by Allan, Dale
The last piece of paper was an e-mail that Fatih had sent to Vincent’s father on his birthday. As Luke read the words, he felt like he could have been reading a note from any American teenager to their dad. Luke understood why Vincent doubted Fatih’s involvement in the bombings, because even with everything he knew, Luke was starting to have some doubts himself.
Then, out of nowhere, Vincent asked the question that had been on Luke’s mind ever since he had met Trinity. “If Fatih is really responsible for the bombings, do you think that he had anything to do with my parents’ deaths?”
LUKE AND VINCENT SPENT the next three hours searching the remaining folders. By early afternoon they conceded defeat, having scanned every document in the unit. Disappointed, Vincent said, “I’m sorry, I thought we would find more information.”
Trying to be positive, Luke answered, “Hey, we found a few good things: the picture and the note to your dad.”
Skeptical, Vincent asked, “What good is the note?”
“Maybe he still has the same e-mail address.” Luke took out his cell phone and called his friend Carlos Sanchez, the archdiocese’s computer expert. Hoping he’d be able to help trace the e-mail address, Luke arranged to meet him for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant.
Luke and Vincent rolled down the storage-unit door and locked it before heading back to the Jeep. Not knowing where to go, Vincent asked, “Are we going back to the Cape?” Luke thought for a second and said, “Do you know anything about boats?”
Vincent had been sailing since he was very young. He explained that his father loved the water, and even though they couldn’t afford it at the time, he bought Vincent a small skiff for his tenth birthday. This prompted Luke to ask, “Do you have time to take a look at my brother’s boat with me? I know nothing about boats and can really use some help.”
Vincent smiled. “No problem. Just tell me where to go.”
When they got to the marina, Vincent parked the Jeep on the street and followed Luke to the dock. As they walked, Luke took out his key ring and located the one for the boat. He knew exactly which one it was because it had a fish etched on it. Once Luke stopped, Vincent saw the name Blood Brothers and realized which boat it was. “Luke, that’s not a boat; it’s a freaking yacht. Not only that, it’s a Hatteras!”
Luke had no idea what he was talking about. “Is that something good?”
Vincent laughed. “It’s better than good. It’s one of the finest yachts made.” Looking at the name again, Vincent said, “I can’t believe he registered it in Massachusetts.”
“Why?”
Vincent went on to explain that most people who buy expensive boats usually register them in Rhode Island or a handful of other states that have no sales tax. For a boat this size, the amount of money saved would be enormous.
Anxious to get on board, Vincent jumped from the dock to the back of the boat and extended his hand to help Luke. Seeing bubbles coming up from around the boat, Luke asked, “What’s that?”
Vincent laughed again. “You really don’t know anything about boats, do you?” Luke shook his head. “That’s a bubble system to keep the water from freezing around the boat and causing damage.” It had been extremely cold lately, and Luke noticed a layer of ice in the harbor.
Luke handed Vincent the key, and he quickly opened the door that led to the boat’s interior. He rushed in, eager to see the inside. They were both amazed. The salon looked more like a five-star hotel than a boat. There were luxurious couches, walls with large windows, and a huge flat-screen TV. Vincent sat down on the couch and said, “This is unbelievable.”
Walking through the main room, Luke peered into the kitchen. Again, he was in awe. Custom mahogany cabinetry lined the walls, and granite counters and stainless steel appliances completed the look. There was even a dining table with six chairs.
He moved down the hallway and entered the master bedroom, where he saw a king-size bed, a flat-screen TV, and a private bath with a tub and shower. As they continued exploring, they found that the yacht had two more good-sized bedrooms and another full bath. This boat was truly something special. Wanting to take advantage of Vincent’s boating experience, Luke asked, “Is there any reason that I couldn’t live here for a few weeks?”
Vincent looked around. “The electricity is on and I’m sure there’s heat and water, so I don’t see why not.” Envious, he continued, “Are you really going to stay here?”
“I think so. No one would ever think to look for me here, so I don’t have to worry about the press.”
Luke glanced at his watch and saw that he had just over an hour before he was scheduled to meet Carlos Sanchez. Looking at Vincent, he asked, “When did you plan on going back home?”
Vincent shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me. What do you have in mind?”
“Why don’t you come to dinner? My friend Carlos is an interesting guy. I’m sure you’ll like him. Then, if you want to stay on the boat tonight, you could teach me how this thing works.”
Luke could tell that Vincent liked the prospect of staying on the boat. However, living in luxury wasn’t the main reason, since Vincent replied quietly, “If Fatih had anything to do with my parents’ deaths, I want to be there when you catch him.”
Hoping that they would have an answer regarding Fatih’s involvement within a few days, Luke responded, “If you want, you can stay here until we figure this out.”
“Let’s take it one day at a time.”
As they prepared to leave, Luke’s cell phone rang.
“Hello.”
Trinity said, “I’m sorry to bother you, Father, but I wanted to know if you saw Vincent and if he’s all right.”
Luke smiled. “Hold on. He’s right here.” Before they could protest, Luke handed the phone to Vincent. At first Luke could tell that the conversation was uncomfortable, but after Vincent let his sister know that he was off the painkillers and living a drug-free life, they started talking like long-lost friends. When they began discussing Gracie, Luke knew that he had made the right decision by handing Vincent the phone. They were still deep in conversation when Vincent reached the Jeep, and he said to his sister, “I’m going to get a cell phone tomorrow. I’ll call and give you my number.”
He hung up and looked at Luke. “Hey, I owe you. I can’t tell you how much this means to me. You’ve just changed my life.”
THEY PARKED ON BEACON Street, and Luke led the way into Sol Azteca, a traditional Mexican restaurant. Luke spotted Carlos sitting at a table in the back. As they approached, Carlos stood and introduced himself to Vincent. Everyone sat down, and the waitress appeared. Carlos took charge and ordered a carafe of the homemade sangria, saying, “Trust me, you’ll love it.”
Luke got down to business by handing Carlos the e-mail from Fatih to Vincent’s dad. Carlos glanced at it and said, “What’s this for?”
Luke looked at Vincent and answered, “We wanted to know if there’s any way to trace that e-mail address and link it to a street address.”
Carlos took a sip of wine and asked, “What are you up to now?”
Luke took the time to explain everything to Carlos, leaving out the fact that Blade was dead. Vincent confirmed the parts of the story that involved his family and Corner Stone Builders. Once they had finished, Carlos asked incredulously, “Please tell me that you’ve gone to the police, right?”
Luke said, “Well, kind of,” and explained the problem with Blade’s credibility. He assured Carlos that he had been in contact with Detective Romo and promised that as soon as he had some real proof, he would turn the investigation over to the authorities.
After taking a long sip of wine, Carlos explained, “If this e-mail still exists electronically, there’s a chance that I can examine the header information and find the IP address. Once I have that, there are online services that can be used to determine where the e-mail server is located. They can even provide latitude and longitude information, which will narrow it down to a city.”
&nb
sp; “And what if we only have a hard copy of the message?” Luke asked sullenly.
“Then there’s nothing I can do.”
Frustrated, Luke pressed Carlos. “If you were in my position and you really needed to find out where this person was located, what would you do?”
Carlos thought for a second, finished his glass of sangria, and blessed himself. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and scribbled down a name and phone number. “Call Arnold and tell him what you want. I’m sure he can help you.”
Luke looked at the number. “Who is he?”
“He’s a professional hacker. Many companies, including the diocese, use him to assess the security risk of their networks. Believe it or not, there are many attempts to break into the diocesan network every day. Arnold uses his hacking skills to evaluate how secure our systems are. You can tell him that I gave you his name, but I don’t want to know anything about what you decide to do.” Carlos looked at his watch. “You might want to call him now. He only works at night.”
Luke stood and walked outside. Arnold answered on the first ring, demanding, “Who is this?”
“Father Luke Miller. Father Carlos Sanchez gave me your name.”
“And what can I do for you, Father?”
“I want to hire you to do a job.”
“When?”
Boldly, Luke pressed. “How about right now?”
There was silence on the line. Eventually Arnold said, “I get five hundred dollars an hour.”
“No problem.”
“It has to be cash.”
“OK.”
Luke agreed to meet him at a nearby Starbucks in an hour. Before hanging up, Luke asked, “How will I know who you are?”
“You won’t, but I know who you are.”
Luke returned to the table and gave Carlos and Vincent an update. They finished eating, and he thanked Carlos again and paid the bill. As they were leaving, Carlos looked at Vincent and said, “Please make sure he doesn’t do anything crazy.”
Vincent laughed. “How could he? He’s a priest!”
Recalling the incident at the abortion protest, Carlos answered softly, “Being a priest doesn’t guarantee anything.”
At Starbucks, Vincent got in line to order a coffee while Luke stood to the side, waiting. A man wearing a black baseball cap walked into the store and directly toward Luke saying, “Follow me.”
They headed to the back of the room and sat down. Arnold placed his laptop on the table and opened it. “What can I do for you?”
As Luke started to answer, Vincent approached. Seeing him, Arnold shut his laptop and stood. “It’s OK, he’s with me,” Luke said.
Arnold sat back down and Vincent joined them. Luke pulled out the e-mail and said, “We’d like to know if this e-mail address is still valid and where the person using it is located.”
Arnold immediately asked, “Do you have it online?”
Luke frowned. “No, just that piece of paper.”
“How much information do you want?”
Before Luke could answer, Vincent interjected, “As much as we can get.”
Arnold thought about this, then he looked up, and Luke saw his dark eyes for the first time.
“How well do you know this person?”
Vincent jumped in. “He was like a brother to me.”
Looking directly at Luke, Arnold said, “How devious do you want to be?”
When Luke didn’t answer, Vincent did. “I don’t care how you do it. I want to know as much as I can about him.”
Arnold smirked. “Then here’s what I suggest we do. You tell me everything you know about this guy: his hobbies, interests, and especially his vices. I’ll develop a few web pages and attempt to entice him to sign up for a service that’s advertised by sending him e-mail. When he bites, we’ll know where he is. If he’s like eighty percent of Internet users, we’ll know a whole lot more.”
“What do you mean?” asked Luke.
“The pages I’ll develop will be offered free of charge but will require the user to enter an ID and password. Once he enters the password, my code will trap it. If he’s like most online users who use the same password for everything, we can then use that password to access his e-mail account or any other online service that he subscribes to.”
“That’s great!” said Vincent.
Arnold reopened his laptop and said, “This job will take me about five hours.” Looking at Luke again, he asked, “Are you good with that?”
Luke nodded. Directing his attention back toward Vincent, Arnold said, “Tell me his vices.”
“Well, after we graduated high school, I was looking for something in his room one day and found a magazine containing”—embarrassed, he looked at Luke—“nude pictures of young Asian girls. Even when we were in school, he always seemed to be fascinated with very young girls.”
Not wanting to hear any of this, Luke stood and asked, “Vincent, can you finish taking care of this?”
“No problem,” Vincent replied, and he handed over his keys. Luke walked out, wondering what in the world he was getting himself into.
LUKE STARTED THE JEEP and turned on the heat. He realized that he hadn’t spoken to Deborah in a while, so he dialed her number. She answered, “I thought you forgot about us!”
“You know better than that. How have you been?”
“Great. We’ve been sledding, skating, and skiing. The children are in their glory, and Lori is a big help.”
“Have you been recognized?”
“No, I’ve been wearing my wig.” She quickly changed the subject. “The children have been asking for you. They’re sleeping now, but can you call back in the morning to talk to them?”
“Yes, of course I will. I miss them too.”
“Maybe you could come here and spend a few days with us.”
“Well, there are a few things that I need to take care of, but maybe next week.”
Her voice softened. “Are you being careful?”
Luke deliberated the question and wondered if he was really being honest when he replied, “Yes, of course.”
Before hanging up, Deb said, “Just so you know, I miss you too.”
Luke closed his eyes and tried to relax. It wasn’t long before he heard the car door open as Vincent jumped in and said, “That guy is awesome.” When Luke didn’t respond, he continued, “I can’t wait to see what happens.”
Luke asked, “Do we need to call him? When will we know something?”
Vincent turned to look at Luke. “He said not to worry, and he would get in touch with us.”
They pulled up to the marina and boarded the yacht. Vincent insisted that Luke sleep in the master bedroom while he took one of the others. Since they were both tired, they quickly said good night and headed to their rooms.
Luke lay on the soft bed and looked up at the ceiling, which contained a skylight. Pressing several buttons on the nightstand, he finally found the switch that opened the shade. The crystal-clear sky was full of stars. Looking up, he wondered if he was getting too involved in the investigation, but he told himself that Aaron would be doing the same thing if Luke had been the one killed on that stage. He asked God for protection before falling asleep.
He woke to the vibration of his phone in his shirt pocket. Startled, he looked at the display and saw that it was 11:52 p.m. He answered the phone quickly. “Is everything all right?”
“I’m sorry it’s so late, but I thought you’d want to know that I found her.”
Confused, Luke asked, “Found who?”
John answered, “Star.”
Luke sat up in bed. “You’re kidding me.”
“No, I’m serious. She didn’t really want to talk to me, but I told her about Blade’s funeral tomorrow.”
“And what did she say?”
“She said that she would be there.”
“That’s great. Did she say anything else?”
“Not really. She seemed more frightened than usual, but I thi
nk she might talk to you.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Because she specifically asked if you were going to be at the funeral.”
LUKE OPENED HIS EYES and saw rays of sun entering through the skylight over his bed; it was a beautiful morning. Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, he saw that it was 7:15. He hadn’t slept this late in years. He walked into the salon, where he sat on the couch and looked out the sliding glass doors toward the back of the boat.
He was making a mental list of everything he had to do that day when he heard Vincent stirring in his room. Soon after, he appeared and sat down across from Luke. They were both disheveled, having slept in their clothes.
“Good morning, Vincent.”
“What time is it?”
Luke laughed. “It’s about 7:30, why?”
“It’s way too early to be awake.”
“Well, why did you get up?”
“I’m a very light sleeper. Been that way my entire life.”
“Well, I’m sorry if I woke you.”
Vincent stood and walked toward the kitchen. “I don’t think it was you, I think it was the movement of the boat.”
A few minutes later, Vincent returned with two cups. They sat in silence, sipping coffee and thinking about Fatih. Noticing the time, Luke asked, “Why don’t you come to the funeral with me?”
“Who’s going to be there?
“Only two, maybe three people.”
Not having anything else to do, Vincent agreed. They took their showers then headed out, to make their way to the crematory in Forest Hills. Before they pulled out of the marina, Luke asked, “Can you reset the trip counter so I know how far away we are?” Vincent pressed a button on the Jeep’s dash.
As they pulled out of the lot, Luke asked, “How about we stop at my brother’s house for a few minutes so we can get some clean clothes?”
“Just tell me the way.”
Vincent was astonished when they turned into Aaron’s neighborhood. “Luke, these houses are almost as big as some of the mosques we built.”