Looking Through Darkness

by Aimée Thurlo

  “What’s up?” Jo asked.

  Leigh Ann told them what she’d found on Kurt’s flash drive, the spreadsheet printouts, what she knew about his partners, and her missing rifle.

  “I’m no detective, but if you’ll let me look through that flash drive, I may be able to find any hidden or encrypted files. I’ll work on it on my own time, of course,” Sam added, looking at Jo.

  “Fine by me,” Jo said, “but Leigh Ann, why are you so sure Kurt’s partners murdered him? You said the police checked the men’s weapons and determined that the bullets fired from their rifles didn’t match the one that killed your husband.”

  “Here’s what I think: They stole my rifle from the house prior to the murder, then used it to shoot Kurt. I know from the times I visited him there that he tended to leave his keys in his jacket or desk at work. Total Supply makes and sells copies of keys—the machine is in the back by the locks. Wayne or Pierre could have grabbed the keys while he was out of the office long enough to make a quick copy of the house key. All they had to do was wait until we were both out of the house, come in, and grab the weapon.”

  “How would they have known where to look?” Sam asked.

  “Easy. Gun owners tend to keep weapons close at hand in case of a break-in,” Melvin replied. “I’m guessing you don’t have a gun safe, Leigh Ann?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Okay, then bedrooms would be the logical places to look, in closets or under the bed. Rifles are too long to put in an ordinary drawer.”

  “Makes sense,” Sam agreed.

  Leigh Ann shrugged. “And that’s where it was, under the bed. Right now, I’m guessing the only thing keeping me from being arrested is the fact that the rifle’s still missing. They probably ditched it somewhere rather than risk getting caught with it. But if it turns up, even if there aren’t any fingerprints on it, things are going to look bad for me. Let’s face it, the police assume that I knew Kurt was cheating and embezzling money. In their eyes, I had a strong motive for shooting him.”

  “If the partners still had access to the rifle, they’d have found a way to frame you with it by now. So let’s focus on that money,” Ambrose suggested. “If Wayne and Pierre didn’t get it back, which was why they kept asking you about Frank Jones, then where did it go?”

  “You said that they denied that there was any missing money, so there’s something else at play,” Sam said. “Clearly, they didn’t want the cops taking a closer look at their books and personal finances. To me that suggests they figured that losing the cash was preferable to providing a motive for killing their partner.”

  “Remember what my uncle said about Total Supply and those tribal contracts?” Melvin said.

  “Of course,” Leigh Ann replied. “John suspects Pierre and Wayne might be paying kickbacks to tribal officials in exchange for inside information on contract bids. John was pretty sure that was why the company he works for kept getting undercut each time.”

  “If that’s true, little wonder Total Supply’s trying to squelch any investigation,” Sam said. “But by continuing to ask questions, Leigh Ann, you’ve become a dangerous liability.”

  “There’s no turning back for me now. I can’t be free of the past ’til I find answers and clear my name,” Leigh Ann said.

  “I’ll help you,” Sam said.

  “So will the rest of us,” Jo said. “We’ve got your back.”

  “And I’ll have yours, too,” Leigh Ann said. Loyalty—it couldn’t be bought, and that’s what made it invincible.

  * * *

  After everyone helped clean up and wash the dishes in the big storeroom sinks, Leigh Ann said good night to Melvin. He’d be riding with Ambrose. Soon she and Rachel headed back home.

  “Your job’s secure and you work with a really nice bunch of people. I envy you,” Rachel said, balancing the box of dishes on her lap as Leigh Ann drove.

  “They’re terrific, that’s true,” Leigh Ann answered. “But the trading post isn’t exactly prospering. When Tom Stuart ran the place business was brisk, now not so much. Part of it could be the weak economy, but we’ve also been losing customers to the new superstore on Farmington’s west side. Tourism is still down, too, maybe because of the recession, so our drop-in traffic has slowed.”

  “Trading posts … Well, they do sound like a last-century type of thing. Maybe you need to modernize things, like setting up a coffee bar and Wi-Fi for the customers. You already have the store network.”

  Leigh Ann glanced at Rachel, then back at the road. “That’s a good idea. To increase business we should try to appeal to a wider customer base and bring in younger customers. I’ll pass that along to Jo. Thanks. On another matter, did Charlie, your boss, give you any problems about the police visit the other day, Rache? I know you were a little worried,” she added.

  “No, I went to him first thing and said the cops were following up on Kurt’s death, which you’d begun to suspect was not really an accident. That’s all true. When he asked what triggered the new investigation, I told him you’d found some letters that suggest he’d been threatened, but I was sworn to secrecy, at least for now, and that I really shouldn’t be telling him this. He was relieved, glad I wasn’t in any trouble because something like that could hurt his company’s reputation.”

  “I’m just glad the press hasn’t gotten wind of this,” Leigh Ann replied, taking another glance behind them.

  “You keep looking in the rearview mirror. Do you think someone’s following us?” Rachel asked after a moment.

  “No, I’m just being extra careful. Under the circumstances it can’t hurt.”

  Rachel nodded. “Do you think you’ll ever have a normal life, Leigh Ann? You know, the two kids, picket fence, and minivan kind?”

  “I don’t know, Rache, but I sure hope so. I deserve something better than what life’s handed me so far.”

  “So reach out and take it. Melvin’s there for you, and he’s exactly the kind of man you want.”

  “I’m not sure that’ll ever be in the cards, Rachel.”

  * * *

  Although she usually only worked nights and Sundays at The Outpost since that was when the computers were free, Sam stopped by early the next morning in hopes of seeing Jack. She told Jo she’d come by to pick up Leigh Ann’s flash drive, but she was sure Jo hadn’t been fooled.

  As she went to the break room for coffee, Sam heard the rumble of a truck pulling up. Turning around, she hurried out back and saw Jack with a load of hay, backing up to the barn. He was topping off their bales, which were second or third cuttings by now and sold fast this time of year. It was the perfect opportunity to spend a little time with Jack. He’d appreciate the help stacking the alfalfa.

  She was coming down the steps of the loading dock when she heard a vehicle racing up the drive. She stopped as a familiar-looking old pickup eased into the staff parking. A moment later, Del jumped out, something tucked under one arm.

  “Del, what are you doing here?” she asked. “Ditching school?”

  “It’s a half day for students—teacher in-service training—so I got permission to leave campus a little early. Jo told me you were coming in today. I need your help, Sam.”

  “Sure, buddy. Whatcha need?” Sam asked as he came up, breathing hard.

  “I’ve been working for weeks on a term paper for English lit. Last night the stupid computer crashed and now I can’t call up the file. My teacher had already seen my outline and notes so she gave me until tomorrow. I really need that paper, Sam, it’s on Stephen Crane. Can you make it come back somehow, long enough to print it out or make a secure copy?”

  “Do you have a rough draft somewhere?”

  “No, just my notes. I meant to copy the last version to a flash drive, but I never got around to it. I’m always on the run these days. It’s not easy to go to school full time and still work nights and weekends.”

  “I’ve been there,” Sam said with a sigh. “Go help Jack put away the alfalfa and
I’ll see what I can do.”

  Sam sat in the break room and powered up the laptop. From her seat at the table she had a clear view of the loafing shed, so she’d at least be able to watch Jack unload the hay. Despite the fact that his left forearm had been replaced with a prosthesis, he could buck hay as fast as any rancher she’d ever seen. She’d never seen him drop a bale.

  Jack always wore an impeccable white T-shirt when working. She’d seen him without it once and had felt like a love-struck fourteen-year-old. She’s almost drooled. Jack’s chest was broad and hard. The dark scars around his ribs and near the center of his stomach had only made him look even more formidable—dangerous, stronger, and incredibly masculine.

  Unfortunately, he was more interested in his horses than in her. She’d tried everything, including helping teach his weekend classes, hoping he’d somehow notice her, but that hadn’t happened yet.

  Sam focused back on Del’s laptop. There was a bad sector on his hard drive, and she was already running a recovery program to transfer data to another spot and get his system working normally again. Fortunately, his word processing software made backup files automatically, so once the bad sectors were blocked off, she’d probably be able to track down and call up the file he’d wanted.

  Five minutes later, everything was accessible, but just to make sure he wouldn’t lose it again she quickly copied the file to a flash drive.

  “Del, come take a look,” Sam called out, stepping out the back door. “I’ll help Jack finish up.”

  Del turned, a smile on his face, and raced toward her. “Thanks,” he whispered as he passed her on the steps, rushing inside.

  “Hi, Sam,” Jack said, glancing at her for a second before using a pair of hay hooks to lift another bale off the back of his flatbed truck. “I’m almost done, so just stand back. No sense you getting all hot and dusty.”

  He bucked the remaining five bales, never losing the rhythm. Since the truck was backed up so close to the barn, there was no way she could climb up without getting in his way. Sam stayed where she was, watching him. “Jo’s glad you can keep us supplied. You have the best quality alfalfa around, Jack. It’s always rich and leafy,” she said.

  “We irrigate, watch the weather, and stow our bales under loafing sheds so nothing ever gets wet and moldy. I don’t use herbicides either. It’s old school, like my dad taught me. I work my butt off making sure the fields are free of bindweed, Johnson grass, and other nuisance plants. That’s why I charge more. The customers get something that’s worth their money.”

  “That’s why Jo likes doing business with you. Nobody has ever returned a bale or asked for a refund or credit.”

  “With real estate prices down I was able to buy the field to the west of my place. Business is good, so I’d like to expand,” Jack said, placing the last bale on the top of the stack before removing the hay hook from the grip of his prosthesis.

  “We still sell a lot of bedding, horse feed, and farm supplies here. That’s steady business for us,” Sam said, coming closer.

  He ran an arm across his forehead. “I better get going. I’ve got two more deliveries and I want to finish them before it gets too much hotter.”

  He handed her an invoice, tipped his hat to her, then got into his truck and drove off.

  She watched until he turned onto the main highway and disappeared.

  “Man, you’ve got it bad, don’t you?” Del said, coming up behind her, laptop under his arm.

  “What? Jack’s just a real nice guy,” she said with a shrug. “I enjoy talking to him.”

  “Yeah, right,” he said and grinned.

  Uncomfortable, she changed the subject. “Did you check your files?”

  “Yeah, Steve’s all there. Thanks for saving my butt, Sam. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d had to start all over again from my notes. It’s taken me weeks to put everything together in a way that makes sense.”

  Sam smiled. “Come on. Let’s go back inside and check the rest of your text files. You can tell me if there are others you’d like me to back up. I already copied your term paper onto a flash drive, keeping the same file name as before.”

  “Thanks, but maybe we should stay out here for a while, or maybe stick to the storeroom. A couple of deputies showed up, so I grabbed the laptop and excused myself. They’re in the break room now, questioning Leigh Ann. From what I overheard, they think she’s been giving them false information. They were leaning on her pretty hard.”

  “Where did you hear about her situation?”

  “Jo gave me the high points over the phone this morning while we were planning my work schedule. She was concerned that everyone who worked with her needed to be extra alert—you know, just in case. So Leigh Ann thinks maybe her husband’s death was no accident?”

  “Something like that, but make sure you keep this to yourself, okay? We need to be looking out for her, of course, but the less outsiders know about it, the easier it’ll be getting to the truth,” Sam replied.

  “Gotcha.”

  As they stood there talking, the green-and-white SJCSD squad car drove off. Sam led them back inside, eager to find out what happened.

  Leigh Ann was in the break room, pacing back and forth, visibly upset. Jo was there with her.

  Leigh Ann pushed back several errant strands of hair from her face. “Kurt’s partners are playing it smart. Letting the police go over their books was their way of making me look bad. Of course they’ve had plenty of time to massage the numbers since Kurt’s death. I’m not surprised nothing matched when they compared what I gave them to the company’s business records.”

  “Leigh Ann, don’t you see it? You pushed them, and now they’re pushing back,” Sam said. “Your husband’s partners are afraid of you. If this is about the kickbacks like Melvin suggested last night, you need to find out who sees those contract bids when they come in.”

  “That would narrow the list,” Jo said with a nod, “but you’ll have to move carefully. If tribal honchos are taking kickbacks, they also have a reason for making sure no one looks at Total Supply too closely.”

  “Sounds like you need some real evidence,” Del said, sitting down at the table and opening his laptop.

  “Like names and details that’ll prove corruption’s taking place,” Sam concluded. “Leigh Ann, did you bring me that flash drive, the one with the copies of those altered files?”

  Leigh Ann reached into her purse and handed it to Sam. “Here it is. It’s supposedly a copy of every file on the original. What is it you’re hoping to find?”

  “Maybe there’s an encrypted file you didn’t notice, or one that’s concealed with a name change so it won’t look like a spreadsheet or text file. Give me a little bit of time, and I’ll see what I can get for you.”

  Sam grabbed her own computer, which was still on the break room table, and sat down as she powered it up. After twenty minutes of intensive work, she leaned back and looked up. Her expression must have given it away.

  Sam saw the look of hopeful anticipation in Leigh Ann’s eyes fade. “I tried every program I had, but couldn’t find any disguised or additional data files on the drive. I’m really sorry, Leigh Ann.”

  “It’s not your fault, honey. Kurt was a rat, but he wasn’t a complete fool.”

  “Most businesses have multiple backup systems nowadays on separate partitions on their hard drives and external drives as well. Even in the cloud. With the right software, deleted files can be accessed if they haven’t been overwritten. Most business people aren’t savvy enough to dig out all those and permanently delete them, so they could still be there. If the police are looking at their records they’re bound to find them.”

  “According to what I was told, the county detectives didn’t bring in any computer experts. That would have cost money. They just contacted the company’s auditor and got a statement from her verifying the books were in order and that there were no irregularities. I’m afraid that’s all they’re going to do, too,”
Leigh Ann said. “At this point, they’re convinced I made up the story to divert attention back to the partners. For all I know, they see me as the prime suspect in Kurt’s murder.” Leigh Ann’s voice broke on the last word, and excusing herself quickly, she hurried to the restroom.

  With a long sigh, Jo left to man the cash register, but Sam and Del remained behind.

  “I wish we could help Leigh Ann,” Del said.

  “There may be a way—if you’re willing to break a few rules.”

  He smiled and closed his own laptop. “How can I help?”

  * * *

  With Del at the wheel, they drove past Total Supply while Sam checked her laptop for Wi-Fi signals.

  “Gotcha! I just got a hit on a network named Totally. Pull off the road and I’ll see if I can hack into their system. All I need is a password now,” Sam said, looking down at the display on her laptop.

  “How about I take the next street? We might still get a good signal and they won’t be able to look out and see us beside the road,” Del said.

  “Okay.”

  Fifteen seconds later, Del turned down the side street. “Still got a signal?”

  “Barely. Better turn around and get closer. Park on the same side of the street and we’ll inch forward along the curb until the Wi-Fi comes in strong.”

  Five minutes later, Del looked over at Sam, who was typing.

  “Damn, I was hoping they’d use some form of their business name as a password, or an employee name. I’ve got a good password cracking program here, but nothing obvious works.”

  “Keep trying, Sam, I know you can do it.”

  Another two minutes went by. “I’m in! The password is ‘@supplytotal.’ Amateurs.”

  “Great. Now what?”

  “I’m going to search for a Frank Jones account, or any file that’s the same size and date as the one on Kurt’s flash drive.”

  “I never would have thought of that, not the Jones thing, but finding a file that’s just the right size and date,” Del said with a nod. “Gotta remember that.”

  “Better stay away from hacking, Del. It’s addictive—and kinda illegal.”