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LEI

Lei stepped into Katie’s Cave that afternoon and found her intern staring intently at a computer monitor. As was often the case, the young woman’s outfit caught Lei’s attention. “Now that’s a different look,” she said. “What’s the occasion?”

Katie wore black military-style cargo pants, shiny patent leather combat boots, and a formfitting short-sleeved Under Armour tee. Her hair was sleeked back in a French braid, and today her glasses were horn rims trimmed in rhinestones.

“Hi, boss.” Katie smiled at Lei; her full lips were fire-engine red and the only color in today’s fashion palette. “I’m a ninja. Strong like a warrior, dressing the part.”

“Looks good on you,” Lei said. “I hope that means you’re kicking bad guy ass online.”

“And in person if I can get ‘em,” Katie said. “What’s up?”

Lei caught Katie up with what she and Pono had discovered in their raid on Mank’s house. “So whatever this guy was up to, he’s gone now. What are you working on?” Lei asked.

“I’m trying out some new software. Playing around to see if we can clean up the original pictures that Brian shot of the killer.”

“Did any of this software come through the Bureau?” Lei frowned. “Hoping for a little interagency cooperation, I guess.”

“Nah, cooperation isn’t real high on their agenda, at least when it comes to their secret toys. This stuff is proprietary commercial. I have an online friend who knew about some facial recognition software and made a few phone calls. I was able to get hold of a sample program that uses some of the algorithms that companies like Google use to identify people in pictures.”

“I thought the original pictures weren’t clear enough,” Lei said.

“Can’t hurt to try. It’s better than anything else I’ve got. And you’re right about the pictures. They were taken from too far away.” She grinned and continued. “But then—ta-da!—I remembered that one of my college buddies does CGI for the movies!”

“CGI? What are you talking about?”

“Computer Generated Imagery. It’s what they use in movies to create special effects, like dinosaurs, spaceships, alien worlds, kids flying around on brooms. A company named Industrial Light & Magic probably worked on almost any movie you’ve seen in the last twenty years. Think Jurassic Park , Avatar , Harry Potter . All those parts of the movie that weren’t ‘real’ were done with CGI.”

“That’s interesting, but how can that help with some blurry real photographs?” Lei walked over to the wall and helped herself to a cup emblazoned with NSFW IS GR8 ICYMI. She filled the mug at the coffeemaker and held it up. “Interpret, please.”

“Not Safe For Work is Great In Case You Missed It.” Katie rolled her eyes. “Get with the lingo, boss. Anyway, since we’re kind of stuck at the moment I thought, why not try some CGI expansion parameters with the facial recognition software and see if those photos can help us find this butt wipe.”

“Is there a downside?” Lei asked.

“Are you kidding? If this works, we’ll have the governor declare ‘CGI and AI Appreciation Day.’” Katie tapped on, her fingers moving too fast to follow.

“Okay, but what if the identification is wrong?”

“That’s where boots on the ground, like you and Pono, can follow up. Verify alibis and such. I mean, using this experimental software to nail a suspect probably isn’t admissible in court, but if we could get an ID on this guy, it could give a direction.”

“I guess.” Lei sighed as she sat down next to her protégée. “We’re currently waiting for Beck Noble to get released from jail so we can tail him and see if the killer goes after him, or if he communicates with Mank. Pono’s working on a warrant for Noble’s cell phone so we can tap his calls. So your plan is just about as solid as ours, which isn’t saying much.” Lei leaned over to look at Katie’s monitor, but all she saw were lines of code on a black background. “Is that what the computer is working on now?”

“Yup. I opened two of Jeff Brian’s photos in the software, and it’s performing its digital magic right now, trying to render a cleaner image that matches a real human in our database. I’ll let you know if I get anything.”

Lei took a sip from her mug, grimacing slightly at the coffee’s bitterness after a day sitting in the pot. “So, let me get this straight. You’re basically using Hollywood magic to turn blurry pixels into a face?”

Katie smirked, fingers still flying across the keyboard. “Simplified, but yeah. Think of it like how they make a dinosaur out of some janky CGI bones. We’re filling in missing data, using AI to predict what should be there.”

Lei leaned back in her chair, stretching her legs out. “And you’re sure it won’t give us a T-Rex instead of a suspect?”

Katie laughed. “I mean, that would be cool, but no. The software is trained on human faces—no dinosaurs, no aliens, no hobbits. Just good old-fashioned bad guys.”

“Good, because I don’t think the department’s ready for a Jurassic Park crossover.” Lei took another sip of coffee, watching the code scroll across the screen. “So what happens now? We wait for the magic to happen?”

“Pretty much.” Katie cracked her knuckles. “The rendering takes a while, but if all goes well, we’ll have a clearer image of Mū’s face. Maybe even enough to cross-check against databases.”

Lei shook her head, impressed despite herself. “You and your internet wizardry. I swear, if I ever get stuck in the Matrix, I’m calling you first.”

Katie gave an exaggerated bow from her seat. “At your service, boss. Just don’t expect me to wear a leather trench coat and sunglasses indoors.”

Lei smirked. “That’s a shame. You’d rock the look.”

Before Katie could respond, Lei’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She fished it out, glancing at the screen. Pono.

She answered immediately. “Tell me you’ve got something.”

“We do. Noble’s being processed out of jail right now.” Pono’s voice was sharp, all business. “If we’re tailing him, we need to move.”

Lei was already up, setting her mug down on Katie’s desk. “On my way.”

Katie shot her a look. “You think Mū’s watching Noble?”

“Wouldn’t be surprised,” Lei said, already heading toward the door. “Keep working your magic, ninja. If there’s a face in those pixels, I want it.”

Katie gave her a mock salute. “You got it, boss. Go catch the bad guy.”

Lei didn’t respond. She was already planning next steps regarding Noble as she strode toward the exit.