The Killers Amongst Us: Chimera Dawn Chronicles (23 page)

JIM
escorted their prisoner toward Shaw’s desk. Shaw
had seen that look and demeanor before. All his homicide prisoners had
displayed that same dejected look after he’d charged them. It wasn’t all about
remorse, relief, or otherwise at being caught. It was fear of what the future
held. In his case, he was looking at the FBI locking him up and throwing away
the key for hacking the NSA server. A life lost.

“Sit,” Shaw said, and then glanced at Frank. “Lock the outer
office door, and then take off his cuffs.”

“What’s happening?” their prisoner asked, his eyes darting
around the room.

Frank ambled to the office door and turned the key. Shaw
pushed his back into the chair rest and folded his arms.

“I’m thinking of letting you go without informing the FBI,”
Shaw said. “So, with that in mind, you’ll still be Ted Carter, with no one on
your back except me. Here’s where I’m at with my conditions.”

Ted sat and scratched at the cuff marks on his wrists. He
raised a half-smile and then lost his composure.

“What do you mean by conditions?”

“One step at a time. First thing, I want you to download all
the data from your iPhone so I can see your movements.” He pushed the phone
across the table.

Ted’s eyes flashed to each of his deputies, and then back to
Shaw. “You can’t seriously think I have anything to do with Amy going missing?”

Shaw shrugged, but otherwise ignored the question and stayed
silent.

“Look, I’ve never done that before. What if I can’t? I don’t
have a GPS tracker app installed.”

“If you can hack the NSA server, then extracting the info I
need should be small change,” Shaw said, and wondered if it was a case of Ted
worrying he may not be able to, or that he had something to hide.

“I only tried to hack their system, but I didn’t succeed.”

Shaw shook his head. “Then how did you get the dog’s file?”

“I got that from putting a Trojan in an e-mail to Summers.
Like I said, he works for the NSA. His e-mail address was on the card he gave
me.”

Shaw looked at his wristwatch. He was done fencing with him.
They were going in circles and it wasn’t getting him anywhere.

“Whatever. You’ve got around an hour before the FBI arrives
to discuss Amy going missing. If you haven’t worked it out by then, I can’t
risk letting you go, and I’ll have to hand you over. I’ll let their forensics
get the details off of the phone for me. I know the information is in there
somewhere and that it can be extracted from your particular model of cell phone.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll try, but I don’t have a lead to connect it
to a computer.”

Shaw kept his eyes locked on Ted, opened his drawer, took
his own iPhone lead and dropped it on the table “You do now.” Shaw turned his
computer screen toward Ted and offered the keyboard. “One hour.”

Shaw hauled his backside out of his seat, and then signaled
for his deputies to follow him. They huddled together just inside the corridor
to the cells, leaving the door slightly ajar. He leaned over to them, cupped
his hand to his mouth, nudged Frank and whispered.

“Contact your buddies and have them on standby to arrange
the surveillance at his cabin if he passes his test. Use my phone in the
apartment.” He produced his door key. “In the laundry basket next to the
washing machine, you’ll find the shirt I wore when we went to the silver mine.
It’s covered in dust. Don’t shake it. Grab the plastic bag from the interview
room and put it in there, and then leave it on my desk.” Shaw glanced through
the gap between the door and frame. Ted was busy typing on the keyboard. He pulled
the door to.

“What about Ted’s vehicle?” Jim said.

Frank cleared his throat. “Let him have it after I’ve taken
him to his cabin. I’ll contact Mike and ask him to install a tracking device
and we’ll deliver it later. Same with his phone if you don’t give it back right
away. Mike could install that GPS app that Ted mentioned.”

Shaw stood back. His eyes popped. “Mike from the hardware
store? He’s one of you! How much will that cost?”

“Shush, he’ll hear us, but yeah, he’s our electronics wizard,
and no, it won’t cost anything. Well, maybe a few dollars for the phone app.”

“What do you want me to do?” Jim asked.

Shaw leaned forward. “I want you to hold the fort. As soon
as I’ve finished with Ted, I need to go out. I want you to send my shirt to the
crime lab. If the FBI agents arrive before I return, let me know. I’ll leave my
key so they can use my apartment. Just be careful what you say on the phone
after they arrive, ’cause they’ll be tapping the line. Same goes for my cell
phone.” He turned to Frank. “Listen, tell them to use Fox for Ted’s call sign.”

“Will do.”

They all touched fists. Frank disappeared into the interview
room, and returned with the plastic bag.

“Where are you at with the phone?” Shaw asked, as he walked
back into the office

“Easier than I thought. See for yourself.”

Shaw looked over Ted’s shoulder at the screen. He was
expecting just a numerical list. Instead, Ted had transposed the data in
pictorial form on a map of California. The screen was split, with a separate
list of times and dates. Ted pressed the zoom to hone in on LA.

“The different colors are for Wi-Fi connections and cell
towers,” Ted said.

The map and the movements were self-explanatory. Shaw
studied the day’s route. The data all coincided with his statement.

“I thought you said your battery died after you spoke to
Amy?” Shaw pointed to the screen. “I can see a tower has picked you up there,
and a Wi-Fi connection there.”

“Yeah, I tried to phone her back a couple of times but it
didn’t connect. The charge was faint and it kept dying. Anyway, you’ve obviously
been looking at my phone when I was locked up in the cells.”

Ted scrolled the map and pointed to a tower connection in
Breakers Pass, timed after his arrest. Shaw paid him no attention, working out
that he had headed away from the likely route Amy’s bus would have taken.

“So is that it? I can go now, right? And you can tell me
what’s happened to Amy, right?”

Frank walked through the door and gave a thumps-up sign. He
walked over with the plastic bag and dropped it on the desk.

“Yeah, you can go, but not yet, there are just a few more
conditions to accept. Send the map details to print while I speak with Frank,”
Shaw said.

“Why the tests on your shirt?” Frank asked.

Shaw ushered him out of the office and into the corridor.

“Just routine. We’re making assumptions that the particles
on Maria’s nightdress are dust from the dog’s coat that the preppers say they
were chasing. My shirt got a good dousing of dust when the jeep spun its
wheels. We’ll see what a spectral analysis shows on the dust from my shirt.
Anyways, never mind that. Is everything arranged?”

“Yeah, they’re on standby at a minute’s notice. Mike will
spread the word.”

“Good.”

“What did you get off of his phone?”

“That he was telling the truth. But... the kid is smart. So
smart, he could be duping us. If he has a connection to all those girls going
missing, the same people could have Amy. Hell, it could be retribution for him
sniffing around the kidnappings.”

“That would be one hell of a coincidence.”

“You’ve a lot to learn about coincidences and crime. I’ll
tell you about some of them one day.”

“Where is it you’re going?”

“Out to see Cleo at the wildlife sanctuary. She said that
she has equipment for testing DNA. If I can get a test done quickly, I can scan
it and send it to the crime lab in an e-mail.”

Shaw pivoted on his heel and they walked back into the
office. He pulled at his chair and sat.

“Do I get to hear about Amy now?” Ted said.

His throat was dry. Shaw took a swig of cold coffee.

“All I can say is that shortly after you talked to her, she
got off the bus at the bottom of her Aunt Mary’s street, but she didn’t arrive
at her house.”

Shaw had to hold back and not give anything away. He needed
to keep to the basics. Ted could volunteer information later that only Shaw
knew, and those who kidnapped Amy.

“So that’s it? She’s just gone walk about?”

“Guess so.”

“But Amy wouldn’t do that without phoning someone.”

“Well she hasn’t phoned anyone. Listen, professionals are
dealing with the situation and that’s all I can say for now.”

“Wait a minute; you said the FBI is involved. Has she been
kidnapped?”

“She’s a law enforcement officer’s daughter. It’s surprising
what strings you can pull. Anyways, Frank here’s going to take you to your
cabin. He’ll arrange for your car to be delivered later. I’ll call to see you
and keep you updated. That’s assuming you give me your word.”

“What word?”

“I want you to promise that you won’t leave the cabin. If
you can’t do that, then it’s the FBI, and you can stay locked up here until
they arrive.”

Ted chewed on his bottom lip. His cheeks reddened.

“Okay, you’ve got it, I promise. But then, you’re not really
giving me an option. How long do I have to stay at my cabin?”

“Until I say. Leave and I’ll call in the FBI.”

Shaw nodded to Frank. The clock was ticking to the FBI
arriving, and he wanted him long gone.

Frank walked over to Jim. “Phone Mike for me while I take
Ted here to his cabin.”

“Sure.”

Shaw stood, walked around his desk, and placed a hand on
Ted’s shoulder.

“I’ll give you something to think about and we can talk
about it when I visit,” said Shaw.

“What’s that?”

“You can tell me when you were going to tell Amy who you
really are, and then what future you think you two could have with the FBI on
your back.”

Ted blushed, lowered his head and inspected his trainers.
Frank handed him his personal belongings.

“Come on, let’s go.”

“What about my phone?”

“Well, see now, we needs it a little while longer to list
all the serial numbers. I forgot to do it when I signed you in. We’ll drop it
off at the cabin with your vehicle.”

Shaw watched as Ted slouched out of the office. He turned to
his desk, picked up a packet holding Amy’s baby tooth, and one of his own DNA
sample bottles, then put them in his pocket. He reached over, picked up the
packet with the lock of his wife’s hair and held it to the light.

“Damn, take a look at this for me. I think I’m needing
specs.”

Jim put the phone down and walked over.

“What am I looking for?”

“White roots, I can’t see any.”

Jim took the lock of hair out of the packet and teased it
into separate strands. He worked his way through them, pulling one of them to
the side.

“That’s it, just the one.”

“Oh well, at least he’ll have the baby tooth to work with
down at the crime lab. I’ll take the hair with the root with me to the
sanctuary.”

Shaw scribbled an address on a notepad and a set of
instructions.

“I want you to get my shirt to the crime lab this address.
Send it by overnight FedEx before they close and include the note.”

“Good as done. Anything else?”

“Yeah, when they arrive, use the code ‘visitors’ if you’re
contacting me over the radio. Give them my key, and tell them to make
themselves at home. Then you can go home.”

Shaw put all the strands of hair back in the pack and
slipped it in his pocket.

“I’ll get back as soon as I can.”

He took the note with Cleo’s phone number from his shirt
pocket and dialed the number as he walked to his vehicle. Shaw opened his car
door, sat sidesaddle on his seat and pressed call. Gyp appeared from nowhere,
squeezing through the space behind his seat, then  jumped over onto the
passenger seat. He recognized Kitten’s voice when she answered.

“Hi, it’s Sheriff Shaw. Could I speak with Cleo. Sorry, the
professor?”

“She’s in surgery, can I help.”

“I was hoping to come over to speak with her now, I need a
favor.”

“Well, I know she was hoping you’d call and to bring Gyp for
a visit. She’ll be finished soon, come over anyway.”

“I’m on my way and Gyp’s with me. Incidentally, Frank said
to say thanks for the treatment. He’s never felt better.”

“Not a problem, see you soon.”

Shaw swung his legs inside, closed the door and fired up the
ignition. He took the route past the vets and picked up the country road toward
the wildlife sanctuary. He approached where Mrs. Fisher lived, a small group of
single-story homes set back off the road. Her car was in the drive and he
pulled up outside. Five minutes out of the journey won’t hurt, he thought. He
climbed out of his car, walked up to the door and knocked. He glanced at the
tree in her front yard that he’d climbed on many an occasion. Esther
approached.

“I saw you arrive. The door is not locked, go inside,” she
said.

Shaw twisted the door handle and opened the door slightly,
keeping in mind her Montague.

“Mrs. Fisher, Sheriff Shaw.”

He took off his hat and knocked again.

“She’s probably asleep, best I go in. I wouldn’t want to
have a fright if she awoke to a man standing over her.”

“No, leave it if she’s resting.”

“Oh, don’t fuss none. She’ll be none too pleased if she
finds out you visited and she was asleep. Besides, the old girl never stops
talking about you. I’ll go and wake her.”

Shaw waited as Esther brushed past him. He tapped his hat on
his leg. A scream rang out from inside the house. He fumbled for the butt of
his gun and dropped his hat. The door swung open. Esther was clutching at her
chest and breathing heavily.

“She... she’s dead, and so is Montague.”

SHAW
drew his gun from his holster and sidestepped
Esther.

“Where is she?”

“She’s in the living room.”

Esther leant over and vomited.

“Go home and stay there,” Shaw said.

He knew the layout. He’d had enough cups of coffee there.
Maybe too many to count. There had never been much in the way of conversation,
unless it was about her Montague. The most he’d learned about her was from her
last visit to his office. That conversation had drawn him close to her, and
earned his respect. He obviously had her respect. Until talking to Esther, he
would never have known. Shaw crept along the corridor, opening each door and
checked the rooms. They were all empty. The living room door was open. He
entered.

“Oh no!” Shaw winced.

Mrs. Fisher was sitting on her rocker, clutching a picture
frame to her chest. The cat lay at her feet. Her eyes were wide open. The
whites of her eyes had a yellow hue to them, with a spider’s web of red-blood
vessels. The normal pallor of her skin on her arms and face had a slightly
yellow tinge. Blood had dribbled from the corner of her mouth and nose and onto
her blouse. It was already congealed. Shaw holstered his gun. Her chest was
still.

An urge to step forward to check her pulse was tempered with
common sense. He’d seen that skin color before on the patients at the medical
center. It could be something contagious. Maybe something highly contagious. He
scurried back outside and over to his car. Opening his trunk, he recovered his
aluminum case, opened it and rummaged inside. Shaw thanked God that he’d
replenished his kit. He suited up, pulling the hood over his head and fastening
the drawstring. Walking to her door, he slipped a surgical facemask over his
head and covered his mouth. He stopped and pulled gossamer gloves from his
overall pocket and slipped them on his hands.

Shaw hesitated for a moment at the door and tried to think.
He didn’t need this situation. Not with his daughter still missing. In the
scheme of finding her, he felt powerless, insignificant. The distraction that
he was facing didn’t help. He knew that he shouldn’t be working. He shouldn’t
have been working on Amy’s twelfth birthday, the day that Cath had died. Shaw
took a deep breath, then slipped his hand through the opening in his overall.
He retrieved his cell phone and dialed the medical center. An answer phone
picked up the call with a robotic sounding woman’s voice answering.

“Thank you for calling the Breakers Pass medical center.
Please leave a message after the tone with your name, phone number, and address,
and CDC will call you back.”

He closed the call.

“Who the hell’s CDC?”

Shaw dialed the funeral parlor, but it was engaged. He
turned around to face the street. Curtains twitched at the house opposite as he
dialed the county sheriff’s number. The receptionist answered. Shaw pulled his
facemask down.

“Can you connect me with the county sheriff, it’s urgent.
Sheriff Shaw, Breakers Pass.”

“One moment, sir.”

He didn’t have long to wait. The county sheriff answered.

“Hi, make this quick, I’m due in an emergency meeting with
CDC.”

“What’s all this about CDC? Who are they?”

“Center for Disease Control. I hope you’re indoors over there.
If you have to go out, wear a mask. We’re just getting word out now. We’re up
at over one hundred deaths so far and climbing. I’ve just come off of the phone
to your deputy. I’ve spoken with the governor’s office and it’s looking as
though we’ll be implementing a quarantine area for Breakers Pass.”

“Over a hundred! Quarantine for the whole town? Why didn’t I
get to know earlier?”

“You’re not working, remember? Besides, it’s all happening
so quickly. The deaths are mainly the old and the very young that we shipped to
County Hospital from the medical center.”

“Jesus. Listen, I’m at an old woman’s house now and she’s
dead. Do you have someone that can see to her body?”

“Just give me the name and address. Leave the house secure
and tape up the door.”

Shaw gave him the details and closed the call. He stepped
over to his car and retrieved his roll of crime scene tape from the trunk. His
mind was rolling in circles as he walked to the front door and tried to
comprehend the scale of situation. He’d been exposed to Mrs. Fisher, and to the
old guy that he’d taken to the medical center. If it was contagious, he thought
that his chances of catching something already pretty high. Maybe that thought,
or sheer stupidity drove him on through the door and into the living area. He
couldn’t be sure why. Whatever, he was in there and looked around the room.

At the side of Mrs. Fisher, there was a small ornate French-style
table. On the surface was a glass of water, maybe two thirds empty. He reached
out, took the picture frame from her grasp, and then checked for a pulse that
he knew wasn’t there. The frame had covered the deputy badge that he had given
her and it was pinned to her blouse. He could understand it must have been a
big deal for her. He wondered what must have been going on in her mind besides
any pain as she passed on. A glance at the photograph in the frame said it all.
She can’t have been any older than Amy in the photo. She was a good-looking
girl in her day. In the picture, her arm draped around a young man, with a look
of Ed Grimes. He was maybe in his early twenties and wearing an Elliot Ness
style suit, with a trilby hat. Shaw turned the frame around, and written on the
back was, ‘Me and Jed, 1942. High School Prom.’

Shaw set the frame down on the side table with the picture
facing her. He walked into the kitchen. Montague’s food bowl was full and
didn’t look as though it had as much as a lick. The bowl next to it had a small
amount of water in the bottom. There were no plates in the sink to show what
she had eaten. He tapped the garbage bin pedal with his foot. All that was in
there was an empty tin of cat food. Shaw opened a cupboard door and moved things
around. He found two screw-top containers and pulled them out, placing them on
the work surface. It was a long shot, but water seemed to be a common
denominator. Maybe Cleo could run some tests, he thought. He opened the cutlery
drawer and pulled out some tongs. In the cupboard under the sink, he found a
roll of garbage bags and took it out. Shaw poured what little water there was
in the cat bowl into a container and screwed the lid tight. He carried
everything through to the living room, set them down on the sofa, and poured
the water from her glass into the other screw-top container.

“Sorry about this, Montague.”

Shaw tore off two garbage bags from the roll, stuffed one in
his pocket and opened the other. He picked up her cat with the tongs by its neck
and placed it into the bag. He took one last look around, and then set off
outside carrying the containers and Montague. He shook his head that there
wasn’t a birthday card in sight.

He was greeted at the door by a throng of neighbors.

“Has she been murdered?” Esther said.

“Not that I can see. I’m guessing her immune system couldn’t
cope with the bug she had, especially given her age. Please, all a ya go home.”

He walked over to his car and opened the trunk, placing
Montague inside, together with the containers

“Wait.” he said. It wasn’t his problem, or area of
expertise, but he couldn’t leave it at that. “Look, this bug that’s going
around is serious, but they don’t know what it is yet. I’m no medic, but I
suggest you all stay inside and watch for news reports. Only eat food that you
cook, and boil any water you use. And avoid outside contact, just in case it’s
contagious.”

“Contagious! She’s been in my car and I’ve sat with her at
her home,” said Esther.

He sensed his patience wearing thin. He wanted to go about
his business at the sanctuary, then get back to meet the FBI.

“What can I say? Change your clothes and take a shower. I
know that’s what I’ll be doing when I get home.”

The crowd exchanged suspicious glances, and then put some
distance between each other as they hurried back to their houses. Shaw stripped
out of his protective clothing except for his facemask, stowed the clothing in
the garbage bag and put it in his trunk. Over at the door, he secured the crime
scene tape, picked up his hat of the floor, then returned to his car.

A mile along the country road, with the widows closed and
the AC still not working, it was as much as he could bear with the heat. Sweat
poured from every pore in his body. Breathing was difficult with the facemask
sodden with sweat. Gyp looked just as distressed, his tongue hanging loose and
panting rapidly. Shaw pulled the facemask down, and opened his window. His cell
phone rang and he fished it from his pocket and answered.

“Shaw.”

“Hi, it’s Jim. I know you’re not meant to be working, but I
had a call from the county sheriff earlier.”

“Yeah, I’ve spoken to him. What a mess. What did he tell
you?”

“That we have to suspend normal duties and to man the
office. County are taking charge of the town. He said for Frank and me to be in
the office early tomorrow and he’ll brief us. I can’t believe how many are
dead. I phoned Annie at home and she and the kids are fine, thank God.”

“Mrs. Fisher’s not as lucky. I’ve just left her house. She’s
dead, and it looks as though she’s a victim of the sickness. County is taking
care of her body.”

“Oh no, poor old lady. Listen, the FBI called. They should
be here in two hours.”

“Good, I’ll be back by then. That’s too late for the FedEx
depot though. Better get over there and send my shirt to the crime lab, and
then call it a day. Leave my key for the apartment on the desk.”

“Will do.”

The call ended and he drove on. So much had happened in such
short space of time, he found it difficult to get his head around all the
events of the day. All he hoped for was that Logan would deliver the goods and
find Amy safe and sound. The radio speaker crackled.

“Fox One to, Blue Leader, our Fox is in the hole, over.”

Shaw picked up his cell phone and dialed Frank’s number.

“I’m just trying to call you on the radio,” Frank said.

“Yeah, I heard. You need to get home and check on June.
Didn’t you say she was ill? County are putting the town under quarantine. We’ve
got over one hundred dead so far.”

“Yeah, Jim told me. June’s fine, I spoke to her earlier.”

“All the same, tell her only to eat cooked food, and to boil
any water. Keep your eye on the news.”

“Will do. I’ll phone you if the Fox moves from the hole.”

Shaw closed the call as he approached his turning to the sanctuary
and slowed. A black Toyota pulled out from the entrance roadway. Shaw’s eyes
followed the driver and they exchanged glances. If he hadn’t seen the photos at
Ted’s cabin, he may not have put a name to the face. Well not exactly a name.
It was the son of a bitch from Homeland Security.

“What business would he have at the sanctuary?”