“You know what I mean. There aren’t many guys out there who would be as welcoming as you have been.”
“You are more than welcome. I’m glad you could visit, even if the circumstances behind your visit royally suck.”
Ethan sat there for a moment. “Well, I know it’s not too late, but I’m pretty tired. It’s been a long day. I think I’m going to head off to bed.”
“I understand. I’m going to watch the news before hitting the hay myself. I’ll keep the sound low.”
“Thanks,” Ethan said.
Blayne thought he would lean in and hug him goodnight, but Ethan stood and headed off to the guest bedroom without making another sound.
* * * *
Agent Murphy
It was one a.m. when the email came in on Agent Murphy’s account. She had submitted the paperwork for an expedited warrant for FreeMail right before five p.m., so she called a judge she knew at the federal courthouse in New Orleans.
“Why should I care about a gay tryst between a soap opera star and a member of a boy band?” Judge Katherine Vangelisti had asked.
Sarah had known she was walking some major lines on conjecture, but she went on a limb and took a wild chance. “Well, it’s possible he’s linked to the murder.”
“Possiblewon’t get you a warrant, Agent Murphy,” Judge Vangelisti had warned. “Besides, do you even have evidence Ethan Bond and Daniel Hawthorne were having an affair?”
“DNA collected from Hawthorne’s residence suggests the affair,” Murphy had said, hoping the DNA didn’t come back to bite her in the ass.
“Explain.”
“A condom was retrieved from Hawthorne’s residence, and it had DNA from both Hawthorne and Bond.” She heard nothing, so she’d added. “One’s DNA was on the outside, the other inside—if you get my drift.”
“Okay, so you have evidence of the affair, but it’s still pretty flimsy to get a warrant requiring FreeMail to fork over user information.”
“I don’t want all user information. I’m looking specifically for information on two email addresses in their system. That’s it.”Did she even bother to read the warrant package I emailed?
“I’m sorry, Agent. I don’t think you have the evidence to secure this warrant. It’s not like you’re dealing with terrorism and need to cut through red tape quickly.”
Murphy had thought for a second and decided she might as well try a Hail Mary. “Actually, there might be a connection to today’s Peregrine Airlines explosion.”
Murphy had woven a conspiracy involving the killings of Cynthia Dunning, Daniel Hawthorne and Ethan Bond. “It may be a coincidence, but Ethan’s definitely connected to two murders. Then he magically misses being on an exploding plane because he disappeared at the airport.” Murphy had avoided telling the judge she already knew Ethan had flown to Houston. If she got the warrant, it would make working with the Houston FBI easier, maybe.
“So, you think Ethan Bond, a known boy-band member, is a terrorist?”
“I would venture not, but there’s definitely a link worth investigating. And who knows? We may find evidence in his email account. And since Ethan Bond has disappeared, we can’t get his permission to enter the account.”
“Hmm…” Judge Vangelisti had said over the phone.
“And if we use the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the Patriot Act, we have legal grounds for requesting a warrant.”
“How soon can you get this revised version of your request on my desk?”
“Twenty minutes?”
“Make it ten, and I’ll sign it today. If it’s more than that, it’ll have to wait until the morning.”
“I’ll have it to you in nine,” Murphy had promised.
True to her word, Murphy had the revised warrant request to Judge Vangelisti in nine minutes, and the judge signed it and had it emailed back in fifteen. As soon as she had the warrant, she’d called up FreeMail’s counsel. After some legal maneuvering, FreeMail promised to send the information within twelve hours.
Murphy had gone home, eaten, watched some TV and sat waiting in her home for the email, which was where she now found herself at one a.m.
