Page 24 of No Time Off (Lexi Carmichael Mystery #15)

TWENTY-FOUR

Slash

T he air buzzed with the chatter of insects, and the occasional screech of a bird cut through the humidity. We were close enough to the sea to smell the salt in the air and hear the crash of the waves on the beach.

I adjusted the high-powered binoculars and focused on the compound. It had taken us about forty-five minutes to get into position, including a stroll down the southern beach of the island leading to the compound. We were finally in a safe spot on a small rise to the east, partially sheltered by trees where we could look down into the compound.

The Pacific sun burned against the nondescript gray walls—hurricane-proof, as noted on Manny’s drawings. I spotted one man wandering lazily from the gate area, his path predictable and shoulders slouched. He was likely the guard stationed at the gate. I didn’t see a sophisticated comm unit on him, just a walkie-talkie on a belt. There were no other patrols. The roofline was empty, and I didn’t see evidence of dogs. Whoever was in that compound didn’t appear to be expecting company. All of which worked in our favor.

“One guard,” Manny muttered, also looking through binoculars and shaking his head. “He’s barely paying attention. You’d think he were guarding a luxury spa, not…whatever this is.”

“That’s the point,” I replied, not looking away from the compound. “They’re banking on appearances. They are trying to find the right balance between fortress and private residence. They obviously don’t want to advertise that they’re an armed compound, but clearly, they’re protecting something inside.”

Manny nodded, glancing back at the rise. “In the past, they’ve had three, even four sentries, though I can’t imagine why. Maybe they had a high-level visitor. Way too many armed guards for just a private residence, which is how it drew our attention in the first place. But apparently they’re stretched thin supporting the coup, maintaining civil order, and searching for the prime minister. My guess is they’re mostly out securing the airfield, television stations, and other high-value sites like the power plant and telecommunications switching center. By the way, Liko Maivia—the new coup leader—has been here before.”

I lowered the binoculars. “You’ve actually seen him here yourself?”

“I have. Three times in the past two weeks and eleven times total since I started surveilling six months ago,” Manny said. “He’s probably been here a lot more than that. Since the prime minister doesn’t have a counterintelligence office—it’s essentially just me doing some work for her—I couldn’t blanket this place 24-7. I can give you the video and the list of times and corresponding dates I saw him here, along with everyone else I recorded going in and out of the compound over the past six months. Maivia always came after dark and left before dawn. He thinks he’s being discreet, but he’s as dumb as a sack of pineapples. It’s no wonder the Chinese picked him as the so-called face of the rebellion. He’s about as pliable as you can get.”

It was encouraging that Manny had useful intel. “Do you have summaries of the important names who have visited and your analysis?”

“Sure. I provided weekly summaries to the prime minister. I don’t have printed copies, but I can bring up or send you what I have.”

“That would be useful. How accurate are the locations and purposes of rooms inside?” I asked.

Manny shrugged. “Pretty good. They’ve been verified by my cousin, who makes weekly deliveries to the kitchen and has been around most of the first floor. The second-floor rooms are also likely to be fairly accurate in layout—I got the blueprints from the contractor who filed them when he modified the compound three years ago, so I’m reasonably confident in the floor plan. The upper rooms on the east side near us must be rarely used, as I hardly ever see any lights there.”

I nodded, thinking. “Changing subjects, when would you say is potentially the best time to break into this place?”

Manny considered for a moment. “Probably before the shift change, which occurs at eight o’clock in the morning. So, somewhere between six and seven would be best. It’s mostly quiet and there aren’t a lot of people up and about yet. The outgoing shift will be tired and possibly inattentive. You’d have the best chance of slipping in and out at that point.”

I nodded. It made sense. “What else have you seen that raised any questions in your mind?”

“Not a lot,” Manny said. “Just a gut feeling and the fact that a lot of Chinese caravans and cars we’ve traced back to the police go in and out of this place on a regular basis.”

“Ah, that reminds me.” I pulled out my phone, called up an app, and waited for it to load. “Well, look at that.” I angled my phone toward Manny. “Our friend Moe, who is supposedly Maivia’s right-hand man, is currently parked at the compound.” I glanced back at the compound through the binoculars. “I don’t see the truck, but it could be parked in the back.”

“Yeah, Rangi told me you planted a tracker on his car. Bloody ballsy, that was. It’s something a good counterintelligence officer might do.”

I shrugged. “Or just a regular guy with a good idea. It made sense at the time.”

“I bet it did.”

I took my phone and snapped several photos of the compound. No one had entered or left since we’d been here. “Have you ever seen them together—Maivia and the Chinese?”

“Sure. I’ve got several long-lens photos taken through a window.”

“This keeps getting better. Which window?”

Manny took the binoculars and trained them on a window and then handed the binoculars to me. “That one. According to my cousin, it’s a conference room of some kind.”

I adjusted the view to the bottom floor, left side of the house, second window from the back. I studied the window but couldn’t see inside. Instead, I zoomed in on one of the security cameras situated on top of the wall at the nearest corner. I could see an orange logo of some sort on the side of the camera.

“I’m going to need to get closer to the compound so I can get a better look at that camera on the wall,” I said. “I think if I can get into position by those bushes over there, I should be close enough. What is the best way to get there?”

“No need to risk it. I can tell you whatever you need to know. I recognize the camera from here.”

“Great. Who’s the manufacturer?”

“It a company called Supra Vision Technology, LLC. It’s a pretty popular brand here on the island. Chinese-made…like everything else. Not the highest end, but reliable. We use them on most of our government buildings.”

“Good to know. Stand by for a minute.” I pressed Lexi’s number on my phone, and after two rings, she picked up.

“Hi. How’s it going?”

“Fine. I need you to stop what you’re doing and pull up everything you can find on a Chinese security camera company called Supra Vision Technology, LLC, and their products. The compound is using them as their security camera of choice. It would be a big help if we could take them down at the right time.”

“Ok. Any indication if they are wired or Wi-Fi?”

“Can’t tell from this distance, but I’m hoping your research will let us know. Probably wireless.”

“Definitely wireless,” Manny interjected. “Sorry to eavesdrop, but while the cameras are powered by cords, the communications are wireless.”

“That checks with what their product catalog shows,” Lexi added. “I just pulled them up. Almost all their models are Wi-Fi enabled, though a few of the high-end models can be configured wired or wireless.”

“That helps, thanks. I just need to know if we can detect their network from outside the fence. Lexi, I’m going to get closer to the compound and see if I can detect their network. If so, I’m going to connect you to my laptop so you can see what the system looks like.”

“Remind me again why you need the cameras down?” she asked.

“I’d like to get inside the compound to plant some recording devices.”

She was silent for a moment. “Inside the grounds or inside the compound?” Her voice was cautious.

“Potentially both. We can discuss in greater detail when I get back, okay?”

She was silent, which meant she wasn’t necessarily in agreement, but she hadn’t said no, either. I wasn’t sure if that was progress or not in terms of shared operational and marital decision-making. For now, she said, “We’ll discuss. Ping me when you’re ready to network.” She clicked off.

I slipped my phone in my pocket and looked up to see Manny staring at me. “What?” I asked.

“So, what did you do?”

I was baffled by his question. “What do you mean?”

“Her voice was tight. That’s the tone my missus used when I was in trouble.”

“I’m not in trouble,” I said. At least, I hoped I wasn’t.

“If you say so,” Manny replied. “But I’d be prepared if I were you.”

“Prepared for what?”

“The talk.”

I lifted an eyebrow, feeling slightly attacked. “You said your missus used that tone on you,” I said. “So, she doesn’t use it anymore?”

“No, she doesn’t.” Manny looked down at the ground, scuffed his foot a bit. “She, ah, passed seven years ago. Cancer.”

It hit me like a fist in the gut, making me feel like an idiot. “I’m sorry to hear that, Manny.”

“It’s okay. She went out on her own terms. But here’s some unsolicited advice from an old married guy: Don’t ignore or wish that tone away. Face it like a man. You didn’t tell her you’d decided to break into the compound itself, did you?”

I had to give it to him, he got straight to the point. I wavered between telling him to mind his own business and listening to him, and finally decided on the latter. “Not exactly…I needed to surveil the outside first,” I admitted. “But I appreciate the advice. This married thing is new for me…for us.”

He clapped a hand on my shoulder. “There’s no actual playbook, son. It’s a dance for the rest of your life. But your particular situation takes the relationship to another level. It must be tough working in the field with someone you love.”

“We’re not working in the field,” I said and then amended. “Well, maybe in this case…we are.”

“You are.” Manny stared at me thoughtfully. “And you might do it again in the future. So, work it out now. Are you guys really hackers? I thought it was a cover story and you’re just CIA.”

“We’re computer security experts,” I confirmed.

“For the CIA.”

“Not for the CIA, Manny.”

He held up his hands. “Okay, fine. It’s your story, so whatever. Just explain to me how you’re going to connect your laptop to her computer without a cell connection.”

“My laptop has some special features built into it, including a high-end cellular capability.”

“Sweet,” he said. “Where did you get it? I wouldn’t mind having a laptop like that.”

“It was provided to me with certain modifications I personally requested,” I said. “I doubt you could buy it at a store.”

“Aha. That’s because it’s super-secret CIA spy equipment.”

“It’s not spy equipment,” I said because it was the truth. This was my personal computer, not my work one, and I’d paid for everything I’d done to it. But he wasn’t far off in terms of being similar to one that might be designed for an in-the-field operative. Still, he’d broken the tension—maybe that was his goal all along—and I chuckled as he gave me a lopsided grin and motioned for me to follow him.

We started moving down from the rise on the far side to prevent being seen by anyone from the compound. We headed to the beach and then back up toward the compound behind a screen of thick bushes and trees.

“We’ll be exposed if a camera is mounted on one of those trees looking our way,” I said.

“I don’t think there’s anything there,” Manny responded. “I’ve been down here many times, and there’s never been a response from their security.”

“That’s good news.”

Once we reached the bushes with the palm trees looming over our heads, we found a tiny clearing in the foliage and crouched down. I pulled out my laptop and called Lexi. She instinctively knew to use text instead of voice as I shared my screen and typed a message.

“ I’m approximately 50 feet from the camera and am picking up three Wi-Fi networks.”

There was a long pause before she responded. “ Okay, I see them. One is much weaker, so I’m suspecting another source, perhaps a router from the police dormitory on the far side of the main building.”

“Agreed.”

“It could be either of the remaining two,” she typed. “We must know for sure, however, as I won’t have time to waste hacking the wrong network.”

“Stand by.”

I opened my network-scanning tools. I could detect the presence of multiple transmitting devices nearby. I wasn’t sure which one was the camera near us, or which network it was on.

“Manny, I need you to creep up closer to the camera and toss something into its field of view on my signal and then come back here. Make sure you aren’t seen.”

“Easy for you to say. How big an item do you need me to throw, and how close to the camera do I have to be?”

I considered. “Toss a rock or shell over the fence about ten feet or so in front of the camera.”

“You’re going to have to speak to me in meters, mate,” Manny said.

“Oh, sorry, force of habit,” I replied. “Three meters.”

Manny nodded and moved into position, picking up a rock on the way. He gave me a thumbs-up and tossed the rock.

It bounced off the top of the fence and into the compound. Simultaneously, I could see one of the signals I was monitoring jump.

Perfect.

Seconds later, Manny was back at my side. “Did it work?”

I nodded, watching the network signals, when one of the networks flashed additional traffic. Through the leaves I could make out the camera slowly searching for the source of the disturbance.

“Freeze,” I breathed.

While Manny and I froze, I could see a text ping in from Lexi.

“Got it. Network #2. If you can wait a few minutes longer, it will help me get a head start on hacking in tomorrow.”

I didn’t respond for several minutes until the camera swiveled back to its original position and the operator determined it was a false alarm.

“You can move now,” I said to Manny, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“That was way too bloody close,” he said.

I texted Lexi to see if she’d gotten what she needed. When she answered in the affirmative, I closed my laptop and stuffed it into my backpack.

“Let’s go,” I said to Manny.

We carefully made our way back to the beach and headed toward the farmhouse. Manny, who had been relatively quiet since we left the compound, finally spoke up.

“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?”

“If Lexi agrees—and apparently it’s critical I get her input—we head back to the farmhouse and get some food, sleep, and the recording devices,” I replied. “We return with everything before dawn. After that, it’s simple: Lexi hacks the network and takes the security cameras down. Once she does that, I’ll go in and plant those recording devices and get out.”

“How long will it take her to hack into the network?”

“We’ll get here early so she has at least an hour before the preferred time to enter, but I doubt it will take her that long.”

“She can do that all that in such a short time?” Manny said, looking stunned.

“She can.”

“Damn, that’s bloody impressive.”

“She’s very, very good at her work,” I said.

“Apparently. Let’s just hope she agrees with your plan. It’s a whole different world today than when I was in the New Zealand intelligence service. The technology is crazy.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Okay, then, where do you intend to place the recorders once your brilliant wife helps you get into the compound by compromising the security cameras?”

“Right now, I’m leaning toward putting one in the conference room where you saw Maivia speaking with some Chinese officials. Where do you think the other one should go?”

Manny thought it over. “I’d say the chief of staff’s office. Locally, he’s the top Chinese guy. His boss is here occasionally, but not often, as he comes and goes as he pleases. Everything runs through the chief of staff, so that seems like the best spot to get our evidence. Speaking of the boss, given what’s going on, my bet is we’ll see him soon, too, if he’s not already here.”

“You don’t know if he’s here or not?” I asked, puzzled.

“I don’t,” Manny said. “The Chinese police handle all his travels, not the local island custom officers.”

I stopped in my tracks, staring at him in surprise. “Are you kidding me? Is that true of all Chinese nationals or just him?”

“All Chinese nationals,” he confirmed. “And yeah, the Chinese could, and probably have, set up quite a smuggling operation through our islands to avoid sanctions and scrutiny. That’s initially what the prime minister wanted me to investigate when I started my surveillance here six months ago. Obviously, it’s now a lot more than that.”

That was a pretty big chunk of information, so I took a moment to digest it.

“Slash, you understand this operation is not going to be easy,” Manny said. “These recording devices are old and aren’t like the fancy bugs you are probably used to working with. They’re just mini recording devices with no transmission capability. That means not only will you have to break in to plant them, but you’ll also have to break in a second time to retrieve them. And, by the way, those devices are Chinese-made, too.”

“Well, that’s about as far from an ideal situation as we can get,” I admitted. “But you intended at some point to plant those recorders yourself, didn’t you? What was your plan?”

“My cousin Ari,” Manny said. “He owns the grocery store that delivers food to the compound every Tuesday and Friday,” he said. “At some point I was going to go along on a delivery and see what I could get planted. We could have potentially used that to get you into the compound, but tomorrow is Monday, and I have a feeling we don’t have a full day to wait.”

“We don’t,” I agreed. “But we could use the delivery option to retrieve the devices. Either way, we’ll have to work with what we’ve got and keep things as simple as possible.”

“Simple?” Manny echoed. “There’s nothing simple about any of this. This isn’t some locked office door in New York City. Breaking into the compound is just the first step. Then you need to avoid detection while you find your way to the locations where you want to plant the recorders. Doors may be locked, and while the guards might be sloppy, they do have guns. Furthermore, it would only take one bit of bad luck, a person in the wrong spot at the wrong time, and you’re caught.”

“They won’t be expecting anyone to try to break in,” I countered calmly. “That’s their weakness. They’re complacent. Even if their security team was half-competent—which I don’t think they are—they’d have a plan to sweep for bugs regularly. At least these mini recorders won’t set off the equipment, so that’s a plus for us.”

Manny folded his arms, studying me. “You’ve got confidence, I’ll give you that. But if they catch you, there’s no embassy here to bail you out.”

“Good thing they won’t catch me, then.”

Manny snorted and shook his head. “Who exactly are you again?”

“Just a guy on his honeymoon in an unfortunate situation.”

Manny sighed. “Fine. Don’t tell me. But if this goes south, I’m not writing your eulogy. I’m terrible with words.”

“Deal,” I said, putting the binoculars to my eyes again. “I hate funerals anyway.”