The Zero Signal (Science Crimes Division) by Rick Wayne

Author:Rick Wayne [Wayne, Rick]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-05-25T11:00:00+00:00

Quinn knocked.

"It's open!"

He pushed the door with his foot. His hands were full of takeout bags. There was a small consumer electronics box under his arm.

"Lunch," he said.

Nio turned to the alarm clock beside the bed. "Shit, is it time already?"

Quinn set everything on the table and looked at his phone. "About ten minutes."

"Trouble with the boss?" she asked, looking at his hand.

He looked down. He was white-knuckling his phone. He loosened his grip and set the bags on the table.

"She's being a good sport, but she's tired of being cooped up."

"Must be hard."

He made a face—like there wasn't much to say.

"Any word on how long?"

"Long enough to make it look like we took the bait. We have to assume the house is being watched. If we let her go home before we've even made any headway on the Arneson case... But hey, I got something for you."

"Extra meat?"

Quinn smiled. "Besides that." He set the box in plain view on the table.

"That's a pre-paid cell phone."

"You're not approved for internet. But I'm working on it."

"Do they realize there's been internet in every room we've stayed?"

He raised his hands. "You're dealing with a federal bureaucracy. This is what you get."

"Thanks," she said earnestly. "I mean it."

"You're welcome."

"How's your son doing?"

"Kids are resilient," he said, as if he expected that to be the end.

"He's autistic, isn't he?" Nio asked.

Quinn stopped unpacking the food. "How'd you get that one? Because I knew about Gerry's assistance device?"

She shrugged. "Just a guess."

He resumed again. "What'd you think of him?"

"Gerry?" She took a deep breath and let it out. "Hard to say. I don't think he's lying. He believed what he told us."

"That what your psychic voodoo powers said?"

"Something like that. What about you?"

Quinn shrugged noncommittally.

"Whatever Sol was working on," Nio said pointedly, "it's on that network."

"You really think he was killed because of some science project?"

"Don't you?"

Quinn took a long, deep breath. "To be honest..." He looked away. "Conspiracies are your thing. In my experience—" He stopped.

"Have much experience with conspiracies?"

"Come on, you know the math. Most people are murdered by someone they know. Family member. Lover. Jealous rival. And that's assuming Sol was even murdered. We have no hard evidence of foul play. No murder weapon. No motive." He saw her face. "Don't even act like I'm being the unreasonable one. We deal in facts."

"What about the guys who broke into your house?"

"We still don't know for sure that it wasn't your guy on the internet."

"Now who's being unreasonable?"

"I get the argument." Quinn raised his hands. "Okay? I do. But isn't it possible all of that was a smokescreen?"

"For what?"

"I don't know. But look at the big picture. All we have is a gaggle of creepy coincidences. We have no real evidence. Nothing we could take to the US Attorney. Zero. And the crazy thing is" —he laughed once— "we can't even get some. We can't investigate the woman with the kid, because if there is a conspiracy, we'll give away that we're onto

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