Mercenary Trilogy - Willing Part 17

"Ms. McCall, we know you're in there. You owe it to the public to answer a few questions," a strident voice shouted from outside, interrupting Claire midspate.

"Ms. McCall, can you confirm your father received threats from the Earth Liberation Front before his death?"

She felt the color leach from her face as an appalling thought a.s.sailed her. What if they had been looking at this whole thing from the wrong angle-she, Daniel, Hotwire and Claire? What if ecoterrorists were angry about her father's school in the middle of national forest lands, angry enough to do something about its existence?

They'd considered and dismissed the possibility the attack had been spurred by antiwar activists, but had not even given first thought to it being ELF sympathizers.

Privately held property was always at risk, and her dad had been forced to clear old growth timber to establish the compound before the timber controversy had become such a big deal. Only that had been so long ago.

"Josette, if it were ecoterrorists, why break in to your house and steal the school's records? It's possible the real culprits tipped off the press to throw up a smokescreen, but my gut tells me that the people trying to kill your dad aren't doing it because of his views on the environment."

She looked up at Daniel, feeling disoriented by how closely his thoughts ran parallel to hers. "Are you reading my mind?"

"Maybe I just know how you think." He ma.s.saged her shoulders, his eyes warm on her in a way that made her feel very special.

Which did not mean she was going to let him give her commands like a raw recruit, but it was possible he 'd been right about not going outside just yet.

"It takes a soldier to know a soldier," Hotwire said, his voice laced with amus.e.m.e.nt.

"That's all well and good, but what are we going to do about the zoo in our front yard?" Claire asked acerbically.

Josie's mouth set with resolve. "We can call the police."

"Do you think that will do any good?" Claire asked. "There's the whole freedom of the press issue."

"It will get them out of my yard. If they want to stand yelling on the sidewalk, that's their business, but I don't have to listen to it through my front door."

Daniel leaned down and kissed her right on the lips, shocking her thoughts right out of her head. "Don't do anything yet. Let me and Hotwire go around from the back and scope out the scene. I want to see if any of the reporters are acting like maybe they aren't reporters."

"How would you tell?" Claire asked while Josie's brain was still adjusting to Daniel's public display of affection.

Daniel turned to her. "They messed up breaking in here by not taking the CDs and DVDs. Unless they make better reporters than fake thieves, they'll give themselves away somehow."

"I should go out, too," Josie said as her thoughts started stringing together in coherent patterns again. "Imight recognize someone.""No," Daniel said."It's too risky," added Hotwire."I don't intend to let anyone see me.""Do you really want Claire left in here alone while we all go outside to recon?"

"Hotwire can stay inside.""She's got a point, Nitro," Hotwire said. "If she stays out of sight, it wouldn't be a bad idea to find out ifshe recognizes any of the gaggle outside."

"I don't need a baby-sitter," Claire said, sounding as irritated as Josie by being managed.

Hotwire smiled charmingly. "Even if you weren't in here, someone would have to stay to make sure noneof the reporters gained entry.""I can handle that."Hotwire's smile disappeared. "Not if the person gaining entry isn't really a reporter.""He's right," Josie said, taking petty satisfaction in throwing the words back at her friend and then feeling instant remorse. "I mean-"Claire's eyes filled with understanding humor. "Don't worry about it. I know what you mean, and you're both right." Then she sighed, looking out the window, and bit her lip, her expression turning worried. "I've got cla.s.s in an hour and a half.""I'll take you," Hotwire offered, "and I won't let any of that mob get at you on the way to the car."Claire nodded, her curly ponytail bouncing and her relief palpable. "Thank you, that would be great." She turned to Josie. "If you don't need me to hold the fort, I think I'll take a shower and get ready for cla.s.s."Josie and Daniel's recon netted exactly nothing, and no adventurous reporter tried breaking in while theywere outside. Which didn't mean they wouldn't make the attempt later, Daniel pointed out, taking the opportunity also to comment again that if Josie had a decent security system, there would be nothing to worry about.

She ignored the barb and made the call to the local police, who told her they could come by and get the

reporters out of her yard, but there was no way of guaranteeing they would stay out once the officers left again. She got off the phone feeling frustrated, not only by that, but also the realization that Claire still didn't have a computer for her cla.s.s work and her first cla.s.s that day was an on-line lab.

Josie would be missing cla.s.ses today, but there was nothing she could do about that. She had meant to do something about her roommate's lack of a computer first thing that morning, but had gotten caught up reading her dad's journals.

"Darn it."Daniel watched as Josie's hands curled into fists at her sides and her pixie face creased with a fiercefrown.

She'd made her phone call while looking out the window at the steadily increasing melee in her front yard. Eventually, the reporters would have to leave-out of boredom or the need to cover another story -but he was pretty sure they'd come back and keep hounding Josie. He didn't like it.

Maybe they needed to consider changing locations.

"Did the cops refuse to come out?" he asked.

"No. They'll come, but they said they can't promise any lasting results." She sounded resigned, which did not explain her tension. Sitting on the arm of the couch beside him, she ran her fingers through her chin-length brown hair. "Claire doesn't have a computer, and she needs one. Badly. I meant to take care of it this morning. She hasn't said anything, but she's got an on-line lab first thing."

"I brought two laptops with me," Hotwire said from his position by the window, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to travel with two computers when Daniel could never remember traveling with even one. "I'll give her one of them. They're both fully loaded with killer speed CPUs. They've even got GPS devices on them, not that yours did you any good."

"You mean the one in my car?" Josie asked. "It worked just fine before my car was destroyed by an arsonist's fire." The grim set to her mouth left Daniel with no doubt what she felt about losing her little car in the blast.

But Hotwire shook his head. "The one in your laptop."

"What are you talking about? I didn't use my laptop for GPS. Even if I hadn't had a unit in my car, that would have been too inconvenient while driving."

Hotwire came away from the window, his expression alert. "I meant the GPS unit inside your laptop. The one used to track its location if the computer gets stolen."

"Her laptop had a GPS?" Daniel asked. Then, "And why do you know about it, but she doesn't?"

"Hotwire helped me pick out my computer when I started taking cla.s.ses at PSU."

"And the one we picked out had a GPS unit."

Josie twisted her body so she could look squarely at Hotwire. "I can't believe I didn't remember that. I' m not even sure I ever knew it, and I should have. It was my computer, for crying out loud."

"Like you're going to read the computer manual after you buy." Even he didn't do that, and Daniel was a lot less proficient with computers than Hotwire and Josie.

"Yes, but-"

"Are you saying we can track Josie's computer?" Daniel asked his friend, cutting in on her self-recriminations.

"If the GPS unit hasn't been destroyed, yes." Hotwire smiled then, his eyes cold with purpose. "If Josie didn't realize it was there, I doubt the thieves have either. It's a relatively new safety feature in mobile computer technology."

"So, how do we track it?"

"We call the manufacturer and report it as stolen. They do a satellite search which will result in a three-point coordinate location."

A three-point coordinate was pretty d.a.m.n precise. "How long will it take?" Daniel asked."A few minutes.""How accurate?""Within ten feet.""It sounds too easy.""It is." This from Josie. "The position can be as accurate as we want it to be, but there's no guarantee the laptop won't be moved before we can get to it."

"And if the location isn't at a known address, like out in the middle of the desert or something," Hotwireadded, "we still have to track it."Which was exactly what ended up being the case, although it couldn't be as easy as being in the middle of the desert and easily accessible by helicopter or plane. According to its GPS, the laptop was currently in an uninhabited area of the Rocky Mountains with no known public or private roads within fifteen miles of its location.

Before they could discuss what to do with that piece of information, Claire came out of her room, dressed and ready for cla.s.s. Josie brought her up to speed, and then the phone rang. Looking over her shoulder, Daniel read Oregon State Police on the caller identification.

His gut clenched for no discernable reason, and he said, "I think you'd better take that call, sweetheart."Josie held the ringing cordless unit in her hand, wis.h.i.+ng she could just ignore its impatient summons.How much should she share of what she knew? She didn't know why her father and his school had been targeted for destruction, and bringing in the authorities might harm him more than help him. On the other hand, maybe the authorities had information that would help her and the others find her dad's enemies before they found him.

The phone shrilled again, and she pushed the talk b.u.t.ton before lifting it to her ear. "Josie McCall

speaking."

"Ms. McCall, this is Detective Johnson with the State Police Arson and Explosives Division. I'm investigating a fire that occurred two nights ago on property owned by Tyler McCall in the Coastal Range. I would like to ask you a few questions, if I may."

"Yes, of course.""Can you verify your father, Tyler McCall's, whereabouts on the night of July twelfth?"Having already gone through this with Officer Devon, she was more prepared to answer that question at least. "My dad was at his paramilitary training compound.""Are you absolutely certain of that?""Yes.""Did he call you from there, or in some other way confirm his presence on the mountain to you? Perhaps you were there with him at some point?"

"Why are you asking me this?""His entire compound burned to the ground, Ms. McCall.""I'm aware of that.""I see. Do you mind telling me how you learned of the fire, Ms. McCall?""It's hardly a state secret. It's all over the news," she said, hedging around the truth, and then added, "

and one of your officers came by to tell me of my father's death yesterday.""A state policeman came by your house to inform you of your father's death?""Yes." Surely that wasn't such a surprise, unless the departments didn't speak to each other-which, when she thought about it, wasn't all that farfetched of an idea."Do you have the officer's name?""Barry Devon.""Thank you." He paused as if taking the time to write the name down. "Apparently the fire started with an explosion.""Yes.""Did the officer tell you that as well?""He did." She wondered why the detective was asking her about what his colleague had said. Why not simply ask the other officer? "He also said the Forest Service believed it was an accidental explosion. Isthat still the case?""Can you hold on for a moment, Ms. McCall?"

Chapter 12.

"C ertainly."

She pressed the mute b.u.t.ton on the phone and asked the others, "I'm on hold. How much do you think I should tell him?" "If you don't tell them you were on the mountain with your dad, you could be charged with obstruction of justice," Claire said.

"Did you read that on the Internet, too?" Josie asked tongue-in-cheek. Her roommate had a brilliant mind filled with bits of knowledge about pretty much everything.

"Nope." She grinned. "I grew up watching Perry Mason."

"Her source might be suspect, but Claire's right," Hotwire said.

"But then I have to tell them Dad isn't dead."

"They're going to figure that out soon regardless, and once they do, it won't take them long to contact the closest emergency rooms and find record of you and your dad's visit, even if you gave an alias." Hotwire was right. Not many women came into ER with a wounded man and smelling like smoke if they hadn't been in a fire. "Do I tell him about the break-in and the laptop locator?"

"If you do, they can tell you faster than anyone else what or who might be located in that supposedlyuninhabited area.""If they're as open about sharing information as you're suggesting Josie be," Daniel added, sounding skeptical.The detective came back on the line. "Ms. McCall?""I'm here," she said after turning off the mute function.Claire waved, getting Josie's attention. "I have to go," she mouthed silently.Josie nodded, indicating with her hand that Claire and Hotwire should take off."Are you positive it was a state policeman who came to speak to you?" the detective asked, bringing her attention back to the phone.

She had to think a second to refocus her train of thought, and even when she did, she couldn't figure out

why he was asking her that. "He was wearing a uniform and driving a police cruiser, what else would hebe?""I can't answer that, Ms. McCall, but he wasn't a state policeman. There is no officer by that name in the force, and no orders were given to inform you of a death we have yet to verify. Someone will be contacting you later for a description of the suspect."

"Suspect?"

"Impersonating an officer of the law is illegal.""Yes, of course." But why had the man done it? She was fairly certain it was linked with everything elsegoing on, but she couldn't see what the purpose would have been. Then the other half of the detective'scomments clicked in her brain. "You don't think my father is dead?"

"There are no bone fragments in the debris."

"And if he had died in the fire, there would be?"

"Yes. It's a myth that everything is destroyed in a fire. There should be some indication of your father's remains in the debris if he were a victim of the explosion." He paused as if waiting for her to say something. When she didn't, he went on. "Either your father woke in time to get himself out or he set the explosion himself."

"Why would he do that?"

"According to our investigation, he does not have a completely stable temperament."

"My father is not crazy."

"Past students say that he subscribes to conspiracy theories."

"That's hardly unique in this country."

The detective actually chuckled. "True, but your father chose to act on his theories, living a lifestyle well outside the norm."

"Different does not equate to crazy, and my father would have no reason to blow up his own school.Training elite soldiers is his life.""It's an avenue we have to explore, particularly since there is no evidence of his demise in the blast.""I understand." And she did, but it wasn't a scenario she had antic.i.p.ated. "Was there anything else, Detective?""There were three vehicles found at the sight that were damaged by the blast.""Yes?""One of them was registered to you, Ms. McCall.""Yes, my car was on the mountain that night.""I asked you a question earlier that you neatly sidestepped, so I'll ask it again. Were you at your father's compound when the explosion occurred, Ms. McCall?""Are you accusing me of setting the blast now?""It is my understanding your specialty is explosives, is that right?""Yes, but I can a.s.sure you that I did not blow up my father's training compound."Daniel went rigid beside her at her words. She met his eyes, hers asking him what she should say."Tell the truth," he mouthed.She nodded. At this point, it was the only thing that would do."Ms. McCall." The detective was talking again. "We have to investigate every possibility when a crime like this is committed.""So you are positive it was a crime?""It's highly likely, yes.""Besides myself and my father, do you have any other suspects," she asked."No.""What about the media's belief it was an ecoterrorist?""We do not know where they got that information, Ms. McCall. While every fire that threatens national forest must be investigated with that possibility in mind, there is no evidence to support that theory at thistime.""So, you've ruled it out?" Someone should have told the reporters milling around on her lawn."Not entirely, no."Well, that was as clear as mud.

"We had hoped you might be able to shed some light on the subject."

"I'll try." And she told him everything that had happened from waking up and taking a walk in the dark, to identifying the whereabouts of her laptop.

She also gave him a detailed description of the phony officer, able to add the number on the patrol car

because Daniel remembered it.