Page 32 of One Cry Too Loud (Coastal Crime Unit #9)

T he explosion on the corner, the one Nefarious set in motion, sent seven people to the hospital that day. If not for the fact that I had shouted out, sending several of the bystanders scattering, I was told the injuries could have been a lot worse. Some may have even been fatal.

As it stood, while no one was dead, this trip to Dorset had been a complete and utter disaster so far.

We had hoped to get the drop on nefarious.

Not only was it more than clear that we had not, it also seemed that we were wrong about Joe’s involvement in this.

It seemed he wasn’t Nefarious after all, but if he wasn’t, then who the hell was?

“You guys sure do know how to ruin a vacation,” Tag said, sneering at us as we came aboard the jet again. This time, we had Joe in tow.

“This isn’t a vacation,” Kat said flatly.

“Well no. Not now,” Tag muttered.

Kat motioned to one of the large, plush seats in the cabin. “Sit there,” she growled at Joe. “One move, and my hand goes to my hip. We’re not in public anymore. This gun doesn’t have to stay put.”

“You can be nicer to him. I did some checking while you guys were on the way here and I honestly don’t think he’s Nefarious,” Tag said.

“Explain,” Kat demanded.

“He said he’s a mechanic in Wales. So, I cross referenced auto shops in Wales with the address on his ID,” Tag started.

“You got my ID from-”

“Sure did,” Tag cut him off. “I’d stay quiet if I were you.

Literally all the people on this plane look like they want to rip your throat out with their teeth, and if this little adventure has taught me anything, it’s that these people have no chill.

” He shook his head. “Anyway, Joe is actively working at the closest auto shop to an apartment in Wales that’s also been leased to him for several months.

I checked security footage for the auto shop as well as the apartment and a little Indian takeout place he visits way too often. He’s on all of them for months.”

“Could that be faked?” Kat asked.

“All of that?” Joe balked. “For months?”

“The kid is right, Joe. You need to keep your mouth shut right now,” I said.

“It could,” Holly said, though her tone was much less forceful than it had been when we first met Joe on the street. “It definitely could be. I don’t think it was, though.”

“Neither do I,” I replied, my arms crossed over my chest. “And not because of anything that can be found on the internet. I’m thinking about what he did in front of us, the way Joe acted.”

“What do you mean?” Kat asked.

“Think about it. If Joe is Nefarious, that means he had the drop on us when we got here. It means he’s always known where we are and where we’re going.

He could have taken us out from anywhere.

He could have sent another one of his mercenaries after us.

Why do this? Why bring himself out into the open? ”

“Maybe for this moment,” Kat said. “Maybe so that we would let our guard down like we seem to be doing right now.”

“But that’s never been the way he operates,” I reminded the woman.

“He’s a hands off kind of bastard. He keeps a distance.

Why the hell would he stop that now? And let’s play devil’s advocate.

Let’s say he did have a lapse in judgement and decided to meet us face to face.

It was our decision to move away from the crosswalk.

It was us who moved away from the explosion just a minute before it went off.

The police verified that the bomb was on a timer.

There was no way Nefarious could have stopped it from going off.

Why would he bring himself there? Why would he stay so close to a literal bomb just seconds before he knew it was going to go off? ”

Kat stared at the man for a moment. She then turned her eyes back to me. “You make a couple good points. I can’t argue with that. I still don’t like him though.”

“I don’t like him either, but we can’t let that cloud our judgement about this,” I said. “I don’t think he’s Nefarious.”

“I’m not Nefarious,” Joe said. “I’m also right here. So, you’re more than welcome to stop talking about me like I’m not.” He leaned forward, looking directly at Holly. “I lied to you earlier.”

“All you’ve ever done is lie to me,” Holly replied.

“I know that,” he said mournfully. “But one more time, one last time.”

“I doubt that,” Holly said. “What did you do?”

“I told you the last time I touched a computer was when I found Cindy. I did one other time. Last year, on your birthday, I sent you-a-a-”

“A heart,” she said. “Just for a split second, just for a moment, I saw a heart flash on the screen of my personal computer. I thought I was seeing things. I didn’t pay any attention. That was…”

“Me. Yes. You can check the metadata if you want. It came from Wales. I didn’t try to hide it,” Joe said.

“I was a terrible person to you back then, Holly. I was a terrible person to our daughter too. I didn’t know who I wanted to be.

I guess I still don’t, but I’m not this person.

I’m not Nefarious, and I didn’t kidnap Cindy. I swear it to you.”

“I-I think I believe you,” Holly said, wiping a tear from her cheek.

“Great,” Kat muttered. “So, where does that leave us?”

“The same place it left us before,” I said. “Chasing the cyber breadcrumb trail. Tag traced the point of origin to Holly’s family house.”

“Which is ridiculous,” Joe replied. “Those people wouldn’t know how to turn a computer on without help, let alone, do a fraction of the things Nefarious has been accused of doing.”

“None of you have seen those people in years. A lot can change in that time,” Kat said.

“Not that, and not that much,” Holly answered. “Joe is right. This can’t be my parents.”

“But it is,” Tag said. “The point of origin, the only piece of true data we’ve got from Nefarious since all of this started, points directly to your parents and their house.”

“It just doesn’t make any sense,” Holly said.

“It doesn’t have to make sense,” I replied. “We’re on the ropes here. We don’t have a choice. We have one piece of information. We have one lead. We have to follow it.”

“So, we’re going to go accuse my parents of being cyber terrorists?” Holly asked.

“Among other things,” I said.

“I suppose that means I’m on the sidelines again?” Tag asked.

“I’m afraid so,” Kat replied. “You’re too valuable here.”

“Who could argue with that?” He asked. “Does that mean I’ll have company?” He motioned to Joe.

“I’d like to go,” Joe said, looking around.

“I don’t know that it’s a good idea,” I said. “It’s dangerous.”

“It’s my daughter,” he replied. “I know that hasn’t mattered before, but I want it to matter now. Besides, isn’t it a smart move to take me?”

“Smart?” Kat asked.

“You seem to believe I’m not Nefarious, and that’s a good conclusion to make, because I’m not.

What if you're wrong, though? What if you leave me on this jet with a boy who-no offense, I could snap like a twig and a computer system that’s strong enough to at least break into Nefarious’ system for a few seconds?

What kind of havoc do you think the worst cyber hacker the world has ever seen could wreak with that?

With all of that being said, wouldn’t it just be smarter to keep me close, to keep eyes on me? ”

“Damnit,” I muttered, realizing he was right. “Get your coat.”