by Emily Selby
'Bring it in.'
He rang her when he was downstairs.
'Didn't want to wake Julia.'
She thanked him with a smile. He was thoughtful. They crept up the stairs, Katie leading the way.
'Follow me, there are some really squeaky spots I try to avoid.'
He closed the door to the kitchen behind him and the kitchen welcomed them with warmth and the smell of freshly brewed Earl Grey tea. Katie put the pot on the table, Jack unpacked the pizza. She busied herself with preparing the plate and condiments, while he took off his jacket and draped it on the back of a chair.
She couldn't help noticing he was still wearing his work suit.
'You haven't got home from work yet, I see.'
He smiled sadly. 'No. But at least I've discovered something interesting and get to have a late dinner in nice company.'
A hot wave flooded her cheeks and her neck. She turned away from him to hide it, tinkling with the cups and teapot a tad too loud.
'You're very welcome. I'm happy to trade the warmth of my home for a bit of insider information. What did you find?'
She arranged the plates, mugs and cutlery while he tore off a slice of steaming Margarita.
'I logged into the centre’s laptop and checked the history a little deeper.'
'Anything interesting?'
'Yes, someone made an effort to erase some of the operations made on the computer. We'd need a proper investigation. By the way, I've seized the laptop, do you mind?'
'Shouldn't you ask first?' she suppressed the annoyance growing in her chest. His charm was getting too close for comfort for her.
He shrugged. 'Police matters. I can get a warrant if you want.'
She blew out a breath and waved her hand. 'Whatever. What did you find there?'
'Did you know you have a Tor browser installed?'
'A what?'
'Tor. It's the type of Internet browser, like Microsoft Explorer or Google Chrome. It allows the person using it a certain degree of anonymity.'
Katie gasped. 'I doubt any of our members has this level of understanding of how the Internet and computers work.'
He swallowed the piece of pizza he'd been chewing. 'That's exactly what I thought.'
'What does it mean?'
'I don't have much evidence at this stage, but I suspect someone’s been using your laptop to do things they might not want other people to know about.'
'Something illegal?'
'Perhaps. It may be legal or just someone not wanting anybody else to know about it.'
Katie tucked the strand of hair behind her ear and began to twirl it. 'What about the riddle in the exercise booklet? Do you think it belongs to the person who accessed our laptop?'
'I'm not sure yet, but it's likely. I think the riddle is an aide-memoir, probably used as a password prompter. Very clever.'
'Going back to the bizarre statement you've just made. What sort of legal activities someone may want to perform secretly on a public laptop in a public place? It doesn't make any sense.'
'On the contrary, madam. It makes perfect sense. You see,' he said and poured himself some tea, added sugar and stirred. It was surprising and vaguely pleasant to see him feeling so at home at her place. It was terrifying at the same time. 'If you use Tor browser, it's nearly impossible to trace you. However, there are still people more paranoid than this. They use Tor in conjunction with a service that encrypts their connection. It makes their activity completely secret. Another way of doing it is to use a public network, a place many people use to make it harder to identify who actually did what.'
Katie shook her head, trying to shake off some of the fog gathering in her mind. She suspected the warm and fuzzy feeling growing in her chest might have not helped.
'I still don't know what legal things people might go to such lengths to hide.'
'Some people who do that are just paranoid, and some people might have good reasons to hide their activities, from spouses, families, employers, friends... The same reasons why people may want to keep any secrets.'
Katie nodded. 'How does it all tie in with your investigation? Do you think Jeff Livermore's murderer used our laptop?'
'All the signs of usage have been wiped off, we'd need to dig deeper. But interestingly, the unusual activity we detected from the community centre’s IP address stopped about a week ago. Around the time Jeff Livermore was murdered.'
'Coincidence?' Kate offered.
'Maybe. But the murderer seems to have left no electronic trace. The person who used your laptop and the person who used the community centre Internet connection might or might have not been the same person. But just as the murderer, he or she is definitely Internet and computer savvy.'
'What's this secret activity conducted from our community centre you've been referring to? Or is it something you can't tell me about?'
'It's quite technical, I don't want to bore you,' he said and paused, looking hesitantly at her.
'Fire away, I'll try my best to understand,' she replied, feeling a hot wave creeping up her face. She wasn't embarrassed to ask questions. There was nothing wrong with asking questions. She repeated this in her head twice.
He chewed on his pizza. Katie also reached for a slice.
'To put it simply, someone connecting from this Internet address inserted little programs into popular websites. These programs would connect with the computers of people who accessed those popular websites and work in the background while they were browsing.'
'A virus?'
'Not quite. The little programs would only work while the person was accessing the site and disconnect when they stopped. No harm done to the computer. Nothing stolen. But still jumping into people's systems uninvited.'
Katie blinked. That was a bit hard to understand.
'A sort of gatecrashing?'
'Uhm.'
'So, if not to infect a computer, or steal anything from the computer, why bother?'
'To use the computer’s spare memory for complicated operations.'
'Stealing computing power?'
Jack cocked his head and smiled. 'Exactly. These operations are part of what's called bitcoin, or cryptocurrency mining.'
Katie's jaw dropped. 'What?"
'I know, it sounds strange. To put it simply, it's a process of making money. Virtual money, if you can even imagine this. And a lot of money by solving complex mathematical puzzles.'
'Is this how criminals make money these days?'
'Not necessarily criminals. A lot of people are doing it. It's legal.'
'Wow! I'm sooo behind... I'd need to read more about - what do you call it again?'
'Bitcoin, or any cryptocurrency mining.'
She nodded, repeating the term in her mind a few times. When she had some free time, she'd look it up. It sounded too fantastical to be true...
They ate in silence for a while.
'I'll check the laptop properly tomorrow. By the way, we will have to close off everything as a crime scene again. It may not have anything to do with Jeff's murder, but I'd like to investigate it, to be sure.'
'Understandably.'
'We mapped the networks in the community centre when investigating Zac's and Ash's murders last month. Have there been any changes in the way it's set up?'
'Not to my knowledge,' Katie replied. 'We have our own network with a password. But there are a few hotspots in the building. There is even a free Wi-Fi area in reception. From my own experience, you can access the Paper Club Wi-Fi from the other side of the building.'
'So, you don't think anybody from the Club has enough technological knowledge to do this sort of thing?'
'I honestly cannot think of anyone. It may be one of the less-frequent attendees but, to be honest, most of the members are women. Most of us tend to prefer traditional media rather than the Internet. We use the laptop to watch craft videos on YouTube and look up Pinterest projects.'
'Oh, aha... Just as I thought.'
'What are you g
oing to do with this now?'
'Look for more evidence,' he replied.
'Why did I even ask?' she said with an annoyed edge in her voice. She chuckled, and he joined in.
He swallowed the last of his slice of pizza and drained his tea.
'This was a lovely end to a rather exhausting day,' he said, tiredness seeping into his voice. 'I'd love to stay, but I'm afraid I'd fall asleep on the table.' He struggled to his feet. She followed. Her heart was hammering.
'Thank you very much for the tip on the strange notes, the key, and - he paused and looked into her eyes in a way that made her knees melt into cotton-candy again –'the warm welcome.'
'You're welcome,' she said huskily. He pulled on his jacket and crept out into the hallway. She followed him, a few paces behind, very aware of the warm wave spreading through her body.
'I'll see myself out. Stay in the warmth,' he said quietly and sneaked down the stairs.
'Good night,' he said and closed the door.
He skipped down the steps. She flicked the lock and leant against the door, breathing fast and hugging herself.
There was no doubt what had caused her emotional state tonight...
Darn it! She'd fallen for a policeman.
22
'Katie when are you joining the force?' Celia greeted her the moment Katie walked into the staffroom on Thursday morning.
Oh no... not this again!
Katie inspected Celia's face carefully for signs of sarcasm. But Officer Baxter's dark face looked undecipherable this morning.
'Got my hands full for now,' Katie said, opting for a neutral reply. She grabbed the doorknob, keen to hide in her office.
Celia bent over the coffee machine. 'I'm making fresh coffee would you like a cup?' she asked.
That was more like the old Celia she knew. Having said that, a little doubt somewhere in the corner of her brain was tugging at her.
Nah, stop it Katie! Why would she want to poison you?
'I wouldn't mind thank you. How are you today?' she ventured.
'Not too well,' Celia replied in a matter-of-fact way. 'But I've been worse.' Her voice took on a gloomier tone.
Katie didn't feel comfortable asking any more in-depth questions, and she left it at that.
'Have you seen Inspector Heaton recently?' Celia asked her unexpectedly.
Katie froze on the spot. She gulped. What did she mean by 'recently'? And why was she asking the question?
'Not since yesterday. I typed up his interview with Alex Gibson.' Katie rolled her shoulders back and stepped closer to check the cubbyholes. 'I see he's picked up the transcript. It was quite interesting. '
'What was so interesting about it?'
'That everything seems to be confirmed. Oh, and Rob Heron featured quite heavily in it. I wonder what... What the inspector's going to make of it.'
'I'm sure he'll tell you if you ask him.' Celia's eyes were piercing through Katie.
Katie wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead with her thumb. Celia was clearly trying to play a game, but Katie wasn't going to join in.
'I wouldn't be so certain,' Katie said calmly, watching Celia carefully. 'He might ask me about the local gossip. He sometimes listens to what I bring in, but there is no doubt, I'm not formally involved in this or any previous investigations,' she said, putting her hands on hips.
She couldn't take any more of Celia's strange behaviour. If the young policewoman had anything against Katie, it would be better addressed openly. Katie didn't do underhand comments and backstabbing games.
'I do whatever I can to help. We're part of the same team, and I really enjoy working with you. You are an invaluable member of the team, Celia, and I'm here to make you and everyone else's job easier. And this includes Jack Heaton whenever he is working here. I do sense however that for the past week or so, you've been behaving differently towards me. What’s caused it? Anything I have said or done? Please do tell me.'
Celia's dark face took on the colour of cherry oak. She set her jaw.
'I don't think there's been anything...' she said hesitantly.
'You've made a number of comments this morning that makes me wonder if you feel I've been meddling in the official enquiries. And I'm just a clerk here.'
Celia shifted from foot to foot. 'A very valued clerk,' she added hastily.
'Thank you, Celia. I do hope it's genuine.' Katie turned and grabbed up the door handle again. She looked over her shoulder at Celia. 'However, if at any point you feel there is something about me that you are not happy or comfortable with, or if you think I'm overstepping my line, please tell me. Openly.'
'Okay,' Celia said.
Katie pushed the handle and the door opened.
'Katie, wait,' Celia called out.
Katie stopped and turned to face her.
'I'm sorry, I might have been a little bitter lately and you might have been the target of some of my comments. I've had problems with my boyfriend. Or maybe he’s my ex-boyfriend. I'm not quite sure what to do with the relationship but it's been affecting me. And sadly, I might have taken it out on the people around me.'
'I'm sorry to hear it, Celia,' Katie said slowly. 'I do hope things get better. And I accept your apology.'
Katie pushed the door once again and strode back into her office. Well, at least it explained some of Celia's bizarre behaviour. On the other hand, it brought her own feelings closer to the surface. A little too close...
Katie was still light-headed from the previous night, and she tried to distract herself by concentrating on her job. She was curious to know where Jack was this morning and if anything from last night's interview with Alex had given him any new clues for the investigation.
Was the unusual Internet activity in the community centre linked to the murder of Jeff Livermore? Who, besides the club members, used the laptop in the crafts room? And most importantly, how should they protect their crafts room in future? After the incident with the one of the previous murderers walking or maybe breaking into the crafts room, they’d upgraded the locks, but it looked as though it might not have been enough. She needed to discuss it with Jack. She wondered whether the forensic team could also discover whether anything else in the room had been changed.
A little before midday, Katie's phone rang. It was a text from Trish, but the disappointment quickly dissipated when she read the message.
'They dragged me in for another questioning. When the hell is this going to end? Are you there?'
Katie texted her back. 'Still at work. Can hang around if you need me. Happy to support you.'
'I'll be there in five,' Trish replied.
Katie sneaked into the reception area, dying of curiosity. If they were dragging Trish back in for more questions, it meant Jack was exploring Rob's trail. She wondered if Trish knew any more about Rob.
Trish walked through the double door, which swoosh-closed behind her. She wore dark, tight fitting jeans that were hanging on her. Her sports jacket was zipped up. She was wearing a woolly hat. It was an unusual outfit for Trish. Unless straight out of work, she dressed smartly. Her face was pale with dark circles under her big eyes.
'How are you, Trish?' Katie waved at her. Trish lent on the counter. She had no makeup on and smelled of cigarettes.
Trish shook her head. 'Trying to hang in there. Working a lot. But it's been tough.'
'Still no news from Rob?'
'No. What do they want from me this time round?'
'I've got no idea. My guess is it might be something to do with Rob.'
'I'm scared and all over the place. I can't sleep. I feel quite stifled. I'm not someone who likes to display emotions. I prefer to toughen up. I don't want people's pity. Everybody has been stopping me in the street and asking about me and Rob. I don't want that. I just want to hide and wait until it all passes.'
'I'm sorry, Trish. I didn't realise. I'll stop asking you,' Katie said. 'Have you been happy here in Sunnyvale?'
She tilted her head. 'Are you asking
for real?'
'Yes.'
'Then my answer is no.'
'Why have you stayed here for so long?'
'I've tried to make it work. I don't give up easily. If there are obstacles, I just buckle down and work through them.'
Katie nodded. This was the Trish she knew. 'Did you stay for Rob? Oh I'm sorry,' Katie's hand flew to her mouth. 'I didn't mean to ask...'
Trish shrugged. 'No offence taken. But the answer is - well, to some extent.'
Katie pulled away from the counter. 'Did you come to see inspector Heaton? I haven't seen him around, though. I'll give him a call. Take a seat.'
Katie gestured Trish to the seats opposite and retreated into the staffroom to called Jack's number. He didn't answer and she left him a message before returning to the reception area and offering Trish a cup of coffee, which she gratefully accepted. When she was back in the staffroom, Jack was already there.
'Where is she?' he asked.
'Waiting in the reception. Would you like me to take her in?'
'Give me five,' he said and unzipped his rain jacket.
'Any news of Rob?'
'No. We've not been able to locate him. We've checked with all organisers of authorised hunting events in England, Scotland and Wales, but none of them have invited Rob. No, scratch that. One reported they invited Rob, but he declined, saying he had some other arrangement.'
'An illegal hunting event?'
'Maybe.'
'Is there a way of checking it?'
'I'm working on it. We have some evidence of him driving north, and he was last seen around Newcastle. Stopped for petrol. He took a jerrycan.'
'Mobile networks?'
'Nothing.'
'Have you tried his social media, email?'
'All we had from his girlfriend.'
'Rob is a simple guy. I can't imagine him being the computer wizard.'
'He played some pretty complicated video games,' Jack observed.
'Maybe Alex taught him.'
'Is Alex known as a computer wizard? What's the word on the grapevine on this, Inspector Hunch?'
Katie stiffened her shoulders. 'I'm afraid whatever little the grapevine has on Alex Gibson it's not about his professional abilities,' she said carefully. 'I haven't really done much research, but I can try if you want me to.'