Techno Crazed (Hacked Investigations) by Sarah Makela Read Free Book Online Page B

snores echoed from the gnome’s house.
    Hannah couldn’t help but feel just a little sorry for the gnome.
    Ian left as well, heading to the bathroom.
    She sat on the armchair in the living room and leaned her head back, taking deep breaths and relaxing.
    The sound of running water droned on for a while. Ian seemed to be taking his time, but she didn’t mind. It gave her a chance to disconnect and have a moment to herself. She stood and went to find the documents Ian had printed the night before.
    A few things popped up at her after a moment. It was odd that Ian had missed them, but then again, she knew why he hadn’t noticed the lack of certain stores. Rich had paid the mortgage, groceries, and so on, like every normal person would, but there were no clothes, books, entertainment, or magazine and newspaper subscriptions in the regular purchases.
    Rich had lived with someone.

CHAPTER SEVEN
     
    Ian got out of the shower and shaved. It’d been a while since he’d had a long and relaxing shower. In the living room, he heard Hannah snickering. Smiling, he put on a little cologne and dressed.
    The morning had been good for a change. No binary dreams, codes or images of machinery and the internals of micro-controllers filled his head. He didn’t even wake to the sound of his neighbor leaving for work or the dogs barking in the alley.
    Walking out to the living room, he saw Hannah grinning with a few papers spread in front of her and staring directly at him. “What are you so smug about?” He looked at what she’d been reading. “Oh, those. Did you find anything?”
    “I don’t know… just the obvious, of course.” Hannah told him about her discovery.
    He blinked, stunned. The idea that he, security expert and technomage, had missed something so elementary dumbfounded him.
    Hannah giggled and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. It’s something you men never get. It’s called shopping.” She winked and went toward the kitchen.
    He looked over the new information and started to see the connections. “If he was living with someone, we might be able to get new details off his girlfriend. But first things first, let’s see this person he has tea with.” Ian grabbed his jacket and slid on his tennis shoes.
    Hannah came out of the kitchen and prepped to leave too. A few moments later, they were ready to go.
    “Want to say something to your gnome?” Hannah pointed toward the room Bernard was in.
    “He’ll be fine. The ward will keep people out.” Ian opened the door for her.
    * * *
    They arrived outside a traditionally decorated Japanese teahouse, an oddity among the dozens of skyscrapers reaching toward the heavens around it. The building’s fortified wooden frame gave it a sense of elegance, but here and there, the metallic superstructure of the teahouse showed from the corroded siding.
    Ian watched the people entering the place. Most were either Asian or dressed in business casual, making the environment feel businessy during the afternoon. But he’d been in this area before. Later that night, the casual crowd would arrive, along with thugs from the nearby suburbs. The general atmosphere that lingered during the day would drastically change as modern-day geishas and prostitutes waited around for customers.
    Their host eagerly awaited them behind dark, exotic wooden doors decorated by various kanji of tea and fortune. “We’re here for the tea ceremony under the reservation for Rich Granger,” Ian said.
    The host led them to the table.
    Although they were nearly fifteen minutes early, the waitress agreed to let them make the initial order without further hassle. The table was on a secluded balcony that offered an excellent view of the city. Ornate vases with various oriental plants blocked their table from the public eye, giving the section an intimate feel.
    “I wonder who he is,” Hannah said, leaning back in her chair. She stared at the tall, high-tech buildings surrounding the quaint