The Dark Trail

by J. C. Fields

  After Monk left the meeting, JR remained quiet as he placed the small computer he took notes on into his backpack. Without saying a word or looking at Kruger, he exited the conference room and hurried toward the first door leading to the outside.

  Kruger caught up with him twenty yards from the building. “Kind of quiet, aren’t you?”

  “Thinking.”

  Kruger nodded and followed.

  When they reached the rental car, JR placed his backpack in the rear passenger seat and slid into the front one. Kruger got behind the wheel and started the car.

  “Okay, what are you thinking about?”

  JR turned to his friend. “Before I answer that, what was your impression?”

  “He has an elevated opinion of himself.”

  “Yes. What else?”

  “His opening salvos of verbal back and forth were meant to inform us of his importance. Without going into psychological details, he has a serious issue with authority and believes himself to be the smartest person in the room. What did you think?”

  “He reminded me of one of the hackers I used to encounter in a dark web chatroom.”

  “How so?”

  “Same ideas, same verbiage. In fact, some of it was verbatim.”

  “Which one?”

  “There were several statements he made, but the main one was about an invention that would destroy man. I’ve heard that more than once.”

  Kruger kept his attention on JR and sat back in the driver’s seat, the car’s motor running, but still in Park.

  JR nodded. “If he is, he’s as good with a computer as he is with mathematics.”

  Without comment, Kruger placed the car in reverse and backed out of the parking slot. “You suspect something else, don’t you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What?”

  “I’m still sorting it out, but when I was at MIT, I was known by my birth name, John Zachara. I didn’t change it until I moved to Springfield.” He paused and turned his attention to his friend. “How would he have heard it at MIT?”

  Kruger shot a quick glance at his passenger. “Spit it out, JR. What do you suspect?”

  “If I’m right, we have a larger problem than we first suspected.”

  Rolling his eyes, Kruger said, “Just say it.”

  With a slight smile, he turned to his friend. “Who instigated the DDS attack on my computer system?”

  “The Russians…” He stopped and quickly glanced at JR. “You think…”

  “I’m speculating, but what if Monk is the hacker I think he is? That means he was present during the discussions about the concepts of the virus code I wrote.” He paused. “I need to talk to Alexia and see if she remembers this guy.”

  ***

  JR called Alexia from his hotel room. “Any updates on the virus?”

  “There haven’t been any additional instances, if that is what you are asking.”

  “Good. There’s another reason for my call. Do you remember a hacker who went by the name Chronos?”

  “Yes, I always found the name pretentious.”

  “Why?”

  “Taking an alias that is the god of time and the father of Zeus is silly.”

  “I think I met him today.”

  There was silence on the call for a few moments. “Where?”

  “Hendrick College. A math professor named Dorian Monk. Ever hear of him?”

  “No, but then I have tried to forget those years I spent in isolation. What makes you think this is the same person?”

  “Sean and I had an interview with him today. He wrote an obscure paper about machine learning algorithms two years ago.”

  “I have not read it.”

  “I hadn’t either until I read it on the plane coming here. I only understood a quarter of it. The rest was very esoteric, but it did propose that algorithms could be used to help AI learn to penetrate any firewall.”

  Alexia was quiet. Finally, she said, “You didn’t answer my question on why you think this Monk person is Chronos.”

  “Two things. First, he said he knew my name. Second, he made the following statement, and I quote, ‘Mankind is in a race to see who can design the last invention that will destroy us all.’”

  “That sounds familiar. But then, I may not have had that much communication with him. Why would he say he knew your name?”

  “That’s where I started to question who he was. He indicated he might have heard my name while at MIT.”

  “You attended MIT under your birth name.”

  “Exactly, I didn’t change my name to JR Diminski until later.”

  “What do you need me to do?”

  “Use your old alias and see if Chronos is still haunting the Dark Web. My guess he is. See what you can learn and we’ll talk about it when I get back.”

  “Is this person involved with the death of Sean’s friend Alan?”

  “Don’t know, but Sean is pointing a finger at him.”

  “I will see what I can find out.”

  ***

  JR knocked on Kruger’s hotel room door. When it opened, he saw Kruger with a cell phone pressed to his ear. The FBI agent silently motioned him inside.

  There was silence in the room until Kruger said, “Thanks, Barbara. I know you tried. There just isn’t a lot about this guy out there.”

  More silence.

  “No, move on to other projects. What you gave me will help. Thanks.” Kruger ended the call and looked at his friend. “Our Professor Monk doesn’t seem to have a financial presence in the real world outside of a bank account and his IRS filings. She found an account used by the college to pay him, but he only uses it to collect his pay and then transfers it out. He files his taxes with the 1040EZ form and always by e-file. He doesn’t own a house, a car or any sizeable asset she can find.”

  JR nodded. “Makes sense. He probably has an alias he’s using.”

  “Is there a way for you to find it?”

  “Not without some hint as to the direction. I can try the bank account, but my bet is he is taking cash out and depositing it in another account using a different name. That’s how I’d do it.”

  Kruger nodded. “And since the deposit wouldn’t be over ten thousand dollars, the bank doesn’t have to file form 8300 with the IRS. Think we spooked him today?”

  “Can’t say. With his big ego I kind of doubt it.”

  “I agree. What did you find out?”

  “Alexia remembers him. If Monk is the guy I think he is, he went by the alias of Chronos. She’s going to see if he is still active in some of the chat rooms we used to hang out in.”

  “I need to know where this guy lives and have a look around inside.”

  “Got any ideas? The college only has a PO Box as an address.”

  “The only way I know is to follow him home.”

  “Need me to stay a day longer?”

  “No, attend the seminar like you planned and fly out late tomorrow. Jimmie’s flying in to help me keep an eye on him.”

  JR nodded.

  Chapter 12

  Hendrick University

  The Next Day

  Kruger stood and offered his hand when the department head approached his table at a small cafe near campus. As Copeland shook it, he said, “I appreciate meeting off campus grounds, Agent Kruger. I didn’t expect to see you again now that the seminar is over.”

  “To be honest with you, neither did I.”

  After the two men gave their lunch order to a waitress, Copeland looked at Kruger over his glasses. “Does this have anything to do with your interview with Dorian Monk?”

  “It has everything to do with his interview.”

  “When I got your call, that was my first thought. I hope he’s not a suspect in something.”

  Keeping his expression neutral, Kruger clasped his hands on the table in front of him. “Not at the moment.”

  Placing a hand on his forehead, Copeland took a long breath and sighed. “Oh, dear, what does not at the m
oment mean?”

  “It means not at the moment. Do you have concerns, Dr. Copeland?”

  The department head paused as the waitress placed their iced teas in front of them. When she was gone, he said, “Everyone in the department has concerns about Dorian Monk, including the administration.”

  The comment was not what Kruger expected. “How so?”

  “We keep Monk as an adjunct professor for one reason. His classes are always full with a long waiting list. Not because the students like him, actually, it’s quite the opposite. But because he is a brilliant mathematician. It also doesn’t hurt that many of his academic publications are considered required reading in certain mathematical circles. His presence on campus has been amazing for recruiting top students.”

  “He hasn’t been here that long, Doctor Copeland. How can he be helping with recruiting?”

  “Word gets around fast in the world of mathematics.”

  “I see.”

  “But I must tell you, outside the classroom, he is a serious pain in my behind.”

  “Care to elaborate?”

  “He’s been accused of harassing students and minorities off campus, writing editorials to the Cincinnati Enquirer critical of just about everything in the world, which thank God they don’t publish. Plus, on numerous occasions, has told the president of the university to go to hell or some other vulgar suggestion.”

  “Other than the harassment charges, none of those activities would draw my interest, Doctor.”

  “What has?”

  “Before I answer that question, answer one for me. When did you hire Monk?”

  Copeland looked at the ceiling and let out a breath. “Oh, let’s see. About this time two years ago.”

  “From where?”

  “San Jose State University.”

  Kruger nodded. “Why did he leave?”

  “His contract was up with them and he wanted a change of scenery. Or, at least that’s what he told me.”

  “Did you talk to anyone at San Jose State about him?”

  With a nod, Copeland took a drink from his glass of tea. “I spoke to the department head.”

  “And?”

  “She told me Monk was always on time to class, his classes always had a waiting list and…”

  With a smile Kruger sipped his iced tea. “I take it you just figured something out, Dr. Copeland?”

  “I just realized she was describing the same situation we have here. If I am ever asked about him from another school, I would have to give the same answer.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Oh dear. Can you answer my question yet?”

  With a slight smile, Kruger said, “From what we have been able to piece together, he stays about a year or two in an area, sometimes at the same college or university, sometimes more than one. It depends on the needs of the schools. He’s never been offered a track for tenure and seems to migrate from place to place. He doesn’t seem to have a problem when it comes to getting a new contract somewhere else.”

  “We knew that.”

  “He also has zero presence in the digital world, Doctor.”

  “I’m not following you.”

  “He doesn’t keep a bank account—”

  “He has to—the college only pays with direct deposit.”

  “He only uses it to collect the money and then withdraws it immediately. He does not use it for transactions.”

  “Oh…”

  “He doesn’t own any significant assets that the FBI can find and since we don’t know where he lives, we can’t interview his landlord.”

  “The university should have his address on file.”

  “He uses a PO Box.”

  “Oh, dear.” Copeland paused for a few moments. “Agent, you still have not answered my question about why the FBI is interested in Monk.”

  “Where was he four weeks ago?”

  He paused. “What date?”

  Kruger told him.

  Copeland closed his eyes. “He told us he had a death in the family and left campus. Why?”

  “Dorian Monk has no family. Do you remember reading about the murder of the Deputy Director of the FBI, Alan Seltzer?”

  “Vaguely, why?”

  Pausing for a second to keep his emotions in check, Kruger continued, “Those were the dates Alan was stalked and murdered. I’m the lead agent on the investigation.”

  “Surely, you don’t suspect Dorian Monk.”

  “He’s currently a person of interest.”

  “Oh, dear.” Copeland stared at Kruger without blinking for almost fifteen seconds. “I know Dorian is a pain in the ass, but—murder?”

  “Like I said, Doctor, he’s a person of interest.”

  “Surely the timing of the Deputy Director’s death has to be a coincidence, agent.”

  Kruger shrugged. “Maybe, but I have learned over the course of my twenty-five-year career with the bureau, there are no coincidences, only connections. There’s more.”

  Copeland only blinked.

  “Alan Seltzer discovered a total of twenty-one unsolved murders in twenty-one different locations. Each of those twenty-one murders occurred within fifty miles of a school Dorian Monk taught at. He’s been in four geographical locations during that length of time and each locale, except one, has five murders.”

  Copeland only blinked.

  “All of the victims were highly educated and professional individuals of varying ethnicities.”

  “That’s not proof that Monk did it, agent.”

  “No, I would have to agree, but there is one other fact that joins the cases together.”

  “What?”

  “They all occurred during the normal times a university or college is on semester break. We checked and the timing matches the semester breaks for each of the colleges Monk taught at.”

  “Still…”

  “Connections, Doctor Copeland. Now all I have to do is prove it.”

  Blinking rapidly, Dr. Copeland stared at Kruger. Both men drew silent as the waitress placed their lunch orders in front of them. When she left, Kruger said, “Is Monk still on campus today?”

  Nodding, Copeland glanced at his watch. “Yes, he has his last session at one today. He will probably be on campus until at least three. Why?”

  “Thought I might pay him a visit off campus. Do you know where he lives?”

  Copeland shook his head. “I try not to socialize with Dr. Monk.”

  “Wise.”

  They continued their conversation until both finished their lunch. During this time, Kruger learned Monk was always seen walking on campus, no bicycle. The one additional fact he learned was that Monk always walked off campus to the south. As he emptied his glass of tea, he decided his next task would be to follow Monk to his place of residence.

  ***

  Dorian Monk left Barrington Hall and took his normal path crossing the main east-west thoroughfare at a pedestrian crossing on the southern border of the college. Parked on a side street in his rental car, Kruger watched and followed the man’s progress as he continued south along the street.

  Ten blocks from campus, Monk stood under a sheltered bus stop and ignored a woman already there. Kruger watched the mathematician concentrating on a pad of paper, making notes occasionally. Five minutes later, a bus arrived and Monk stepped on board, butting in front of the woman. Putting the car in gear, Kruger followed.

  Forty minutes later at a bus stop in a seedy section of Covington, Monk departed the bus and entered a run-down apartment building. Noting the address and time, Kruger smiled and drove the rental car back to his hotel.

  Once in his room, he took his cell phone and dialed a number from memory. The call was answered immediately.

  “What’d you find out?”

  “How hard would it be for you to trace the ownership and tenant list of an apartment building if I just gave you the address?”

  “Where’s the apartment building?”

  “Covington, Kentucky.”

>   “Don’t know. Hour, maybe. Maybe less. Why?”

  “Our Professor Monk is a mysterious individual. He won’t give the college his physical address and since he’s part-time, they don’t care.”

  “Huh.”

  “That was my reaction, as well.”

  “Give me the address. I’ll have to hack into the Kenton County building permits to get started.”

  “How did you know what county it’s in?”

  “I can do more than one thing at a time, Sean. Google is a wonderful tool.”

  Chuckling, Kruger said, “I’m going to meet with Jimmie. Call me back if you find anything.”

  “Got it.”

  The call ended and Kruger dialed another number.

  “Hi.”

  Hearing Stephanie’s voice on the phone always made Kruger smile. “Hi, back.”

  “When are you coming home?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  “Early or late?”

  “Late.”

  “Do you want me to save you some dinner?”

  “Don’t worry with it. I’ll get something during my layover in Memphis.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes.” He hesitated. “Are you still okay with taking a trip to South Dakota after I retire?”

  “Of course, I am. If I remember correctly, it was my idea.”

  He smiled and took a deep breath. “Good, I’m already starting to look forward to it.”

  “Good. You should. Call me tomorrow.”

  ***

  The Next Morning

  “Sean, I didn’t find anyone at the apartment under the name Monk.”

  “Not surprised. Jimmie’s here. We—uh, actually, he will be doing the research this morning.”

  “Remember the name I mentioned he used on the internet?”

  “No.”

  “Chronos.”

  “Just one name?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, I’ll tell Jimmie.”

  Standing in Kruger’s hotel room, Gibbs watched as his boss ended the call. Displaying his perpetual smile, he asked, “Research?”

  “Yeah, gotta be careful what you say on a cell phone.”