My heart almost stopped when the image appeared. An evidence bag with a twisted, melted bit of metal. We hadn’t been able to ID the object, but Blythe had obviously thought it was important enough to hide.
I scanned the photo into my database so I could work with it.
Resolution: Sharpen.
In the blink of an eye, the soldier’s face depixelated and then reassembled, his features coming into sharper focus.
Age progression: Activate.
Time lapse?
I recalled Grassi’s age from our research. Thirty-one years.
Weight gain or loss?
Gain, I commanded.
Starting progression.
The image’s photo altered, adding inches and years. The image morphed and changed until I recognized Grassi’s face. He was the tattooed man in the photo, much younger then. The colors of the tattoo matched the colors of that piece of metal. Whatever that was worth, I thought. Maybe a coincidence. But I kept working with the photo.
Magnify 20x.
I’d missed it before, but clutched in his right fist was a silver necklace with two oval-shaped pendants. Dog tags. And in the bottom corner of the photo, I spotted a series of numbers.
They meant nothing to me, and I needed to get to the other files. So I sent the information to Lucas.
Can you search this marking and number? I found them both on a photo of Grassi from years ago. Apparently he was military.
The response was instant.
Will do. You guys okay?
For now. I snagged a hard drive from Grassi’s office. We’re just waiting on Abby now.
I paused, then added, Get ready to come grab us at any time.
Just say the word. Stay safe.
“Are you almost done scanning?” Samuel’s beefy hand landed on my shoulder and squeezed. Through his fingers, I felt his mounting stress.
When I heard his words, I wanted to smack myself. Scanning. Of course. That was the most crucial step. That way, if I lost the drive, I still had the data. I’d been so caught up in my success, I’d gone about things backward.
Almost done. I should be ready in a few. Where do I meet you? Abby texted.
I released a tense breath I hadn’t realized I was holding on her behalf, and went back to deciphering the code.
Students started drifting back into buildings. Pretty soon, we’d be noticeable in our little huddle. As I issued the command to scan, Hunter interrupted.
“What’s that blinking light?” I followed his gaze down to the drive in my right hand. To where a tiny green light flashed inside the drive.
My security alert flashed in time.
GPS signal located.
“He’s tracking it!”
“Who? Grassi? Then why are we standing here? Get rid of the damn thing!” Samuel roared.
“Hang on,” I said. I couldn’t ditch the drive until I’d finished scanning every file.
The scan initiated while Samuel paced in a circle beneath the tree limbs. Hunter kept checking his phone.
“I though yer components wur state o’ the art,” Samuel said, his Scottish brogue thickening along with his stress.
My own nerves weren’t faring any better. They vibrated, as if a giant hand plucked them in time with the download updates.
50% complete.
72% complete.
88% complete.
“Joseph and Mary, he’s going to see us!” Samuel said, just as I proclaimed, “Done!”
I snatched the cord out and shoved it at Hunter, gripping the drive firmly between my hands as I headed for the paved path.
“Here, let me chuck it,” Samuel said.
I snatched the drive away before he could make contact. “I have a better idea.”
We reached the path, and I dropped the drive to the ground. Then I lifted my foot and stomped as hard as I could.
Crunch.
I stomped again for good measure, aiming for the blinking light. Metal and plastic and computer chips crumpled into pieces, then the light disappeared. With one epic sweep of my foot, I scattered the pieces onto the grass and watched them land in the mud. The final thought that flickered through my mind made my lips curve up.
GPS mode that, asshole.
I shot off another quick text to Lucas.
I scanned an entire hard drive’s worth of files. I’m going to send some transcriptions through to you, so we can hopefully get through them quicker. Here they come . . .
I let him know when the transfer completed.
Got them. Will get straight to work on these.
“Where the hell is Abby?” Samuel cursed. “Let’s head toward her so we’re not just standing around at the scene of the crime.”
A text popped up as we headed across the courtyard.