Page 3

Two

Everyone was tired and confused, which oddly enough Vicky thought made their time at the local precinct go quickly—simply because everyone was determined to work as quickly as possible and get out.

Dr. Dresden was still working and trying to find an ID for the man now fighting for his life in the hospital—the man who had shot at them before taking a suicide pill.

But there was no information yet—except the poison in the pill had been cyanide. His prints weren’t anywhere in any system. Dresden would work on dental impressions, and the man’s image would be run through facial recognition software.

A computer working again , she thought dryly.

The van that he used to sweep by the house and shoot at them had been stolen days before from an elderly gentleman living in South Georgia. What should have given them something to work on had given them nothing.

Captain Larry Ormond was at the precinct himself and apparently, the man knew Jude well. He shook his head at the events and told them he was glad they were taking the lead; but, of course, he knew the local police and Florida Department of Law Enforcement would be working and assisting them in any way possible.

The paperwork went quickly. There was little choice—their information was filled with more questions than answers.

Ormond was a large dignified man with snow-white hair and a hard-lined face—evidence, probably, of his rise through the ranks to his position. He had a no-nonsense manner about him and was also capable of common courtesy.

“We’ve coordinated with our various agencies,” he told them as they each signed their last pages. “We have a dedicated workspace that’s just on the other side of St. George Street. Jude, you know it. You worked there before during the kidnapping case last year.” He shrugged. “It’s not quite the Casa Monica, but it’s been set up with internet. FDLE is providing the full-time services of Aidan Cypress, and we’re sending Cary Simmons first thing in the morning. She is, while local police, truly brilliant on a computer.”

“She is,” Jude said, nodding, glancing at Vicky as if to make sure she knew they had heard of computers before. “She cracked the codes the kidnappers were using on that case the captain mentioned and gave us a location, and we brought that little girl in alive and well. We’ll be delighted to have Cary. Tomorrow morning, we’ll be at Marci Warden’s office—finding out why in God’s name anyone would go through that kind of machination to kill a receptionist. The why can give us the who.”

Vicky glanced at Jude again. He might know these people, but he hadn’t asked her yet how she’d managed to be involved here so quickly when she worked out of the DC offices.

“And we’ll get on that boating ‘accident,’” she said.

“Great. Well, our help is a call away at any time. And, of course, it’s my city, so keep me in the loop,” Ormond told them.

“Absolutely,” Jude promised.

“Special Agent Tennant,” Ormond said, handing her a slip of paper. “This is the address of our dedicated space—don’t know what else to call it—but it is all set up. I believe you’ll find the working conditions there excellent even if it isn’t the Casa Monica.”

She smiled. “I do love the Casa Monica Hotel, but, sir, I am comfortable just about anywhere.”

“Hopefully, you can get some sleep. And hopefully, I can, too.”

As they left the office, Jude looked at her. “You’ve stayed at the Casa Monica?”

“Yes, and I do love it. But I’ve stayed at some cool bed-and-breakfasts here, too. They were all great as well. I love this city.”

“So, you do know it.”

“I do. And you?”

He looked straight ahead, smiling. “Yeah, you could say I know it.”

“Do you live here?”

“Not now. But I was born here.”

“Oh! Well, then, I guess you know it better. Anyway, this place we’re going—was it a home?”

“Strangely, once upon a time. It was a funeral home, too. The last owner was a shopkeeper on Aviles Street. He was being robbed at gunpoint—with his daughter in the store—when an off-duty policeman tricked the robbers, brought them down, and saved the man and his kid. In appreciation, the man willed his home to the police department, and the city helped them turn it into dedicated space for law enforcement in the area. It’s okay as far as sleeping—the beds are hard, but hey—and the old reception area has desks, state-of-the-art computers, any old-school print periodicals land lines, you name it.” He looked her way. “Are you already checked in somewhere?”

She shook her head. “I was just getting here to investigate the boating ‘accident’ when I got the call about the situation at Marci Warden’s house. I had to, um, borrow an office at the airport—”

Jude laughed. “You mean you commandeered an office at the airport.”

She shrugged. “The powers that be made all the arrangements. Anyway, first up, I got through to the internet provider for Marci’s place and got the house taken offline and then drove there, and then…there you were.”

“And I guess I was sent because I do know the area, though in this—”

“Two events have now occurred in this area,” she reminded him. “The boating accident occurred in Matanzas Bay.”

“Right. Now that I’m here, of course, I remember that I saw it in the news—we weren’t assigned to it. The local police and the coast guard investigated, and it was chalked up to…well, an accident, a glitch in the yacht’s system along with human error,” he told her. “You do know, it’s a big world. And as you’ve told me, the world kind of runs on computers these days. So, with all this artificial intelligence going around, is it so surprising that we’ve had glitches?” he asked her.

“Glitches happen,” she said with a sigh. “But you tell me—how many times have you seen an electric knife go crazy and head straight for the jugular?”

He shrugged. “Okay, you’ve got me there. You’ve got a car—you know where you’re going?”

She nodded. “I might not have been born here, but yes, I know where I’m going. And if not, wow, my phone does have GPS.”

He groaned. “See you there.”

As they left, she winced and hurried to her car.

Great. They’ve partnered me with a Neanderthal.

Vicky mentally shook her head as she slid into the driver’s seat of her company SUV. The strange thing to her was that Special Agent Jude Mackenzie just wasn’t that old. He’d grown up in the computer age, too. She’d briefly studied his file; he was thirty-three, he’d worked in the Jacksonville office for the last three years, worked DC before that, and done a stint down in Miami as well. He had received a few commendations, one for bringing down a large drug cartel, another for defusing a situation in which hostages had been involved during a bank robbery, seeing to it that every hostage came out alive and that the would-be robbers were arrested.

So…

He was a good action agent. But for this…

He didn’t seem to understand the extent to which AI had entered the world.

Well, if nothing else, he had a sense of humor. And he did know the city, but was that going to help them when one of their victims, the judge, had been killed in Tennessee? She wasn’t sure a physical location was going to matter, no matter how much hands-on work they could do on the victims and their lives. These crimes needed the expertise of their “geek” squad, and they had a heck of a good crew working at the main office.

Of course they were still working. She could handle a good amount on a computer herself, but she was far from the “brilliant” some of their people offered.

And that they would need.

Then again, she thought dryly, in their age of tech, they could all be together virtually in a matter of seconds.

But on the ground…well, maybe…

They needed an agent like Jude Mackenzie, one who knew people, variables, and the landscape.

Marci Warden’s law firm and home were both in St. Augustine. The drive to the office they’d call home for the next few days wasn’t far. But as she drove, Vicky noticed a dark SUV just like hers had been traveling close behind her for some time. That made her smile. Special Agent Jude Mackenzie was on her tail every step of the way. She was tempted to see if she could lose him, but playing games at this point didn’t seem like a good way to start a working relationship, especially after she had told him he was the “brawn.” Now, brawn itself wasn’t bad—suggesting he hadn’t the “brains” might not have been that polite. But he had laughed. So maybe that was okay. And chasing their shooter…

They had communicated easily when dealing with the shooter through nods and looks that were easily understood. It was going to be a decent work situation, except…

They were traveling into relatively new territory. Virtual territory that translated to murder. Handling a situation on the ground with flesh and blood suspects and physical buildings was one thing. Stopping a machine…

That was another.

Except there was someone out there manning the machine. And only by following the clues could they possibly discern just what was going on and who was commanding it all.

Now, it was time to study the victimology, to use everything the computer age they were investigating could possibly give them.

She was surprised when her phone rang. She’d been given Jude Mackenzie’s number earlier, so it pinged into her directory.

“We’re almost there,” he told her. “This place is right off Aviles…”

“The oldest street in America,” she told him, unable to resist letting him know she knew something about the area as well.

“It has a horseshoe driveway where we can park. No gates, though there’s an old coquina wall around the place, open at the driveway and the walk.”

“Gotcha,” Vicky assured him. “Any security?”

“An alarm system and a code for the door.”

“Ah, AI at work!”

He groaned and added, “Ormond just told me he heard from Cary Simmons. She and Aidan are already inside, and they’ll be working anything we get from the brilliant folks in cybercrime and elsewhere, and they will also be chasing down leads themselves. Oh, and we’re within easy walking distance to both St. George Street and Aviles so we’re conveniently near lots of food.”

“That’s always good,” she told him. “Meet you there. I have folders—my computer and some print files—”

“For us old, old-school people, huh?”

She laughed softly. “Paper is good stuff when you’ve been staring at a computer too long,” she told him. “See you.”

Ten minutes later she had parked. They were across the road, but as Jude had mentioned, she could see they were near to both St. George Street and Aviles, which made sense since the streets were close to one another. Getting out of the car, she thought about the many times she’d been here with her family when she was a child. St. Augustine wasn’t a huge city like nearby Jacksonville or Ft. Lauderdale or Miami down in the south of the state. But to her, it had always been magical. She loved that it was the “first” city in so many ways, including being the home of Potter’s, the first wax museum. She also loved the Pirate and Treasure Museum, and especially the Lightner Museum, which was housed in the old Hotel Alcazar, an amazing gilded age resort and spa commissioned by Henry Flagler. And for hardier souls, there was even the Medieval Torture Museum on St. George Street.

Of course, St. Augustine also offered beaches, beautiful beaches…

Jude had parked and gotten out of his car as well.

“Uh, are you okay?” he asked her.

“Yeah, fine. Just thinking about different times here.”

“The city is rich in history,” he agreed. “And sometimes, when it’s two in the morning as it is now,” he added dryly, “you can look down the old streets and feel as if you’ve really traveled back a few centuries.”

He stood still, just looking out into the night.

“Jude?” she murmured.

He shook his head and then turned to her. “Sorry. I was just thinking. We’re in the oldest city in the United States—or more technically, the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in the United States—investigating a murder that might have occurred because of the most modern technology we have in the world today. Where does it lead?” he asked quietly.

“I guess we fight new battles every decade,” she said. “Everything new has its wonders and its detriments.”

“I know, but this AI—”

“Your smartphone is AI!” she reminded him.

“Right. Yeah. Sorry. Again, just thinking. There’s a viral ad I’m sure you’ve seen about a guy who can’t remember where he parked his car. He presses a button on his phone and locates it immediately—and with the press of another button it starts and drives to him! So, it makes sense. If he can control his car with his phone…”

“Then someone else can control his car by hacking in on it, right,” she said quietly.

“Right. So, the judge who ran into a tree at a zillion miles an hour could have been murdered. And a modern yacht? I guess you’re right, and it could have had such a system, too. So someone could have broken into that system and murdered all aboard. It just makes me curious. How do we—”

“Firewalls. Encryption. Spyware, all kinds of protections—”

“Those can be breached,” he reminded her. “According to you, anything can be breached by a good hacker.”

“But not by many people. And usually those who can are not homicidal. Tech departments are trying to get through all the IP networks connected to various sites, but we’re the ones who need to find out why anyone would want to do this to someone else.”

“And we think it’s the same person or people,” Jude murmured. “All right, then, let’s get to it. We’re going to have to go to Marci’s law offices—”

“When they’re open. It is late, you know. Sorry. Now it’s early. Too early.”

He laughed at that. “Good point. Need any help with your things?”

“One suitcase, my shoulder bag, and a briefcase. The Bureau taught me never to travel with anything I can’t manage myself.”

“Ah, but never turn down help when it’s offered,” he reminded her.

She laughed. “It’s okay. Get your stuff—and get us inside!”

They gathered their things, and Jude punched in the code to open the front door. The house had been set up for office work with no frills. They entered to see a long stretch of desks with computers and good swivel chairs. A large screen was attached to the far wall, which allowed for pertinent information to be shared by all— even the nearsighted , Vicky thought. But it was a good place.

And they weren’t alone in it.

She’d met Aidan at Marci Warden’s house. He was now working beside a young woman with short dark hair and a quick smile. Both had been busy at their computers when they’d entered, and both rose to welcome them.

“Hey, welcome to Motel Hell!” the young woman said.

“Oh, come on, it isn’t that bad!” Aidan protested. “I was particularly fond of the fact there is a kitchen and they stocked it. Sorry, after what we saw this morning… I was still starving by the time we got here. There’s food. I doubt if you guys have eaten.”

“We have not,” Jude said, stepping forward to meet the young woman. “Cary Simmons?” he asked.

“Yes, sir. Just Cary. I’m not a special or any kind of agent. I’m tech,” she said, still smiling, shaking his hand, and looking past him to Vicky. “Hi!”

“Cary, hey. And you and Aidan are still awake. So, you’re dedicated—or simply crazy,” Vicky told her, smiling and shaking her hand as well.

“Both,” Aidan assured her. “We’ve gotten all the information regarding the case in Tennessee. We’ve been trying to find a connection between the accidents.”

“Anything yet?”

“Well, the judge and the captain of the boat were both hated—so we have long lists on them. Not to mention that Captain Ronald Quincy’s first mate of the Lucky Sun , Jeremy Hart, was just paroled out of the federal prison down in the south of the state—he’d been convicted in a child pornography sting. The chef seems to have been nothing other than a chef—no criminal record. And the other three men aboard appear to be tourists out for a day’s fishing, but they were prosecutors from Virginia, so…”

“Who was the target, the drug pusher, the pornographer, or the prosecutors?” Jude murmured.

“We’re trying to pin down associates or anyone that all of them may have known,” Aidan assured him.

“Or it was an accident. As in one or two of the incidents were accidents, and just one person was targeted, or computer glitches can kill—” Jude said.

“No! Don’t start!” Vicky moaned. “Artificial intelligence is just that—computers can juggle all kinds of information, work off algorithms, and so much more. But they are also fed information. And a good hacker—”

“Can get past any firewall or security,” Aidan finished for her, grimacing at Jude. “That’s the point— artificial . A computer—or system—must be fed information to work.”

“Sorry, okay, whatever,” Jude murmured. “Sorry!” he said to Cary who had sat silently, just looking distressed, throughout their discussion. “Okay, let’s pretend I’m totally convinced there is a person or a cult of brilliant people who are killing others through artificial intelligence systems. Either there’s a connection through victims, or they have a murder-for-hire thing going on. That’s something we need to be looking for.”

Vicky nodded, still doubtful that the “brawn” was really on their side.

“That’s true. But if so…”

“It’s terrifying for the future,” Aidan said. “Luckily, it’s difficult to get so good at all this that you can hack through systems easily. But for now, we’ll keep seeking the connection. On the one hand, someone might have gone after the fishing boat captain because he caused a loved one to die through his tainted drugs. The police were gathering evidence and it seems he was a pusher. So. Revenge. But there could be something else, so…”

“You’re looking into the three fishermen, the prosecutors? There is something there. A judge, prosecutors—and a receptionist from a law firm?” Jude suggested.

“Of course, we’re on it!” Cary assured him.

“And sleep?” he suggested.

“Well, the accommodations aren’t so great,” Cary said. “But there are two bathrooms. Aidan said it was all right when I claimed the front bathroom, but of course you two are the field agents—”

“And you are probably much more important on this case than either of us,” Jude assured her. “But the sleeping—”

“Go check it out,” Aidan said dryly.

Jude looked at Vicky, arching a brow. He indicated she should go first to choose a sleeping place from what was left.

She nodded and headed for the hall.

The place had, indeed, been outfitted for work. The old house had been transformed into something of a dorm—with fewer amenities. There were several rooms with a small closet, a small dresser, and a bed with a pillow, sheets, and blanket.

“Um, not much different. Guess I’ll crash in here,” she told him, choosing a room on the left.

“Guess I’ll take this across the hall.” He shrugged. “I am tired enough to drop so this should work.”

She nodded. “Me, too. I guess. I’ll tell Aidan and Cary good-night—and suggest they’re better at their work when they’re awake, too.”

He nodded as he went into the small bedroom he’d chosen. But he turned back around to follow her.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he told her. “I might not be Mr. Cyber Genius or even Mr. Cyber Fairly Intelligent. But I do have tremendous respect for those who are. And Aidan is one smart man, and I’m sure Cary is equally as talented.”

She smiled and nodded at him. Maybe he was finally really getting it.

They walked back out to find that both Cary and Aidan were busy at their computers again.

“Guys, great minds need sleep!” she reminded them.

“Oh, yeah, well, we’ve got this thing going so one of us needs to be watching at all hours,” Aidan said.

“I’m on now for a while,” Cary told her. “Aidan started early. I was already on the night shift. Make him get some sleep.”

She looked at Aidan.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going!” he told her. “Just…yeah. All right, Cary, I’ll take over at eight, sound good?”

“Lovely,” she assured him.

Aidan looked at Vicky. “Sometimes…if we’re on the right track, we might see something going on that can be stopped.”

“Then you two need to work, work, work!” she told him. She shook her head in a way that assured them both she knew just how hard they did work. “It’s always incredible when you get to stop something bad before it happens!”

“Yeah, like us getting shot,” Jude said thoughtfully.

“And if only we could have stopped that man…”

“Yes, I agree,” Jude told her. “I certainly didn’t expect the man to stuff a pill in his mouth. And still, I’m glad to be standing here. And we know any situation with a shooter could be them—or one of us. Well, I’ll be happier when I’m lying down somewhere. So, you guys…figure it out, sleep when you like, as for me…”

“No cyber genius,” Vicky said sweetly. “But he does think you guys are great!”

“Thanks!” Cary said, smiling.

Aidan grinned. “Jude’s all right. We are on it. And we’re not alone. FDLE, police, and feds are all in the game, too. We’re sharing information—very carefully. When we know something, we don’t want the hacker to know that we know what we know—no problem at this particular moment since we don’t know that much yet!”

“You’ll get there. And I’m getting to bed,” Jude said. “Good night, all.”

He disappeared down the hallway. Vicky looked after him.

“Hey, he really is a topnotch agent,” Aidan said quietly.

“Oh, of course, I’m sure!” Vicky said. “Anyway, I’m getting some sleep, too.” She started for the hallway but paused. “I’m still disturbed about that guy taking a suicide pill. And I’m worried. Someone only does something like that if they’re afraid of something worse than death. Like a loved one being tortured or killed.”

“Or because they really believe some ridiculous dogma that someone has been spouting,” Aidan said. “We’ve been involved with cults where…where very bad things can happen just because people believe something they’ve been told.”

“I know,” Vicky agreed. “I just…” She paused and shrugged. “I guess I’m just worried.”

“Because you’re somehow an experienced agent and a decent human being. Of course, we all know that we can’t—”

“Get personally involved, right,” Vicky said.

“There’s a fine line. Trust me, we all walk it,” he said.

She nodded. “Okay, now I’m really out of here. Well, out of this room and into bed.”

“Me, too!”

Aidan walked with her down the hall. They parted ways at the doors to their tiny dorm-style rooms. But as much as she wanted to crash right down on the bed, she opted for a fast shower. The “girls’ bathroom” was little more than sufficient, but the water was hot.

And that was what she wanted and needed.

That would help her sleep.

But even crashed onto her bed, she lay awake and relived the incidents of the day. She wondered how well she and Jude would work together once they were able to begin interrogations.

Of course…

She’d called him the brawn.

And when they’d been in trouble, he had had her back and trusted she would have his. That might be the most important key in any such working arrangement.

And still…her mind twisted and turned with the situation.

What they did know. How much they didn’t know.

But at some point, she did fall asleep.

And that made it a tremendous jolt into wakefulness when she heard the hard tap at her door.

She had no concept of time, but it couldn’t be too late in the morning. The person at her door was Cary Simmons.

“I’m sorry, it’s just that I know you were worried and I’m going to call it in, but I wanted to let you know right away. I found your ‘dead’ man.”

“Pardon me?” Vicky said, shaking the last sleep from her mind.

“Facial recognition. Most pictures of the shooter had him with different kinds of facial hair, so the program took a little longer than usual. But the man who took the pill is a fellow named Samuel Hutchins. There’s no current address—he was divorced. But his last known address is where his ex-wife, Jessy Hutchins, is living now and I thought—”

“You thought right! Text me the address—”

“I’ve already got it. She woke me five minutes ago,” a voice claimed from the hallway. Jude appeared behind Cary at her open door, fully dressed, professional, ready to move.

“I only need two!” she assured him. “Thank you, Cary!”

She was already closing the door.

Because, as she had promised, she did want to be out of the room in less than two minutes!

Samuel Hutchins had tried to kill himself, she was certain, to protect others.

So, unless there was someone else around on someone’s payroll, they shouldn’t be in any more danger…

And he had shot at them hours ago.

And still…

Moving quickly seemed to be not just expedient…

Urgent. Desperate…

Whatever. They just had to get there!