Long Cool Woman Ch. 02

"FBI guys?" asked SBI Director Conlan.

Martin Nash said "We also did cleanup work after McGinty died, but it was mostly related to the drug bust on the night he died, and other Federally-related things. We've only recently begun a serious search for McGinty's Materials, as Commander Troy has nicknamed them."

Nash went on: "I agree that the City Police did an excellent job going through McGinty's office and his things, and that nothing would've escaped them, which means nothing was there. They even looked for things like pinpricks or dots under letters in all of the books in his office, and found nothing."

Nash: "So we've tried to put ourselves in McGinty's shoes, and think of what he would've done, and we came up with two possible avenues of approach. We asked ourselves how McGinty could have the materials released if he died. He either had to have a will, or an associate that could do it for him, or he left instructions with a lawyer or something. No will nor safe deposit box has been found, and no lawyer ever came forward with anything----"

"They might now, since the Press has told everyone and their mother about it." said Director Goodwin. Pissed at the Press, he was. Hatreds, with me he shared.

"That's true, Mr. Director." said Nash politely. "But we also concluded that he'd never trust another human being with a secret this big. We also considered one other thing... that he collected the material, but knew it would not come out if he really was murdered. And since he did die and nothing ever came out, it's very possible that the Materials are still sitting where he put them, and will remain there until they're found."

"Hmmf." I said. "That actually supports my thesis, to an extent."

"What is your thesis, Commander?" asked the Governor.

"That McGinty's Materials don't exist." I said. "That they either never existed, or they were found and destroyed."

"That does fit the data, as you like to say." said Shane O'Brady.

"Commander, why would you say that?" asked Lt. Governor Marshall.

"Because, as Mr. Nash just said," I replied, "nothing's come out to this point, and it hasn't been for lack of effort to find the stuff. My idea is that McGinty put out the rumors that he had the Materials in order to keep himself from being murdered. It's like the old chess adage that 'the threat is stronger than the execution'. And it worked; no one touched him until we busted him, and he killed himself."

"I hope that's the case." said Britt Maxwell. "But we have to be a lot more certain about it than we are now. So how do we go about proving the negative?"

Martin Nash said "We have a couple of ideas about that. First, if McGinty was captured and subjected to torture, he'd probably give up the location of the materials. So he may have constructed a way to accumulate the data without actually knowing where it is."

"How would he do that?" gasped SBI Lt. Grigsby.

"Through the Postal Service." said Nash. "As you guys know, the United States Government photographs and keeps the photos of literally every piece of mail that goes through the USPS system. It's going to be long and tedious, but we're getting a FISA warrant to begin searching through every letter that was addressed to McGinty, and we're also going to see if we can identify every letter or package he mailed."

Nash went on: "We believe that McGinty might've found some dirt, put it in an envelope, and mailed it to some address. Maybe one of those mailbox centers or a storage facility that would hold the material for him. If he did that from a postal facility near his office, we might can find a pattern or the same address over and over that would lead us to something. But admittedly, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack as it is."

"What do you think of that, Commander Troy?" asked the Governor.

"Some good ideas, there." I said. "I wish I had access to records like the FBI does." That was not a compliment, and I think most in the room knew it.

"Commander," said Sharon Marshall, "will you be able to spearhead this search?"

"No ma'am." I said with alacrity. "I'm here to assist the SBI in their inquiries, and I'll help them and the FBI when I can. But I have a lot going on right now in my own home County, and I just don't have the time to devote fully to it. Sheriff Griswold, bail me out please."

"He's right, you know." said the Sheriff, bailing me out.

Part 10 - Incompetence

Meanwhile...

8:00am, Tuesday, June 18th. Laura and David went into the MegaTech office building and rode the elevator up to the sixth floor together, walking conspicuously just a little bit apart. Eyes followed them as they walked to their respective offices. It was obvious that the young stud had scored with the hot, long-legged MILF, though they may not have realized that David was still feeling the lassitude from the ball-busting blowjob Laura had given him earlier that morning, and Laura was still remembering how she had swallowed every drop of the potent semen the virile young stud had fired into her warm, wet mouth.

As Laura came to the small audit rooms, she saw that Donna was not at her desk yet. She whipped out her cellphone and called. "Where are you?... On your way?... Okay, get here as soon as you can."

"Everything okay?" asked Dr. Wages, who had come up to the door.

"Yes." Laura said. "My assistant is not here yet. She's getting a ride with a couple of your guys. So! let's get the day started."

"I'll send Margaret to you." said Wages.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

8:40am. When Donna arrived in the company of the two young men she'd gone out with the night before, eyes followed her and them, but with much less interest than in Laura and David. When she got to the audit office, Laura got out of her chair and went to Donna's door before the other woman could sit down.

"Let's go get some coffee." Laura said.

"Oh, I've already had breakfast." said Donna, not getting the hint.

Laura almost audibly sighed. "Donna... Donna!" When the other woman finally looked up at her, she said with intentionally widened eyes "Let's go get some coffee from the kiosk outside."

"I'm fine, ma'am." Donna said.

"Donna," Laura said angrily, "that was not a request. Now come on!" Donna finally got the message, and went down the hallway after Laura.

When they got to the ground floor, Donna began walking towards the bistro near the lobby that had coffee and sweets. Laura called out "This way, Donna." and began walking outside. Donna reluctantly followed, not feeling the eyes watching them...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Why come out here?" Donna asked sullenly as Laura had her sit down at one of the outside tables near the coffee kiosk. "The coffee in there is better."

"Donna," Laura said, trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice, "I was not asking you to come get coffee just to get coffee. I was trying to get us out of the building so we could talk without worrying about being bugged or overheard!"

"Oh." Donna replied indifferently. "You really don't think the lobby is bugged, do you?"

"I'm assuming it is." said Laura. "And furthermore, because you're not getting the obvious hints, much less just doing what I tell you without talking back, I've had to get louder and more direct than I wanted to. And that causes people to notice, and not in a good way. Just how long have you been working for the Agency?"

"Two years." said Donna. "But I'm normally part of the tech support staff, not one of the field agents. I really should not be on this mission."

"Have you not had any training at all?" Laura asked. "No, don't answer that. I'm wasting time talking to you about that instead of the mission, and we're not getting any time to talk candidly. So what did your lunch companions yesterday talk about? And last night?"

"To be candid," Donna said almost sarcastically, "at lunch yesterday they were saying what a bitch you were over the computer I left in the car when it was perfectly safe in there."

"That's not true... that it was safe in there." Laura replied. "And that's what I was talking about... I should never had to have made a scene like that. You know better than to leave your computer unattended, even for a minute." Donna said nothing, but acted like a scolded child that didn't want to hear anymore and was tuning out.

"Did you try to get information on Mai Lin from the guys you went out with, like I asked you to?" Laura asked.

"I asked about it, but everyone said they didn't know her at all." Donna said.

Laura asked "Have you found anything else that we need to look further into?"

Donna said "Nothing I didn't mention yesterday. Should I try to see if 'Keiko Shimono' is named anywhere?"

"No!" Laura said sharply, then recovered and said more calmly "No, if you did that, they might see it and it would immediately give us away. I hope you realize that they've been monitoring us very carefully since we got here yesterday. They're keeping us separated to the extent they can, they're not letting us talk together except in areas that I have strong suspicions are bugged, and they're always keeping their people around us, such as at lunch yesterday, and yesterday evening."

Donna nodded, then Laura continued: "So I haven't been able to contact Willingham nor our support people because of the scrutiny. What I'm going to have you do is drive towards the City as if you're going to the MegaTech offices there. Make sure you're not being followed. When you get to the Pottsville exit, take State Highway 40 over to Hamilton County, then up the University-Midtown Highway to the Federal Building in the Town & County, and check in with the FBI people there. Then call Willingham. I'll give you a folder of papers you can give him."

"Why can't I just drive straight up the University-Midtown Highway?" Donna asked.

"Tell you what." Laura said, past the point of exasperation. "Do whatever the hell you want. You can follow my advice based on over thirty years of experience doing this, or you can do something stupid on your own. And once you're up there, just stay up there. I won't need you down here any longer."

Donna's eyes flashed fire at that, but she just nodded. Laura got up and began walking back inside. It was several second before Donna slowly followed...

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Coming out of the SBI Headquarters building, I took a device out of the glove compartment of the Black Beauty and started going around the car. I also physically checked. I found no bugs or tracking devices.

"I'd say you're paranoid," said Shane O'Brady, teasing me, "except that it's not paranoia if they really are out to get you."

"Yeah, I was being followed the other day." I said. I related the story of the vehicles following me and Cindy around the Town & County, then added "Keep an eye out for any cars that keep re-appearing in your rear-view mirror. And not just on this ride home. Assume you're going to be tailed the next few days, by the Press if not others wanting to see if you know where McGinty's Materials are."

We went through the gate, where the young guard again complimented the car while the older guard, who was outside the little guard shack, just shook his head as he looked at it from behind. We drove through the open gate, then down the road toward the Interstate highway.

"I've got to get gas." I said as I pulled into the Love's Truck Stop. I was still good on gas, but as I topped off, I used the device to check again for tracking devices. Sure enough, a little metal disc was attached to the left rear bumper.

I took the device off the Black Beauty, and went over and attached it to the SUV on the other side of the pump. Then I secured the gas cap on the Black Beauty, and we pulled out.

"Put your cellphone and any transmitters in the glove compartment." I said, doing the same with my cellphones and the Police radio on the seat between us. Shane added his cellphone to the collection as I said "The glove compartment is shielded. I'm about to take this car completely off the electronic grid." I pressed a couple of buttons.

"My God, what else does this car have in it?" Shane asked, suitably impressed.

"Oh, you don't wanna know." I said with a grin. Then all traces of humor left my face and my voice as I said "Seriously, pray that I do not have to demonstrate this vehicle's capabilities..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Laura dialed a number on her cellphone that, if checked, would show it was calling the Homeland Security office in the City's Federal Building. No problem there, as her cover was a Homeland Security auditor.

"Roundtree." said Cal Willingham, using the name of his backstop for this mission.

"Yes sir, this is Lauren Washington." Laura said. "I'm in the Palmyra County office of MegaTech Industries, doing the audit of them and Audial Security."

"Yes, Dr. Washington, how is that going?" said Willingham.

"Fine," said Laura, "but they self-reported a problem with a 'Mai Lin' or 'Mai Ling' from some weeks ago. They said the FBI is already investigating, and I'm not finding anything myself. I'll need your 'go' to investigate it further."

"Get the basics, if you can." said 'Roundtree'. "We may have to follow up more closely later, and cross-check with the FBI."

"Okay." said Laura. "By the way, I'm sending my assistant Donna to the City offices of MegaTech to get some of the data that is up there. She should swing by your office afterwards, so be expecting her."

"Okay, we'll be watching for her." said Willingham. "Any other issues?"

"No." said Laura, not giving any of the code words she had memorized, which would give hints of possible problems. Having an incompetent assistant apparently had not merited a code word.

After making their goodbyes and hanging up, Laura looked up to see Dr. Wages in the hallway. He knocked on her door and she opened it.

"Where's your assistant?" Dr. Wages asked when he came into the small room.

"I sent her to your City offices to look into some things." Laura said. "By the way, come in, have a seat." Wages did, shutting the door behind him.

Laura said "After you mentioned that mole, Mai Lin or Mai Ling, of course I naturally tried to look her up. But so far I have found absolutely nothing on her, which might be the FBI's fault. Do you know of any other names she might've been going by?"

"No." said Wages. "And I don't understand why you wouldn't be able to find her name on the project papers related to Audial Security Solutions, the FBI investigation notwithstanding. I'll ask Margaret to pull those papers up for you, if you'd like."

"That would be helpful." Laura said. "And by the way, your people have been very helpful to me the past couple of days. I do appreciate it."

"Good, I'm glad." said Wages. "But you might as well shut down this afternoon. Kara Zorn is going to be here, and there's going to be a gathering in the main auditorium on the first floor. It's like a huge pep rally, and she'll address everyone. She's going to come up here beforehand. I've told her you're here, and she wants to meet you."

"O-kay." said Laura, noting the 'strangeness' that Wages would want to introduce the near-celebrity COO of the company to an obscure auditor.

"So how are things with David?" asked Wages. "Is he showing you the better restaurants in Palm Creek?"

"Yes." Laura said with a smile. "We had a good time at the Palm Club last night. He's a great guy."

"Great." said Wages. He stood up, saying "I'll let you get back to it, then..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Going south on the Interstate, I suddenly exited and turned left, going east. I went along several side roads that I was familiar with from the Betty Morelli case. (Author's note: 'Film Noir', Ch. 01.)

"Oh yeah, silver Toyota." said Shane O'Brady. "Came off the Interstate right behind us"

"A gray Toyota was behind us on the Interstate." I said. "They went on by like a good tail would, but it's going to be hard for them to get off the Interstate and make it back to get in line."

"Think they're talking to each other?" asked Shane. "Can this car pick up their chatter?"

"Yes, but it'll take time finding their frequency." I replied. "Brace yourself for a hard right turn." Shane grabbed the handle over the right-side door and hung on for dear life as I whipped the Black Beauty onto a small side road. Stopping under a copse of trees, we saw a silver Toyota drive past the road.

"Same car tags as the car following me at home the other day." I said. I executed a sharp U-turn and went back to the road and turned left, retracing our route. Though we watched carefully, we saw no other cars parked along the road or coming to meet us.

"I'd say they realized you were onto them when you made that turn onto the side road." Shane said. "They may have just called it off."

"Yep." I said. "If they're as smart as they appear to be, they should have. Okay, let's get you back to Pottsville, and me back home..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After delivering Shane O'Brady to Pottsville Police HQ, I went through some backstreets and the 'scenic tour' of Pottsville, then got onto State Highway 40 going west. I turned on the car's monitor and Police Band radio, not hearing much nor seeing any dots on the screen.

As I neared Hamilton County and the University-Midtown Highway, I saw a lot of blue dots on the screen, converging on the highway south of where I would merge with the road. So when I got there I turned left (south). I saw several State Patrol vehicles examining an empty car. I crossed the median at the next available point, turned on the embedded blue lights in the Black Beauty, and came up behind the vehicles.

"Sir, we're going to have to ask you to... oh." said a State Trooper as I exhibited my SBI Badge. He looked at my ID, but it was the red crowbar in my hand that gave me away. "You're the Iron Crowbar, sir?" he asked.

"That's me." I said. "What's going on here?"

"We had a 9-1-1 call to our HERO units about a car with a flat tire." said the Trooper. "When they got here, the car was like it is now, abandoned. No personal effects in the car. No flat tire, and the spare is good, too. There are some tire marks of another car just ahead of this one, so we were wondering if the driver of this car was picked up."

"Sure looks like it." I said as we got to the group and I made observations. "Did you crank the car to see if it works?"

"No, the keys aren't in it." said the Trooper.

"What does the car tag tell you?" I asked.

"The car is registered to a 'Donna Prince' of the Town & County." said the Trooper. He gave the address.

"Whoa..." I said. "That's my home County, as you know, and I can tell you that that address is not a home address. It's a building... oh."

"What is it, sir?" asked a Trooper with Sergeant stripes on his sleeve.

"That building is near Courthouse Square." I said. "It's not a home address. Is there a phone number for this 'Donna Prince'?"

"Yes sir." said the Sergeant. "We just got here and ran the car tag. We haven't tried the number yet."

"I'll do it." I said.

I got out my Police iPhone and dialed the number the Trooper gave me. A female voice answered "Hello."

"Is this Donna Prince?" I asked.

"Who's calling?" asked the woman.

I said "This is Commander Troy, and I recognize your voice, Lindy."

"Uh, Don..." started FBI Special Agent Lindy Linares, but I stopped her.

"Lindy, we've got a problem." I said. "I'm standing on the University-Midtown Highway going north, just south of the State Highway 40 turnoff, and I'm looking at Donna Prince's car. It's abandoned, and another car may have stopped to pick her up. So I don't know who she is, but I do know when I've stumbled onto a backstop."

"Oh, shit." Lindy said. "Okay, hang tight and we'll get someone down there."