Read Online The Patrick Bowers Files - 05 - The Queen by Steven James - Free Book Online

ago.
    Interesting.
    Following up on that, I discovered that Eco-Tech had done some consulting for half a dozen Fortune 500 companies and two foreign governments—Brazil and Afghanistan.
    Meanwhile, Jake kept his questions coming to Ellory. “Did Donnie have any mental or emotional problems that you’re aware of?”
    â€œNot that I know of.”
    I checked the time the sub archives were last opened.
    Just minutes after the murders.
    After the murders.
    Odd.
    Donnie was in the Navy. Maybe he was searching the sites.
    But why then?
    I heard a car crunch to a stop out front, possibly Agent Farraday. After I finished downloading the web history and email records to my laptop, I headed for the front door.
    â€œJob dissatisfaction?” Jake asked Ellory behind me.
    â€œNope. He works at the sawmill over on Highway K. Far as I know he had no problems at work. Nothing like that.”
    Boots on again, I stepped onto the porch. The frigid air bit at me, and I tugged on my wool hat. Natasha Farraday exited the car.
    Natasha smiled. Early thirties. Dark hair. Demure. Spot-on professionally. Even though we’d never dated, I’d sensed for a while that she had a thing for me. However, because of my relationship with Lien-hua, who also worked for the Bureau as one of its top profilers, I’d made sure to keep things with Natasha completely on the friends-only level.
    After she greeted me, a stern-looking fiftyish man with shaggy, wolfish eyebrows followed her out of the car, stuck out his hand, and introduced himself as the county coroner. “Jeddar Linnaman, good to meet you.”
    I wasn’t sure I’d heard that right. “Jeddar?”
    â€œFull name’s Jedderick, like Frederick but with an extra d . Everyone just calls me Jeddar.”
    â€œNice to meet you.”
    â€œAgent Farraday told me all about you, Dr. Bowers. It’s an honor to work with you.”
    The PhD wasn’t something I liked drawing attention to. “Thank you. Just call me Pat.”
    After filling in the two of them on what we knew, I asked Natasha to pay special attention to the carpet fibers in the house and prints on the laundry room doorknob. “We’ll also want to compare the boots by the door to the size and visible wear patterns of the sole impressions outside the laundry room.”
    â€œGot it.”
    â€œThe computer was accessed after the murders, websites having to do with submarine deployments. I’m going to want to pull all the sectors to get a byte-level data analysis.”
    â€œThat’ll take time,” she said, mirroring my thoughts.
    â€œYes.”
    Depending on the size of the files and the computer’s processing speed, it could take up to twenty-four hours to upload the entire drive to the Cybercrime Division’s FTP server.
    â€œGo ahead and do a cursory review of recently accessed files,” I said. “I’ll get the emails and web history to Cybercrime, but I’d like your eyes on the registry as well; see what else you can find.”
    She agreed, then, carrying her forensics investigation kit, she entered the house with Jeddar Linnaman.
    Already there was a lot to think about, and I needed to sort some things through. Taking a walk helps me collect my thoughts, so I stayed outside, zipped up my jacket, donned my leather gloves, and stepped into the night.

11
    The two state troopers who’d been stationed on the porch had left when Natasha and Linnaman arrived, and with no one else around, the night closed in on me, embraced me, stinging and cold and quiet and still.
    I headed down the driveway, mentally evaluating the clues.
    Every crime occurs at the nexus of five factors:
(1)
offender desire
(2)
target availability
(3)
location
(4)
time
(5)
lack of authority figure or supervision
    Take away any of the five and you have no crime. Entire schools of criminological theory have sprung up over the last 130 years focusing on how to