‘Just knock on the door and when you hear the chains, go and wait outside,’ she said, and handed him the five-dollar bill. The hallway light flashed as she stood to one side of door to number two. Her back to the wall, a nod of the head and the young boy knocked. She had not reckoned on who was behind the door asking questions.
‘What d’ya want?’
‘Message for ya. It’s private, Man,’ said the young boy, thinking on his feet, no doubt spurred on at the second round of bounty coming his way.
At the rattle of door chains, the young boy signed with a thumbs-up and scurried down the corridor and out of the building.
Nancy slipped her gun from the waistband, grasping the handle with both hands. Remarkably calm, she stepped out as the door opened and aimed her gun.
‘I need a word.’
A look of panic spread on the person’s face and he attempted to slam the door closed. Nancy shoulder charged and the door flung open to the sight and sound of her target landing spread-eagled on the floorboards.
‘That was stupid. You need to start eating spinach, Weasel.’
‘I’m clean honest,’ Weasel said, and scrambled to his feet using the table for support.
He backed over to an open door and reached for the handle.
‘Back off.’
With the barrel of the gun pressed to his temple, he withdrew his hand. Nancy kicked open the door to reveal a bank of computers and a pile of the latest blockbuster covers.
‘See you’re back to your old tricks.’
His shoulders drooped and he dropped his backside onto a chair.
‘Look, I got nothing else to give ya. I thought I bought favour snitching the last time you shook me down?’
‘Don’t worry. I’m not here for your counterfeiting scams. I’m here for your reputation as a computer hacker.’
His sticky-out ears perked out even more, and as he raised his head, his pointed-thin nose sniffed the damp air in the apartment, leaving no doubt where he got his Weasel nickname.
‘What d’ya need.’
‘I need some information from the CIA server.’
‘Hell, Nance, I don’t do anything like that.’
‘Fair enough, assume the position.’
Nancy moved one hand to her jacket as if to retrieve handcuffs, and revealed the police badge hung over her waist belt.
‘Wait… what information?’
He moved over to his computer desk and sat on a swivel chair. Nancy started to cold sweat, relieved he hadn’t called her bluff.
‘I need you to find out about a CIA program called Astral.’
‘Whoa… steady on there.’ He held up both hands in a form of surrender. ‘No way. No hacker worth his salt would go there.’
‘Why?’
‘Because serious shit happens, that’s why.’
‘Like what?’
‘Like that kind-a-shit.’ He pointed to a twisted computer on the floor at the side of his desk. ‘God knows how they do it, but they fry your computer when you try to access. At least they don’t send the FBI as a follow up. I can get you a pay raise on the police computer instead. Will that do?’
Nancy raised her eyebrows.
‘No thanks. Surely some of your hacker friends can help?’
‘Seriously, no one will go there.’
‘What about CIA personnel?’
‘Now you’re talking. Name?’
‘Professor, Tom, or Thomas Reynolds.’
‘Give me a little time. I need to route access through China, then Russia and onto a British university super computer.’
Nancy left him typing on the keyboard and sat on the sofa. Weasel had been a good snitch for her over the years, but he had to bargain with the DA to keep him out of prison the last time she had had an encounter with him, when she had to pull him in for cloning credit cards. She just couldn’t understand why someone with his computer skills couldn’t get a regular job.
‘We’re in.’
The screen lit up, requesting a name. He typed in the professor’s name. Text appeared. “ACCESS DENIED, re-route to Astral Chemicals Inc. Level-one security.” Weasel reached down and pulled the power plug to his computer.
‘Sorry, that’s as far as I’m going.’
At least it confirmed the connection between the professor and Astral Chemicals , but more importantly, it confirmed Astral existed within the structure of the CIA. With the professor and the janitor having their condo’ charges paid by Astral, she deduced the facility had to be somewhere in LA.
‘Is that it, we done?’ Weasel asked.
‘Err… yeah… I mean no. I need a cell phone that can’t be traced. Get me one and it’s the last you’ll hear from me on the subject of those films.’
‘Sure, I’ll throw in a film if you like.’
He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a phone.
‘It’s cloned, but only use it for twenty four hours and don’t stay on it for too long before moving on.’
He looked puzzled and then a smile spread on his face. ‘I’m guessing you owe me more than I owe you for all this. Show your face around here again and I may just talk to my friend the DA.’
Nancy’s could detect heat rising in her cheeks.
‘Whatever.’
She turned and left his apartment, slipping the gun back into her waistband and teased a ten-dollar bill from her jeans pocket. The young boy snatched the bill as she walked down the steps and ran along the sidewalk with his friend. Instinct told her to clutch her shoulder purse with one hand and her gun with the other. Her eyes flicked left to right. Youths approach from either side maybe thirty yards along the sidewalk and quickened their pace. Straight ahead, another gang of three youths stood in the doorway of the apartments across the street and sent stabbing looks at her.
She inwardly cursed at being so generous with the young boys. They must have gotten word out there was some crazy woman throwing money about like confetti at a wedding. Nancy skipped down the steps and, fumbling with her key, finally unlocked the door, throwing it open for cover and withdrawing her gun, she pointed it at the youths approaching from her open side.
‘Police. On the floor, or I’ll shoot.’
They did what she hoped all self-respecting youths would do in that hood, they ran away in the opposite direction, disappearing down a side street. The youths opposite in the doorway, melted into the darkness inside the open entrance to the apartments. A flash of light from the shadows in the hallway and the sound of a shot rang out, hitting the brickwork behind her. Shit. Nancy fired back, but aimed high. As she turned to where she had seen the youths to her right, they were back in the street.
The distinct sound of a high-velocity round passed her and ricocheted off the asphalt; digging up debris in front of the rapidly approaching youths. The incoming round stopped them in their tracks, before they scattered in the opposite direction like headless chickens.
She dived into her seat, fired up the ignition and reversed down the street at speed, breaking and spinning the steering wheel to face in the opposite direction. To the sound of screeching tyres, she dropped the gears into first, and pressed down hard on the gas pedal. A glance in the rear-view mirror and she could see the youths growing ever smaller as she put burning rubber between them and her, and she took deliberate breaths to calm her quivering body.
‘Who in the hell took that shot?’
Chapter 55
Thinking about the high-velocity shot brought a furrow to Nancy’s brow. Driving the car at speed, her body muscles tensed, with a grip on the steering wheel that would have been hard to pry off with a shoehorn. She found it difficult to turn her stiffened neck to check the side mirrors. To compensate for the tunnel vision, her eyes constantly flitted to the rear-view mirror from the road ahead and she prayed that whoever the shooter was, they were not following her. It was common knowledge there were some pretty mean guns with awesome firepower in the hands of street gangs. Maybe, she thought, the youths running away ha
d fired off a shot. Then again, she couldn’t help wondering if her attempt to drive around incognito had failed, or if someone had rescued her with a well-aimed warning shot.
Her thoughts rolled around to her dad. He had the firepower, and she wouldn’t put it past him to be stalking her as part of a mission. The notion gave her the need to touch base with her dad, if only for the security blanket of someone to lean on, and to ask him outright if he was acting as backup without telling her. First, there was a call she had to make. She couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer. Without signalling, Nancy spun the wheel and drove up a mountain road. At the top, the road levelled out and she pulled into a rest area. She was no stranger to the area, having had her first tryst with Kyle there on the back seat of his car. It was a good spot to make sure no one was following and she eased out of her seat to look around. There were no headlights following up the mountain road, and the tension washed from her body. Stooping to reach the cloned-cell phone from the passenger seat, she straightened up and dialled Kyle’s number. Looking out over the sparkly lights of Los Angeles, it reminded her of standing there with Kyle looking out over the view, her head on his shoulder. Everything had seemed so perfect back then.
As the phone rang, her heart started to palpitate. Kyle answered the call.
‘Hello.’
‘Kyle it’s me, I got your message, but I didn’t get to read it.’
‘Thank God you called. I have been trying to get hold of you all afternoon and going outtalk my mind with worry. Where are you?’
Nancy could not stop the tears flowing at the relief of hearing his words. All she could do was to blubber a reply.
‘Mi…missing ya.’
‘I’m missing you too. Listen, we need to meet.’
The words stuck in her throat when she tried to engage her vocal chords. All that happened was sobbing when she tried to reply.
‘Nance… you okay… Nance, speak to me.’
‘What… about… your… career?’
‘That’s the last of our problems. Look, try to get a hold of yourself and calm down. We can work this out. They’ve put an APB out for you and I’ve been taken off the janitor’s case. They’re on their way to your apartment with a search warrant.’
Her jaw slackened and her eyes popped at the craziness of what he was saying. The jolt to her mind stopped the stuttering along with the tears.
‘What the hell…why?’
‘You gotta trust me. It’s best if I bring you in voluntarily rather than a uniform bringing you in shackled in cuffs.’
‘Cuffs? Kyle, just listen. Contact the search team, tell them to check the next cul-de-sac to mine, there’s a black surveillance van parked and they’re monitoring my apartment. They’ve got a surveillance virus on my computer. Then get them to look for listening devices. There’re quite a few, including one behind the frame of the picture with the cabin, in the living room. Now tell me why they want to have me brought in for questioning, but be quick and make the call before they reach my apartment.’
‘Never mind why, no time. I’ll make the call, but first tell me where you are. I’ll pick you up and I can explain back at the station.’
The hairs on Nancy’s neck bristled. She held the phone to her ear with one hand, placed the other on her hip, and with a flick of her hair, she stamped a foot.
‘Pick me up? Back at the station? So you wouldn’t fill me in on the way there. I take it you’re back at work. What you really mean is, you want the credit for arresting me… is that it? Ya treacherous piece a dog dirt. I guess Logan’s listening in?’
‘Nance, it’s not like…’
Nancy ended the call and launched the cell phone with all her strength into the abyss. Normally not one to regret her actions, Nancy slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand.
‘Oh no.’ Her shoulders sagged. ‘Damn, I needed that phone.’
Dropping to a haunch, she covered her face with her hands, shook her head and then looked up at the heavens.
Damn it, you’re down to base instincts now, girl. Him taken off the janitor’s case can mean only one thing, seeing as how we were an item. A primeval growl escaped through gritted teeth.
‘This is no time for feeling angry. It's time for me to get to work, before they lock me up and throw away the key.’
Nancy’s head throbbed at what she was sure was the onset of a migraine. Angst at a feeling of helplessness sent her brain into survival mode. A psychopathic mist descended, leaving her devoid of all emotion. As if in a trance, she rose to her full height, smoothed down her jacket, rolled her head and reached into her car for her dad’s cell phone and her purse. Pressing the power button, she opened Kyle’s message, which simply said, ‘phone me’. She scrolled to and pressed the button for ‘return message,’ typed, ‘chew on this’ and then pressed SEND. From her purse, she took out a condom and opened it as she walked to the stone wall at the edge of the rest area. Placing the condom on the wall, she put the cell phone on top of it to hold it down.
‘Let’s see if he can work out the irony in that.’
Nancy strode over to her car and climbed into the driver’s seat. The drive to a gas station defied time and space, with the journey a blur as she pulled into the parking lot. Her head throbbed with pain as she made her way to the bathroom. At the sink, she ran the water and splashed her face. Logan’s and Kyle’s voices from their telephone conversations spun in her mind and fought for attention as they both vied with one another for the trophy of arresting her. She hoped they would seethe on their wasted journey tracking down the cell phone. The indignity of both of them thinking she was stupid enough for them to trick her into telling them where she was, and not telling her why they wanted to question her, brought her to boiling point.
With a pounding head and fiercely flushed cheeks, she glared at the mirror… when it cracked. Nancy took a step back. A spider’s web of frost appeared to spread over the surface of the mirror, and then it vibrated, shattering in to shards that filled the bowl.
‘Holy shit, did I just do that?’
Chapter 56
On the drive over to Dad’s apartment, it was hard for Nancy to take in the possibility of having some kind of magnetic force power and being able to resonate glass at will, to the point of destruction. The incident in the bathroom at the gas station was outside the realms of coincidence in Nancy’s mind, especially when added to the other occurrences. Short of an earthquake causing a tremor that smashed the mirror, she was at a loss to come up with a logical explanation. Add to that the rambling of Dora, the spiritualist, telling her she was an alternative with the gift of astral travel—for all the good that would be to her plight—and the whole idea made her skin crawl. It all seemed ridiculous and like winning the lottery, except then developing amnesia and not knowing what to do with the ticket.
Meredith Avenue was devoid of traffic and pedestrians. Turning off the car headlights, she crawled along the avenue, and driving past her dad’s apartment saw that his car was in view in the parking lot. Some distance from his apartment, she pulled over to the sidewalk and parked. With one last look around, she locked her car and walked along the sidewalk, hugging the shadows of the hedgerows, and then darted across the parking lot. Her hand felt the hood of her dad’s car. It was warm, at best, and probably had been parked for some time. A glance at the jeep parked next to his car and she moaned. Tuesday night was staying at home drinking night with his home defence buddies.
With a knock on the door, a rattle of chains and the key turning, the door opened.
‘What the hell are you doing here, why didn’t you phone?’
Dad grabbed her hand and yanked her inside. He stepped out in the corridor to look around and returned to the hallway, closing and chaining the door. She wondered if he had to practice to produce the sour look on his face, or if it just came naturally.
‘Why is Logan phoning me, telling me if I see you, to tell you to get your ass down to the station and sayin’ it’s for your
own good.’
‘I don’t know for sure, but they’ve got an APB out for me and they’re on their way to search my apartment, so I’m in some kind of crap. Any luck with the registration check from the surveillance van?’
‘No. It can’t be internal affairs. It’s registered as a company car, so it must be false. At least when they search your apartment they should find the bugs, though what it’ll prove, God knows. Did you get all your tasks done?’
‘Yeah, and the rest.’
‘Come on in, the boys are here.’
‘Hi, Nance, we got your back, hon,’ Uncle Dave said.
Jim, Ben, John and Dave, she called them all Uncle out of respect. Dad served in the army with them and they had formed their own home defence team after demobilization, convinced they needed to prepare for either the Russians, or the Chinese invading. It all seemed so serious when she was a child, but now she thought it was just grown men playing cowboys and Indians.
‘Hi, everyone.’ She took hold of Dad’s shoulder. ‘A word in private.’
He followed her into her bedroom. She closed the door and stood with arms akimbo.
‘What does Uncle Dave mean, ‘We got your back’?’
‘He just means we’re looking out for you. You know, making enquiries and standing by if needed.’
A flick of the hair, with a sideways sway of the head, followed up by a stamp of a foot, and Nancy retorted.
‘And does that stretch to slitting the throat of the guy who was trying to frame me, or stalking me earlier tonight and firing off a shot at a gang of youths who were going to rob me?’
Her lips tightened and her foot tapped out a rhythm. Her dad had a look of bewilderment.
‘What the hell are you talking about? We’ve been here all night planning a weekend mission in the forest. The young punk, okay, I know about. Dave found out from his contact down at the station when he did the registration check. As for the rest, you’d better fill me in.’
Nancy gave him a sideways glance, hoping to Christ that they’d not murdered him; not sure if she had done the right thing involving her dad and his cronies.
Missing: The Body of Evidence Page 23
