by Toby Neal
“I’m sorry. I get so deep in concentration that I lose track of where I am,” Sophie said.
Indeed, her body felt stiff and her muscles had locked up. She glanced at the clock on the far wall. Two hours had passed. She had only two more before Jake returned. Her gaze dropped to her phone, just as it dinged. “Want me to bring some lunch?” Jake had included a photo of a sandwich with layers of ingredients. “Never mind. I got you a BLT.”
“Freitan sent me to check on you. See if you had anything to share, or needed anything.” Wong eyed her laptop’s screen curiously.
Sophie closed the unit. “Unfortunately, I am not ready to share any data yet. I only have a few more hours to work here today before my partner and I have an appointment.” It felt strange to refer to a meeting with an unknown confidential informant in a community park by such a formal title. “I will let you both know as soon as I have anything of interest.”
Wong leaned his hip against the table. “I’m not sure what you’re looking for. Something to do with missing persons, you said?”
Sophie stood up and stretched her arms overhead, thankful she always wore easy-movement clothing. She hinged at the waist and set her palms on the floor, stretching her hamstrings and back.
“Yes. I’m running statistics on the numbers and situations related to missing persons cases on the Big Island. This was sparked by our investigation into Julie Weathersby’s disappearance and then discovering that there are so many lost in a relatively small area.” Sophie straightened up and eyed Wong, taking his measure. The short, wiry Hawaiian Chinese detective had the kind of toned-down personality that didn’t get much attention in the shadow of his flamboyant partner. That didn’t mean that Wong wasn’t a sharp investigator; Sophie had already noticed how observant he was, and what a good foil for Freitan. Sophie had sometimes experienced that the quiet investigators were the ones who really got results. “Still waters run deep,” Marcella would say, a colloquialism that made sense.
“I’m glad someone is taking the time to look at the big picture,” Wong said, meeting her gaze with intelligent dark eyes. “We are always so busy chasing each case that I have often worried we are losing sight of the forest for the trees.”
That was a good saying too. Sophie nodded. “Focusing on the sand grains rather than the beach.”
“Right. We’re going to get some lunch. Do you want to come?”
“No, my partner is bringing me a sandwich, I believe. I have to get all I can done before that meeting this afternoon. But I look forward to a . . . rain check.” She was gratified that she had come up with the phrase, though that one made little sense at all. She needed to Google its origin. Wong turned to leave, and she touched his elbow. “Is there anything you can tell me about the body dump I found? About that family?”
Wong’s expression went serious as his brows lowered and lips folded together. “The family was in Witness Protection under the cover name of Jones. They had hiked out to watch the lava at Kalapana much as you did—witnesses reported seeing them at the active lava site where you told us you spent the night. Somehow the killer coerced the family into walking to the kipuka, where they were executed. The Marshals think it was a professional hired by the organized crime outfit they were hiding from. We have uncovered photos and video of their execution being circulated on the dark web and being used as a lesson of what happens if you go against this outfit.”
Sophie’s pulse picked up. “Who in your department knows how to search the dark web?”
Wong had a dimple when he smiled a certain way. “Me.”
Sophie frowned. “Have you been able to track the source of the video?”
“Anonymous upload. Multiple VPNs masking the original entry point.” The spark died in Wong’s eye. “I don’t think we’re going to solve this case. The father was going to be giving testimony to a grand jury; that’s all the Marshal on their case would give us. It’s a real blow to have lost that testimony. WITSEC in Hawaii is freaking out, because this is the latest in a series of incursions and leaks that have resulted in the loss of valuable witnesses.”
“I wonder if some of the missing persons I’m looking at are WITSEC,” Sophie said thoughtfully, tapping her lips with a finger.
“Quite possible. They won’t tell us if they are, and we’ll never get that list. Local PD is always seen as too permeable for that kind of top level intel.”
Sophie was more impressed with Wong by the moment. “Thank you for telling me. I’m sorry this is the situation. I wish I could help.”
“I wish you could, too. And I’m sorry you had to find that family on your vacation.” Wong made air quotes as he gestured towards her laptop.
“There are things I care about much more than a vacation. Justice for those who need it is one of them.”
Wong gave a brief nod and exited.
Sophie sat down, her mind whirring with the implications.
This was the perfect case for the Ghost. Sophie did not have the time or ability in her current situation to burrow into the WITSEC database and organization to uncover the leak and the mobsters that were taking advantage of it. But Connor would love that opportunity.
Saying the word “justice” aloud reminded her of Connor so clearly. His ocean-colored eyes. His disciplined body. His incredible musical ability. His genius behind a computer. His dedication to reaching those who couldn’t be reached by the law.
Before she could second-guess herself further, Sophie dug the square weight of the external hard drive that contained the Ghost software out of the bottom of her bag. Connor had given her a copy of the software he used in his vigilantism, doubtless trying to lure her into being his partner on his mission. But it just wasn’t her style or passion to set up clandestine communication manipulations that resulted in consequences for untouchable criminals. That didn’t mean that she couldn’t appreciate the function that the Ghost performed, even respect the necessity of it in the grand scheme of things.
Sophie saved her current results to the Cloud, shut down DAVID, and plugged the Ghost software hard drive into her laptop.
She opened the program, her fingers tripping as they typed in the password, I*love*you*Sophie that Connor had personalized the portal with.
“Talk about awkward,” Marcella’s voice said in her head. “He knew what he was doing when he programmed that password.”
Sophie vividly remembered the hours spent trying to crack the code to get into the program and her initial disappointment that he hadn’t left her a clue or message through that process. It turned out he had, and in Connor’s usual way, it was bolder than anything she would have guessed.
Using the Ghost’s search function, she imported the Hilo PD’s case information from the Jones body dump and downloaded a saved chunk of the missing persons data as well. She opened a chat box and sent a note to Connor:
“I came across this body dump on the Big Island; a WITSEC family, executed by pros. Hilo PD has been shut out of the case, including the leak in Witness Protection that has led not only to this family’s execution, but to the loss of other valuable witnesses. A video of this family’s execution is circulating on the dark web and being used to intimidate. I don’t have time or resources to find out more, but I thought the Ghost might take an interest.”
Sophie’s fingers paused. She stared at the message window, struggling with the secret hope that Connor was online. His pingback beacon on the software would have alerted him that she was in his program, and if he was active, he would write her back.
Several moments passed. No response.
“Son of a disease-ridden water buffalo,” Sophie cursed softly. She closed the chat window.
“I take it your research is not going well.” Jake had appeared at her elbow like a large, muscular djinn.
Sophie slammed the laptop shut and removed her headphones. “Hello, partner. You should alert me to your presence.”
“I knocked, but you were in another world.” Jake set a bag, stained wit
h grease, beside her computer. “You didn’t tell me what you wanted, so I took my best guess.”
“Thank you, Jake.” Sophie opened the bag and peeked inside. She raised her eyebrows in question. “I appreciated the photo. But what is it?”
“It’s a BLT. Bacon, lettuce, and tomato. And some homemade taro chips.” He reached into the bag and produced a thick purple slice of taro, staple food of the Hawaiian diet. Boiled, sliced and fried, the starchy tuber was delicious—Sophie had tasted it served that way in Honolulu.
Sophie took the chip. “Mine. Thank you.”
“Fortunately, I brought my own.” Jake held up his own bag. “I’m sure this isn’t where they want us eating, but forgiveness is easier than permission.” He sat beside her and pulled out a wrapped sandwich. He produced bottles of iced tea, and soon they were lunching in companionable silence.
“What did you find?” Jake eventually asked. His mouth was full, so his words were a little hard to understand.
Sophie swallowed her bite with a gulp of ice tea and answered. “Too much. Too many. I think there’s something going on, but I need a lot longer to work through the different variables.” Holding up a taro chip, she pointed it at him. “Wong came by. That man has a lot more going on than initially appears. He has computer skills.”
Jake clutched his chest theatrically. “Oh! The easiest way to Sophie Ang’s heart has been revealed. And here I was, trying the old-fashioned way of getting to her through her stomach.”
Sophie’s brows scrunched. “I do not understand.”
“Never mind. Fill me in on these mysterious skills of which you speak.”
“Well, he told me that the Jones family, the body dump I discovered, was in the WITSEC program. He confirmed that there’s a possible leak in that program, and that photos and video of the family’s execution are being used to coerce other witnesses. He discovered this fact himself online, surfing the dark web.”
Jake finished his sandwich, as usual a fast eater. He wiped his hands on a napkin. “You are thinking of hacking WITSEC and trying to track that case?”
“No.” Sophie was still on the first half of her sandwich. She dabbed her lips with a napkin. “I do not have time, resources, or the protected online access I’d need to do such an investigation, let alone an agency willing to back me by acting on any intel I might uncover.”
“But you know someone who does.”
Sophie met Jake’s gaze. His eyes were a darker gray than usual, the blue in them bruised-looking. Something was bothering him. She looked down at her sandwich and took a bite, refusing to answer.
They’d never discussed the Ghost and his association with Security Solutions, let alone Sophie’s personal connection to the cyber vigilante. Unless Bix had told him about the FBI probe into Sheldon Hamilton at the agency, he wouldn’t know about any of it.
As if reading her mind, Jake pushed back the rolling office chair he sat on and extended his black-clad legs, stacking combat-booted feet on the edge of the desk. “I think it’s time we discussed the Ghost.”
Chapter Eighteen
Jake wove his fingers together and rested them on his stomach, fixing his gaze on Sophie. She set the uneaten half of her sandwich down and picked up her bottled tea. Her eyes flicked to the computer. “I have some more filters to run before we go,” she said, ignoring his prior statement.
He wasn’t giving up so easily.
“And I said it was time we talked about the Ghost.” He wanted to know what she knew about that slippery cyber vigilante Bix had told him was allegedly associated with Security Solutions. “The FBI’s trying to make a case against our CEO, Sheldon Hamilton,” Bix had told him before he left Oahu for the Big Island. “But they can’t get anything to stick. And they won’t. Hamilton’s nose is clean.”
Bix had brushed off the rest of Jake’s questions. “I only told you so you won’t be surprised if you get questioned by one of Sophie’s former teammates. And she knows all about this.”
That Sophie knew about the Ghost and had never said a word rankled Jake. He hated secrets.
Sophie raised her eyes to his. “Please, Jake. Don’t ask me about this. I can’t talk about it.”
The naked appeal in her gaze disarmed him. Such a warm amber brown, and those lashes! Her eyes were a damn superpower.
“Fine,” he said gruffly. “Since you don’t trust me.”
“I trust you. I just . . . don’t want you to be hurt. And the less you know about this particular subject, the better for you.” She stood up abruptly. “I won’t get anything more done here, today. Let’s go. We can case the area where we’re meeting the informant first, which is good practice.”
Jake dropped his booted feet to the ground, puzzling over her words as Sophie rolled up the internet cable and stowed it. “How would I be hurt by anything to do with that cyber vigilante?”
Sophie folded her lips together tightly. “I think I misused a figure of speech. I meant that . . . you should not be responsible for any more knowledge, in case you are questioned.”
“Ah-ha. So, you do know something.”
Sophie stowed the laptop in her backpack and slung it on. “Let’s go.” She headed for the door.
Jake picked up their discarded lunch. She had only eaten half her sandwich and chips. He was going to make her finish the rest.
They reached the Jeep. Jake beeped it open to the happy greeting barks of the dogs, and set the lunch bag inside on the dash.
Sophie opened her door and her face lit up. “Jake! Tank is still here!”
“I couldn’t do it.” Jake’s ears were hot with embarrassment. “I took him to the Humane Society and started filling out the paperwork, but one look at those cages . . . I just couldn’t do it.”
Sophie ran around the front of the Jeep and embraced him. She wrapped her arms around him, pulled his head down, and kissed him.
Surprise had him standing stiffly, but Jake recovered quickly, kissing her back, squashing her against the side of the Jeep as pent-up hunger took over. She was making a little humming noise in her throat as she wound around him, not put off by his clumsy enthusiasm. Their mouths fused, their hands roamed, and his brain shut down as one of her legs came up, wrapping around his hip. God, she tasted good . . .
“So that’s how it is, eh?” Freitan’s voice, heavy with amusement, came from behind Jake. “Can’t say I blame you, but the parking lot of Hilo Police Department might not be the most private venue for what you got goin’ on.”
Jake buried his face in Sophie’s neck, breathing heavily, imagining that devil-woman dancing a jig in hell. “Dammit.” Maybe Freitan would just go away.
Sophie shoved at his chest, cursing in Chinese or Thai or something. He let go, keeping his back turned to Freitan so she couldn’t mock the action he had going on at the front of his pants. Sophie went around and opened the Jeep’s door as Jake kept his back to the detectives, simmering with temper and frustration.
“Sorry for the cock block.” Freitan laughed harshly.
“Kamani, leave them alone.” Wong’s voice, coming to the rescue. Jake heard the sound of their vehicle beep open. The two bickered.
Jake shoved his hands through his hair, calming himself, tugging his shirt down, setting himself to rights physically and mentally as their car pulled away.
“Tank, you beautiful boy. I’m so glad you’re still here.” Sophie was already inside the Jeep talking to the dogs. Jake turned around when he was sure he was decent, and it was just in time to see her feed the other half of her sandwich to the dogs.
“I brought that so you could eat it. Not them,” Jake scolded. He had himself back under control, but all he could think about was getting his hands on her again.
“I’m sorry about kissing you. We appeared very unprofessional.” Sophie wouldn’t look at him as she turned in her seat to face forward, and buckled in. “We should hurry. We’ll be late.”
“I’m just sorry Freitan interrupted us.” Jake fired up the Jeep. �
��Though we could have picked a better place to make out.” His lips felt sore in a good way when he smiled at her. “We still can.”
“I think that was quite enough of that,” Sophie said primly. She worked her phone with her thumbs. “I am confirming our meet with the informant.”
Jake glanced into the back seat. Tank thrust his big square head forward to touch his shoulder. “Thanks, buddy. You got her to give me a kiss.” The big dog woofed in reply.
Forty minutes later, they pulled up in a nondescript community park with a weather-beaten jungle gym, cinderblock bathrooms, and a patchy soccer field ringed by palms. Jake took his weapon out of his pack. “Think we should be strapped for this.”
“Yes.” Sophie had also taken out her Glock. Jake checked his weapon, watching out of the corner of his eye as she expelled the clip, checked the number of rounds, and rammed it back in, stowing it in a side pocket of her nylon cargo pants. They got out of the Jeep. “We’re half an hour early. Let’s let the dogs run loose since no one’s around,” Sophie said.
“Good idea. They’ve been very patient in the car.” Jake opened his door. Tank barreled out, running over to investigate the row of trash cans by the bathrooms, while Ginger galloped off to fetch a stick. Jake tried not to be too obvious as he watched Sophie do some yoga stretches, but the shape of her butt was too distracting. He turned to grab Ginger’s stick and threw it for the energetic Lab. She hurtled after it, soon joined by Tank. The dogs tussled playfully, and eventually, Tank got the stick and brought it to Jake.
“He seems to know his master.” Sophie came to stand beside him.
“I can’t keep him. I travel too much. But I can work on finding a real home for him.”
“My father might be able to watch him while you do,” Sophie said. “He’s in Honolulu for a month or so.”
“That would be great.” Jake threw the stick again, feeling his belly tighten with regret. He really did wish he could keep the dog. Jake whistled for the dogs. Both of them came, thundering at him like charging horses. He ushered them into the back of the Jeep and filled the water bowl from Sophie’s backpack from a jug he’d picked up at a convenience store.