Page 46 of Cassidy

“I promise to work only as long as my vision remains clear,” Gabe said. “Maybe just another hour or two at the most.”

Rhy and Cassidy exchanged a look of concern, but his boss didn’t argue. “I’ll hold you to that,” Rhy said. “If I catch you squinting at the screen, you’re done for the night.”

“I’ll watch him like a hawk,” Cassidy added. “You need to get home, Rhy.”

They continued eating their pizza, and Gabe was surprised the meal gave him a burst of energy. Maybe he had been hungrier than he’d realized.

Yet the moment he sat back down at his computer screen, his headache intensified. Must be related to his concussion, but looking up the symptoms he was already experiencing seemed counterproductive. Since his vision was clear, he decided to start over at the very beginning of the code.

He took his time, trying to imagine what operating system the code belonged to. Had he copied it from somewhere? He didn’t think he’d created it. Then again, maybe he had but couldn’t remember.

A quarter of the way through his review, he realized there were levels to the code. Some of the lines repeated, but then went on in more depth. What did that mean? Was it possible Travis had gotten the code from the dark web, like the teenager who took a gun to the mall to shoot as many innocent victims as possible?

The dark web was a definite possibility, but as he continued to work, the numbers on the screen began to blur together. He sat back and pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes seeking relief.

“That’s it. Time’s up.” Cass emerged from behind him, reaching over his shoulder to take control of the mouse and closed the program. “You promised.”

He had, and the truth was that he couldn’t wait to get back into the darkness of the equipment room. “Okay. But I feel bad making you stay here all night.”

“There are two cots in the equipment room,” Cassidy said with a shrug. “We’ll be safe there.”

He nodded and pushed away from the desk. It was weird to share the equipment room with Cassidy, yet the moment he stretched out on the cot and closed his eyes, he sighed in relief.

And fell instantly asleep.

When Cassidy caughtherself staring at Gabe through the darkness, she sat up and tiptoed out of the room.

It was too early to sleep anyway, and the cot wasn’t exactly as comfortable as a full mattress. Keeping an eye on the clock, she headed back over to Gabe’s desk. There were a handful of cops working, but most were out on the street.

Exactly where she would have preferred to be.

A couple of the officers and detectives eyed her curiously. She was self-conscious about being out of uniform.

The hours ticked by slowly. At a quarter to midnight, she stood, intending to head into the equipment room, when the phone on Gabe’s desk rang.

She automatically reached for it. “Milwaukee Police Department District Seven.”

“Gabe? Are you there?” The whisper was so quiet she could barely hear. She couldn’t even say for sure if the caller was male or female.

She plugged her ear with one finger to drown out the ambient noise. “This is Officer Sommer. I can have Gabe come to the phone, but I need to know who’s calling.”

There was such a long pause she feared the caller had hung up. But then she heard, “Please get Gabe.”

Was this Travis? She decided not to push the issue of the caller identifying him or herself. “Okay, stay on the line.” She carefully set the phone down and bolted to the equipment room.

“Gabe. Wake up!” She shook his shoulder. “I might have Travis on the phone. Hurry.”

“Travis?” Gabe blinked in shock, but then quickly sat up. “Are you sure?”

“No, I’m not sure, but the call came through on your line, and the person is asking for you.”

Without saying anything more, Gabe strode from the room. She quickly followed, her heart pounding with anticipation. Maybe Travis was being held against his will but managed to escape long enough to make a call?

“Hello? This is Gabe, who is this?” With the receiver pressed to his ear, he glanced at her, shaking his head. “Hello? Is anyone there?”

His hopeful expression crumpled. Gabe replaced the handset and turned to look at her. “We need to trace that call.”

“You’re the one who usually does that,” she said. “Did you hear anything? Voices? Breathing? Anything at all?”

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