Read Online The Fourth Rule of Ten: A Tenzing Norbu Mystery (A Tenzing Norbu Mystery series Book 4) by Gay Hendricks - Free Book Online Page A

brown. Fluorescent office lights blinked off up and down the bland building. Worker bees left their hives, one by one.
    My formative years in the monastery, marked by relentless routines, were challenging enough. I’d last ten minutes in a place like this.
    Once the area had finally emptied of cars, I reached behind the seat for my go-to nylon sports bag of detective tools and fished out a pair of thin latex gloves; a small Maglite; and the poor man’s slim jim, also known as a wire clothes hanger. I also grabbed my dark-blue hoodie, good for cool nights, or clandestine jobs.
    My phone pinged. A text from Bill: HEADED BACK TO YOUR PLACE .
    So I’d guessed wrong again. Still, his return meant I wouldn’t have to face another round of feline tail-twitching and flattened ears. HOME BY 10, I typed. HELP YOURSELF TO WHATEVER. FEED TANK, PLEASE ?
    I pulled on the gloves and hoodie and moved to the back of the building. It abutted an empty expanse of weedy and unkempt land fenced by industrial chain link and claimed by a blaring construction company sign. I was looking at the next Westlake Village lot slated for development. A narrow concrete walkway paralleled the stucco structure, and I jogged along its length until I reached the approximate middle. I aimed my flashlight at a few exit doors and found what I was searching for: a small piece of green plastic beckoned like a little flag, inviting me to enter. Score one for me.
    I messed with the wire hanger until I had fashioned a narrow, triple-strength hook at one end. Pressing the protruding flap of card securely against the jamb, so it wouldn’t move or fall, I slipped the curved end of the hanger inside and jimmied it until I managed to catch the hook around the panic bar.
    I had one chance to make this work.
    I lowered to one knee and tugged downwards, keeping the pressure steady while leaning away from the door. Just as my mind was declaring how ridiculously lame this idea was, the door gave slightly, enough for me to use my fingers to widen the gap and then reach through to leverage the panic bar and pull the door open.
    Seconds later, I was inside. My heart was racing. Even though I had checked for motion detectors earlier, my ears half-expected the harsh blare of an alarm.
    The dark space waited and watched, silent.
    I crossed to Roland, Jr.’s office. It, too, was locked, but this lock was child’s play, and I quickly gained entry with the help of a paperclip borrowed from the desk of Miss Grammar-pants, and my trusty Starbucks card.
    I crossed to the computer and used my flashlight to find the power source. I switched it on, and the computer hummed to life.
    Let’s see what you’ve got hiding in here.
    The screen lit up with some generic space-themed background, and I waited for the parade of icons—access files into Roland’s private world—to start marching across the screen.
    And waited.
    And waited.
    After a minute, I realized that what I saw was all he had: a single icon denoting his hard drive, and a second image I ignored for the moment. His computer desktop was as empty of clutter as his real one. I clicked to open the hard drive, but it was password protected. I didn’t know nearly enough about the man to start guessing, and my computer-hacking knowledge was just as limited.
    I focused on the second icon, which was purple and cream and shaped oddly, like an …
    What on earth … ?
    A faint sound outside chilled my blood. I powered down the computer, switched off my Maglite, and snuck back to the door. Peering around the doorjamb, I saw a dark figure leaning against the front entrance, his flashlight dancing from wall to wall. He tapped the flashlight against the frosted glass, then cupped his hands around his eyes to look inside.
    I held my breath. May I be safe and protected …
    He moved on. A security guard, making his rounds. I stayed where I was until any immediate danger of discovery had passed. But I didn’t dare investigate further.