Mango Key

by Bill H Myers

  I nodded. “Yeah, Summer said business falls off when it rains.”

  I changed the subject. “So Kat, tell me what else Summer told you about the guy who's been bothering her.”

  She shook her head. “Nope. You won't tell me anything about my father so I'm not going to tell you anything I learned from Summer.”

  I smiled. “Fair enough.”

  This time, she changed the subject. “So, you're losing your camping spot at Uncle Leo's. You leaving town?”

  “No, I still have work to do here. I'll check with Leo's in the morning to see if they have any vacancies. If they do, I'll stay there. If they don't, I'll call around and see if I can find a spot somewhere else.

  “If all else fails, I'll just drive around until I find an empty parking lot, pull the motorhome in and spend the night there.”

  Kat smiled. “Good luck with that. The police will write you a ticket and impound your motorhome if you try to park overnight in Key West. They're pretty strict about that kind of thing. You need to come up with a better plan.”

  She ran her hand through her hair. “I hear they have plenty of RV sites up in Miami. You could go there.”

  Miami was the last place I wanted to go. I'd been there before in the motorhome and it wasn't a pleasant experience. Too much traffic, too many people, too few places for me to park. “I'm not driving back to Miami. I'll find something here.”

  She smiled. “Well, if you don't, give me a call. Maybe I can help you find a place.”

  I started to say something about her finding me a place, but behind her I saw a large man step into the alley. He was wearing a black T-shirt, black shorts and carrying an eighteen inch mag light. I reached for the stun gun that was still in Kat's lap. She stopped me. She looked over her shoulder at the man and turned back to me. “He's one of ours.”

  When he got closer, Kat and I stood and she introduced me. “Walker, this is Anton. He's part of our security team.”

  I reached out to shake his hand. He nodded but said nothing. Kat took him inside the trailer and showed him the TV monitor and the stun gun. I could hear her giving him instructions. “You know what happened here last night. If someone tries to do something like that again, stop and detain them.

  “Be careful not to bother the drunks and tourists. They'll come into this alley to pee or make out. When they do, send them away. Don't hurt them, just send them away. Any questions?”

  Anton spoke for the first time. “No. I've got it.”

  “Good. There's water inside the trailer. Be sure to lock up when you leave.”

  Kat came out and said, “Walker, we're done here. Let's go.”

  Without waiting, she headed across the street to the parking lot where the Prius was parked. She got in on the driver's side and I got in on the passenger. “Where we going next?”

  She looked at me. “I'm taking you home. That okay with you?”

  “Sure. I guess that means the date is over. Will I be getting a good night kiss?”

  “Not from me you won't.”

  She was still upset I hadn't told her what I was working on for her father. I couldn't blame her for that, but I'd rather have her mad at me than her father.

  When we got back to my motorhome at Uncle Leo's, she didn't bother getting out. She just said, “Call me tomorrow if you don't find another place to park it.”

  She didn't wait for my reply. She just drove off.

  Inside Bob was waiting for me. He ran over and said, “Meeeeeeeow.”

  The long meow from Bob usually meant something was wrong with his food or water. I went back to check and he followed. His food bowl was about half full, enough to last the rest of the day. But that was cutting it too close for Bob. He wanted the assurances of a plentiful supply of food, especially if I was going to be gone for a few hours at a time.

  I grabbed his food bag and poured enough kibble to top off the bowl. I was checking his water when my phone chimed with an incoming message. Thinking that maybe Kat had a change of heart and was coming back for a good night kiss, I checked the phone. The message wasn't from her. It was an alert from the program I had installed on Boris' laptop. It was notifying me that the program I had installed had been downloaded and activated. It would soon be sending images from the computer's webcam.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  After getting the alert that images would be coming in, I got my laptop and set it up on the kitchen table. I powered it up and while waiting for it to connect, I went back to my bedroom and grabbed the ink jet printer I kept stored in the closet.

  I hooked the printer up to the laptop and waited for the first image to arrive. The Wi-Fi connection at Uncle Leo's was slow, mostly due to the number of campers connecting to watch online movies in their RVs. For some reason, when campers are offered free Wi-Fi, they want to stream movies and use up a lot of bandwidth. This slows the internet for everyone using it, making even simple things like downloading a photo painfully slow.

  It took almost a minute for the first photo from the hacker's webcam to fully download. As it starting scrolling down the screen, I wasn't sure what I was seeing. Instead of seeing the typical hacker, the photo showed two young girls smiling as they looked into the computer screen.

  When the second photo came, it showed the same thing. Two young girls looking at the computer screen. Both were fully clothed. The oldest appeared to be in her early teens, the other a few years younger.

  If these were the hackers, they were skilled for their age.

  Every thirty seconds after the first photo a new one started downloading. Each showed the same two girls sitting in front of a computer. In some, the older girl was typing on the keyboard or moving a mouse. The younger one was always watching, never touching the computer. There were no adults in the images, just the two girls.

  The program I had loaded on Boris' computer was designed to start capturing images as soon as it was downloaded and activated. If someone other than these two had downloaded the program, they would show up in the first few images. But they didn't. The first image and all the rest were of the two girls. This meant they were the ones who had downloaded the program from Boris' computer. Most likely, they were the hackers.

  After getting thirty images of the same two girls, I focused on what was behind them, trying to figure out where they were.

  In the photos, the room appeared to be small and narrow. No doorway behind them, just a white wall. The wall was unusual in that it curved up toward the ceiling. The walls to the left and right of the girls were also unusual. Each had a row of evenly spaced rectangular windows. The windows had been blacked out; no way to tell what was outside.

  I tried to figure out what kind of room it was. Narrow, probably less than ten feet wide, with walls that curved up into the ceiling, and with rows of rectangular windows. The curved ceiling meant it probably wasn't in a stick built house. Probably wasn't in a condo or motel room either. Maybe a boat.

  In Key West, there are a lot of boats, big and small. Judging by the size of the room in the photos, it would have to be a fairly large boat. Maybe a live aboard. But the row of rectangular windows down the sides didn't make sense. On most boats, the windows would be oval, not rectangular.

  I continued to scan the images, looking for anything that would help me figure out who these two girls were and where they were located.

  After the sixtieth image, the background changed. A third person had entered the room. The webcam only caught the person's mid-section, but it looked like an adult male. On the next image, the girls had turned away from the screen to look at the man.

  In the next three images, the girls were still turned away from the screen, looking at the man in the room. He may have been saying something to them but I couldn't hear because, to save bandwidth, I hadn't turned on the audio section of the webcam.

  I clicked to turn it on, but it was too late. The images quit coming. The computer had been turned off. In the very last image, the girls were again facing the screen,
the adult male behind them leaving the room. The older girl had her hand on the mouse, a frown on her face.

  The heads of the girls mostly blocked the image of the man as he was leaving, but in the final photo I could make out a few letters on the back of his T-shirt.

  The letters were “ine Sat.”

  I'd seen the letters before. Earlier that day, while at the marina.

  I picked up my phone and hit redial. Even though it was after eleven, I expected the man to answer. After seven rings, he did. “Marine Sat. Can I help you?”

  Chapter Forty-Three

  “Yeah, you can help me. I'm going to text you a photo. Tell me if you recognize the people in it.”

  The voice on the other end of the phone asked, “Who is this? Why are you calling so late?”

  “Freddie, you know who this is. I talked to you today, down at the marina. About Vincent. Remember?”

  “Yeah, I remember. Look it's late. Can't this wait till tomorrow?”

  “No. It can't. I want you look at the photo I'm sending you. Tell me if you recognize the people in it.”

  I texted him a photo of the two girls. Then I waited.

  It took less than a minute for the photo to reach him. I could hear his reaction when he saw it. “What the hell? Where'd you get this?”

  Surprise and anger in his voice.

  “Freddie, I take it you recognize the girls?”

  “I do. They're my daughters. Tell me where you got the photo. If my daughters are in danger, I need to know.”

  He sounded sincere. Like he didn't have a clue what his daughters were up to.

  “Freddie, your daughters are not in danger. At least not yet. But they might be soon. It all depends on how you answer my questions. It's important you tell me the truth. Can you do that?”

  “Yes, I'll do anything to keep my daughters safe.”

  “Good. I just want honest answers. That's all.

  “First question. Do you share a computer with your daughters?”

  Instead of answering with a simple yes or no, he answered with a question. “Why do you want to know?”

  “Freddie, just answer the question. Do you share a computer with your daughters?”

  “No, I don't. They have their own laptop. I don't use their computer and they don't use mine.”

  “Okay, good answer. Next question. You mentioned you live in a bus. How do you get internet in the bus?”

  This time, instead of answering with a question, Freddie answered with details.

  “We look for open networks. Usually homes near where we are parked. We piggy back off them. We're doing that now.”

  “Do the people in the homes know what you're doing?”

  He hesitated, then, “No. Not usually.”

  “Okay, third question. Where exactly is your bus parked right now?”

  He hesitated again. This time he took longer to answer. Finally he said, “I'd rather not tell you. I don't want Vincent to find out where the girls are.”

  I could understand that. He had told me that Vincent had threatened his girls. He sure wouldn't want Vincent to know where they slept. But it was something I needed to know. So I asked him again.

  “Freddie, don't worry about Vincent. I'm not going to tell him where you are. But it's important you tell me where your bus is parked right now. The girls’ safety depends on it. You said you were across the street from a house. What's the street name and the house number?”

  He didn't answer immediately. Finally, he said, “We're on Sand Piper Key, parked behind an empty house on Aquamarine drive. I don't know the house number.”

  I brought up the street on Google Maps. Sand Piper Key was directly across from Mango Key, where Boris' lived. If Freddie was parked at the end of Aquamarine, Boris' Wi-Fi signal would be within range.

  “Okay Freddie, you're doing good so far. Here's another question. Do you have a signal amplifier in your bus? Something you use to grab weak Wi-Fi?”

  He didn't hesitate with his answer. “We do. Why?”

  “I'll tell you in a minute. But right now, I have another question. Would your oldest girl know how to hack into a wireless network?”

  There was a pause then Freddie said, “Is this what this is about? Did she hack into someone's network again?”

  I smiled. That was the answer I was looking for. “Yes, Freddie, she did. She hacked into my client's network. She downloaded some of his files and sent him an email demanding money.”

  “She did what? Please tell me this is a joke.”

  “No Freddie. It's not a joke. Your daughter hacked a private network, downloaded files, and demanded money to keep the files safe. The person whose computer she hacked isn't too happy about it. He hired me to find out who did it.

  “He's expecting me to tell him who the hackers are. When I do, he's going to go after them. He's going to make sure they never mess with him or anyone else again. It won't be pretty. It'll probably involve broken bones.”

  “You're kidding. They're just kids. They were just messing around. Surely he won't go after my girls.”

  “Freddie, I'd rather not talk about what he might do on the phone. Might not be safe for either of us. Tell you what. I'm going to hang up and call you back in about five minutes. Don't go anywhere. Don't touch your daughter's computer and don't tell them what's happening. Got it?”

  “No, don't hang up! I don't want you calling your client. Let's work something out, just you and me.”

  “Freddie, I'm not going to call my client. Not yet. I'll call you back in five minutes.”

  I ended the call.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  After I'd found out who had hacked into Boris' computer, I had a problem. If I told him who did it and showed him the photos he'd want to take action against Freddie and his daughters. That probably wouldn't end well for Freddie or the girls.

  But if I lied to Boris and told him I hadn't been able to find who had hacked his computer, he'd probably hire someone else and the trail would still lead to Freddie's daughters. I needed to figure a way to keep them out of trouble while at the same time assuring Boris the hackers had been dealt with.

  Remembering what Freddie had told me earlier about Vincent, I came up with a plan. If it worked, it would make Boris happy and keep Freddie and the girls safe. If it failed, not only would Freddie and his girls be in danger, but so would I.

  Still, I needed to give it a try.

  I called Freddie back. He answered on the first ring.

  “Please tell me my daughters are going to be safe.”

  “Freddie, I'm going to try to keep them out of it, but it means you're going to have to do what I tell you to do. No questions asked. Understand? ”

  “Yes, I understand. I'll do anything you want. As long as my daughters stay out of it.”

  “Good. First thing, go into your daughters’ room and get the laptop. Get the power cord, case and everything that goes with it. Don't tell them why you're doing it. Just do it now. I'll stay on the phone until you get back.”

  Freddie put his phone down and I could hear his footsteps as he walked away. Two minutes later, he returned. “I've got the laptop. What do you want me to do with it?”

  “Turn it on. Don't do anything else. Just turn it on. Let me know when it's powered up.”

  Thirty seconds later, Freddie said, “Okay, it's on.”

  “Good. Now connect to the internet.”

  While I waited for him to connect, I fired up the admin section of the program his daughters had unknowingly installed on their laptop.

  It would show me when the laptop was connected and give me master control. As I watched the screen, I saw the laptop come on line.

  “Freddie, is there anything on the girls’ laptop that you want to save? Photos, email, anything like that?”

  “No. There's nothing worth saving.”

  “Good. Don't touch the keyboard.”

  Using the admin program, I remotely deleted all the personal user files on the comp
uter, including the ones taken from Boris. I didn't delete my admin program, nor did I delete any part of the operating system.

  When that was done, I got back to Freddie.

  “Okay, here's the deal. The girls can never use that computer again. You'll have to tell them what they did was wrong and the penalty is loss of the laptop. Any problem doing that?”

  “No, I'm happy to do it. They've lost their computing privileges.”

  “Good. But here's where it gets tricky. I need you to give the laptop to Vincent and make sure he uses it while it's connected to the internet. The best time to do that will be during the meeting you have with him tomorrow. Do they have Wi-Fi at the marina?

  “Yes, I used it before.”

  “Good. Tomorrow, when Vincent arrives, come up with a good excuse to give him the laptop. Take him to one of the tables outside of the marina and show him how to connect to the internet. Make sure he's sitting in front of the computer and using the keyboard.

  “Keep him on the computer for at least ten minutes. Think you can do that?”

  “I'll find a way. Then what?”

  “Give him the laptop. Make sure he takes it with him when he leaves. After he's gone, you pack up and take the girls far away from Key West. You don't want to be around with what's going to happen next.”

  “We have to leave town? Why?”

  “Because we're going to make it look like Vincent was the hacker. When my client goes after him, Vincent will claim you set him up. He'll say it was your computer and you were the hacker. He'll try to make you the fall guy. That's why you don't want to be around when Vincent gets picked up. Understand?”

  “I guess so. I'll start making plans to leave tonight.”

  “Good. One more thing. I want you to know I'm sticking my neck out for you. If you don't show up at the marina tomorrow and don't give Vincent the laptop, I won't be able to keep your daughters safe. Understand?”

  He didn't reply immediately. I didn't know if he had heard me or not. But finally he said, “Yes, I understand. I'll make sure Vincent leaves with the laptop.”