Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Seeing the smashed phone gutted him. The phone case featured the latest video game called Sorcerer’s Sword, and he instinctively knew it had belonged to Travis.

Gabe abruptly surged to his feet, raking his gaze around the area. “We need to look for him.”

“Easy,” Cassidy murmured, putting a hand on his arm. “Let us do that. You stay back out of the way.”

A flash of anger hit hard. “This is about me,” he said sharply. “I don’t know how or why, but this is about me!”

Cassidy’s blue eyes widened in surprise at his vehemence. “I know that, Gabe. We’re here to find out what happened. But if a crime has been committed, we can’t trample the crime scene more than we already have.”

A crime had taken place, the lump on the back of his head was proof of that. But he understood what she meant. It wasn’t easy to bite back his frustration, but he managed a curt nod. “Okay. You and Steele spread out to see what you find.” He gestured to the damaged phone. “And this should be taken in as evidence.”

“I’m on it,” Steele said, pulling a bag from his coat pocket. Turning the bag inside out, he scooped up the phone remnants. Gabe swallowed hard as he wondered what had taken place. Had Travis been kidnapped? And if so, why?

He watched as Steele and Cass spread out to examine the area. The way they swept their gazes over the ground, as if searching for the smallest indication of a crime, gave him hope. If clues had been left behind, he trusted the officers would find them.

“There’s some blood here,” Cassidy called.

He turned, then grimaced. “It’s probably mine. I think that was where I was when I woke up and realized I’d been attacked.”

“Okay, we can check it to make sure.” She glanced at Steele. “You have evidence markers in the SUV?”

“I’ll grab them.” Steele strode to the SUV, opened the back, and removed a handful of neon yellow markers. “We’ll need the crime scene techs out here too.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to offer to make the call, then he remembered he didn’t have a phone. He made a mental note to stop on the way back to the precinct to get a replacement. Something he should have done earlier.

He tried not to show his impatience as Cass and Steele continued to comb the area. After a solid twenty minutes, they returned to where he stood waiting.

“I didn’t find anything else, did you?” Cassidy asked Steele.

“Nope. I guess that’s good news,” Steele said with a shrug. “If the blood we found belongs to Gabe, it appears as if Travis wasn’t hurt here.”

“Maybe he was hurt somewhere else,” Gabe said, unable to let it go. “I could have come here to meet with Travis only to realize someone else had his phone.”

“That is possible,” Cassidy said. “But so are lots of other theories. We’ll get your phone records and Travis’s as well. That should reveal a significant part of the story.”

“Try not to focus on the worst-case scenarios,” Steele said, obviously sensing his anger and frustration. “Getting mad won’t help. We need to deal with the evidence as it’s presented to us.”

“I’ll try,” he said grudgingly. “But Travis is just a kid. I can’t stand the idea of something bad happening to him.”

He noticed how Steele and Cassidy exchanged a quick, grim expression and knew they were worried about Travis as well.

“How soon will the crime scene techs get here?” He was suddenly anxious to get to the closest store. “I need to buy a replacement phone. If I can remember my password, I’ll have access to my text and phone messages.”

“Do you think you can remember it?” Steele asked with a frown.

“I don’t know. I was able to access my work computer without really thinking about it.” He suspected that was mostly because it was a task he did every single day. “I’m hoping the same is true for my phone.”

“Good idea,” Cassidy said, looking encouraged. “The way you knew the code to your garage door makes me think you can do the same with your phone. We’ll head out as soon as the crime scene techs arrive.”

“Take my car,” Steele suggested, tossing his key fob to Cass. “I’ll wait here for them. You and Gabe can buy the phone, then swing back to pick me up.”

“Thank you, Steele,” he said, meaning it. The way the team was rallying around him was humbling. “I appreciate you and the others more than you know.”

“Hey, you’ve been there to back us up when we were in tough situations.” Steele waved a hand. “This is the least we can do in return.”

“Steele is right, you’ve been a rock for the team.” Cass favored him with a sweet smile. One that made him wish he had the right to kiss her. “We won’t stop until we get to the bottom of this.”

He was too choked up to respond, so he turned and headed for Steele’s SUV. When they were back on the highway, his thoughts went back to Travis. “I need a picture of my half brother,” he said. “It’s bugging me that I can’t remember him.”

“We’ll find one,” Cassidy assured him. “But you may have one on your phone.”

“I hope so.” He fell silent, the image of the Sorcerer’s Sword video game on Travis’s phone nagging at him. He’d recognized it as the new game that had recently hit the market. It was being touted as the hottest Christmas gift for gamers, and the software was already flying off the shelves.

But there was a way to get the software without going to the store to buy it. Wasn’t there? From gaming systems maybe? He pressed his fingertips to his temples as he struggled to remember.

“Hey, are you okay?” Cassidy put a hand on his knee. “Don’t stress, Gabe. We’re going to find him.”

He didn’t have the heart to tell her he was thinking about a stupid video game rather than his half brother. He tried to smile and covered her hand with his. “I know. I trust you, Cass.”

“I’m glad.” Her soft husky voice sent ripples of awareness coursing over him. Talk about the wrong time, wrong place, and wrong situation. “And you should trust in God too. He will guide us to the truth.”

He nodded, realizing faith was a core value for Cassidy. And for him too? Maybe, although he didn’t have a clear memory of attending church. Still, he needed all the help he could get. “I will put my trust in God. But to be honest, I have just as much faith in you, Rhy, the entire tactical team. I hope that’s not the wrong answer.”

“It’s not.” Her smile brightened, and they held hands until the familiar big box store came into view.

“There,” he said, waving at it. “That will work.”

Cass exited the interstate and headed for the store. When they walked in, he couldn’t help but feel as if the place was familiar. Had he worked in a place like this while attending college? Or was it just that he tended to like video games and electronics? Either way, he quickly found the phone section.

“I’ll take this one,” he said without looking around at the others.

The clerk widened his eyes and nodded. “Good choice. I’ll ring you up over here.”

That’s when he remembered he only had the cash he’d found in his dresser drawer. He pulled it from his pocket and counted the bills.

“Better if I put the phone on my credit card,” Cassidy said, adding two more disposable phones to their purchases. “These will increase the cost anyway. And I don’t want to waste our cash in case we need it later.”

He bit his lip, nodded, and stuffed the money back into his pocket. “Okay, but I promise I’ll pay you back.”

“I’m not worried,” Cass assured him. “We work together, remember? It’s not like you can hide from me.”

That made him smile, despite the circumstances. It didn’t feel good to allow Cass to pay for his phone, but as soon as he had the device, he stared at the screen, willing his password to come back to him.

It didn’t.

He hesitated, instinctively knowing he wouldn’t have used the same password for his work computer on his personal device.

“Give it time,” Cassidy said as they headed back outside to Steele’s SUV. “It will come to you.”

Would it? Panic swelled in his chest, and he did his best to wrestle it back. Some of his memories had returned, mostly when he wasn’t expecting them. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind. He envisioned himself at home, sitting in the living room that had not been ransacked and trashed.

Cassha$myheart.

His eyelids flew open, and he quickly picked up the phone. He quickly accessed the settings and typed in the password that had flashed in his mind.

It worked!

“I’m in,” he said excitedly for Cassidy’s benefit. “I remembered the password.”

“Check your recent messages,” she urged.

He was already thumbing the home screen to bring them up. But there were none. Not a single message.

That couldn’t be right. He tried again, then went to his recent calls. There were none listed there either. A flash of panic surged again as he tried various ways to retrieve his messages and other personal data. But there was nothing. Not even any photos had been stored in the cloud.

Which meant only one thing. His phone had been wiped clean.

Cassidy glanced at Gabe with concern. “What’s wrong?”

He lifted his tortured gaze to hers. “Somehow, my personal information on my phone has been sanitized.”

She frowned. “Sanitized meaning... what?”

“It’s all gone.” He sounded so dejected her heart ached for him. “Wiped clean.”

She had no idea how someone could even do that. “Maybe you typed in the wrong password and that’s why none of your data is in there.”

He slowly shook his head. “That’s not it. I’m sure it’s the right password.”

“I don’t understand,” she said after a long minute. “How can something like that even happen?”

“It’s not by accident,” Gabe said somberly. “It was done on purpose. Either by me or the bad guys.”

She tried to follow his logic. “So the bad guys assaulted you, took your phone, and wiped it clean? You have tech savvy bad guys after you?”

He turned to look at her. “You’re onto something, Cass. The bad guys must have tech skills. They stole my computers, my phone, and my gaming system. They smashed my TV screen for good measure.”

“Okay, but why?” She still didn’t understand. “Why would they do all of that?”

“I don’t know. But I’m very much afraid Travis is in the middle of this in some way. The case on his phone featured the latest video game, so he’s a techy too.”

That made sense. To a point. “I guess I’m not seeing how a computer game can be dangerous.”

“I’m not sure this is about the game itself. It could be more about proprietary information. Like maybe someone is trying to steal the video game source code for some reason. To pirate it or to sabotage it.”

She took the Wildflower Motel exit. This was so far outside her area of expertise she felt a headache coming on just thinking about it. “I think we need to eat lunch,” she said. “My brain needs protein.”

He looked impatient. “We don’t have time for that. We need to find Travis.”

“And we can’t do that if we don’t take care of ourselves.” She glanced at him with exasperation as she pulled off at the side of the road behind the large crime scene tech van. “You love to eat, Gabe. You’re always snacking, even while working. Your famous line is that you need food to think clearly.”

His brown eyes widened in surprise. Then he finally nodded. “Okay, you’re right. If I’m being honest, my stomach is growling. We can eat while we discuss our next steps.”

“Good.” She glanced over as Steele jogged up to the car. “Are you interested in lunch?”

“Very,” Steele said with a grin. He slid into the back seat. “Did you find anything useful from the phone?”

Gabe sighed and filled Steele in on the fact that the phone storage had been wiped clean. She caught Steele’s gaze in the rearview and shrugged. She didn’t have anything to add. The whole thing was a mystery that only Gabe could solve.

And his memory loss was the biggest hurdle holding them back.

“Good idea to get disposable phones too,” Steele said, rummaging through the bag.

“I know the routine,” she said dryly. She headed to a restaurant that wasn’t too far from the big box store where they’d picked up Gabe’s phone. Ten minutes later, they were seated in a booth with menus in hand.

“What would you like to drink?” their server asked.

“Hot chocolate,” she and Gabe answered at the same time.

“Coffee for me,” Steele said, shaking his head. “You guys and your chocolate.”

She shrugged and scanned the menu. After their server returned with their hot drinks, she took their order and hurried off.

“I spoke to Rhy while I was waiting,” Steele said, cupping his hands around his coffee mug for warmth. He was clearly more chilled as he’d been standing around outside the entire time she and Gabe were gone. Steele glanced at Gabe. “He sent Roscoe’s cousin Cameron to interview your mom and her husband to get more information regarding the last time they’ve seen or spoken to Travis.”

“That’s good,” Cass said. “Maybe we can narrow down the timeline of when he went missing.”

“I hope so.” Gabe frowned. “I really need a few pictures. It’s sad, but I can’t bring forth any clear memories of my own mother.”

She winced, putting a hand on his arm. They were seated side by side in the booth, with Steele across from them. “You weren’t close to your mom, Gabe. You told me she divorced your father to marry a rich lawyer.” She paused, then added, “A criminal defense lawyer, which your father viewed as a slap in the face.”

“My dad was an MPD detective,” Gabe said hotly. “Of course, it was a slap in the face.”

“See? You remembered your dad because you were close to him. You joined the police department as a civilian but have dedicated your life to supporting cops. Like us,” she said, gesturing to herself and Steele. “So don’t be upset that you can’t remember your mother.”

“I guess.” Gabe sipped his hot chocolate. “But she’s still my mother.”

“Hang on, I think I found a photograph of her,” Steele said, working his phone. Then he turned the device so Gabe could see the screen. “Does this help?”

She leaned closer to Gabe as he took the phone. Steele had used his fake social media profile to find Shelia McCord. The woman on the screen was pretty, but her smile came across as more calculating than nice as she stood next to a slightly overweight man with gray hair at his temples.

“Yeah, that’s her.” Gabe said. “I remember her now. She married Paul McCord, and they had Travis within one year after their wedding.” He handed the phone back to Steele. “Odd that I don’t have childhood memories to go along with this.”

“I believe you lived with your dad,” Cass said. “At least, that’s the way you made it sound.”

“That solves one mystery,” Gabe muttered. “She gave me up in favor of a life of luxury.”

She shot a helpless glance at Steele, unsure of how to answer.

“Her loss, Gabe,” Steele said. “And God expects us to forgive those who trespass against us. Holding a grudge hurts you, not her.”

“That’s true,” Cassidy agreed. “Besides, who did she come to when she needed help?”

“Yeah, I’ll do my best,” Gabe said. But she wasn’t sure if he meant in finding Travis or in forgiving his mother.

Maybe both.

“Can you find a picture of Travis?” Gabe asked.

“Hang on.” Steele scrolled through the site, then nodded. “Here’s one.”

Gabe took the phone. On the screen was a skinny, tall teenager with long brown hair, the same brown eyes as Gabe, and wearing clothes that looked like they were from a rummage sale but had likely been purchased with the rips and holes in them. To her mind, he looked like a younger, scruffier version of Gabe.

“He looks familiar,” Gabe said. “But I can’t picture us being together.”

She shrugged. “Maybe you mostly text each other. He lives in Madison, after all.”

“True.” Gabe passed the phone back to Steele again. “Thanks. I appreciate the assistance.”

“Anytime.” Steele assured him.

Their meals arrived, and her stomach grumbled so loudly at the enticing scent of her grilled chicken sandwich and cream of mushroom soup that Steele and Gabe snickered.

She shrugged off the embarrassment. She glanced at Steele, who took the lead in saying grace.

“Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for this food, and we ask that You keep Travis and all of us looking for him safe in Your care. Amen.”

“Amen,” she and Gabe echoed.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Even Gabe seemed to be enjoying his meal, despite his missing half brother.

Finding Travis’s destroyed phone had been a setback, but she knew it was entirely possible that Travis had done the deed himself. To cover his tracks in some way. Not that Travis had looked capable of slamming Gabe in the head and leaving him along the deserted road, but maybe someone Travis had teamed up with.

Was this really related to a video game? Despite Gabe’s comments about the possibility, she found it hard to believe. Corporate espionage, maybe. One company stealing technology from another.

But if that was the case, why on earth would a kid like Travis be involved?

“I should talk to my mom,” Gabe said, breaking the silence. “I know Cameron is interviewing her, but I should talk to her too.”

She shrugged. “That’s fine with me. But let’s wait until we get back to the precinct. I’m sure Rhy has her number. And it’s best to use a different phone other than yours.”

“Does the fact that your phone was wiped mean that we won’t get anything from your phone records?” Steele asked.

Gabe grimaced. “Probably. It depends on when the sanitization happened, but I’m sure that was last night.”

Steele sighed. “That’s a bummer.”

Gabe finished his meal and pushed his plate aside. “Here are the next steps we should take. First, I reach out to my mom to see what she knows. It’s possible she’ll tell me something she might hold back from the police. Especially if she thinks Travis might get in trouble for whatever he’s been doing.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “I think the best thing I can do to get to the bottom of this is to focus on the data we recovered from the USB drive I hid in my freezer. I must have put it there for a good reason.”

“That sounds like a plan.” She finished her sandwich and soup, feeling better to have something in her stomach. “It seems logical that the bad guys tossed your place to get that information.”

“I agree.” Steele pulled out his wallet and signaled for the bill. “Meanwhile, we can ask for Travis’s phone records. Maybe they haven’t been wiped clean.”

“I think Rhy may have already asked for them,” Cassidy said. “That’s protocol when investigating a missing person.”

“Let’s get back to the precinct, then,” Gabe said, waving a hand impatiently. “I want to get started on that data.”

He was acting like his usual self, so much so that she had to remind herself that his memory hadn’t fully recovered.

They had to wait for their server to return. She finally arrived with the bill, looking harried. “I hope everything was good?”

“Great, thanks.” Gabe barely spared her a glance, making it clear he wanted to get out of there.

Steele paid in cash, leaving a generous tip. Cassidy was the last to get out of the booth, following both men as they made their way outside.

By force of habit, Steele paused at the doorway, peering through the glass before pushing the door open. Gabe stood back to allow her to go next. She gave him a reassuring smile as she headed out to the SUV.

“I’ll take the keys,” Steele said with a grin. “Not that you’re a bad driver or anything,” he hastily added. “But it is my vehicle.”

“Whatever.” She tossed them to him. To her surprise, Gabe climbed into the back seat, leaving her the front.

A minute later, they were back on the road, heading east toward Milwaukee. She wondered again if the meeting point near the Wildflower Motel was viewed as some sort of halfway point between Gabe’s home in White Gull Bay and Travis’s house in Madison.

“Uh, Cass?” Tension lined Steele’s tone as he abruptly hit the gas. He then flicked the switch to activate the red and blue light bar on top. “We have company.”

“What?” She turned in her seat in time to see a black SUV coming up hot behind them. Even with Steele using lights, they were closing the distance. “Gabe, get down!”

He ducked just as the sharp report of gunfire echoed around them. Steele wrenched the wheel to the left, abruptly changing lanes, but she thought she heard a metallic ping as one of the bullets struck the vehicle.

Thankfully, the rear window was still intact. She sniffed the air but didn’t detect the scent of gas either. Steele had the advantage, as cars moved out of his way. But that only meant the black SUV behind them had a clear path to follow as well.

“Call 911,” Steele shouted. She quickly found her phone, hoping the state patrol was stationed nearby.

Steele jerked the wheel again, moving to the right this time, crossing three lanes of traffic in time to exit the interstate. It was a smart decision, and a quick glance confirmed the black SUV had not been able to mirror their movement.

They were safe for now.

But whoever these bad guys were, they had every intention of eliminating Gabe.

Permanently.