Tax Assassin (13 page)

“
Hacking a satellite isn’t
easy, but it’s definitely doable,” Nelson said.

“
Or he gained access to the
codes when he took this assignment,” Seth said.

“
He could have stolen the
technology from a nearby oil field – sonar, x-ray,” Ava
said.

“
That’s right,” Fran said.
“There are lots of fields out there in the middle of nowhere
Colorado.”

“
Does the Niobrara Shale
Field go all the way down there?” Nelson asked.

“
No but the Raton Basin is
right there,” Fran said. “Coal methane and natural gas.”

“
They’d have stuff like
that just lying around or in a trailer,” Bob said. “Easy
pickings.”

“
Didn’t someone tell you he
was a high school science teacher?” Leslie asked.

“
Maybe,” Seth
said.

“
We haven’t found him yet,
Les,” Ava said. “He’s not on the website and turns out the phone’s
not answered after the kids are out for the summer. I left a
message, but . . .”

“
If he’s a science teacher,
he’d know how to make lots of stuff,” Leslie said.

“
Good thinking,” Seth said.
“He could have made something – x-ray or heat or . . .”

“
They use these for ghost
hunting. My Google search brought up four different of DIY
instructions on how to make a thermographic camera,” Nelson said.
“These would take some amount of skill, but it would be easy for a
high school science teacher. There are even instructions for ghost
hunters to make one for their iPhones.”

He turned the laptop so that Seth could see
the screen.

“
Can we ask for records to
see . . .?” Bob started.

“
No time,” Seth
said.

“
He could have used a
computer anywhere,” Ava said.

“
But probably at school,”
Bob said. “It’s worth a try. If Ava kills this guy, we’ll have it
as backup.”

“
On it,” Nelson
said.

“
All he needed were the
coordinates of where they were sitting,” Ava said. “Which he could
get from any of these devices?”

“
He’d have to get awfully
close,” Seth said. “He probably knew the layout of the room which
would have narrowed his target.”

“
We’ll pass this along,”
Fran said. “CSI can test it out tomorrow morning.”

“
Just sent an email,”
Nelson said.

“
Good,” Bob
said.

“
Jasper? Kowalski?” Seth
looked at Bob and Leslie. “You have anything?”

“
Immediate tox came back
negative,” Leslie said. “But I sent it on for further
testing.”

“
Franny noticed a kind of
lisp . . .” Bob started.

“
Slurring,” Fran said.
“Jasper slurs his words like he’s drunk.”

“
No alcohol or usual
suspects in his blood,” Leslie said.

“
Where were they?” Ava
asked.

“
Hotel,” Bob said. “They
had an adjoining room to where . . .
uh . . . to their witness. They were filling out
paperwork. TV was on like they were watching the game. But CSI
wanted us to check if they were drugged.”

“
And?”

“
We agree,” Nelson turned
his laptop around to show a digital crime scene recreation. “But we
think Kowalski was out when he was shot.”

“
You mean someone knocked
them out, came in the room, took Jasper’s weapon and shot Kowalski,
and then repeated with Jasper?” Ava asked. “Where was CSI? They
should have been in the other room all day.”

“
Break,” Fran said. “They
were on a break or so they say.”

“
We think it might be gas,”
Nelson said. “Put enough in both rooms; CSI gets tired and heads
out for caffeine. Knocks these guys out. Bang, bang; grab the gas
canisters from the ventilation system; and slip out before anyone
notices.”

“
CSI was standing outside
holding Dazbog lattes when the paramedics arrived,” Bob said. “They
had no idea what was going on.”

“
Did they test them?” Seth
asked.

“
Blood and urine for every
CSI member,” Leslie said. “Clear again. I sent them off to the FBI
with the other samples.”

“
Which brings us to why
we’re here,” Bob said.

Fran, Leslie and Nelson looked up at Ava.
Bob cleared his throat.

“
What you’re up against . .
.” Bob shook his head.

“
They’re way ahead of us,”
Seth said.

“
We want Ava to be safe,”
Nelson said. “We’ve interviewed like . . .”

“
Forty-two,” Fran
said.

“
Replacements for our Ava,”
Leslie said. “Some of them are all right, but most of them . .
.”

“
We want you to come back,”
Bob said.

“
Can’t,” Ava said. “They
took my badge and gun. I’m out.”

“
The labs are all civilian
now,” Nelson said. “New chief. You would have had to choose between
being a cop or staying with us.”

“
What do you mean?” Ava
asked. “Why?”

“
Because the labs are all
civilian-run now,” Bob said.

“
And it occurred to us that
you’re a civilian now,” Fran said.

“
So, will you come back?”
Leslie asked.

“
What about Bob?” Ava
asked. “I’m sure he’s doing a great job as your head.”

“
I retired, Ava,” Bob said.
“I don’t want to deal with the paperwork and politics of running
this lab. Plus, the new chief wants us to build teams of people to
do backup work for everyone who needs it. Good for him, but my
heart’s just not there. I want to work on the house, explore blood
splatters, and hang out with the grandkids. I’m happy to share what
I know, but I don’t want to train people. It’s a young person’s
game.”

“
So, will you take the
job?” Nelson asked.

“
I’ll . . .” Ava’s eyes
shifted to Seth. He smiled at her. She’d been the head of this crew
when he met her. She’d loved her job, her team, and most of all the
clean, quiet space of her lab. Ava nodded. “Sure. When do I
start?”

“
Tomorrow?” Leslie
asked.

“
When this is settled,”
Seth’s voice was firm.

“
But . . .”
Ava turned to look at him. Noting the concern on his face, she
nodded.

“
I think Seth’s right,” Bob
said.

“
You can’t work on this,
anyway,” Nelson said. “Conflict of interest and all.”

While Ava smiled, her arms slipped around
her middle in a silent hug. Noticing Ava’s gesture, Bob got up from
his bar stool.

“
We should go,” Bob said.
He walked his dishes to the dishwasher. Fran and Leslie got
up.

“
What about the recording?”
Ava asked.

“
Send it to my phone,” Seth
said. “We’re going to have to hit the road. I’ll listen to it a few
times and see if I can figure it out.”

“
We wondered . . .” Leslie
looked at Fran and fell silent. She put her dishes in the
dishwasher. Fran followed her action and the women moved to
leave.

“
What?” Seth asked. “You
wondered what?”

“
Why haven’t you asked
Maresol’s psychic friend, Delphie, about all of this?” Fran asked.
“Our Ava’s life is on the line. Don’t you think it might be
time?”

“
I didn’t think of it,”
Seth said.

“
Think of it,” Fran
said.

Leslie held out her arms and hugged Ava.
Fran followed suit. Soon, the lab team was near the door.

“
What about my tickets?”
Ava asked Nelson.

“
Check your email,” Nelson
said. “Bloom. Parking ticket in Redding in ‘85; speeding ticket in
Syracuse in ‘03; parking ticket in Beaumont ‘97. All paid in
cash.”

“
Bloom? Really?” Seth
asked.

“
Looks like it,” Nelson
pulled on his jacket. “Parking ticket for Hillery Junior in ’85;
parking ticket for Hillery the third in ’97; a speeding ticket for
Hilary in ’11.”

“
You’ll let us know about
the recording?” Bob asked.

“
I will,” Seth
said.

Bob shook his hand again and followed the
rest of the team out the door. When the door closed, the house
seemed to emanate still silence. Ava glanced at him. He gave her a
soft smile.

“
I know what you’re
thinking,” she said. “You think I’m going to break down. You think
I’m just avoiding pain. Well, you know what?”

“
What?”

“
You’re right,” Ava smiled.
“Are you going to call Delphie?”

“
In the morning,” Seth
said.

“
Where are we going?” Ava
asked.

“
To track the Blooms from
southern Colorado,” Seth said. “We can be in Trinidad in four
hours.”

“
Two if we take the
Bugatti,” Ava smiled. She had a deep and abiding love for the
cobalt blue, ridiculously expensive race car he’d bought at his
agent Schmidty’s insistence.

“
We’d stand out like sore
thumbs,” Seth said. “We’re better off in my truck.”

“
Fine,” Ava said. “But I
pick the music.”

“
All right,” Seth said.
“You need to shower or change
or . . .”

“
I’m ready to go,” Ava
opened the front door and walked out. “You?”

Seth whistled for Clara. When he heard her
moving off her favorite spot on his bed, he went to the safe in his
hall closet and took out a Glock 20SF handgun. He checked that it
was loaded and shoved a full, spare clip into the back pocket of
his jeans. Clara stopped to look at him. He pointed out the door,
and Clara trotted after Ava. He set the alarm and followed them out
the door.

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SIXTEEN

They were about fifty miles south of Denver
when Ava gave in to sleep. Sleep brought sorrow. Over the course of
the last few days, she’d lost her childhood life, her father, and
her little sister. With her head in his lap, she wept.

He drove, and she cried. From her perch in
the extended cab, Clara rested her head next to Ava’s back. Seth
stroked Ava’s short hair and drove down the front range of the
Rocky Mountains on I-25. As he drove, his mind worked to translate
the piano piece he heard into notes, stanzas, and tempo. Ava’s
tears subsided near Walsenburg, and she fell into a deep sleep.

When he reached Trinidad, he pulled off at
the motel near the highway and went inside to rent a room. When he
returned, Ava and Clara were walking along the grass on the edge of
the parking lot. Seth put his arm around her, and they walked in
silence.

“
I slept,” Ava said when
they got back to the car. “You didn’t.”

“
I worked on the music,”
Seth said. “That’s better than sleep.”

“
Is it safe to drive and
work on music at the same time?” Ava asked.

“
I’ve done almost
everything in my life while working on one piece or another,” he
said.

Ava raised her eyebrows suggestively. He
gave her a knowing nod.

“
I never really sleep when
I’m working a case,” he said. “Would you like to go to the
room?”

“
Breakfast and killer,” she
said. “If that’s okay?”

“
Of course.”

“
Did you call Delphie?” Ava
asked.

“
Didn’t want to wake you,”
he said.

“
Why don’t I shower? You
can call,” she said.

He nodded and took Clara’s leash from the
glove compartment of the truck. Connected to the dog, he took Ava’s
hand, and they went into the motel.

“
What is it about a motel
room that makes me so horny?” Ava asked when they entered the room.
She gave him an enticing smile and began unbuttoning his dress
shirt. He pulled off her top and kissed her shoulders and neck. She
brought her mouth onto his chest and gasped. In this unguarded
moment, her grief caught up with her again.

He negotiated her to the bed, where he lay
back and pulled her to him. She clung to him and cried. Ava had
insisted for months that she hadn’t been affected by her father’s
betrayal. She was angry for her mother and sisters, but otherwise,
she was fine.

Or so she said.

“
I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m
sorry,” she said as she tried to catch her breath.

“
Everything is fine,” he
said.

“
But . . . we have a motel
room and . . .” She sat up to look at him. Her face was red and wet
with tears.

“
Plenty of years to make
good use of motel rooms,” Seth said.

She nestled back against him. He held her
tight.

“
I’m not helping.” She sat
up straight. “The killer is out there, and I’m
blubbering.”

“
You’ve been strong for so
long,” Seth said. “It’s all right to feel.”

“
But . . .”
Her tear-strained voice tore at him. “I feel . . .
everything. Mad: I’m so mad at my father. Who the hell is he to
throw away our whole life? And Mom’s no better! Why didn’t she
know? And then I wonder whether I would know? Would I
know?”