• Killer Tim
    • Part 2: Three's a Problem
    • Part 3: Ninth Avenue
    • Part 4: Peru Avenue
    • Part 5: Toast
    • Part 6: Mrs. Pellegrini
    • Part 7: Charlie
    • Part 8: 2D
    • Part 9: Smith
    • Part 10: Cece
    • Part 11: Quarter Moon
    • Part 12: Interview
    • Part 13: Mieke
    • Part 14: 2D Ex
    • Part 15: Logs
    • Part 16: Steiner
    • Part 17: Number Five
    • Part 18: Cold
    • Part 19: Intern
    • Part 20: Coffee
    • Part 21: Sloth
    • Part 22: Tennessee Street
    • Part 23: Error-correcting Code
    • Part 24: Villa Lobos
    • Part 25: Entrance
    • Part 26: Cloak
    • Part 27: Meeting
    • Part 28: Fog
    • Part 29: Boodle
    • Part 30: Drafted
    • Part 31: Domino
    • Part 32: Quartet
    • Part 33: Skippy
    • Part 34: Blisflix
    • Part 35: Billikin
    • Part 36: Chronicle
    • Part 37: Sutro Heights
    • Part 38: Conference
  • Third Sons
    • November 1959
    • December 1889
    • December 1930
    • April 1890
    • December 1959
    • August 1964
    • June 1890
    • January 1967
    • March 1931
    • January 1967, continued
    • September 1898
    • November 1898
    • Winter/Spring 1943
    • January 1974
    • April 1899
    • January 1974, continued
    • October 1899
    • March 1944
    • November 1899
    • January/February 1974
    • June 1900
    • April 1886
    • June 1900, continued
    • October 1945
    • March 1974
    • May 1901
  • Else
    • O'Jitterys Catch a Movie
    • Winnie the Publican
    • Interview with the Alien
    • Gibberal doggerish
    • Dialog
    • Story
  • Mandolinoleum
  • About
  • Contact
Dennis Richard O'Reilly
Killer Tim, part 9: Smith

"The guns," Detective Molly Smith says as she scans police reports on her tablet. Joe Blisflix stares through the windshield. They're sitting in an unmarked police car on Leavenworth. A few blocks to the west, Tim Rist is walking north on Gough, toward the Marina.

"What guns?", Blisflix asks after a long pause.

"Where does he get 'em?", Smith asks, still scanning her tablet. "Four victims, four guns."

"Good question," Blisflix says. "Tomorrow why don't you start canvassing the local gun shops?"

"Nah," says Smith. "He didn't buy the guns."

"If he didn't buy the guns," Blisflix asks, "where'd he get 'em?"

Smith keeps scrolling her tablet. "That's a damn good question," she says.

Blisflix looks up and down Leavenworth. No cars, no people, nothing moving at all. Odd, he thinks, even for 2 a.m. on a Tuesday morning.

"Tell me this isn't an inside job," says Smith, still reading her tablet. "He's on the network, and he's got a stash of confiscated guns."

Blisflix shifts in the driver's seat as Smith continues. "He's all over town, nobody sees him, doesn't leave a footprint. He's a ghost."

Smith sits up and looks out the windshield. "You think they even want us to catch this guy? Maybe they'd like to put him on the payroll."

"The network guy said no intrusions," Blisflix says.

"What?", Smith asks.

"You said he's on the network. IT guy says 'no'."

"IT guy wouldn't know if his ass was intruded," Smith says as she reads her tablet. She looks up suddenly. "Maybe we could set a trap."

-------------------------------------------

"Who?", Villa Lobos asks like he can't believe his ears. In front of his desk sit Smith and Blisflix, red-eyed after the midnight shift.

"Cece Khouri is her name," Smith answers. "Cecelia, that is. She knows a lot about hacking."

Villa Lobos looks at Blisflix. He shrugs back. "We're being hacked?", Villa Lobos asks Smith.

"He's on our network, yes," she answers, then adds "I believe."

Villa Lobos grabs his coffee. He looks back at Blisflix. "You said the IT guy--"

"No intrusions," Blisflix interrupts.

Smith sits still. "He's there," she says.

"You want to let this student tap our computers?", Villa Lobos asks Smith.

"She knows what to look for," Smith replies. "She knows them. But she won't work with our people. She doesn't even want us to know what she's up to."

Villa Lobos looks at Blisflix. "Why not?", Blisflix says without waiting for Villa Lobos to ask her.

Villa Lobos turns back to Smith. "What are we paying her?", he asks.

"Nothing," Smith replies. "She wants to get him."

"What is she," Villa Lobos asks, "an anti-vigilante vigilante?"

"Not so much," Smith says. "I think it's more like, he violated some hacker ethic or something."

Villa Lobos tries to drink from his empty coffee cup. "How do you know this Khoury?", he asks Smith.

"Through my son," she replies. "Cece tutored him."

"That's it?", Villa Lobos asks.

Smith sits up in her chair. "She's a mentor of sorts for my son," she says. "We've become acquainted. I asked her about the network stuff. Cece knew right off who I was talking about. She said he can get into our network undetected without breaking a sweat."

"Then I bet she got on our network without breaking a sweat," says Villa Lobos. Smith nods.

"Remind me to delete my email,"says Blisflix.

Part 10: Cece

Part 1: Tim
Part 2: Three's a Problem
Part 3: Ninth Avenue
Part 4: Peru Avenue
Part 5: Toast
Part 6: Mrs. Pellegrini
Part 7: Charlie
Part 8: 2D
Part 9: Smith
Part 10: Cece
Part 11: Quarter Moon
Part 12: Interview
Part 13: Mieke
Part 14: 2D Ex
Part 15: Logs
Part 16: Steiner
Part 17: Number Five
Part 18: Cold
Part 19: Intern
Part 20: Coffee
Part 21: Sloth
Part 22: Tennessee Street
Part 23: Error-correcting Code
Part 24: Villa Lobos
Part 25: Entrance
Part 26: Cloak
Part 27: Meeting
Part 28: Fog

Part 29: Bootle
​Part 30: Drafted
​Part 31: Domino
Part 32: Quartet
Part 33: Skippy
Part 34: Blisflix
Part 35: Billikin
Part 36: Chronicle
Part 37: Sutro Heights
Part 38: Conference

Copyright 2020 by Dennis Richard O'Reilly -- all rights reserved
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  • Killer Tim
    • Part 2: Three's a Problem
    • Part 3: Ninth Avenue
    • Part 4: Peru Avenue
    • Part 5: Toast
    • Part 6: Mrs. Pellegrini
    • Part 7: Charlie
    • Part 8: 2D
    • Part 9: Smith
    • Part 10: Cece
    • Part 11: Quarter Moon
    • Part 12: Interview
    • Part 13: Mieke
    • Part 14: 2D Ex
    • Part 15: Logs
    • Part 16: Steiner
    • Part 17: Number Five
    • Part 18: Cold
    • Part 19: Intern
    • Part 20: Coffee
    • Part 21: Sloth
    • Part 22: Tennessee Street
    • Part 23: Error-correcting Code
    • Part 24: Villa Lobos
    • Part 25: Entrance
    • Part 26: Cloak
    • Part 27: Meeting
    • Part 28: Fog
    • Part 29: Boodle
    • Part 30: Drafted
    • Part 31: Domino
    • Part 32: Quartet
    • Part 33: Skippy
    • Part 34: Blisflix
    • Part 35: Billikin
    • Part 36: Chronicle
    • Part 37: Sutro Heights
    • Part 38: Conference
  • Third Sons
    • November 1959
    • December 1889
    • December 1930
    • April 1890
    • December 1959
    • August 1964
    • June 1890
    • January 1967
    • March 1931
    • January 1967, continued
    • September 1898
    • November 1898
    • Winter/Spring 1943
    • January 1974
    • April 1899
    • January 1974, continued
    • October 1899
    • March 1944
    • November 1899
    • January/February 1974
    • June 1900
    • April 1886
    • June 1900, continued
    • October 1945
    • March 1974
    • May 1901
  • Else
    • O'Jitterys Catch a Movie
    • Winnie the Publican
    • Interview with the Alien
    • Gibberal doggerish
    • Dialog
    • Story
  • Mandolinoleum
  • About
  • Contact