about every state by twenty points or more. The vice president hasn’t been up in that neck of the woods since the primaries. Those states don’t worry us.”
“Which states do?” Dixon asked.
Sally exhaled. “Wisconsin, Iowa, Virginia and Colorado. DataPoint has a big market share in those states.”
Dixon, rarely one to show any emotion, cringed. Those were four of the most hotly contested states.
“What about Ohio?” Thomson asked.
“Not that we see,” Sally answered, pointing to Ohio on the map. “DataPoint is not the supplier to any part of that state that we’ve seen.”
“But we have four of the states that are very much in play,” the Judge stated. “And DataPoint has their machines in those states.”
“Looks like it,” Sally answered. “The spread in Colorado is about six points right now, correct?”
“Yes,” replied the Judge.
“Then if we were to assume the worst, isn’t that going to be a hard one to explain if the vote shifts six points?”
“Maybe,” the Judge answered. “Depends on what happens between now and Tuesday.”
“Wait a minute,” the governor ordered and then remarked. “DataPoint has machines in those states, but isn’t the relevant question how recently the machines were put into those states?”
“Yes, sir. That’s one key question of many. We don’t know the answer—yet,” Sally answered. “We need to find out. With the day getting started, we can start calling around to the states and get some answers. If it was a long time ago, then it would probably be more difficult to manipulate the machines. However, maybe repairs were needed? Maybe upgrades were installed? We need to find answers to all of these questions.”
“Of course, if machines were put in recently, that would be of serious concern as well,” the Judge added.
“How about going to the source on this?” Governor Thomson asked. “How about going after DataPoint?”
The Judge smiled. “I’ve sent McRyan and Wire to Milwaukee to do just that.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Milwaukee.”
Saturday, November 2nd
Their plane touched down at 7:23 a.m. and taxied to the back corner and a small hanger where a campaign aide waited with a rental for them. Mac was on the phone with Riley as they exited the plane so Wire jumped behind the wheel of their rental car, a black Acadia. She programmed in the address for Peter Checketts while the pilot placed their bags in the back of the SUV.
Riley reported that all remained quiet at Lupo’s office. Nobody had called on their package as of yet. A trauma surgeon from nearby Fairview Southdale was on the scene monitoring the killer’s condition, which remained critical.
“Doc says he’s still not ready to be moved. He’s too weak and frail. It’s still very much touch and go at this point.”
“So all remains quiet?” Mac asked.
“Very,” Riley replied. “We’ve got a ton of people in place if they show, but Lupo said they should have checked with him at 6:00 a.m. He never got a call. They called at 2:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. so my sense is …”
“They know you’re there,” Mac answered.
“We came in heavy when we did, which we had to given all that had happened, but I’m starting to think …”
“They were probably watching the doc’s place from a distance, saw us roll in and evacuated the area.”
“That’s my sense of it dude, sorry,” Riles answered. “So where are you?”
“Milwaukee.”
“Milwaukee?” Riles replied with surprise. “As in Wisconsin?”
“Is there any other Milwaukee? We’re on our way to Whitefish Bay. It’s a ritzy suburb north of the city sitting on Lake Michigan.”
“What the hell are you doing there?” Riles asked dumfounded.
“Long story short, Dixon is pulling strings. He wants Wire and me to get after Checketts and see what he can tell us.”
“If you guys are right and this case is about voting machines, isn’t that federal?”
“That part is,” Mac agreed, although some of the jurisdiction issues between state and federal could get a little tricky.
“I would have thought he’d want the bureau on that,” Riles said.
“Me too,” Mac replied. “But if the bureau is on it, that means word might get back to Connolly and …”
“Ahhh, and he wants his ducks in a row before …”
“We, or the bureau, or he, or some combination of all of that, goes after Heath Connolly. This is one part a good investigational move and another part political. Besides, this is still a murder investigation. Someone hired that guy. I want to know who and that remains my jurisdiction. Checketts is part of that and Wire and I want a shot at him before we try