While Justice Sleeps(68)

“I got a bump on the head, nothing more. And until I know what they wanted, I can’t be sure I’m any safer dropping the POA.”

    “At the risk of you jumping down my throat, have you considered asking your friendly FBI agent for help? Or maybe the hulking giant from Homeland Security? Isn’t this sort of intrigue their domain?”

Avery had considered doing precisely that, but caution stopped her. “Justice Wynn didn’t turn to them for a reason. Until I know more, I can’t risk involving either one of them. Besides, when it comes to the FBI, I don’t have to. They have a tail following me around the city and a guy camped out across the street.”

“And the Homeland Security guy?”

“I don’t trust him.” In fact, she’d decided, she’d use her time this morning to dig around about Major Will Vance. Better yet, she’d put Jared on the assignment. “I’d rather not involve the authorities yet.”

“For the record,” Ling announced, “I don’t like this.”

“Save the lecture.” Steering the conversation to another topic, Avery asked, “I know you were swamped, but any progress on the names I emailed to you?”

“Yes. Let me grab a shower and a nap, then I’ll print it out for you.”

“I can just read it.”

“Not unless you studied microbiology and genetics last night. Strange stuff.”

“What did you find?”

“Sleep first, then we’ll play James Bond.” Ling swigged down the Coke and headed for her bedroom. “You going out?”

“Since I’m banned from the Court and have both a police and an FBI detail, I’m bringing reinforcements here.” Avery hesitated. “Don’t yell at me, but I’m also taking an unauthorized trip to Georgia tomorrow.”

Ling halted on her way to her bedroom. “Georgia?”

“Justice Wynn owns a cabin near Atlanta. I’m hoping I’ll find some answers about his motives down there.”

“Is Jared Wynn going with you?”

“Yes.”

“Is he as cute in person as his picture?”

Avery rolled her eyes. “Don’t start. Jared is helping me help his dad. That’s all. We figured out another piece of the puzzle last night. I would have gone today, but I’ve got another interview with Agent Lee this afternoon about Jamie Lewis and the money transfer.”

    “So you’re planning to lie to the FBI again even though you have a good idea what’s going on?”

“I don’t have a choice.”

Ling opened her bedroom door and shook her head. “You have a choice, Avery. I’m just afraid you’re making the wrong one.”

Not sure her best friend was wrong, Avery returned to her bedroom to gather the pages strewn across the bedspread. She’d spent the night trying to break the archived chats between Justice Wynn and Ani into decipherable conversations.

Thus far, she’d learned that they’d met more than a year ago, when he had been searching the Internet for more information about Boursin’s syndrome. She’d also learned that they shared a common obsession with chess. Ani, apparently, was in hiding and feared for his life. In one message, he warned Justice Wynn not to reveal his knowledge of a potential cure.

The increasing hysteria in their chats spoke of a disturbing pattern of shared paranoia. She could be risking her future to help a crazy man who’d found a kindred spirit and woven a conspiracy theory so wild, the delusion had pushed him to suicide.

But the image of Jamie Lewis, dead on her living room floor, and the $500,000 in her own bank account indicated at least one shred of truth amid the insanity. She had no idea what, but she’d figure it out.

Avery gathered the papers and headed into the living room. Buried somewhere in their messages, Justice Wynn had left a clue about his plans. She gazed longingly at her briefcase, knowing that the case notes and incomplete memos inside would likely never be read by another at the Court. Then she shook her head. The best thing she could do for the Court lay hidden in the Wynn-related messages on her table.

When Ling awoke from a marathon sleep, she wandered into the living room and found Avery opening the front door. Yawning, she said, “Avery, introduce me to our guests.”

“Jared Wynn, Noah Fox, this is my roommate, Dr. Ling Yin.”

Ling gave a tepid wave as she wandered into the kitchen. “I’m ordering food. Thai okay?”

“Sounds good,” Avery answered absently. “Jared, did you make any headway on the email address?”

    He set up his laptop on the table, attaching components Avery hadn’t seen before. Catching her quizzical look, he explained, “Hacking is a complicated business. I got into the judge’s personal account this morning. However, I’m not sure I understood what I was reading. For the past six months, he exchanged emails with TigrisLost or Ani. Same tenor as the Chessdynamo chat room messages you’ve been reading. But the emails included several files they exchanged.”

He brought up the screens. “Most of their communications dealt with whether it was sunny here in DC or cold where Tigris lived, but they clearly weren’t discussing the weather. Bottom line, Ani believed someone was trying to kill him.”

“I read the same in the chat room. Both of them were petrified about supposed assassins.”