Hacking Justice (Fractured Minds Series Book 5) Read online

  “Tell them I said hi,” I said.

  “I will.” He nodded and headed for the door. Ford’s mother wasn’t quite in remission, but she’d been getting stronger and putting up more of a fight since Ford’s little sister’s killer had been found. Ford was putting in more of an effort to bridge the gap between himself and his other sister, Sylvia. They were getting closer every day.

  “Lucy, what were you thinking?” Carson asked.

  My lips twitched into a smile as I sipped my beer. I knew the context of the question. “You mean about me and Ford.”

  “Yes, I mean Ford.” Carson let out a tired breath. “If this is a rebound thing because your boyfriend died, then you’re going to break Ford’s heart.”

  I tilted my head. “You think I’m that shallow?”

  “I don’t know what to think. One minute, Sloan is coming to the rescue, and the next you and Ford…”

  I reached over and rested my palm over Carson’s. “Ford and I have had chemistry since day one. Ford isn’t a replacement for Sloan. No one can replace Sloan.”

  “Damn right.” Sloan appeared with Martin at the table next to us. Martin was trying to sniff the diners’ plates.

  Carson took a long swig of his beer and waited for the waitress to drop off our plates and leave again. “I’m all for you and Ford being an item if he’s the one that pulled you out of your funk, but I’m not sure you two being an item is such a good thing. You have to work together. What if one of you breaks the other’s heart? It’s not just you two that will have to deal with the aftermath. It’s the entire team.”

  Martin glanced our way. “He’s got a point. His mother did say he’s a smart guy.”

  My mouth parted, and I turned in that direction. “You know his mother?”

  “Well, of course. He’s important to you, so I tracked down his mom. I talked to all the dead relatives of your entire team,” Martin answered as if it should have been painfully obvious.

  “Pardon me.” The guy at the table stared at me as if I’d grown horns. The woman just smiled politely. “We don’t know you. You must have us mistaken for someone else.”

  Heat climbed into my cheeks. “Sorry.”

  I turned to find Carson staring at me with questions in his eyes. I grabbed the ketchup bottle and squirted a mound onto my plate and then covered my fries just for good measure. “You think I’ll break his heart.”

  Carson shrugged. “I think...you’ll come to your senses and there won’t be a choice.”

  “It’s not like that,” I said, plopping a fry into my mouth before grabbing my burger. “It’s never been like that. If anything, we didn’t rush this. We took our time.”

  “Yeah, I can see that. How long has Sloan been gone?”

  My eyes narrowed, and my chest tightened. I didn’t know why I expected anyone to understand or believe me. Ford and I were alike in more ways than not. “I don’t have to explain myself to you or anyone else.”

  “You’re right; you don’t. And to be honest, I’ll be there to pick you up when the pieces start to fall apart.”

  “That’s harsh,” Martin said.

  “He’s a realist,” Sloan answered before they both disappeared again.

  His comment deserved an eye roll, so I didn’t disappoint.

  We ate in silence until Ford returned to the table and took a seat next to me. He began to doctor his burger. “So, who do you think is behind Sam’s situation?”

  “I haven’t figured it out yet. Someone was using hackers to gain entrance into very specific venues and companies,” I answered.

  “You think the Easter eggs are important?” Ford asked.

  Carson took a bite of his burger. Ketchup slid down his chin before he swiped at it with his napkin. “I don’t know what to think yet. Someone is trying to silence the computer geeks. The only question is, why?”

  “When I touch the blood, maybe we’ll get our answers,” I said.

  Carson nodded and continued to eat until his entire plate was finished. Ford polished off the rest of my fries.

  “So, what gives with you two having a powwow before we left?” Carson asked, holding up his beer to the passing waitress. He circled his finger around the table and ordered us another round.

  I pressed my lips together tight. Letting anyone else know my secret was dangerous, but Carson… he deserved to know, especially if I decided to zone out again.

  I leaned across the table and lowered my voice. “You know how I normally have to make the calls?” I asked in a code he could understand about me tuning into the person whose blood I touch.

  “Yeah, what about it?” he asked.

  “Lucy has incoming calls now, and it’s getting harder for her to press the block button,” Ford said, taking a swig of the beer the waitress had just left.

  Carson tipped his head toward me. “You can’t control who’s calling you?”

  I shook my head. “Not since the accident. I’ve been blocking them, but it’s getting harder since they’re getting louder.”

  His eyes widened, and his mouth parted when he finally figured it out. “What happens if their calls get through while you’re on an investigation or, God forbid, in the presence of a…telemarketer.”

  Telemarketer, cute. The people at the table next to us didn’t skip a beat and continued with their conversation. I could only imagine Carson’s code for telemarketer meant a serial killer or other bad guy.

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged honestly. “Fingers crossed that doesn’t happen.”

  “Fuck.” Carson ran his hand over his face. “I need to get you back to the compound. Noah needs to run some tests on your phone, or we need to figure this out.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “Not until we stop whoever is hunting the computer geeks. That first and then I’m open to suggestions. I just thought you should be aware in case I zone out in pain.”

  “Well, thanks for the heads-up.” Carson tapped his beer bottle against mine and took another long swig.

  “There’s more,” Ford said before I could stop him. He rested his elbow on the table and rested his head in his hand, in an attempt to block the table next to us from hearing us. “She’s seeing the ghosts of her exes.”

  Carson frowned. “Sloan?”

  “And the ex-husband, Martin,” Ford said. “So if you ever see her talking to herself, she isn’t crazy.”

  “When you said mother earlier…” Carson’s question trailed off, and he pointed to the table next to ours.

  “Martin has apparently visited with the other family members from the team. Including your mom.”

  Carson’s mouth parted. “And?”

  I shrugged. “That’s all he told me before he vanished. I can ask for details later…if they come back.”

  Carson downed the rest of his beer in one gulp before meeting my gaze again. “Yeah, and if he does, ask who the hell killed her.”

  I rested my hand over his. “I haven’t forgotten my promise. We will find your answers.”

  Carson’s face softened, but I could tell he was replaying everything in his mind, including how his father had died all those years ago. I’d helped solve that case, but his mother’s death was still weighing heavy on my mind.

  Maybe my mind was overloaded. Maybe I was really losing my hold on reality.

  Chapter 20

  When we walked back into the resort, Ford left us at the elevator to run to the store to grab some toiletries he’d forgotten to pack. If I had to guess, he was also picking up some Tylenol.

  Carson had disappeared into his bedroom when we reached the penthouse, and I sat out on the balcony watching the seniors frolic in the pool below, wondering if I’d live long enough to be their age.

  There was a calmness to this place. The pace moved a bit slower and everything was enjoyed just a tad bit more. These people didn’t take living for granted. Some people didn’t even live as long as these guys, like Sloan and Raul.

  With age came wisdom. I was beginning to und
erstand that saying now.

  Sloan would know what to do about my problem. He was the type to shield me from the situation as best he could and remove me from harm’s way. Whereas Ford was more of a…I’ll try and protect you and let's see how it plays out kind of guy. But one thing remained. He’d have an exit plan for me. I was sure of it like I knew the sun would rise in the east.

  One of the women from the pool was staring up at me and watching from her spot at a poolside table. I gave her a little wave, and instead of waving back, she motioned me down.

  I shook my head.

  The woman held up her finger, opened a cooler by her feet, and held up two beers, enticing me to act.

  I chuckled and walked back into the room. Knocking on Carson’s door, I called out that I was going down to the pool.

  The door flung open. “You think that’s safe?”

  I held up my phone. “I’m taking my phone. If I get any headaches, I’ll text, and you know where to find me.”

  He hesitantly nodded.

  I didn’t need Carson’s permission to leave the room, although I understood why he was being cautious.

  The elevator ride down to the lobby was smooth and without incident. No one was behind the check-in desk. No bellboys anywhere to be found. The lobby was deserted. I followed the signs to the pool and stepped out into the evening air.

  The concrete sidewalk was lined with rock and lights that illuminated the walkway in the dark. The pool was resort size. A lifeguard sat up in a tall chair overlooking the seniors. A tiki bar was on the other side of the pool. The seats were filled with gray-haired men wearing flowered shirts.

  Women floated in the shallow end.

  The white-haired woman sitting at a table grinned and waved me over.

  I crossed the distance. “Hi. I’m Lucy.”

  “I’m Elenore, but my friends call me Ellie. Have a seat,” Ellie said, handing me the beer she’d used to tempt me with.

  “Do you bribe all of the hotel guests with beer?”

  She grinned in the way that gave me the answer without a single word. “You’re FBI, right?”

  “Sort of. I’m a liaison,” I answered, honestly.

  “Oh.” She wiggled her brows. “Those other boys are FBI, and they couldn’t do their job without you?”

  “They could.” My lips twitched. “I just make it more interesting.”

  “You’re here about Raul, aren’t you? It’s a damn shame.”

  “We are,” I answered, looking up at Raul’s penthouse. “Did you know him well?”

  “As well as anyone could, I guess. He was a hermit, but he was popular among the hotel staff. Even though he didn’t like to leave his room, he still invited staff up to his suite to hang out. They were more his age. We only saw him and his grandfather at our mixers when his Gramps made him attend.”

  “You’ve never been to one of Raul’s parties?” I asked.

  “No, but my granddaughter has, and she tells me everything.”

  I turned my gaze in the direction of the lobby. “Does she work here?”

  “Oh, yes, dear. She checked you in.” Ellie smiled, giving me a glimpse of her pulse on the community.

  “Your granddaughter is Tammy?” I asked.

  “I see you pay attention.” Ellie chuckled. “Tammy has been working at the hotel for five years.”

  I took a swig of beer and sat forward, meeting Ellie’s gaze. “Tammy and Raul were close.”

  Ellie lifted a brow. “Now, exactly how did you deduce that?”

  “Bloodshot eyes and lack of sleep. I know it well. I recently lost someone I care about.”

  “I told that girl that she shouldn’t date the boss’s grandson. Nothing good would come of a relationship between them. They were from two very different worlds.”

  “Opposites attract.” The relationships I formed were proof.

  “Does she know what really happened?” I asked.

  Ellie’s face turned to stone, and I had my answer. Tammy knew more than what we knew. How much more was the only question left.

  “Listen, did you just invite me down to see what I knew? Because I can’t discuss any of that with you. What I can tell you is that I’m not here to get anyone in trouble. I’m here to help catch the monster who killed Raul and figure out why he was targeted. That’s all. If Raul and his friends were into something else a bit more questionable, I don’t care, and I know how to keep secrets. I just want the truth and to find the person responsible.”

  “I’m not sure you ever will. Whoever did this was good.”

  I leaned back in my chair and took another swig of beer. “What makes you say that?”

  “They didn’t show up on surveillance.”

  “Did your granddaughter tell you that?”

  Ellie’s eyes twinkled, and she glanced up at the penthouse again. “Those police officers didn’t do a very good job.”

  “Why do you say that?” I asked, realizing she’d avoided my previous question.

  “Had they looked on the roof, they could have figured out exactly how the perpetrator got into Raul’s apartment.”

  I’d been about to take a sip, but I slowly lowered my beer to the table. “You were a cop, weren’t you?”

  Ellie’s grin grew bigger. “In another life a long time ago, I guess you could say that I knew a thing or two.”

  I glanced up past Raul’s apartment to the roof. “What am I going to find when I get up there?”

  “I think you and your forensic department will be pleasantly surprised.” She leaned in. “I preserved it for you in the event there were fingerprints.”

  I rose from my seat, anxious to go find the suggested treasures. Before turning to walk off, I paused and turned back to her. “Ellie, do you know why Raul was killed?”

  Her lips turned down. “He was up to no good. I know that much.”

  “Do you think Tammy knows anything?” I asked.

  “Maybe,” Ellie answered.

  “Lucy.” My name was called from the direction of the lobby. Ford stood at the entrance waiting patiently. Sloan and Martin were hovering behind him.

  “Looks like your boyfriend is looking for you.”

  “Oh, he’s not—”

  “If you say so.”

  How in the hell had this woman figured out that Ford and I were an item with just Ford saying my name once? We looked like colleagues. Something was telling me that this woman was watching us a bit more closely than anyone else on the property.

  “It was nice meeting you,” I said and headed to the other side of the pool area to where Ford was waiting.

  “You making friends?” Ford asked, resting his hand on my back.

  I glanced over my shoulder once more to find the woman watching me still. Ellie grinned and raised her beer in a salute.

  “Her name is Elenore. She’s Tammy’s grandmother.”

  “Wow, so you were interrogating the locals? Do you think it was wise to come down here by yourself?”

  “He worries too much,” Martin said.

  “She doesn’t worry enough,” Sloan contradicted.

  “Cut the commentary,” I said to both of them, surprising them because I spoke in front of Ford.

  “They’re here?” Ford asked.

  “Yeah, and they say you worry too much,” I answered with a smirk toward Sloan.

  “I do worry. I’m your boyfriend. It’s part of my job,” he said, glancing around us as if trying to pinpoint where a ghost might be hovering.

  They both vanished.

  “They don’t appear often. Just enough to give me their opinions.” We stepped into the elevator, and I waited for it to close. “I told Carson where I was going and have him on speed dial.”

  “Good,” Ford said with a sigh. “The more that know to watch out for you in case of incoming calls, the better prepared we’ll be.”

  The elevator dinged, and we stepped out, only instead of heading to the room, I headed for the emergency stairs.

  �
�Where are you going?” Ford asked, following me.

  “The roof,” I said, shoving through the door and jogging up the stairs. “Ellie suggested we might want to check it out.”

  “You’re going to take the word of a hotel gossip who doesn’t have anything better to do than to concoct fantasy? You know Raul’s death was probably the most interesting thing these old people have seen in a while.”

  “She wasn’t like that,” I said, using the hem of my shirt to shove open the door. “She referred to the killer as a perp and said the local PD wasn’t very good and mentioned forensics. She was either with the police or another agency. I’d bet the farm on it.”

  We stepped out onto the roof, and my mouth parted. A plastic bag with grappling hook, rappelling gear, and remnants of torn fabric lay on the other side of the roof.

  “What the…” Ford said.

  I moved to the railing and leaned over with a grin on my face. I waved to Ellie, who waved back.

  “Ellie said she preserved the evidence,” I said, answering Ford’s unasked question. “Now we know how the perp evaded the hall cameras.”

  “You think he rappelled down the side of the building?” Ford asked.

  “I think he did, and I think he went in through the balcony door.”

  “There’s only one problem with that,” Ford said. “He had to know that the door wasn’t locked and which penthouse Raul was staying in.”

  “Recon could have told the killer those things. Ellie said that Raul didn’t leave often but that he had parties for the young people like him and the young kids that worked in the hotel. He considered them friends.”

  I took out my phone and used the camera to take pictures of the items and the area in the event we were overlooking anything. I emailed the pictures back to Noah and Carson before scooping up the bagged items and sticking them inside Ford’s shopping bag.

  I was no forensic technician but no way was I leaving these items up on this roof.

  “Okay, so the woman knows her stuff. Did she have any idea who did this?”

  “Not that she’s said,” I answered and headed for the exit door.

  “And you believe her?” Ford asked.

  “I think we know as much as she wants us to know. I believe that she wants us to catch the killer, and she’s being very careful on what she’ll reveal.”