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Chat locked his hands behind his bald head. “Darlin’, you just got played.”

Herc batted his obscenely long eyelashes, and Twitch rolled her eyes.

Tox twined his fingers on the table. “Sorry to interrupt this charming and heartfelt moment, but could we get back to who the fuck is stalking our girl?” He nodded at Nathan to continue while Twitch and Herc mumbled their sorries.

Nathan pinched the bridge of his nose, a sure sign of his frustration. “It’s like managing a room of kindergarteners.” Continuing, he said, “Operating on the assumption that this guy watched Twitch for several weeks before he made a move, we can build a profile. Ren?”

Ren stood and crossed to the whiteboard built into the far wall. “Based on the neighbor’s questionably reliable description, our perp is a male in his mid-to-late-thirties. Mrs. Critchfield said he wore glasses but removed them frequently, so it’s likely they were intended as a disguise. The man kept a baseball cap on, but the neighbor claims she could tell he wore a toupee. Said her husband wore a rug, and she knows how to spot one. She described him as having the nose of an osprey.” Ren drew a pronounced hooked beak on the board.

Cam said, “So we’re looking for a thirty-something guy with a rug? I once spent a week tracking down an AWOL drug mule in the Brazilian rainforest. That seems easier than this.”

Nathan walked to Ren’s side. “I agree it’s not much to go on. However, there has been a strange development. Last night Twitch discovered a pair of cufflinks in the jewelry box on her dresser. And not just any cufflinks, limited edition Cartier onyx cufflinks circled by a diamond panther with emerald eyes. They retail for $35,000 and change.”

Cam gave a low whistle. “And you think the perp planted them? Why?”

“One thing at a time,” Nathan said. “Yes, I think he planted them. We know by the alarm history that this guy entered the house roughly two hours before Twitch got home.”

Twitch shuddered, and Tox returned his arm to her shoulders.

“Waiting for her to fall asleep.” Herc shook his head. “That’s fucked up.”

“So why would a guy plant a pair of expensive cufflinks in her house?” Cam questioned.

“To set her up?” Herc suggested.

“Hold on.” Nathan turned his tablet to the men, displaying the jewelry in question. “There’s more. Cartier inscribes their pieces with a unique serial number in case the item is lost or stolen. This particular pair of cufflinks belonged to Calvin Landry.”

“The tech guy?” Herc said.

“The dead tech guy,” Nathan confirmed.

“Someone trying to frame Twitch?” Cam offered.

“With no other evidence to implicate her, it seems remote,” Nathan countered.

“Maybe there is other evidence we don’t know about,” Cam replied.

“I knew him,” Twitch said. Seven sets of eyes turned her way. “Not well, but you know that hacking competition I won?”

Nathan nodded. “That’s why I hired you. Well, that and Finn’s recommendation.”

“Finn recommended me?” she asked.

Nathan nodded. “When I was leaving Naval Intelligence to return to the private sector. He forwarded me the HackAttack article with a note saying you were the smartest person he had ever seen at a keyboard. That was all I needed to hear. I didn’t even read the clipping.”

Twitch’s heart pounded and ached in concert. Damn him.

“What do we know about the Cal Landry murder?” Chat asked.

“The report has been sent to your tablets. The lead detective in Tampa wants to meet. His exact words were, ‘There’s some weird shit going on.’”

Nathan’s assistant, a capable woman in her mid-fifties named Rosemary, knocked on the open door and stepped into the room. “Sorry to interrupt. There’s a man at the gate. He claims to be a cop in Philly and says he needs to talk to you.” She turned her attention from Nathan to Tox.

Tox rolled back in his chair. “Me?”

“Yes. He says it’s a matter of some urgency. According to his credentials, he’s a detective.”

Tox stood at the dawning realization. “What’s his name?”


Tags: Debbie Baldwin Bishop Security Mystery