She's an Easy Target, page 12
part #2 of Quinton Target Series
“What’s the next thing you remember?”
“I woke up tied to a chair. I thought at first, I was dreaming. Then I saw the guy in the mask. I made a joke out of it and he became angry and slapped me a few times. Next, he said that he was going to ask me questions and if I didn’t answer them honestly, I’d be punished.”
“What type of questions?”
“Some of them had to do with my assignment. I can’t discuss those.”
“Tell me what you can.”
“He seemed to be aware of what I was doing last night and wanted to know why the NSA had ordered the operation. Also, he asked who oversaw it and I told him it was Lucas Taylor.”
“What else?”
“He asked who Rasputin was and I told him what little I knew about the man. He didn’t dwell on Rasputin. It was more of an incidental question.”
“Go on.”
“For some reason, he had an interest in Special Agent Warren. I told him Warren had been reassigned and I didn’t know where he worked or lived.”
“Is there any connection between Warren and your current assignment.”
“As you know, Warren was the task force leader of the investigation into Upshaw corporation. Let’s leave it at that?”
“You’re investigating Upshaw and the Chinese again?”
“No comment,” she said, but the look on her face indicated that the answer was yes.
“OK, I won’t push it.”
“The kidnapper also asked me about an organization called the Global Intelligence Agency, which I’ve never heard of.”
“Did you answer all of his questions or did you refuse to answer some?”
“I resisted at first, trying to stall long enough for you to find me, but then he started torturing me and I told him what I knew.”
“How did he know when you were being truthful?”
“You’re going to think I’m crazy, but it was like he could read my mind. He put this wire harness on my head that was attached to a black box. I think it was a mindreading device.”
“Does such a thing exist?”
“Yes. I believe he had an older generation device that requires the wire harness. Upshaw Corporation and others have developed prototypes that don’t require wires attached to the head.”
“Your assignment wouldn’t have something to do with mindreading devices, would it?”
“... Yes, it does, but I can’t go into details.”
“Tell me about the kidnapper’s demands.”
“He said he was considering letting me go, but he needed me to promise him three things. One: When he contacted me, I’d answer any questions he asked even if the answer was classified. Two: When he asked me for a ransom, I’d get the money from my father and transfer it to him.”
“So, he didn’t say he was going to directly contact your father for the ransom.”
“No, but he knew my father’s name and where he lived. That’s why I had to call my dad and forewarn him.”
“What was the third demand?”
“... I had to promise to provide sexual services to him or others, when he asked.”
“And, you agreed?”
Blaire began to choke up. “What else could I do?” she said. “I told him I’d do anything if he didn’t disfigure or kill me.”
QT got up from his chair and put his arm around her to comfort her. “You did the right thing.”
She sniffled and said, “Did I? I feel guilty for not being stronger.”
“You had no choice,” he said emphatically. “Survival was your number one priority. Did he sexually assault you in the storage unit?”
“No.”
He paused for a moment before asking the next question. “I don’t understand why, after you’d agreed to all of his demands, he pretended to throw acid in your face. Can you shed any light on that?”
“Before he left, he got all weird and told me that because of my looks, I thought I was better than people like Lucas Taylor and him. He said he was going to do me a favor by showing me what it would be like to no longer be one of the beautiful people. That’s when he threw the liquid from the canister at me.”
“The whole sexual part of this, including the fake disfigurement seems personal. Somewhere, we’re going to find a personal connection between the kidnapper and you. Lucas Taylor is a good place for us to start looking.”
“While I was in captivity, I thought it might be Lucas, but he doesn’t fit the physical description of the kidnapper. Lucas is righthanded, six feet tall, has brown eyes, and a paunch. The man who attacked me has none of those traits.”
“Just because he didn’t do the actual attacks, doesn’t mean he’s not involved.”
“You’re right. He’s obsessed with me and capable of doing something like that.”
“I have one more question. Do you know how a dead body got in the trunk of your car?”
Chapter 23
Lieutenant Mad went to the kitchen to fix herself lunch. After delivering Blaire’s clothes to QT at the hospital at three-thirty in the morning, she’d come home, gone right to sleep and slept through breakfast. She was famished. Her room over the garage was equipped with a refrigerator, but it was currently empty. Dr. Bit extended her an open invitation to use his kitchen and eat any food therein. In the refrigerator meat drawer, she spotted cold cuts that weren’t beyond the expiration date. She made herself a turkey sandwich and grabbed a bag of chips from the pantry.
Dr. Bit wandered into the kitchen, moving rather gingerly. His hair was tousled, and both eyes were blackened.
“You look like a raccoon,” the lieutenant said. “Do your eyes hurt?”
“Everything hurts. I’m not designed to be a bad ass. I don’t like being punched. I thought I’d moved beyond those days where bullies knocked me down.”
“That’s what happens when you have a sexy girlfriend. Tough guys want to take what’s yours.”
“Now that I know Chloe can fight like she can, in the future I’ll stay out of the way and let her handle it. She doesn’t have a mark on her. She’s as beautiful as ever.”
“Speaking of Chloe, are the two of you getting together today or is she working on Saturday again?”
He shrugged. “She told me last night she’d check on me today, but I haven’t heard from her yet.”
“Where does she live?”
“Why do you want to know? You aren’t going to go over there and accuse her of being responsible for anything that happened yesterday, are you?”
“Now who’s acting paranoid?”
“She lives in an apartment building on the other side of the UVA campus from us. It’s about a mile from the football stadium.”
“When you have a chance, send me her email address and I’ll forward the group selfie pictures from last night to her.”
Dr. Bit picked up his phone from the counter, keyed a text, and sent it. “There you go,” he said. “I’m glad we took the pictures before I had two black eyes.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think they give your face character. You look like a bad ass even if you aren’t one.”
A ringtone sounded, and Dr. Bit answered his phone. He turned his back to Lieutenant Mad, but she could still hear his side of the conversation.
“Hi. I thought you’d forgotten about me.”
“... I didn’t see any missed calls from you, but smartphones are flakey sometimes.”
“... I was planning to go right to sleep last night, but I had an unscheduled emergency. How’d you know I went to Crozet?”
“... I forgot we put that tracking app on our phones.”
“... It’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it when I see you.”
“... I didn’t go to the hospital at three in the morning. I was in pain, but it wasn’t bad enough to go to the emergency room. I’ll have to check the app on my phone to see what it says.”
“... My eyes look worse than they feel. The lieutenant says I look like a bad ass racoon.”
“... I sent her your email address. She’ll forward the pictures to you.”
“... Oh, that’s disappointing. I thought the Social Security Office was closed on the weekends.”
“... Oh, I see ... Tonight would be great. I’ll ice my black eyes.”
“... If it makes me sexy, maybe I should get into more brawls.”
“... Bye, honey”
“... I miss you, too.”
Dr. Bit set his phone down on the counter. “That was Chloe,” he said.
“I gathered.”
“She’s working today, but we’re getting together tonight.”
“I heard your entire conversation. You don’t have to repeat it.”
“Oh, OK.”
“I took your car last night to drop some clothes off at the hospital for Blaire. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.”
“Maybe I misunderstood, but I thought I heard you say that you and Chloe have an app to allow you to track each other’s location.”
“That’s right. Any objections?”
“No, it’s up to you who you share your location with. I was just wondering how Chloe knew your car went to the hospital. Your phone was in your bedroom with you when I took your car to the hospital.”
“I’m sure there’s a logical explanation. I’ll ask her about it when we get together tonight.”
“I’d be interested in hearing her answer, strictly from a technical curiosity standpoint.”
“You’re not fooling anyone. You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Questioning Chloe’s integrity.”
“I didn’t mean to do that. I’m a curious person, like you are. For example, I’d be curious to know if your app shows her location is currently the Social Security Office.”
Dr. Bit checked Chloe’s location on his app but didn’t say anything.
“Well?”
“I’m sure she’ll have an explanation.”
Chapter 24
Blaire was emphatic when she said, “I haven’t been near my car since I was taken last night and there wasn’t a body inside my trunk when I tossed my backpack into it immediately before I was drugged. Has the victim been identified?”
“No, the local police are handling the autopsy and crime scene investigation.”
“Well, I don’t know anything about it.”
“Did you see anyone inside the storage unit besides the man in the mask.”
“No.”
“Rasputin saw two people take you. One of them drove your car to Crozet.”
“Not too long after the man in the mask threw the liquid in my face and left, I vaguely remember hearing two men arguing outside the storage unit. There were a couple of pops, which could’ve been gun shots, and then the arguing stopped.”
“What were they arguing about?”
“I couldn’t tell what they were saying, only that they were angry about something.”
“Can you remember anything that might help us identify either of them?”
“I was pretty much out of it by then. I thought the man in the mask had changed his mind and was coming back to kill me. At that point, I was hoping he would.”
“After the gunshots, did you hear a car drive away?”
“Right before I passed out, I heard a car stop by the unit and then sit there with the engine idling. I have no idea who was inside the car. That’s the last thing I remember until you showed up. I must’ve been unconscious when the car left. I’m sorry I’m not much help.”
“At least you were able to confirm the kidnapper had an accomplice. Once we identify the dead man, perhaps he’ll lead us back to whoever else was involved.”
“I hope so. I feel like an easy target right now.”
“There is one other thing I’d like to ask you. Do you know a woman named Chloe Ripen?”
Blaire hesitated for a moment to carefully word her reply. “I don’t know a woman by that name. Who is she?”
“She’s Dr. Bit’s girlfriend. The woman I had drinks with last night.”
“The one you told me was hot?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I don’t know her.”
QT pulled up one of the group selfies that Lieutenant Mad had sent him.
“Here’s a picture of her,” he said and handed his iPhone to Blaire.”
“The brunette you’re cuddled next to?”
“She’s the brunette, but we weren’t cuddling.”
“Actually, I have seen her before, but her name wasn’t Chloe. Her first name was Savannah and she was a blonde like me. I don’t remember her last name.”
“When and where did you meet her?”
“It was at the JUIAF a few weeks ago. She was introduced as a consultant employed by the NSA.”
“Was that before or after your new boss arrived in Charlottesville?”
“Shortly after.”
“I have a feeling I’ve met her before, too, but the name, Savannah, doesn’t sound familiar.”
“One of my coworkers at the JUIAF told me Savannah had previously done intelligence contract work for the CIA, NSA., and FBI.”
“Maybe I ran into her when she was consulting for the FBI. I’m going to run her picture against the facial recognition databases and see what I come up with.”
“Is she a suspect in my kidnapping?”
“She’s a person of interest. I know you’re reluctant to share details of your operation last night, but can you tell me how you got the code for Dr. Bit’s home security system?”
“... I got it from Lucas Taylor. I don’t know how he came by it.”
“Is it possible, Chloe or Savannah, working as an NSA contractor, got the code while dating Dr. Bit and gave it to Taylor.”
“It’s possible, but he could’ve obtained it by videoing Dr. Bit or one of his friends entering the code.”
QT noted the time and terminated the interview recording. “That’s it for now,” he said to Blaire.
QT watched her as she brought her coffee cup to the kitchen sink. She was still scantily clad, wearing only her blouse and undies. She turned around and smiled at him. “Like what you see?” she said.
“You bet I do.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“I can think of lots of possibilities, but I need to go into the FBI office right now.”
She walked slowly toward QT, sat on his lap, and kissed him. “I’ll see you later,” she said.
“I told the officer stationed at the door to knock if he needs to use the bathroom. I wouldn’t want him to see you dressed like you are.”
“Then you better hurry back,” she said and kissed him again.
Quinton shook his head and smiled as he headed out the door. For weeks Blaire had seemed to be distracted and distant. Their sex life had been in the doldrums with no signs of improvement. Now, it appeared that the seductive Blaire he’d known and loved had returned.
He shrugged and thought to himself, I’ll never understand women.
Chapter 25
The trip to Chloe’s apartment took less than ten minutes. Dr. Bit was so preoccupied thinking about what he was going to say to her, he barely remembered the journey there. He was shocked out of his stupor when an orange Ford Fiesta, driven by a female UVA student, pulled out of a parking space and made a U-turn directly in his path. He slammed on his brakes and barely halted in time to avoid hitting her vehicle head on.
“Damn,” he said as his body snapped forward in a reaction to the sudden stop. When he looked up, the girl was face-to-face with him. He smiled at her and mouthed the word, “Sorry.”
She responded by mouthing an obscenity, flashing her middle finger at him, and stomping on her gas pedal to pull around his car.
With his heart still pounding from the near miss, he slowly parallel parked into the space the young woman had vacated. Before exiting his car, he pulled up the GPS app on his phone and confirmed it was showing that Chloe was still located at home.
She lived in a second story apartment in an older, but well-maintained building that was positioned on a small hill. A set of stairs provided easy access up a bank to the sidewalk that led to the apartment building. While walking up the steps, Dr. Bit looked up at the second story windows but all that was visible during daylight were her curtains and blinds, which were closed.
The front door to the building was unlocked. Once inside, he climbed up the stairs to the second floor. There were two apartments downstairs and two upstairs. As he approached the door with a number three on it, he heard a man and a woman talking. He couldn’t make out what they were saying but he recognized the female voice as Chloe’s. He hovered his clenched fist in front of the door in position to knock but hesitated while trying to listen to their conversation. When the voices stopped for a few moments, Dr. Bit imagined the worse — that the two had taken a break to kiss or engage in something even more intimate. He made three loud knocks on the door to interrupt whatever was transpiring.
He heard footsteps, which became louder as they moved closer to him. There was a momentary pause before Chloe said, “Who’s there?”
“It’s me, Dr. Bit.”
“Dr. Bit? What are you doing here? I texted you that I have to work today.”
“Can I come in? I won’t take much of your time.”
Dr. Bit heard the chain lock slide and then the door opened. Chloe was dressed in shorts and a casual top. Her attire didn’t look appropriate for work but perhaps it’s casual at the Social Security Office on Saturdays. He was relieved that she wasn’t in lingerie.
She kissed him on the cheek and said, “I didn’t expect to see you until this evening.”
“I know. I couldn’t wait.”
Chloe was still blocking the doorway and didn’t seem to be anxious to let him inside.
“I was just about to leave. Do you want to talk on our way out?” she said as the toilet flushed.
Dr. Bit looked over her shoulder and saw a man coming out of the bathroom. He was a handsome guy in his late thirties with dark hair and a couple of days beard growth.
