by Ty Patterson
Beth read out loud from the law firm partner’s bio while her sister commanded Werner to dig into the law firm.
They had returned to their office after their meeting with the cops.
Pizaka and Chang would investigate John Doe and Amy Kittrell. The twins would focus on the lawyer and his employer.
They would also verify the mother’s back story, even if it duplicated the cops’ investigation.
‘Afghanistan is right, he mentioned that. Left the Army twelve years back, went to Syracuse University. Got a law degree. Worked in three law firms, before he got his break in Mayo and Kane.
‘Seven years there, two years initially in California, and then came to New York. Married. Two daughters in middle school. Wife’s active in charity. Werner’s found no dirt on him.’
Meghan raised her head and looked at her when she stopped reading.
‘What?’
‘He was in the Special Forces, in the 7th Special Forces Group.’
‘Isn’t that an airborne group based out of Florida?’ Meghan recalled a discussion they had with Bear and Bwana a long while back.
‘Yeah.’
Meghan twirled a pencil in her fingers and leaned back in her chair. ‘Most of the partners in the firm are ex-military.’
‘It seems to be almost a requirement, given that they work with all the major defense contractors.’
Beth arched an eyebrow. ‘All?’
‘All,’ confirmed Meghan and read out the names of corporations that were a who’s who of the defense industry.
They turned at a sound and saw Zeb enter the office, his face bathed in sweat from the run he’d been on. He disappeared into the shower and emerged, dressed in a blue shirt and jeans.
He paused at the expression on their faces. ‘You got something?’
‘Josh Kittrell was in the Special Forces, the 7th Special Forces Group,’ Beth exclaimed.
Zeb nodded as if it confirmed something. ‘Doesn’t surprise me. The armed forces lose several people to the private sector. Better pay. Better life.’
He was turning away when the look on Meghan’s face stopped him.
‘Now what?’
‘Call someone. Check him out,’ she said impatiently. ‘Do we have to lay it out for you?’
His lips twitched and he jerked his head to the Bubble, a high-sec room in their office that was impervious to counter-surveillance.
He punched numbers on a speakerphone, crossed his arms and waited. He knew the protocol. It would ring three times and midway on the fourth ring, it would be answered.
‘Who are you calling?’ Meghan broke off from her pacing to ask him.
‘The National Security Advisor.’
Chapter Twelve
‘I heard you were back,’ General Daniel Klouse growled through the speakerphone.
The National Security Advisor was one of a handful of people who knew of the Agency’s existence. He knew of every mission, and helped in the planning whenever he could.
Zeb’s last mission had been to South Asia, where a new terrorist training camp had been established in the deep jungles of Indonesia. Zeb had entered the country as an aid worker, a cover that gave him license to travel in the country.
The camp and its commanders didn’t exist by the time he returned to the U.S.
General Klouse was a staunch supporter of the Agency and regarded Clare’s work as vital to the country’s security. It helped that Clare and he were close friends and that he was fond of Zeb.
He was a rare animal in the capital; he was completely apolitical, which was one reason the President had appointed him. He was single, had never married, had no family, lived for serving his country, and seemed to never sleep.
He had met Zeb’s team several times and liked them; an emotion that wasn’t apparent in his fierce demeanour.
‘Yes sir.’ Zeb didn’t elaborate and neither did the General probe for details. The jungles of Indonesia were cleared. Nothing else mattered.
The National Security Advisor listened without interruption when Zeb outlined his request.
‘Why come to me, Zeb? You know enough generals in the Pentagon.’
‘Sir, my asking might get back to Mayo and Kane.’
‘Very well. Leave it with me. The girls are with you?’
‘Yes sir,’ Meghan leaned forward.
General Klouse’s voice warmed and relaxed. The twins were the daughters he never had. ‘He is improving, Meg, Beth. Well done.’
Beth laughed and crossed her eyes to Zeb. The general had challenged them to get Zeb to open up, speak more.
‘It’s hard work, sir, however he is stringing words together now.’
Werner was playing Go with a Swiss supercomputer when it got the first alert.
The Swiss Miss and Werner were going steady and Werner had introduced her to Go, an ancient Chinese strategy board game which was infinitely more complex than chess.
Werner made its move on the board, looked at the alert, stroked its chin thoughtfully, and allocated some processing power to investigating.
The Swiss computer sensed Werner’s distraction and raised a questioning eyebrow.
‘The twins are being criticized on social media,’ replied Werner.
The internet was flooded with messages from users who seemed to be using anonymous or fake ids. They slammed the twins for letting Maddie get kidnapped.
The comments were harsh, rude, and several of them were downright hostile.
Meghan joined Beth and silently read some of the messages.
‘You’re okay?’
‘Yeah. This is nothing, we have been through worse. However, Werner is tracking down some of the IP addresses.’
‘The good thing is, it’ll help focus attention on Maddie.’
With that, Beth cast it out of her mind and brought up the reports Werner had collated on Mayo and Kane.
‘Two hundred year old firm, founded by Mayo and Kane. Their heirs are still with the firm, as partners,’ she read aloud under her breath, while Meghan read the reports on the various partners.
Two hours later, they were no closer to finding anything suspicious on the firm.
Mayo and Kane had a good reputation; a few calls from Zeb to his friends in the Pentagon reinforced that view.
The firm didn’t always work for defense contractors. It had once filed a class action suit against a contractor, on behalf of a group of its employees. It had won a generous settlement for the staff and had earned more plaudits.
The partners had impeccable references. Werner hadn’t been able to find anything shady in their past other than the odd parking fine.
Beth’s face grew darker with every report and finally she snapped.
‘Maddie is out there, Lord knows where, with some dude while we waste time on this bunch of guys.’ She rounded on her sister angrily.
‘Beth –’
Beth cut her short. ‘Why are we even doing this? Pizaka and Chang can investigate this. We should be outside,’ she pointed a finger at a window, ‘looking for Maddie.’
‘Are you done?’ Meghan asked quietly.
She knew Beth was venting.
She knew that Beth also knew that short of a stroke of luck, the only way to find Maddie was to find out who Daddy really was, where he was from, get insights into his life. That meant looking at the law firm, even if it led nowhere.
They would also have to similarly investigate Amy Kittrell.
Investigation took time. She knew Beth was conscious of the time; the more time elapsed, the further away Maddie could be.
Beth wasn’t willing to listen, however. She wiped her eyes, grabbed her jacket and stormed out without looking back.
She took the elevator, and barged out of their building in the direction of the nearest coffee shop.
In her rage, she didn’t see the three men on the sidewalk and bumped into one of them.
‘Sorry,’ she apologized and skirted him.
She took another step wh
en the man called out.
‘Hey, hold up.’
She turned around and looked at the man.
He was red faced, his eyes were small and his bald head gleamed with perspiration. His companions stood alongside, one lean and wiry, the other average looking.
‘Yeah?’
Baldy looked her up and down.
‘Aren’t you the one who got that girl kidnapped?’
Chapter Thirteen
Beth gave him a cold stare and turned her back on him and walked away.
A beefy hand grabbed her by the shoulder.
‘Hey, I’m talking to –’
Her frustration exploded; she spun on her heel and slapped his hand away.
‘Don’t touch me.’
She glared at him and when he didn’t respond, walked away.
Big mistake!
The thought came into her mind and fled just as quickly when Baldy charged at her with an angry yell and there was no more time for thinking.
She turned her body sideways, presenting a smaller target to Baldy, and waited for him to come near.
He approached rapidly, his mouth opened wide, snarls escaping him, his eyes narrow pinpoints of rage.
Beefy hands reached out to grab her and crush her.
She waited till the last moment and just as a hand came close to her face, she took a half step back, grabbed it, and swiveled.
Baldy rocked forward and when he got closer, she shot a leg out and swept his feet away from underneath him. Baldy went flying.
He crashed into a garbage bin, tipped it over, and sprawled on the sidewalk.
He lay motionless for a few moments and then struggled to his feet, swung his head slowly till he spotted Beth.
‘Bitch,’ he shouted and lumbered into a run towards her.
She bent beneath the outstretched arms, braced herself for impact, and jabbed a sharp elbow in Baldy’s midriff.
Baldy collapsed on top of her and his breath left him in a loud grunt.
She twisted sinuously before he could recover, applied a hold over his neck and brought him face down, on the concrete.
She planted a knee on his back, twisted his left hand behind, and rendered him immobile.
She looked at Baldy’s companions.
Lean and Wiry was similarly sprawled face down, Meghan’s knee on his back.
Zeb was facing Average, standing relaxed, his hair ruffling in a light breeze.
Her frustration vanished in an instant and a grin lightened her face when she heard Zeb address the third man.
‘I haven’t hurt anyone today. You want to be the first?’
An embarrassed Baldy and his companions disappeared into the depths of the city forty-five minutes later, after profuse apologies.
They had been in a bar poring through their social media feeds and had spotted the kidnapping comments. Alcohol, heat, and the coincidental appearance of Beth had led to an ill-thought act.
The excuses tripped off their tongues when Beth and Meghan questioned them and threatened them with calling the cops.
Beth held a hand up, stalling them when she had heard enough and watched them leave.
She felt Meghan’s eyes on her and turned to meet them.
‘Sorry,’ she said and made everything good between them.
They were in Baybush the next day, ninety-six hours after Maddie’s disappearance, to verify Amy Kittrell’s story.
Beth had given Werner a task before they departed; to track Amy Kittrell’s internet and social media profile. To check into various dating sites and see if she had used them.
Over the years, Zeb had done several favors for a Middle Eastern royal family. In one, he had rescued the royal’s daughter who had been kidnapped. In another, he had found the killer of another royal family member.
The royal had presented a check with several zeros in it to Clare in gratitude for the first favor. Clare had turned the check over to Zeb and had insisted that he take it.
Zeb and his crew had bought the entire building on Columbus Avenue with the reward and had made shrewd investments with the remaining funds.
The royal had gifted Zeb with a Gulfstream for the second favor and refused to take No for an answer.
The Gulfstream was now at the disposal of the team and its pilots and maintenance were funded by the investments.
The twins took the aircraft to Baybush and on landing, rented a vehicle at the small airport that serviced the local region.
Meghan got into the driver’s seat of the Escalade, donned her shades and when Beth gave her thumbs up, set off to the Civic Center.
Baybush was similar to thousands of small towns across the country. Main Street housed businesses, stores, restaurants, and several civic offices.
Several streets branched off from the heart of the city and led to parks, schools, hospitals, and residences.
Meghan headed to a small street that paralleled Main Street and parked in front of a red bricked building.
It looked like a large residence but for the sign in front of it.
Baybush Police Department.
Chief Leroy Althof was waiting for them when they arrived at the entrance.
Althof cut a reassuring figure in his uniform and spit polished shoes. His blonde hair and mustache were trimmed and his tanned face looked strong.
The twins were tall at five feet ten inches; however, the chief had a few inches over them.
He gripped their hands in a warm handshake and a smile split his face.
Reliable was the impression one got on meeting Chief Althof.
Meghan knew, from their research that he was nearing retirement; however age didn’t seem to slow him as he walked them through his department offices. The department had twenty-five officers and a support staff that looked after the small town’s policing needs.
Althof introduced them to various key staff, outlined the various divisions and missed the silent glance the twins exchanged.
He’s killing time.
Their fears came true when he took them to his office, seated himself, clasped his hands and looked at them.
‘You have wasted your time.’
Chapter Fourteen
‘I told the New York cops all that we had. Josh Kittrell died in a traffic accident.’ He widened his hands as if apologizing for a wasted trip.
‘There was nothing suspicious about his death. We investigated it, not that there was much to investigate. Traffic pile-ups happen. It was well covered by the local media at the time.’
‘I hunted out the reports for you.’ He pushed a file towards Meghan and handed Beth copies.
‘The coroner’s report is in there too.’
They skimmed through the accident scene reports, witness statements, various other papers that made the file. Most of the material was familiar to them, as Chang had already shared it with them.
‘Any of these cops still around, sir?’ Beth asked, knowing the answer.
He shook his head. ‘Nope. As you can see, we are a department full of old timers,’ a smile spread on his face. ‘We come to Baybush when we are nearing retirement.’
‘Bob Glines and Vern Mabie were the lead officers. They were first on the scene too. Bob died of a heart attack three years back. Vern is somewhere in Mexico.’
He rummaged through a drawer, brought out a pad of sticky notes, and scribbled a number from memory.
‘That’s Vern’s cell phone. He hasn’t changed it since time began. I tried calling him but didn’t get through.’
‘He lives there, sir?’ Beth took the note, memorized the number, and passed it to Meghan.
Althof laughed, a deep belly laugh that reverberated in the room. Even the laugh was reassuring.
‘You could say that. He loves sailing and has his own boat. He spends a lot of time in the Gulf, with Tampico as his base.’
A knock sounded on his door and an officer poked his head through. The chief waved him inside, signed a few papers, and when he left, glanced discreetl
y at his watch.
The twins got the message.
It may be a small town, but there’s still work to be done.
They asked him a few more questions and then rose and followed him out of the office.
It was while he was shaking their hands that he surprised them. ‘You knew all this. You came to Baybush for some other reason, didn’t you?’
His face had a shrewd look as he assessed them. ‘Maybe to check the town out? Get a feel for it?’
The belly laugh sounded again when he saw the sheepish looks on their faces. ‘I may be nearing retirement, ladies, but I still have it.’
Beth watched him grow smaller in the mirror and then disappear as Meghan turned onto the street.
‘He’s good.’
‘He would be,’ her sister replied. ‘He spent twenty years in Miami PD. His daughter works here at one of the defense contractors. Chang said he and his wife wanted to be closer to their grandkids, and that’s why he took this job.’
‘You realize both the defense firms here are Mayo and Kane’s clients.’
‘Yeah.’
Beth stifled a yawn and leaned her head against the window. ‘Where to, now?’
‘The Baybush Daily Times.’
The newspaper’s office was on Main Street, above a bar whose signboard displayed a long iron bar.
‘No confusion there,’ Meghan chuckled and climbed a short flight of stairs, and pressed the buzzer in front of a glass door that had the newspaper’s logo.
A short, lean man approached the door and opened it. His narrow face took them in and burst into a smile.
‘You must be the Petersen twins. I’m Mitch Reeves, editor. Welcome to the Baybush Daily Times, the largest newspaper in town.’
‘It so happens, it’s the only one,’ he whispered and chuckled at his own joke.
He led them past the small office which had people bent over desks, some on phones, some others huddled in cabins, and took them to a glass encased office.