Karen Rose - Silent Scream

“We all do,” Abbott said. “Sit down and let’s get a plan.”

They’d reviewed the texts from all the students’ phones, piecing together the timeline. Replays of the video made it clear that the four students hadn’t known Tracey Mullen was in the building.

“The first fire they did for a cause,” Noah said. “Joel was the champion, but Mary, who is friends with Lincoln, left the glass ball as the tribute to Moss.”

“She was only eleven when Moss set that last fire,” Micki said.

“But he’s a legend in radical circles.” Barlow shrugged. “Somehow she heard of him. Maybe through a teacher, a parent, her own Internet wandering.”

Olivia reread Mary’s personal information that they’d gotten from Truman Jefferson and the university. “She’s twenty-three, single. Parents deceased. She paid for her own tuition, no loans or financial aid. She has to have some alternate source of income. Her job at the real estate office didn’t pay enough for room and board.”

“Emergency contacts are left blank,” Noah added. “She was a loner.”

“With an IV drug addiction,” Olivia said. “Her transcripts say she was majoring in philosophy and took Environmental Ethics last spring. That’s where she met Joel.”

“The car she parked in front of Truman’s office was paid for,” Noah said. “Other than her laptop, we found nothing unusual. The car was registered to her dorm address.”

“Where does she live during the summer?” Micki asked.

Olivia tossed the paper to the table, frustrated. “PO box. Dammit.”

“Okay,” Abbott said calmly. “We’ve gone over Mary and we’re stuck. Let’s talk about the blackmailer, because somewhere they intersect.”

Olivia nodded. “The night of the condo fire, the blackmailer knew they’d be there, because he showed up with a camera. He also knew Tomlinson and Dorian Blunt. They tie somehow. On some plane, they all intersect. Where?”

“The blackmailer is the shooter,” Micki said. “He went around to the dock side of the condo where Austin was hiding.”

“Austin said he ran when he smelled smoke,” Abbott said. “He made it out the door on the dock side and realized Tracey wasn’t there. He never saw the arsonists-they were on the other side of the building. Austin saw the shooter come around the building. Weems confronted him, the man fired, got in a boat, took off his ski mask and sped off.” He tossed a sketch on the table. “Our shooter.”

“I’ve seen that face a thousand times, a thousand different places,” Olivia said.

“I know, but right now, it’s the only face we’ve got.”

Noah studied the timeline. “The blackmailer knew Eric had bought a ticket to Paris, because he texted Albert’s cell with the flight time. How would he know that?”

“Same way he knew the interpreter was helping us,” Olivia said. “He followed us.”

Noah shook his head. “He didn’t physically follow Eric. Eric paid for his plane ticket over the Internet, straight out of his bank account. He had access to Eric’s computer.”

Olivia suddenly remembered the sight of David’s cell phone next to hers on his nightstand. “Or his cell phone,” she said slowly. “That’s why he took their phones.”

“But he didn’t take Eric’s phone,” Barlow said. “Mary did.”

“Maybe because he didn’t kill Eric,” Olivia replied, “and Mary did. He needed Eric to have his own phone and the prepaid he provided. It’s how he communicated with him.”

“But that doesn’t explain how the blackmailer knew Eric had bought a plane ticket,” Noah said. “Unless he was monitoring Eric’s cell activity.” He turned to Micki, whose suddenly narrowed eyes told them she’d figured it out. “So, how did he do it?”

“Sonofabitch. Somehow he got access to their passwords and user names. I’ll bet he snuck in through an unsecured wireless connection.”

“In other words, airports, bookstores, coffee shops,” Abbott said and Micki nodded.

“People get the warning that any data they send can be seen by others, but don’t realize that with the right software, it’s not just data you send. It’s any data on your device.”

“So if Eric saved his bank account information…,” Noah said.

Micki took Eric’s phone, hit some buttons, and made a satisfied sound. “Eric’s info is all right here. I’m in his bank account now. Somebody wiped him out yesterday, right about the time Albert received the text warning him Eric was going to flee the country.”

“Trace where the money went,” Abbott commanded crisply.

“It’s not just bank info. Phones store e-mail server information and passwords. Once he got that, he could look at their e-mail from anywhere. Find out about all kinds of things.” Micki paged back through Eric’s stored messages, then turned the phone to show them. “Like saving the wetlands. It’s all here. Eric and Joel’s whole plan.”

“Or like affairs,” Barlow said. “Tomlinson had photos of him with his mistress on his desk when he died. That was his blackmail.”

“Oh,” Olivia said, a piece of the puzzle connecting. “The pictures of Tomlinson. The blackmailer found out about his affair and took those pictures a long time ago.”

Micki’s smile was sharp. “Last winter, when the mistress wore snow boots.”

Olivia nodded. “Louise had the ‘before’ pictures. I bet the blackmailer sent them to her because Tomlinson didn’t pay. She then hired the private detective who took the ‘after’ pictures. Louise mixed them all together to give to her divorce attorney. The hit was exactly what you said, Barlow. An execution. Payback.”

“So where did he cross paths with Eric, Tomlinson, and Blunt?” Abbott asked.

“I’ll have another look at Tomlinson’s financials,” Barlow said, “cross-referencing them to Dorian’s and Eric’s. Maybe they spent money at, or visited, the same place.”

“That helps us with the blackmailer,” Olivia said. Who killed Kane. She wanted to focus on him, find him. Gut him like he deserved. But she could see the harrowed terror in David’s eyes. “What about Mary? If Phoebe’s still alive, Mary’s probably keeping her for leverage. But we’re no closer to knowing where.”

Noah pulled Mary’s personal data sheet close and went through it once again. “There’s one old address that came up on her background check, but the uniforms we sent to check it said no one knew her. She might have lived there years ago, but not recently and there was no sign of Phoebe’s car in the neighborhood.”

Olivia frowned, belatedly realizing something didn’t fit. “Wait. Her father’s not dead. Her roommate said she had a dad and a brother who’s a doctor.”

“Go back and talk to the roommate again,” Abbott said.

Olivia gathered the Mary pages. “What about Lincoln? They’re friends or have some relationship. Maybe Lincoln would know where she’d go.”

“Donahue said she’d call when he was interviewable,” Abbott said.

“I know,” Olivia said. “But Truman said the Feds searched his house last night. I bet they have files, a laptop, something that tells us how Mary found Lincoln to begin with.”

Abbott’s expression darkened. “Lincoln’s still ours on the B and E and assault.”

“Tell that to Special Agent Crawford,” Noah said, “because that’s who Truman claims did the search.”

Abbott’s jaw cocked. “I will. Micki, trace Eric’s money. Barlow, check for places Eric, Tomlinson, and Blunt intercepted. Keep me informed and nobody take off their vest.”

Wednesday, September 22, 4:05 p.m.

David put his tray on the table Tom had staked at the Deli. “Busy today.”

Tom glanced up from his laptop. “I know. Students are talking about the dead guy found in the dorm, the cops are talking about Kane, and the firefighters are either talking about your partner or… you.”