Deadly Night, Silent Night

by Margaret Daley

  Rebecca lengthened her strides to keep up with him. “What do you believe it is? You think there’s a bomb in here.” She wouldn’t forget the serial bombing last year and the havoc the bomber had caused in Anchorage.

  Alex held the door open for her. “Probably not but these two incidents happening together indicate it was coordinated.”

  “I’m glad to see I’m not paranoid. That’s what I think, too.”

  “We’ll know when the causes for the power outage and computer shutdown are discovered.”

  Rebecca made her way in the direction of the transformer and a group of firefighters. A burning stench infused the air, growing stronger the closer she came to the captain of the fire department, who was talking to someone from the electric company.

  She approached them as dark smoke poured out of the transformer, but no flames. “Is it safe now?”

  “No,” the captain said, glancing at Alex as he joined them. “I need the whole area roped off. These kinds of fires are dangerous and unpredictable. I’ll let you know when it’s safe.”

  “I’ll put some men on it.” Alex placed his hand on the small of Rebecca’s back.

  Reluctantly, she walked with him to the side of the building. She’d hoped the smoke meant the fire was burning out. But as she rounded the corner, she slowed down and peered over her shoulder. Orange-yellow flames shot from the smoke. Crackling and hissing filled the air as the firefighters moved back.

  She shifted toward Alex and said, “I don’t—”

  An explosion of bright blue white light shook the ground, throwing her against Alex, all words fleeing her mind.

  ***

  Chapter Two

  Alex grasped Rebecca as a wall of dark smoke and flames rose behind the Outdoor Sports and Recreation store. He held her trembling body for a few seconds as she gathered her composure before he grabbed her hand and tugged her toward the front parking lot.

  She took a few steps then halted. “But what if—”

  Alex turned back. Rebecca was used to being in charge. “We need to let the fire department deal with the situation. These kind of fires are extremely dangerous.”

  Dressed in black pants and matching jacket with a white blouse, she was all business as though she regretted a moment of weakness after the transformer exploded. He started to tell her a strand was loose from her bun, but her mouth pinched in a thin line as though she were mulling over her options. She smoothed her hand over her dark brown hair, found the stray strand and frowned, as if she wasn’t sure what to do with it.

  Alex tucked the errant strand into her loose knot of curls at the back of her head then clasped her elbow and started again for the front of the store. She took independence to the extreme, and he understood why. When Clint went into the U.S. Marines, she was the only one left for her father to school in running the company. He’d been a hard taskmaster, honing her into a tough executive. The determined girl who used to hang around Clint and Alex had always tried to live up to her father’s expectations. Clint had dealt with that by leaving and joining the marines. Alex knew the pressures of family members. He dealt with his own concerning his mother and younger siblings.

  When they emerged from the right side of the building, Rebecca shook loose of his hold and increased her pace to Clint, who was talking to Officer Josh Mills with his Rottweiler K-9, Bruno, next to him.

  When Alex approached the trio, Rebecca asked Josh, “Is it safe to go back inside?”

  “We still have a team upstairs on the fourth floor. No evidence of a bomb so far. I heard the blast out back. Did the transformer blow?”

  “Yes,” Alex said before Rebecca had a chance. “Everyone needs to stay out of the building until the fire’s put out. Electricity can be unpredictable.” If the wind blew in the wrong direction, that would put the store in danger of catching fire. “Recall the remaining team. I don’t want them trapped inside if there’s a problem. They can finish after it’s safe.”

  Rebecca panned the parking lot. “Where’s George?”

  “He’s with the team on the fourth floor.” Josh stepped away to communicate with them.

  “We won’t be able to reopen, Rebecca, until the transformer is replaced at the very least and the computers are back up. Our generator only handles things needed in an emergency.” Clint waved to Neil to join him.

  Neil finished his discussion with the members of his department and came their way.

  “I know. This is a busy time for us with the Thanksgiving weekend coming up. We need to get back up and running as soon as possible.” Rebecca shifted her attention to Alex. “I want answers to what happened here today.”

  “And I intend to get them, but if these two incidents occurring five minutes apart weren’t an accident, whoever’s behind this is after something, perhaps connected to the computer system. If we discover what, it’ll help me narrow down who did this. At this point we don’t even know if it’s one person or more.”

  Neil stopped next to Clint. “Since the network of computers went down before the power outage, I agree that must be the main target. When my team can get back inside and investigate what happened, we’ll be able to see what damage was done and how.”

  Rebecca straightened. “What do you think it is?”

  “As I said earlier, it could be a virus or malware in the system. It could be someone hacking into our network to look for certain information.”

  Rebecca curled her hands at her side. “Financial and credit info?”

  “Most likely.” Neil frowned.

  “Okay. We need to presume the worst and pray for the best. Gather your people, Neil. We’ll meet in the original store in ten minutes. It’s far enough away from the transformer that we should be safe.” Rebecca gestured toward the small building that still stood fifty yards from the main one and not in the direction the wind was blowing.

  “I’ll get George and some of his security team.” Clint swung around then walked toward the men coming out of the building.

  “We also need our advertising department in the meeting.”

  Her brother glanced over his shoulder. “I’ll take care of it.”

  Rebecca started for the original Outdoor Sports and Recreation, determination in every tense line of her body.

  “Josh, come with me.” Alex strode in the direction Rebecca was going and called out, “Wait up, Rebecca.”

  She halted and pivoted. “Do what you need, Alex. I’ve got to get ahead of this situation with my staff. We’re heavily invested in this big celebration starting on Black Friday, not to mention the holiday season officially starting that day.”

  “Not until Josh and I check this building.”

  The color drained from her cheeks. “You think something’s wrong with it.” She gestured toward the old store. “It hasn’t been used in several years other than for storage.”

  “Humor me, Rebecca.” Alex passed her and kept heading for the entrance.

  As he drew closer, he searched the front façade for any sign someone might be inside. The original store was in a one-story, red brick structure approximately five thousand square feet. He waited for Rebecca to give him the key.

  She stuffed her hand into her jacket pocket and withdrew a large ring full of keys. As she flipped through them, she glanced at Bruno then Alex. “Do you think someone planted a bomb in this building? Why would they?”

  “It’s close, so maybe. It’s a good place to spy on the store. Mainly, I’m checking as a precaution. Don’t assume anything. I learned that the hard way.” Years ago his partner and he had assumed a place was safe because it didn’t seem logical as a hideout, and Brad had ended up shot in the chest. Permanently disabled because his right lung was removed, his partner had ended up leaving the police force. For the past ten years, Alex had regretted agreeing with Brad.

  After Alex unlocked the door, he opened it and motioned Josh and Bruno inside. “You stay outside, Rebecca, away from the building until I tell you it’s clear. Make sure everyone doe
s.”

  She nodded.

  As Alex moved through the musty building in a clockwise direction, he removed his gun from its holster while Josh directed Bruno to check out each area, smelling for a bomb. The quiet and stillness didn’t sway Alex to hurry the search. He’d done enough of these to expect the unexpected.

  At the back of the large open space where the store had been, Bruno growled, a low menacing sound. Josh unhooked the dog’s leash and commanded him to find whatever was putting him on alert. No words were spoken, but Alex had been with Josh and the Rottweiler enough to know what the signals meant.

  Bruno took off with Josh and Alex following the dog into a large office. Stacked boxes flanked the room with a big desk and chair in the middle, but what riveted Alex’s attention was a windowsill, wiped clean of the thick layer of dust covering the rest of the place. The Rottweiler charged toward the desk.

  Alex rounded it.

  A bearded man lay on a sleeping bag, his eyes closed.

  While Josh commanded Bruno to guard, Alex approached the person, his gun aimed at him. The stench that rose from the dirty clothes, coupled with the smell of alcohol, assailed Alex’s senses. He nudged the drunk who groaned and rolled to his side.

  “I don’t think he’s our guy, but maybe he knows something.” Alex holstered his gun while Josh kept his aimed at the man. When Alex pulled one arm behind the drunk’s back, the man rallied. Quickly Alex handcuffed him before he came completely awake. Then he rolled the vagrant over, facing the floor.

  “What’s—goin’ on?” the drunk slurred his words, trying to lift his head to see around him but it was too much of an effort to hold it up.

  “You’re under arrest for trespassing and loitering.” Alex took the man’s arms and helped him to stand. The vagrant swayed until Alex steadied him, close to his body. The odor reeking from the man overpowered Alex’s senses.

  The drunk’s bloodshot eyes widened when he spied Bruno. He scrambled away until the back of his legs hit the desk. With Alex and Josh on each side of the man and Bruno in front, he was trapped. The vagrant glanced at the window behind the Rottweiler.

  “Don’t even think it.” Alex took hold of his right arm and started for the exit. “Josh, finish the sweep while I take care of this one.”

  “I ain’t done nuthin’ wrong.” The older man faltered, but Alex caught him before he went down.

  “You broke into this place. That’s against the law.”

  “Nope, it was open.” The guy stumbled over his own two feet and fell into a stack of boxes. His eyes slid close for a few seconds then popped open, a confused expression in them.

  Again Alex righted him and kept moving toward the exit. The smell pouring off of his charge indicated he hadn’t had a bath in months. Alex’s gut roiled. When he stepped out in the crisp, cold air, he signaled to a patrol officer. “Officer Bailey, take him to jail and have them let me know when he’s sober enough to carry on a conversation—and clean.”

  After the drunk was escorted to the officer’s cruiser, Rebecca came up to Alex. “He was inside? How? The front door was locked. The back one wasn’t?”

  “It was. He got in through a window.”

  “He broke a window?”

  “No.”

  “It should have been locked. I have security check this building weekly to make sure.”

  “I’m going to talk to him. Then I’ll let you know. He said it was open, but then he’s also drunk, and I’m not sure he even knows where he is.”

  When Josh emerged from the building, he gave the all-clear sign.

  Alex looked into Rebecca’s blue eyes, the color of a storm brewing in the Bering Sea. “It’s okay for you and your employees to go inside, but there has to be a better place to meet.”

  “Yeah, my conference room, but we can’t go inside yet. I don’t want to leave the site until the fire is out, and I can do a walkthrough with some of my key personnel.”

  “That could be hours.”

  “I know but our store needs to be open in two days, the day before Thanksgiving. If I have to work around the clock, I will. We have a big promotion with the mushers who we’re sponsoring this year in the Iditarod Race. It’s already been widely publicized for the past couple of weeks. I prefer not canceling.”

  Knowing Rebecca, he had to ask, “Are you going to sleep at the store tonight?”

  “Yes, with extra security posted at all exits. I’ll be safe.”

  As groups of employees streamed into the old store, Alex noted each one. This could have been an inside job. He couldn’t rule that out. “If they’re after the credit information and hacked into the computer system, then that’s the reason for what happened today. There shouldn’t be any more problems.” He hoped.

  “If they got it. Neil will have to determine that.”

  “And we can’t assume that’s the reason for what’s behind this.” An uneasiness nagged at Alex. “I’ll touch base with you here later, especially after I talk with the vagrant. Will Clint be with you?”

  “Yes, and he’s just as good as you at protecting his loved ones.”

  “You’d better go.” Alex gestured toward Clint standing in the entrance. “See you later.”

  As Rebecca disappeared inside, the hairs on Alex’s nape tingled a warning. He slowly rotated, taking in his surroundings. Although Outdoor Sports and Recreation sat on a large piece of land, it was located near the downtown area with lots of other businesses nearby. Plenty of places to hide and watch what was going on.

  * * *

  Rebecca peered out the large window behind her desk, her body past exhaustion. Every muscle protested as though she’d raced in the Iditarod. The finish line in Nome was in her line of vision—except this wasn’t the end of the ordeal that occurred today at the store. Neil left her office a few minutes ago after informing her that whoever was in their system didn’t use a computer in the building, and likely their list of customers and their credit card information were accessed because a virus was planted in that part of the data. Also some of the security footage for the past couple of days had been erased, which made her think the intruder had been somehow caught on the tape, unlike the incident last week on the main floor of the store. That culprit had managed to avoid the cameras, which made her wonder how much he’d cased the store before releasing the stink bomb. Were the two events even related?

  Though not surprised, she hadn’t wanted to hear that the credit card numbers had been accessed. Money was a great motivator for some people—at least that was Clint’s take on it. She wasn’t so sure. If so, then why take out the transformer? To give whoever was behind all of this time to go through the network and grab what they wanted without one of her employees detecting it? Chaos certainly occurred with the power outage. George said there had been multiple bullets shot at it earlier until one sparked the fire. It hadn’t gone up in flames for a while, but it had disrupted the power. The worst part was no one heard or saw anything out back, but then there were several places a person could hide, and a silencer would have helped dampen the sound.

  Note to self: put extra cameras in the back with one trained on the new transformer, hopefully being installed tomorrow if the piece of equipment arrived on the jet she hired to bring it to Anchorage. The size she needed wasn’t currently available in the state. She was thankful the electric company was working with her on this situation. She would also put a concrete wall around the transformer to prevent a similar attack in the future.

  She leaned against the window, relishing the coldness seeping through the glass. An SUV pulled into the large, near empty parking lot below. Alex was here. Her pulse rate picked up as her mind flooded with images of him helping her earlier from the elevator then later when the transformer finally exploded.

  Maybe he would have more answers for her than questions. Her head throbbed with them. In the light of the security lamp in the parking lot, he climbed from his gray SUV, which reminded her of the color of his eyes. The wind still blew and
messed with his dark brown hair, cut short.

  Suddenly he glanced up at her. His step slowed. Even from a distance she felt as though his gaze had seized hers and held it captive. Her knees weakened, and she leaned more against the windowsill. Finally, Alex looked away and resumed his trek toward the entrance.

  Watching him disappear inside, she remembered all the times they had worked together on searches and rescues. She’d known him for years, but he’d always held part of himself back. While growing up, he’d become the father figure in his family after his dad, a police officer, had been killed in the line of duty. He had a younger sister and brother, and when his mother fell apart after her husband’s death, he stepped up and took over for her. He’d only been twelve. After that she saw less of him. But when her brother returned to Anchorage, dealing with post-traumatic stress after being held as a prisoner of war, Alex had been there for him as a friend who listened. Clint had needed that. Alex was the one who had gotten Clint interested in being part of a search and rescue team—actually both of them—because she joined an Anchorage SAR group, too.

  Rebecca crossed to her leather couch and sank onto it, almost afraid to give into its comfort. That reaction to Alex a moment ago was only due to the stress of the past day. That was all. Laying her head on the back cushion, she closed her eyes to unwind for a few minutes before seeing him again and plunging into work.

  She drifted toward the darkness, sucking her in like a whirlpool in the ocean. Someone shook her arm. She jolted straight up on the couch, ready to protect herself—until she looked into Alex’s gleaming eyes, laugh lines fanning out from the corners of them.

  He drew away and settled on the couch at the other end. “You must be as tired as I am. I almost didn’t wake you, but then I figured you wouldn’t be too happy with me for that.”