She's an Easy Target, page 13
part #2 of Quinton Target Series
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you had company,” Dr. Bit said.
“Mike was just about to leave,” Chloe said. “Come in for a minute and I’ll introduce him to you.” She moved out of the doorway.
Reluctantly, he said, “OK.”
“Dr. Bit, this is my manager, Mike Carpenter. Mike this is my boyfriend, Dr. Bit.”
“It’s a pleasure meeting you,” Mike said. “Chloe told me she was dating somebody new.”
“Good to meet you,” Dr. Bit said. “Chloe doesn’t talk about work very often. She hasn’t shared anything with me about her coworkers.”
“I’m sure you didn’t expect to find her manager in her apartment on a Saturday afternoon. I assure you my visit is business related. I asked Chloe to go into work today to investigate a benefit dispute, but I’d forgotten that I had the file she needed, so I asked her to meet me at her apartment and I’d give it to her.”
“You don’t owe me an explanation. I trust Chloe.”
“I’ll be on my way now.”
“Nice to have met you,” Dr. Bit said.
“Thanks for saving me a trip to the office today,” Mike said to Chloe as he was leaving.
“Not a problem ... boss man.”
Chloe’s demeanor changed after Mike left. She became the fawning girlfriend to whom Dr. Bit had become accustom. She held his face in her hands and kissed him on the lips. “I’m glad I got to see you before tonight,” she said.
“I thought you texted me that you were already at work. When I checked the location app, it said you were still home, so I took a chance and stopped by.”
“I was about to leave for the office, when Mike called me and asked me to meet him here. My place is halfway between the Social Security Office and his house.”
“Oh, that makes sense.”
“You must be tired from yesterday. You’re bruises don’t look good. If it’s any consolation, black eyes usually look worse while they’re healing.”
“They don’t hurt too much.”
“When we were texting today, you said the next time we were together you’d explain why you went to Crozet after I dropped you off at your house.”
“I went to pick up Lieutenant Mad and my friend Rasputin, who went to Crozet with QT to find his girlfriend.”
“Why did he need help?”
“Blaire, QT’s girlfriend, was kidnapped.”
“That’s terrible. Did they find her?”
“Yes, they found her, and she wasn’t seriously injured, but QT had to go to the hospital with her, so the lieutenant and Rasputin needed a ride back to Charlottesville.”
“I thought when I left you, you’d had enough excitement for one evening.”
“It wasn’t the type of excitement I was looking for when the evening started.”
Chloe picked up her laptop case and slung the strap over her shoulder. She opened the door and guided Dr. Bit into the hallway before turning around to insert her key to lock it. As they walked down the stairs, she said, “Why did you go to the hospital between three and four in the morning?”
“I already told you, I didn’t leave the house after I returned from Crozet.”
“My tracking app said you did.”
“Lieutenant Mad borrowed my car to bring clean clothes to the hospital for Blaire.”
“That explains why I got a notification when the lieutenant drove away in the car.”
“Not really.”
“What do you mean, honey?”
“My smartphone was on my nightstand next to my bed. How did you know my car went to the hospital?”
The usually unflappable Chloe seemed to be at a loss for words. “Well, uh, maybe ... let me check my app again.” She took her phone out of her pocket and began touching the screen and sliding her finger across it. “Oh, now I see,” she said.”
“What do you see?”
“I have a burner phone that I sometimes use for extremely confidential communications that my manager doesn’t want to be recorded on our work phones. I don’t use it very often, but it’s connected to our tracking app. I must’ve left it in your car. I can see now it was that phone that notified me when your car left at three in the morning.”
“Then the phone should still be where you left it. Where in my car did you leave it?”
“I don’t know. It must’ve accidentally fallen out of my pocket. It’s not showing up in my app presently. Either it’s in your car somewhere with a dead battery or it fell out and was run over.”
“We can look for it now. I’m parked right over there.”
“You know what, why don’t you search for it and let me know if you find it. I have to go to work. I’m already late and I want to be done early so we can get together this evening.” Before he could say anything, she kissed him and said, “See you tonight, honey.”
Dr. Bit watched her as she walked away from him. He was suspicious of the male visitor who had come out of her bathroom, but it was possible he was there on business as he had said. Chloe’s explanation for the ability to track his car’s movements without the presence of his phone was also suspicious but it was feasible.
In the end, he would believe her because he wanted what she said to be true.
Chapter 26
It was almost twelve-thirty by the time QT arrived at the FBI office. He’d stopped on the way and picked up a burger and fries, which he’d eaten while sitting in his SUV at the McDonald’s parking lot. When he walked by Special Agent McCoy’s office, McCoy was one-finger typing on his laptop and pausing periodically to read something on the screen.
QT knocked and McCoy said, “Door’s not locked. Come in.”
“Good afternoon, boss.”
“You look like Hell. Did you get any sleep at all?”
“Not much, but I’m OK.”
“Sit down and bring me up-to-date. How’s Blaire doing?”
“She was released from the hospital this morning and is at the townhouse taking it easy.”
“That’s great news.”
“She’s bruised and sore but has no major physical problems. However, something unexpected happened as she was leaving the hospital.”
“What happened?”
“The kidnapper attacked her again while she was waiting outside for me to retrieve my SUV from the parking garage.”
“What?” McCoy said, flabbergasted. “I thought you said she was taking it easy at the townhouse.”
“She wasn’t hurt during the attack, but the nurse who was with her was shot twice.”
“Did she survive?”
“I checked on her condition a short while ago and it was updated from critical to stable.”
“Did the assailant try to shoot Blaire and miss?”
“No, it was all about intimidation. He sent Blaire a text from a burner phone after the shooting, reminding her that he could get to her at any time.”
“I thought the local police assigned an officer to protect Blaire at the hospital.”
“They did, but she sent him ahead of us to the townhouse, so he wasn’t there to stop the attacker. There’s a guard stationed at our place now.”
“This whole thing is getting out of hand. Do we have any idea who’s responsible and what his motive might be?”
“I interviewed Blaire. The kidnapper talked about getting ransom money from her father, who’s rich. He said he’d contact her to arrange the money transfer. Also, he was interested in a new NSA investigation of the Upshaw Corporation. He was grilling Blaire about it and said he’d have follow-up questions for her. Has the NSA requested FBI assistance with the investigation?”
“Nobody’s mentioned anything to me about it. Since two FBI agents were killed during the last Upshaw investigation, you’d think they’d let us know what they’re up to.”
“Please don’t inquire about it yet. I found out about it through Blaire. She could get in trouble for sharing sensitive NSA information.”
“I don’t like being left out of the loop by the NSA.”
“I intend to talk with Blaire’s boss about it.”
“I’ll keep quiet for now. Let me know what you find out from her manager.”
“According to Blaire, the kidnapper also made sexual demands.”
“That’s outrageous. Was she sexually assaulted?”
“No, but he told her he expects sexual favors in the future.”
“He’s pretty brazen considering that Blaire is no longer in his custody.”
“It’s possible he has a previous connection with her, either personal or professional.”
“We need to get to the bottom of this quickly. Blaire’s life is at risk until we find the lunatic.”
“Has the autopsy of the man found in Blaire’s car trunk been done yet?”
“Yes, I was just reading the report when you knocked on the door. I’ll forward it to you.”
“What’s the gist of it?”
“Nothing earth-shattering. The man died between one and three this morning from two gunshot wounds.”
“I found the body at two-forty-five. So, he must’ve been killed sometime before that.”
“One of the bullets was still in the body. It was from a Glock 3.”
“Standard issue for the FBI, NSA and other government agencies.”
“And, it’s a very popular pistol for civilians, too.”
“To be thorough, I’ll have Blaire’s Glock and mine submitted for ballistics testing. I wouldn’t want anyone at the Richmond FBI office to think I’m giving Blaire special treatment.”
“No rationale investigator would believe Blaire set up her own kidnapping in order to shoot some guy and stuff him in her trunk but do what you think is prudent.”
“Did the medical examiner’s office identify the victim?”
“Yes, fingerprints confirmed that his name was Thomas Thomson. A thirty-six-year-old male, who was in reasonably good health before the bullets hit him. I say reasonably good because traces of marijuana and opioids were found in his bloodstream.”
“Did anyone run a background check on him yet?”
“All I’ve received is the autopsy report. I’m sure the local police have run one by now, but they didn’t send me a copy.”
“I notified the Charlottesville police to let them know about the hospital shooting. I’ll follow up with them to make sure they do a ballistics test on the bullets that hit the nurse and compare them with the bullet found in the Crozet victim.”
“Are you going to the JUIAF today?”
“I’d rather not wait until Monday to interview Blaire’s boss, but I’m not sure I can get him into the office during the weekend. I’ll go to his home if necessary.”
“I talked with Colonel Smithers. She assigned Daphne O’Connor as your JUIAF liaison. Daphne has authority to bring anyone into the office that’s needed this weekend.”
“I bet the colonel was delighted to hear I was assigned to the case.”
“Actually, she was sweet as pie during our entire conversation. It was like we were old friends. She even said that you and Daphne make a good team.”
“That’s surprising. I wonder what caused the change.”
“Beats me. Maybe she’s had a change of heart about the FBI.”
“I suppose anything’s possible. I’ll ask Daphne what’s going on with our friend, the colonel.”
“You do that. Anything else we need to talk about?”
“Not at the moment. I’ll be in my office for a while to check on a few things.”
“Let me know if you need extra FBI resources assigned to the case.”
“I’m good for now. I’ve got Daphne to run interference at the JUIAF and the Albemarle County Investigations Division resources available to help with the legwork.”
“I’ll email you the contact information for the detective who’s been assigned from the Investigations Division.”
“Thanks,” QT said, and he meant it at the time. But sometimes the expression of gratitude can be premature. Life is full of surprises and the fallout from a person’s past indiscretions has a way of surfacing at the most unexpected and inconvenient times.
Chapter 27
QT powered up his laptop and entered his credentials. He took the piece of paper out of his pocket, unfolded it, and set it on his desk. After entering XFR as the first three characters of the Virginia license plate number, he squinted while trying to figure out whether one of the numbers Rasputin had written on the paper was a five or a six. He settled on a six.
The computer responded to the inquiry with a fast and informative result. The vehicle with that license plate number was a 2008 Chrysler Town and Country van, which was registered to Thomas Thomson, the deceased man identified in the Medical Examiner’s report.
Who was this guy and what was his connection to Blaire? Maybe a background check would reveal something pertinent. He pulled up McCoy’s email to obtain the contact information for his liaison at the Albemarle County Investigations Division.
After reading the contact’s name, he massaged his temples with his fingertips, shook his head, and said, “Ah shit.”
Charlottesville is a small city. It was inevitable they’d run into each other, sooner or later. But, why couldn’t it be later? The last thing he needed right now was to be teamed up with Detective Stephanie Winters.
He dialed her mobile phone number, hoping she wouldn’t answer. No such luck.
“You have the same phone number, I see,” Stephanie said. “I was beginning to wonder if you obtained a new one without letting me know about it.”
“I saw no reason to change it.”
“You said you’d call me, and we’d get together to talk about things. That was almost two years ago. When I didn’t hear from you, I called and left voicemails and sent texts, but never heard back from you.”
“We’d already said everything that needed to be said.”
“Maybe you’d said everything you wanted to say. I had more to say.”
“You always had more to say. That was part of our problem.”
“It seemed to me that the bigger problem was that you clamed up.”
“Congratulations on making detective. You must’ve impressed your boss with your talents.”
“I earned my promotion through hard work. I had to focus my energies elsewhere after you left me for another woman. I think you owe me an apology.”
“You have a selective memory.”
“What do you mean?”
“Have you forgotten the reason we stopped seeing each other was because I caught you sleeping with your boss?”
“It meant nothing to me.”
“Well, it meant something to me.”
“It was your fault. My boss and I had a few drinks together one evening. He told me his wife was a cold fish. I told him you were consumed with a case and not paying attention to my needs. We were commiserating with each other. That’s all.”
“Oh, is that what they call it now, commiserating? And all this time, I thought you were screwing a married man who was your boss.”
“As always, you’re taking things out of context. It was a one-time fling. It wasn’t a big deal — you weren’t perfect in our relationship.”
“One time that night in his car maybe, but there were at least two occasions at his house when his wife was out of town, and I don’t know how many times at the local motel.”
“It didn’t take you long after we split to move in with that blonde, NSA Analyst. I always suspected there was something going on between the two of you.”
“I was never unfaithful to you with her or any other woman.”
“You don’t have to have sex to be unfaithful. Lusting after her, was as bad as having an actual affair.”
“That’s a flimsy justification for your behavior.”
“... I don’t want to talk about the past anymore.”
“Me either.”
“Then, why did you call me?”
“Were you assigned to investigate the murder of a man who was found at the Crozet Self Storage facility last night?”
“Yup, I was just going over the autopsy report and a background check on the victim. What’s your interest in the case?”
“Didn’t you get the memo? There’s a connection between the murder and a kidnapping of a federal agent that occurred last night. I’m leading the kidnap case and you’ve been designated as my contact to coordinate our investigations.”
“I haven’t read that memo yet but working together sounds like a bad idea to me.”
“I agree. You should ask for a different detective to be assigned to the case.”
“If anybody’s going to get a replacement, it’s you.”
“Not a chance. I guess we’ll have to put personal feelings aside and act professionally.”
“I always behave professionally.”
“Like sleeping with your boss?”
“That’s a cheap shot.”
“Sorry, it was a reflex action.”
“Has the kidnap victim been found yet?”
“Yes, released unharmed except for a few bruises.”
“I need to talk with him as soon as possible.”
“I might be able to arrange that. But first, I need the results of your background check of the murder victim.”
“Why don’t we start by having you tell me who the kidnap victim is and what agency he works for?”
“It’s not a he, it’s a she. She works for the NSA.”
“Oh really. I better warn your girlfriend to keep an eye on you. You have a weakness for female NSA analysts. Of course, she already knows that.”
“I thought we were keeping this professional.”
“Sorry, it was a reflex action.”
“How about emailing me that background check you did on the murder victim? I need to interview someone at the JUIAF today and I’d like to have that information before I conduct the interview.”
“I’m sure we can come to an agreement. I’ll give you the report and you give me the name of the kidnap victim, so I can interview her.”
“I want to be present when you talk to her. That’s non-negotiable. And, we’ll do it at her home, not at the police station.”
