Page 8 of Hack
"Come inside." Carter pushed the door open and stepped back. He didn't want to trust this guy, but if he knew Howard, and he had the Carmen family's name, he knew more than almost anyone else did. Only those who were actively working the case knew about the Carmens. They had worried if word got out, that grieving families would go after them. Everything was being kept quiet until they investigated more.
"Have a seat." Carter motioned to the couch as he stood behind a large chair. "Why did Howard tell you to get hold of me? He had to have known I would already know everything he did about the case."
"Howard retired two weeks ago. He and I have worked together for years piecing things together." Archer sat down on the couch, but didn't relax. "He didn't tell me much about what you know, but I'm aware you're his brother-in-law and you lost your daughter. I'm sorry about that."
Carter swallowed back the emotion caught in his throat. "I lost my daughter and my wife to that fuck. He might not have touched Beth, but he still took her from me."
Archer gave a silent nod.
Carter's fist clenched at his side as he stared at the man. He had to be in his forties, not much older than he was. He was handsome enough, with olive skin, dark brown hair, and deep brown eyes that told Carter that he'd seen more in his life than he'd ever wanted to. Carter was an expert at that look. Archer was tall, his body thick, but not fat. He wondered what heritage he was, but then pushed the thought from his mind. It didn't matter. "So why me?"
"He said you might be willing to help me continue to find out what the FBI is up to since I lost him as my inside source. He implied that the two of us could work together to find Lyle and finally bring him to justice." Archer seemed to be carefully choosing his words, and Carter wondered exactly how much he knew.
He couldn't know too much. All Howard ever knew was that Carter hacked into the FBI files from time to time to see if there was anything new. He knew nothing about the team, or what Carter was doing with his life now.
"I have no plans to bring him to justice. I have plans to kill him," Carter said honestly. If he helped Archer, which right now was still up in the air, he needed him to know what he was getting himself into by being associated with him. "I plan on making him suffer long and hard for what he did to my daughter, then I'll kill him. Prison is too easy for a man like him."
Archer nodded. "I imagine I'd feel the same way in your shoes."
"You don't have a problem with it?" Carter raised a brow.
"My goal is to put an end to his killing. Lyle could easily be the biggest serial killer this country has ever seen. We don't have a clue how many more graves are out there that we haven't found yet. It was pure luck we've found the ones we have. I might not agree with your end game, but we both want the fucker stopped, and I think we both can agree, dead or alive, it doesn't really make a difference as long as he's stopped." Archer folded his hands on his lap as he sat back against the couch. "I've spent most of my career searching for and going after Lyle. I've put myself in his head, studied him, stared at each crime scene until I couldn't stomach it, then stared at it some more. I'm close. I know I am. I just need someone with the tech skills to get me the information I need."
"Meaning?" Carter had no clue if he should trust Archer. As badly as he wanted to catch the fucker, he wasn't going to risk anyone standing in his way.
"Meaning helping me piece together the information I have, help me keep tabs on anything new the FBI gets, and maybe, if you're willing, check out some satellite information from time to time." Archer shrugged. "Howard didn't tell me exactly how or what you do, but implied you could get me the type information he used to. As I said, I used to be FBI. I know how things work, but Howard was my last inside source. The others have moved on or left the agency."
"Why did you leave?" Carter wanted to know.
"Because I couldn't stomach moving on from one case to another without finishing the job. I couldn't let go of this case. There were leads that no one was following, information still to go through, but we were told to move to something active. In my opinion, this case has always been active. It doesn't stop just because things slow down or there is a lack of information to follow."
Carter respected that. "And why should I trust you?"
"I can't answer that. Trust is something earned, something you have to find yourself. I can tell you I don't care what you do to get information, and I don't blame you one fucking bit for digging into the files and getting all the information you can. And as I said, I don't give a fuck if Lyle lives or dies as long as I never have to see another child killed by him." Archer stared at Carter. "This fucker needs to be stopped, and I honestly believe if people like you and me don't stop him, no one will. The FBI has too much on their hands. It was bad enough when I started working there, and the caseloads have quadrupled since then. They might get a lucky break, but I personally am not willing to wait around for that chance."
Carter nodded. "How close do you think you are?"
"I've had Levitt and Luis under surveillance for a couple of weeks now. I don't believe their claims that they have no idea where Lyle is. My gut tells me they will lead me to him. I just need to watch and wait." Archer reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card. "I'm in town three more days. Think about it and give me a call one way or the other. I do some private investigations to pay the bills and have to be in Tennessee by Friday, but if you want to sit down and go over what I have, decide if it's worth your time, then give me a call. I can meet you before I leave, or come back once I finish the other job." Archer tossed the card onto the coffee table and stood. "Again, I'm sorry for your loss. I imagine pain like that doesn't fade."
Carter nodded. "Thank you. I'll give you a call tomorrow one way or the other." He had no idea what he was going to do. Before he made his decision, he needed to find out just who Archer Rodriguez was. There was no way he was going to work with someone without doing a background check on them in the first place. If he was so involved in the case, how come Carter had never heard his name before?
As if he was reading Carter's mind, Archer smiled. "My middle name is Kenneth, and I'm from Virginia. Yell if you need any other information when you do your digging. I have nothing to hide."
Carter laughed. "Thanks, I appreciate that."
Archer headed toward the door. "I look forward to hearing from you."
"If I didn't need sleep, I'd run your name tonight, but I'm beat. Once I get some sleep, I'll figure out who the hell you are and give you a call."
"Fair enough. Have a good night." Archer opened the door and stepped outside.
"You too." Carter watched him leave, not closing the door until the car was out of sight. As a person, he liked Archer, but he hardly knew enough to team up with him. Once he got into work, he'd run his name and figure out exactly who he was, then he could decide if it was worth his time to work together. He couldn't imagine Archer had any more information than he did, but it was possible.
With thoughts of his daughter on his mind, he locked the door, turned off the lights, and headed into bed. The only way to stop the memories was to sleep, and he hoped to do a lot of that for the next few hours.
