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Monster Mania

Page 145

by K.L. Ramsey

“What are you—” Grimm stood and placed the tiny object on the table. A green light blinked inside it. Grace stared at the tracker and her knees weakened. “That buckle was already on the shoe when I bought it.”

“Where did you buy them?” he asked.

“I didn’t. Travis sent them to me this afternoon. He said they matched the dress,” she remembered. Grimm crushed the device beneath the heel of his boot. “He planned this,” Grace whispered.

“Looks that way,” Grimm said.

“But why bring me there? Why track me?” she asked.

“That’s what I intend to find out.” Grimm pulled out his phone and typed a message.

“Who are you calling?” she asked.

“Someone who can tell us what’s on the drive,” he said.

“You can’t plug it into your computer. It might contain malware,” she insisted.

His attention shifted to her. “You know about malware?”

“I handle cybersecurity training for a medical network. I know enough not to connect an unknown drive to a system we care about.” Something in his expression changed. It wasn’t trust, because Grimm probably didn’t trust anyone, but she had given him information he found useful. “What?” Grace asked.

“The security footage inside my clubhouse was erased shortly before you arrived. Someone also disabled the safe containing the prize money,” he said.

“I had nothing to do with that,” she insisted.

“You showed up carrying a flash drive at the same time that all happened,” he said.

“And someone tracked me here,” she reminded.

“Which could’ve been part of your plan, Grace,” he said.

“You think I’m working with them?” she asked.

“I think everyone’s guilty until I prove otherwise,” he said.

“That must make relationships difficult,” she drawled.

“I don’t have relationships.” For some reason, Grace believed him. The door opened, and Coal entered carrying a laptop covered in scratches and faded stickers.

“Offline and expendable,” he said, setting it on the table. “Bones found the safe’s backup cable cut inside the wall. Money’s still there.”

“Then whoever did it wasn’t after the cash,” Grimm said.

Coal glanced at Grace. “Maybe they wanted us distracted.”

“Or trapped inside the clubhouse,” she said. Both men looked at her. Grace pointed toward the laptop. “If someone threatened the race and disabled your security system, maybe the money wasn’t the target. What if they wanted you focused on the safe while they did something else?”

Coal looked at Grimm. “I’m starting to like her.”

“Don’t get too cozy with her. I’m still not sure if we can trust her,” Grimm said.

Grace folded her arms over her chest. “I’m standing right here.”

“I noticed.” Coal opened the laptop and inserted the drive. The screen remained blank for several seconds, and Grace held her breath. A password box appeared. Beneath it was the image of a carved jack-o’-lantern with flames burning inside its eyes. “Well, that’s not creepy,” Coal muttered.

Grimm leaned over the table. “Can you get into it?”

“Eventually,” Coal said. Thunder cracked overhead. The red lights flickered again, and the laptop screen glitched. For a fraction of a second, the password box vanished and a file opened in its place. Grace glimpsed rows of names, dates, and photographs before the screen went black.