He continued, “They come separately and in different vehicles each time. One of the witnesses said the covered girl stood in one spot for about a minute, checked her watch, and then left. She did nothing else.”
“Wait, so you’ve seen them but just let them go? What’s up with that?” I turned to him, but he kept his eyes focused on the map.
“Another organization provides us with information, nothing more. Anything else would break our bank.” Manuel looked up at me. “Business has slowed since your little incident.”
“I’m so sorry to hear,” I said while rolling my eyes.
“Don’t worry, we will recoup the lost funds.” He smiled and glanced over to Tigre. “Verdad?”
“Definitivamente,” said Tigre in response with his own broad smile.
The hairs on my neck again stood on end. Manuel had something sinister up his sleeve; I could feel it. Dang it, if only I understood Spanish.
“Back to work,” Manuel said with a swat of the pointer on the map.
I focused back on the map. The problem was simple; what are they doing and where will they go next? Were all the stops related? My gut said yes; that they were doing the same thing at each location. “The answer will come from what all the locations have in common. We humans do not act randomly, there is a reason these locations are unique,” I said and pointed to the closest dot. “What is at this location in Castle Rock?” Somatotech’s training facility was located in Castle Rock.
“An abandoned warehouse, right across from the Outlets.”
“Did you search it?”
Manuel gave me an offended look.
“Right, of course, you did.” What a dumb question, Manuel is one of the most thorough criminals I knew, not that I knew many. “Can you put these in chronological order?” I asked Tigre.
Tigre pulled out a piece of paper and pen from his pocket and proceeded to write the date and time next to each dot. The first location was Castle Rock, second, multiple in Littleton, and then they skipped up to a few sites outside Boulder, followed by Longmont and scattered locations around Denver.
“So, they stopped on their way out of here, in Castle Rock the first day of the escape. Then headed north, stopping in Littleton, Denver, Longmont, and then stopped at home.” I plopped my finger down on that dot, and I smiled at Manuel, waiting for it.
“Yes, we searched her home,” Manuel actually smiled back, “and it was clear, no trace of her. Wiped clean.”
I stared at the map again. The clusters of stops were always only a few miles apart from one another.
“Tell me what is at each of these locations.”
Tigre consulted his paper again and rattled off the office buildings, hospital, restaurants, fields, warehouses, and a wrecking yard at the various locations.
“What else is there? Train tracks, power stations, bus stops, high power lines, anything else that is common to all of the locations?”
Tigre looked to Manuel, and they both shrugged.
“Nothing that we have noticed.”
“Humph.” I let that slip.
Manuel raised his eyebrows. “Well genius, that’s why you are on this specific mission. Figure it out.”
“Oh, I can guarantee that, but I need to see these locations in person. When can we go?” I said, rolling up the map.
Manuel and Tigre looked at each other again and nodded. Manuel spoke up, “Let’s go now.”
“I gotta see Jamie first.”
“There will be time when we get back. Your task is this mission, nothing else.”
“C’mon Manuel, don’t be more of a jerk than you need to be.”
“Insults won’t get you what you want, Coyle,” he said and glanced at Tigre. “Doña!” he yelled out.
The Doña walked into the kitchen and gave me a conciliatory look.
“Doña, will you please tell Jamie that her boyfriend will be indisposed for a while?”
“Yes, Manuel.” She turned and left without another word.
“Better?”
“Not quite.”
“Too bad, let’s go,” he said and nodded to Tigre.
Tigre walked up behind me and pushed his gun barrel into my back, leading me out of the hacienda. He gave me a quick shove toward the car, so I hopped in the back seat. Manuel drove with Tigre and me in the back seat of the same car that had come to my rescue that night in the parking garage, the same night Dr. Strayer had been murdered. Tigre unholstered his gun and rested it on his lap.
“Sure is nice being back with you guys.” I slapped the seat next to me. Both men flinched. Tigre grabbed his gun and aimed it at my head. He cocked it jerkily.
“Coño muchacho! Te voy a matar pronto,” Tigre yelled, shaking the gun in my face.
“Tranquilo Tigre. Con tiempo, con tiempo,” Manuel said while casually looking in the rear view mirror.
“Con tiempo, con tiempo.” I turned to Tigre and echoed Manuel in my best Spanish accent.
Tigre chuckled and dropped the weapon.
“Beautiful Spanish, my friend, just beautiful.” Manuel smirked.
“See? We can all be friends.” I patted Tigre on the shoulder. He glared at me, hand still gripping his gun.
We arrived at the first location in Castle Rock, across from the Outlets. It looked like a run- of-the-mill warehouse with a few loading bays, some large metal doors and a sign for some aeronautics company I hadn’t heard of. The parking lot brimmed with cars, and a few people exited the building. Normal appearing power lines led to the building, and a cell-phone tower extended high into the sky over the far corner of the parking lot.
“Which way was she facing?” I yelled to Manuel and Tigre, who were walking around staring at everything and anything they could.
“No idea, let me ask my informant.” Manuel dialed the number and a few moments later, he hung up. “He says she faced toward I-25 and the parking lot.”
“Excellent. On to the next stop,” I yelled then jumped into the car.
“Wait, what do you see?” Manuel asked.
“I need more than one sample to come to a conclusion, my dear Watson,” I said in my worst English accent. “Onward!”
I hopped into the car and waited for my captors to get in. The next location stood next to a hospital outside of Littleton. We pulled up and stopped in the southeast back parking lot.
“Call your informant again,” I said as I walked up to the hospital.
Manuel got on his phone again. “One of the muchachos stood here facing the hills.” He pointed south, motioning with his finger toward the bluff.
Bingo. At each location, Roxanne and the guys faced the looming cell towers. What is she doing with them? All of the towers sat at the periphery of the Denver metro area. I continued to look around, pretending I hadn’t made the connection. High-powered electrical lines also crossed the bluff. The thought crossed my mind, how much should I tell Manuel?
“So, what is it? What are they doing at all of these locations?” asked Manuel.
“It must have something to do with all of these power lines, you know, the high-powered kind,” I lied and pointed in the distance.
“What are they doing with these power lines?” asked Tigre.
“That, I don’t know. We need to find areas where there are these types of lines and hope they show up at those locations.”
“What we need to know is who these punks are working for. Could it be that they work for the very company you invaded? Was it not odd they were so well prepared when you invaded? If so, our home is not safe. Jamie is not safe; Aedan is not safe. Considering their resources, at any moment they could wipe us out. Maybe now you understand the seriousness of our mission,” said Manuel, while folding up the map.
“Why don’t you move everyone to someplace safe?”
“Would you have the same motivation to help us?”
“So you are holding them hostage?”
“More like collateral. And do not forget we saved you and Aedan.”
“Yeah, you said that… Multiple times. I will get her, I promise.”
5 Track and capture
I needed to use a computer to figure out what was so special about those specific cell towers. There had to be hundreds in the Denver area. Geographically, all of the ones they visited straddled the outskirts of the Denver metro area. Manuel drove us to a library and left Tigre outside in the car on lookout.
“Hurry and do your search,” Manuel said, after sitting next to me at the computer desk. A row of computers stretched out to both my sides. A few were occupied, but no one seemed to notice or care about our presence.
I pulled up a map application and did a search for high-powered lines. The map highlighted blue lines intersecting Denver. Manuel watched with intrigue. I placed markers at the first two locations.
“I need the map to do the rest. Could you go get it?”
“I will call Tigre. He can bring it in.” He reached into his pocket for his phone.
I stopped him, “No lookout? That’s not like you, Manuel.”
I could see the gears turning in his head, weighing the risks. He glanced around, scoping out the exits. The closest door stood a good thirty yards away. “No funny business. You’d better be here when I get back, or your friends…” He left it there with a wink and turned toward the front door. He turned back slightly. “You wouldn’t be stupid enough to contact the authorities, right?”
That would be stupid. I’m supposed to be dead. I can imagine that call, “Um, I’m Coyle Murray, you know the kid who killed those guards and died in prison, um, yeah, I am not dead, and I am being forced to commit crimes to free my friends. Um, could you help?” First, they wouldn’t believe me, but once they did, I would be thrown in jail to be a sitting duck for the Somatotech goons.
“No one would be that stupid, Manuel,” I said and turned back to the computer. I could see his blurry reflection in the glossy monitor. He stood there, eyes fixed on me for a moment, then turned on his heel and walked out of the library.
I flew into action, the keyboard creating a steady hum of clicks as my fingers ran free. The two towers, we had visited, were 5G MAX towers, the new cellular data network. I found a map of all the 5GMAX towers and took a mental picture. I lined up the maps in my head; there was only one 5GMAX cell tower left in the Denver area they hadn’t visited. I analyzed the days and times in my head. Their visits were all in the afternoon and usually clustered over a couple of hours. They visited the southern towers over the first two afternoons and then the northern towers over the next day. The last tower stood at the midpoint between the northern and southern towers.
I heard a car door slam shut in the parking lot, so I deleted the browsing history, closed the browser, and switched to the power line map. I placed a marker near the remaining tower, which gratefully had a few high-powered lines within a few hundred meters.
“Take me here,” I said and pointed to the corner of North Gun Club Road and East 6th Parkway as Manuel walked up. “We may have to stake them out, but this is the only remaining site with the right characteristics.”
“Don’t you need the map to determine that?” He waved the map in my face.
“Oh, um, yes. Let’s verify.” I grabbed the map.
Manuel sat down next to me as I rolled out the map. “While you do that, you won’t mind if I flip through the sites you visited?”
“I stayed on this site the entire time you were gone, I promise.” I wondered what nervous twitch I had while I lied.
He stared at me, his eyes searching mine. “Right,” he said slowly, “you should know by now I trust no one other than my men.” He pulled up the browsing history, which now only listed the map of the power lines.
“Looks like you were telling the truth.”
“Like I said, Manuel, I stayed on that site,” I said while staring at the map. “Besides, why would I lie to you?”
“I said it looks like you were telling the truth. You have plenty of reasons to lie, my Fénix. Did you know that I introduced Angelfire to hacking?”
My blood went cold. Even a basic understanding of computers would render what I erased retrievable. Had I underestimated Manuel?
“Did you also know that most computers keep a log of user activity, particularly ones in public libraries? It shows which programs were opened and at what time. If I had more time, I could even flesh out your specific keystrokes. Now, are you going to tell me what sites you visited or do I need to proceed?” He raised his pointer finger precariously over the keys.
I relented, “I did some other searches, OK? I tried to find my dad, to see if he is alive and still at our home.”
“And is he?”
“I couldn’t tell.”
“I can tell you where you father is Coyle. You should have just asked.” He grinned. “Just as I have scouts out for the covered one and the muchachos, I have scouts watching your father. He is indeed alive and continues to work as a launderer. Somatotech keeps a close eye on him, likely to see if you will show up.”
“When can I contact him?”
“When opportunity knocks.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means the time is not optimal. You currently have responsibilities. When you have fulfilled your end of this bargain, you will be free to contact whomever you wish.”
The hair on the back of my neck pricked up. Would Manuel actually set us free? “How many missions until we’re free?”
“Don’t worry, I will let you know when your debt is repaid. Now is the time to focus.” He glanced at his watch and stood up. “Time for a stakeout.” I rolled up the map and strode behind him, content with my secure secret.
We drove over to the location and did a couple of passes. A shooting range and a Greek restaurant stood across from a construction yard with the cell tower behind it. Only from the restaurant was there a visible shot to the tower.
“She or one of her buddies, will be over there,” I said and pointed to the restaurant. “Unless they’ve already been here.” I seriously doubted they had. People are largely predictable. Schedules ground people, even Roxanne.
Manuel looked around for a suitable stakeout spot and ended up taking us into the alley next to the construction yard.
“This is your opportunity to demonstrate your appreciation, Coyle. Please wait between the shooting range and restaurant. When she comes, I want you to apprehend her and bring her to us. We will take it from there.”
“Yes, sir!” I said while saluting my commander. Manuel didn't flinch.
“Get out,” said Tigre.
I stepped out and in my best nonchalant walk, made my way over to the pathway between the buildings. I stood there for a good twenty minutes, intent on staying alert. The sun shone down from directly above me. I didn’t have a watch, but I knew it had to be near noon. Sweat ran along my arms and face, dripping onto the ground. I tried to scrunch against the wall to take advantage of the minimal shade from the roof overhang to no avail. Manuel and Tigre parked just outside of earshot, but I could see them. I tried reading their lips but realized quickly they were speaking Spanish, as I thought Manuel said, “Come vacuum eat maker.” Realizing my efforts were futile, I diverted my attention to the tower. Why would Roxanne be interested in the new cellular data towers? It had to do with Somatotech, for sure, but what is the connection? The missing link started to infuriate me. Why can’t I figure it out? My tricked-out brain was supposed to be killer at this association game.
Before I went completely mad, Roxanne stepped out of a car that had recently pulled up at the far corner near the restaurant. She walked over to the exact spot I’d predicted. She glanced at her cell phone for a moment and then slipped it back into her pocket. I strolled out of the alley behind her. After a few tentative steps, I called out to her, “Fancy meeting you here.” She spun around. “What’s so special about this place? Checking for cell service?” I pointed to the cell tower.
“None of your business clone of Coyle,”
she said with a slight hiss. She took a few quick steps toward her car. I shuffled in front of her, blocking her path.
“Manuel needs to have a quick word with you.”
“Ha! So it is true. You are his monkey servant now, at his every beck and call. You do know he’s taking advantage of you?”
“That I do.” I looked straight into her eyes, hoping the message would transmit through them. I wished I could get in her mind and tell her the truth about what I planned to do. Maybe she would help me.
“Well, at least you are aware of your stupidity.” She put her hand on my shoulder. "You need to leave."
"I can't leave without you."
“Oh, you can.” She nodded. “By the way, you should bring Jamie here, you know, and see what happens," she said, seemingly ignoring my previous comment.
“How about I bring you to Jamie? Come back to the compound, so we can figure this all out.” I placed my hand on her covered shoulder, securing her close.
“We both know I’m not going back to that Venus fly trap.” Her other hand made its way to my other shoulder.
“You gotta come back with me. Manuel has taken Jamie and Aedan hostage.” I came out with it, hoping Manuel and Tigre couldn't hear me.
“I figured that would happen. I’m sorry, Coyle, but I gotta lot of work to do.” She squeezed my shoulders gently.
“Work for Somatotech?”
She laughed. “Give me a break; I do have some morals, Coyle. My employer likes to remain anonymous.”
“Well, whoever it is, you better let them know you’re taking a leave of absence to come with me.” I wrapped more of my arm around her shoulder. She tensed.
“Don’t make me teach Manuel a lesson through you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked naïvely and placed my other hand on her shoulder. There we stood, almost in an embrace. The awkwardness grew as we stared at each other. Her heart rate stayed even, but her muscles tightened.
Finally, she leaned into me and whispered in my ear, “Wanna know why they didn’t train you in hand to hand combat at Somatotech?" She paused. "Because of me.”
Her right hand snapped down and jabbed my upper abdomen, expelling the air straight out of my lungs. She followed it up with a knuckles-flexed hand strike into my throat, collapsing my airway. My own arms released her and grasped at my neck. I fell back onto the sidewalk stunned. I had no reserve, no air going in or out, nothing to maintain my oxygenation. She’d incapacitated me in under a second. I gasped for air against a tight trachea. The pangs of air starvation began to ring out in my head. My muscles cramped, and I crumpled into the fetal position. My vision began to darken and blur as my head became light.
Reverse (The Infusion Series Book 2) Page 4
