Trying not to get too far ahead of myself, I continue on with my questioning. “There’s nothing more you can tell me?”
“No.” He shakes his head, shoulders curled. “That’s really it. Someone contacted me through my email, then FedExed the video and instructions on who to send it to.”
Frustration bites through me, causing my jaw muscles to tighten, but I sigh away the irritation. Roadblocks are just part of this job, sadly.
Jeff suddenly snorts and rises from his chair. “I need to take this back to headquarters.” He begins unhooking the wires from the laptop. “There’s just…there’s a lot to go through, and I’d rather not do it surrounded by dirty underwear.”
I nod. “I’ll meet you back there soon.”
Jeff turns to Caleb. “Word to the wise, kid, keep doing the shit you’re doing and you’ll go to jail faster than you can take a piss.” Caleb frowns at him, and Jeff continues, “And believe me, it’d be your fellow hackers who would send you there.”
“Why would they do that?”
Jeff’s threatening smile returns. “Because you’re not helping people, you’re hurting them, and that’s just shit we don’t do. You want to do this as a job? Find a mentor.” At whatever he sees crossing Caleb’s face, Jeff laughs and adds, “And no, that mentor isn’t me.”
“Hey, wait!” Caleb exclaims as Jeff pulls out the final wire. “You’re giving that back, right?”
“That’s highly unlikely,” says Jeff, placing the laptop under his arm. “And if I were you, I wouldn’t touch a computer for a while. You’re officially going to be on the radar of the CIA and FBI. Do you really want to have a face-to-face meeting with them?”
Caleb’s eyes cast downward as his only answer.
Jeff shakes his head in obvious disappointment, then turns to me. “Anything else you need of me, chief?”
“Find where that email came from, and that’ll get you a bonus at Christmas.”
“Consider it done.” Jeff ducks to avoid the low ceiling and trots up the thin stairs.
His heavy footsteps bang above my head before I move to Caleb. “Come on, kid.” I take him by the arm and lead him out in silence, with Shawna and Lee on my heels.
I still have yet to decide what to do with him. But the air is stuffy in here, and there’s something smelly like a mixture of mold, curdled milk, and the contents of a gym bag after a year of use without washing.
Once outside on the boat’s deck, I inhale the fresh air, then face him, arms crossed.
He’s watching me closely, and maybe he’s figured out that I’m undecided if I should take him in or not, because he suddenly says, “You know, I did figure something out that I think might be useful to you. Would that get me a get-out-of-jail-free card?”
“Depends on what you’re about to tell me,” I answer honestly.
He glances around, fear in his eyes, before he whispers, “I know who’s in the video with her.”
“We already know the congressman is in the video.”
Caleb looks up at me through his lashes, eyes worried, voice small. “Yeah, but I’m not talking about him. I’m talking about the other guy. If I give you that information, will it save me from jail?”
I pick through what he’s said and focus on what he didn’t. “How do you know that we don’t already know that person’s identity?”
“Well, do you?”
I frown. “Tell me what you know.”
“All right, so…”
The next few seconds happen so fast my mind can’t keep up with the events unfolding before me. Caleb’s mouth parts…then there’s blood trailing down his face…then he slumps to the ground.
“Get down,” I roar, dropping down onto the deck. “Anyone see the shooter??
??
“Negative,” Lee yells, as do the other members of my team.