Page 30 of Rules

"Dude's got too much fucking time on his hands." We continued walking to my office.

"That's not all, the Zhang brothers from Tech Wizards brought something in twenty minutes ago. They said it's video footage of the men getting out of the van. They have an exterior camera for their back door that partially overlooks the alley." Holly hands me a USB drive. "They said they didn't realize until after you left that it might have caught something."

My pulse quickens. "Did you look at it?"

"Yes. It shows four men in masks getting out of a white van around six thirty, this morning." She pauses. "They're all wearing ski masks, but you can see their builds clearly."

I insert the drive into my computer, and Holly leans over my shoulder as the video loads. The footage is grainier than I'd like, but substantially better than anything we've had so far. Three men emerge from the van, all in black, with their masks already in place. The fourth man joins them from the driver's side. They move with precision from a plain white van toward the back of Martha's shop.

I replayed that section over again, then again. "Look at how the three move. That's not flying by the seat of your pants movement. That takes training."

"Ex-military?" Holly suggests.

"Maybe." I rewind and watch again. "Or martial arts. The way he balances when he steps down from the van, that's not average Joe movement."

The men disappear from the frame, presumably entering Martha's shop. The timestamp shows six thirty AM. At six forty seven, they reappear, moving just as efficiently back to the van before driving away.

"There," I pointed at the screen. "See how the first one out is the driver and how he runs for the van? Now, watch the last guy." I press play and the other two men step out of the boutique and hustle to the van. I paused it again. "Now, watch this." Playing it, we see the last man come out of the boutique walking backwards, looking from side to side until someone calls that they are all clear. Then the last guy runs to the van, After that, they take off.

"That's called a rearguard. His job is to make sure the team gets safely away from the scene."

"Wow, so, now we know these aren't amateurs."

"Exactly." I watched the video one more time. "Twenty minutes," I murmur. "Twenty minutes to thoroughly trash the place and assault the owner."

"Do you want me to call everyone in to see this?" Holly asked.

I hesitate. "Not yet. I want to run this by Law first. His team might be able to enhance it more than our equipment can."

Holly raises an eyebrow but says nothing. She knows my history with Law, knows I trust his team's capabilities.

"His team has incredible computer skills. Plus, we'll get it analysed way faster than if we sent it to the FBI labs."

I pick up my phone. "Law, I'm sending you some video footage from this morning's break-in. Any chance your ladies can enhance it?"

"Sure, what are you looking for?" His voice sounds weary, like he hasn't slept.

"Four men in ski masks. I'm curious to know if any of them could be Michael based on height, build, movement patterns."

"You think he's involved in these break-ins?"

"I don't know." I rub my forehead. "But my gut says there's something organized about these attacks. They're too precise, too synchronized. Once you see it, you'll understand my need to know."

"Really?" Law's voice perks up. "Send it over. I'll have the ladies run their analysis."

I email the video file, then pace my office while waiting for Law to call back. Holly brings me coffee without asking, along with a sandwich I didn't request but clearly need.

"You're a lifesaver," I tell her, realizing I haven't eaten since dawn.

"Someone's got to look after you," she replies matter-of-factly. "You certainly don't do it yourself and goodness knows you could certainly use a woman in your life."

I manage a half-smile. "I have you."

"That's not at all what I meant and you know it." She leaves my office yelling over her shoulder, "eat fast, you've got twenty minutes till the mayor meeting."

I could have gone all day without hearing that.

An hour later, I'm sitting back in my office. The Mayor was brought up to date and thanks to the Zhang brothers I was able to hold him off, from calling the Governor for help. I told him we had an outside source helping already. My cell phone rings and I see it's Law.

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