A Merry Christmas Anniversary Mystery Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery #9 (Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series)

by Anna Celeste Burke

  “Hardy’s involved, and he’s been thinking about how to do that,” Jessica said, looking at me. “Hardy’s also as them trying to send a microfiber communication device through to the secondary hull that will allow them to speak to whoever’s inside without using code.”

  “How can the people inside hear the people outside?” I asked.

  “The device uses the metal hull to transfer sound, but they want to make sure it isn’t so loud that it busts their eardrums,” Peter added.

  “Make him stop that and figure out how to get the door open!” Linda insisted. “Hardy is too easily distracted as it is. Give him one assignment at a time.”

  “Linda!” Larry bellowed from somewhere down the hall, or maybe even from the lobby, given how his voice carried.

  “Speaking of getting distracted, I’d better go—the foghorn cometh. I won’t say a word. I brought two salads for you, big guy,” she added on her way out. “I’ll be back with dessert later.”

  “I’m coming, Larry,” Linda hollered as she shut the door.

  “Well, I guess we don’t have to check out Hardy Hart anymore. That’s one less phone call for me. How old is he?” I asked as we sat down to eat.

  “Still in his teens as far as I can tell by looking at him,” Peter replied. “The engineering team cuts him lots of slack, apparently, since he runs around in that checkered outfit watching his bots perform after he’s tweaked their software. Apparently, he’s rather shy and awkward in his hoodie and jeans.” Peter dove into his salad, attacking it as if he hadn’t eaten in days.

  “That’s hard to believe. I'd like to speak to Hardy about a gift one of his bots brought me,” I added.

  “The cufflink, you mean?” Jessica asked.

  “Yes! How did…never mind,” I said. “Hardy had Tidbit bring it to me, didn’t he?”

  “Yes,” Peter said. “He thought you would recognize it. The bots were first to go into the tunnel once the fire was out. They sprayed more foam coolant, and then a swarm of cleaning bots went in to sop up the mess. One of them found the cufflink, and Hardy insisted it go to you while the guys in hazmat suits went in to look around.”

  “Why did he know it should go to me?” I wondered aloud.

  “Apparently, your boss has taken quite a shine to Hardy,” Jessica added. “Max told him about the cufflinks and how much they meant to him during one of their conversations. Hardy wants confirmation that it’s the same one Max showed him. He believes Max knew you’d recognize it and may have planted it there to let us know he was alive. It was found close to the stairway leading up, out of the tunnels.” She returned to eating the quiche and gave me a thumbs up.

  “If that’s true, then Max isn’t in the safety hub,” I said. “Do you want to take it into evidence?”

  “I’ll do that,” Jack said as the door swung open.

  “Jack!” I said, in a high voice. I sounded like a teenage girl who’d spotted the latest teen idol. I jumped up, ran to him, and threw my arms around his neck. He kissed me like I was the love of his life. “What are you doing here?”

  “I told the rest of the crew at the blast site that it wasn’t fair that Frank got to see his sweetheart, and I didn’t get to see mine! I walked off in a huff and came straight over here in one of Max’s electric whirr-mobiles.”

  “You did not,” I said.

  “Sort of. What’s for lunch?”

  “Quiche,” Linda said, entering the room on Jack’s heels. “I saw you and grabbed a tray before anyone else could. I also brought one of the big guy’s vegan salads in case you don’t eat meat. What’s new from the front lines?”

  “It’s okay,” I said as Jack glanced at me. “Apparently, she’s Hardy-tested, Hardy-approved. She appears to know more about him than the rest of us combined.”

  That caught Linda by surprise. She put the tray down as a deep blush colored her pale skin. Then stammered as she spoke.

  “I…uh…we’re friends, that’s true. Oh, heck, is it that obvious?”

  “It is now,” Jessica replied. “Does Hardy know?”

  “When he’s Hardy the harlequin, I think he does. When we meet up, and he’s out of costume, it’s almost as if we’re strangers. At least, for the first few minutes.” Linda turned to face Jack and confronted him with a question.

  “Has he figured out how to get those people out of the safety hub?”

  “We think so. That’s another reason I zipped over here. It will be a bit longer before rescuers can open the door, but Hardy believes the lock mechanism has been released. The door swings out, and there’s lots of junk in the way, so a horde of bots is working fast to move it. In another hour, we ought to have one mystery solved.”

  “I told you he’s a genius. Creative too, like Max, which is why Hardy finds Max so inspiring,” Linda gushed. Then she caught herself.

  “What do you want for dessert?” she asked Jack.

  “What are my options?” When she told him, his ‘eat dessert first’ edict took hold. “I’ll have cookies, ice cream, and sorbet. Please don’t make me wait, though, okay?”

  “You don’t know how long you’re going to be here, do you?” she asked, understanding his comment about not wanting to wait for dessert with even asking. “I’ll be right back with all your desserts.”

  “Linda’s a smart and creative person too,” I said, taking Jack’s hand and walking him to a seat next to mine. Peter slid Jack’s tray across the table as Jack sat down, and Jessica pushed the bucket of chilled drinks toward him.

  “From what Peter has told us, were the explosions caused by shooting the controls or damaging equipment linked to the controls? Why were there people in the control rooms with guns?” I asked.

  “Once we get the survivors out of the hub, we'll ask them about the people who were in there with guns. According to Hardy, and the rest of the engineering team, shooting the controls could have caused problems with pods traveling in the tubes. Otherwise, magnetic levitation is safe, and the propulsion systems were offline. The explosions weren’t caused by anything having to do with the loop. It’s possible the initial shaking was caused by a tunnel collapse, which occurred before a second, larger explosion. They can’t figure out how that could have happened until they can dig around in there. There’s nothing in the tunnels with that much explosive power, so they're assuming someone set two explosions.”

  “If the initial explosion caused the tunnel to collapse, it could have been enough to generate the shaking you felt. More explosives dropped into a compressed space could have amplified the second blast,” Peter added.

  “Security told us there was no evidence of explosives,” I said.

  “By that, they must mean they found no bombs or incendiary devices set anywhere else on the property. Or they found none of the leftovers saboteurs sometimes leave behind when setting up their devices like fuse wire, for example. That the bots found no traces of the stuff in movies that blow up things like dynamite, nitroglycerin, Semtex, or C-4 that are called plastic explosives, that doesn't mean there was no bomb. Bombs can be made from more ordinary things,” Peter said.

  “Like the bomb that blew up the federal building in Oklahoma that was made from an ingredient used in fertilizer, right?” I asked.

  “Yes. Ammonium nitrate was used in lots of fertilizers. It’s still in use, but there are more restrictions on it now. I can't believe the bots didn't also check for that.”

  “There are lots of flammable and explosive substances at construction sites,” Jessica added. “My dad said a simple spark can set them off.”

  “Construction sites provide plenty of items that can create explosions,” Peter said.

  “The construction was finished on the newest control room and link in the loop," Jack added. "One of the first things the arson and bomb squad did was check for materials left behind by the construction team. They claim the area was surprisingly clean."

  "There's plenty of construction still underway in New Arcadia," I added. "That's expec
ted to continue for years."

  "Has anyone checked to see if materials have gone missing from those other sites in New Arcadia?"

  "I don't know," Jack replied. "Now that the fire is out, the arson investigators and bomb squad will get a better look at what’s in the pit and the debris field. That should help identify what caused the explosions and if it involves materials from the construction company.”

  “Let me see if I understand what you’re saying so I can explain it to Charlie,” I said. “First, the explosions weren't set in the tunnels or caused by anything that happened in the control room. None of the safety systems failed or performed unexpectedly. What's possible is that the explosions were set from above the tunnels, using one or two bombs created from ordinary substances. At this point, you have no idea what substances they could be, how or why they were used, or whodunit.”

  “When you put it that way, it doesn’t sound like we’ve learned much,” Jack said as he quit eating. “It’s only been a few hours, but it feels as if we’ve learned a lot. I guess mostly that’s been by ruling out things. Frank and I have investigators here and in Orange County, asking about recent threats against Max, the corporation, or the construction of New Arcadia.”

  “Let me guess,” Jessica jumped in. “The answer is, all of the above, right?”

  “Ding-ding-ding! Give the prize to the lawyer and daughter of a developer,” Jack replied. “The Marley World lawyers claim there’s nothing new about any of it. Max has personally been threatened if he doesn’t remove his Theme Park, which honors Satanic creatures like fairies, elves, ghosts, and witches. Apparently, there are always complaints about patent infringement—some against the company and some brought against others. Believe it or not, there have been environmental groups who oppose New Arcadia despite Max despite push to make the city of tomorrow eco-friendly.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me either. Doesn’t anything stand out? Since this happened here and not in Irvine, maybe the attack was politically motivated. Not everyone may be happy about Max's use of innovative transportation technology,” I said.

  "That would explain why the control station and tunnel nearby was targeted. Let's not forget Max had some high-tech honchos with him. Any one of them could also have been targets," Jessica added.

  “Our security firm has ties to international security operations. Given the people Max was showing around, you can imagine there’s lots of interest in getting through to them. Jessica asked us to check, but there’s no chatter about plots to go after any of them, which occurs in other parts of the world. And there's nothing to indicate the explosions are related to international terrorism. I think it's okay to tell Charlie Magnum that whatever happened is tied to some dispute that’s closer to home.”

  “Thanks, Peter. That will be useful for him to know if a reporter asks during the press conference,” I said.

  I’d hardly let myself consider the possibility that this had been a terrorist attack. It hadn’t long since Riverside County had dealt with a couple who’d gone on a rampage that they claimed to be an act of terrorism.

  “What about the dead man? Kenneth O’Rourke must have been involved for someone to kill him near the stairs leading to the tunnels and the control room,” I said.

  Before I got my answer, someone pounded on the door. Jack and Peter both pushed away from the table. We all went on alert.

  10 Renegade or Conspirator

  "Dessert!" Larry bellowed as he opened the door and swept into the room with Linda on his heels. "When Linda told me that you'd joined your beautiful wife, Jack, and her gorgeous friend, I had to say hello. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

  "Nice to see you, Larry," Jack said as he stood.

  "Sit down and finish eating," he insisted. "Serve their desserts, Linda. I know how much you love ganache, Georgie. That's your ice cream, swirled with ganache, and more on top. We brought some for Jessica too just so she wouldn't be jealous that I was favoring you."

  "How thoughtful," Jessica said, smiling and shaking her head as Larry winked at her.

  "Ganache is delicious great with the cranberry sorbet. And for the 'big guy,' as Linda calls him, a special chocolate sauce made with vegan alternatives. Cookies, too, including a quick batch of peanut butter cookies that just came out of the puny oven in the kitchen. They're vegan, so feel free to take them with you if you can't finish them while you're here." Larry whipped out a box with a flourish, folded it in a flash, and handed it to Peter. He was already munching on a cookie.

  "I'm the one who's jealous," Jack said, digging into his ice cream. "Where are my cookies to go?"

  "Voilà!" Larry said, flinging the door open. He lifted a small stack of boxes, tied together with string, and set them on the table. "For you to share with your hard-working colleagues."

  "How could I ever have doubted you?" Jack asked.

  "No problem. We just hope you can find Max and let us get this place back to normal as soon as possible. A little bird told me you don't have much time before the money man shows up."

  "By that, Larry means someone posted a tweet that they spotted a limo with police escort coming through the pass. Hardy sent it to me, suggesting it's probably Charlie Magnum."

  "Thanks for the heads-up. Can you tell Shirley, please? I don't know if he'll want lunch or not," I said. "He can't be more than ten or fifteen minutes away."

  "We're cleaning up but won't go anywhere until we're sure he doesn't want lunch. You probably need to wrap up your meeting. Let's go, Larry."

  "Weird, he didn't contact anyone here to announce his arrival," Larry huffed as he left. "I told you he's no people person."

  As soon as Linda shut the door, I checked my phone. When I put the phone away, all eyes were on me.

  "Nothing," I said, shaking my head. "We need to wrap this up."

  "Peter and I need to get back," Jack said, moving on to his second dessert. "To pick up where we left off, I don't believe it was a coincidence."

  "This ganache is fantastic. I'm sorry we're in such a rush," Jessica said as she ate what was left of the rich chocolate and cream straight from the bowl Larry had brought her. When she looked up, she added. "That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it."

  "As for what I learned about Kenneth O'Rourke, the person I spoke to said she'd heard he was nothing but trouble. When I asked what kind of trouble, she got skittish and cut me off. I told her I'd call my family friend, CEO, Eddie Bogle, and have him put me in touch with someone who knew something. When I pulled out my phone, she made an appointment for me to speak to Kenneth's foreman. I'll see him at three-thirty this afternoon."

  "That's great," Jack added. "Kenneth's address was listed as an apartment in Palm Springs. The Palm Springs police immediately sent a team there, concerned he might have stored explosives or other dangerous substances there."

  "And?" I asked.

  "Nothing like that. They did find a few pamphlets suggesting he may have gone to meetings of the Green Dernier Cri Combine."

  "What the heck is that?" I asked.

  "The 'Green' word caught an officer's eye because it was inside a red circle with a slash across it. He figured it could be a group with an ax to grind about New Arcadia showcasing 'green' technology."

  "So, how does that relate to the dernier cri part? I thought the phrase has to do with fashion."

  "Dernier cri means something like 'fashionable.' In this case, it's used as part of the name of a group because they oppose 'newness for the sake of newness' or some statement like that. They call themselves 'anti-faddists,' and their objections appear to apply to technological innovation as well as fads and fashions in clothing, music, food, and the constant claims that products are 'new and improved.' Peter tells me the word green in red with a bar over it, is that way on their logo too," Jack told us.

  "Just when you think you've heard it all. That's an odd mix of grievances," I said. "I barely even notice the 'new and improved' language on products anymore. That makes them eccentric and crank
y, but not mad bombers. Am I missing something?"

  "We didn't find calls for violence or destruction of property. There's not even a call to boycott products, complain to companies, or file a petition. In fact, some of their positions overlap with those who identify with the green movement, like opposition to genetically modified products. They oppose 'development' but are for open use of public preserves for hunting and recreation. They propose the continued use of 'known' technology based on 'natural' elements like wood, coal, and oil, but oppose fracking," Peter added.

  "It's hard to peg the group politically, isn't it?" Jessica asked. "I say we focus on the connections we can find to Kenneth O'Rourke on a personal rather than political level."

  "If his involvement was personal, maybe he was searching for an ideology to go with his grudge against Marley World and New Arcadia after he was fired," I suggested.

  "Marley World isn't the only company that's fired him," Jessica said. "Kenneth was only in his early twenties, but the background report Jerry sent me says he's held lots of jobs. He never lasted a year in any of them. He'd also been evicted, had creditors after him, unpaid parking tickets, and a DUI."

  "If someone offered him money for information about the upcoming visit to New Arcadia by bigwigs, or access to the property, I can't see him turning it down," Peter offered.

  "Frank's checking to see if he's had any sudden change in his finances recently, but the police didn't find any cash under his mattress or cookie jar when they search the place."

  "He didn't last long in his job as conspirator or renegade either," I argued.

  "It's easy come, easy go once you cross the line into money for dirty work. He strikes me as the 'paid help' rather than a partner in crime if there's a conspiracy afoot, as there appears to be," Jack added.

  "What kind of conspiracy—kidnapping or sabotage?" I asked.