Cold Silence Page 8

  When everything appeared to be secure, he took a step back and nodded. “Goodnight, Ms. Brooks.”

  “Goodnight, Mr. Livingstone.”

  He grinned. She’d done enough research to figure out his last name which had to mean something. He backed away and she watched him with a mix of amused surprise and innate suspicion. His plan to get her to trust him had hit a roadblock but Shane understood the value of the long game and how to overcome obstacles. He and Yael Brooks were going to become friends despite her natural reluctance. And then, one way or another, she was going to help him catch this motherfucker and put him either behind bars or six feet under—Shane didn’t care which.

  Yael just didn’t know it yet.

  7

  Although the joint task force hadn’t stopped searching for Evi1Geni-us, this was the first time they’d assembled for an in-person team briefing since the killer had handed them their asses ten days ago.

  Yael parked her scooter, put down the kickstand and got off. She locked her helmet in the box on the back even though it should be safe enough here. Old habits died hard even on the hallowed grounds of the FBI’s National Academy. She pulled out her map and shifted the heavy bag on her shoulder, glancing around to orient herself.

  The FBI’s facilities were situated inside the massive Marine Corps Base Quantico and she’d had to go through several armed roadblocks to gain access. Every time she’d been stopped and questioned, she’d envisaged Shane Livingstone’s eyes crinkling with amusement at her powder blue mode of transportation.

  The main FBI Academy was visible to the left so she set off, heading in what she hoped was the correct direction. Rolling grassy areas were surrounded by dense forest. Shouts could be heard in the distance—probably Marines training. Far off, there was the almost constant sound of gunfire.

  A shiver rushed over her skin and her teeth chattered in time to the branches of the surrounding trees rustling in the wind. The fact she was walking calmly rather than crouching in fear at the noise was a testament to how far she’d come in the last fifteen years. Although it was humbling to realize that more than half of her life had been overshadowed by one traumatic event.

  But here she was, dealing with it.

  The powers-that-be at FBI Headquarters in Washington DC had decided after the Texas debacle to centralize the “EGMURD” investigation at Quantico. Everyone directly on the task force had been given five days’ notice to relocate. A few consultants who were assisting part-time, like Laura and Tim in their hunt for cryptocurrency and blockchain clues, were allowed to work remotely from recognized secure facilities. Alex needed Laura in DC for other projects but he’d ordered Yael to work exclusively on this case for the time being.

  She spotted people heading to work or jogging along various tracks around the base, but she didn’t see anyone else on this narrow path that led to Building 64.

  Her computer seemed to weigh more than usual and she adjusted the strap to stop it cutting into her shoulder. Obviously, she’d parked in the wrong spot, but she liked walking so it wasn’t too big a deal.

  Virginia was nothing like where she’d grown up. Colorado for the first fourteen years. Arizona with her beloved grandparents for a couple of years after that until they passed. She was sure stress had contributed to their early deaths. Stress and sorrow. After that she’d moved around a lot from job to job.

  She liked living on the East Coast but this winter seemed gloomier than normal, the sky duller, the earth gray and lifeless, the leaves more black than russet even when still clinging to the trees. Maybe it was a residual effect of the horrors she’d witnessed on the first day of the new year, but it dragged at her mood.

  The rat-tat-tat of automatic gunfire made her step falter. Saliva pooled in her mouth and her heart began to pound. She forced herself to take in a deep breath and hold it. Some of the recent images had triggered other unwelcome memories. She’d given up on therapists years ago but maybe she needed to revisit the idea or at least start actively looking for some joy in her life.

  Or maybe she was simply overtired…

  She’d spent part of the weekend setting up her home and gathering supplies, stocking up the fridge and freezer so she didn’t need to leave the house too often except for work.

  The memory of Shane Livingstone hovered in the back of her mind. She’d been so tempted to take up his invitation to call him over the weekend. The fact she’d resisted should feel like a victory but instead felt hollow and depressing. She didn’t like that either.

  Yesterday, Yael had gone to her boss’s house where Alex and Mallory had shown her some basic self-defense moves in their home gym while they all took turns entertaining baby Georgina and their cute Golden Retriever, Rex.

  Alex had also offered to teach her to shoot in the small range he’d had built in his basement. She’d declined and he hadn’t looked surprised. She was pretty certain that, although they’d never discussed it, he knew her full history. He knew why guns freaked her out so much. He hadn’t pressed and she was grateful.

  Yael reached Building 64 and stared at the small plaque that told her she was in the right place. The structure was a bland, two-story affair with all the personality of a cardboard box.

  She was an hour early for the meeting, but she liked to be set up and prepared before other people turned up. Voices nearby spurred her into motion.

  She pushed inside and searched for Room 3. She found it easily enough on the ground floor and heard more voices suggesting others had arrived before her. She opened the door and came to a complete stop.

  Shane—Shannon Marcus Livingstone III—originally from Madison, Georgia—because give a hacker a small amount of data and they simply couldn’t help themselves—stood near the front of the conference room near a white board covered in various images and pieces of information. He wore green tactical pants and a black t-shirt with boots and was armed. All FBI agents were armed, she reminded herself, but somehow he looked more dangerous than those she’d previously encountered. He held a paper handout, talking to Ashley Chen, his cast, for once, obediently nestled in its sling.

  “Yael. Good, you’re early. Set up over here.” Ashley Chen indicated a desk to her right that had a power strip on the floor beneath it. Yael nodded without speaking and headed reluctantly to where Ashley pointed.

  “You two met in Texas, correct? Shane Livingstone, this is Yael Brooks. Yael, this is Shane.” The agent introduced them again.

  “Yes,” Shane told Ashley with a serious expression. “We met.”

  “Shane is acting as HRT’s liaison on the task force until he is medically cleared for full duties.”

  “I see.” Yael gave him a pointed stare.

  Ashley turned away to attend to something on her laptop and Shane walked over to where Yael stood.

  Had Friday night been a test? To see if she spoke about the case outside the task force? Did he think she was stupid or maybe wasn’t taking this seriously? Or worse…did he suspect her of being complicit in some way?

  “All settled into your new place?” His tone was clipped and professional. Had she imagined the warmth and humor of Friday night? Had the attraction been an act designed to get her to tell him things she wasn’t supposed to, and maybe get her kicked off the task force?

  She gave him a curt nod.

  “Your friend made it home safely?”

  She cleared her throat. “Yes.”

  To her surprise he came around the table and pulled out the chair beside her. Sat.

  Her mood took another nosedive.

  “Exactly when did you find out you were on the task force?” she asked out of the side of her mouth while Ashley went about setting up various workstations.

  “Friday morning,” he admitted.

  “And you didn’t think to mention it?” She didn’t bother to conceal the tartness of her tone.

  He crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat. “I didn’t think it would make any difference to our conversation.”


  “Why not?”

  “I didn’t think you’d believe me for a start. Not without verification.”

  “I wouldn’t have.”

  “Good. That’s why I didn’t bother saying anything.” He started reading through the handout Ashley had given him and Yael exhaled slowly, unsure what to think.

  Alex Parker strolled in with a guy wearing an elegant three-piece suit who swept the room with an icy blue gaze. To her surprise the stranger locked onto her and came over with his hand held out. She scrambled to her feet.

  “Lincoln Frazer. How are you enjoying your new place, Ms. Brooks?” His hand was warm, belying his cool expression as he gently squeezed her palm.

  It clicked then. “Oh, you’re the previous owner. I love it, actually. Thanks for the great deal on the place. I’m now worried there’s something wrong with the foundations.”

  Frazer laughed. “Nothing wrong with the foundations. We found the perfect spot for us and wanted a quick sale. Apologies for any remnant smell of wet dog. My fiancée’s mutt likes the river and has a particular fondness for rolling in dead fish.”

  “Seems fair.” Alex smiled.

  Yael wasn’t quite sure how to respond. “It’s great. No wet dog odor.”

  “ASAC Frazer,” Ashley commanded in full-on scary mode. “You’re over here.” She pointed to one of the workstations.

  Frazer sent Yael a wry look and stage whispered, “Ashley thinks I’m an idiot when it comes to computers.”

  “She’s not wrong,” Alex muttered.

  “I have other skills.” Frazer smirked. “Like keeping secrets.”

  Alex said nothing but sent Shane a direct look that the HRT operator calmly returned. Alex was probably wondering why Shane kept sitting next to her in meetings. Next, he’d be thinking they were friends…or something more. Her cheeks heated again. Alex followed Frazer to the other side of the room and sat beside him.

  Shane leaned in so close his breath tickled her ear. “You may not know it, but you just met the Bureau’s most legendary profiler.”

  Yael blinked but she shouldn’t be surprised. Alex’s wife Mallory worked for the BAU-4 and Yael knew the person she’d bought the house from was Mallory’s boss.

  “No wonder your alarm system is top of the line,” said Shane.

  More people started to crowd inside the large room. Detectives, federal agents. Analysts from the Strategic Information and Operations Center attended virtually via a large monitor. Finally, at eight sharp, a blonde woman with shadowed eyes, wearing a charcoal suit and crisp white shirt walked into the room and strode to the front.

  Her eyes scanned everyone assembled and she nodded to Ashley. “It looks like everyone is already here. Good. My name is Assistant Special Agent in Charge Carly Sloan and I’ve been given command of the task force investing the EGMURD case. Let’s start with what we do know about this so-called Evi1Geni-us. Ashley, would you mind giving us a breakdown summary?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Ashley Chen took over the briefing. “From what we have seen online he—and we believe it is a male suspect from the general build—has been running these ‘choose your own adventure’ murders on the dark web for approximately two years. Alex Parker from Cramer, Parker & Gray first brought this killer to the FBI’s attention a little over a year ago.”

  Ashley turned on a visual presentation, because of course she did, and up popped the faces of the victims. The images included the official FBI headshot of Dave Monteith, the HRT operative who’d died in Texas.

  Shane stiffened beside her. Yael shot him a glance. His jaw flexed as his gaze fixed unwavering on the screen.

  “So far we have nine known victims at roughly three-month intervals, ten when including our HRT colleague, Agent Monteith.” Ashley’s voice grew emotional but she pushed through it. Yael blinked away the sudden blurring of her own vision.

  “Nothing connects these victims in terms of gender, age, race, religion or location that we know of yet.”

  “Except they are all adults and, as far as we know, Evi1Geni-us only operates in the contiguous United States,” Lincoln Frazer cut in.

  Everyone in the room tensed at his words. The idea of that monster doing these things to a child… Yael’s hands started to shake so she slipped them under her denim-clad thighs.

  Ashley nodded. “Let’s hope that continues.”

  “A-fucking-men,” Shane muttered under his breath.

  “We have worked up extensive victim profiles which you can access through the secure portal we created exclusively for this task force. Bear in mind that this guy is sophisticated enough with computers he might try a phishing attack to gain access to this investigation, which is why you’ll need fingerprints to access the files as well as assigned passwords. If you lose your password or suspect you have been compromised in any way, call me directly. I’d rather we are proactive about this than reactive. I left my card near the door. It’s a lot easier to change the passwords than risk this UNSUB gaining access to our files.”

  Alex stood and began handing out Ashley’s business card to everyone assembled. One of the things Yael really liked about her boss was the fact he might be a rich CEO married to a senator’s daughter, but he didn’t mind pitching in with even the most mundane of tasks.

  “We have forensics from each of the crime scenes but nothing that definitively belongs to the UNSUB as opposed to some other individual who may have been using the areas before Evi1Geni-us decided to set up for his own purposes. Nothing has popped in any of the DNA or fingerprint databases. He wears gloves and we think he even wears disposable booties over his footwear as we haven’t found any overlap in possible shoeprints as yet.”

  Alex cut in. “I’ve tried to determine how he might find the property to commit his crimes. My best guess is he accesses tax records stating whether or not the building is declared vacant. Presumably he also cases the joint. If it were me, I’d have a backup location in the event my primary venue fell through and I had a kidnap victim in the trunk all ready to go.”

  “Always good to have a secure location to hold a victim when you kidnap them.” Ashley sent him an arch look.

  Alex grimaced.

  “Then we have the issue of how he is choosing and kidnapping these victims and where he keeps them until he is ready for the show—presumably he uses a vehicle of some kind. Is he randomly grabbing people off the streets?”

  Yael nudged Shane with her knee.

  He nudged her back. “What?”

  “Tell them your idea about rideshare apps.”

  “Agent Livingstone?”

  Shane grunted when Ashley stared at him with a raised brow.

  “Is there any chance the victims are calling for a rideshare? This UNSUB is hacking into the program, picking victims up off the street? Once they’re in the car, he only needs a gun and child locks on the doors, or even some other threat that stops them from jumping out and screaming for their lives.”

  “I started checking into Agent Livingstone’s idea over the weekend, but I needed more information to lock down exactly where each victim disappeared. If this hacker is as good as he thinks he is, he may have deleted the electronic trail and even removed the app from the victim’s phones and deleted their user accounts. It might be difficult to find out anything after all this time, although we could check bank statements for any previous payments made to rideshare companies.”

  Shane glanced at her in surprise.

  “What? It was a good idea.”

  He carried on staring at her with an expression she couldn’t decipher.

  “We have most of the victims’ bank records. We can look for that activity.” Ashley added a note to all the other leads they were following before continuing with her summary. “Unfortunately, payments to him are proving harder to locate after the auction closes. As you all know, he’s being paid in anonymous cryptocurrencies in a foreign crypto exchange. We can’t subpoena foreign companies.”

  Yael and Alex exchanged a look. While the
y generally followed the rules, they occasionally veered into territory that would be thrown out of a court of law. But the dark web was the wild west of the internet and you couldn’t hope to patrol it with a gun and a shiny badge. You needed to blend in and bend the rules.

  Ashley continued. “Cramer, Parker & Gray are working around the clock to trace the crypto but we suspect Evi1Geni-us takes the money offline and obviously knows how to cover his tracks. We’ll get him eventually but it’s taking longer than we’d hoped and he might already have cashed out into offshore bank accounts.”

  “Where are we on tracking the people paying to watch?” Sloan asked.

  “This is much easier. We have collected various aliases and are connecting these to real people at real IP addresses despite their best efforts to cloak their identities with VPNs,” Ashley assured the task force leader. “They will face charges of accessory and in some cases accomplices to murder.”

  “Good. I want them all prosecuted. Every one of them.” ASAC Sloan rested against the desk at the front. “The cyber angles are out of my area of expertise and I know your cybercrime team Agent Chen, and Mr. Parker and his associates, are amongst the very best at what you all do. I am going to assume you know the best way to proceed. But are there any ideas as to how we might figure out who this guy is using old-fashioned criminal investigation techniques?”

  “Traffic cams?” Frazer suggested. “See if the same license plate shows up in nearby towns or cities around the times of the kidnapping and murders? Same with cell phone data?”

  Sloan pointed her finger at him. “That’s a good idea.”

  “I’ve been looking at cell data. Nothing yet,” Alex stated, looking pissed. “He is probably using burners or swapping out SIM cards. Also, he could be using a rental vehicle.”

  Ashley wrote down both items. “Traffic cams are still worth pursuing but going through the traffic cam data is something that will take up a lot of time and either manpower or computing power to examine.”