The Man Burned by Winter by Pete Zacharias

Author:Pete Zacharias [Zacharias, Pete]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Police Procedural, Thrillers, Crime
ISBN: 9781542039659
Google: ftu6zgEACAAJ
Publisher: THOMAS & MERCER
Published: 2022-06-15T12:25:32.993407+00:00

After a few rings, Harlow heard an angry mumble.

“Langston.”

“It’s Tess,” she said as her fingers clicked away on the keyboard. “I need you to wake up.”

Tess knew that Millie was an excellent researcher and a wiz with computer systems. In fact, Tess had paid for her to attend training courses in data science and cybersecurity.

Millie let out a long yawn and replied: “I just went to bed . . . an hour ago. I was trying to dig up everything you and Rooker needed.”

“Change of plans.” Tess put the phone between her cheek and shoulder. “I need access to Rooker’s computer, his emails, whatever you can get me.”

“What?”

“Look,” Tess said, using quotations and an asterisk to filter her search for a girl named McKenna who’d gone missing or been murdered. “I’m asking if you can hack into his computer.”

“What you’re talking about is illegal. Boss, if you don’t mind, I think you should—”

“Should anything go wrong, I’ll take full responsibility.”

Langston took a long, long pause. “I would need his IP address or . . .”

“What is it?”

“I’d need you to plug something into his USB port. It’s a device I made in a cybersecurity course. It would override passwords, get into all his files, email, everything. I could even access his microphone and webcam, see what he’s doing every time he logs into the computer.”

“Is it ready now?”

“Yeah, but—”

“I’ll be there in fifteen.”

Tess hung up and closed her laptop. She’d found nothing on a “McKenna murdered in woods,” despite trying all sorts of methods, different keywords. A few minutes later, she was in the car, the leather interior icy on her skin. She started the car, and a frosty-looking icon displayed on the dashboard let her know the engine was cold.

Even with the ice on the road, she was driving faster than the marker limit as she thought about what Rooker was. He seemed too smart to come back here and follow in his father’s footsteps, knowing they’d lead police directly to him. Right? Either way, she would find out what he was soon enough. She inched forward in her seat. The seat belt started to feel like straps binding her to a gurney. She would lose her job; there was no doubt about it. She put the window down, and the rush of the wind made her feel reckless. Her foot pressed harder on the pedal. She was pushing ninety, the engine like a roar in the calm dark of morning. The sky had aged since she’d left, the pitch-black surroundings turning a dark gray.

She eased off the gas as the road curved. But when her headlights shined bright on a tall, skinny deer, she slammed on the brakes. The deer stood perfectly still, staring at her. The car spun out, the tires screeching like a wounded animal. It echoed in her ears long after the car had managed to stop, only a foot from the guardrail. The deer was standing on the opposite side of it, looking right at her.

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