Bex Wynter Box Set 2

by Elleby Harper

  By the drumming of Steven’s fingers against the table top, Bex could tell instantly that her dad wasn’t comfortable.

  “Sounds like a plan, even though all I’ve done since I got to New York is fill my gob with food.”

  “Gob?” Steven managed a smile. “That sounded distinctly British. You know you’ve picked up a noticeable English inflection when you speak.”

  “Tell that to my English colleagues who still reckon I sound like a brash New Yorker.” Bex returned his smile before changing the subject, wanting to get to the bottom of her dad’s nerves. “Say, did you ever sort out that hacking incident that Candace mentioned the other day?”

  “Trust me, I have everything under control. Listen, I did want to raise a sensitive subject with you. What do you say to the idea that I take over funding the day-to-day costs of the Zane Wynter Halfway House if you fly straight back to London. This way you can put yesterday’s court case behind you and get back to your new life.”

  Bex felt her posture stiffen. She didn’t take handouts, even from her folks.

  “What’s brought on this charitable action? That’s a hell of an obligation to take on board, especially if you’re planning on winding down your commitment with your company.” Bex’s forehead wrinkled as she tried to figure out what was going on. “How will you get that kind of money?”

  “I’m seriously thinking of selling my share of the company and getting out of the computing business.”

  Bex couldn’t help staring unbelievingly at her father. Steven had built PKB Inc. with two former IBM colleagues, Candace Pittman and Owen Buchanan, from the ground up. She had always imagined he would die in his office.

  “Dad, would you tell mom and me if things are going wrong? Some Eastern European hackers aren’t holding your company for ransom are they? I hear that’s become the viral scourge of the moment.”

  Steven’s phone buzzed like an agitated beetle. He regarded the screen showing caller ID, his jaw clenching, his hand white-knuckled with tension around the slim rectangle.

  “I’m sorry, Bex, I have to take this.”

  He rose from the table, the phone at his ear.

  “What do you want?” Bex heard his overwrought tone before he moved out of earshot.

  Bex worried at a paper napkin, tearing it to shreds. She wasn’t used to hearing her quietly confident dad sound so panicked. Damn, something was up and he was bottling it inside. If her mother were here she would tease it out of him. She could almost hear her mother’s voice telling her what to do. She slipped from the table, padding over to the alcove where he was nestled against an oversized potted palm.

  “…changed my mind. I’m not coming in to do your dirty work.”

  He was so distracted he didn’t notice her approach.

  “You can’t hold that over me. There’s no way you can hurt my wife. She’s no longer in the country. My family is off limits, you bastard!”

  Bex froze at the realization Steven was being threatened. Why hadn’t he confided in her? He knew her job was to deal with situations like this!

  After a few seconds of listening, he said, “I don’t believe you’re holding her! I’ve talked to Ruth over the phone, so I know she’s in…that she’s safe.”

  Bex moved into view, ignoring Steven’s desperate gestures waving her away. Instead, she leaned closer in time to hear a peremptory female tone slice through the male voice at the other end.

  “Give me the phone.”

  Surely she was imagining that British accent sounded like Sophie Dresden?

  “Listen to me. If you don’t come into QBE immediately with your software solution, more than a thousand people will be blown to smithereens from a bomb I’ve planted at Columbus General Hospital. You have thirty minutes and the time is counting down.”

  No one knew better than Bex that Dresden didn’t make empty promises and her mention of QBE confirmed Bex’s previous suspicions about her involvement with the research facility.

  She covered the phone with her hand, whispering to her father, “Tell her you’re bringing the software right now. Ask her where to meet.”

  She placed the phone back at her father’s ear, leaning in to hear better. His voice wavered as he said, “Don’t hurt those people. I can bring the software to QBE now. Where do I meet you?”

  “Come to the entrance. Call this number and you’ll be given instructions. Don’t screw this up by using security codes or passwords that can’t be tampered with. A lot of lives are depending on you. If I get a sniff that you’ve involved police, the bomb goes off.” The connection cut out.

  Bex led her father to the table. His face was pinched, his shoulders hunched.

  “He said they have your mother, that all the messages and phone calls from her I’ve received are just them fooling me that she got away. ” His elbows rested on the table and he dropped his head into his palms.

  “I don’t think they’re telling the truth about that. Mom sent me a selfie in front of Galeries Lafayette yesterday.”

  “She’s sent me plenty of photos too,” Steven said, hope blooming.

  “But Sophie Dresden said she set a bomb in the hospital and I’m afraid I believe that threat. I need you to tell me what’s going on and how come Sophie Dresden is giving you orders. What does she want from you?”

  Sighing, Steven broke down and a stream of words spewed out, spawned from the relief of finally telling someone.

  Two months ago PKR Inc. had given a presentation at a computing conference outlining the new IoT anti-hacking software they were on the verge of releasing to protect Internet connected items in real life. Two days later Steven had been contacted by an unknown man who threatened to abduct his wife if he didn’t cancel PKR’s planned release and hand over the technology to him. Steven had been stalling ever since, claiming more development was needed on the software that QBE intended to use to safeguard their spinal cord injury exoskeleton suits. Bex finally understood Dresden’s involvement. Every law she had broken she had done so with one objective in mind: to enable Lander Dresden to walk again.

  Steven had worked night and day to finalize the software program before hacking into his own company to steal the technology in an effort to avert suspicion as to how they lost it. When he got cold feet about handing over the technology, his delays were dealt with swiftly by the man at the other end of the phone threatening to kill Ruth unless he produced the goods within 72 hours.

  That was when he came up with the idea to surprise Ruth with an overseas trip to get her safely out of the country. At the same time, he made the difficult decision to sell his company and remove himself from the computing business. He never wanted to give anyone the opportunity to threaten him again.

  “Who’s this man you’ve been dealing with at QBE?”

  Steven shook his head.

  “I don’t have a name, just a voice at the end of the line. With Ruth safely away, I was overcome with bravado and thought I could tell him to stick his deadline.”

  “This is the reason why you’ve been so keen on me leaving New York and not telling anyone I’m back in town. Is that what’s behind your offer to fund Zane’s halfway house? Oh, Dad!”

  Bex leaned across the table and gave her father’s rigid posture an awkward hug. As her mother kept reminding her, he really did love her. He hadn’t been trying to get rid of her, except for her own good.

  Chapter 30

  Columbus General Hospital

  Thursday, 26 April

  Bex tamped down the rising panic that threatened to overwhelm her as she circled Columbus Park for the third time, prowling for a parking spot. Dammit, she was just going to head for the hospital before time ran out, she mumbled to herself. Distracted, she blew through the traffic lights heading into Ruby Street, biting her lip with chagrin when she realized what she’d done and hoping the action didn’t attract attention from a patrol car.

  Before leaving Times Square she had spent ten minutes prowling through tourist stores for a baseba
ll cap and a non-descript rain jacket, which she had donned in an effort to confuse Dresden as to her identity. She felt naked without her badge and gun, but there had been no time to contact Walt to borrow his weapon.

  She pulled her father’s car to a stop in a no standing zone. She unclenched her hands from the steering wheel to hand Steven her phone and take his, plus the software flash drive he had brought.

  “This is foolhardy, Bex. I’m not letting you go in there alone. I have more past than future in my life, so there’s less for me to risk.”

  “We don’t have enough time to argue about this, Dad. The simple truth is I’m trained to handle this type of situation and you’re not. Besides, I know this woman so I might be able to talk her down. Now, listen to me carefully, because I’m relying on your help.

  “After I go into the hospital I want you to call Cole Mackinley. His number’s in my contact list. Explain who you are, what’s happened and Dresden’s threats to blow up Columbus General. He’s after Dresden, so he’ll know to move covertly to back me up. I’ll take your phone so I can make the call as per her instructions. Now drive away somewhere safe. We don’t want to attract any police attention to trigger Dresden into activating that bomb.”

  Bex watched the taillights on her father’s SUV disappear into the traffic. She jerked the cap down hard to cover her face in shadow. Pulling up the collar on the nylon rain jacket she stuffed her hands in the pockets and walked through the hospital’s front entrance.

  She hated the sounds and smells of a hospital. The hushed voices, the strong chemical and antiseptic odors, the unwelcoming bland walls and cold stainless steel fixtures, the glassy-eyed stares of people waiting for news. It reminded her too starkly of Zane’s death. She glanced at her watch. She had three minutes to spare before Dresden’s deadline to her father expired.

  Keeping her head lowered she tried to determine the position of the security cameras and slide out of their view in case Dresden had access to them.

  While Dresden had never seen Steven Kirwan, she could have made the connection between him and Bex if Tomei had given Steven’s name to her and she remembered Bex’s details from her job application where she had listed her next of kin.

  At five foot eight, Bex hoped her height would let her pass for a vertically challenged man and that the rain jacket provided convincing bulk over her naturally slim form. If Dresden was spying from a distance the disguise might hold up to fool her into thinking she was a man.

  She dialed the number on Steven’s phone. It rang for several long seconds before going to a generic answering service. Bex deepened her voice and kept it short. “I’m here.”

  Then she lodged herself against a blank wall, keeping out of the way of briskly moving hospital staff, ambulance attendants, orderlies with wheelchairs and clipboards. The minutes ticked by, rubbing her nerves raw. What the hell was Dresden playing at?

  * * *

  Leaving Tomei ziplock-tied to his Eames leather executive chair, his Italian silk tie stuffed into his mouth as a gag, Dresden visited the QBE security suite, also on the fifth floor. She had forced Tomei to call Mathers to dismiss the security staff for the evening with the excuse that the software acquisition had been delayed.

  Facing a bank of video screens, Dresden toggled between views of the hospital, concentrating on the camera vision targeted on the main reception area. She zeroed in on the lone figure in the dark baseball cap, standing almost out of camera range. There was sufficient image to confirm Dresden’s suspicions that Bex Wynter had taken her father’s place in this evening’s handover. Who else would Steven Kirwan have been talking to during the phone call but his law enforcement daughter?

  That scenario suited her fine. Lander’s gear was packed. He was going to collect Tomei and then wait for her in a ground floor reception room. Once she was in possession of the software she could freely deal with Wynter before Tomei installed it. Then she and Lander would make a permanent escape for their hacienda in Costa del Sol.

  Dresden overrode the security code for the maintenance elevator to the basement. She knew exactly where she wanted to meet Bex Wynter for the last time.

  Chapter 31

  Columbus General Hospital

  Thursday, 26 April

  Following Dresden’s curt instructions, Bex strode down the corridor, the phone still glued to her ear. Her chest felt constricted as she fought to keep fear and panic at bay. Her finger pressed the elevator button. Despite the sign stating “no unauthorized entry”, the doors slid open with a soft, audible whoosh for her to step inside.

  “Once you’re in the basement, go through the double doors marked ‘Central Sterile Environment’ and wait.”

  The phone went dead in her hand.

  Bex had no idea what to expect on the other side, or whether she had fooled Dresden into thinking she was Steven Kirwan. She was relying on her presence providing some shock value and a large slice of hope that Cole would be able to contrive a backup plan if she failed to persuade Dresden to disarm the bomb.

  Outside the double doors were two yellow placards proclaiming “Biohazard area. Do not enter.”

  Bex felt her throat tighten, making it difficult to swallow. Had Dresden posted the signs to keep out legitimate personnel, or was this another of her threats? Her head throbbed as pressure built.

  I can do this. Whatever’s on the other side of those doors, I can handle it! She gave herself a pep talk and prayed her dad had got through to Cole. Bracing her shoulders, she raised both palms against the metal doors and pushed.

  Passing through the double doors she entered an environment of glass and metal, racks and racks of shelving and instrument carts, stainless steel wash troughs and white tiles gleaming in the bright overhead lights.

  “Don’t stand there dithering. Keep moving.”

  Dresden’s voice echoed in counterpoint to a tinny resonance that she couldn’t place. Bex forced her feet to keep moving forward until she came face to face with the muzzle of Dresden’s revolver.

  “What a joy to see you again, DCI Wynter. Now, put the software down on the floor and kick it over to me.”

  Bex kept her hands in her pockets, swallowing her disappointment. Her presence hadn’t put Dresden off stride.

  “Not until I know the bomb isn’t armed.”

  “I don’t think you’re in a position to dictate terms. Come a little closer and take a good look.”

  Bex stepped forward, but the sight of Cole with a bomb vest strapped to his chest brought her up short. Then her eyes swept over Kristian and she gasped. The tinny sound she had heard was Kristian’s agitated movements, clinking handcuffs against metal.

  Both men had duct tape strapped across their mouths. Kristian had swiped his face against a sharp edge on the autoclave enough times that he had managed to unstick one corner, leaving one side of his face scraped red.

  “Kristian! How the hell did you get involved in this?”

  His rolling eyes latched onto Bex. “I need an ambulance for mom! She’s having a seizure. This freaking nutcase stole the ambulance that came to help her. If we don’t get back in time she’ll die. And I mean right now!” he sputtered.

  “Tsh, tsh, sonny boy, I told you, your mother’s already dead. Once they start CPR they’re trying to bring patients back to life. But in the case of a junkie, what’s the point? They’ll only overdose again.” Dresden returned her attention to Bex, her eyes narrowed. “Now, why shouldn’t I be surprised that you know a junkie’s son? Ah well, this makes the situation more interesting. Because what you have in front of you is not one but two bombs.” She waved her hand towards the two men as though what Bex was seeing wasn’t obvious. “In those vests there’s enough triacetone triperoxide to blast through three levels above us and after that the whole building’s likely to collapse. I can see the news headlines already, blaming the disaster on some unknown terrorist organization. Because who isn’t targeting America these days. If you want a chance to redeem them, you’ll send the soft
ware my way now.”

  Flanked as they were by the towering equipment carts filled with medical instruments, the four of them seemed to be in a separate enclosure within the enormous space. Bex licked her dry lips, her eyes darting around. That was when she noticed the female paramedic for the first time. The woman’s eyes were closed, her body huddled in on itself as though sitting mouse quiet made her invisible.

  Bex fingered the flash drive in her pocket, knowing she had no bargaining chips left. Her sole hope of having Cole as reinforcement had been dashed. The sight of Kristian captured by Dresden caused a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t be responsible for Kristian’s death as well! The thought caused a rush of panic and terror so strong she felt the bile well up in her throat, almost gagging her.

  “Maybe I’ll just shoot you instead and take the software,” Dresden said.

  Bex caught Cole’s strained expression. Her gaze drifted over his pleading eyes. She let her trembling fingers close around the flash drive.

  “No sudden moves! Nice and gentle. Slide it across the floor,” Dresden snapped.

  Drawing out the tiny rectangle, she crouched down to sling it across the floor towards Dresden.

  “You can have it but it’s no good without the security code in my head. If you kill me you won’t get that.”

  She watched her words sink in. A vein throbbed in Dresden’s temple, the only indication in her passive expression that Bex had riled her. “I told your father not to do anything stupid like that!”

  While she spoke Dresden reached one hand into the backpack at her feet and pulled out a smart phone. A series of three double numbers lit up the large black screen in white letters, 10:00:00.

  “One press of my security code and the timer will be set. Are you willing to risk a thousand lives for a password?”

  Behind Dresden, Kristian stilled his agitated movements almost as though he was holding his breath. Bex could see Cole wrenching his body so his eyes made contact with her, but she had no idea what silent message he wanted to convey.