the keystrokes that whoever has the laptop really knows their stuff. They may find what I’ve done.”
“Meaning, if they find the embedded software, they’ll wonder who tampered with it. Eventually, someone in Baker’s old organization will point a finger at us.”
“Yeah. Yet another reason to support my Houdini vanishing routine.” He nodded. “But you…it may not be safe for you to go home. At least, not until we figure this out.”
“And you know, there’s another piece to this puzzle I gotta think through. Sam told me the police don’t have the laptop. They thought it was stolen at the murder scene.” She thought about it for a minute, wanting to make sure she had it right in her head. “You know, if you’re correct, I think Baker’s organization took him out. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“Globe Harvest?”
“Who else would know so much about navigating that computer? The theft was no coincidence, Harper.” She furrowed her brow. “I think if we find that stolen property, we’re gonna find Baker’s killer…and get our foot in the door to something much bigger.”
It wasn’t just a case of hunting down a laptop. That computer served as a back door into an online conspiracy linked to missing kids. There had to be big money involved too. A lot at stake. But had Lucas Baker been killed because she’d taken his computer in the first place?
“I hate to say this aloud,” he said, “but if the people behind Globe Harvest are willing to kill one of their own to keep their secret, they won’t have any trouble taking care of outsiders threatening their business.”
A cold chill shot across her skin, and not just because the AC was too high.
“You better show me how this gear works.”
Suddenly, their preparation took on a more ominous urgency.
“Yeah…guess I better,” Seth said. “Here’s the basic setup for the tracking system.”
He explained how the long range tracking system worked, transmitters with a receiver range of up to twenty-five miles on the ground. And he’d gotten his hands on a law enforcement package that would allow two people to track and cover more territory in the process—receivers, transmitters, directional antennas with RF frequencies, headphones, the works.
“The plan is to drive until we pick up an initial signal that we can track. That signal should lead us to the exact location of the laptop.” He pointed at a map of the Chicago area. “We’ll stick to the freeways to cover the most ground. Don’t veer off until you’ve got a signal to chase. You’ll start here and work your way in, and I’ll do the same coming from this direction. When we get a hit, we’ll contact each other. I know this has been a crash course, but do you think you can handle the equipment on your own?”
“I think so.” She forced a smile.
“But when we find the computer, you’re gonna contact the police, right?” he asked. “I mean, it’s evidence in a murder now. All we’re gonna do is track it, right?”
“Yeah, sure. I’ve already talked to Sam.” She nodded and grimaced a little. “Speaking of the police, I may need you to do me a favor. Detective Garza doesn’t think very highly of…my behavior with Baker.”
“You mean, when you stalked and hunted the asshole down with a gun?” Harper raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah…that.” She shrugged. “He might want to question me about where I was the night Baker was killed. Would you be willing to come forward and be my alibi if all this goes down? I don’t expect you to lie. Just tell the truth about what happened that night.”
“All of it?”
“Yes, all of it.” She tried not to act insulted that he’d suggested lying would be a better option. “I’ll take the heat for what happened, but personally, I think being wrapped in duct tape makes a pretty good argument for extenuating circumstances in your case. And Sam can attest to what happened.”
Seth narrowed his eyes and slouched back in the desk chair. “If you need me…yeah, I’ll do it. But Jess, it wouldn’t be my first choice for…entertainment. Believe me, it’s not that I object to helping out, but…I’ve got my reasons.”
“Yeah, kind of figured as much.” She nibbled her lower lip. “Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Besides, if we get lucky locating Baker’s computer, the heat will be off me, and Sam can finish the rest. Finding stolen evidence in a murder investigation should make her look pretty good in front of CPD brass too.”
She thought of something else. A precaution.
“Listen…in case we get split up…when we find the location of the laptop, we’ll contact Sam and let her know. I promised her no more secrets. And we don’t want to take possession of stolen property. It’ll screw with CPD’s chain of evidence.” She found a pen and used a pad of hotel stationery to write down Sam’s number. “So it might be a good idea if you had her cell number too. Just in case.”
“Yeah…sure.” When Seth tried to smile, he winced and reached for his cut lip. “Don’t mistake me for a lightweight, but—
With humor, he’d taken everything in stride, but his grimace gave her an opening.
“Listen, Seth. I’m sorry for getting you into all this. I don’t know why you’re still…helping me, but I really appreciate having you as a friend, you know?”
“Yeah…I know.”
“But I gotta ask. Why are you doing this? I know it’s not for the big bucks I’m paying you.”
He stared at her a long time and finally answered, “Not everything is about…money.”
She wanted to laugh aloud when she heard nearly the same words that she’d said to Sam the other day. Seth Harper was more than a kindred spirit. He was a damned mind reader.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself.” She grinned and patted his shoulder. “Let’s do this.”
She helped him pack the equipment, and it took time to carry it down to their vehicles and make sure the gear was operational. This time of day, they would hit the early outbound commuter traffic. And by the drops of rain on her windshield, the drive would be ugly and slow moving. But as she drove out of downtown Chicago, following Harper, she had more on her mind than the weather.
She wondered what they’d find when the search narrowed to a single location. If Lucas Baker wasn’t the tip of a very nasty iceberg, then why did she feel like the captain of the
CHAPTER 14
Nothing. She hadn’t found a damned thing. And from their last call, neither had Seth.
Although the tracking system kept interference to a minimum, it didn’t block out frequency noise completely. Every time the gear would register a blip of sound, it made her heart race until it cleared, getting her hopes up for nothing. And the system didn’t operate real-time. It had a slight delay. That meant she had to learn how the equipment worked the hard way—trial and error coupled with emotional highs and lows.
And to compound her stress, when she turned on her car headlights at dusk due to overcast skies and steady rain, she fell victim to a dismal funk that left her exhausted. The darkness exacerbated her sullen mood, and thumping wipers competed with noise coming off the receiver, making matters worse. Long hours and sleepless nights had caught up with her and she was nearly on empty, in more ways than one. She hadn’t eaten since morning and would soon have to find a gas station. None were in sight.
A road sign ahead gave her the miles to the Indiana border, reminding her she’d slipped farther southeast than she had planned. They hadn’t discussed crossing state lines into northwest Indiana or heading north into Wisconsin, but that made more sense than driving through rural Illinois or driving into states to the west. Instinct had played a part in her thinking, considering Baker had been murdered in South Chicago and that Globe Harvest might want close proximity to Chicago airports.
Jess glanced at her gas gauge when she saw a road sign for a station ahead. Time for caffeine and a call to Harper. After taking a pit stop and buying a large cup of black coffee, she leaned against the outside of her vehicle to stretch her legs, sipping java and talking to him.
“I’ve got nothing. With a twenty-five-mile radius, I’m not sure how far to take this.”
She gave him her location on I-57 south and they talked about her state line theory. Seth had used his instincts too. He’d driven west until his gut told him to try north, with the same result. Nothing.
“We may have to call it a night, try again tomorrow…early,” he suggested.
“No. What if they move, take it farther away or destroy the transmitter? I don’t think we can risk it. Thanks to
