The virtual trail the se.., p.14
The Virtual Trail (The Sean Kruger Series Book 7), page 14
“Then, how did you get it to your computer?”
“Uh…trade secret.”
“JR, she saw this one, she’s going to know it’s missing.”
“She saw a lot of videos today, I bet she doesn’t notice it.”
“Is it still on Deloach’s server?”
“No.”
“So, they can’t prove it ever really existed, can they?”
“Nope.”
“So, we have the only evidence that can specifically identify the man who shot Deloach?”
JR nodded.
“And, there isn’t a clear shot of his face in any of the videos you found.”
“That’s correct. This is the only one that shows a distinct-and-clear image of his hand.”
“Why this one and this one only?”
“I had a hunch when I first saw it, so I kind of hid it.”
Kruger smiled. “I’m sure glad you’re on my team.”
JR returned the smile.
***
Chicago, IL
Sent to Chicago by Kruger after receiving their DIA credentials, Jimmie Gibbs watched as an unexpected bonus for his trip walked out of the Cook County Detention Center and crossed South California Boulevard toward the complex’s parking lot. Following at a discreet distance, the ex-Navy SEAL observed the make, model, and license plate number of the car Arthur Padilla entered. A cell phone picture of the automobile made its way to his wife, Alexia.
During the process of his request to interview Derick Thorton, his status as a DIA special agent prompted a Cook County deputy to reveal Thorton currently had a visitor. His cell phone vibrated as he watched Padilla drive off.
“Gibbs.”
“Jimmie, it’s Sean. Sorry I missed your call.”
“Arthur Padilla just left the Cook County Jail after speaking to Thorton.”
“Interesting.”
“I’ve sent a picture of the car and license plate to Alexia. If it’s a rental, maybe she can tell me how long he’s staying in Chicago.”
“Good. JR and I are heading back this afternoon. Do you want us to meet you there?”
“I’m not sure at this point. Let me see what Alexia discovers, and I’ll let you know.
“Got it. Have you talked to Thorton?”
“Not yet.”
“When you do, we need you to ask him if he can identify an image JR will be sending you momentarily.”
“What is it?”
“The image of a hand with a distinct scar. The hand is holding the gun that killed a possible witness.”
“How distinct?”
“You’ll see when you get the image.”
“Got it.” Gibbs felt his phone vibrate and looked at the ID. “Hey, Sean, Alexia is on the other line. I’ll call you back.”
He immediately accepted the waiting call. “That was fast.”
“Only for you, my love.”
“That’s my girl. What’d you find?”
“The car was rented to Arthur Padilla by Budget at their location near Union Station yesterday. The reservation is for seven days. The same American Express card paid for a room at the Marriot east of the airport. I have the address.” She gave it to him and then said, “Be careful with this guy, Jimmie.”
This comment gave Jimmie Gibbs pause. Alexia seldom said anything like this to him. “What’s wrong, Alexia?”
“Nothing I can pinpoint at this time. But this particular Arthur Padilla didn’t exist until five years ago.”
“Do Sean and JR know?”
“I sent JR a message just before I called you.”
“Huh.”
“Just be careful.”
“I will.”
***
As Padilla exited the Cook County Jail parking lot, a gray Toyota Camry pulled out of a parking slot one row over and started to follow him at a discreet distance. The female driver kept several car lengths behind. Once Padilla arrived at his hotel, she pressed the send icon on her cell phone.
***
Derick Thorton frowned as he sat down across from Gibbs in the visitor’s area. The plexiglass shield between them was dirty with finger prints and other odd smudges. Thorton frowned and said, “You again.”
“Yeah, me again.”
“What do you want?”
“Who’s Arthur Padilla?”
“Never heard of him.”
“Then who just visited you?”
“My attorney.”
“Careful, Mr. ex-Attorney General, you don’t want to add lying to a federal agent to the growing list of charges being filed against you.”
Thorton blinked a few times and said, “Who it was, is none of your business.”
“True, but if it was a man named Arthur Padilla, you might be wise to ignore any advice he gives you.”
“And why is that, Agent Gibbs?”
With a shrug, the Ex-Navy SEAL smiled. “What did you discuss?”
“Since you won’t answer my question, I don’t have to answer yours.”
Gibbs nodded. “No, you don’t.” He reached for his phone in his back jeans pocket and laid it on the bench in front of him. “I thought I might mention a man connected to the security camera video showing you taking Danny Barton’s computer, the night he died, was shot in cold blood yesterday.”
Thorton’s expression remained neutral as he said, “I have an alibi, Agent Gibbs. I was here.”
“We know. That’s why I’m here. We want you to look at a picture and see if you recognize anything.”
Folding his arms, Thorton leaned back in his chair. “I’ll look. But if it’s going to incriminate me, don’t expect an answer.”
“That’s fair.” Gibbs found the picture of the hand holding the gun and turned the phone to show Thorton. “Anything familiar in this picture, Derick?”
As Thorton studied the picture, a worried expression spread across his face. “Uh—what am I looking at, Agent?”
“It’s the right hand of a person cleaning up loose ends associated with the death of Danny Barton.”
“Loose ends? I’m not following you.”
“The loose end here is a man named Deloach, whose security camera recorded someone stealing Barton’s computer the night he died. We believe Deloach is the one who manipulated the image of you in the video. The original image is that of a woman. Care to see the original video?”
Thorton stayed quiet while Gibbs showed him the original security video. The prisoner’s eyes widened as he stared at the image.
Gibbs put his phone away. “Know who she is?”
A nod was his answer.
“Care to tell me?”
“Her name is Annika Belsky, she works for Michael Peters, my so-called campaign manager.”
“What about the hand, Derick? Anything familiar about it?”
“Yeah, something’s familiar.”
“What?”
“The scar.”
“Who does it belong to?”
“Arthur Padilla.”
***
“He seems ready to cooperate with us, Sean.”
“Good, I’m flying into O’Hare with a DOJ attorney this afternoon. JR is heading back home to work with Alexia.”
“Do I need to pick you up?”
“Yes. I’ll call you just before we take off.”
“What about Thorton?”
“That’s why I’ll have someone from the DOJ with me. They want to discuss this with the Cook County prosecutor and then offer Thorton a deal.”
“If it will get him out of jail, he’ll jump at it.”
“It will, but he will need to resign from his office as the Illinois attorney general. He’ll probably lose his law license, as well.”
“That’s kind of steep, isn’t it?”
“No. DOJ is investigating him for other incidents, like dismissing charges against high-profile individuals for political gains. But charges in the death of Danny Barton are being dropped.”
“Any leads on this Annika Belsky and Michael Peters?”
“No, and that’s another reason JR is heading back. He has a few ideas and needs to be at his office. As he told me, he needs a bulldozer, and all he has with him is a hand shovel.”
“Let me know when you need to be picked up at the airport.”
Chapter 25
Southwest Missouri
The majority of the building’s second-floor lights were extinguished since only JR Diminski occupied the floor. Alarm systems were set and controlled by him as he worked late into the night.
JR Diminski’s arrival in Springfield from his trip to Cambridge and Washington DC occurred in the midafternoon. After a quick stop at his home to explain to his wife why he would be working late at the office, he departed with her blessing.
At ten minutes to ten he sat back in his chair and stared at the middle of three screens on his desk. He clicked an icon at the bottom and a small box appeared in the lower right corner. He used the ten-key pad on his keyboard and punched in a ten-digit code. The sound of a dial tone and then the ringing of a phone could be heard over the computer speakers.
“This is Joseph.”
“It’s JR.”
“I will assume you are not calling from Hanaraku’s Floral Shop in Nagasaki, Japan.”
“Correct. Hope it’s not too late to ask a question.”
“For you, JR, it’s never too late.”
“How important do you think it would be if an election in Suffolk County England, where a Conservative party member has held the House of Commons seat for the past century, suddenly went to a member of the Labor Party?”
“That depends. Was the seat vacant?”
“No.”
“Was the Labor Party candidate well-liked?”
“Don’t know. He didn’t even campaign. He’s as shocked by the outcome as everyone else in Suffolk County.”
“What are your thoughts, JR?”
“I think we are seeing a preliminary test by whoever stole Danny Barton’s algorithms.”
There was silence on the phone for several moments. Joseph finally said, “Let me make a phone call to someone who might have more insight into the matter.”
“I would appreciate that.”
“It will be tomorrow morning, JR. Go home and get some sleep.”
“I will, but I have a few more elections to check first.”
***
The call from Joseph came as JR sat down at his desk the next morning, a fresh mug of coffee in his hand. “That was fast.”
“My call this morning was met with questions of how did I know.”
JR chuckled. “How’d you handle that?”
“With my normal charm and wit.”
“You called Jonathan Chapman, didn’t you?”
“How’d you guess?”
“What did he say?”
“He wanted to know where I got my information. I told him a little bird told me, and he proceeded to inform me that was not an answer.”
“Did they know about it?”
“They knew about the election but had not put two and two together. Now there’s a full-blown investigation underway.”
“You’ll need to call him back. There were five more county elections hacked across England on the same day. The one in Suffolk County was the most obvious.”
“Interesting. Can you give me more details?”
“I’ll send a summary when we’re through.”
“So, you believe these to be tests?”
“It’s an assumption at the moment. Russian hackers have a tendency to test their systems before they move on to their real target.”
“How are they doing it?”
“I’m still working on it. But after studying Barton’s system, I’d say they look at the polling data and then literally hack the voting computer systems to change the results.”
“JR, using the Barton system seems like an extra step. Why do they need the polling data if they plan to change the results?
“Like I said, I’m still working on it. There has to be a reason for stealing Barton’s computer.”
“Have you located it yet?”
“Yes, but since then, whoever has it, has not accessed the Internet with the computer.”
“Keep me posted.”
“I will.”
After disconnecting the call, JR sipped his coffee and then stood to see if Alexia had arrived. Looking in the direction of her cubicle, he saw the top of her head.
***
Chicago, IL
Dereck Thorton sat at his kitchen table dressed in jeans and an old Loyola Rambler’s Basketball long-sleeve T-shirt. He sat with his hands clasped in front of him and studied the three individuals sitting across from him. DIA agents Sean Kruger and Jimmie Gibbs. The third person opened a file in front of her and looked up at Thorton.
Department of Justice Attorney Hannah Martin said, “Mr. Thorton, are you sure you don’t want legal representation for these meetings?”
Thorton looked at the DOJ lawyer. “Ms. Martin, I’m an attorney, or at least I used to be. I believe I know what not to say.”
She glanced at Kruger, who nodded slightly. She said, “Very well. Let’s start with the basics. When and how did you meet Michael Peters?”
“It was about three years ago. I was attending the Illinois chapter of the Association for Prosecuting Attorneys’ annual meeting here in Chicago. I was a keynote speaker that year discussing the ethics of running for higher office while handling your duties as a DA.” He paused for a brief moment. “Yes, I know. Ironic, isn’t it?”
No one said a word. They just kept their gaze on the man in front of them.
“It was later that afternoon during a social hour, Peters introduced himself. He was congenial and congratulated me on a concise-and-to-the-point presentation. I thanked him, and he wandered off to speak to other members. I totally forgot about it. Two weeks later, he called and asked if I could meet for dinner on the Loop at The Gage. At first, I declined and then he reminded me of our brief conversation at the meeting. Since The Gage is one of my favorite restaurants, I agreed.”
Kruger said, “So, at this time, he had not mentioned why he wanted to meet with you, is that correct, Derick?”
“No, not a word. In fact, at the time, I didn’t know what he did for a living. I assumed he was another attorney.”
Hannah asked, “This was during the time you were Cook County DA, right?”
“Yes.”
She continued. “Go on about the dinner.”
“Anyway, we had a few cocktails, and I got a little talkative. I mentioned one of my long-term goals was to become the attorney general for Illinois and then one day a Senator.” He stood and went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. “Anyone else like one?”
All three of the remaining people sitting at the table shook their heads.
He returned and took a sip. “That’s when he gave me a business card. He explained he was a political consultant and felt I had the qualifications and personality to run for Illinois attorney general. We talked during dinner and well past. I told him I would consider it and call him back with my decision later in the week.”
The DOJ attorney asked, “I take it you accepted his offer?”
“Not really. I was going through a divorce at the time and needed to make other decisions. A month after the divorce was finalized, I called him back and told him I was ready to start a campaign.” He paused again and sipped some water. “This was when he really got me hooked into the scheme. He told me since he had not heard back from me, he had written me off and was working with another candidate.”
Gibbs asked, “Was he?”
Thorton shook his head. “No, it was another ploy to suck me in. It worked. I pleaded with him to take me as a client, and I won the election in the fall.”
Hannah asked, “When did he start talking about running for president?”
“Almost immediately.”
Kruger tilted his head and said, “So they’ve been planning this for over three years?”
A slow nod of Thorton’s head was his answer.
“Why do you think they chose you, Derick?” Kruger leaned forward as he asked the question.
With a slow shake of his head, Thorton stared at the bottle of water he grasped with both hands. He finally looked up and said, “Because I’m a selfish, ambitious, greedy prick. That’s why I’m a divorced selfish prick. Plus, and I’m not proud of this, I wanted to make sure my ex-wife would be sorry she divorced me.”
Kruger smiled. “Obviously, you had an epiphany while in jail.”
“Amazing how a two-by-four between the eyes changes your perspective.”
Hannah Martin tapped a pencil on the notepad in front of her. “Mr. Thorton, how serious were the efforts by Peters to get you involved with all the primaries?”
“I should have seen the signs then, but I was too caught up in the idea of being president. To answer your question, I was kept out of the loop. He continued to tell me not to worry, he had everything under control. It’s when I started questioning where the money was coming from that he pushed back. That’s when the whole scam fell apart. He had his patsy, and it was me.”
“When did Annika Belsky get involved?”
Thorton grew quiet and did not answer right away. He looked at Kruger and said, “She showed up at a so-called fund raiser one night.” He looked at the ceiling and kept his gaze there for half a minute. “I drank too much, and she was so attentive…” He took a deep breath. “We ended up in bed.”
Gibbs smiled. “Did they blackmail you to keep going with the primary challenge?”
“Yeah, the next day I called Peters and told him I was embarrassed with the lack of turnout at the fund raiser. He proceeded to tell me that was how it went in the early stages of making a presidential challenge. When I insisted, I did not want to continue, he reminded me of sleeping with a campaign worker. Not a good image for the attorney general of Illinois to have.”
“Did they have pictures?”
Thorton nodded.
Kruger asked, “Did you sleep with her again?”
“No.”
Silence prevailed over the meeting as Hannah finished making notes. Kruger’s eyes never left those of Thorton, who looked away and refused to meet the newly installed DIA agent’s gaze. After a minute of the visual standoff, Kruger asked, “Tell us about the scar on Padilla’s hand.”
