Page 8 of Echoes of Sin

“Laptops,” Bit said, purposefully stressing the plural part of the word. Brook could only see his legs clad in denim since the rest of his body was behind the large monitor. “Basically, don’t touch anything in this room. Not even the light switch.”

“We’ll be right back,” Sylvie said with a smile. “Bit, do you have any energy drinks left that you want us to bring back?”

“Does a hard drive crash when you drop it from the top of a skyscraper?”

Sylvie and Theo left the room after a couple of good-natured moans, leaving Riggs to refocus his attention. It seemed as if he’d gotten over his reservations working with Brook rather quickly.

“It must be rather cumbersome to travel with this much equipment.”

“And this is why you won’t be touching anything in this room,” Bit replied, finally stepping out from behind the monitor. Wyn hadn’t been rude with his question regarding Bit’s age. The young man’s energetic vibe was that of a teenager with a zest for life. “Boss, you can go ahead and get started on your draft. I uploaded the pictures that were taken by the forensic techs earlier this evening to our software program. You’ll also find the blueprint for the cabin, the property taxes, and the sale history in a separate folder. The initial background check of Luna Breen came back, as well. I’m still waiting for her financials. Oh, and I’m running an application on her social media sites while we wait for the warrant to come through for her cell phone. If anything pops, you’ll be the first to know.”

Brook continued to enjoy her coffee as Bit filled her in on what he’d been able to accomplish while the rest of the team had been hiking to and from the crime scene. She particularly enjoyed Rigg’s surprised expression. Bit had a tendency to shock people with his ability to multitask.

“There is no way that this kid was in the FBI.”

“You’d be surprised by how many young men and women just like Bit are recruited by the agencies,” Brook said as Bit began to set up a second portable table. He must have borrowed one from Wyn, because it wasn’t one that she’d seen before. “S&E Investigations wouldn’t be where it is today if it weren’t for Bit.”

Bit put a hand over his heart and flashed her a smile, but she wasn’t one to throw around compliments. His appearance tended to throw others off, but that was only a benefit in her opinion. He was lean with an oblong face, long nose, and blond hair that always looked in need of a wash. Genetics was to blame for the greasy appearance of the long strands that he usually kept covered by a gray knitted hat. He’d branched out to other colors, but it all depended on what yarn his older sister chose to use for her knitting projects.

“I get that your Boy Wonder has to set up his headquarters, but is there a reason that we’re not working?” Riggs asked, getting right to the heart of the matter. “Neville said that you want to check out some other isolated cabins that aren’t near the trails. Most of them are so old that they aren’t even on the updated maps anymore. I’ll need to call in some friends from the mountain rescue team. We’ll be able to cover more ground that way.”

From Riggs’ tone, he obviously believed it was a waste of time to search the other cabins. He might very well be right, but it was beneficial to the profile to be certain that there weren’t signs of similar crimes at the other locations.

“Feel free to make those calls tonight,” Brook said as Riggs continued to monitor Bit as he rearranged his computer equipment. “You’ll need one or two people who are willing to spend the day hiking tomorrow. I’d like there to be three groups. A guide for Sylvie, one for Theo, and you can go separate or tag along with Park Ranger Ashton. I’m not familiar with the terrain, so I don’t know if you need someone with you or not. You make that call for yourself.”

“Satellite phones were delivered an hour ago,” Bit interjected as he turned on his laptop. In seconds, the screen on the monitor came to life. “I bought the top of the line, Boss.”

Riggs remained by the door. The room was small, which meant that they didn’t have a wide area to work. Someone had pushed the bed to the far wall, placing a couple of pillows to makeshift a couch. Bit must have stolen a couple of chairs from downstairs to use at the tables. He was a creature of habit, which meant every offsite work area had to be set up in the same manner.

“And the investigation? Someone murdered that woman, and all you’re going to do is waste time searching empty cabins?”

Bit had just begun to enter the code from his security token to access one of the software programs when Riggs had asked his question. He wasn’t used to hearing others question Brook’s process. The team had become like a well-oiled machine, so it was odd to have an outsider express his reservations.

“Do you believe someone from Moonshine Valley killed Luna Breen?” Brook had both hands wrapped around the mug, though the warmth had faded as she’d enjoyed the contents. She released her grip to hold up a finger in order to stop Riggs from answering. “Do you believe it was personal? Random? Mistaken identity? The victim’s mother and sister have been notified, and it is my understanding that they are driving here from Virginia. I’ll speak with them sometime tomorrow. Tell me, Riggs. Where would you start your investigation?”

Riggs’ five o’clock shadow couldn’t hide the tension in his jawline. She’d only pointed out that there were a million places to start the investigation.

None of them were right.

None of them were wrong.

“I’m sure you are good at your job,” Brook said to preface her upcoming point. “But your talent when it comes to this investigation resides in those mountains. You know the terrain, you know the oddities, and you know the regular hikers who come and go from the trails. My specialty lies in profiling, and my process is different than other investigators. I’m open to all input, but I have final say on the steps taken in this case.”

Riggs didn’t reply right away, but she hadn’t expected him to, especially given that Sylvie and Theo could be heard coming up the stairs. As a matter of fact, the noise level downstairs had heightened in response to someone playing songs on the jukebox. The tune was that of an old country song by a female artist that Brook’s mother used to listen to during her childhood.

“This is the last of it,” Theo said as he entered the open doorway with a small plastic box in his hands. Since the storage container was clear, it was easy to discern that it was full of additional USB cables. “I locked up the van.”

Sylvie had two grocery bags, and Brook didn’t need to look inside to know that it contained loads of candy and cans of Bit’s favorite energy drink. Brook had been known to have a handful of Skittles and bars of chocolate from time to time herself.

“Over there, Big T,” Bit directed as he nodded toward the corner of the room where a few other storage containers had been set on top of one another. He then took the two grocery bags from Sylvie and swiveled in his chair to place them on the bed. He’d brought in his personal seat from the van. All the other chairs were from the downstairs bar. “Little T, you’re a lifesaver.”

Riggs’ right eyebrow had lifted upon hearing the nicknames that Bit had given Theo and Sylvie. The Ts stood for different reasons, though. Theo’s due to his muscular size, and Sylvie because of her love of tea. Brook expected there to be an adjustment period for Riggs and Park Ranger Erica Ashton, but Brook wouldn’t handhold them, either.

This investigation had little leads, and they would need to come at the case from every single angle. Luna Breen’s life was about to be turned upside down. The questions that Brook had posed to Riggs were significant. Had the victim’s death been personal? Random? Discovering the answers to those questions was going to be key to solving her murder.

“All I’m saying is that the clock is ticking, and the victim has already been dead for a week.” Riggs glanced around at Bit’s setup as if to indicate he believed it was all just a waste of time. “For all we know, it’s as simple as an ex-lover following Breen from Virginia to North Carolina.”

“If it was a simple murder investigation, S&E Investigations wouldn’t be here,” Brook stated as she pushed off the doorframe. “We usually have a team meeting before starting our day, so please be here at seven o’clock sharp. In the meantime, I’m sure the team members can fill you in on our process. I have a few calls to make and a profile to draft.”

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