by K T Brodland
With that taken care of, she started digging into the background of the Wilkes brothers. There was little mention of Jimmy, but Sonny’s name had shown up quite frequently in Steven’s cell phone records. She soon had a dossier on Sonny that would have been the envy of the local RCMP. She encrypted the file and put it to one side for the time being. All she needed now was to get her hands on his computer.
She stifled a yawn and slumped in her chair. Maybe now she could get some sleep.
Chapter Twenty
O livia was up at the crack of dawn the next morning, hoping to get as much work done as possible before the day turned into another scorcher. There’d been a time when she wouldn’t have given the heat more than a passing thought, but she wasn’t twenty anymore. She would make sure there was a big jug of water in the fridge and would keep hydrated as much as possible. Thank goodness there was a bathroom just off the kitchen.
She had just put the final load of curtains in the dryer when she heard the familiar growl of Cat’s Mustang outside. She wiped perspiration from her forehead with the tail of her shirt and headed to the door. She was in time to see Cat emerge from her car, a big bag with a fast food logo on it in one hand, a case of soda in the other. She belatedly realized she hadn’t had any breakfast as she caught a whiff of her favorite sausage biscuits. She hastened to hold the screen door open for Cat only to wonder why Cat was staring at her chest. She glanced down and discovered that her shirt was undone, revealing the thin white cotton bra she wore underneath it.
She huffed, impatient to get on with her day. “Oh, close your mouth and get in here. I’m sure you’ve seen a bra before.”
Cat’s ears turned red as she stepped past Olivia. “Not recently. And certainly not yours.”
“Well, get over it.”
She took the bag from Cat and busied herself setting food out on the table, all the while trying not to think too closely about the appreciative gleam in Cat’s eyes. For a moment she wished she’d been wearing something a little nicer.
And what would that be? This ratty old cotton bra is the only kind you have.
“You’re looking better now than you did when I left here last night,” Cat said from behind her.
“Yeah, I went for a run before turning in. Ended up down by the creek that borders my property.” She lowered her eyes, almost embarrassed to admit to what happened at the creek. “Discovered there is nothing like a good bawl to relieve stress. I’m told it’s quite cathartic. Guess it’s true. I do feel more like my old self this morning.” She chuckled. “There’s also nothing like hard work as well. And I managed to get in a fair amount of that this morning before you showed up.”
“Glad to hear it, especially in light of what I heard from Jean this morning.”
Olivia gave the PI her undivided attention. “The forensic team only found one good set of prints on that cash and they belonged to Steven McIntyre. There were others, but too many to go through quickly. If Steve was dealing, the other prints were probably from his customers.”
“What about the drugs? And the passport?”
“The white powder turned out to be heroin liberally laced with fentanyl.”
“Oh, good lord!”
“And you were right about the passport. It didn’t have Steven’s real name on it, just his photo.”
A momentary sadness settled over Olivia as she digested this news. She nodded slowly. “All right, what’s our next move?”
“Okay.” Cat drew the word out slowly. “Since the Wilkes brothers seem to be tied into all this in some way, I suggest we start with them.”
“Excellent idea, my dear Watson. In the meantime, I’ll do a remote search and see if I can locate Steven’s laptop. I have a hunch he may have been just as careless with what he left on it as he was with his phone records.”
“You do that, and I’ll see what I can dig up on my office computer. While it may not be as advanced as I suspect yours is—and I would love to get a look at it—it suits my purposes.”
Olivia shot Cat a sidelong look. “Thanks. As for my computer, someday I may show it to you. Right now, you have the same two chances anyone else has of getting near my system. Slim and fat, and don’t hold your breath waiting.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it. In the meantime, I have another idea I’d like to run by you.”
“Okay.”
“You mentioned something about pulling the files from Steve’s phone and uploading them to your computer. I suggest we do that sooner rather than later.”
Olivia’s eyes gleamed in anticipation. “I like the way your mind works, Cat Harris.”
“Now that we have that out of the way, what’s up next, boss?”
Olivia grinned. “Getting hot and sweaty.”
Cat cocked an eyebrow at this remark. If it had come from anyone else but Olivia, she might have considered there was another meaning behind the words. Instead, she laughed. “Now, that could be fun!”
Olivia opened her mouth to make a sarcastic remark, to the effect that since when was getting sweaty fun. The twinkle in Cat’s eyes and the way the corners of her mouth twitched gave her a clue that she was being teased. “I walked into that one, didn’t I?”
Eyebrows raised, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth, Cat nodded. “Yup, you certainly did.”
“You are incorrigible,” Olivia muttered, as she shook her head.
They sat over their coffee for a few minutes more, then cleaned away their breakfast dishes before tackling the chores Olivia wanted done.
Before they headed off to the hardware store to get a new front door for the mobile, Olivia contacted a junk removal company and arranged for them to come by the farm first thing the next morning. That would give her time to shift the ruined mattresses to the living room, along with anything else that she’d decided to get rid of.
Inside the sprawling store, she did a quick inspection of their selection of appliances, made a note of the ones she’d like to get to replace the old ones at the farm. After thirty years, the stove and fridge in the mobile and in her place were long overdue to be tossed. But not quite yet, other changes needed to take place first. Moving to the lumber department, she spotted the door she wanted. Stained a deep oak, it had two small glass panels across the top third. The bottom section had recessed panels that gave it a fresh modern look. She selected a brass handle and lock along with the necessary fittings, paid for everything and had it taken out to the parking lot and loaded into the back of her pickup. She didn’t miss the way Cat lovingly stroked her hand over the door’s surface.
When Cat remarked that she used to help out her dad in his workshop, Olivia stood back and allowed her friend to take over once they were home. The mobile’s new front door was soon hung and Cat was putting the finishing touches on the hardware when she paused to admire her handiwork and smiled in a way that was like seeing the sun come out.
Warmed by that thousand-watt smile, Olivia nodded her approval. “You really enjoyed doing that, didn’t you?”
Cat stood and brushed bits of wood shavings off her pant legs. “Yes, I did, now that you mention it.” She put away the tools Olivia had dug out for her then glanced at the disaster in the living room. “Shall we tackle that next?”
Not about to rain on Cat’s parade, Olivia swallowed the protest she was about to make. She was more than capable of moving furniture around without help from anyone. She mentally shook her head, thinking Butch egos!
Yeah, and what about your ego? Give the woman a break. She’s just trying to be neighborly. A friend. You do know what those are, don’t you?
Oh, shut up.
In the face of the hopeful look she was getting from Cat, Olivia smiled. “That’s as good a place as any to start.”
Cat grinned, then pulled her tee over her head, revealing a trim midriff and a black sports bra.
Olivia suspected Cat was well-built underneath the tees she frequently wore. Now she had proof. What really caught her eye though was the tattoo on C
at’s left upper arm. “What’s with the wolf head?”
Cat shrugged and muscles in her shoulders rippled. “I’ve always had a thing about wolves, even as a kid. They mate for life and look out for one another in the pack.”
“And that appeals to you?”
“Yes, it does.”
That explained a great deal.
Shortly, the couch and the two armchairs were stacked in the middle of the living-room. While Cat proceeded to move the ruined mattresses, along with their metal frames, out of the bedrooms, Olivia wiped down the inside of the fridge. All that was left was to remove the contents of the freezer and unplug it. She laid old bath towels on the floor and on the shelves to soak up any water as the freezer defrosted.
With that taken care of, she looked around to see where Cat had disappeared to. She found her in the master bedroom admiring the long oak dresser that took up the better part of the back wall. Two matching bedside tables were set to one side, from when Cat had maneuvered the king-size mattress into the hall.
Cat looked up as Olivia entered the room. “You know, these would fetch a good price if you put them up for sale. I’ve checked them over. The wood is still in excellent condition, although a good scrub probably wouldn’t hurt. I looked at the dressers in the other bedroom while I was at it. The surface of one of them has a few shallow scratches, but nothing that can’t be fixed with a little elbow grease.”
Olivia hadn’t really given the subject even a passing thought until now. “Could be. I haven’t even decided what I’m going to do with this place, never mind what to do with a few old pieces of furniture.”
“Are you talking about the mobile or the farm in general?”
“Both.”
“Thought so. Here’s another idea for you to consider. Pat and Tracy are both retiring next year and they’ve been talking about moving. They’re avid gardeners, or they would be if they had the time and the space. I’ll bet they’d fit in quite nicely here and you wouldn’t have to try and run this place by yourself.”
“That’s something else I don’t want to even think about right now.”
“No, I don’t imagine it is,” Cat murmured, head down, as if intent on a faded patch of carpet, hands shoved in her pockets.
“What I can imagine is a nice cold drink right about now.”
“Now you’re talking.”
Once they were parked in the chairs on Olivia’s porch and they each had a soda in hand, Cat took a long swallow of her drink, breathed a gusty sigh. She glanced in Olivia’s direction. “I’ve a question for you.” When Olivia raised an inquiring eyebrow, she continued. “How good are you with a computer?”
Wondering where this was going, Olivia took her time before replying. “I know how to turn the power off and on. Why?”
“Very funny. Seriously though, how well do you know your way around a computer?”
Olivia slanted her eyes sideways. “Probably better than you do.”
“Somehow that doesn’t surprise me. Which leads me to my next question, and you can invoke the Fifth if you like. Do you have the smarts to do a remote access to someone’s computer?”
With her drink halfway to her mouth, Olivia froze and stared hard at the PI. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally remembered to breathe. “I think I’ll invoke the Fifth again until I know why you asked.”
“Fair enough. I’ve found myself wondering why you would have a system so sophisticated that you are reluctant to let anyone near it. I believe the phrase you used was I’d have two chances, ‘slim and fat’ before I’d get to see it. It also occurred to me that you might know how to gain access to a certain computer. Especially since its current location is unknown.”
Olivia remained silent for several minutes.
Crunch time here, folks. How much do I reveal to Cat? How far can I trust her? I guess there’s only one way to find out.
“Let’s put it this way, I’d be far more willing to answer that question if we’d already signed the non-disclosure’s we talked about the other day.”
“Fair enough. You do realize, though, that the fact that you mentioned the non-disclosure’s in itself told me a great deal?”
“Yes, and for the moment that’s as far as I’m prepared to go.”
“How far would you be prepared to go if we could actually get our hands on Steven’s computer?”
Olivia hid a smile behind her upraised soda. “Give me five minutes and I’ll give you his entire life history. If time is a factor, a thumb drive and sixty seconds.”
Out of the corner of her eye she watched as Cat slowly nodded her head as if she had just confirmed whatever it was she’d been thinking. “Then, first thing tomorrow we start on operation rescue. There have been no indications the Wilkes brothers are dead. Yet. We make finding them our priority. Not to mention a thorough search of Steven’s phone. I seem to recall seeing an email icon on the screen. That might also prove useful. You up for that?”
Olivia massaged her forehead. “Sure. I have the salvage guys coming around nine, but everything is organized over there so it shouldn’t take them long to clear it out.”
She blinked and yawned. “Why don’t you give me a call first, make sure I am actually up.”
“I’ll do that.” Cat pushed her chair back, took her soda can to the sink and rinsed it out before adding it to the recycling bin. She turned to find Olivia standing behind her, looking as though she was half asleep standing up. She gently steered her in the direction of the stairs. “Bed. Now. I’ll close up down here on my way out.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Cat chuckled softly, half-expecting Olivia to salute. She waited until Olivia safely navigated the stairs to the second floor before turning off the kitchen light and letting herself out.
Chapter Twenty-One
T he removal truck had just left and Olivia was about to conduct a last-minute check on the mobile when her phone rang.
“Hi, Cat. Figured that might be you.”
“You ready for company?”
“Sure, come on over.”
She switched off the phone and stuck in her back pocket. Taking one final look around, she spotted a trickle of water coming from the alcove where the freezer was kept. “Oh, shit,” she muttered as she dashed around the corner to see what had happened. The freezer door was still propped open, but the towels she had laid down to absorb extra water had long since given up the job. Grabbing up the sodden towels she tossed them into the washing machine, then hauled dry ones out of the linen closet and threw them down on the floor. The lower bins were relatively dry, so she left them for later.
When the muted growl of Cat’s Mustang announced her arrival, Olivia grumbled something about lousy timing and headed for the front door just as Cat opened it and stepped inside.
“Oh, oh,” she said, smiling. “Have I come at a bad time?”
“No, I’m just in the middle of cleaning up a mess. Silly me forgot to check on the freezer and there’s water all over the place. I’ll be finished in a couple of minutes if you want to go and wait in the house.”
“Okay. Would you like me to put the coffee on?”
“That would be great. You know where everything is by now.” Preoccupied, she didn’t hear Cat’s reply as she moved down the hall.
With the last of the towels in the washing machine, she closed the lid, turned it on, then headed back outside. She hurried across the driveway and up the steps to the porch. In the kitchen, she was greeted by the aroma of fresh coffee. “Oh, that smells wonderful.”
Cat jerked her thumb in the direction of a cloth bag at the end of the table. “Egg cartons. I expect you can use them.”
“That’s great. I never have enough of them.”
Once they were both seated, coffee in front of them, Cat spoke. “I was thinking we could spend the weekend using my system at the office or the one I have at home.” She indicated Olivia’s laptop. “Somehow I don’t think that’s capable of handling the job.”
“Now I am intrigued. Care to share how you’d go about doing that?”
Olivia considered how best to answer that question. Maybe this was as good a time as any to find out just how far she could trust Cat with all the details of her life. If she was wrong…
“I’m going to tell you a little story, Cat. One that may or may not have you walking out that door for good. Or alternately, hitting the speed dial to your friend Staff Sergeant Gordon.”
“I’m all ears.”
“This tale began a few years after I came to live with Alison. She was pretty close-mouthed at first about what she did for a living before she retired. Once I’d earned her trust, she revealed that she was an investigative journalist. In the course of her work she had uncovered a great deal of information about certain individuals that could have been damaging, not only to their reputations, but to their careers as well. Being the smart woman that she was, she took notes. Extensive notes, which she shared with me after hearing me venting about the actions of men…and a few women…who preyed on homeless kids. I’m sure you’ve come across people like them in the course of your own work.”
Cat nodded, waited for Olivia to continue.
“To make a long story short, I became a willing accomplice in her plan to take down the worst of the ungodly. My ability to bypass security systems came in handy in those early days before we acquired more sophisticated computer programs that made it even easier for us to shut them down. A few months after she died, I picked up where we had left off. I soon took an interest in the two major gangs who have turned this town into a haven for drug-runners and other assorted bottom feeders.”
“Hmm. Can’t imagine why.”
“Oh, it gets even better. I’m sure it hasn’t escaped your notice that I’m not exactly broke.”
“The thought has crossed my mind a time or two.”
Olivia allowed a thin smile to tug at the corners of her mouth. “Not to put too fine a point on it, I’m a millionaire, several times over.”
