Page 20 of Fearless
“But you didn’t! I may not have been able to crack the file, but I didn’t come away empty-handed. I checked the access logs and noted that your father’s computer was remotely accessed two days ago from a public IP address that belongs to a coffee shop in Marathon. The place is called Don’t Be Brewdy. Whoever accessed the computer didn’t use a VPN to cover their tracks, which made tracing the source fairly easy.”
“Great work, Jerry. That gives us a place to start searching. Patrick, what were you able to find out?”
Patrick yawns. “The number of people going to Key West during the winter is surprisingly large. I filtered out anyone who boarded in Baltimore from a connecting flight, which brought the number down to 82. From there, I went ahead and isolated anyone with a Virginia, Delaware, or Maryland home address. I added the District of Columbia, even though most agents preferto commute. That brought the number down to 68.”
I grab the back of my neck and rub out the tension building between my shoulder blades. “That’s a lot.”
Patrick nods, but then he smiles. “It is, but I cross-referenced that list with employees in the FBI database and reduced the number to two.”
Harper shakes her head. “Only two? My father typically travels with four agents at a minimum.”
“You’re right, Harper. I would have expected more, which is why I also checked flights from Reagan National on the same day and went through the same process. Once again, there were two agents on board. I’m sending you their profiles now.”
A message icon pops up almost immediately. “We’ll need someone to go talk to them,” I say.
“That’s not going to be possible, Roger,” Ethan says. The four agents haven’t returned from their trip. They each requested two weeks of leave and aren’t due back to work for another five days.”
Harper bounces in her seat. “Then that means they might still be in the area! We can go to their hotel and…”
“They never checked in,” Ben interrupts. “If they’re still in the area, they are flying under the radar and most likely using a rental home under an assumed name. There are more than a thousand rental properties listed on multiple sites, but I’ve got Savannah combing through places that would accommodate at least four people and are willing to take cash or a prepaid credit card.”
“Have you told Whitman about this?” I ask.
“There’s nothing to tell him yet,” Ethan says. “As far as heknows, four agents are on vacation right now, and I’m unwilling to share any information that isn’t rock-solid. What we have so far is gelatinous at best, unless you have anything to share.”
I tell him about the suspicious activity on the docks last night and layout our plan for the rest of the day. He agrees and suggests that we rent the boat for the entirety of our stay. While Jessie, Elijah, Carter, and Leanna take the charters, Harper and I will try to map out the route the bus took and determine the best places to set up a stakeout.
“I’m going to send Jaxon and Savannah down to Marathon to check out the coffee shop and scout out the area while Jerry will continue to monitor Finnegan’s computer access logs,” Ethan says.
Ben adds, “Patrick, Ethan, and I will be available for anything else you need. We’re in an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ scenario, and the plane is fueled and ready to go. One call, and we’re on our way.”
Harper wipes a tear from her eye. “Thank you all so much. You’ve accomplished more in one day than Whitman has in a week with an entire agency at his beck and call. I see why my father was sad to see you all leave the Bureau. With every day that passes, the chances of finding my parents dwindle. But no matter what happens, just know that my dad loved you all.”
Jessie scowls. “Lovesus all, Harper. There will be no speaking in past tense in present company. Do you hear me? Wewillfind your parents. Even if it’s the last thing we do.”
Chapter eleven
Harper
My spirits are lifted, and my hopes are high by the time Roger disconnects from the call. I lean my head on Roger’s shoulder as some of the weight lifts from mine. “I’m impressed with what you and your team have been able to accomplish in such a short time.”
Roger smiles wistfully. “We’ve been working together for ten years. Most of us, anyway. Carter has been working at Shining Knight since its inception, two years before I finally joined the team after retiring from the FBI. However, he didn’t have any prior experience working in the field, so most of that time was spent going through an intense training program. Jaxon was hired about six months ago, and most of his experience was from working for another three-letter agency. And Elijah is our newest recruit. This operation is his first official mission as a protection specialist, but he had plenty of experience between his time in the Air Force and with Seattle PD.”
The phone on the kitchenette counter begins to ring. I pat Roger’s leg and move to answer it. “You’re all like one big family,and the bond you share is something special. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to be a part of it.” I don’t wait for the look of pity that’s sure to come, picking up the landline instead. “Hello?”
The woman on the other end of the line greets me pleasantly, and I repeat her query so that Roger can weigh in. “Do we need housekeeping?”
Roger shakes his head, and I relay the negative response. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary…Oh, really? That’s great! We’ll be sure to utilize the service.”
“What was that all about?” Roger asks as soon as the phone receiver is back in the cradle.
“It was the head of housekeeping wondering if we needed service. When I told her that we didn’t, she informed me that they have service available 24 hours a day. Should we need a full turnover or just some fresh towels, all we have to do is give them a call. Apparently, Shining Knight paid for the deluxe treatment, ensuring that our privacy is guaranteed.” I tell him with a wide grin and an overexaggerated wink.
“What am I going to do with you?” he says lightheartedly, closing up the laptop and placing it in a leather satchel.
“You could take me for a romantic walk on the resort grounds.” Roger gets the hint that we need to get going and holds up a hand for me to wait for him. He holsters his gun under his loose-fit polo shirt. He pulls out a black box and a metallic circular device from the duffel bag before placing that and the case with our sensitive equipment into a closet. “A closet isn’t exactly a secure spot to hide our belongings,” I tell him.
He picks up the bulky circular device that’s about four incheswide and an inch thick. It has a two-inch butterfly key protruding from the back. “That’s why I brought one of these. It’s a mobile locking mechanism.” He places the lock approximately eight inches above the knob so that that key slides through the small gap between the door and the trim. He inputs a code, and I hear a winding motion and watch as the light turns from green to red.
