Page 6

Five

Once the remnants of the black box were delivered to technicians, Vicky and Jude returned to the house by the old district.

Vicky wasn’t surprised to find Aidan and Cary still at their computers despite the hour. They’d all learned long ago that criminal endeavors seldom worked by a schedule or timetable. And the two technical analysts working with them on this case were dedicated. Something that was not just valuable at this time, but necessary.

“So, you two had quite the day, eh?” Aidan said, leaning back as they entered.

“Nothing like a dive into Slaughter Bay!” Vicky told him cheerfully.

“And dodging bullets,” Cary said, wincing.

“Still hoping they can catch him at a hospital or medical facility,” Jude said.

“Vet,” Aidan said.

“What?” Jude asked him, frowning. “You think the shooter might be ex-military, or even current military, and that he would have gone to a veteran’s hospital?”

Aidan grimaced, wrinkling his face with a touch of amusement. “No, I’ve put a call out to veterinarians—animal doctors.”

“Right, right, of course,” Jude said, shaking his head. “Yeah, let’s see… Get shot and don’t want to get reported? You either know, bribe, or threaten a veterinarian. But—”

“Like Aidan said,” Cary offered, “we tried everything. But if someone has been bribed or threatened, and they’re still afraid of being shot themselves, they’re not going to report it.”

“Of course not,” Vicky said. “Anyway, we were given direct orders to go to bed. I’m thinking I know you two a little better now, and I’m thinking you probably need a few direct orders to go to bed, too. We’re not alone on this,” she reminded them. “But, of course with that said—”

“Do we have anything new?” Aidan asked, amused.

“Do you?” Jude asked.

Aidan sighed. “Nothing telling. So far, we’ve been concentrating on dossiers for everyone involved in Marci Warden’s life. But all she’s done lately is work, so it seems. And we’ve gathered what we can on the fine esquire types at the law firm. We’ve been accumulating all the info we can on those who were on the exploding boat. We’ve also done a list of those who the judge sentenced harshly in the last few years, focusing on those with relatives on the outside who either have computer expertise or a lot of money.”

“And you’ve—” Vicky began.

“We sent you all the files about ten minutes ago. Especially the files on the collision case in Tennessee once we were informed you might be making the trip up to Nashville,” Cary told her.

Vicky glanced at Jude who had already turned toward her, shaking his head.

“It’s not going to hurt us to spend a few hours there, though…” Vicky said.

“Hey, we think it’s all centered here somewhere, too,” Aidan said.

“Centered here. And I seriously believe it’s murder for hire,” Jude said. “What better way to get away with it? A computer goes whacky and someone is dead. Who do you blame? It becomes not who, but what. Technology.”

“But—” Aidan began.

He didn’t finish. Jude had lifted his hand. “But the educated and informed know that technology is fed what it has, and in this case, a devious mind is pulling strings.”

“Hey, the old dude is coming around,” Aidan told Cary.

“I protest that! I’m thirty-three,” Jude said, shaking his head. “I just never… I never suspected someone would murder someone else with technology.”

“It’s happened before. We’re just beginning to suspect that some accidents in the past might have been preplanned,” Aidan said. He sighed and looked at them both. “Cars. GPS. Great. Law enforcement has often been able to track cars suspected of being used in a crime, and that part is just great. But now…you can find your car by pressing a key on your phone, and you can start your car and cars even drive themselves. But that kind of a computer system isn’t really all that hard to hack, so…there have probably been more incidents than we know about. We know for a fact that many cars have been stolen that way.”

“I’m going to bed,” Vicky said. “Because you know, I was ordered to get some sleep!”

She smiled to the group and waved and started down the hallway but paused and looked back.

“Hey! We were ordered to sleep!”

“Yeah,” Jude said. “That’s easy enough. I can go to bed. I’m just hoping to hell I can turn my mind off.”

“The human brain—the deadliest computer out there!” Aidan said.

Vicky groaned. “I don’t know, guys. Assistant Director Arnold told us to go to bed. I have a feeling that means we’re going to get a call at the crack of dawn giving us more orders. So…hmm. I’m going to beg my brain to let me go to sleep!”

She headed on into her bedroom. It was late—she was exhausted—but even still she showered. After the water and the day, she felt like a salt lick.

The hot water was delicious, but…

Jude was right. She kept thinking. Thinking about everything. Murder for hire. Easy enough—because a machine was going to do the murdering.

And still…

She finally got out of the shower, dried off, and curled into her bed. She lay awake staring at the ceiling. Then she forced her eyes to close.

When she did so, she saw pictures. The pictures of the heads of departments at the law firm of Wharton, Dixon, and Smith.

But exhaustion claimed her at last.

And as she suspected might happen, her phone began to ring at the crack of dawn.

Assistant Director Arnold was on the phone.

“The judge’s legal aid is ready to walk through his recent hardcore cases, and police are ready to show you the crash site. You can also speak with the mechanics working on the car’s tech,” he told her. “There’s a small private airport fifteen miles north of your location. A plane is waiting. It will deliver you to the Nashville area where a car will be left for you. The plane and pilot will be ready to fly back when you are.”

“Yes, sir,” she murmured, hoping she sounded as if she were semi-awake.

“Are you in agreement with your partner?” Arnold asked her.

“Pardon, sir?”

“Convinced that the heart of all this is resting near you somewhere? I don’t understand his determination. Servers seem to be bouncing back and forth from all over the world. Here’s the thing—I have you on the ground, other agents are checking out possibilities, Aidan and Cary and a host of people in DC are all working on this. But the heart of an AI scam could be…”

“Anywhere in the world,” Vicky said. “Yes, sir. There’s just… All right, sir, we’ve discovered that cars are easy to hack—if you’re an accomplished cyber hacker. And a boat’s system is much like that of an airplane. Yes, not as easy, but again, an accomplished cyber hacker can get in and do a number on it. But Marci worked for a law firm where one of the partners assured us their people were young and able and computer savvy.”

“All right, then… But it’s important to find out everything that you can in Tennessee. We never know when one lead might lead to another. And—”

“It was a judge who was killed,” Vicky murmured.

“No life is more valuable than another,” Arnold said firmly, “but we don’t want to create an open season on people in power, either. If the judge was killed in a revenge plot, and there’s word on the dark web, then…”

“Right. We’ll get to the bottom of this, sir. We won’t stop until we do,” Vicky promised. She hesitated. “I do understand my partner’s reasoning. Marci Warden was a receptionist. She had a record so clean it sparkled. No drugs, nothing illegal in her past, no questionable friends or acquaintances. She had to have known something that someone was worried about her sharing. And that brings us back to the law offices.”

“Your logic is good. But if you can discover anything in Tennessee, it may lead you back to the law offices—but with a better idea of where to start. Anyway—”

“I’m up!” Vicky promised.

And she was, but not much further along when there was a knock on her door two minutes later.

She had her clothes out on the bed, but she hadn’t changed out of the flannel gown she loved—even in Florida. Air--conditioning could be freezing at night.

Of course, when she opened the door, it was Jude standing there.

“I take it—” he began.

“Just hung up. Give me five minutes,” Vicky told him.

He nodded. “Coffee is brewed. That might help.”

“Oh, yeah, thanks!” she told him, and studying his face she added, “You never turned your brain computer off last night?” she asked.

“I lay awake awhile,” he admitted. “Hot shower…another hot shower. I know, I know—it must sound like I’m obsessed with showers, but they relieve tension. So! I got some sleep. Enough to really want coffee now. See you in the kitchen. I did bring an overnight bag, just in case.”

“Right. Hey, I always have a to-go bag packed. I’ll see you in the kitchen.”

She was ready in five minutes. Being part of what was described as a “fly team,” Vicky had learned from the beginning to be ready to go at a moment’s notice.

In the kitchen she saw Aidan was up as well, speaking with Jude who listened to him gravely.

“I’ve just sent some files to your phones,” Aidan said. “Cary and I think we’ve discovered an individual for you to investigate.”

“From what I understand, Judge Ian McFarlane was tough—almost beyond tough,” Jude said. “He’d give the harshest sentences the law allowed, even going so far as to—”

“He’s known for doling out the death penalty in cases of first-degree murder,” Aidan said. “He was a man who believed that the victim deserved justice—and those who took a life owed a life. But here’s where I think—following some of the logic I gained from the two of you—that this whole cyber thing might be an exceptional murder-for-hire plot. In fact, considering the many planes, weapons depots, navy vessels, and more that might be targeted by a hacker, murder for hire might be the lesser of many evils. But here’s the subject that caught my eye. Carlos Rodriguez.”

Vicky frowned, pulling out her phone, finding the file, and looking from Jude to Aidan. “Ah,” she murmured. “So, this Carlos Rodriguez has been on the DEA’s watch list for years. But—”

“Keep reading,” Aidan said.

She did.

And she winced as she did so. “Carlos’s son was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder. He…chopped up his wife, Peggy, and her sister, literally killed them by dismembering them slowly…and Judge McFarlane gave Victor Rodriguez the death penalty.” She winced, looking at Aidan. “He’s on death row now. His attorneys have filed another appeal.”

“You don’t need to see the crime photos—you know enough. But Carlos Rodriguez apparently thought his daughter-in-law was a cheating whore and deserved horrible things happening to her. But, of course, he’s maintaining his son’s innocence. And he’s rich. Drug money, the DEA believes. But catching him has proven difficult because of his offshore accounts, and he seems to be the director of everything and never gets his own hands dirty. Anyway, there’s more. But we thought you might want to start by concentrating your efforts on this man. If you can find a way to see him.”

“We will,” Jude assured him.

“And we’re online, on call, available anytime you need us,” Aidan assured them.

Jude nodded. “Thanks, Aidan. If anyone is really going to crack this thing, it’s you two.” He turned to Vicky. “Ready?”

“Yep. Coffee in hand, thanks,” she said.

“Hey, Aidan even brewed the coffee,” Jude said.

“Strong enough to move mountains,” Aidan said, amused. “I know Jude, and I’m coming to know you, too, Special Agent Victoria Tennant!”

She grinned. “Thank you! And we’re off!”

It was early. They had gotten out before the workforce and students that began morning rush hour, meaning they would avoid any long delays.

They easily found the small private airfield where they’d been directed, then they located the plane that had been commandeered by Assistant Director Arnold for their trip.

“Hmm,” Jude murmured as they settled in.

“Hmm?” Vicky queried.

“I guess I was thinking of something more…”

Vicky laughed aloud. “Elegant?”

The plane wasn’t miniature, but it only allowed for a pilot and no more than four passengers.

Their pilot, a young man of about thirty, laughed.

“Hey, she’s not a bad plane,” he promised.

“Yeah, you know, private jet. I was just thinking of lounge seating, a fully stocked fridge, you know… Pillows, maybe,” Jude said.

They all laughed.

“Ah, but here’s the thing—this baby will get you there quickly and safely. How’s that?” the pilot asked.

“Brilliant!” Jude said. “Just what we need.”

And it was. The flight didn’t seem to be a full hour and a half. As Arnold had promised, a car was waiting for them along with a patrol car and two state officers.

They’d both taken the time to study all the information Aidan and Cary had accrued for them. As Aidan had said, Carlos Rodriguez was the man with the money—and possibly the contacts—to have arranged for a death through the dark web.

They quickly met the officers who were there to show them to the crash site: Grant Como and Franci Banks.

“Who’s driving?” Como asked. He was a man of about forty with a quick and easy smile along with an easy manner.

Jude and Vicky looked at each other.

“Just throw the keys,” Jude said.

He let Vicky catch them, but she grinned and handed them to him. “Ah, you can drive!”

“So you can sleep?”

“Something like that!” she assured him.

He knew she wouldn’t sleep. He knew she’d be inspecting the crash photos on her phone while they headed to the location.

“Country roads,” Franci Banks said. “John Denver knew what he was talking about, but you’ll see,” she told them. Like Como, she appeared to be in her early forties, and a woman as easy as her partner—someone more than willing to work with others.

They started out.

The plane had landed at an airfield west of Nashville, and they were quickly on their way, continuing on a southwestwardly route toward Nunnelly and the crash site.

They drove about thirty minutes.

Despite the removal of the body and the car, they could easily see the crash site. And while the area had been cleaned up after the crash, to the right of the road the small grove of oak trees wasn’t enough to dispel the violence of the event with several trees bowed almost in half, rents and tears in the bark of every spot that had been hit.

Vicky and Jude walked the area, looking from the road to the crash site. There was no explanation there for a car simply going off the quiet road to slam into the tree.

And there had been no sign of alcohol or drugs in the respected judge at autopsy

Something or someone other than the driver had caused the crash.

“Trees are still alive and,” Como told them, shrugging, “in this area, the flora and fauna are respected. The people brought in to inspect the damage believe the trees will live. As it happens, because of these trees, you can see…it’s been estimated the car was going about seventy-five miles an hour. There were no skid marks, no attempt by anyone to slow the car down. Of course, our people studied the car’s computer. They believe it was hacked. You might have noticed we’re in a small place here, and the local sheriff wanted the Bureau called in because of the judge’s…position.”

“I know our tech people have seen the reports,” Vicky told him. “And—”

“He was respected by many, many people. And hated as well,” Banks told them.

“An eye for an eye kind of judge?” Jude asked.

Banks shrugged. “I don’t think the man was particularly vicious. There were cases I read about when he was merciful, when he looked to psychiatric help rather than pure punishment. But some of the murder cases that went up before him…”

“We heard that a man chopped his wife up alive along with his sister-in-law,” Jude told her.

“It had to have been one of the most brutal and torturous deaths imaginable,” Banks told them. “The ME said she—and her sister-in-law—finally died by exsanguination. But the cruelty! He started with fingers and toes, went on to hands and feet, calves, lower arms. It’s almost impossible to imagine one human being doing that to another. He’s appealing the death penalty right now. But even with Judge Ian McFarlane dead, I don’t see a reprieve. And I don’t care how much money Carlos Rodriguez has to try to save his son.”

“We hear the DEA has been watching him a long time,” Jude commented.

Banks and Como both nodded solemnly.

“But…the elder Rodriguez is suspected of being a drug lord, not a computer whiz,” Banks told them, shaking her head. “Of course, there are others the judge sentenced harshly. He was a man with no patience for defense attorneys that grasped at straws—not that defense attorneys aren’t invaluable! The innocent are sometimes accused as well.”

“Is there any possibility the younger Rodriguez was innocent?” Jude asked.

“Well, he was caught leaving the house and the bodies with the murder weapon in his possession and blood all over himself, so…it seems unlikely. Also, he was screaming about his wife deserving everything she got…that no woman did to a real man what she had done to him without paying the price.”

Jude looked at Vicky, arching a brow.

“He does not sound like a nice guy,” she said. “But—”

“Does the father hang out anywhere specific?” Jude asked.

“Oh, yeah. There’s a bar back in the city—back in Nashville, I mean,” Como said. He glanced at Banks. “We keep an eye on it—the DEA keeps an eye on it. We believe Rodriguez is responsible for the majority of fentanyl that makes its way into the city. But we’ve never caught him. Banking is offshore in places that don’t honor our warrants or subpoenas. We’ve staked out the bar several times. A good old boy named Jeffrey Lemming is the titular owner, but you can usually find Carlos Rodriguez there at night in the corner seat at the bar. We’ve tried. Several times—just as the DEA has tried. And we’re still just watching the drugs hit the street,” Como told them.

“And what about the son? The killer on death row?” Jude asked. “Victor Rodriguez?”

“He’s being held at the federal prison,” Banks told them.

“And what about visitors?”

“Well,” Banks said, looking at Como. “He sees his attorneys.”

“And here we go…attorneys,” Jude said, looking at Vicky. He grimaced. “Trust me! I know.”

“Every man is entitled to his defense,” Banks said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“I’d like to see him,” Jude said, looking at Vicky. “Victor, that is. Without his attorneys, if we could make it happen by any wild chance. What we have is on paper. There may be more behind it all.”

Vicky frowned, looking at him. It sounded as if the prosecution had been in possession of enough evidence to give them an airtight case.

But…

Jude had been right about the scene where the Lucky Sun had crashed when the “black box” showed them that the yacht had been sabotaged. Still, she wasn’t sure what he thought he might gain by seeing Victor Rodriguez. It was apparent that the police here had already tried to talk to the man. They might have evidence on the son, but if they didn’t have anything solid on the father, they couldn’t arrest him.

And even if they could arrest him, they couldn’t force him to talk.

“I’m not sure he’ll agree—”

“I’ll check in with his attorneys,” Jude said. He shrugged. “I have a law degree, maybe…”

He let off with a shrug and then added, “We can’t thank you two enough. We’ll start at this all from the other end now. And thanks—you gave us your cards. Hope it’s okay if we call you—”

“If you need anything at all!” Banks assured him. “I’ll see to it the information on the Rodriguez legal team and anything else is sent to your phones.”

“Perfect, thanks,” Jude told them.

Vicky echoed his thanks, and they headed back toward their own car.

In the car, she stared at him incredulously and asked, “You have a law degree? You’re just mentioning that now?”

He sighed. “I have a degree, yes. But I wanted to be an agent. I haven’t practiced law, so it didn’t really seem like something that important.”

“We’re looking into a law firm!” she reminded him.

“And if my degree can help at any point, I’ll use it!”

She shook her head, smiling and looking down. Then she said, “Okay. Just what do you think we can get from Victor Rodriguez? The man was guilty as all hell according to the evidence and what he said—”

“But what if he wasn’t?” Jude asked.

“What? You heard what they told us. Jude, we have all those records, and the man was screaming about the woman when the police nabbed him.”

“From what I understand—and you can read the records again—he kept screaming she got what she deserved. He didn’t say he’d done it—just that she had gotten what she deserved.”

“But he had the knife. He was covered in blood—”

“He could have picked up the knife. And anyone near a scene like that might well be covered in blood,” Jude said.

“But…why? Why would he let himself be tried, go on the stand, say things that sounded a hell of a lot like a confession unless… Oh!” Vicky said.

He smiled, nodding as he drove.

“You’re getting my drift. I read the records. Victor Rodriguez grew up in Tennessee—he was born in America. His father was born in Colombia—born into a cartel family. That’s why I want to meet them both. Maybe Victor would have been fine with a divorce. But when you get into a man who is pure cartel and powerful enough to laugh at the DEA, you may discover a man who wouldn’t tolerate the least indiscretion from a woman. And…”

“You think the son might have admitted to the murder—in lieu of his father? Why?”

Jude shrugged. “Maybe to make the old man proud of him at last? And maybe because they both believed Carlos could get Victor freed while Victor didn’t have his father’s influence, money, or power among other murderers and thieves.”

“And when Judge McFarlane wouldn’t budge in any way, shape, or form…”

“He had to die,” Jude said, looking at the road ahead. “It’s just a theory. But… I think we need to meet both men.”

“So, I’ll go after the father at the bar while you take your law degree to the prison. Wait! Do you really have a law degree?” she asked. “I mean, we don’t want to do anything that won’t stand up in court if we can get someone to charge!”

He shrugged and smiled. “Yeah, I really do have a law degree, and I have passed the bar in Florida. Loved the law before discovering I loved criminology more and that I wanted to be in the field. I’m not going to lie. I do keep up with an association that deals with ‘innocence’ work because more often than we’d like to believe, we do get the wrong person for various reasons. And when things are brought to us… Well, you don’t want to keep a real killer out on the streets. And you don’t want to keep innocent people in jail. Oh. And yes—and no,” he told her.

“What?” she asked. “You know, I’m learning to follow that very strange mind of yours, but I can’t follow that one!”

He smiled again. “We’re not going anywhere alone. If I go into the prison as an attorney with one of the innocence projects, you’ll come in as my assistant. And when you go into the bar—you are gorgeous. You’ll be able to flirt easily, charm the old bastard, but…”

“But?”

“I’ll be at the bar, too. We aren’t splitting up on this.”

“And here I thought you were the great loner!”

He was quiet, still staring straight ahead. Then he apparently decided it was time to explain himself to her.

“I worked with a fellow named Matt Reid when I started with the Bureau. I was the junior in our twosome. But…we were working a dual case with the DEA as it happened. I knew something wasn’t right at a meet—I told Matt not to go in alone. He thought his undercover identity was completely solid. I just—knew something was wrong. I followed him, and I saw the dealer draw his gun, and I got a shot off. But just at the same time that he did. The dealer went down but so did Matt. He was a great guy, but he didn’t think he needed backup. And now…”

“I’m so sorry. He was killed?”

“Matt is alive. In a wheelchair for the rest of his life.”

“I’m truly sorry.”

He nodded. “So—”

“So, when you learned just how important backup was, you went off on your own?” she asked dryly.

He turned at last to smile at her.

“You’ve reminded me there is nothing in the world like having a partner you trust in every aspect of the job,” he said quietly.

“And you’ll also be damned if you won’t have my back?” Vicky asked.

“You got it,” he said. “So…let’s give Aidan a call. He can set us up with Victor Rodriguez’s attorneys and pave the way for all that’s needed. Tonight… Hell, I could use a drink!”

“Wait! You’re going to a bar to drink and have my back?”

He laughed. “Nonalcoholic beer tonight. Fear not!”

“I wasn’t afraid,” she assured him.

Vicky made the call to Aidan and was surprised Aidan didn’t seem at all confused. But then Jude had been working out of a Florida office, and he and Aidan knew one another…

So Aidan probably already knew about all the mysteries behind Jude.

And it did seem there were several.

With her call completed, she leaned back against the seat. The sun was bright. It felt as if the day had been long already. But Arnold had, indeed, called them at the crack of dawn.

They’d flown here. They’d driven…

And it was barely noon.

The day had just begun.

She closed her eyes. He was fine driving; she could rest. If he wanted her to drive, he’d let her know.

But she had barely closed her eyes when her phone began to ring.

Aidan. Of course. He’d have been working right away on her request, and he and Cary seemed to have a special magic with communication.

“You’re all cleared. You can head straight to the prison. Federal, because the sister-in-law who was killed was kidnapped from Georgia, so you’re talking about crossing state lines, which is how the FBI wound up involved from the get-go. I have you heading straight to the prison,” Aidan told her. “And then at four, you have an appointment with Special Agent Enrique Torres. He was there for the arrest and the trial.”

She glanced at Jude.

“Putting our address into the navigation,” she said.

“GPS,” he murmured.

“Well, right.”

“AI,” he said.

“Well, a form of it, of course,” Vicky agreed.

He was frowning.

“Call Assistant Director Arnold. Tell him we need a different car. Something old—something without a computer,” Jude told her.

“Jude. This is a Bureau car—”

“And as you’ve taught me, anything can be hacked.”

“Oh? But now, today, here? You think someone—”

“Yes. They may well know why we’re here and exactly what we’re doing. Country roads! The judge—”

He broke off.

“Out! Get out—just jump out and roll. Now!” Jude said.

She could feel it. The car picking up speed…

As he had commanded, she threw open her door. She halfway jumped and halfway rolled out of the car, wincing as she hit the ground hard before rolling toward the softer embankment.

And it hurt, of course. She’d have bruises and scrapes and scratches, but…

The car she had leaped from careened off the road at a stunning speed…

Crashed into a grove of trees…

And exploded with a fiery thunder.