Entrance to Nowhere

by Marja McGraw

  I glanced at the top of the desk. “Have you noticed that all of the drives are black? Except the one Aunt Martha found. It’s red. It’s got to be the one we were looking for.”

  “Now we’ve got something worth trading to get Trap back,” Draper said.

  Chapter Ten

  “That’s fine and dandy,” Aunt Martha said. “You’ve got something to trade for Andrew’s release, but how are you going to find out who has him? It could be anyone from Russian spies to Joe Blow from his company.”

  Griz held up the thumb drive. “That’s easy. This little gadget is what they want, and we’ve got it. They’ll be back to look for it, but this time we’ll be ready for them. We’re going to make them think we’ve left. They’ll think they’ve got the house to themselves.”

  He was right. If the drive was that important, they’d be back. However, the general consensus seemed to be that they were professionals, which did nothing to ensure my peace of mind. And, was that the right thumb drive?

  “Pete? Can I see you outside?” I wanted to discuss the whole situation with him.

  I set the red drive on the desk and walked outside.

  Pete followed, looking unsure of what I might want. He was excited about being involved in finding one of the richest men in the country. Me? Not so much.

  “Aren’t we in over our heads?” I asked. “I’m starting to get the feeling that this isn’t your everyday case. I mean, if we’re dealing with professionals, this could be, and probably is, pretty dangerous.”

  Pete nodded. “Maybe you and your aunt should get out of here and go home.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’m staying. Griz and Draper need my help. The old man and I were a good team when we worked together, and Draper has plenty of military experience. Yeah, I think it might be a good idea for you to go home.”

  I stood my ground, taking his words as a challenge. “I’m staying. Besides, I could never find my way out of this place. And Aunt Martha? She’s actually come up with a few pretty good ideas. We can be useful.”

  “You want your aunt to stay here? There’s no doubt in my mind that this is going to be dangerous.”

  “Tell you what,” I said. “I’ll ask my aunt if she wants to leave or stay. It’s her decision, but understand me. If she wants to leave, I’ll take her home, but I’m coming back.”

  “Go talk to her. I don’t want to be responsible for her. We’ve got enough to do without worrying about you two.” Pete left me standing on the porch and went back inside.

  Somehow I felt almost insulted. He knew my work, and he knew I could take care of myself.

  When he opened the door, Bubba and Clem scurried out before he could close it, blocking their way.

  Clem glanced back at the house and whined. I wondered if she was missing Trap.

  Bubba ignored her and sniffed the vegetation until he found a tree he liked.

  Glancing around the property, I realized I was a target outside. Of course, maybe they weren’t looking for a target. Pete’s comment about danger had set my nerves on edge. Shoot! I’d been in tighter spots than this.

  Still, I called to the dogs and we went back into the mansion. There was no sense in pushing my luck.

  I returned to the office where I found Griz explaining prepping to my aunt.

  “I can understand where you’re coming from. I’ve thought about what life would be like in case of an EMP,” she said.

  “You know what an EMP is?” He sounded surprised.

  “Of course. An Electromagnetic Pulse. We could have a huge solar storm and it could take out all of the electrical equipment. Cars would stop running. Cell phones wouldn’t work. Appliances wouldn’t work. There’s more. Do you want to hear about it?”

  “No. I already know about it. In fact, under the right circumstances, an attack on our air space could have the same affect.”

  “Well,” I said, “aren’t you two the cheerful ones?”

  My aunt gave me a look which I couldn’t define. “I’m just letting him know that I understand why he’s doing what he’s doing.”

  “I see. Can I talk to you in the kitchen, Aunt Martha?”

  Pete sat at the desk. “Sandi, can you take care of sending this to Stan first? I can’t figure it out.”

  “Sure.” I sat down and plugged the drive into the USB port. There were several files on it and it took some time. To avoid confusion, I sent each file to Stanley as I opened it. The files looked like a lot of gobbledygook to me, but he’d figure it out. I had confidence.

  Griz and my aunt were talking about natural disasters by the time I was done.

  “Auntie? Let’s talk.”

  She followed me out to the kitchen. “What is it, Sandi?”

  “Pete thinks you should go home. This is looking more and more like it could be dangerous. I can drive you home, but I’ll be coming back here. You can leave for Mom’s place.”

  “I had a feeling you were going to suggest that I leave. My answer is an emphatic no, and there will be no arguments, Sandra. I can be useful here.”

  “Uh, would you please call me Sandi instead of Sandra? The only time anyone calls me by my given name is when my mother is upset with me.”

  She smiled, but didn’t reply.

  I sighed, inwardly. “Look what happened to you last night. You could have been hurt even more than you were, or something worse could have happened.”

  My aunt looked very self-confident. “I can take care of myself. He just took me by surprise. Besides, my .22 is back in Chicago, but if I had it here...”

  “Your what? What do you know about guns?” I asked.

  “Plenty. I go out to the gun range once a week for target practice, and I’m a pretty good shot.”

  This woman was full of surprises.

  “Mother never mentioned that you own a gun.”

  “That’s because she doesn’t know. I didn’t want to worry her.”

  “You cried about having wrinkles last night.” Something had to make her realize she was vulnerable.

  “I’m not normally a crier. Those were tears of anger and they had nothing to do with my wrinkles. I was ticked off because the man in the office got the drop on me.”

  I shook my head. “And you understand prepping?”

  “There used to be a show on TV about prepping and I never missed an episode. I’ve got over two weeks worth of food, water and supplies in my basement. You just never know what could happen. You should think about prepping, Sandi.”

  I raised my eyebrows at her. “I’ll give it some thought. What do you see yourself doing to help if you stay here?”

  She rolled her eyes at me. “I already found the thingy in the slipper. Besides, you all need someone to keep you on your toes. And I’ve watched plenty of spy shows and read books.” She squinted at me. “Why should I explain myself to you? It’s my decision, and I’m staying.”

  “Now I know where I get my stubbornness from.”

  “Certainly from your mother, not me. And I’m having a grand time sparring with Griz. The old goat and I actually have a lot in common.”

  I knew from my own personality and from dealing with my mother that there was no use arguing with her.

  “Okay, you can stay, but like it or not you’ll have to take orders. If Pete says jump, you ask how high. If Griz says to hit the floor, you drop like a ton of bricks. And if Draper says move, well, just get out of his way.”

  “Be careful, Sandi. Don’t speak to me like I’m a child.”

  “Let me add, if I say something, you listen. If you don’t follow the rules, you go home. Understood?”

  “My, my. You have spunk. I didn’t know that. I’m glad I came for a visit.”

  The woman was impossible.

  I glanced at the clock. We’d been up since four-thirty and it was already seven o’clock. The day was flying by.

  My aunt started a fresh pot of coffee. “We’ll take this to the office for the boys. Remember? I’m the chief
cook and bottle washer.”

  I had a feeling Griz would regret ever using those words.

  We finally put the coffee pot on a tray with some mugs, ready to return to the office.

  “Why don’t we add a snack,” my aunt suggested. “I’ve been through all the cupboards, and it turns out Andrew likes to keep plenty of goodies around.”

  She added a plate of cookies to the tray.

  Bubba wandered into the kitchen with a twitching nose and sat down, smiling. Apparently he smelled the cookies. Clem was right behind him. She looked up at my aunt with big, pleading brown eyes and held out her paw, with her big ears flopped over and making her look cute as a button.

  There’s a sucker born every minute. Aunt Martha threw Bubba a cookie and gently hand fed Clem a small piece.

  Pete hurried into the kitchen. “Things are heating up. Trap’s accountant called and he’s very annoyed because Griz keeps putting him off. His secretary called, too. She can normally handle the office without bothering Trap, but she said a few sensitive matters have come up.”

  “I hope the term sensitive doesn’t apply to what’s going on here,” I said.

  Pete looked impatient. “Most importantly, Stan called, and he sounded nervous. He says he’s just started looking at the material you sent him, and he said we’d better find a good hiding place for the drive and that you need to delete anything from the computer that you loaded.”

  “Did he say what it is?”

  “He thinks it’s a way to hack a highly secure system, but the files are encrypted. He was only able to open a couple of them. He also reminded me that what he’s seeing isn’t something he’s overly familiar with, and he’ll need more time. He’s going to have to study the files.”

  “It looks like it’s a good thing he took some classes on cybersecurity last year. I thought it was a waste of time to take the courses, but I guess I was wrong.” I was glad he hadn’t listened to me when I’d tried to talk him out of it.

  Chapter Eleven

  This wasn’t one of our typical cases, but then it wasn’t really a case, and several of our cases hadn’t been typical. It was a matter of Pete’s friend asking for help. Trap didn’t want the police or the Feds called in unless it was absolutely necessary. I felt it was time, but Griz and Scott disagreed.

  Internet technology security was something I knew nothing about, other than it could be a bad thing if someone could get past it.

  The phone rang. There weren’t any phone lines out here and Trap used a cell phone, according to Griz, along with everyone else.

  “From now on, if the phone rings, put it on speakerphone. If it’s whoever’s holding Trap, we all need to hear what’s going on,” I said.

  Griz nodded and answered the phone.

  “Griz? This is Thomas Layne.”

  He put his hand over the phone and quietly said, “Trap’s personal accountant and the accountant for the security company.”

  “Put Mr. Trapper on the phone right now. We have some issues we’ve got to discuss, and I won’t be put off any longer.” He sounded angry and demanding. His voice and tone made me picture a red-faced, squat little guy banging his fist on a table.

  “Sorry, Layne, but he’s not here right now.”

  “That’s what you’ve said every time I call, and I’ve had about enough. He’s not responding to phone calls, texts or emails. What’s going on there?”

  He paused for a moment.

  “If I didn’t know better I’d think he’d been kidnapped or something. Is he sick? In the hospital? Broken a leg?”

  “He doesn’t want to talk to you or anyone else,” Griz said.

  “Yes, I spoke to Greta and she said she can’t get through to him either.”

  Griz covered the phone again. “Greta’s his secretary.”

  “If you don’t have him call me back today, I’m driving out there to see what’s really going on.”

  “You don’t know where the mansion is,” Griz reminded him.

  “Oh, uh, yeah. Well, then I’ll hire someone to find the mansion.”

  Something didn’t ring true in his tone of voice.

  “Good luck with that, pal. Is there a message I can give him? What’s this about?”

  Thomas sounded surprised, as though he hadn’t expected to be put on the spot. He hesitated just a fraction too long. “No message. It’s personal. Tell him to get back to me as soon as possible.”

  He hung up.

  Draper had been leaning on the desk, listening intently. “There’s something I don’t like about that guy. When he said he’d drive out here, I got the feeling he wasn’t just talking through his hat. I think he knows where we are.”

  “I don’t think there’s any way he could find out our location,” Griz said.

  Aunt Martha raised her eyebrows. “Unless he’s a professional.”

  All heads turned in her direction.

  “She’s got a point,” Draper said.

  Pete nodded. “This could be an inside job.”

  Griz rubbed his hand over his beard. “It’s a given that they all know what he does. I mean, it’s no secret that the cybersecurity company is his pride and joy.”

  I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. “What’s this guy’s last name? I missed what he said. I’ll call Stanley and have him do a background check.”

  “Yeah,” Pete said. “If this guy has any skeletons in his closet, Stan will find them.”

  “Thomas Layne,” Griz said. “I know Trap has files here for all of his employees. Let me find Layne’s file and you can give your friend whatever information he needs.” He walked to a filing cabinet and opened the third drawer down, pulling out a folder and handing it to me.

  The living room was quiet, so I sat on the couch and called Stanley and told him what we needed, giving him all the information I could, including Layne’s social security number, address and other personal information.

  “Stanley, I don’t think we have a lot of time. These clowns are going to come back for the thumb drive, without a doubt. There’s no telling what will happen to Trap if they don’t get what they want.”

  “I’m on it, Sandi. I’ll return your call as soon as I possibly can. You’ve given me a lot of information to work with, so this should be a snap. Besides, Mr. Trapper would have already done a thorough background check.”

  “Maybe you’ll find something he missed. How’s your ankle?” I asked.

  “Fair to middlin’,” he replied.

  The old Stanley always spoke proper English, while the new Stanley was loosening up a little. A year ago he never would have said something like this should be a snap, or fair to middlin’.

  “Well, thanks for doing research for me, and take care of that ankle.”

  “I will. Felicity is here helping out, too.”

  “Tell her I said thank you.”

  We hung up and I returned to the office. Griz was on the phone again.

  “…and I’m not fooling around, Griz,” a woman’s voice said. “This isn’t like Trap. You have him call me or I’ll – “

  “You’ll what? Come out to the mansion?” Griz said.

  There was a moment of dead silence at the other end. “How could I drive out there? I don’t know where the mansion is. No one knows.” Something about her tone didn’t sound sincere, and her voice sounded high and querulous – kind of whiny, and yet demanding. Kind of like Thomas.

  “Someone knows.” Pete spoke softly.

  “Who’s he talking to?” I asked.

  “Trap’s secretary, Greta Barlow.”

  I walked to the filing cabinet and opened the top drawer, and after glancing at Griz and getting a nod, I pulled a file marked Barlow. Of course Trap would have already done a background check or there wouldn’t be a file. You never know, maybe Stanley could find something that was missed.

  I made my way back to the living room and called Stanley again.

  “I’ve got another name for you, Stanley,” I said.

&n
bsp; “Are you ever going to call me Stan, like Pete does?” he asked.

  “Only when I remember. Now here’s the information. Her name is Greta Barlow…” I gave him her personal information and reiterated that time was of the essence. “I’ll be waiting for your call.”

  “No pressure here,” Stanley said.

  I heard Felicity laugh in the background.

  By the time I returned to the office, Griz was off the phone.

  “Are there any other employees Trap has a lot of contact with?” I asked.

  “Only a few,” Draper replied.

  “Are there files here on them, too?”

  He walked over to the filing cabinet and pulled three more files. “These are people he generally deals with on a daily basis.” He held them out to me.

  “It’s too bad none of us are computer experts,” Aunt Martha said. “It’s annoying to have to sit here twiddling our thumbs while we wait on this Stanley person. Are you sure he’s up to the task?”

  “You betcha,” Pete said. “If Trap knew about him he’d hire him away from us.”

  She pursed her lips and turned away, walking to a window to… What? Keep an eye out for bad guys? She turned back to us.

  “When are we going to put this plan into action?”

  “What plan?” I asked.

  She clicked her tongue impatiently. “The one when we let the ne’er-do-wells think they’ve got clear access to the house. The one where we let them try to steal the drive thingy. That plan.”

  “She’s right,” Griz said, “but I think we should wait until dark.”

  “Why wait, for crying out loud?” My aunt was in her bossy mode, which was her normal attitude. “If they think we’re not at the mansion, it won’t matter if it’s dark or not. Am I the only one with any brains around here?”

  Oh, yes, she could be soooo annoying when she wanted to be.

  She clapped her hands as though trying to gain the attention of children. “Okay, Griz, Scott and I will ride in the camper and – “

  “Motorhome,” Griz corrected.

  She sighed. “We’ll ride in the motorhome. Sandi, you and Pete take your Jeep. We’ll drive out of here and let them think we’re doing… Whatever it is we’re supposed to be doing. Then we’ll sneak back and wait and watch.”