Falafel Jones - Max Fried 01 - Life's a Beach Then You Die

by Falafel Jones

  He held the device so I could see where he was pointing. “Then you move the finder around until you’ve covered the entire room. It’s got a range of about 25 feet so you don’t have to move too much. If the finder finds something, one of these lights here on the top start flashing. This’ll scan as high as 8 GHz so you’ll be able to find the latest breed of bugs. It’s $279.95. It’s no spectrum analyzer but then this gadget’s about eight thousand dollars cheaper. Oh, and it will also detect an Infinity Device.”

  I looked at the device. I looked at the man. I looked at the device.

  “You’re skeptical,” he said.

  “How does it distinguish from equipment that’s supposed to be there?”

  “Depends. Some household appliances like microwaves and telephones will transmit frequencies this finder can detect. That’s where you come in. You’ve got to use common sense, move things around, turn things off and on. In-vest-igate. You know, sometimes folks will intentionally use a bug that transmits on a common frequency to try to hide the signal. Of course, they run a risk of the signal being drowned out by someone making popcorn, but life is full of choices.”

  I looked at the man. I looked at the device. I looked at the man. I nodded.

  “You’ll take it?”

  “Yes.” I handed over my VISA debit card. He put the device back in its box and put the box in a yellow plastic bag. The bag bore a smiley face and the advice to “Have a nice day!”

  He rang up the sale and gave me a receipt to sign. I signed it and we swapped my signed receipt for my customer copy. I put my card away and he handed me the bag with his left hand while he reached up with his right to shake my hand.

  “Mr. Steed, it’s been a pleasure doing business with you. My name is Sid Speichek. Please come by again.”

  I started to correct him about my name when I realized why he called his business the Spy Shack. Mentally shaking my head, I smiled and left. Maybe he’ll debit Mr. Steeds’ account instead.

  CHAPTER TEN

  I got into my car and drove back to New Smyrna Beach. The ride went quickly. Trips home always seem to be faster than trips to new places. I parked in the lot at Bobbi and Jack’s and went inside.

  I didn’t see Ed so I called him on his cell, said I was back and climbed onto a bar stool. The band wasn’t there today but great blues recordings came over the sound system. The current song sounded like an old recording of a young B. B. King.

  Jack walked over with a chilled mug in his hand. It’s never too early for a cool beer on a sunny day. He looks like he’s really casual and laid back, but don’t be a rude drunk in his bar or you’ll see a very different man. He put it down in front of me, showed me that pleasant expression he wears and said, “AmberBock draught. How are you doing today?”

  “You ask everybody that.”

  He laughed. “It’s an old customer service trick. When you say that to someone who’s been here before, they think you remember them and you’re asking how they’re doing compared to last time they were here. If they’ve never been here before, they think you’re just being friendly. It beats trying to remember everyone you serve.”

  He raised his eyebrow at me, wiped the counter where the chilled mug made it wet, and went to serve another customer. I sat there for a while watching the action in the bar and on the beach. The weather was beautiful. Again. The air temperature was about 79 degrees. The sky was blue, clear and cloudless. The ocean looked inviting but I knew this time of year, it was a too cool to most locals for swimming and guessed the few folks playing in the surf were tourists. It looked like another day in Paradise. I had difficulty reconciling this idyllic scene with the reality of Ray’s murder, the break-in and Mariel’s self-exile.

  I was finishing my drink when I saw Ed through the glass door. He was getting out of a small white convertible in the parking lot. The driver was a slim, pretty brunette. Young, she wore a tan baseball cap with her hair in a ponytail pulled through the opening in the back. Ed walked around to the driver’s side and the brunette reached up, hugged him around the neck, pulled him down and kissed him. Ed straightened up and the brunette drove out of the lot.

  Ed entered the bar and stopped in the doorway when he saw me. I placed a few bills on the counter, motioned to him and went out to the patio. I walked through the patio and down the beach near the surf. The sound of the waves would make it tough for anyone who might try to listen in. Ed followed.

  He caught up and we walked south on the beach. I watched the waves while Ed watched the bikinis. “Ed, before we get to the main event, I need to talk to you about something.”

  “Yes?”

  I got as far as “I found some…” before Ed’s cell phone rang.

  He held up one hand palm first towards me “Er, excuse me, please,” looked at his phone, opened it and said, “Hi…”

  “Uh, huh…”

  “Yeah, it was fun. Yup, just like old times.” Ed smiled. “Look, I’m with a client now. How bout I call you when I’m done…?”

  “Let’s think about it for a while first…”

  “I may have another idea. We can talk later…”

  “OK. I’ll call in a bit, bye.”

  Ed closed his phone and put it back in his pocket, “I’m sorry. My ex is in town from New York. We spent the morning on the boat with our daughter. Just like old times.”

  “Sounds nice, she staying long?”

  “Well, that’s the question. Sheila left her job at the firm in New York. Now, she’s staying with our daughter Brenda who only has a one bedroom. Sheila’s stuck on the couch and she wants to use the apartment next to my office. She doesn’t want to stay at Brenda’s, says it’s not right to cramp her style.”

  “Sure, what mother would want to get in the way of her daughter’s social life?”

  “No. Brenda is getting in Sheila’s way. That’s why she wants the empty apartment.”

  “Oh, and you think it may be too close?”

  “Maybe…I thought so at first, but the other day on the boat…it was so nice being a family again, the three of us. I was actually thinking of maybe inviting her to stay at my place…”

  “You mean she’s thinking of staying down here?”

  “Yeah, she’s left the job for good this time, due to the sexual harassment.”

  “That’s not right. Can’t you represent her and get them to stop.”

  Ed stared at me for a moment. “No, you’ve got it wrong. First, she’s an attorney. A good one. She can represent herself. Second, she’s the one who’s been charged with harassment, again. This time, some guy in the mailroom.”

  Things began to become clear, even to me, “Was she the one at the bar when we met?”

  “Yeah. How did you know that? Never mind. I’m sorry, Max, you were trying to tell me something…”

  “I found some things on Ray’s disk… he may have been involved in some things that weren’t kosher.”

  “What do you mean?” Ed’s eyes started following the path of a young woman in a neon pink bikini.

  “I found some emails on Ray’s disk he sent to a competitor, Ben Horton at PC Gadgets. They contained photos embedded with trade secrets from Ray’s employer A. V. Designs. Each day after sending the emails, there were large sums of money deposited into one of Ray’s accounts.”

  “Jesus!” Ed stopped walking. I could tell how upset he was because he also stopped looking at the woman in the bikini.

  “Somebody must have stolen Ray’s computer because they knew information on it could hurt them. So, the Police know a murder and a theft took place, but don’t know the motivation may have been to cover up a crime in which your client was involved.” I started walking again.

  Ed nodded his understanding and began to trail me. “Oh, so that’s why you asked Kathleen about Horton. Look. We’ve got a bit of a problem here. We’ve got to cooperate with the police… especially on Ray’s murder, but I certainly can’t turn in a client, even a dead one or work against the interests o
f his estate.”

  We walked a bit in silence and I watched Ed chew his bottom lip. Finally, he said, “I think we’re done, Max. I don’t want to muddy Ray’s memory any more than you have, and I expect you to keep quiet about this. We both have to respect confidentiality rules.” Ed paused for a moment and then said, “I’m also not keen on you having questioned Kathleen like you did. Give me a bill for replacement of the stolen equipment you lost. Add up your billable hours and we’ll call it a day.” He stopped walking and turned to face me.

  “What about the police?”

  “They’re going to want a killer more than a thief and they cut deals for live crooks all of the time. I should be able to cut one for a dead man’s estate. I’ll give them what you’ve found so far in exchange to leaving Kathleen’s money alone.”

  “I’d like to be able to just walk away too. Some of my information was obtained in a way that isn’t exactly admissible. I’d like to just ignore this and hope it goes away but I’m not so sure we can.”

  “What do you mean, ‘isn’t exactly admissible?’”

  I ignored the question. I wasn’t about to reveal I illegally read Ben Horton’s emails. “Well, let’s think this through. First, someone may have bugged your office. Second, not only did the thieves take the computers from my office where they were in plain sight, but they also tossed the place. Why would they do that if what they wanted was in plain sight?”

  Either there were no more bikinis in sight or my question just captured Ed’s attention. I hoped for the latter and pressed on.

  “They must have been looking for something else. Something they think you might know about or something I might have. It would have had to be something in Ray’s possession. If there’s something out there they still want and they think we can lead them to it, they’re not going to just leave us alone. If someone already killed Ray for it, we could be at risk and the police aren’t going to guard us twenty-four seven.”

  Ed nodded and I thought I was starting to get through to him, “Hmmm”.

  “There’s also the proximity of Ray’s accident to PC Gadgets. The crash took place right near Horton’s office but all of his payoffs were wire transfers. Up to this point, Ray and Horton did all of their business without meeting. Why go there now? The only thing that makes sense is Ray going there to drop this thing off. We need to figure out if he did and we need to figure out what it is.”

  I knew Ed was starting to catch on when he said, “So, it would help to know if he died on his way to PC Gadgets or on his way back. If he died on his way there and he was dropping something off, he should have still had it. Likewise, if he died on his way back, he wouldn’t still have it. We need some more information.”

  “Exactly, do you have a copy of the police report from the accident?”

  “No, but I can get one.” Ed waved his hand dismissively.

  “Good, can you scan it and email it to me?”

  He shrugged. “FAX is about as high tech as I get.”

  “OK, FAX will be fine. Brenda dropped you off?”

  “How did you know?”

  “Detective school 101, the brunette in the car was young enough to be your daughter.”

  “So what? A lot of younger woman enjoy my company.”

  “I’m sure they do, and while this one may have grabbed you around the neck to kiss, you got it on the cheek.”

  “Hmmph.”

  “I’ve got my car. Let’s drive over to your place, go bug hunting and see what we find. We can talk afterwards about how to proceed. If we don’t see a bug, we can reevaluate, but if we find one…”

  Ed thought about it for a moment or two. “OK, fair enough.”

  On our way out, Ed stopped to chat with Jack and to bum a cigarette. I took the time to stop in the Men’s room. While I washed up, a tipsy, muscular guy with a shaved head and a USMC tattoo stood at a urinal and said to no one in particular, “There are no rules.”

  I was the only there and I can’t keep my mouth shut so I said, “Mmm, sounds like a rule to me.”

  The guy looks at me and said, “I never thought of that. You’re right. I’ve had this motto my entire life and you screwed it up in one second. Now, what do I do?”

  That’s me spreading cheer wherever I go.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  I joined Ed and Jack at the bar, and then Ed and I left for the parking lot. When Jack said goodbye, he smiled and I had a fleeting thought. I wondered if he really brought Ed and me together just to boost his bar business.

  I used my remote to unlock my car. I knew it was a safe area, but I’m one of those folks who lock their cars. Even when it’s inside of my locked garage, I lock my car. Years of going to school and working in New York City caused me to develop some particular habits. If I had to work hard to buy that car, so should someone who steals it.

  Ed got into the passenger seat and asked, “So, how are we going to do this?”

  “Well, I’m going to park in front of your place and we’re going in your side door, the one that leads directly into your office. We’re not going to talk. You unlock the door, go straight to the stereo, and put on a CD. After you’ve done that, I’m going to do a bug sweep.”

  He looked at me sideways, “Why am I putting on the CD?”

  “Two reasons, one is we want it loud enough to mask any noise we might make looking for the bug. The other is the bug may be voice activated.”

  “Why does it matter if it’s voice activated?”

  “The detector works by sensing radio transmissions. If the bug is voice activated and the room is quiet, the bug won’t be transmitting and we won’t be able to find it. Playing music should activate it so it transmits.”

  “I see. So by using a voice activated bug, listeners can minimize detection.”

  “To some extent, but voice activation also extends battery life and makes it easier to review surveillance recordings.”

  We pulled up in front of Ed’s office. I stopped the car, pocketed my car keys and reached into my camera bag. “Here, take this. If we find a bug, shoot it.”

  Out of the corner of my vision, I saw Ed tense when I said that. I glanced up at his face and he looked shocked. I pulled my hand out of my bag holding my digital camera and he relaxed. “Uh, I thought you had er, I thought you meant…never mind.”

  I laughed. “No. Ed. I don’t even own a gun.”

  He took the camera, stared at it and then looked at me with a blank expression.

  “Do you know how to use it?”

  “Umm, yeah, turn it on, where? Here?” He pressed a button and the telescoping camera lens whirred to life. “Point and then press this button on the top. Right?”

  Ed’s head shot back as the camera went off and the flash filled the car. “Oops.”

  “Exactly.”

  I reached around to the back seat and got out the bug detector. I checked the battery, put on the headphones, and switched on the detector. If it detected a radio signal within 25 feet, a light would flash and a beep would sound in the headphones. The closer I got to the source of the signal, the faster the light would flash and the faster the sound would beep. The beep would also get louder as I got closer.

  If there were more than one radio signal, the detector would respond to the strongest one. I would have to sweep the entire area carefully or a more powerful signal could drown a weaker one. This could be a problem, as a typical house would have all sorts of normal radio signals. Microwaves, cordless telephones, wireless computer equipment, remote control lights and fans all transmitted on frequencies a bug could use.

  Plus, there were the inadvertent radio transmissions that came from malfunctioning or poorly designed household equipment like cable TV boxes, VCRs and appliance motors. Hell, even the mini-fridge behind Ed’s desk could produce a radio signal when it kicks on. I wasn’t optimistic. I turned to Ed, smiled with false confidence and said, “OK, let’s go.”

  We walked up the path to the house. Ed opened the side door with his
key and went directly to the stereo on the bookcase. He pressed some buttons and the CD left in the player started to play. It was a bright sounding classical piece featuring violins. I wasn’t a whiz on classical music, but I thought it might have been Vivaldi. It played at a good volume and filled the room so I expected it would easily trigger any voice-activated equipment. The problem was some of the high notes the violins played sounded a lot like the high-pitched beep of the detector. More than once, when I thought I heard a beep, I looked down but saw no flashing light to indicate the device had detected a signal.

  I was in front of Ed’s desk, by the client chairs when I thought I heard another beep. This time, when I looked down, I saw a flashing light. I stopped and slowly rotated my hips from left to right. When I went to the left, towards the client chairs and the bookcase behind them, the light and the beep stopped. When I rotated to my right, towards Ed’s desk, the light flashed faster and the device beeped louder. As I turned to face Ed’s desk, it became obvious there was a radio signal coming from under the pile of paper.

  I looked up at Ed and saw he was watching the flashing light on the bug detector. I could see he got it. He could tell we found a bug hidden under the papers. He also seemed to realize one other important thing. He was going to have to do one of the things I guessed he probably dreaded most. He was going to have to clear off his desk and worse, he was going to have to do it quietly without complaining.

  As Ed moved papers from the desk to the floor, I used the time to sweep the rest of the office. Just because I found one device, it didn’t mean there weren’t others. During the few minutes it took to check the rest of the room, Ed cleared the desk of everything except for the telephone and the answering machine. After carefully moving the phone to one side of the desk and the answering machine to the other, I waved the detector over each one, monitoring the beeps and flashes. They were stronger over the answering machine.