“No. No sir. But I can check with utilities and search their work orders. It would help to know what I’m searching for.”
“I don’t know, and I don’t want to tip their hands, the sneaky bastards. I was thinking about something a little subtler, as in circumventing the red tape.”
The veiled reference to Lexi sent up red flags. The word circumventing had never appeared in the captain’s vocabulary. “If you’re referring to my brother’s girlfriend, she doesn’t hack records, won’t touch anything illegal.” Liar!
“Of course not. My indication was to the public searches since she’s so adept at finding things. The feds also inquired about a local and upcoming company, ClickChip.” Rubbing his forehead, his boss closed his eyes and lightly touched the bridge of his nose. “Damn sinus infection.”
“Ah, they were in the news a few days ago. They’re the ones offering employees implanted microchips to access company computers, vending machines, even their buildings.”
“Yes, yes. It a
ll added up to a very strange conversation. Unusual since they generally come on like a freight train.”
“I’ll check it out and get back to you, Captain.”
“I always pegged you two as the type to play with corpses, but this is a bit much.” Matt nodded to the two bodies as he crouched beside Ethan. The first man had fallen in the ditch, face up with his legs twisted at an odd angle, his legs submerged in water. A crimson circle stained his chest, the dried rivulet extending down the flank to color the drainage runoff.
“What the hell happened to you? Lexi finally decide to give you some natural color?” The beginning of a bruise under his brother’s left eye added a sinister aspect to a brooding face. “You look a little worse for wear. Any balance issues?” The thought of his kid brother strapped to a table for experimental surgery skimmed Matt’s body in a cold sweat. They’d been out of touch for hours.
“He’s been steady on his feet.” Billy, crouched on the other side of the dead body, bore no hint of his usual humor.
Foul odor clung to the corpses. Two pair of sightless eyes stared into another realm where earthly concerns no longer mattered. Each wore tailored clothes and gold neck chains along with bilateral bruises under their eyes, reminiscent of a raccoon.
Just like Ethan’s bruise, only his is one-sided.
“Nah. After the coroner left with the first victim, these crazed lunatics decided I needed some organic makeup. I shot the first asshole carrying a knife. The second prick was unarmed but managed to ring my bell. When I’d gathered my wits, he just dropped. Strangest damn thing I’ve ever seen. Happened so fast. It’s like they were supercharged on steroids, then somebody flipped a switch and the second one just—dropped.”
“Any IDs on the nutjobs?” Matt asked.
“Yep. They’re both bag whores. Each has a long sheet for dealing drugs, and both were carrying some product.”
Matt looked to Billy for confirmation. They were supposed to have watched each other’s backs. “Why would someone go to the trouble of dumping a body at the edge of the park? Why not in a deserted alley or bury it? This situation isn’t half-assed. It’s a setup.”
McAllister Justice Series Box Set Volume Two Page 16