Page 12 of Operation: Integrity

“I asked you here, and I allowed Sam to join us because he’s very much a part of the situation. As I indicated on the phone, we had a recent victim join us who came from a man uniquely tied to Evie Carvel. Evie MacKenna is her real name, but no one else knows her by that identity. If you recall from when you were here before, she is probably equal in rank to Viceroy, or perhaps just under him.”

Dominic pursed his lips into a frown. “I thought you’dtold me in one of your emails that she is currently in jail awaiting trial, a maximum-security women’s prison?”

“She is, but that only adds to the issue.” Connor pulled a remote control from his desk and turned on a huge television behind him. He cued up a video and pressed a button to play it. On the screen, a grainy video came up of an interrogation room with a man and an officer. The man was shifty, nervous. Unlike a usual interview, the cop never faced the camera. He stayed with his back turned. After about thirty seconds and speaking so quietly the audio system didn’t pick up more than mutters, he opened a fridge in the corner and offered the male suspect a bottle of water.

Connor paused the video.

“See that?”

Sam didn’t see anything out of the ordinary other than the camera-shy cop. “What are we supposed to see? I can’t see anything about the suspect or the cop. It’s just two guys in a small room.”

Connor nodded his agreement. “I know. It wasn’t until after the fact that the cops realized this slight dent in their armor. That bottle of water given to that suspect, right after this video, he died of poisoning. You can’t identify him from this horrible video, but you might recall the name Gregory Diamond. He was the man who burned his hand when he threw a pipe bomb from his car, injuring an officer and completely destroying evidence of human organ harvesting . . . practically in our backyard.”

Sam recalled what Brendon and Dee had been through, out at the false church where this Gregory had left a crater in the earth. “So, he’s dead.”

Connor sighed. “Yes, before he could testify. He was found in his cell hours later. The poison was powerful.You’ll also note that there was hardly any sound on the video, even though he was there for questioning. No one can tell me who that investigator is. No one was supposed to be in that room that day. The badge used to sign out the prisoner was stolen from a man who was in the hospital having surgery for gallbladder removal. So, you can see that this spider reaches far and wide. The officer whose badge was used was thoroughly questioned, but he was under anesthesia during the time stamp on this video. Either someone from the hospital stole his security badge or someone broke into the hospital to grab it. There’s nothing and no one these people can’t reach. Including Evie.”

“They aren’t God. Are they ruling his death a suicide?” Dominic asked. “Even though it was poison, I wouldn’t be surprised. Suicide covers suspicion, and any fingers pointed at the police.”

Connor glanced down at his notes. “No, there’s too much evidence to prove it was homicide, but there aren’t any clues. No suspects. Do you know how many fingerprints are in a room like that? The suspect twisted off the bottle top for Gregory and pocketed the cover. If you notice when he pulls open the fridge, he uses the toe of his boot and he grabs the bottle by the cap. He doesn’t lay his hands on the table and he took the empty bottle with him when he left. This is a pro who knows exactly how to keep evidence to himself. Yet, he was bold enough to be on camera, knowing that if the video didn’t show up in evidence, that would cause concern. Leaving the video gave him time to get away.”

Dominic slowly nodded like he was taking in every detail. “If this man’s and Evie’s lives are in danger, then you assume Kelly’s is as well?”

Sam answered before Connor could. “She feels like she’s in danger. She told me that her pimp, Nathan, never let anyone go. If they escape, they were found and disposed of. She’s terrified of re-capture. She’s terrified of just about everything.”

“Because being caught means death,” Spenser filled in.

“Yes,” Sam answered.

“The issue is that the halfway house where Kelly came from was working very closely with police to keep her safe. They only allowed her to come here if we could assure them we had no tracking devices on the premises,” Connor said. “No cameras. No video. Nothing that could be hacked to confirm Kelly is here. She isn’t supposed to go to town like we allow the other guests. Frankly, she’s a prisoner here, she just doesn’t know that because I don’t want her to live in fear. Even if it’s warranted.”

“We noticed the gate had been removed when we pulled in and the usual security questions aren’t being asked.” Spenser glanced behind them at the closed door. “Does this mean anyone can come and go from Wayside at will?”

Connor answered immediately. “That was by the request of the sheriff. If we call him for help, he wants to be able to get here. He told us that if we are in serious danger, it’s most likely that whoever made the attack would go for the man controlling the gate first, leaving us not only down one man but allowing our attackers free access, anyway. Not only that, if Deputy Blake needs to get on the property for an emergency, he would be held up by the gate. We offered to get him a security badge, but that was one more thing he would have to keep on him, plushe doesn’t work twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”

Dominic leaned forward. “I don’t agree with his theory absolutely, but you only have eight men here capable of defending an entire ranch. Losing even one puts you at a disadvantage.”

“That’s where you come in. You are our tech without tech. You are our eyes without a trace.” Connor stared him directly in the eyes. “And I trust you.”

Dominic cleared his throat, ignoring the compliment. “To be clear, you want tech, but you don’t want anyone to be able to track or trace it. You want safety and security without a hint that there’s a net around Wayside. Is that correct?”

Connor finally gave a half smile. “I knew you’d get the idea. I think security is in your blood.”

Dominic laughed. “I’m a man who likes to protect things that are important to me. Wayside has become important to me. In our line of work, you keep your friends, as few as they have to be, close. I think I can help you, but what I’ll be setting up is not anything like you’ve had before. It will take time. There are many acres of area to cover and not much time. Is she resigned to one area of Wayside, or can she go anywhere on the premises?”

Connor drummed his fingers. “I don’t like the idea of limiting her movement any more than it already is and was at the halfway house. Can we make this an invisible net over the entire ranch? Maybe even the Haven next door? We’re building homes there for my men, especially those who have recently married and should have a home of their own.”

Spenser gave one curt nod. “Agreed. Family time should be separate from work. I’ll do my best and we canhave a meeting after I’ve looked around at what you currently have.”

Spenser answered, seeming like he was finally able to offer something to the conversation. “Domenic can help me, since he’s the expert on security. Is there anyone here who’s been doing the most with the cameras currently in place? Someone I could talk to about where they are?”

Connor grinned. “That would be my dad, Teddy. He’s the one who orders the cameras and he’s usually the one to place them. He enjoys it. Security gives him a feeling like he’s doing something helpful around here without rigorous horseback riding, and I tend to agree. His polio keeps him from being a wrangler, but manning the security has always been something he takes very seriously.”

Dominic replied, “Then we’ll need to talk to him and get a good idea of what he knows and where he sees any gaps that he’d like to fill. By the time we leave, your father will know more about the tech side of security than he ever thought he’d need.”

“Good. He’s said he would like to have more knowledge, but most security firms won’t let someone take classes or learn more. Your help will be an asset that stays with us long after this situation is in our past.”

Sam watched the interaction. Having such knowledgeable help should’ve calmed his raging nerves, but it did just the opposite. The things they were talking about setting up were so military and precise. Kelly was in far more danger than she could know about, and he absolutely couldn’t tell her or risk her fear overriding what they were trying to do to protect her.

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