by Jordan Dane
“Whatever you need,” Ethan said, “consider it done.”
The Russian crooked his lips into a smile, the humor never reaching his eyes. At times Ethan found himself mesmerized by the awkwardness of that expression, but most days, he wished to block the man’s face from his mind altogether. He slept better that way.
Downtown Chicago
Midday
Located on the “Magnificent Mile,” the Peninsula Chicago on Superior Street was one of the city’s most luxurious and sophisticated five-star hotels, set in the heart of the city’s exclusive shopping scene. In contrast, the posh hotel stood beside the historic Water Tower, a uniquely eye-catching and ornate limestone structure that looked more like a small chapel at first glance—the old and new set in perfect harmony.
Jess had driven around the block three times before she decided to avoid the grand porte cochere entrance with its intimidating display of flags, uniformed valets, and couture-dressed patrons. Instead, she parked down the block and hiked back, contending with a brisk wind. When she got to the hotel, the stiff breeze swept across the front entrance like a wind tunnel, buffeting her clothes and hair. Sensitive to her disheveled appearance, she regrouped once she made it to the valet station outside the main entrance.
Yet again Seth Harper had surprised her with his new digs. And he’d promised to meet her in the lobby since his accommodations required card-key access to the secured floors.
“Card-key access, my ass,” she muttered under her breath as she pushed through the revolving glass door, running a hand through her tousled hair. Once inside, she searched the lobby for her enigmatic boy genius. When she spotted him, Jess did a double take, unable to contain her grin.
“Well, I’ll be damned.” She raised an eyebrow and cocked a hip.
Nice dark slacks and a blue open-collar, button-down shirt had replaced his Jerry Springer tee and worn jeans. He’d even combed his hair for the occasion. Harper was a damned chameleon. If not for the bruises on his face and for his cut lip, she might have mistaken him for someone else. With her arms crossed, she waited for him to come to her.
As she got a closer look at his face, she grimaced and asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. My macho pride took a beating, but you know what they say. Anything that doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
“That’s just another way of saying, ‘Man up and get over it.’” She took a good long look at Seth from head to toe. “Well, I have to say it. You clean up nice, Harper. But I’m still reporting you to Springer. Where’s your loyalty, man?”
Harper didn’t bat an eye. He opened a button to reveal a Jerry tee under his shirt.
“Never question my sense of loyalty, Jess. I may surprise you from time to time, but some things about me never change.”
“I’m beginning to appreciate that fact, Harper.” She smiled. “Lead the way, uptown boy.”
Seth escorted her to the top floor and into the most fabulous suite she had ever seen. Jaw dropping gorgeous. Massive windows in every room offered stunning panoramic views of Lake Michigan, the Water Tower, and Chicago’s historic Gold Coast district. Without waiting for her reaction, he headed for an impressive study, leaving her to explore—something she couldn’t resist.
Painted in gold tones and creamy ivory, the suite had two living areas, one casual and the other more formal. If a patron ever got confused about which was which, the grand piano served as a focal point to the formal one. She had no idea if Harper played, but nothing would surprise her about the guy anymore.
The rest of the upscale quarters had fireplaces everywhere and a private exercise room. But the most amazing sight was the outdoor terrace with its ornamental garden and hot tub, a relaxing oasis in the middle of Chi-town. She walked onto the terrace and gazed across the cityscape with the warm sun on her face and the hum of traffic below. The breeze rustled through the small trees and shrubs of the terrace garden and messed with her hair again. Yet despite having to contend with Mother Nature, she enjoyed the view at the top of the world. To the west a dark bank of clouds loomed on the horizon. A storm building its case. The sun wouldn’t last, but from Seth Harper’s spectacular vantage-point, he’d soon have a prime seat for the unfolding drama.
Breathtaking.
“Man, I love this town.” The constant and underlying vitality of downtown Chicago never ceased to amaze her.
When she came back inside, she noticed once again that Harper didn’t look like he actually fit here. Granted, it had only been one night since he’d moved, but he made use of only a fraction of the suite, leaving little trace of himself behind. An efficient and practiced lifestyle, if it could be called living at all. She got the sense he could vacate the premises in a heartbeat, needing only scant time to undertake his skillful disappearing act.
For now, she accepted him as is, noticing he didn’t respond well to an overabundance of questions. Neither did she, but since he obviously didn’t need her lame job, why had he reached out to her at all? She had the feeling he didn’t have a huge circle of friends and had grown accustomed to his solitary life, yet the question persisted in her mind: Why had he picked her?
Fixing her windswept hair, Jess joined him in the study and leaned against the open French doors.
“Your view is absolutely stunning.”
Harper barely looked up from his laptop. “Yeah. It’s nice.” Spoken like a man who had grown accustomed to an address on easy street. “Here…come check this out. And I’ve got a confession to make.”
“No…really?” She exaggerated her reaction as she looked over his shoulder behind the desk. “Don’t tell me you’ve been keeping secrets from me, Harper.”
She hadn’t noticed it before, but he had an array of equipment on the desk, alongside his usual assortment of pirated computer software. Batteries, wiring, and what looked like two metal briefcases with control panels inside.
“What’s all this?” she asked.
“I wanted to surprise you.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You’ve done nothing but surprise me since we’ve met. What are you talking about?”
“When I installed the tracking software onto Baker’s laptop, I thought of something else to give us an edge. Remember I mentioned I might have time to kick in something extra?”
By the apologetic look on his face, she wasn’t sure she’d like what he had to say, but she kept her mouth shut—nothing short of a miracle.
“Well, I hid a long range transmitter in the computer bag and sewed it into the lining, so we could trace the physical location of it. I figured you for the impatient type, not wanting to wait for Baker to login.” He raised both eyebrows. “I hope that was okay.”
After a moment of stunned silence, Jess laughed aloud, the sound echoing through the suite.
“Okay? Harper, I’d kiss you, but I couldn’t afford a sexual harassment suit. Way to go, genius!” She grinned and waved a hand to prompt him. “Come on. Show me how it works.”
“I will, but I want to explain the keystrokes first.” He breezed through his laptop to bring up the data he’d recorded, taken from Baker’s computer when someone had logged into it. He explained what had happened and the conclusions he drew from it all. “You see what I mean? Whoever has Baker’s laptop knows what they’re doing. These aren’t the maneuverings of a novice.”
While she pondered the significance of what he’d said, he clarified his point.
“We installed the tracking software figuring Baker wasn’t savvy enough to know it was there. But I can tell by the keystrokes that whoever has the laptop really knows their stuff. They may find what I’ve done.”
“Meaning, if they find the embedded software, they’ll wonder who tampered with it. Eventually, someone in Baker’s old organization will point a finger at us.”
“Yeah. Yet another reason to support my Houdini vanishing routine.” He nodded. “But you…it may not be safe for you to go home. At least, not until we figure this out.”
“And you know, there’s another piece to this puzzle I gotta think through. Sam told me the police don’t have the laptop. They thought it was stolen at the murder scene.” She thought about it for a minute, wanting to make sure she had it right in her head. “You know, if you’re correct, I think Baker’s organization took him out. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“Globe Harvest?”
“Who else would know so much about navigating that computer? The theft was no coincidence, Harper.” She furrowed her brow. “I think if we find that stolen property, we’re gonna find Baker’s killer…and get our foot in the door to something much bigger.”
It wasn’t just a case of hunting down a laptop. That computer served as a back door into an online conspiracy linked to missing kids. There had to be big money involved too. A lot at stake. But had Lucas Baker been killed because she’d taken his computer in the first place?
“I hate to say this aloud,” he said, “but if the people behind Globe Harvest are willing to kill one of their own to keep their secret, they won’t have any trouble taking care of outsiders threatening their business.”
A cold chill shot across her skin, and not just because the AC was too high.
“You better show me how this gear works.”
Suddenly, their preparation took on a more ominous urgency.
“Yeah…guess I better,” Seth said. “Here’s the basic setup for the tracking system.”
He explained how the long range tracking system worked, transmitters with a receiver range of up to twenty-five miles on the ground. And he’d gotten his hands on a law enforcement package that would allow two people to track and cover more territory in the process—receivers, transmitters, directional antennas with RF frequencies, headphones, the works.
“The plan is to drive until we pick up an initial signal that we can track. That signal should lead us to the exact location of the laptop.” He pointed at a map of the Chicago area. “We’ll stick to the freeways to cover the most ground. Don’t veer off until you’ve got a signal to chase. You’ll start here and work your way in, and I’ll do the same coming from this direction. When we get a hit, we’ll contact each other. I know this has been a crash course, but do you think you can handle the equipment on your own?”
“I think so.” She forced a smile.
“But when we find the computer, you’re gonna contact the police, right?” he asked. “I mean, it’s evidence in a murder now. All we’re gonna do is track it, right?”
“Yeah, sure. I’ve already talked to Sam.” She nodded and grimaced a little. “Speaking of the police, I may need you to do me a favor. Detective Garza doesn’t think very highly of…my behavior with Baker.”
“You mean, when you stalked and hunted the asshole down with a gun?” Harper raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah…that.” She shrugged. “He might want to question me about where I was the night Baker was killed. Would you be willing to come forward and be my alibi if all this goes down? I don’t expect you to lie. Just tell the truth about what happened that night.”
“All of it?”
“Yes, all of it.” She tried not to act insulted that he’d suggested lying would be a better option. “I’ll take the heat for what happened, but personally, I think being wrapped in duct tape makes a pretty good argument for extenuating circumstances in your case. And Sam can attest to what happened.”
Seth narrowed his eyes and slouched back in the desk chair. “If you need me…yeah, I’ll do it. But Jess, it wouldn’t be my first choice for…entertainment. Believe me, it’s not that I object to helping out, but…I’ve got my reasons.”
“Yeah, kind of figured as much.” She nibbled her lower lip. “Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Besides, if we get lucky locating Baker’s computer, the heat will be off me, and Sam can finish the rest. Finding stolen evidence in a murder investigation should make her look pretty good in front of CPD brass too.”
She thought of something else. A precaution.
“Listen…in case we get split up…when we find the location of the laptop, we’ll contact Sam and let her know. I promised her no more secrets. And we don’t want to take possession of stolen property. It’ll screw with CPD’s chain of evidence.” She found a pen and used a pad of hotel stationery to write down Sam’s number. “So it might be a good idea if you had her cell number too. Just in case.”
“Yeah…sure.” When Seth tried to smile, he winced and reached for his cut lip. “Don’t mistake me for a lightweight, but—Ow!”
With humor, he’d taken everything in stride, but his grimace gave her an opening.
“Listen, Seth. I’m sorry for getting you into all this. I don’t know why you’re still…helping me, but I really appreciate having you as a friend, you know?”
“Yeah…I know.”
“But I gotta ask. Why are you doing this? I know it’s not for the big bucks I’m paying you.”
He stared at her a long time and finally answered, “Not everything is about…money.”
She wanted to laugh aloud when she heard nearly the same words that she’d said to Sam the other day. Seth Harper was more than a kindred spirit. He was a damned mind reader.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself.” She grinned and patted his shoulder. “Let’s do this.”
She helped him pack the equipment, and it took time to carry it down to their vehicles and make sure the gear was operational. This time of day, they would hit the early outbound commuter traffic. And by the drops of rain on her windshield, the drive would be ugly and slow moving. But as she drove out of downtown Chicago, following Harper, she had more on her mind than the weather.
She wondered what they’d find when the search narrowed to a single location. If Lucas Baker wasn’t the tip of a very nasty iceberg, then why did she feel like the captain of the Titanic?
CHAPTER 14
Nothing. She hadn’t found a damned thing. And from their last call, neither had Seth.
Although the tracking system kept interference to a minimum, it didn’t block out frequency noise completely. Every time the gear would register a blip of sound, it made her heart race until it cleared, getting her hopes up for nothing. And the system didn’t operate real-time. It had a slight delay. That meant she had to learn how the equipment worked the hard way—trial and error coupled with emotional highs and lows.
And to compound her stress, when she turned on her car headlights at dusk due to overcast skies and steady rain, she fell victim to a dismal funk that left her exhausted. The darkness exacerbated her sullen mood, and thumping wipers competed with noise coming off the receiver, making matters worse. Long hours and sleepless nights had caught up with her and she was nearly on empty, in more ways than one. She hadn’t eaten since morning and would soon have to find a gas station. None were in sight.
A road sign ahead gave her the miles to the Indiana border, reminding her she’d slipped farther southeast than she had planned. They hadn’t discussed crossing state lines into northwest Indiana or heading north into Wisconsin, but that made more sense than driving through rural Illinois or driving into states to the west. Instinct had played a part in her thinking, considering Baker had been murdered in South Chicago and that Globe Harvest might want close proximity to Chicago airports.
Jess glanced at her gas gauge when she saw a road sign for a station ahead. Time for caffeine and a call to Harper. After taking a pit stop and buying a large cup of black coffee, she leaned against the outside of her vehicle to stretch her legs, sipping java and talking to him.
“I’ve got nothing. With a twenty-five-mile radius, I’m not sure how far to take this.”
She gave him her location on I-57 south and they talked about her state line theory. Seth had used his instincts too. He’d driven west until his gut told him to try north, with the same result. Nothing.
“We may have to call it a night, try again tomorrow…early,” he suggested.
“No. What if they move, take it fa
rther away or destroy the transmitter? I don’t think we can risk it. Thanks to you, this is our best shot, Harper.” She knew how she sounded. Desperation had leached into her voice and she couldn’t control it. Seth must have picked up on it.
“You’ve got to be tired, Jess,” he said. “You’ve had a rough couple of days.”
“I’m okay…really.” She sighed and took a sip of coffee, ignoring her dull throbbing headache. “I’ll call you in a half hour. If I get a signal, I’ll call sooner.” She recognized wishful thinking when she heard it. “I’ve got a fresh tank of gas and my java juice. I’m good to go.”
After Jess left the gas station heading north, the receiver got a faint hit. She almost missed it, and once the sound registered in her mind, she downplayed it. No sense getting her hopes up until the signal showed real signs of life. When it got stronger, she was certain she’d hit pay dirt. She pounded her steering wheel with a fist, fighting the grin on her face. As soon as it was safe to make a call, she contacted Harper.
“I got a hit, Seth.” She gave him her approximate location, but had no idea where the transmission would take her.
“Pull over at a good spot and wait for me.”
She knew he was on the other end of Chicago. What if the computer bag was on the move? Should she stop and risk losing it? And once that Globe Harvest computer geek found Harper’s tracking software, could the transmitter be far behind? She had a feeling the clock was ticking down on her opportunity to tap into Baker’s illegal enterprise.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Seth.”
She kicked up the speed of the wiper blades as the rain got worse. The sound made it harder to hear the receiver, but it couldn’t be helped. Peering through the windshield, she leaned forward and looked over a dark horizon dappled with a blur of glittering lights. Their colors bled across the glass in streaks. Her heart was racing, pumped full of adrenaline and a fresh jolt of coffee.