Redemption Lost

by Cindy M. Hogan

  “Good question.” Jeremy looked at Ace, who was reading some code on his screen. “Ace. Any way you can tell if Patriotware can see us poking around? And if they can, can you make it so they can’t see us?”

  “Give me a minute and I’ll see.”

  “Now I understand why McClintock about wet his pants when I talked about a dating app.”

  “And why someone might be targeted because of it,” Jeremy added.

  Christy hadn’t made that connection, but he was right. They threatened death. “Maybe McClintock slipped up and told someone about the app. Maybe the hit was to shut him up.” Her mind was roaring through the information now. “Maybe Bradley discovered Senator Alvarez’s app and threatened to expose him and the app people found out. Was it the senator or Patriotware who killed him?”

  Jeremy ran his hands over the stubble on his face. “This changes everything. We’re no longer trying to protect a senator, we’re going after one. We need to go to Division and report that the mission has changed.”

  “What if they pull permission and reassign us?” Christy’s insides twisted up. She felt uneasy, and a desperate need filled her to figure out what was going on.

  “I promise I’ll do my best to be persuasive.”

  Chapter 9

  CHRISTY

  “Thank you for coming,” Director Quan said. The team was gathered in the conference room, and the director stood at the front of the room, looking imposing as always. “We’re excited about the information you came up with concerning Patriotware. We’ve been looking into their illegal and destructive activities for years, but there’s never been a crack in their organization that we could explore, most likely because of the security measures and the threats they place on those involved. The connection between Alvarez and Patriotware is the first opening we’ve had. If we can link them to this app and through that to the recent murders, we could shut them down for good.”

  “We’re on it, sir,” Jeremy said. All three of the team turned quickly toward him.

  “Good luck.” Director Quan left the room. They moved to Ace’s tech area, each claiming a computer to do different tasks.

  Jeremy sat next to Ace. “Could you get into the app to see who all the members are?”

  “I already found the member list, not that it tells us much. Each user is hidden behind a screen name. I’ve already had to plug holes and erase my tracks. I don’t know how long my patch will hold, however. I have to constantly be on guard. This is not a little company, guys. It’s huge. They do a lot for U.S. military intelligence. They’re a powerhouse. I’ll be able to fake them out for a while, but they’ll eventually find us. We need to act fast.”

  “There’s no way for us to tell who the screen names belong to then?” Jeremy said.

  “No. That information must be held on a completely different server. I’d really need to build a whole program to find it, and that could take days.”

  “We don’t have days.”

  “No, but we have McClintock’s profile. It’s a place to start.”

  “Is there any way to see when his next dates are going to happen?”

  “I might be able to get that information.” Ace typed away. “It will only take some simple code to find that now that I’m in, but every time I put code in, I leave a trace.”

  “Do it.” Jeremy had that determined look on his face.

  On the split screen, a bunch of screen names popped up alongside a second screen name. The congressmen and their dates. “Got it, but it doesn’t help us much to have McClintock’s information. We need Alvarez to link him to his aide’s death.”

  Ten congressmen were about to go on “dates” thanks to this app.

  “We might be able to narrow it down. Isn’t Alvarez at the resort still?”

  “No. He went home when he found out about Bradley. He played totally crushed. Even Marybeth was convinced.”

  “Hold on,” Jeremy said. “Alvarez met with a girl that night at the resort, right? Is there any way to maybe see what screen names went on dates the night before last? If the number is small enough, we might be able to figure out which one of them was Alvarez.”

  The tapping of the keyboard was loud and insistent as Ace worked.

  “Got it. Only five men had dates night before last.”

  “Great,” Christy said, excited. “Find out which one was set for the River Resort, and we’ll know Alvarez’s screen name.”

  Ace frowned. “No go. All five dates were set for the River Resort.”

  Halluis raised an eyebrow. “My, that is a popular place for congressmen.”

  Jeremy slapped the table in frustration, but Christy said, “Hang on, it could still help us. If we keep an eye on those three screen names, we could follow them to their next dates. One of them is Alvarez; it’s just a matter of figuring out which one.”

  Ace typed a bit more, then pointed to the screen. “These three have dates tonight.”

  “Where are they meeting up and when?”

  He pulled up the three dates, two of which were near enough to Alvarez’s home that it could be him. The other two dates were both happening in two hours.

  “Halluis. See if you can confirm Alvarez is physically home, to rule out that outlier—the date that’s happening in West Virginia. If that were him, he’d have to have left already. If you can’t, I’ll need you to go to that location and get a visual of the meet.”

  “I can just text Marybeth,” Christy said. “She’s at the house.”

  “Ok.”

  Christy typed, Marybeth, is Alvarez there, at home?

  She immediately got a text back. Yes.

  “He’s there.”

  “Got it.”

  “Halluis,” Jeremy said. “Could you quickly find us somewhere to be close to the location of the two dates?”

  “Doing that now.”

  “Halluis and Christy, when you’re done, let’s load up the car with equipment and head out there. It’s what, an hour away?”

  “Yep,” Ace said. “I’ll need to stay here and get rid of any evidence of us being in this app. If I don’t, they’ll find us.”

  “Okay, Christy, Halluis, let’s go.”

  Christy grabbed her newly stocked go bag along with a fancy outfit from the closet and changed into blacks. Halluis did the same.

  “I’ll drive,” Halluis said.

  “Hey,” Jeremy said. “I can drive.”

  “Like my grandma.”

  “I’ve got a couple places scouted out near the hotels where the dates are being held. I got us both reservations at both hotels.”

  They climbed in and took off. Jeremy patched Ace in. “Keep us apprised of any changes.”

  “How much longer until we’re there, Halluis?” Jeremy asked, as the van bounced and swayed down a windy road toward the hotels.

  “ETA: Ten minutes.”

  “Excellent, because the senator just left his room,” Christy said and grabbed the fancy clothes she had hanging and slipped them over her blacks.

  Jeremy sat up straight and put his phone away. He also put clothes on over his blacks. He popped his earbud com in. “It’s looking more and more like he’s our guy.”

  “Get a visual. Let’s figure out what Alvarez’s screen name is. Listen in as long as you can. Let’s see if they mention the app at all.”

  Christy’s com went in too. They pulled up to one of the two hotels. Jeremy hopped out and headed inside the building. Christy popped her com in her ear and so did Halluis. They drove two businesses down to Christy’s location. Halluis would park between the two and be ready to move. She tapped her com as she climbed out. “You there, Jeremy?”

  “Here.”

  “Halluis?”

  “You got me.”

  “Entering the hotel,” she said. After checking the lobby area for anyone hanging out there and finding no one, she pretended to take the elevator up, when in reality she took a seat where she could easily see the entryway and down a narrow hallway that t
he mystery senator could also use to enter the hotel. “Are you sure the intel said they’d meet in the lobby?”

  “Affirmative.”

  “I was going to ask the same thing,” Jeremy said. “I’m alone in this lobby.”

  “Lobby could be code for something else,” Christy suggested.

  “That’s a possibility, but unlikely. Hold fast,” Halluis said. He fell into the director mode quite well.

  The arrow above the elevator lit up. “Elevator hot.” Christy hid herself in the bathroom.

  “Elevator arriving,” Jeremy said. “Moving to a more hidden position.”

  “Two cars pulling in, two perps for each of you,” Halluis said. “Got my eyes on them.”

  “I’ve got eyes.” Jeremy said. “I see them. Their hoodies are making an ID impossible.”

  Christy didn’t have eyes; she was stuck in the bathroom. She cursed her instincts for getting her in this mess. Irritated, she thought about leaving the room, but knew she couldn’t without blowing her cover.

  “Two girls exiting cars. Entering buildings.” Halluis’ voice was even, controlled.

  “I’ve got eyes,” Jeremy said. “Male exiting elevator.” She could imagine him in a perfect position to see both without either seeing him.

  Not liking being blind, she pulled out a mirror from her go bag, opened the bathroom door a fraction, and used it to see what was happening in the lobby. Her heart pounded, hoping whoever it was didn’t come her way. At last she could see.

  “Eyes here, too.” She took a deep breath and watched the girl with long sleek dark hair move toward the elevator. Before she could report, Jeremy did.

  “Girl approaching male who just exited the elevator. He’s leading her to the elevator.” Jeremy’s voice was so soft, it was almost inaudible.

  “Girl moving toward male who is holding the elevator.” Christy said. “Entering the elevator,” they both said in unison. It was like they were watching exactly the same thing. Where was Alvarez?

  “Lobby empty,” Christy said, exiting the bathroom to check which floor the two in the elevator stopped on.

  “Top floor,” Jeremy said. “Do I need an access pass to go up that far?”

  “We’re getting intel and override if necessary for both of you,” Halluis said. “Movement in both remaining cars. Two men with hoodies are getting out of the two vehicles. Four men total. Repeat, four men total.”

  “Ditto for my girl,” Christy said. “Top floor. Returning to bathroom.” It had proved to be an okay spot last time. Why not?

  “Taking the elevator to the fifth before the men enter.” Christy could imagine Jeremy hurrying into the elevator.

  Smart move. She wished she would have thought of it. “Eyes on two males,” she said, using her trusty mirror again. “One sat down in the lobby. Dang it.” It had not been a good decision to go back in there.

  “Waiting on code access on fourth floor,” Jeremy said.

  “Ace is on it. One minute.”

  “Male entering elevator,” Christy said. “Can’t see his face. No ID. Going out bathroom window. Avoiding the guard.”

  “Standby for the code,” Halluis said.

  “Elevator just passed. Pushing the call button,” Jeremy said.

  “Override in progress.” Halluis’ voice continued to be calm and clear despite the fact that it had to be pretty stressful leading the two of them.

  “Entering elevator,” Jeremy said.

  Christy pushed on the window, but a tiny levered arm kept the window from opening wide enough for her to get through. “Good grief,” she said and slammed her elbow into it. It gave way and her elbow smarted. She took off her nice clothes and shoved them into her go bag, leaving only her blacks on. She threw the go bag out first and then shimmied out the window. “I’m going to scale from the outside. Please advise.”

  “Lights popped on in the top southeast corner,” Halluis said. “That should be your target.”

  “Scaling.” With her go bag on her back, Christy climbed on a main floor patio railing and jumped, barely able to grab onto the balcony of the room right above. She repeated that to the fifth floor. Her fingers ached as they held tight to the cement landings.

  “Arrived.” Jeremy had made it to the fifth floor. “Heading for the emergency doorway. Please disable.”

  “Be advised,” Halluis said. “Emergency exit not yet disabled. Please hold.”

  “Holding.”

  “Arrived fifth floor balcony, southeast corner,” Christy said. “Climbing onto the balcony.” She breathed heavily, but held back, keeping it as quiet as she could. She shook her arms out before reaching into her go bag for a listening device.

  “Be advised, emergency alarm disabled.” Jeremy would also be outside his target’s room. It was exciting to do a job in tandem with him. She was glad she’d caught up.

  “Exiting. Traversing.”

  Still breathing hard, Christy threaded a tiny bug just inside the sliding door. She put an earbud in her free ear and listened, hoping to be able to hear the voice and know it was Alvarez. “I have ears.”

  The man spoke. “You look nice. Tell me three things about you I should know.” There was a bit of interference and she couldn’t be certain who it was.

  “I like volleyball, hate my parents, and love to look at the stars.”

  “I also like volleyball,” he said, his voice getting clearer. “But I loved my parents, I can’t help you there, but as far as the stars go, there should be some out tonight. Does that mean you’re looking for freedom?”

  “I don’t think they would even notice if I disappeared. Seriously, all they care about is my older brother.”

  “Terrible.” The voice was clear now. Alvarez? Possibly.

  “But when they do notice me it’s always to rag on me or to cut more money out of my allowance for something I supposedly did or didn’t do.”

  “I hear you. Doing this gives you all kinds of freedoms. It also gives you power over your future.”

  “Yes. I do want my own freedom. All these nice gifts will help me to achieve that goal.”

  “And it feels good to know you’re doing something a little naughty, doesn’t it?” His voice was slimy, and Christy cringed.

  “Yes. If they knew, I think my mom would drop dead on the spot. I don’t know that I would be very sad.”

  “What does your dad do?”

  “He owns a pharmaceutical company.”

  “And your mom?”

  “She’s a socialite. She chooses to be away from me to hang out with her friends.”

  Why was he even talking to her about these things? Made no sense.

  “Well, let’s see if those stars make everything better tonight.”

  There was no question now whose voice that was. She’d heard that voice in a back room at a rally only two days ago. There was no mistaking it.

  Alvarez.

  The sliding glass door started to open. Christy stood right outside it. She had only seconds to drop down or she would be seen.

  Chapter 10

  CHRISTY

  She didn’t have a second to pause–she climbed over the balcony, barely making it over before she heard the slide of the door. She dropped down with a jarring lurch, legs swinging wildly for balance while her fingers clung to the cement floor of the balcony above. A cry nearly escaped her lips, but she bit her tongue. She fought to still her flailing legs and recover her balance, every muscle in her body straining with the effort. The seconds it took to regain control felt like hours, with every moment bringing her closer to discovery. What would Alvarez do if he found her hanging there?

  Her toes reached for the balcony railing below, but they only swung uselessly through the air. She gritted her teeth and risked a look down. The next balcony was at least ten feet below her—she could try swinging inward and dropping down, but—she cringed. If she missed, or landed wrong…No. Maybe she could shimmy over to the wall and scale down the brick. But even that was a risk. She was a
lready tired from the climb up, and her limbs were now shaking with the effort of merely hanging on. She had no idea where on the balcony Alvarez and his companion were standing; for all she knew they could be directly above her. She closed her eyes, focusing her thoughts. There had to be a way out of this. Get control, Christy.

  She took a long, slow breath and pulled her focus away from the pain in her arms toward the voices above her. After a moment, she was able to estimate their location—from the way their voices sounded, most likely they were on the side of the balcony just opposite the door. Could she risk sliding closer to the brick wall, try to scale down?

  “Christy, it’s been silent on your end for a while—anything to report?” Halluis’s voice crackled in her com. She didn’t dare answer.

  “Christy?” Jeremy asked. “Chris—Halluis, is her com still functioning?”

  She desperately wanted to tell them what she learned—what was happening. Frustration mounted along with the pain in her shoulders. If she didn’t find a way out soon, she’d fall to her death, and worse, her intel would be lost.

  She was going to have to move even if she wasn’t sure they couldn’t see. She slid her right hand cautiously one inch to the right. Lifting her hands was agony, but she held in her cries. She strained, listening for any change in the conversation above. The senator and his date continued chatting. “I can recognize quite a few of the constellations—would you like me to show you?”

  “I’d love that,” Alvarez answered.

  Good, they’d be looking at the stars, not down where they might catch a glimpse of her. For now, she’d have to ignore the sick feeling in her gut at the situation—that girl couldn’t be much older than 18—when she made it out of here, she’d make sure Alvarez paid for his crimes.

  Another voice crackled over the com, “I’ve got eyes on my couple finally—it’s not Alvarez. I’m calling it in.” Jeremy’s voice gave Christy courage and renewed strength. Sweat dripped into her eyes, and her limbs trembled with the effort of holding on. She clenched her jaw and slid her hands closer to the brick wall.