Page 2 of Wired Justice

Chapter Two

Security Specialist Jake Dunnprided himself on his focus. Yeah, people said he was impulsive, but they just didn’t understand how he worked. When Jake was interested in something, he zeroed in on it like a heat-seeking missile and followed his instincts, which could look like a series of tangents to others—but he always ended up in the right place at the right time, nailing his objective. He’d seldom been wrong following his gut, and now it was telling him that something was wrong on the Big Island.

Security Solutions’ newest clients, a couple in their late fifties wearing the golf shirts and chinos of the well-to-do, sat in chairs across from Jake and his boss, President of Operations Kendall Bix.

Bix was doing the interviewing. “So how long has your daughter been missing?”

“A week.” Kent Weathersby spoke, petting his wife’s hand over and over. Jake wasn’t much of a toucher and the tenderness in the gesture looked strange to him—but Betty Weathersby seemed to find it comforting. She snuggled into her husband, her immaculately coiffed head nestled on his shoulder.

“We reported Julie missing after she didn’t check in with us for our scheduled weekly talk. She had been on a backpacking trip through the islands, and we’d agreed she would check in with us every week. She’d been on the Big Island for a week, then we stopped hearing from her, so we contacted the authorities. The Hilo Police Department closest to the area where she was last seen has not been able to find her.” Weathersby spoke mechanically, as if he had rehearsed the speech so it would flow smoothly, even as his wife winced visibly with each mention of their daughter’s disappearance.

Jake cleared his throat. “I hope we can be of help, but you understand we will need to work closely with local law enforcement, and not step on anyone’s toes or duplicate efforts on the investigation.”

“Julie usually found a group of other campers to hang out with both for safety and fun. We’d only had two short check-in talks since she arrived on the Big Island. She was camping outside Volcanoes National Park. She hadn’t found anyone to hang out with yet that we knew of.” Betty’s wet blue gaze brought on a twinge of guilt. She reminded Jake of his mom.

His mom had flown all the way from the mainland to be at his bedside when he had been recovering from a recent gunshot wound. His sisters had come over too. Totally unnecessary, but at least they’d all been able to get a Hawaii vacation out of it.

Jake looked out the windows of Security Solutions’ conference room to where he could see a sliver of ocean in the distance between the buildings. The ocean was his favorite thing about living in Honolulu; just looking at it soothed his restless soul.

“I think we should be able to get some more answers for you,” Bix said. “A week isn’t long to be missing for a young woman of your daughter’s age. She probably met a guy and…you know.” Bix smiled. The expression perched uncertainly on the man’s stern mouth.

“We’ve been getting that same feeling from the police department that you’re giving us now: they don’t take us seriously. They think our daughter is shacked up with some man. That’s the message we’ve been getting over and over. But our Julie is not like that,” Weathersby said starkly. “Something’s happened. Something’s wrong.”

Jake slapped his thighs and stood up. “I believe you. I’ll go to the Big Island and find her.” He turned to look at Bix. “And I know just the woman to help. Our field agent, Sophie Ang.”

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