C423 Reason Behind The Attack

After setting up my new computer, I immediately began tracing Charlie Kinlore. Her name appeared in several old Lucia Goods records, but every lead ended at the same place. Her employment history was easy enough to find. Her previous address was already outdated. Her financial records were protected behind several layers of security, and when I tried tracing her telephone number, I discovered that it had been disconnected. Charlie had changed her number. I leaned back in my chair and stared at the screen. “Anything?” Bighead asked from behind me. “Nothing useful.” He walked around the table and looked over my shoulder. “Nothing useful, or absolutely nothing?” “Absolutely nothing.” Bighead folded his arms. “That sounds promising.” I turned to him. “You are welcome to try.” “I would, but I have an important responsibility.” “What responsibility?” “Watching you fail so I can make fun of you later.”

Survivor laughed quietly from the other side of the room. The Lions had been waiting for nearly an hour. Everyone had gathered around the computers and equipment I had recently unpacked, but none of us had much to do except watch the investigation develop. The room was unusually quiet. Even Bighead's jokes had become less frequent because everyone understood how important Charlie Kinlore could be. If we could reach her, we might finally discover where the Harris family was Hiding in Scotland. If we could not, we would have to continue fighting an enemy whose movements we barely understood. I tried another search. Nothing. I checked Charlie's old contacts, her previous employer records, and several encrypted databases connected to Lucia Goods. Every attempt produced the same result. “No,” I muttered. Chipmunk looked up from her chair. “Still nothing?” I shook my head.

Silver leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. “Maybe she really disappeared.” “She did not disappear,” I replied. “She changed her number and probably her routine. That is different.” Kiddo, who had been sitting quietly near the window, suddenly caught my attention. I turned toward her. “Kiddo, you said you knew Charlie Kinlore, right?” She nodded. “Yes. She was the head of Finance at Lucia Goods. How could I not know her?” “Then tell me everything you know about her husband.” Kiddo thought for a moment before answering. “I did not work closely with her. I only knew the family name and where they lived.” “What about Willy's connections?” She frowned. “I cannot say Kinlore family is involved in Harris family matters.” “That is not what I asked.” “I know.” “Then what can you tell me?” Kiddo looked uncomfortable. “I know where the Kinlore family is located. I know Charlie has a husband, and I know they have their own private life. But I never had a reason to investigate them.”

Bighead tilted his head. “You worked with the woman for how long?” “Long enough to know that she was private.” “That is not very helpful.” Kiddo looked at him. “Neither is your personality.” Survivor laughed again, and even Cipher smiled faintly. I turned back toward the computer. “Fine. We have a location, but no way to confirm whether Charlie is there. We need more than that.” Pixel moved closer to the table. “Could we send someone to watch the house?” “That would create another problem,” I replied. “If Charlie is still connecting with Willy Harris, we might alert them before we know anything.” “And if she is not connected?” Chipmunk asked. “Then we would still be watching an innocent family.” The room fell silent. I looked at the information on the screen one more time before shutting down the search. “The tracking plan is not succeeding,” I said. “But I am thinking of something else.” Cipher immediately looked at me. “What is it, Cracker?”

I hesitated before answering. “Since I cannot trace Charlie's phone, I think cloning it might work.” The reaction was immediate. Cipher's expression changed. “No.” I looked at her. “Wife...” “No, Cracker.” Bighead straightened in his chair. Survivor stopped smiling. Even Kiddo looked toward Cipher. I turned away from the computer. “Listen to me first.” “I already know what you are thinking.” “Then you know why it could work.” Cipher shook her head. “Cloning her phone means we have to come out of hiding. Once we do that, there is no turning back.” “It might be the only way to reach her.” “It might also expose us.” I stood up and faced her. “Wife, think about this carefully. Willy Harris would not have chased after your father if he did not know something.” Cipher's jaw tightened. “The chances of him knowing that we are hiding are already very high,” I continued. “The question is not whether he suspects something. The question is how much he knows.” “He could still be guessing,” Pixel said. “Perhaps,” I replied. “But guessing is dangerous when someone has enough resources to investigate.”

Survivor looked toward Cipher. “What exactly would cloning Charlie's phone involve?” I answered before Cipher could. “We would need a new device and a way to intercept or duplicate her communications. I could use it to identify who she contacts, where the phone connects, and possibly what information is being shared.” “And if the phone is monitored?” Chipmunk asked. “Then we risk exposing ourselves.” Bighead leaned forward. “So basically, the plan is dangerous.” “Yes.” I nodded slowly. “At least we are all clear.” Cipher looked at me with concern. “You are suggesting that we deliberately make contact with the outside world.” “Not necessarily contact. We would be observing.” “Cracker, there is no such thing as observing from outside when you are dealing with people like Harris.” Before I could respond, the landline rang. Everyone turned toward it. The sudden sound cut through the room and made the atmosphere even heavier. Cipher stood up. “I will answer it.”

She crossed the room and picked up the receiver. “Hello?” A man's voice came through the other end. “Madam, I know why Willy attacked.” Cipher froze. “Why?” she asked immediately. “What happened?” It was Hammer. I watched her expression carefully. Hammer continued speaking, and Cipher's face became more serious with every word. “I asked my men to investigate the matter,” he explained. “We discovered something concerning. Jiang Chenfeng, the Korean representative whose death we staged, was caught on camera in Hong Kong.” Cipher's eyes widened slightly. “What?” “The footage was taken at the airport. He was seen entering Hong Kong alive.” For a moment, she did not move. The room seemed to shrink around her. Jiang Chenfeng. The man whose death had been used to make the disappearance believable. The man Willy Harris believed she had killed. If he had been seen alive, then the entire story we had created was beginning to fall apart.

Cipher tightened her grip on the receiver. “Do you think they know where we are?” Hammer answered carefully. “No, Madam. I do not think they know your location.” “I believe they are looking for answers. Their attack on your father may have been an attempt to interrogate him.” The word hung in the air. Interrogate. She didn't needed an explanation of what that could mean. She had only recently been forced to confront what interrogation could turn people into. The memory of the prisoners was still fresh in our minds. We had learned how easily fear, pain, and desperation could change a person. Cipher looked at us. Hammer continued. “Willy's people may believe Mark knows where you are. They may also believe he knows who helped stage the disappearance.” Cipher swallowed. “My father does not know where we are.” “I understand. But the Harris family may not care whether he knows the truth. They may only care whether he can be forced to reveal something.”

Her expression hardened. “Thank you, Hammer. I will inform everyone.” She was about to end the call when I quickly stood up and moved toward her. “Give me the phone.” Cipher looked at me in surprise but handed over the receiver. I brought it close to my ear. “Hammer.” “Yes, Cracker?” “I need a cellphone.” There was a brief pause. “A cellphone?” “A new one. Something clean. I want to clone someone's phone.” Hammer understood immediately. “You are planning to after willy Harris?" “Not directly." “I will bring what you need tomorrow.” “Make sure it is new. No previous connections.” “Fine.” The call ended. I placed the receiver back in its cradle. Cipher was still standing beside me. “Guys,” she said quietly, “Hammer just told me why my father was chased.” Everyone turned toward her. She returned to the table and sat down. “Remember Jiang Chenfeng? The man who was apparently killed by me when we staged the disappearance?” We all nodded. “Well, he was caught on CCTV in Hong Kong.”

Bighead's expression changed immediately. “Does that mean Willy knows about us?” Cipher looked at him. “He may know the kidnapping was fake. He may know I did not kill Chenfeng. But that does not mean he knows where we are.” “Are you sure?” Bighead asked. “No. But if he knew our location, he would have come here already.” Pixel frowned. “Unless he is waiting.” “That is possible,” Cipher replied. “Hammer thinks they wanted to interrogate my father.” The room became quiet again. The word carried a different weight now. Chipmunk looked down at the table. “They could have killed him.” “They did not,” Cipher said. “But they attacked him.” “I know.” “And if they are willing to attack Mark Mooney, what makes us think they will stop there?” Nobody answered. I looked at Cipher. “We need to act fast.” She nodded, but her expression remained troubled. I began thinking through the situation. “If Willy knows the kidnapping was staged, then the cloning plan might actually work.” Cipher looked at me. “How?”