The Black Chip

by Gary Land

  “Come on, let’s take a walk.”

  As they walked, Thornton explained to Noly that Joey was most likely to have created the document on the office computer using office encryption software. If that was the case, then they could run a decryption version of the software, and, given enough time, they could break the code.

  “How long do you think it will take?”

  “Depends on how many characters and how clever he was. I doubt he got very sophisticated with it. After all, he didn’t really plan to stick around here and have someone decrypt it. It’s probably something fairly basic.”

  An hour and a half later, the decryption software did its thing, and displayed the password, “*GeNiuS1.” Thornton thanked Franklin and asked him to leave since the document was private.

  “Arrogant asshole--Joey, not Franklin,” Thornton said.

  He opened the document. It contained a table of thirty-two offshore banks with account numbers and balances. Three million two hundred forty thousand dollars.

  “Can you print me off two copies of that?” Noly asked.

  “Yeah.”

  The laser printer on the desk whirred to life, and produced two copies of the document displayed on the computer monitor. Thornton handed them to Noly who folded them neatly and put them into his back pocket.

  “I need you to delete that off the computer, and give me the chip back,” Noly said.

  “What are you talking about?”

  They stared each other down. Thornton lost and looked away.

  “Hey, Boots, this is casino money. Now we found it, and you want me to forget about it. Don’t worry; you’ll get a big finder’s fee for recovering the money.”

  Noly slapped his hands down in front of Thornton, and got in his face.

  “This is about Sarah and Kacy...no one can know about the chip and the money until I get them back. That chip is my bargaining tool.”

  “So, here.” Thornton reached into his pocket and pulled out another black chip. He flipped it to Noly. “Give...whoever...this--how’re they going to know the difference.”

  Noly swatted it away like flicking at a fly.

  “I’m not taking any chances. Somebody knows exactly what that chip is, and what’s on it.”

  “Hey, my fucking ass is in the grinder. If I lose my job over this, I won’t be able to get work at any other casino...in the world.”

  Noly got in Thornton’s face. “If you do anything that gets Sarah or Kacy hurt...looking for a job is going to be way down your list of things to worry about.”

  Noly watched Thornton delete the data on screen, and then left.

  Thornton hesitated. He waited several minutes after Noly had left, periodically rubbing his hands on his pants to wipe away the sweat. He finally hit a few keys on the keyboard, and the chip data reappeared. Thornton stared at it, fist to mouth, thinking through his options. Slipping another flash drive into the computer, Thornton initiated a copy command, waiting until the monitor showed the command had completed successfully. He pulled the drive from the computer port, and put it in his pocket.

  Thornton picked up the desk phone, dialed a private extension, and waited through several rings until a voice finally answered.

  “Mr. Morelli, I think we have a problem.”

  Chapter 23

  Noly lay on his couch, a cold beer pressed to his forehead. He had returned from California only this morning. Was this really the same day? It seemed more like a week had passed.

  The black chip sat on the glass and wood table in front of the couch. Noly reached out and took the chip in his hand, turned it over, examined it. If you didn’t know what to look for, it seemed indistinguishable from an ordinary chip. Perhaps a professional could feel the difference in weight. A normal chip of this quality weighed 11.5 grams--this one slightly less. It would sound different too, Noly thought--it wouldn’t have the distinctive clink of a quality chip.

  He opened it, and looked at the computer chip inside. Noly possessed the chip that Joey, in all probability, died for. Yet he had no knowledge of what he could do with it, or how it could help him get Sarah and Kacy back. He closed it back up, and let it sit on the table.

  The one nagging question that Noly kept coming back to was why Joey would put bank account data on a chip and smuggle it out of the casino when he already had the bank data. Surely Jennifer had the bank info--she was the one that created the accounts and wire transferred the money. It didn’t make sense. And the amount was different. The printout had a total of three million two hundred thousand, but the bank scam was confirmed to only cover two million eight hundred thousand. These were not the same accounts--not the same money.

  Where was Hutchinson? Did Thornton know where he was? Was he protecting him? Something wasn’t right, and Thornton kept failing the smell test.

  Noly had reluctantly updated Collins on the data he found on the chip. But he had to keep him in the loop. It was hard enough holding Collins back as it was. If they weren’t friends, Collins would have already shut him out of the investigation.

  Noly closed his eyes and thought about his next move. Now that he knew what was on the chip, how could that help him get Sarah and Kacy back? Sarah and Kacy--damn it, why did he leave town? It gnawed at him ever since he heard about the kidnapping. He let himself drift away from them. Sarah was right.

  “Kacy cried herself to sleep last night,” Sarah said. “She doesn’t understand why you haven’t been around as much...why you’re avoiding us.”

  Noly thought of a dozen different responses, but none of them was true so he said nothing.

  When she saw that Noly was not going to answer, Sarah continued. This was a confrontation that she didn’t want to have, but she wasn’t going to pretend that everything was the same as it had been.

  “Kacy’s always been a great kid, but there was a hole in her life,” Sarah began. “But she’s changed since the accident. Since you saved her, and became a part of our lives. She’s more confident, and she has a strength I’ve never seen in her before. She’s getting A’s in school now; her teachers tell me she’s become a leader, the other kids look up to her. It’s an incredible transformation from a relatively shy, cautious girl.”

  Noly looked at Sarah knowing what she was going to say next.

  “It’s because of you, Noly...you’ve become a father-figure for her. She feeds off your strength and power.”

  Noly sighed. This was making him even more uncomfortable. It was the reason he pulled away in the first place. Too much pressure. Too much responsibility.

  “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

  “I...I’ve just been busier than normal,” Noly said, lying after all. “I care about both of you a great deal.” That was not a lie.

  “You know, I’ve seen guys like you before. When relationships start getting a little serious, a little too important, then you get scared and back off. Stop me if I’m wrong.”

  Unbidden, an image of Woody Baybell’s wife and daughter flashed into Noly’s mind. He rubbed his scar, but said nothing. They were sitting at Sarah’s dining table facing each other. To his credit, Noly never looked away, he knew what she was saying was the truth. He sat with his back straight and took in every word. It was the equivalent of standing at attention.

  “I’ve thought about this a long time,” Sarah said, twisting a napkin in her hand. “I’ve rehearsed this in my head.”

  Tears welled up in Sarah’s eyes. “I just can’t let you hurt her anymore, but I can’t break it off totally. Believe me I want to, but that would hurt her even more. So I need to magically balance letting Kacy see you, but not too much, and since there’s no formula that exists for something idiotic like that, I’m screwed one way or the other.”

  Sarah’s voice was getting louder the more she talked, and the angrier she got. “I was so desperate to understand you, I actually went on the Internet, some psychology site, to find out what makes you tick--can you believe that?” Sarah laughed at herself. “You know w
hat I found? Because you can’t let yourself love, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy--you lose the people you want most desperately to hold on to--you hurt them and yourself all because you can’t give a hundred percent.”

  Noly finally looked away. It was too painful to watch the woman he loved suffer like this, and he did love her. Kacy too. Sarah was only partially right with her psych analysis though.

  Sarah took a deep breath, and stood up, ready to end it--but she didn’t. She closed her eyes for several seconds, and when she opened them again and looked at Noly, her tears spilled out.

  “You hurt Kacy, and you hurt me. But she won’t give up on you--she sees something in you that I can’t see. Maybe you have to be innocent and pure of heart to see it...but I have faith in her...so I have faith in you.”

  Noly kept his eyes closed and rubbed at his scar. It throbbed in sync with the beat of his heart. This was the worst it had been since he awoke from his coma.

  He stared at the chip. There were so many questions. Why did Joey make more than one Scotch and Soda chip? Why did Joey need to smuggle the chip out of the casino? He already had the bank account data through Jennifer. Noly was going in circles. There had to be something more. Something in the computer files of the casino. Why was this chip worth killing someone over?

  He needed a backup plan. He needed--

  As he dove into the pool, he saw the girl slowly sink to the bottom, leaving a trail of blood through the water. Small bubbles of air escaped through her nose. He could almost reach her, but not quite. He kicked harder, but couldn’t catch up to her. Then her eyes opened and he saw the fear in them. She reached out her hand to him and he touched her fingers. Her mouth opened as if she was pleading for him to save her. He made one final lunge through the water, but she was gone. He whipped around wildly, from side to side, frantically looking for Kacy, but he couldn’t find her. He couldn’t find her.

  Noly jerked awake. Someone was knocking on the door. He shook his head and scrambled to his feet. The dream, still fresh in his mind, felt like it was burned into his memory. It was the most vivid dream he had ever had. He hoped it didn’t mean anything. He wasn’t a superstitious man by nature, but this floored him.

  “Noly!”

  “Coming.”

  Noly opened the door, and Woody stood there holding a six-pack. Woody smiled and lifted the beer to show Noly.

  “You look like crap, Noly.”

  Woody didn’t wait for an invitation that didn’t seem forthcoming anyway. He walked past Noly into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and put the six-pack inside. Woody pulled one out for himself, twisted off the top, and took a long pull.

  Noly closed the door and went back to the couch. He flopped down and leaned his head against the wall, eyes closed. He said nothing to Woody.

  Woody brought a beer over to the table and set it down in front of Noly. “I talked to Jim--he brought me up to speed, more or less. I’m sure he’s holding something back--maybe you can fill in the details,” Woody said.

  He pulled a chair into the living room and put it down in front of the couch, back towards Noly. Woody straddled the chair, put his bottle down on the floor, and stared at Noly.

  “I was wrong,” Woody started, “you don’t look like crap. You, my friend, look like someone with a deep, profound, regret.” He waited for a reaction from Noly, but didn’t get one. “You know, I knew you liked Sarah and Kacy--hell, you wouldn’t have brought them to the base if you didn’t, but I didn’t realize how much you...loved them. Maybe you didn’t realize how much either?”

  “I did realize,” Noly said softly. He kept his eyes closed. His shoulders slumped, as he seemed to give up on something--a thought, an idea, maybe himself.

  Woody watched Noly carefully. He couldn’t remember the last time he saw him like this, if ever.

  “You know what my regret is?” Noly said.

  “Tell me.”

  “I shut them out--the last couple of months, I only saw them...well, it wasn’t the same.”

  Woody just let him talk. Noly opened his eyes and looked at Woody.

  “Sarah told me that Kacy would sometimes cry herself to sleep--it was like I abandoned her, same as her father. I once told Sarah that her ex was a fool--what does that make me?”

  “I wish you would have talked to me about it--you don’t always have to go it alone, Noly.”

  “I just...we were getting too close and I...”

  Woody suddenly realized where this was going. “Oh, geez, don’t hang this on me,” he said.

  Noly was silent.

  “You really are a son-of-a-bitch, Noly.” Woody used his best military voice. “I lose my wife and daughter, and not only do I have to deal with that, fight through the grief...it’s been seven years, Noly.”

  “I’m...not hanging anything on you. I didn’t say anything, Woody.”

  “I know where this is headed--I’m smart, I’m a colonel, I watch Dr. Phil.”

  Noly got up and went into the kitchen. He opened the freezer, took out three ice cubes, and put them in a plastic bag. He went back into the living room, sat back down on the couch, and put the bag to his forehead.

  Woody finished his beer. He didn’t want to have this conversation, but there was no way around it. He was not a patient man, and he believed in the straight-line approach.

  “When Karen and Beth were murdered...”

  “Please, Woody, I don’t want to do this.”

  “When it happened, some people thought they were your wife and daughter. Your reaction, your sorrow was almost as deep as mine. Not just because you were my friend, but because...you loved them too--you let them in the Noly vault. Not many people get in there.”

  Noly sighed and shook his head. “Is that all, doctor?”

  “No--one more thing...you couldn’t save them--neither of us could,” Woody added.

  They both were silent, alone with their thoughts, contemplating what might have been. Woody finally broke the silence.

  “So the Noly vault was opening again, and just as Sarah and Kacy were going to step through, you slammed the door shut.”

  Woody didn’t need to add, “Am I right?” Both of them knew that he was.

  “When this goes down, you’re gonna need to be at the top of your game,” Woody said.

  “Yeah--I’m going to need your help, Woody.”

  Woody smiled. “All you have to do is ask.”

  Kacy stood before Noly, tears streaming down her face. Her clothes were torn and bloodied. She stared at him with such sadness in her eyes that Noly had to look away for a moment. He never felt such despair in his life.

  Kacy looked down to her right and Noly followed her gaze. Sarah lay in a pool of blood, gasping for air. She had been shot in the chest.

  “Noly, please help us,” Kacy begged him.

  As Noly pulled his eyes away from Sarah and looked back at Kacy, she jerked, and a red dot mushroomed onto her shirt above her belly. Soon her shirt was soaked in blood. Kacy lifted the shirt to see what had happened to her, fell to her knees, and looked at Noly for the last time.

  She fell face down across Sarah, her arms outstretched, her head against her mother’s chest. In death, a final hug.

  Noly’s cell phone rang, bringing him, thankfully, fully awake. His breathing and pulse were greatly accelerated. He flipped open his phone, but took an extra few seconds before answering.

  “Boots.”

  “Hey, it’s Jo-Jo, man. Got some news.”

  “What?”

  “That guy you were looking for, Hutchinson? I spread the money around like you said, and I got a hit.”

  Noly stood up, blood pounding in his head. “You know where he is now?”

  “I’m looking right at him,” Jo-Jo said. “He’s in a bar off Winston, sucking suds and chowin’ down on some peanuts. It’s called The Dry Lizard.”

  “Good work, JJ--is he by himself?”

  “He is now. Some ugly dude with a pony tail was drinking with h
im for a while, then he split about twenty minutes ago.”

  “Why didn’t you call me right away?” Noly asked, irritation in his voice.

  “I just got here, man. My contact found them and called me.

  “Okay, sit tight. I’m on my way,” Noly said.

  “Alright, but please don’t call me JJ--do I look like that guy from TV? Do I ever say Dy-no-mite?”

  Noly hung up. He picked up the black chip, put it in his pocket, and headed out the door. His reserved parking space sat a few steps to the side and back of his unit next to a short retaining wall. He beeped open the Escalade, climbed inside, and leaned over to unlock the glove compartment. As he did, two bullets, in quick succession, blasted through the driver side window and continued out the front windshield. It missed Noly’s head by inches, but one of the bullets nicked his upper arm as it went by.

  Noly opened the glove box, pulled out his Sig, and flopped onto his back, gun pointing in the direction of the shot. He felt vulnerable to attack from all sides. A properly trained professional could easily take Noly out because of this. Noly grabbed the pouch that contained the owner’s manual and pulled out one of the books inside. He figured any movement above seat-level would cause the shooter to take another shot, but as he flipped the book in the air, the only thing that greeted him was silence. He opened the passenger door, waited a beat, and scrambled out, crouching against the wall.

  Noly only now realized that he never heard the actual shots, so the shooter must be using a silencer. That made it more likely he was still out there. He had to make a decision. If he were the shooter, he’d leave the parking area and go to Noly’s apartment expecting Noly to seek shelter there.

  Noly crept to the edge of the building, opened his phone and called Mrs. H.

  “Mrs. H, this is Noly. Listen, I want you to get your iron skillet, then open your door just a couple of inches and throw it on the ground as hard as you can. Then close and lock your door.”

  If Mrs. H thought that was a strange request, she kept it to herself and followed Noly’s instructions to the letter. When she threw the skillet, Noly watched the shadows carefully for any sign of movement. But he didn’t need to be that careful. The shooter, crouched at the far side of the pool, startled and fell backwards into a lounge chair, and damned if he didn’t have a pony tail.