“Should August and I to go over to the store and get it?” Aaron asked.
“We should find out from Harris if we can bring the computer from the store. I think the hacker would know if we were using a different computer. If we’re using something from home and are trying to track him from here, he’d know it. In the end, it’s best if we get the store computer. Would you call Harris to make sure I’m on the right track?”
“Right on it,” Aaron said, taking out his phone. He went to the kitchen for privacy. Upon his return, he said, “Yes. The hacker would know the difference. He wants us to keep using the same computer, so the footprints are the same.” Putting his phone back in his pocket, he said, “I’ll go and pick it up.”
“That would be terrific.” I plunked back into the chair and Grandma did the same.
“We’ll get ’em.” Looking at August, he said, “Let’s go for it. I’ll drive.”
They put on their coats and overshoes and took off. Less than an hour later they returned, and Aaron set up the computer.
“Now, let’s see who all in Mary’s family were Masons. I bet her dad was.” I logged into my Google account, found my bookmarked pages, and pressed on the website for the Masons.
First I searched “Abraham Lincoln as a Mason.” Not one link appeared. The next idea was to search for Masons in his administration. It generated a list of several names, including the Secretary of War from both terms, the Secretary of the Interior, Navy Secretary, and Vice President, Andrew Johnson.
“He was surrounded by Masons in his cabinet. He could have joined after his presidency. He probably didn’t have time to think about it, what with the war and all.” I read further and found that Lincoln was a close friend of the Commissioner of Public Buildings: Benjamin Brown French, who was Grand Master of all the Knights Templar in the U.S at the time. “The list is endless. It’s far-reaching.” Further digging led me to information about Mary’s family, where I stopped. “I’m right! Mary’s father was a Mason, and so were her brothers, uncles, and cousins.” I clicked out of the website and sat back. “I bet Mary did hide the speech.”
“I agree one-hundred percent,” Grandma said, yawning. “I’m with Liv. We are going to leave now, but we’ll call you in the morning.” She leaned over and gave me a kiss. “It’ll turn out just fine. Keep your chin up.”
“I will. Thank you again. You’re both great.” I stood and gave her a hug before going into the living room to hug Grandpa. “Careful driving.”
“Of course.”
From the window, I watched until their taillights were no longer in view, and then I plunked down on the chair. I jumped up again. “Before doing all of this research, let’s figure out this map. Maybe we can tell if she meant Hodgenville, Springfield, or Lexington?”
“But she didn’t want anything to do with Lexington nor the house where she grew up,” Aaron said.
“True, but that house deserves to be on our list, simply because it’s her birthplace. She may have meant it, instead.”
Aaron readjusted the maps. Side by side, we studied them. My lines were drawn already, and I saw clearly that the pentacle didn’t ring true.
“Only three points of the pentacle meet. Here’s a question. Back then, roads between towns were either non-existent or terrible for travel. How did the speech get there?”
“Her family. She wouldn’t have mailed it, that’s for certain,” Aaron said.
“Especially with the war on. Sending something to the southern states would be difficult, if not impossible,” I agreed. “Maybe after the war? Or before it began?”
“Maybe family members, visits, after the assassination.” Aaron shrugged. “Don’t have an answer, but it’s worth researching.”
“You’re right.”
I sat back down, and searched the town of Hodgenville, Kentucky. Many sites came up, but the link to the Hodgenville Chamber of Commerce seemed most logical. Next, I clicked on the local businesses and to my surprise, an image of the Hodgenville Masonic Lodge popped into view.
“Take a look,” I said.
“We’re heading in the right direction, honey. I swear, we’ll find it.”
“Let’s hope.”
Upon further reading, I found that the lodge had been in existence since the mid-1800’s, which furthered my curiosity. The link for the log cabin mentioned that the Burr Oak, a towering, ancient tree, had been a forest landmark for settlers moving West. Was it still standing? The manner in which Mary hid clues proved that she was clever. Would she have hidden it in the tree? The acorn necklace would finally make sense. The website didn’t say anything more about the tree, so I made a mental note to call and ask about it. I bookmarked the website before continuing to read. Dignitaries and foreign travelers still visited the birthplace, the log cabin, and to look for the burr oak. Past presidents, such as Teddy Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, also had visited the historical home of Abraham Lincoln. I clicked out of the website and logged out.
“Did Harris say anything about shutting the computer down?” I asked.
“He said to leave it running.”
“Okay.” I logged out but didn’t power down. I yawned and stood up to stretch. “No wonder I’m tired, it’s already eleven.”
“It’s been a long day,” Aaron said. “Don’t forget that I have the hockey tourney in the morning. Fortunately, we don’t play until nine.”
“Yikes! I’d forgotten all about it.”
“Max will take care of the store, don’t worry, you won’t have to go in. It’s already set it up with Maggie. She will meet you at Lake Nokomis,” Aaron said.
“What would I do without you?”
Aaron shut the lights off, and with his arm around me, we walked into the bedroom.
I couldn’t sleep. The blankets were twisted around, making a mess off the bed. Aaron growled at me a couple of times for hogging all the covers. Finally, I got up and went to the kitchen for a drink of warm milk to calm me down and help me sleep.
The glow from the computer monitor flooded the floor like a sheet. I held my breath as I approached the kitchen door. The bright light lit my way. It ought to have been dark as the night.
I inched back to the bedroom.
“Aaron.” I nudged him and yanked back the blankets. “Get up.” When he opened his eyes, I put my finger to my lips, motioning him to be quiet. I finger waved him to follow but waited as he grabbed his gun.
We crept quietly down the hallway. The monitor still cast an eerie light in the darkened kitchen.
At the doorway, Aaron nudged me aside. With his gun in position, Aaron entered the room.
“Come in,” Aaron said. “We need to call Harris.” I entered behind him.
Aaron gazed at the screen and watched the cursor move back and forth across it.
“Let’s make it a three-way call,” I said. Sneaky little monster.
Aaron made the call. “Okay, go ahead,” he said. “Liv is also on the line.”
“Press the ESC button on the computer’s keyboard,” Harris told us.
I pressed the button. “Okay.” “Now what?” Aaron said.
“Watch the screen,” Harris said. We watched the hacker remotely deleting all of the items he’d forwarded earlier from the sent folder.
Aaron said. “He’s deleting his sent files. All were Lincoln-related. I guess he’s cleaning up after himself, so we won’t spot him.” We kept our eyes glued on the monitor. “Okay. He just shut it down and restarted it.”
“Open an Internet browser. If we find what IP address he’s using, we can trace it and get a better handle on his location,” Harris stated.
“I’m ready,” I said. Following his instructions, I opened in a set of internal log files.
Aaron read off a series of numbers to Harris. “This will catch him?” Aaron asked when he finished.
“It’s possible,” he replied. “By-the-way, that memory stick had copies of email messages, and they are very pertinent to this case. Now I’ve got
to get busy, catch you later. Make certain there’s someone monitoring that computer twenty-four seven. I may stop by in the morning to check on it.” He hung up.
“Okay.” I disconnected. “Now what do we do, since the game starts at nine? Someone has to be here.”
“Bummer luck,” Aaron said.
“I’m fine. You go when you need to, and I’ll follow as soon as Harris gives me the all clear.” I took his arm. “Let’s hit the sack. Should we leave it on like this?”
“You bet.”
“If we’re lucky, the hacker won’t realize we are watching him. Now we know how he does everything,” I said as we walked to the room.
“And we can hopefully trace the hacker. Harris is a real whiz at this and should be able to track him down,” Aaron said.
“Let’s try sending an email. One that will scare him out of hiding. Next time we’ll know when he’s sneaking into the computer. This time, it was a chance to discover him at work,” I said. “That’s how we’ll be able to pull him out of his lair.”
“We’ll talk with the detectives tomorrow.”
“I’m still bothered. I’m going to sit with the maps. You go on to bed, if you’d like.”
“I’m staying right by your side.”
In the kitchen, I said, “We have drawn out the pentacle. Where the heck is the center of it? The ‘G’ stands for the beginning. The pentacle has to mean the same.” I erased the pencil lines before I drew lines from Hodgenville. “Look, now. They’re all kind of connected in an odd way.”
“She knew the Masons were trustworthy, given her family connections. The Masonic building is still in use.” Furrowing my brow, I thought for a moment. “I’m calling to find out about the Burr Oak tree in the morning as well as the lodge.”
“This is still crazy,” Aaron said. “But, the nut didn’t fall far from the tree.”
“When will the hacker strike again? And, is the hacker the killer?”
Chapter Twenty-four
“Honey, I’m leaving,” Aaron whispered, standing over me. “Time to get up.”
“Oh my goodness, I didn’t realize the time,” I said. He kissed me, and then moved to the door. “I’ll come as soon as possible. Text me.”
“Of course. I left the bagels out and cream cheese. Coffee’s made,” Aaron said, then continued on his way.
“Good luck!” I jumped from the bed and dressed, sliding into a long sleeved shirt and jeans plus knee-hi length socks. I grabbed a sweatshirt and found a heavier pair of socks to have ready for later.
In the kitchen, I’d just finished my meal when there was a knock on the door. I swiped my mouth with the nearest napkin before going to open the front door.
“Good morning,” I cheerfully greeted Detectives Erlandsen and Mergens with Harris shuffling in right behind them. “Coffee?” I filled mugs for all and refreshed mine.
“Let’s sit at the kitchen table and discuss all of this first. We need to be brought up to speed, especially after last night,” Erlandsen stated. He reached for his notebook, and so did Mergens. “Right from the top, Liv.”
“We stayed out here in the kitchen almost all night. As you can see, the monitor is still on. I would’ve known if the killer had logged back in.” I glanced at each of them. “How do we know we have the right person?”
“Right here.” Harris shoved a stapled stack of pages toward me. “This says it all.” He cleared his throat. “Read through it, and then we’ll discuss it.”
“Okay.” I reached for the few pages and began reading. My mouth dropped open as I read each message:
Chun-money coming soon.
Impersonator shouldn’t have fought back. Her fault she’s dead. Speech saved for not-too-bright Tad. Positive.
Ripped bear. Family tree on rear end? Don’t understand.
Masonic symbols? Pentacle? Birth of Jesus? No. Can’t be. G? God? I don’t understand. Must follow Liv. Only way to find speech.
Speech worth much. Lost Speech? Plenty money to do what’s necessary. I looked for a hidden compartment, but couldn’t find one.
“The messages explain it all, don’t they? This has to be the killer, but who?” I slid the sheets back across the table to the detective. “The motive is loud and clear, just like what we thought. Money and greed.”
“Now the question is how to flush him out.” Mergens subconsciously reached up to his cigarettes but quickly dropped his hand. “Any suggestions?”
“I’m putting a different tracer on the computer.” Harris scooted over to it and began clicking. “We’ll get him, don’t worry.”
“I would hope so,” Erlandsen said. “He needs to be caught.”
“We should send out some kind of message like, ‘I might know where it’s located. I’ve got a bit more research to do; then I’ll know’.” My mind was filled with ideas. “We can send the message to the Mary Todd Lincoln House. That would make it seem more official,” I added. “Also, there’s the Presidential Library.”
“That’s a great idea, but we do have to discuss all of this with our lieutenant,” Mergens said, taking notes. “If we can send the decoy messages today, we’ll be able to monitor the hacker’s response tonight.”
“Fine by me.” I glanced at them. “So we know it’s the right man. Let’s trick him into believing we truly have found the speech.”
“How? We don’t know what was said,” Erlandsen asked. “It’s easy,” Mergens said. “All we need is a handwriting expert to write the first transcribed lines out on some old-looking paper. When it’s ready, we’ll place it in the hidden pocket of the desk.”
“Hmm. The culprit’s already searched through the desk, though,” I said, scratching my scalp. “However, we didn’t find the hidden compartment right away, either. It had been painted over with stain, and Aaron had to pry it open. We could barely see the seam in the boards.”
“So?” Mergens said. “It’ll work. I’m positive.”
“We’ll get back to you.” Erlandsen looked at me. “This is dangerous, so please be careful.”
“I’m going to Lake Nokomis to watch Aaron play pond hockey. I’ll probably stop in the store on my way home.”
“Good luck to Aaron’s team,” Mergens said.
“Ditto,” Erlandsen said.
Both detectives stood and walked to the doorway.
“We’ll be in touch.”
I looked back to Harris, frowning. “Ready?”
“Almost done.” Harris made a few notes in his notebook and pressed a couple keys. “Liv? Come here.” I stood behind him, and he said, “Use this username and password. Make sure you enter them exactly as shown. If all goes as planned and you catch the hacker at work when you’re online, call me immediately. It’s programmed to play, Three Blind Mice, really loud, when he logs back in.”
“Sounds good,” I replied, giving him a wry grin. “Can you write down the username and password, just to make sure we key it in correctly? ”
“Will do.” Harris did as requested and ripped the sheet from his notepad. “I’ll leave it right here.” He placed it on the table.
“Thanks bunches.”
“Oh, and by the way, don’t check your e-mail accounts until I tell you to.”
“I can do a search though, can’t I?”
“That’ll work. But keep it simple and on target. Let’s not do anything different from what you’ve already begun.”
Harris stood up and I walked him to the door.
The little tune that he’d installed was fitting. Like blind mice, we were all heading into uncharted waters. I sent a text to Aaron. He responded that the game was running late because the first team started later than scheduled. It gave me about ten extra minutes.
I sat at the computer and did a Google search for Lincoln’s birthplace again and waited as the screen filled with a list of sites. I pressed a link to the Sinking Spring Farm, where the famed log cabin was located. Then I scanned several of the sites for mention of the Burr Oak. If Mary had visited th
e town, she would’ve stayed near the birthplace since there were so many Southerners in the area. Continuing with the theory that “if there’s a will, there’s a way,” she would’ve found a way to hide the speech on the main property. The Burr Oak tree or a niche in one of the cabin logs were the two main theories I held to.
The reconstructed cabin looked as the original had. A memorial building surrounded it like an envelope. Since the logs weren’t original, I decided to forget the cabin.
Not much was written about the Burr Oak, except that it served as a landmark for folks going west. Travelers found fresh, clean water to drink because of a nearby, flowing spring. But that didn’t answer my questions. Contact information was readily available, so I jotted the phone number down to call later. Aaron texted to tell me the plows had to push new snow from the rink. His team was being moved to the “little” beach.
After acknowledging the message, I told him my plans to make a call to Kentucky to further investigate the Burr Oak tree.
I keyed the Kentucky phone number into my cell phone and waited for a park ranger to answer. “Hello. I’m curious about the famous Burr Oak. Is it still standing?”
“No. It had to be cut down a few years ago because it had become a safety hazard. We kept it standing for as long as possible. Dirty shame, isn’t it?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact.” I frowned. “Thank you. By the way, can you tell me if the Masonic Lodge there is the same building that was standing during the Civil War days?”
“Not positive about that, but I think it is. It’s an old building, but they’ve remodeled it.”
“How?” I prayed that none of the interior walls had been altered.
“Updated plumbing. Wiring. That sort of thing.”
My heart leapt. “It was gutted?” I asked. “Oh, no. Just the basic repair jobs.”
“Thanks. Thanks bunches,” I said before disconnecting. I’m almost to the end. A two-year-old couldn’t be any happier with a new toy. “That’s it! That’s the place! If it’s to be found, that’s where the speech is—I’m sure of it!” I said out loud.
My thoughts jumped to the evidence as I chased for the sweatshirt and heavy socks. While putting them on along with heavier outerwear, the memory stick came to mind. We couldn’t connect this person to Max’s unwarranted attack, nor to the break-in at Inga’s. That person was a monster.
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