Depart the Darkness Read online

  “Or more specifically,” I elaborated, “he could have been there expecting to be paid off for something he did. Or didn’t, do.”

  Everyone looked excited at that possibility.

  “And he was killed instead?” Annette wondered.

  “Maybe, it could be,” I said, my mind racing. “If this is correct, is that what Phillip is afraid of?”

  “Is Phillip actually in danger?” Jenny speculated.

  “Dillon and Jadon hired the bouncers that are watching him and his family,” Xander said. “The bouncers told Jack they’re there to intimidate, and that’s it.”

  “I know Dillon didn’t kill Elliott,” I said. “He was genuinely shocked when he found out Elliott was dead. Jeff knew the truth because of Dillon’s reaction, otherwise I would’ve heard a tone when Jeff said it. I didn’t.”

  “Is Dillon mean enough to want Phillip to think his family is in danger of suffering the same fate as Elliott, when they really aren’t?” Annette wondered.

  “But why doesn’t Dillon want Phillip leaving?” John reminded her, and the rest of us. “He could be using intimidation to make Phillip afraid to leave. But Dillon obviously hates him. Why is he so determined for Phillip to stay?”

  “That’s right, he silenced Jadon Helms when he suggested Graves should have Phillip’s employment terminated,” Miles said.

  “Maybe they’re trying to extort money from Phillip!” Jenny suggested. “So they wouldn’t want him to leave, and they would want to intimidate him!”

  “That’s true,” I said, and we all considered that for several seconds.

  “What about Elliott, though?” Annette pointed out.

  “How does he fit in, or does he?” I wondered. “Other than a convenient object lesson to use in terrorizing Phillip.”

  “Dillon and Jadon weren’t extorting money from Elliott,” Xander said with certainty. “Not only were Dillon and Elliott friends, Elliott expected to come into money, not pay it out.”

  “If he was being paid off for something,” I said, “or thought he would be, did it have anything to do with his work at Intersect?”

  “How soon after Elliott’s death did Phillip begin work there?” John asked.

  “Three months,” Miles answered. He took out his phone, and flipped through screens.

  “Was Elliott working on the same program that Phillip is?” John wondered.

  “Give me just a minute, and I’ll tell you,” Miles said, reading. It didn’t take him long to find what he was looking for. “Yes, he was. So was Elliott’s predecessor. The program began four years ago, in 2012, and he—Elliott’s predecessor, Aaron Fellows—was hired by Intersect at that time.”

  “Any idea yet where Aaron Fellows is, or why he left?” John asked.

  “Not yet,” Miles answered. “Some information is easier to be had during the week, than it is on the weekend. Considering it’s now Monday, I expect to hear from our PI soon.”

  “How about Phillip, has he responded to your email about a job?” Annette asked.

  “No,” I replied. “It was a long shot. I’m not ready to give up hope that he won’t, but…”

  “If he’s afraid that leaving Intersect will put his family in danger, he may be unwilling even to pursue an interview,” Miles finished for me.

  “Let’s have a look at Dillon’s credit report,” I said. “And his father’s. If money was, or is, being extorted… Maybe it isn’t, but let’s see what that tells us.”

  “Consider it almost done,” Miles said, as he used his phone to send a text. While he did that, the rest of us devoted some of our attention to lunch.

  “How is the tower renovation?” Annette asked. “We haven’t been up there since we got back.”

  “We need to have a look at it ourselves,” I remembered. “With interviewing Elliott’s friend, and puppy house-training… do you guys mind taking a turn at that? We don’t want to be inconsistent, but we know better than to think our days are going to become routine, any time soon. Maybe ever.”

  “Of course,” John said, and Annette nodded.

  “Yeah, sure,” Xander replied. “We’ll help out, too. There won’t be a doll with fangs waiting for us in your room by any chance, will there?”

  John, Annette, and I laughed, but Miles looked serious.

  “I certainly hope not! If there is, it got there all by itself. Maybe I should put a force field around the storage room to be on the safe side.”

  I stopped laughing.

  “Yes. Do that.”

  “You really don’t like that doll,” Miles said. “Okay, dear. Consider it done.”

  I wasn’t the only one who looked relieved to hear that!

  “Elliott may have been a traitor,” John said, getting back to our mystery. “It’s possible he was selling classified information to another government.”

  “He may have been,” Miles agreed. “I wonder what use this project would be to another country, though. We’re not talking about national defense.”

  “But, couldn’t he get information from other projects at Intersect?” wondered Jenny.

  “No, he couldn’t,” John said with certainty.

  “Why?” Xander wondered. “I mean, it’s the same company, after all.”

  “Yes, but each contract, or project, is separate,” John said. “Two people on different projects may have the same clearance, but they don’t have access to the same information.”

  “Is there a way around that?” I wondered.

  “No, I don’t think there is,” John said. “Projects are compartmentalized. I don’t think it’s possible. I can ask my uncle… he may take my head off for my troubles, and I’ll get grilled for an hour before I get even that much information out of him. But he would know for sure.”

  “Oh, yeah!” Xander said, his eyes lighting with interest. “Your uncle’s a general.”

  “Yes, he is,” John replied. “Other than what I can remember hearing him say in the past, that isn’t going to help us much.”

  “Tell us what you remember,” Miles said. “It’s more than the rest of us know.”

  “Okay… In order to work on a government contract, it’s necessary to undergo an investigation. How in-depth that is, depends on the level of security required for that particular program. After receiving clearance, the person goes through training. Otherwise, there’s no way they’d know what security procedures must be followed. There’s security protocol in general, in addition to internal security, all of which must be adhered to. After training, the employee is then allowed access to the program they’ve been assigned. There’s no cross-over between programs though, no sharing of information between groups. That would be a breach of security, which is very serious.”

  “But how is that prevented?” Annette asked. “Is it even possible?”

  “It is,” John replied. “Everything is logged and tightly monitored. Cell phones are prohibited in classified areas. It isn’t possible to log into another person’s account or access data, without that being logged.”

  “What about bringing in a flash drive?” Xander wondered. “How hard would that be, for someone to copy whatever they want and walk out with it?”

  “It would be impossible,” John said. “Inside the BIOS of every server and work station, the USB ports are disabled.”

  “What about outside of work?” Xander asked. “What’s to stop someone from talking about the program they’re working on?”

  “The name of the program is about all that can be shared. Anything else constitutes a security violation. The offender risks becoming the subject of an investigation by the Department of Defense, loss of security clearance, and termination of employment. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, the offender may face criminal charges. So a person can talk, but the consequences make it extremely unwise.”

  “Thanks, John,” said Miles. “That’s a lot more than we knew. I have a feeling we’ll find this information useful before this case is finished.”
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br />   “I have a feeling that’s the truth,” I agreed.

  “Wait, but what about Dillon Graves?” Xander remembered. “Jeff said he stuck his nose in whatever project interested him the most.”

  “Was he telling the truth?” John asked, his forehead furrowing as he looked at me.

  “Yes…” I said.

  “I don’t see how that could be possible,” John replied, a puzzled frown joining his knit eyebrows.

  “What about his father, the director?” Jenny reminded him. “This guy gets away with anything he wants.”

  “Yeah, but… that doesn’t nullify security policies,” John said.

  “But maybe, because of this over-the-top nepotism, he gets away with it,” Xander countered.

  “If he is, then we’ll need to know about all of the government contracts Intersect holds,” I said, feeling a little overwhelmed. “The names, anyway. Otherwise, how will we know if there’s one that relates to national defense?”

  “That’s why we have a team of investigators,” Miles reminded me, and I relaxed.

  “That’s good,” I said. “Because there are some things none of us know enough about to know whether they’re important or not. We can’t be experts at everything.”

  “You’re right. But with the help of our friends, we come awfully close.”

  Chapter 10

  “What are we going to do when the puppies need to go out more often?” I wondered, as Miles removed the last puppy from the buggy, and lay it in the puppy nursery along with the others. I followed him back into our bedroom, and he quietly closed the door.

  “I don’t know. Crate train them? Even so, they’ll need taken out frequently if we want to avoid confusing them. I’d prefer they not think going out is optional.”

  “We’ll have to make a daily schedule and stick to it,” I decided. “Predictability will confuse them the least. With the aid of our friends, we can do this.”

  “Predictability will be better for all of us,” Miles agreed. “We’ll come up with a schedule at dinner tonight. And now… ready to see your tower?”

  “Yes!” I said, and controlled the urge to bounce with enthusiasm. I saw the laughter in Miles’ eyes, but he didn’t call me Fidget or tease me about my caffeine consumption. He kissed me instead, which I much preferred.

  We left our suite, and after a short trip in the elevator and a walk down the creepy hallway, we climbed the staircase to the fifth floor landing. Also known as our future tearoom.

  “The outlets are in,” I said approvingly.

  “So is the plumbing,” Miles added, nodding toward the pipes that now protruded from one wall. “I’ll be surprised if your sink isn’t installed tomorrow.”

  “That’s great,” I smiled. I lifted a section of the cover which was draped over the small counter, and ran my hand across its smooth surface. I also took a moment to admire the refrigerated dessert case. “I can hardly wait to see it all finished!”

  “We’re getting there,” Miles said. “Now that we’re through using the tower to scare Xander, it won’t take long.”

  “Setting that up did set us back,” I acknowledged.

  “It was worth it though,” Miles smiled. “Thanks for being a good sport, and putting off your project.”

  “Are you kidding? I enjoyed it as much as the rest of you did. Well, maybe not Doreen…” I replied, and Miles smiled.

  “Imagine if your sister had abilities like mine.”

  “The world has no idea what it’s been spared!” I laughed, but also shuddered a little.

  “I was thinking of Xander, but you’re right,” Miles said. He looked disturbed. “The earth would be off its axis, and out of orbit.”

  “Your hands are the only ones in which these abilities are safe,” I said. I took the hand he held out, and we followed the spiral staircase toward the tower.

  “I wasn’t this powerful at first,” Miles said.

  “Then you practiced,” I replied. “Like Trixie told me to do.”

  “I did that after I became solid. It made no difference before. I think all that time I waited for you, I was learning patience, practicing self-control, and proving myself. I know I was. I just didn’t know how much it mattered.”

  “You proved your self-control alright, over and over,” I said, as I thought back. “Saying I’m glad is an understatement. I need you. In all sorts of ways. As far as my abilities go, I couldn’t do it without you.”

  “I’m thankful I passed the test I was given,” he said. “If I failed, someone else would have taken my place so that you would be able to safely encounter darkness. You’re right that you can’t do it on your own, and you’re not supposed to.”

  “You’re telling the truth, about all of that,” I said, the thought making me more than a little sick. “I take it you’ve been talking to the dog?”

  “Yes, but I wondered before that. So I asked. Please don’t look at me that way, I did prove myself. I’m here, and so are we.”

  “You’re right, and no one is as dependable and trustworthy as you are,” I said.

  “That’s the way it’s going to stay,” he replied.

  The tower room door opened for us, and we stepped inside.

  The late afternoon sun filled the space with light, and so did the wall sconces which were spaced evenly around the room. The height of the ceiling didn’t allow for a full blown chandelier—not unless we wanted people to choose between stooping, or running into one, anyway—but a miniature version fit neatly, lending atmosphere to the room, as well as light.

  The stained ceiling was now repaired and painted a soft white, and wallpaper in a delicate flower pattern covered the walls above the newly installed chair rail and paneling.

  “I love this!” I said, including all of it in my statement, but my eyes were focused on the two chairs by the window. I crossed the room, and felt of the velvety crimson fabric. “These are perfect! They’re not bulky, and don’t take up a lot of space, but they’re adorable, and will make a wonderful place to sit and catch up. I love the heart-shaped backs.”

  I sat in one, and Miles took the other.

  “If I was Goldilocks, I’d say this chair is too small,” Miles said, but there was laughter in his eyes.

  “I’d say it’s just right,” I replied with satisfaction, then gave him and his matching chair a look. “If we designed this tearoom around Papa Bear, we wouldn’t seat many guests.”

  “You’re right,” he smiled. “This will do for as long as it takes a husband to have dessert and coffee with his wife. Let me veto in advance any suggestion that we refurnish our sitting room with doll furniture, though.”

  “Duly noted,” I laughed. “I can’t wait to see this space complete. I love it already. What a difference between today and a week ago!”

  Before Miles could comment, his phone buzzed.

  “Is it Jackson?” I asked eagerly.

  Miles nodded, and the tower room door swung shut and bolted in place. He kindly put the phone on speaker, and set it on his knee.

  “Hi, Jackson. What have you got?”

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Bannerman,” our PI said, then jumped right in, as he always did. “Elliott Reams died without a will. His estate was divided amongst his parents and siblings according to the laws of this state. His savings were modest, as was his debt. After settling his affairs, the amount which remained was negligible. Even more so, once it was divided. After Mr. Reams’ death there were no further additions to his estate, either financial or material.”

  “Okay, great,” Miles said. “That’s good to know. How about Aaron Fellows?”

  “Mr. Fellows was terminated from his position at Intersect in December of 2013.”

  “He was fired?” I had to be sure I heard that right.

  “Yes, Mr. Fellows was fired.”

  “What was the justification?” Miles asked.

  “Mr. Fellows executed a command which resulted in the exposure of classified files.”

  “Wh
at does that mean?” I asked.

  “The result is that those files were left unsecured,” Jackson answered.

  “So they were accessible to those outside the program,” Miles said, clarifying further. “Who had the ability to access the files after this happened? Was it limited to other Intersect employees?”

  “The command opened the program’s firewalls. The files were then accessible to anyone who knew where to look.”

  “Even outside Intersect?” I asked.

  “Yes,” Jackson confirmed. “They were accessible to anyone. As long as they knew where to look.”

  “Was this done intentionally, or could it be accidental?” I wondered.

  “It is highly unlikely that this command could be executed by accident.”

  “I think John would agree,” Miles said to me. “Is there reason to believe he was paid to do this?”

  “Mr. Fellows is currently under investigation by the DOD to determine that.”

  “Were the files accessed?” Miles wondered.

  “That cannot be verified one way or the other,” Jackson answered.

  “What else can you tell us about Aaron Fellows?” Miles wanted to know.

  “Mr. Fellows is forty-eight years old. He and his wife of twenty years have three children, ages thirteen, twelve, and ten. He is currently employed by Endol Corporation, in the same capacity as the position he held at Intersect.”

  “So he didn’t lose his clearance?” Miles questioned. We were both surprised.

  “The result of the DOD’s investigation will determine that also,” Jackson answered.

  “So there’s doubt that he actually did this?” I wondered.

  “It’s a matter of procedure, rather than doubt or certainty,” Jackson answered.

  “When did the DOD’s investigation begin?” Miles asked, his eyebrows knitting. “It’s been two years since this occurred.”

  “The investigation began in January of last year.”

  “Good grief, if they believe he did this, then what took them so long?” I exclaimed.

  “It’s the government, honey,” Miles reminded me.

  In spite of that, I was not going to understand this. I blinked hard, and shook my head to clear it.