Page 84 of Once a Killer

Ten minutes later, Bree watched as Jameson paced the living room, shoving his fingers through his hair as he walked. “Like we told Mel and Dev, this has gone beyond an intellectual exercise,” he said after pacing for several moments. “We have to take action. Stir the pot. Force the culprit to act so we can catch him or her in the act. It’s the only way to know definitively who’s trying to steal my program.”

“I agree,” she said, grabbing his hand as he walked past her. “Sit down and let’s figure out a plan.”

Jameson plopped onto the sofa beside her. “You got any ideas?” he asked.

“I do. But what about you? Any thoughts?”

“Besides taking them into a window-less room, one by one, and beating it out of them?”

Bree huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, besides that. Too unreliable. We have to outmaneuver them. Be as devious as our target has been. And that’s a tall order with a group of people as smart as your engineers.”

“So what do you suggest?” Jameson said.

“Do you have an appointment with your patent attorney?” Bree asked.

“I do, as a matter of fact. Two weeks from now.”

“That’s perfect,” Bree said. “Is it on the calendar you share with the other engineers?” she asked.

“Not yet.” Jameson shook his head. “I usually don’t put that kind of stuff on the calendar until a day or two before the appointment. In case I have to change it for some reason.”

“Good. So no one knows about that appointment yet?”

“Nope. You’re the first person I’ve told.”

Bree nodded, running scenarios in her head. “I think you have to make all of them believe you’re on the brink of getting the patent on your program.” She frowned. “None of them worked on that program with you, right?”

“No one did. Theo, my grad school advisor, steered me in the right direction, but he’s already getting a share of the profits. No one else contributed anything. And they all know that once my program is patented, it’s out of reach. They could still steal it, of course, but I’d get it back and sue their asses for a huge amount of money. And then they’d end up in jail.”

Jameson’s eyes lit up as he smiled at her as he processed what Bree was saying. “So I’ll put an appointment on the calendar for a couple of days from now, then leave for a ‘meeting’ with my attorney that day,” Jameson said, nodding at Bree. Thank goodness he was such a quick study. It was one of the things she… appreciated about Jameson. “Then I come back from the appointment with a bottle of insanely expensive champagne.”

“Dom Perignon,” she said immediately, getting into the spirit of the scenario. “Everyone knows that stuff is crazy expensive. Used for the most significant occasions. And you’ll tell them you’re celebrating because you’re on the brink of getting your patent. The attorney told you it should be issued any day now.”

Jameson smiled and nodded, and Bree savored the knowledge that they were so in sync. “Then, before we leave that day, I put a hard drive into the safe,” he continued. “I pretend like I’m trying to hide what it is, but I make sure everyone sees it.”

“Yeah. Perfect,” Bree said. She scooted closer to Jameson. “We go home like usual, but we return to the lab after everyone’s cleared out. We’re dressed in black, with black ski masks on. We sit in the lab, where no one will see us when they come in, and wait for our target to show up.”

“You’re pretty sure they will?” Jameson asked.

“Almost positive,” she answered. “The thief has to be the one who blacked out the cameras. So he or she will think no one can see them breaking into the safe. They’ll take your hard drive, put in a replacement, and then walk out of the lab, imagining your shock when you realize the program is gone.”

“And we’re right there to catch them in the act.”

“Exactly.”

Jameson grabbed her into his arms and hugged her tightly. “Brilliant plan,” he said. “Simple but effective. Whoever shows up at the lab after the Champagne is our target.”

“Yep,” Bree said.

Jameson eased away from her but grabbed both of her hands in his. “That’s why you were a successful sniper,” he murmured. “You strategized. Thought things through ahead of time. And I bet you always had a back-up plan.”

“Always,” Bree said, staring down at their joined hands. She hated what she’d done in the Marines, but it was serving her well with her duties as a bodyguard. Helping Jameson. She should be thankful for that.

And she was. But she’d told Mel and Dev she didn’t want to be assigned to cases where she knew in advance she’d have to kill someone. They’d told her they’d try their best, but no one could predict where a case would go.

She’d thought about it for a while and finally agreed. She hadn’t had to kill anyone yet, thank God. And she hoped she wouldn’t have to kill anyone on this job. But if it were a choice between Jameson’s life and the perp’s life? She wouldn’t think twice. She’d protect Jameson with everything she had, even if it demanded lethal force.

He stood up holding her hand and pulled her to her feet. “We’ve given this case enough of our attention for tonight,” he said. “Let’s go to bed and forget all about it. Focus on more… pleasurable things.”

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