by R E Gauthier
Nikki’s eyes widened. “Yes, it was just last month, here in the UK.”
Aisling nodded. “He’s been actively killing people without reprisal; no one can find him, and with him still out there, Mom and I are not safe.”
***
Aisling’s Office May 17, 2012
Kelsey came up with a brilliant plan to flush out the Ghost, whereby Aisling contacted Interpol to do the transfer of the files. The only thing standing in their way of implementing this plan was the fact they didn’t have the files. Nikki assured her that she could track Aisling’s dad’s movements. She told Kelsey that she needed a secure server, and a day to narrow down their search for the files. Aisling wasn’t so sure anyone would be able to find the data; her father had covered his tracks well. Kelsey never wanted to underestimate her best friend’s computer skills, so she gave Nikki the go-ahead to do what she needed. She believed that the chatter generated by Nikki’s search would help to flush out people, who then could alert the Ghost, that his time of anonymity would soon be over.
“I’m still not sure who’s been feeding me the information I found on Marcel LaMontagne and…” Nikki let the rest trail off as her fingers flew over the keyboard. “I wish I could reach Mouse, or I mean Willow, she could help me with this.”
Kelsey knew her best friend still worried about her friend. From Aisling’s faraway look, she also could tell her cousin worried about the feelings Nikki still had for the woman. Then there was the fact Nikki started to mention Marina Carlotti but stopped. That was one piece of business they left unsaid. Kelsey was sure Aisling knew Kelsey had asked Nikki to look into her Ex-girlfriend.
Given that Aisling and Nikki were now involved, that could make that conversation awkward. Kelsey decided to let it remain unsaid a little while longer. “When was the last time you tried to call her?”
“I tried this morning. I’ve been on the lookout for police reports of a Jane Doe’s death in and around Pittsburgh. Looked for any chatter on the NSA or CIA servers about anything that may relate to why she went missing.”
Aisling sighed deeply. “You don’t have to pretend I’m in the dark here. I know you asked Nikki to look into Marina. What does she have to do with this LaMontagne guy?”
Kelsey saw the shock on Nikki’s face, but she shouldn’t be that surprised. It wasn’t comfortable being around Aisling’s gift, and keep secrets, especially given the fact the two women were intimate with one another. She expected more of a fight, but since Nikki came into her cousin’s life, Aisling was much more amiable. Aisling’s temper rarely flared, nor did she seem as afraid of Marina as she once acted, when Kelsey mentioned the woman’s name. Kelsey answered for Nikki. “Nikki wasn’t able to find much, and the documents were lost.”
Aisling repeated the question.
Nikki turned to look Aisling in the eyes. “Mack’s right, except for the part about the documents being lost. I took photos of them with my phone. I wasn’t able to find a connection between Marina and this LaMontagne fellow except that they may have both lived in Italy, although I wasn’t able to determine if they did at the same time. Both also had some interest in the Middle East.” Nikki handed Aisling her phone. “This is what they gave me on Marcel LaMontagne and Marina.”
Aisling shook her head. “I’m not surprised you have so little on Marina, I often wondered whether she used her real name. I had reason to believe she had many aliases over the years.”
Seeing how easy this conversation flowed, Kelsey decided to ask a few questions. “I know you were upset that I talked to your mother about Marina, but she did mention that Marina came to the UK with her father; did you ever meet her father?”
Aisling’s eyes grew large. “You lied when you said you heard her name around the house. What else did you lie about?”
Kelsey’s back stiffened. “I didn’t want to get your mother in any trouble. I heard you stop yourself from saying her name, but remember, I’m able to sense your thoughts. You may not have said her name out loud, but you did in your mind.”
Aisling’s nostrils flared slightly, before she smiled, sarcastically. “This game of ours was fun as kids, but it’s intrusive, and rude when you do it now.”
Ducking her head, Kelsey said, “I’ve not been doing it since you opened up. I couldn’t help myself when you were still keeping so much from me. The only time your thoughts spilled into my mind was when you were tired, or really happy. The blocking incantation is helping more, now.”
Nikki snickered.
Kelsey looked at her best friend, but Nikki had her back to them. She sat, looking at something on the computer monitor. Not having any back-up, Kelsey decided to motor forth. “This is an important question; did you ever meet Marina’s father?”
Aisling pursed her lips before answering, “she mentioned him to me a few times, but we never met him.”
Nikki piped up. “Do you recall what she said about him. Maybe the connection between the Ghost, Marcel LaMontagne, and Marina is Marina’s father. That’s one avenue I didn’t pursue fully. Marco Carlotti was born in Italy to an Italian father and Syrian mother. LaMontagne had real estate in Syria. The Ghost committed six murders in Syria during his career. One theory I did have was that Marcel LaMontagne helped hide The Ghost, could Marina’s father also be a person of interest?”
Aisling stood and walked to her desk. Rifling through it, she pulled out a photograph and handed it to Kelsey.
Kelsey walked forward and took the photo and silently inquired about it.
Aisling said, “that’s a photograph of Marina and her father. It’s one of the only things she left behind.”
“That’s still creepy when you two have silent conversations with each other,” Nikki spoke over her shoulder.
Kelsey handed the photograph to Nikki. “Is there any way you can search for this man in known CCTV footage?”
Nikki took the photo, looking at it briefly. “I could try, but it won’t be like at home where I have all my facial recognition software. I may be able to use the Interpol server to gain access to their software. Give me some time to see what I can do.”
Kelsey turned to Aisling. “We might as well leave her alone. There won’t be much use of us sticking around while she works. Her mind won’t be on anything, but the job in front of her. Why don’t we go get some exercise in, and see if something will percolate out of your head?”
Aisling chuckled. “Is that how you do your best work?”
Kelsey nodded.
Aisling stopped to ask Nikki, “do you want us to get some lunch or anything from the kitchen on our way back?”
Nikki remained focused on the monitor and didn’t answer Aisling’s question.
“I told you,” Kelsey said while leading the way out of Aisling’s office.
Aisling’s eyes widened. “Wow, her mind is filled with stuff I can’t even decipher.”
Kelsey giggled. “I don’t even try anymore.”
Chapter Forty-Five
MacKenzie Estate Gym, May 17, 2012
Aisling and Kelsey arrived at the gym and got to warming up, and sparring right away. Time had passed while ideas and theories bounced between the two women while they traded punches. Kelsey didn’t realize how long since they left Nikki, but when her stomach grumbled, she looked at the clock on the wall. “Holy shit, it’s nearly two o’clock. We’ve been in here for nearly three hours.”
Aisling lowered her hands and stopped bouncing on her toes. “Really? It doesn’t feel like we’ve been here that long. I think we’ve been pretty productive, though.”
Kelsey had to agree. “Yeah, we’ll have a foolproof plan if Nikki can narrow down where we can look for your father’s hard drive.”
“Are you sure that the Eilean Donan is a good place to trap the Ghost?”
Kelsey had thought about it ever since they spent the afternoon in Gairloch. Edina, their cousin, mentioned it as one of the strongholds of the Clan Mackenzie. “What better place to make a stand, than where our ancesto
rs once stood. I’ve looked at the structures as well as aerial views of the place. It’s very defensible, with no easy access except across the bridge. We’ll set up a vantage point on the baston, overlooking the road, and have people stationed on every high place to keep watch for boats.”
“How do you suppose we can gain access to set and spring this trap of yours?”
“I’m going to leave that to you. You must have some clout with the government or Interpol to intervene for us. We’re also going to need as many men, and women, that Interpol can spare to give us the back-up we need. We can have Nikki get access to security cameras and CCTV’s inside and outside of the castle.”
“Don’t you think the Ghost will think it’s a trap?”
Kelsey thought about that likelihood but came to one conclusion. “From my analysis of his prior murders, he’s a narcissist, with a good helping of psychopathic tendencies. He won’t think anyone would dare set a trap; he can’t escape from.”
“Okay, I shouldn’t have any trouble getting the help we need to surround the place. The Ghost is Interpol’s most wanted fugitive. As for gaining access to having the place to ourselves, it may take some convincing, but I’ll sell your idea to them. They’ll bend over backward to bring this bastard to justice.”
Kelsey smiled. “Then all we need now is for Nikki to find the bait for the trap. After a shower, let’s say we go get some lunch and surprise her?”
“You don’t think she hasn’t already had something to eat. She must have got hungry and went in search of food before now.”
Kelsey chuckled. “You have a lot to learn about Nicole Hyland. You once called her a backwater IT student or something like that, but you couldn’t be further from the truth. She is relentless when she’s following a digital trail. Where many would give up, Nikki will ferret out the smallest clue and follow it back to the source. She won’t let up or give up until she’s located not only where your father hid the hard drive, but also what he had for lunch the day he hid it.”
Aisling raised one eyebrow. “I was naive and foolish. I regret being petty, but I was angry. It’s before I met her.”
Kelsey chuckled. “When the two of you met, you wanted to kill one another.”
Aisling smiled wistfully. “I can remember not…”
Kelsey cocked her head. “Not what?”
Aisling shook her head. “I can’t remember a time I didn’t love her; how is that possible?”
“I can’t explain it, any more than I can explain meeting Miranda, and falling in love with her. Nanna said she was my Anam Charaid.”
Nibbling on her lower lip, Aisling mumbled, “Nanna would always tell us that there was one person or Soulmate out there for us all. That when we met them, we’d know. Do you think Nikki could be my Soulmate or Anam Charaid?”
Kelsey shrugged. “I’m not the one to ask. Do you think of her even when she’s not around?”
Aisling nodded.
“Do you see her smiling face in your mind, when you’re trying to think of other things?”
“Aye, it’s like she’s always on my mind.”
“Have you ever had the same feelings or thought about anyone else in your life?”
Aisling shook her head emphatically.
“I already know you have a mental and emotional connection with her…that’s why you two were such an explosive mix when you first met.”
Aisling’s face reddened. “Aye, I’ve never had such passion for anyone in my life.”
Kelsey pushed back any thoughts coming to her from her cousin. She didn’t need to see the recollection of their first union. She chuckled. “Well, I’m not Nanna, but by the sounds of it, you have it bad for your Anam Charaid.”
***
Outside Aisling’s Office, May 17, 2012
“Yes, I found it!” Could be heard coming through the wooden door, as Kelsey and Aisling approached Aisling’s office.
Aisling smiled broadly. “What do you suppose, Nikki found?”
Kelsey cocked her head, concentrating on her best friend.
“Hey, no cheating. I’m asking you to guess, not snoop and see for yourself. I could do that more easily than you if I wanted to.”
Kelsey chuckled. “If I had to guess, by how loud she shouted, I think she’s found the hard drive. What about you, what’s your guess?”
Aisling closed her mouth and pursed her lips. “I’m going to say; she found the connection between LaMontagne and the Ghost.”
“You made a point of not mentioning Marina’s name. Does it worry you that Marina may have a connection to the Ghost?”
Aisling shook her head. “No, I don’t think it’s possible. Marina could be a bitch at times, and I know she did some horrible things, but she would never have a connection to that monster, knowing what he did to mom and me.”
“Maybe it’s a connection she wasn’t aware existed. You said, the Ghost was able to track your father when no one else could; he may have tracked Marina through her connection to you.”
“I’m so sorry how she took everything wrong and went after you that day. I’m still not clear on how you survived; she usually never misses.”
“She didn’t miss. I’m still unsure of how it happened, but I felt someone push me out of the way, and then like someone tripped me. When Nikki watched the CCTV footage, there wasn’t anyone near me who could have pushed or tripped me. I know what I felt. In the video, my movements were consistent with a hand shoving me to one side and then tripping me, so I fell Marina didn’t have the opportunity to shoot me when I fell to the ground. I did this, though; the first bullet grazed my head.” Kelsey showed off the small scar on the side of her head.
Aisling carefully examined the area. “I wondered about this when I first saw it. To think, you were that close to dying.” Aisling hugged Kelsey close. “I was so enraged when I learned what Marina did, and if you had died, I think I would have killed her with my bare hands.”
Kelsey hugged Aisling back. “I didn’t, but are you so sure that Marina isn’t capable of helping the Ghost?”
Aisling pulled away. “Not knowingly…no she couldn’t have.”
“I hope for your sake, and for hers, you’re right.”
“Well, let’s go and find out. Nikki will settle this pretty quickly for us.”
***
Inside Aisling’s Office, May 20, 2012
Kelsey, Nikki, and Aisling were putting the final part of the plan into action. Nikki’s snooping into the Interpol’s server had found the trail to where Kelsey’s uncle hid his records. Interpol had the files all along because he hid them in code buried deep within the mainframe. Nikki accessed the data and printed them off. The action triggered a firewall to alert Interpol, and they were quick to retaliate. After appeasing them with their plan to capture the Ghost, Aisling used their interest to have the organization help with securing the Castle of Eilean Donan as the location of their trap. Kelsey wasn’t sure how it would all fall into place, but Aisling assured her that when the Ghost took the bait, the trap could be set in time to catch him.
They were trying to decide on where and how many Interpol agents would be needed when Nikki swore loudly.
Kelsey saw her best friend throw her phone on the desk. “Hey, what did that phone ever do to you?”
Nikki growled. “It won’t stop chiming. I’m not answering her voicemails; I wish she’d get it.”
Kelsey chuckled. “A troublesome lady-friend that won’t take no for an answer. I told you one of these days you’d step on the wrong toes, or should I say, lay in the wrong bed?”
Nikki scowled at her.
Aisling scowled at Kelsey too.
Kelsey giggled. She thought it had been funny.
“It’s Torres. I’ve been avoiding talking to her since the last time we spoke. She’s got something against Willow.”
Raising her eyebrows, Kelsey asked, “what does Torres have against Willow?” She hadn’t mentioned Miranda telling her about her bad feelings for the woma
n. Kelsey knew they had more important things to worry about than a woman who wasn’t even here. But now it was bothering Nikki, and she needed to deal with it so that her best friend had her head in the game. “Just talk to her, she must want to apologize for her opinions about Willow. It’s not good leaving it this way between you two. Torres wouldn’t be calling you if it wasn’t important.”
Nikki hung her head. “It’s bad enough I still haven’t heard from Willow, but the last thing I need is Torres telling me Willow is some mastermind behind a scheme to send me on a wild goose chase and trapping me with my feelings for her.”
Kelsey opened her mouth to say something but closed it when she fully understood Nikki’s words. Torres didn’t make idle accusations. If Torres felt Willow had done something wrong, there had to be something that made her believe so. Taking the phone, Kelsey tapped the voicemail icon to listen to the message. On the message, Torres explained that Willow was up to something questionable and had possibly left the country. The tracking device Torres planted on her was malfunctioning. “You should call her. By the sounds of it, she planted a tracking device on Willow, and there is something wrong with it.”
Grabbing the phone, Nikki growled. “For Fuck’s sake! What has she been up to? Why can’t she leave well enough alone? Punching the phone, Nikki stood and stormed out of the office, slamming the door.
Chapter Forty-Six
Aisling’s Office, May 20, 2012
Aisling gave Kelsey a surprised look. “Does she get like this often? I haven’t seen her lose her temper in a few days. I almost forgot she had one.”
Kelsey chuckled. “You haven’t known her long enough; there is a reason they say redheads have fiery tempers.”
“I heard you mention this Torres before, is she someone you work with, in the FBI?
Kelsey smiled and shook her head. “Yes and no. Torres used to be the Director of the Unit, Nikki and I worked in before we formed our own. She’s a Private Investigator now and has helped us solve a couple of cases.”