Page 24 of Shadow of Doubt
“How do you know he didn’t do the same thing here?” Reid asked. “Maybe he created a bogus address and he really doesn’t live at that address.”
“It could be a trap,” Russ said, leaning back in his chair.
Nick rested his hands on the edge of the table and studied the men. “In my opinion, the lead was far too indirect for that. He’s also turned into quite the anarchist, and he was protesting government interference in his life by shooting up a road sign. He posted a picture of the sign on a dark web forum. I used that photo to ID the location where it was taken. Guess he didn’t think anyone could or would do that.”
Russ raised an eyebrow, looking interested now. “But you did?”
“Would you expect any less from me?” Nick grinned and came to full height to pull back his shoulders, looking like the fierce contender she always knew him to be. “I ran a detailed algorithm to search for the photo. Got a match on Google Maps just down the road from this house. I still didn’t know if he lived there or the name he’d been living under, but he’s always beenone to keep anything to ID him off the internet. That included banking. So I knew he had to pay his bills in cash.”
Russ frowned. “Don’t tell me you could find him based on that.”
“I did.”
Russ pursed his lips. “How?”
“I started by locating the utility companies for that property.” Nick locked his focus on Russ. “You might not want to listen to this next part.”
“Let me guess.” Russ cocked his head. “You hacked into their files.”
“You said it, not me.” Nick smirked. “The electric company has a security camera at their teller window. So I downloaded those files and ran an algorithm to compare his photo to the feed until it found him, cash in hand. I zoomed in on the bill and read the property address and his bogus name.”
“Which is?” Micha asked before Brooklyn could.
“Tom Bombadil.”
“Of course.” Eryn pressed a hand against her chest. “From Lord of the Rings.”
Brooklyn had the same thought. “Kane’s favorite book and movie series.”
Colin shot forward in his seat. “And about the only semi-normal name in the series that he could choose without drawing a lot of suspicion.”
“I confess I’ve never read the book or watched the movies,” Dev said.
“Can that be true?” Eryn dropped her hand to the table and gaped in feigned horror at Dev.
He laughed. “I’m not one of you nerds who clearly all watch the same thing.”
“I fall in the nerd category too. I loved the series.” Brooklyn smiled at him. He made a comical face, and she joined in withhis laughter. She was really coming to like him for his humor. And his brother? Well, she was liking him too, but for far different reasons.
He stopped laughing. “I suggest we take two vehicles to the house. One with the assault team, and the other, the nerd mobile. That way you all can figure out the security cameras. Then once you clear us real warriors to go in, we do.”
Colin rolled his eyes. “It’s hardly an assault vehicle.”
“I know, but I sometimes miss my law enforcement days, so humor me.” Dev chuckled.
“He does have a point, even if he’s calling us nerds.” Brooklyn ran her gaze over the guys to see how they were receiving her comment. “I mean, we are nerds, but with Kane’s skills, we’ll likely need to work together to hack his network and not leave an obvious trail. The last thing we want is to make one false step, raise his suspicions, and let him know we’re on to him.”
“Agreed,” Nick said. “It’ll be a challenge, but I figure between the four of us, the guy doesn’t stand a chance and won’t know what hit him.”
Brooklyn looked at Dev. “Same goes for whoever is on your team. Kane will have an early warning system set up. Something physical, like a thread or piece of paper on the entry door. Probably additional items at his office where he’s bound to have a room full of pricey equipment, and you’ll have to avoid those.”
Russ stood. “I obviously won’t be on either team. In fact, I need to step away before official plans are made, making me complicit in breaking the law.”
Reid looked up at his brother. “You can hold down the training fort tomorrow if we don’t get back in time.”
“What’s the topic?” His cautious tone and skeptical expression said he wasn’t onboard yet.
“Newbie orientation.” Reid clamped down on his lips as if he was stifling a grin.
