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“Let’s go knock on some doors and find her apartment.”
They’d seen which building she came from, which meant just a handful of possibilities. The neighbors who bothered to answer the door seemed less than forthcoming when confronted with two guys looking for a woman they claimed was their sister.
Apartment 3B sported a worn welcome mat printed with flowers and a sign on the door with a honey bee that read “Don’t Worry, Bee Happy.”
Something told him that this was Melanie Byer’s apartment. Just to be sure, he knocked and prepared to ask something about school board elections. As he expected, no one answered the door.
Will nodded to Pierce and the young former soldier directed a kick at the lock.
CHAPTERSEVEN
Will’sfirst impressions of the dingy apartment were less than favorable as they made sure it was empty. He’d lived in some rough places during deployments, but he’d slept in ditches that were better than this. On second glance though, he recognized the meager attempts of the woman they were after to create a cozy home despite the conditions.
There were mismatched throw pillows on the worn sofa and a handful of photos displayed in outdated frames. Everything looked like it was from the Salvation Army thrift store. But a bulky vase couldn’t quite hide the hole in the wall, and the small rug by the couch only drew attention to the threadbare carpet everywhere else.
He flipped on a light only to be met with a spark of electricity and an unnerving crackle that made him immediately switch it back off. This place was a deathtrap.
“Look for anything that might help us out here. I’ll look in the bedroom.”
His earpiece crackled to life. “I think I lost her,” Tank said over the connection.
“Keep looking,” Will said curtly, keeping his focus on the scene before him.
The bedroom revealed that Melanie had a roommate, the two twin beds reminding him of the room he’d shared with his brother until they were ten.
There wasn’t much else to see though. His eyes landed on the hard corner of a laptop peeking out from under the blanket of one of the beds. He turned it on and was met with the password screen of user Hollaback234. Could that be Melanie? He had no way to know.
Without a second thought, Will dialed Joey’s number.
“I need you to get into a computer for me.”
“Nice to talk to you too, Will. Cole is out of jail, thanks for asking.”
Will rolled his eyes at Joey’s attitude. She was endlessly snarky and loved playing pranks at the office. He knew she wasn’t taking it personally. “Good for him. Can you help me now that your boyfriend is free?”
“I’ve got a little time. I’m here with some reinforcements, too. The situation at Zia is escalating, and we’re ready to move whenever they take the bait.”
“Super. I have a computer I need access to.”
“Okay, what’s the IP address?”
Will stared at the computer. “I don’t know. I’m staring at it right now, but it’s locked.”
“Okay. What do you want me to do? I need to know what network it is on.”
“Can’t you just…I don’t know, get in another way? I need to see what is on this woman’s computer.”
“Will, you’re not listening. I can’t just hack into someone’s computer from here. It has to be connected to a network, or I have to physically have access. Otherwise, there is no way in. Who is this woman, anyway? What does she have to do with Blue Smoke?”
Will had forgotten that Joey was tied up and hadn’t been brought into the whole witness complication. “It’s a long story. But we’re here now, and I need to know what she knows.”
“So ask her,” she said. “But unless there is a way in, I can’t give you anything. Get access to the computer and then we can talk.”
“Fine. Thanks for nothing, Joey,” he said with a light-hearted sarcasm.
“Always a pleasure, Will.”
He hung up the phone and stuffed it back in his pocket. Apparently, the laptop was coming with him.
