“That was John.” He rubbed his forehead and smirked. “He said you didn’t see the need to wear visitor badges today.”
“Simple misunderstanding.” Travis stepped forward. “He didn’t realize how much of a rush we were in to speak to you.”
“That guy is a dick. He grabbed me so I had no choice but to take him down.” Maria was indignant.
“Oh. My. God. Maria!” Jen put a hand to her mouth. “Have you beaten up another one of Uncle Chris’s employees? You really don’t like the people, here do you?”
“I don’t like the weird ones.” She looked at Jen, then focused her attention on Chris. “Is there anywhere we can talk in private?”
“Sure, close the door, we can talk here.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Jen is okay, she won’t say anything.”
“No, not here.” She looked up at the camera. “Walls have ears and eyes.”
He quickly glanced at the camera. “Oh, don’t worry about that. It’s just the internal system. As a matter of fact, the only places not covered are the restrooms.”
“Even so, I’d like to talk to you away from prying eyes and ears,” she insisted.
“This sounds serious.” He tilted his head to one side and gave her a questioning look, but she just stared at him. “In that case, may I suggest we talk in my private bathroom?” He held his hand out, gesturing to the door behind his desk
“That will do.” She marched over to the door. “Come on you two. Jen, would you mind waiting here for a moment? This won’t take long.”
Chris looked at Jen, shrugged, and hesitantly made his way to the bathroom, followed by Travis. Maria held the door open until they were all inside the bathroom, then closed and locked it.
“Well, this is weird.” Chris looked around the confined space. “You want to tell me what this is about?”
“We have a problem.” She looked at him. “Oh boy, this is difficult.” She took a deep breath. “New evidence has come to light in the killing of your dad.”
“What do you mean? I thought you had the guy, the dead guy?” He looked back and forth between the two of them.
“Like I said, we have new evidence.” She glanced at her partner, then awkwardly back to Chris. “Not only that, we have a connection that leads us back here, back to AppTech.”
“What!” The software mogul was looking concerned. “What kind of evidence?”
“A witness was killed yesterday in an apparent hit and run,” the injured officer interjected. “The vehicle used has been traced back to AppTech through the leasing company.”
Chris looked completely horrified, then suddenly held his hands up and looked at the female detective. “Wait. We don’t have any vans on lease.”
“According to the lease agreement you do,” Travis contended. “Can you go through your financial records and see who hired it?”
“If you’re sure, of course. I’ll get Sinclair on it immediately.” He took a step towards the door. Travis stepped sideways, blocking the exit.
“Wait!” Maria said. “The thing is, Chris, everyone who works here is under suspicion.” He stared disbelieving at the two cops. “You honestly think someone who works for me is responsible for killing my dad?” He shook his head. “Who do you think it is?”
“If we knew we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” she said. “We have our suspicions, but the truth is, we just don’t know. That’s why we need your full cooperation.”
“Absolutely,” he said with some enthusiasm. “What exactly do you need?”
The detectives looked at each other, then back to Chris. “Anything that will give us a clue as to who hired this van,” she said.
“I need to be at my computer to access the financials.” He looked with pleading eyes at the male officer to let him through the door.
“Okay,” she agreed.
“Wait.” Travis held his hand up to stop them. “When we get back out there, anything you need to tell us, don’t speak. Write it down.”
Chris nodded in agreement.
As they went back into the office, Maria noticed that the camera had been repositioned to look directly at the bathroom door and was now following Chris as he sat behind his desk. He started typing frantically on his keyboard, so she positioned herself directly over his shoulder to block the camera’s view of the computer screen. Jen looked on in bewilderment.
Chris stopped typing, looked up at Maria, and shook his head. Meanwhile, Travis wandered around the office, looking at the photographs and awards that adorned the walls. He came across one particular photo of the entire AppTech staff. Checking he couldn’t be seen by the camera, and that the others weren’t paying attention, he slipped the snapshot in his pocket.
“What’s going on?” Jen broke the eerie silence.
“I’ll explain later,” Maria said. “How are you getting home, by the way?”
“Martin is giving me a lift,” she informed them.
Chris looked at the male detective to confirm that it was okay. He shook his head.
“Erm… There’s no need, sweetheart. I’ll drop you off,” he said.
“It’s okay, Uncle Chris. I’ll wait for him,” she maintained.
Thinking quickly, Maria produced the warrant from inside her jacket. “I’m afraid Miller is going to be some time.” She handed the document to Chris. “Here’s that warrant you requested. We’re going to have to go through your databases. Specifically the ones for the Chat Around Me app.” She turned her attention to his niece. “Why don’t you go and collect your things while I have a quick chat with your uncle.”
“Oh. Okay.” Jen looked perplexed. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Maria wasted no time. As soon as Jennifer left the office, she leaned down to talk quietly to her uncle. “Here’s what I want you to do. Get Jen out of here as quickly as possible. Don’t do or say anything to alarm your staff.”
“What about the warrant?” he asked.
“We’ll deal with that later. But right now, we’re going to go to the leasing company.” She glanced at her partner, who nodded in agreement. “We’ll have a better idea who and what we’re looking for if we can ID the person who hired that vehicle.”
“Okay.” He started to get up. “I’ll take her home and come back to help out with the search on the databases.”
“No,” she adamantly said. “Go home. At least we know you’re safe there.”
“Okay, I’m ready when you are, Uncle Chris,” Jen cheerfully said as she came back into the office.
“I’ll be right with you, sweetheart.” He smiled and started to close down his computer.
“We’ll leave you to it, Chris.” Maria signaled to her partner to leave. “Let me know how things go.”
“What?” He looked baffled. She tilted her head towards his niece. “Oh, yes. I’ll call you later.”
“Okay, you three.” Jen put her hands on her hips. “Will someone please tell me what is going on?”
“Nothing. We just have a little business to sort out.” The detectives walked towards the door. “By the way.” Maria stopped and turned around. “Have you got my number?”
“Yes, of course.” She nodded and dropped her hands off her hips.
“Good. If you have any problems,” she looked at the camera, “anything at all, you call me straight away.”
“Sure,” the youngster confirmed.
“Good girl.” She smiled. “I’ll see you later.”
The detectives left and headed for the elevator. As they walked through the main reception area, Maria and Sinclair glared at each other.
“We’ll be seeing you soon,” she snarled at him.
“Looking forward to it, Detective!” he shouted back, and smiled.
“He’s our guy, I’m telling you,” she said to her partner as soon as they were outside and out of earshot. “I’m so going to nail that fucker.”
“Let’s get to the leasing company and see if they can ID him from this.” Travis produced the photo f
rom his pocket.
“You sneaky bastard.” She smiled as she realized what he was holding. “Nice work, Detective.”
“I know.” He broadly smiled as the got in the car and drove away.
The Genesis Chamber
Chapter 37
“Have you got the picture?” Maria asked Travis over the roof of the car. They had got to the Central Florida Car Rental office in good time, considering it was getting close to rush hour.
The tinkle-tinkle of the small brass bell above the door had barely stopped when a woman appeared behind the service desk. The female detective estimated her to be in her early sixties although clearly, the woman herself thought she was much younger, judging by the long, curly, peroxide-blonde hair, thick, powdery makeup, and Barbara Cartland blue eye shadow and youthful dress sense. The twenty to thirty gold chains around her neck and numerous bangles and bracelets on her wrists continuously made a metallic clinking sound every time she moved even slightly.
This woman has never heard the expression ‘less is more,’ Maria thought to herself, and obviously believes in her own mantra of ‘more is more’.
“Good morning, y’all.” The woman spoke with a thick southern drawl.
Maria took a deep breath and glanced at her partner, who took the lead.
“Good morning, ma’am. I’m Detective Travis, and this is Detective Hernandez.” He gestured towards the female detective. “We’re with Orlando PD.” He stopped and studied the woman. “And you are?”
“I’m Reba Mae.” She smiled and coyly dipped her head, batting her eyelids at the detective. “But everyone just calls me Missy. Now, how can I help you folks today?”
“Well, Missy,” Maria was hesitant to call the woman Missy, but went with it anyway. “We need information on a vehicle that’s registered to this company.”
“Oh, is this the same vehicle the other officers were inquiring about?” The receptionist seemed quite upset.
“Yes, the white panel van,” she confirmed.
“I do believe I sent all the vehicle documents by fax to a . . . errr… Officer Palmer.” She started to look around the desk in search of something. “I’m sure I have the copy of the fax confirmation ticket here.”
“Oh, that’s okay, we don’t need that.” The male detective put his hand on hers to stop her searching unnecessarily. “We were wondering if we could talk to the person who actually made the booking and handed over the keys.”
She looked up and smiled broadly as she let him hold her hand a little longer.
“Well, you surely are in luck today.” She flipped her hand over so she could hold his. “That would be me. I signed the agreement on that there van. And I sent the copies of the leasing contract with the other documents. So, how can I help you today?
Despite the way she looked, and her constant batting of her eyelids as she openly threw herself at Travis, Maria was warming to this woman very quickly. Her aura made her feel very at ease, like they had known each other for years. “Would you be willing to take a look at this picture and see if you recognize the person who hired the vehicle?”
“Absolutely,” she said, still gazing at her partner. “Although I did give the other officer a full description of the guy.”
Travis attempted to pull his hand away but came up against some resistance. For an elderly lady she obviously had a strong grip, judging by the amount of force the male detective had to use to get away from her. He produced the picture and held it out for her to take a look. She fumbled behind her desk for a moment, eventually bringing out a pair of reading glasses, which she perched across the bridge of her nose and peered closely at the photograph. There was a long silence as she pored over the snapshot featuring the AppTech staff. The longer she looked, the more the detectives held their breath in anticipation, until she suddenly pointed at a face in the crowd.
“That’s him. Right there; that’s the guy.” She held the photo closer for another look. “Yes, sir. That’s him.”
The female detective rapidly moved around the reception desk to stand by the woman and peer at the person she was indicating. She looked at her partner in disbelief, then back to the photo and placed her own finger in the same spot. “This guy?”
“That’s right, darlin’. I never forget a cute face.” She looked at Travis and winked. “I will certainly remember you for a long time to come.”
He smiled back awkwardly and leaned over the desk to see who had been pointed out. It took a second to sink in what he was looking at then looked at his partner for some reassurance. She just looked at him blankly shaking her head not wanting to believe what she was seeing.
“Missy. I need you to be clear on this. The man you are pointing out is this one here.” She tapped the face in the picture with her index finger.
“That’s right, sweetie. As a matter of fact, he was wearing a red cap, but that’s the guy.” She looked concerned. “Is everything okay?”
A horrified look came across the female detective’s face and nodded to the door as she looked at Travis, signaling for them to leave, quickly. “Yes. Thanks. You’ve been a great help.”
Travis snatched the picture back and they raced outside to the car.
“Y’all have a nice day now!” Missy shouted after them. “Don’t forget to call again.”
***
“You drive, get us to AppTech, now!” she ordered, as she tossed the keys at him. “I need to make some calls.”
He fired up the engine, hit the gas, and turned on the blues and twos.
“Holy shit, this is fucked up,” he said, not taking his eyes off the road. “What’s the plan?”
“I need to get hold of Jen.” She fumbled in her bag, pulled out her phone, dialed her number and waited. “Fuck! It’s gone straight to voice mail... Jen, it’s Maria. Call me as soon as you get this. Urgent!”
She tried to stay composed and dialed another number as the car weaved in and out of traffic. “Come on, Andy, answer your fucking phone.” The call rang and rang, eventually going to voice mail. “Fuck me, why don’t people just answer their phone? Andy, it’s me. Call me. Urgent. You’re not going to like this.” She hung up.
She braced herself when she saw the oncoming red light; it was obvious they weren’t stopping. They sped through the intersection, causing cars around him to skid to a stop.
“You do realize we need to be alive when we get there.” She frowned at him, repositioned herself in the seat as she scrolled through her contacts. Finding what she was looking for, she pressed call. The call was answered after a few rings.
“Kim, it’s Maria,” she said in a firm tone. “Is Jen with you?”
“No, she’s at work.” There was a moment’s silence. “Is everything okay?” The mother sounded a little concerned.
“I’ll explain later.” She looked at her partner, not knowing what to say. Should she tell her what happened? Or try and sort the situation out without worrying her? Say nothing, she decided. “Listen, Jen is on her way home with Chris. As soon as she gets there, can you get her to call me?”
“Yes, of course,” Kim replied. “Are you sure everything is okay?”
Maria paused for a moment, questioning if she was doing the right thing by not letting her in on what the developments were. “Positive… Hey, can you try to get hold of Andy and ask him to meet me at AppTech?”
“Maria, you’re scaring me.” She raised her voice. “What is going on?”
“I have to go, Kim.” She grabbed the dashboard to steady herself as the car weaved through the traffic. “Just get in touch with Andy.” She was about to hang up when she heard Kim shouting something and put the phone back to her ear.
“Maria! Maria! Please make sure my daughter is all right!” The sound of sobs quickly followed the plea.
“She’ll be okay, I promise,” she reassured her. “Now get calling Andy. Call Jen, too. Let me know if you make contact. I really have to go now.” She hung up before Kim could make any more pleas and continued to call A
ndy, with no success.
“I’ll call Chris’s house.” She scrolled through her contacts and pushed the number to connect the call. The call rang a few times before Amber answered.
“Hello, Amber Cooper here,” she said in her pretentious English accent.
“Amber, it’s Maria Hernandez,” she informed her. “Listen carefully, I’m trying to get hold of Chris. Is he there?”
“Hi, Maria. No, he’s not.” The accent started to slip. “He’s normally home by now. I did try and call him but there’s no answer.”
“When was the last time you heard from him?” she asked.
“About an hour and a half ago,” she replied. “He called and said he couldn’t talk because he had Jennifer and had something to sort out.”
Maria glanced at her partner and shook her head. “And you haven’t heard from him since?”
“No. Is everything okay?” she inquired.
“I’m sure everything is fine.” She hesitated. This was getting serious now. Her suspicions were becoming increasingly confirmed as time went on. “Okay, Amber, do me a favor. Try to get hold of Chris. If you can’t get hold of him, try and call Jennifer. If you contact either of them, let me know.”
She thought about calling for backup and tried to decide if it was the right call given the circumstances. If she had read the situation wrong, the repercussions could be massive for her and Andy. Their relationship would undoubtedly be damaged beyond repair. However, it was procedure, and the right thing to do. Concluding it was the only option, she grabbed the mic of the police radio and was about to call it in when her cell rang. She checked the screen and dropped the mic. It was Kim.
“Kim, have you heard from Jen?” she asked.
“No, but Andy has called.” She had calmed down since their previous conversation. “He said he’ll meet you at AppTech, and to get there as quickly as possible.”
“Okay, we’re on our way.” She nodded to Travis. “Keep trying to get hold of Jen for me.”
“Please, Maria, tell me what’s happening,” Kim pleaded.
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