CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Let’s get to that townhouse before we head to the Internet Crime Center.”
They wove through the streets of D.C. until they came upon the beautiful townhomes sitting side-by-side. They were idyllic, beautiful federal style homes and no one would know that they were housing scammers.
Kiel knocked on the door and when no one answered, pounded on it again.
“Maybe they all decided to just quit and leave,” said Ben.
“I doubt it,” said Wyatt. “They mentioned that they had personal items in the house. Besides, that car wasn’t here last night.” Wyatt looked in the window of the front room and frowned.
“Fuck!” He slammed an elbow into the glass and smelled what he knew was there. Gas. “Call 911. We’ve got a major gas leak.”
They carefully opened the front door, trying to ensure they didn’t make a spark. There was no telling how long the gas had been on and how long the woman inside had been on the floor.
Covering their faces, Wyatt carried the woman to the front lawn and then walked through the rooms finding two more young women from the night before.
Remembering that the townhome was connected to the one next to it via a basement tunnel, Ben found a fourth woman. That was four of the six they’d met.
“They’re alive,” said Kiel. “Barely.”
Wyatt found the gas shut-off valve and opened all the windows and doors. When the fire department arrived, they told the men it was a matter of minutes before the house would have exploded. Only one of the women was awake when the ambulances arrived.
“Did you see her this morning?” asked Kiel.
“No. We came in together to get our personal items like we told you. Jeri was the first to start feeling sick but we didn’t think anything of it. I went to grab my laptop and my head started to swim. Then I saw the note.”
“What note?” asked Ben.
“A sticky note on my screen. It said, ‘traitors die’. That’s the last thing I remember.”
“We need to take them now,” said the EMT. “We’ve got patrol going with us to watch their rooms.”
“Thanks, man. Let’s see if we can get some prints on anything in the place.”
Covering their faces once again, they walked through both houses, searching for fingerprints or anything left behind. Ben stepped toward one of the desks and his foot hit something small. Bending down, he picked up the plastic object, staring at it.
“What is that?” asked Kiel.
“I’m not sure,” he frowned. Wyatt took it from him, rolling it in his hand. A female officer behind him chuckled.
“It’s the plastic tip to a high heel,” she laughed. “Someone is probably pissed. Their heel is going to be making a lot of noise and sliding everywhere. I hate when that happens.” The men looked at her, then at one another.
“None of them were in heels today,” said Ben.
“No, they weren’t,” nodded Wyatt. “I think we need to get to our appointment.”
“Good morning, Marilyn,” said TJ.
“Morning, TJ. How is everything going? Are you guys getting work done in between the fun,” she chuckled.
“You know we are. Oh, I forgot to tell you that these guys came by to see you the other day about hackers and credit card fraud.” She stilled, trying not to look worried.
“Oh? Who were they?” she asked casually.
“Not sure. They were good though. They picked up on some stuff happening with our own systems. They said they’d come back but they complained about our receptionist and she said she thinks they were coming by today. Maybe they called or something. They wanted to speak with you.”
“Really? Well, it won’t happen today,” she said nonchalantly. “I’ve got meetings at the capitol and then have errands to run.”
“But you just got here? I have some things to review with you,” he said watching her stand and put her laptop back in her bag.
“Take care of it TJ. I hired you because you’re good at what you do. Be good at what you do and take care of it.”
“But, Marilyn,” he started.
“I said take care of it!” she yelled. He jumped back, ready to cry at her harsh tone. She’d never spoken to any of them like that. The entire room turned toward her office door.
“I-I’m sorry,” he said. “Of course.”
“I’m sorry, TJ. I’m stressed about some things, that’s all. You guys take care of this today. Let the team know they can buy whatever they like on the cards they find. We’ll reimburse the users later.”
“Wow, really?” he smirked.
“Really. I give you permission. I’ll call later and check in with all of you. Tomorrow is Friday, give the team the day off. My treat.”
“Thank you! That’s awesome. We’ve been working really hard.”
“I know, I know,” she said walking out of her office.
“What should I tell those guys if they show up? I mean, they were kind of scary. Big and serious looking,” he said. She stilled and turned toward him.
“They didn’t give names?”
“They might have but honestly I didn’t pay attention. I know they said they were sent by Admiral Peters and General Billings.” She waited for the elevator not saying anything. When the doors opened, she turned to him and nodded.
“I’ll call you later.”