Intrusion (5 page)

Rand immediately clasped our hands. “I’m so sorry about Tommy,” he said. “He was a great guy.
A wonderful boss, too.
He made coming to work fun.”

It happened again. My eyes filled, and I had to turn away. Candy had a similar reaction. The loss was too raw for us to do otherwise. I still expected Tommy to spring out from behind a sofa, announcing that the whole thing was a particularly tasteless joke.

Rand Lindsay patted my back. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll give you the grand tour.” He nodded to Meg and
Arun
and led us from the conference room. “Would you like to see his office, or is it too soon?”

I dabbed my eyes with a monogrammed hanky Kai had given me. It was
a beautiful
square of Irish linen from County Cork, home turf of the Buckley clan.

No more nonsense.
Focus, Lizzie
Mae.

“Let’s see it,” Candy said. “I hope the cops haven’t trashed everything.”

“Nah, but they were pretty thorough.” Rand chuckled. “Tommy was so
neat,
they didn’t have to disturb much. That Sergeant Andrews, I think it was, rousted me out of bed to open up the place. Not that I was doing much at the time.” He gave a rueful shake of his massive head. “My life is pretty boring. Work, study, pray.”

“Pray?” Candy asked.

She earned another smile. “I pray that I can continue to work and study.” Rand used an entry card to access Tommy’s workspace. It was identical in size and décor to those of his partners, but he’d added his own Tommy touches. Framed Civil War era etchings and a soft green throw made the space less forbidding. A bronze Art Nouveau lamp warmed the sitting area. It was a signed piece. Kai had found it at the Paris Flea Market and given it to Tommy as an office gift.

Candy plopped down on the couch and buried herself in the throw. “I made this for him,” she said, her voice wavering between grief and pride. “I thought he hated it.”

I scanned the rest of the office, noting the framed photos of us with Della. They were family photos. We were Tommy’s family. All four of us were only children whose parents had died young.
Weird, when you think of it.
Eerie.

“Let me ask you something,” I said to Rand. “What risks are typical in your business?”

He answered cautiously, as if sifting through a minefield. “Two biggies: access to private information and interference with the devices. You know,
monkeying
with the programming.”

Candy’s eyes widened. “Wow. Have you ever had any trouble with that?”

“Not really. The technology is very new. Naturally, we stay alert.
Eternal vigilance and all that stuff.”
Rand’s cheeks grew rosy.

He was lying. I’d bet money on it.
Time for some risk taking.
Tommy’s newspaper clippings came to mind and one name, Mary Alice Tate.

“Wasn’t there some tabloid scandal? That socialite, what was her name, Candy? You know, your friend.
The one who killed herself?”

“You mean Mary Alice Tate?” Candy caught on right away. “Tommy said she was your client.” Sometimes Candy’s ability to lie alarms me. Today, I applauded it.

Rand Lindsay’s mouth opened. He gulped and got himself under control. “I’m surprised Tommy told you about that,” he said.
“Big scandal.
Dr. Cahill cracked down on everybody after that.” He lowered his voice. “We’re still not sure how it happened.
Rao
swears that someone at her own doctor’s office leaked it. Those scandal sheets pay pretty well, I hear. Mary Alice had a pacemaker, but there was no problem with that. We had an independent lab check it out.”

Something about Rand Lindsay inspired trust. Maybe it was his guileless blue eyes or the innocence of his baby face. I had to show my cards.

“You know that Tommy was murdered, I presume?”

“You mean killed, don’t you? Hit and run’s a felony, but
it’s
manslaughter, not murder.” He spread his hands. “Not that I’m minimizing the crime, you understand.”

Candy leaned toward him. “You don’t get it. I thought the cops spoke with you.”

Rand licked his lips. “They never said anything about murder. Sergeant Andrews is coming here this afternoon. I …” He looked helplessly around the room.

“Here’s my question. Did Tommy have any enemies here? I’m talking employees, vendors, clients,
the
works.” I felt a mix of guilt tinged with pride. I was finally getting the hang of this bully stuff. I had to admit that it felt pretty good playing the heavy for a change. Kai had always sheltered me from life’s vicissitudes, but those days were long gone.

I had another nature video moment. This time I was the spider, and Rand Lindsay the hapless fly caught in my web, awaiting extinction. He stayed silent for a moment.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Mrs. Buckley. People liked Tommy. He never played God or screwed with them. That’s mighty rare in the scientific community, let me tell you. Why would anyone from CYBER-MED want him dead?”

“When I know the answer to that, I’ll rest easier. Come on.” I beckoned to Candy. “Let’s get on with our tour.”

Five

We spent
the next ninety minutes exploring the nerve center of CYBER-MED. Rand Lindsay fairly bounced along the corridors, exposing every nook and cranny of the organization he so obviously loved. He knew everyone and every aspect of their jobs and prodded us to ask the tough questions.

“What if one of those things malfunctions?”
I asked. “Can you act fast enough?”

“Me, personally?”
Rand laughed. “Ma’am, I don’t do anything fast, but my teammates here sure do.” He clapped a muscular Latino on the shoulder. “Meet Tony Torres. We call him Tornado. I mean, this guy has already saved three lives.”

“Wow,” Candy said checking out Tornado’s manly form. “Are you a doctor or a computer whiz?” Her dimples deepened as she gave him the star treatment.

Torres flushed. “Neither. I’m a nurse practitioner. We were monitoring a patient with
a
defib
, and the system went wild.” He gave Candy a Chiclets grin. “See, all this stuff is encrypted when it comes to us. There’s a radio frequency band just for that purpose. Anyhow, this patient didn’t listen to his doctor. His kid had MP3 headphones, and they started screwing around together. Bam! Those things can interact, and our guy got a nasty shock.” Torres shrugged. “Actually, it was no biggie. I buzzed his doctor and sent the paramedics. Our guys reprogrammed his gizmo, and all was well.”

“He’s being modest,” Rand said.
“The Tornado rules.”
He checked his watch.
“Ready for lunch, ladies?
There’s much more to see.”

Candy exhaled, and I took the hint.

“We’ll take a rain check, if that’s OK. You’ve given us an awful lot to digest.”

Rand chuckled. “I know I get carried away, but CYBER-MED is just so cool. It’s my dissertation topic, you know.”

“Really?
What are you focusing on?”

“Yeah,” Candy said.
“Any trade secrets flowing to MIT?
After all, graduate school costs a fortune these days.”

There was that flush again. “Ladies, I know you’re playing with me, but I love it.” Rand handed us his card. “You can call me directly, if you want, or go straight to the top. Dr. Cahill said you get access to everything.”

We shook hands, nodded to Rob the receptionist, and spilled out to the sunshine of a beautiful Boston day.

~

“I thought you’d never leave,” Candy groused. “My eyes crossed after the first ten minutes in that place.
All those nerds staring at computer screens, creepy.”

“It wasn’t that bad. Anyhow, we’re just scratching the surface. Expect more of the same the next time we’re here.”

She arched her back as if preparing for a feline hissy fit.
“No way.
Count me out. I say we sell those shares and move on with our lives.”

I know my friend. Her mood is invariably bright, full of optimism and sunshine, until the weather changes. When clouds roll in, logic only inflames her.

“Well, we have plenty of time to decide that. Tommy’s estate has to go through probate. That could take a while.”

Candy whirled around, hands on hips, eyes narrowed. “OK, Elisabeth Mae Buckley, come clean. What are you up to?”

I flashed
her the
peace sign. How could I explain something I wasn’t certain of myself? CYBER-MED was a respectable firm staffed by educated, highly trained professionals. Tommy had researched it before ever committing to the business. He’d even gotten Kai involved. No one was more rigorous than Kai when it came to research. Five generations of
Buckleys
made and kept their fortune through smart business decisions. What could I possibly add to that?

Candy hadn’t moved an inch. She stood there, glowering. “You’re no detective, Mrs. B. I can coax things out of people much better than you can. You’re such a lawyer, all formal and stiff.”

I forced myself to count way past ten. She was right. Candy scored higher on the charm chart than I could ever hope to. She had aced Hypocrisy 101 while I scraped through with a barely passing grade. Scores of vulnerable men swooned at her feet everywhere she went.
Except Kai.
He’d never looked at anyone else from the day we met. Neither had I.

I patted my friend’s shoulder. “You’re right. That’s why I need your help. Come on.” I played my hole card. “After all, it’s for Tommy.”

Her lips puckered in a pout.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.
Blackmail is against the law, isn’t it?” She raised her arm and hailed a cab. “I’m heading back to Sweet Nothings. Today’s new product day, in case you’ve forgotten. I hook up with my beauty bloggers at two sharp.”

That was part of her genius. Candy identified and absorbed social media trends like a sponge. While larger firms ignored user groups, she heard them out. Beauty bloggers, a fiercely independent lot, became her staunchest allies, testing products, offering advice and spreading the gospel according to Sweet Nothings. Candy co-opted them for the price of free makeup and a sympathetic ear.

“See you later,” I said. “I need a walk to clear my head.” I trotted up Cambridge Street, heading for the subway. Candy hates public transportation, but I enjoy the T. It’s a pretty good deal, offering a fast ride and free entertainment for a modest fee. My mind whirled with facts, figures and speculation. Tommy’s murder and CYBER-MED might be totally unrelated. After all, he’d cut a swath through half the eligible female population of Boston. Occasionally, he’d included married women in the mix as well. Maybe a spurned lover or her angry spouse had run him down. He’d had a few scrapes before.
Maybe I should tell Andrews.

I’m tall but ungainly. Kids taunted me about that throughout grade school, called me Giraffe. My mom chided me more than once for wandering around in a haze. I should have listened to Mom. Instead of staying alert, I followed the herd, stepping blindly off the curb into traffic. A horn blared, and I froze as a speeding truck bore down on me.

Is this how Kai
felt on that mountain? Did Tommy die this way?

Before I could even scream, an arm yanked me back from perdition. The sleeve felt soft and comforting, but my savior’s voice was harsh.

“What’s wrong with you?” he growled. “Do you want to die?”

Good question. I scrambled to my feet and faced him. With his wild mane of hair and scruffy beard, he seemed more devil than angel. His blue-green eyes flashed like lightning.

“Thank you,” I stuttered. “I …” My legs wobbled, defying gravity.

The man tugged me none too gently toward the side of a building and propped me up against the wall. “Are you injured?” he asked. “Shall I call an ambulance?”

“No, I …” No one would call me glib, but syntax was the least of my worries. Something about this stranger both attracted and frightened me. His intensity flirted with madness.

“Good,” he said. “We need to talk, Mrs. Buckley.”

“You know me?”

“Not officially, no, but I met your late husband.”

“Kai?”
I was half mute, incapable of speech. “Who are you?”

He thrust his arm through mine, propelling me toward the nearest Starbucks. “Come with me. I will explain.”

Despite the odds, we found an empty table. The stranger took my order, slipped into line and returned quickly with two
Chai
lattes. I sat silently sipping my tea, studying him. He didn’t look homicidal. In fact, several women in the place
were
boldly eyeing him. That was a plus. On the other hand, Theodore Bundy, serial killer extraordinaire, was very well groomed and rather hot.
So much for appearances.

“OK, what’s this all about? I’m grateful to you, but that’s it. How did you know my husband, and what do you want?”