Wired Justice

by Toby Neal

Sophie’s eyes widened in surprise. “Of course not, sir. The only people who know I was working some bigger numbers on the missing persons situation are Freitan, Wong, and my partner, Jake Dunn.”

  All eyes turned to Jake, who lifted his hands in a surrender gesture. “Don’t look at me! Sophie and I have been running our asses off. Hardly had time to breathe, let alone stir the shit to tip off anybody. Our supervisor Bix is on us because we haven’t kept him updated, and now our client’s body has been found. So we aren’t even on the job for much longer.” He looked around the table. “I hope you found our contributions helpful. Such as finding a serial robbing tweaker couple that might be murderers, uncovering an extortionist, and discovering multiple bodies.”

  A beat passed by, and Ohale gave an abrupt head nod. “Your help is noted. Let’s start over again with full introductions, then I would like Detective Freitan to facilitate a review of the situation that has led to our current discovery.”

  Sophie took out her laptop, and looked to the station chief. “All right if I take some notes, sir?”

  “No Internet. And shoot us a copy before you do anything with the notes,” Ohale said.

  Sophie nodded. The level of concern about the apparent leak was merited. She was relieved to have keys under her fingers again and something to do with her hands as Freitan got up and went to one of the whiteboards on the wall.

  Sophie noted the names of those present as they were introduced: Freitan, Wong, Jake, Ohale, a round, genial Filipino man introduced as Hilo’s District Attorney Sam Queiros, and Detectives Latimer and Lono from nearby Puna District.

  The meeting got underway with a brief mention of the body dump Sophie had initially found. “I’ll just summarize the progress with that so far. We don’t think that the murdered family is part of this current investigation,” Freitan said. “The ‘Jones’ family was in Witness Protection. The Marshals Service has taken over that investigation, and is working on a leak that’s been leading to exposure of some of their witnesses here on the Big Island. We are no longer involved, except as pertains to processing crime scene evidence and whatever they ask us to do. And now, to our current case.”

  Freitan turned to a large portable corkboard, which she propped against the whiteboard. Photos of people involved with the case were tacked to it. “Ms. Ang and her handy cadaver dog Ginger, along with Dunn here, are working the disappearance of Julie Weathersby because the parents went ahead and hired Security Solutions. Since these two paired up, the action on the case has been nonstop. They tracked a couple who had targeted and robbed Weathersby out at that encampment at Oceanview, Travelers’ Rest.” Freitan tapped mugshots of Holly Rayme and Jim Webb. “We still have Webb and Rayme in custody, and these two tweakers appear to have been robbing and rolling on a regular basis. They could be killers too, though our search at their squat didn’t yield anything tying to a particular case.” Freitan paused to slurp from her mug of coffee and went on. “Dunn and Ang also found a young man named Paul Chernobiac who has, at least, been a part of shaking down families of the missing. Chernobiac seems to have ties to unknown partners; Jake and Sophie reported being pursued by a black SUV when they went to check his address.” Freitan pointed to Chernobiac’s innocuous-looking photo.

  “Hilo PD neither authorized nor sanctioned any illegal search of Chernobiac’s property,” Wong chimed in. “But when our team went to search the premises with a warrant, the bag of cash Ang and Dunn had reported seeing was missing. We didn’t have a confirmed connection between Chernobiac and any of these crimes, so he was released after twenty-four hours.”

  “So you searched Chernobiac’s premises illegally?” Chief Ohale asked Jake.

  Jake gazed back at him levelly. “We neither confirm nor deny such an action might have happened.”

  The detectives snorted with laughter and Freitan picked up the thread. “Today’s discovery of four bodies, one of them tentatively identified as Julie Weathersby, has led to an expansion of the investigating team. Wong and I have no problem asking for help from the FBI at this point. It seems like we have a serial here, maybe even a serial with an organized underbelly of secondary crime feeding off of the victim’s families.”

  “I have a question.” Detective Lono was a rugged-looking mixed Caucasian Hawaiian in a long-sleeved hoodie with a tattoo showing on his neck. “I usually work vice, and I’m wondering why we’ve been drafted to be a part of this. We have our own cases that will be neglected for this business here in Hilo.”

  “Short answer? Because I asked your Lieutenant for more manpower. We need to take these missing persons cases more seriously, and we wanted some investigators with connections to the drug and vice trade in the area,” Ohale said. “We need to respond as aggressively as we can with the governor’s eye on the situation. I think we might find that there are a combination of different scenarios leading to what apparently seems like one trend.”

  That seemed to sober the two from Puna District. Wong stood up and handed out packets of photocopied paper. Sophie took hers, scanning it and finding details from the bodies as Freitan said, “We are trying to identify the three sets of remains that we found in the stream. Dunn and Ang took a look at the female body and superficially, it matches the description of Julie Weathersby.”

  “Too bloated to be totally sure,” Jake said, “but the coloring and height are right. Our witness Shirley Mandig identified Julie Weathersby, recognized after the fact through social media, as the girl in a black bra and underwear that she saw on the side of the road. Ultimately that led to our discovery. Julie Weathersby’s parents are already on the island and will be asked to confirm the identity.”

  Sophie gave a little inward shudder at the thought of being asked to identify a child’s body after it was submerged for a week. Hopefully, the Weathersbys had strong stomachs.

  “We still may need to use dental records and DNA to confirm if the parents can’t identify the body, since the fingerprints are too degraded. The others are older and are going to be more difficult. One of the first tasks we need to do is obtain dental records of all of the possible missing within the time frame that the medical examiner gives us for these bodies,” Freitan said.

  The meeting devolved into the minutiae of who was doing what, none of which involved Jake or Sophie. Sophie continued to take notes, but sneaked a look at her partner.

  Jake sat across from her, leaning back in his chair, his big body relaxed, his eyes half-closed, his fingers laced on his flat belly. He’d looked sexy and sleepy like that in her bed.

  His eyes shifted over and met hers. He was remembering, too. Heat flushed the back of Sophie’s neck and she looked down at her laptop.

  Jake coiled forward deliberately and set his elbows on the table. “If I may interrupt for a moment. Ms. Ang and I would like to continue to support the investigation, but with our client most likely deceased, it seems we might be out of a job.”

  Ohale inclined his head. “You two can go. We will let you know when we have an interview set up with the parents.”

  “I anticipate that tomorrow,” Freitan said. That patronizing edge she got to her tone was back, and Sophie frowned as she went on. “I’ll text you when. You can attend and watch, and afterward, provide emotional support to your clients when we are done with them.”

  “So nice of you to include us.” Jake’s tone was heavy with sarcasm. He stood up, and Sophie closed her laptop and did the same.

  Ohale looked up at them over his wire-rimmed glasses. His gaze and tone were sincere. “You’ve been a big help. Our whole team appreciates it, right, Freitan?”

  “Yes, sir. These two earned their cheddar,” Freitan said reluctantly.

  Cheddar? Some colloquialism for money, no doubt. There were so many.

  Wong inclined his head. “Thanks, guys. A pleasure working with you.”

  “We intend to see this through as far as the family will let us,” Jake said. “Talk to you all tomorrow.”

  Sophie lifted a hand and
walked through the door Jake held open for her. He touched her back as they exited the conference room and leaned close to whisper in her ear. “How about a bite to eat, and bed? We’ve had a long day.”

  Goosebumps rippled across Sophie’s skin where he touched her. “How about showers and takeout, instead?” she countered. “I’m too tired for anything but food and bed.”

  “Perfect.” Jake’s smile was wolfish.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Jake took a shower on his side of the motel room, while Sophie did the same on hers. He paid for a Chinese food delivery, and carried the bag to the connecting door between their rooms, wearing only a towel as he knocked. She seemed to have liked that before. Who was he to mess with something that worked?

  Sophie opened the door. Jake struck a pose, tightening his abs. “Your beefcake delivery.” He held up the bag.

  “Beefcake? Not sure what that is, but I wouldn’t mind a bite of what’s in front of me.”

  Jake laughed. “Is my Sophie flirting?”

  “I am able to learn new skills. Many new skills. But first I need food.” She plucked the bag from his fingers. Jake followed her over to the coffee table, tightening the towel to prevent a mishap.

  “Did you feed the dogs?” he asked. As if hearing themselves mentioned, the two rascals stuck their heads around the bed inquisitively.

  “These two aren’t about to let me forget anything to do with them,” Sophie said. The dogs advanced, looking hopefully at the Chinese food containers Sophie extracted from the bag and set on the coffee table. “We shouldn’t give them anything. Particularly Tank. He needs his digestive system built back up.”

  They ate on the narrow couch side-by-side, occasionally feeding each other choice bits with the chopsticks. Jake savored the companionship as much as the food. Just knowing how well they had worked together today satisfied him on some deep level.

  Sophie’s phone buzzed, dancing a little circle on the coffee table. She picked it up. Her brows drew together in a frown. “It’s . . . someone important. I have to take this.”

  Sophie pressed the phone to her ear. She got up and walked into his room, and shut the connecting door firmly between them.

  The good feelings Jake had been reveling in evaporated. “Son of a bitch.” He threw down his chopsticks and picked up the Kirin beer he’d ordered with the meal, taking a long swig to cool his temper.

  Who was she talking to that she wouldn’t tell him about? Alika? That helicopter-flying businessman was going to snake his woman right out from under him if Jake wasn’t careful.

  He didn’t know what to do.

  Sophie had told him they were partners with benefits, nothing more.

  She had told him being jealous was a turn-off . . . but the thought of her and Alika together made Jake want to rip something apart. He’d managed to keep his attitude in check when she was dating that Todd guy, but barely.

  Maybe he wasn’t okay with this situation, after all. Maybe he couldn’t do “partners with benefits” casual sex, at least with Sophie. He’d certainly had no problem with that in the past.

  But the secrets she was keeping, just like the many times she’d abandoned him, didn’t feel good. Jake wasn’t keeping anything from her.

  Getting Sophie into bed had been a place to start. If he could make her feel good, he could build a connection, and maybe she’d come to feel the same way about him . . . but it didn’t seem to be working.

  She was the one who made him feel good, even when he was just trying to get her out of her depression, make her lose herself in pleasure. And every time she shut him out, put distance between them, told him he didn’t matter, it hurt worse.

  But what was the alternative? Breaking things off?

  They’d barely gotten started. He couldn’t wait to touch her again, couldn’t stop thinking about how she felt, tasted, sounded, sighed. All day, little memory bits from their night together had come back to distract him. She had come to mean way too much for him to just turn off feelings that had been building, on his side at least, since the day they met.

  If only he had someone to talk to.

  His sister Patty came to mind. Jake was the oldest, and he and his younger sister, Monica, had fought all their lives like wet cats, but his youngest sister, Patty, had always been a friend. She looked up to him, and had been a real cling-on after their father left the family when Jake was a teen. It had taken Mom years of taking Dad to court to squeeze the bottom line out of that selfish prick.

  Such a screwed-up cliché. He despised his father. Jake never made promises he couldn’t keep, and when he finally settled down, it would be for life—which was why he was extra careful not to get emotionally involved—except that it had sneaked up on him.

  “Shit,” Jake muttered, and finished his beer.

  Patty had married a good guy a couple years ago and had a baby on the way. She might know how to advise him.

  Wearing the towel seemed silly, now, freakin’ embarrassing, and he couldn’t go outside when he desperately needed to move and discharge his angst. A run would be perfect. He would just have to go get his clothing from his room . . .

  Jake speed-dialed Patty as he finished the last of a container of mu-shu pork.

  “My favorite big brother! You never call. Who died?” Patty actually sounded worried.

  “Ha! Sorry about that.” Jake stood up, bagging the trash so the dogs wouldn’t get at it. “I need a little advice, sis.” He stowed the bag in a plastic can and put it on top of the TV out of the animals’ reach. “I’ve . . . got feels for a co-worker.”

  “Geez, Jake, really? Not good. Why do you need me to tell you that’s a bad idea?” Patty laughed.

  “The thing is . . . I didn’t want to like her this much.” He blew out a breath, ran a hand through his hair, staring at the closed door between their rooms. “But I’ve been super into her ever since we met, and I thought it was just the usual . . . I mean she’s hot, and we’d bang, and I’d get over the attraction like I usually do, and move on.”

  “Ew, Jake. Why are you telling me this? I really don’t want to know you’re one of ‘those’ guys. I like to think you play that part but aren’t really . . . you know. A user.” Patty sounded sad.

  “Crap!” Jake paced. Tank whined in worry watching him, and Jake ran a hand over the dog’s sleek head. “I am not a user. I always make sure the lady gets hers, you know what I mean? I haven’t had complaints except that I just can’t get serious about anybody. But you know why I can’t, right, sis?”

  “Because of freakin’ Dad. But you’re not him, Jake. You’ll never be him.”

  “But I look like him. I act like him. Hell, in some ways I’m a lot like him! And I don’t want to be that guy. So I’m up front with the women I sleep with, and it’s good times and then goodbye. My last relationship went on a little longer than usual, but we parted ways on good terms, just how I like it. But Sophie . . . Sophie’s different. Complicated. We never even kissed until this week but she keeps leaving me and it . . . gets to me.”

  “You finally really like someone and she keeps abandoning you. Like Dad did.”

  “You a psychologist or something?” Jake forced a laugh.

  “Yeah, kinda. If you kept up with my life a little bit too, Jake, you’d know I’m back in school for nursing. We’ve got plenty of psych classes.”

  “I’m sorry, Patty. I’m a jerk.” The towel was slipping. He needed his clothes! Screw Sophie using his room; he’d just go in and change. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen it all before. He turned the knob of the connecting door and pushed it open. “I really do care about you, hon.”

  Sophie was sitting on the bed, her back to him, curled around the phone pressed to her ear. She was speaking some other language. She looked around and glared at him. He dropped the towel defiantly and flipped her off, stomping over to his duffel and pulling out his clothes. “Tell me more, Patty.”

  “Well, we all have wounds from our past, and you’ve got a
chip on your shoulder about Dad. Why do you think you went into the Army when he was an officer, too? And then, you had to do Special Forces, and outdo him even though he retired a Colonel.”

  “Not a bad analysis, Patty. Tell me more from a woman’s perspective.” Hyper-aware of Sophie, Jake dressed, dragging on briefs and a pair of sweatpants.

  Patty continued. “I’m guessing, since women pretty much fall all over you, that you picked someone to fixate on that won’t do that. Someone with baggage, or another relationship. Someone screwed up.”

  “You’re a little spooky, girl. That’s a pretty accurate description.” Jake could feel Sophie’s gaze on his torso as he pulled a shirt down over his head one-handed. Good, maybe she’d regret what she was missing. “So, what do I do?”

  “Well, a woman like that is not going to like your heavy-handed approach. I know you, Jake, and you’re relentless when you want something—but maybe you don’t really want this one. Whoever she is, she’s going to break your heart . . . and that’s why you chose her. Because Dad broke your heart, and you’re trying to heal yourself. That’s why we choose who we do—but at least half the time, we just hurt ourselves all over again. So my first advice to you is, give her up. Walk away. Break it off before she breaks you.”

  “Hey, don’t hold back. Give it to me straight,” Jake picked up his running shoes and socks. He walked through the connecting door and slammed it with a satisfying thump so Sophie couldn’t miss that he was pissed. “Geez, you’re brutal.”

  “You didn’t call me to massage your ego, did you?”

  “Nope. But what if I can’t walk away?”

  “Then play it cool. Make her come to you. Be so good she can’t forget you, but don’t wait around and beg; don’t be needy and clingy. Get a life, and live it. Live it so well she wants to join you in it.”

  Jake felt his eyes prickle as he thrust his feet into his shoes. “Shit, Patty. You should have been a therapist.”

  “I love you, bro. Don’t ever forget it. You’re a good guy and you’ll be an awesome partner to someone, someday. Don’t settle, Jake. You don’t have to.”