Piece of Mind: Thin Air

[kmdietri]

"Personally I think the good Dr. hid something in that cd case and the note on the back of his calendar was to remind him where it was hidden." Says Decker after Mr. Slocum leaves the room. "But that's just my best guess given everything we've found." Hushing his voice Decker continues "And you know what fits great in a cd case?... cds. Maybe that's where he was hiding any secret data he didn't want his employer to find. But like I said that's just a shot in the dark."

 

[Bobitron]

Kristen closes her laptop and leans back into the cushy chair. "I dunno. I don't feel like going in the house again, that's for sure. Maybe Slocum could speak to the police, asking for permission to collect corporate property from his home?"

 

[kmdietri]

Originally Posted by Bobitron
"Maybe Slocum could speak to the police, asking for permission to collect corporate property from his home?"

"That could work, it would sure beat breaking in again." Replies Decker. "Do we want to keep what we find to ourselves? Assuming what we find is of any interest."

 

[The Shaman]

Nearly twenty minutes pass before Slocum returns, a PDA cradled in his hand. “I called in a favor and got those license numbers you gave me checked,” says the attorney. “All but two of them are registered to residents on the street where Gold lives. There was a Camry,” he continues, glancing at the PDA screen, “registered to another address in Sammamish and a leased Lexus registered in Redmond. Neither vehicle nor the registered owners have any hits.”

“The KING5 news van checks out. The other van is registered to Northwest Independent News Service, with an office in Seattle,” The attorney taps the PDA with a stylus a couple of times. “It’s a stringer service. They cover whatever they can find then sell the tape and photos to local stations.”

Slocum listens as Kristen and Decker outline their plan while Falkus keeps a vigil at the hotel room window. He shakes his head. “There’s no way the Sheriff’s Office is going to let you back in Gold’s house. You’ve actually raised their interest in the case again, something we hoped to avoid.” Slocum’s face is pensive. “And in order to gain legal access, I would have to show cause that there is corporate property belonging to Martin Pharmaceuticals in Gold’s house. I have no evidence of that.”

He thinks for a moment. “You really think there’s something in a CD case? The restaurant seems like a better bet.” Slocum’s stylus scribbles across the screen of his PDA. “There was no mention of it in his transactions, was there? The restaurant, I mean. He visited a number of different places, but only that club on the waterfront and the Peet’s near his house with any regularity.”

Finally Slocum turns off the PDA and slides it into its case. He stands and slips it into a back pocket, then rubs his hands together. “I can’t advise you to re-enter Gold’s residence. I’ll try to get some information on for you on Monday about who reported the break-in. You have the rooms here until Tuesday morning, if you decide to stay. Call me on Monday and let me know what’s going on. Good night.” With that the attorney takes his leave.

 

[Bobitron]

"Call me on Monday and let me know what’s going on. Good night.” With that the attorney takes his leave.

"Good night, Mr. Slocum."

Kristen plops back into the chair with a deep sigh.

"I don't know about you guys, but I want a steak, a couple drinks, and a long bath."

 

[kmdietri]

"Yeah, I could use a drink or two," replies Decker as he rises to leave the room. "To the lounge?"

"We've got to come up with some kind of plan for getting back into that house undetected." continues Decker as he reaches for the door.

 

[Falkus]

"Hire a professional?" Hawk suggested as he stood up. "None of us are housebreakers, looks to me like we need to find one."

 

[Bobitron]

Kristen stands and exits to the hall, walking towards the elevator. "I don't know. I mean, if the house is being watched, I don't think it much matters how much of a pro someone is, they still have to go in, which means they can be seen. It could work, but let's come up with some more options first."

She enters the elevator and presses the button for the lobby after everyone files in.

"I'm going to call Brandon. He's probably hungry, and we could use his input if he's calmed down a bit." Kristen takes out her cell and dials up the photographer.

 

[Bobitron]

After a quick conversation with Brandon, Kristen hangs up her phone and sighs in frustration. "Brandon's out. I think that brush with the police rattled him more than I expected." She shakes her head to clear her thoughts. "Whatever. Let's just get a move on."

Entering the hotel's well-appointed resturant, she gets a table and orders a ribeye and an impressive stack of mashed potatoes along with an expensive margarita.

"We need to figure out a way to get that CD case. It must have the next clue we are looking for. Any ideas that don't involve us ending up in prison? My best thought is to get Dr. Martin to contact the police and inform them that Gold had confidential company information on that disc. He can send in a messenger at that point, with police escort and everything."

 

[kmdietri]

Following Kristen into the resaurant Decker orders a burger with fries. Listening as he digs into his food.

"I definitely like the idea of getting Slocum to get it, but I don't think he's too keen on it." He replies after swallowing a mouthful of burger. "We know exactly where it is, we wouldn't be long at all in there. If we made sure no one is watching we could be in and out before the cops got there." he continues after popping some fries in his mouth. "The big problem with that is we'll be on the top of the suspect list for sure."