“Maybe. However, in your defense,” Emily said, “whoever’s doing this doesn’t know we are able to track the location of where the messages are being sent from. Thus, Whitmore actually is my number one suspect. But it is still conceivable that someone else was downtown, and that this other person sent the message. Everyone interested in this case likely knew you had a hearing set for today. Anyone could have been down there in hopes of finding out the ruling as soon as you were done.”

“That’s right,” Booger said. “We haven’t exactly matched James Marshall’s discovery of gold in California, but we do have ourselves one helluva good suspect.”

“Listen,” Emily said, “I know I am not an official part of this investigation. I assume there is a lot of information you are not sharing with me. But can I be your official computer forensics investigator? This whole situation has certainly piqued my interest, and my investigative mind has been doing backflips trying to figure out what the hell is going on here. I don’t know if you call it OCD or what, but whenever a problem or riddle gets in my head, I can’t get it out until I find the solution. In this case, the threats you have received, and my wonderment as to where they came from, have officially locked into my mind. So, I will help you voluntarily. But if you agree to let me participate, then you have to show me everything you have—everything about the case you are working on. It’s the only way I can get a full grasp on what is happening here.”

“That would be awesome,” Steve said. “Let me check my appointment order to see what the rules are regarding volunteer experts and investigators. If it is okay with the federal judiciary, then it is more than okay with me. I would love to have you on our team. But until I figure that out, you are definitely a part of the team investigating these threats.” He paused to take out his wallet. “Here’s a dollar. I am officially hiring you to help me find out who is threatening me. Let’s focus on that for now. Once I get the court’s approval, I will be able to show you the entire file. Then, you will know everything, including any privileged information.”

Emily smiled as she pocketed the dollar. “Perfect. What I’m thinking is that we come up with a way to lure whoever is sending these threats out into the open. Since he or she doesn’t know what

I am capable of doing, I think we can trick them.”

Booger raised an eyebrow. “By we, I assume you in fact mean you?”

“Yes,” Emily said. “And I have an idea on how we are going to do it.”

“It’s all you,” Booger said with a sheepish smile. He raised his arms in an “I’m out of this” fashion, stepping back from Emily’s workstation and sitting down off to the side.

For the next hour or so, Steve and Booger sat and watched Emily doing who-knows-what on her computer. Steve noticed she brandished Hermoine’s wand on more than one occasion as she sat staring into nothing. Finally, Emily’s head arose from her desk in a manner that made Steve think he saw a light bulb flick on above her.

“I think I’ve got it,” she said confidently. “All we need now is some cheese to lure out your little mouse.”

“Okay,” Steve said. “What is the plan?”

Emily opened one of the many windows on her screen. “This is the Roach company website. I have hacked their system and can track usage of the number from cell tower to cell tower using the other website. It shows here, on this monitor.” Her computer was actually connected to four different monitors on her L-shaped desk. She opened two windows, each on their own monitor so they were larger and easier to see.

“Now, all we need is for our mouse to start using the phone. For simplicity’s sake, let’s assume it is Whitmore. Every time he uses the phone to get on the application, make a call, check the internet, whatever, the phone will connect to the nearest tower. We can track his movements as long as the phone is being used regularly. Although we could just wait for him to use it, my guess is that he is only using this phone to send you threats. So, we may have to wait a long time if we go that route—”

“I could send him a Snapchat message back,” Steve interrupted.

“Yes,” replied Emily. “That is exactly what I was about to say. I have no doubt he will check the first time we send a message. But we also need to come up with something that will get him engaged in a Snapchat conversation. That way, we will be able to keep a continuous monitor on his location. I can watch from here as you two follow the signals. When you find him, we will send another message. If you can witness him using the phone to review that message, then we’ve got him.”

Booger nodded. “I like the plan, but we must remember that we are dealing with a very angry person here. We need to use that against him to get him engaged in the communication.”

“What should I say in the first message, then?” asked Steve.

“He is trying to bully you with threats,” Booger said. “The best way to get a bully’s attention is to challenge his power. I suggest you say something along the lines of how he doesn’t scare you, and you aren’t going to quit. That will surely get him going.”

“How about I simply write back ‘I’m not stopping’?” Steve said.

“I like it. Also, add a picture of a backhoe digging a large hole,” Emily added. “It is simple, direct, and in clear defiance of the last threat. I think it will work.”

Steve sent the message, and they all waited. A few seconds later, a ping appeared on the Roach website. The phone was being used. Emily quickly decoded the IP address and looked up the location on the cell tower website.

“Downtown Claremore,” she said.

Then, Steve’s phone buzzed. He had received another message back. It said, “That would be dumb. I said Quit or Die!”

They had their suspect on the hook. Now they just needed to keep him engaged long enough to see him or her use the phone in their presence. Then, they would know the identity of the perpetrator—and possibly the killer.

The two men got into Steve’s car and hightailed it to Claremore. With any luck, they’d get there before the phone, and its owner, moved locations again.

CHAPTER 30

Once in Claremore, Steve called Emily to let her know they had arrived. He sent another Snapchat message, and shortly after, Emily called him back.

“The phone is still using the same tower as last time. So, whoever this is hasn’t moved in the thirty minutes it took you to get there. Let’s wait ten minutes and try again.”

Ten minutes later, Steve sent another message. When it was retrieved, the small flashing dot showed the phone was once again accessing the same tower.

“In the last ten minutes, I have been looking at the cell tower map more closely,” Emily said. “There are more towers located downtown than there are out in the countryside. Because the towers are positioned more densely, I can reduce the possible location of the phone to a much smaller area. Additionally, since we have now sent three messages and the phone used the same tower every time, I am fairly certain our suspect has not moved locations in the last hour. He or she must be stationary somewhere near one specific tower—the tower on the corner of Cherokee Avenue and Will Rogers Boulevard. Drive around in the intersection and see if you can find a place someone might stay at for a given period of time on a Tuesday afternoon.”

When they got to the corner, Steve and Booger saw exactly what each had already assumed they were looking for—Whitmore’s truck. It was parked outside the Sidewinder Bar at the exact intersection of Cherokee and Will Rogers. They pulled up next to Whitmore’s truck and called Emily from the car’s Bluetooth speakerphone.

“I have Booger on speaker so we can both hear you,” Steve said. “We found Whitmore’s truck sitting outside of a bar at the exact intersection of the cell tower location.”

“Well, isn’t that a coincidence.” The giddy sarcasm was apparent in Emily’s voice as she continued, “I think I found something else pointing to Whitmore, but I want you and Booger to look at it to confirm my thoughts. I am sending you each an email with a PDF file attached. As discussed earlier, we know Whitmore was at the courthouse, but we agreed it was possible someone else was there whom we don’t know about. While you were driving to Claremore, I called a friend of mine who grew up in Rogers County. He told me that the most popular bank in town is the

Will Rogers Bank.”

“How does that help us?” Steve asked.

“Just keep listening,” Emily said curtly. “After talking to my friend, I couldn’t just sit here waiting on you two to get to Claremore. So, I decided to hack into the bank’s computer system. The accounts themselves were highly protected. It would have taken me hours, maybe days, to crack the security protocols, but some of their less-important information was not as well protected. Surprisingly, the loan request files were fairly easy to break into; I guess they felt they have to protect actual customer accounts more than possible customer information. I digress. Anyway, I found a loan application Whitmore submitted for a new truck a few years ago, probably the one he is driving now. Although I am no handwriting expert, when I compared his loan application with the Roach phone application we previously obtained, it looks to me like the same person filled out both applications.” “Interesting,” said Booger.

“Very. The email I sent should be delivered to your phones by now. I sent one of you a copy of the bank loan application and the other a copy of the Roach phone application. Open the files, hold your phones up next to each other, and tell me what you think.”

Steve and Booger got out their phones and each opened the document he had received from Emily. They compared the files as she had directed.

“Wow,” Steve said. “That sure looks like the same handwriting to me.”

“Yes, it seems both applications were filled out by the same individual,” Booger said, “We still have one problem though. We need to get proof beyond what you have found so far, Emily. If we had to turn over these documents to the police and the federal court, I don’t think they would appreciate knowing how you procured it. I’m pretty sure neither the phone company nor the bank gave you permission to search their databases for application forms

they likely claim to keep confidential.”

“I agree. I really don’t want to end up in a federal prison,” Emily said matter-of-factly. “Anyone have any ideas?”

“I do,” said Steve. “Listen up…”

After hearing his plan, everyone agreed it would work. Booger and Steve got out of the car and walked into the bar.

The Sidewinder was dark inside despite it being late afternoon with only a speckle of clouds in the sky. The large plate glass windows facing the street were heavily tinted, leaving only the dim bar lights and the occasional streak of sunlight breaking through tears in the tinting to illuminate the room. Two pool tables were stationed near the entrance. The bar ran along the wall to the left. They saw Whitmore at the far end drinking with three other men. Steve and Booger planned to discreetly settle into a corner booth near the front.

However, when Steve opened the door to walk inside, a beam of sunlight busted through the entrance. Since there was no one else in the place, the bartender was standing directly in front of Whitmore’s crew when the light hit her eyes. She had long brown hair and a white tank top bearing the words “Jefferson Airplane” that showed off her natural assets. The shirt hung loosely so that her pink laced bra could be seen from all angles. She looked up and yelled, “I’ll be down to get your order in a minute boys. I’m the only one here, so give me a little leeway, please!”

“So much for being discreet,” Booger mumbled to Steve as he smiled and waved to the bartender. Still, they stuck to their plan and found a corner of the bar to sit down.

Steve noticed all four men had their cell phones placed in front of them on the bar.

Booger leaned in and said, “Send him the next message. If it is Whitmore, he won’t be able to resist the temptation.”