Page 40 of Night Justice

When she picked it up, it was clear it wasn’t a phone, but rather some sort of electronic device. The shape was rectangular, but it was slightly bigger than a normal smartphone. A mix between a hiking GPS and a handheld computer.

When she pressed the power button, the screen flashed on, and a series of codes appeared.

Orla turned the device in her hand, but there wasn’t a company name, serial number, or any other indication of what it was. Only a small window made of glass on the bottom.

That was what White was after. But more importantly, what the hell was it? She pressed the power button once more to shut it off and put it on the bed.

With a surge of new-found motivation, Orla got to her feet and slung her towel away.

She didn’t know what it was, but she knew a man who would.

* * *

The Gamespyr complexlooked like an odd mishmash of buildings at the edge of the Loop. With what she knew about Devin Curtis, she thought he could afford a high-rise or two, but it better reflected the type of man he was.

There was a campus feel about the place, and she rolled her eyes with a smile.

Passing a basketball court and some sort of game room on her way in, Orla went to what appeared to be a reception desk and asked to speak to Devin Curtis.

The woman looked at her with such disdain, Orla thought her face would freeze like that. It took her journalist’s ID, a hundred dollars, and a stern face just to get her to call upstairs.

She knew when Devin heard she was there, he’d want to meet with her. At least she hoped.

Five minutes later, she was taking the elevator to the top floor.

The door opened to the most un-CEO like office she had ever seen. There were computers and consoles everywhere, some open with wires and chips bursting from them like guts. Stacks of papers were crumpled on the floor along with several action figures and even a full-size Batman in a corner.

“You’re admiring my office?”

Devin came from a side door, jeans slung low, no shirt on and his shaggy brown hair wet. Under his nerdy look was the body of a god. Nonetheless, she remembered another body that would undeniably soak her quicker than Devin’s shower. “I wouldn’t call this an office. More like a toddler’s playroom.”

His smile was dazzling when he dropped the towel and reached for a vintage Mario Brothers t-shirt.

“Am I catching you at a bad moment?”

Devin smirked, popping an energy drink from a small refrigerator. “I’m not offering you one; you seem rested enough. Not like the rest of us who eat, drink, and shower when we have five minutes to spare.”

“That’s the trouble with running a secret organization at the same time as a multi-billion-dollar enterprise.”

“And that will be the death of me, fifty years from now. Are you here for an interview? Or have you finally decided you can’t resist me?”

He was so full of it, and it was comical. “I have no interest in a man who can’t pick up after himself and leaves cookie crumbs all over his desk. Unfortunately, you’re the only brainiac I know who can tell me what this is.”

All amusement fled from his face when she produced the device, and he moved forward, his eyes on what was in her hand. “Is that what I think it is?”

Orla relinquished it but remained close. “You tell me. What is it, Devin?”

Silent, Devin turned the device in his hand like she had and pressed the power button. As before, the codes reappeared. “Holy fuck. I didn’t know they could make this thing that small.”

“What?”

Only then did he look up. “It’s a molecular scanner. Quite a small one. How did you get your hands on it?”

Ignoring his question, she took it back. “What does a molecular scanner do?”

“It acts like a barcode scanner if you like. You put it over any material, and it will tell you its molecular composition. You point that small window toward what you want to analyze, and the chemical transcription appears.”

What she had seen on the small screen made more sense now.

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