I shook my head and focused on the task at hand. I was good at breaking and entering, but wasn't the best around. I was more adept at industrial type buildings, which tended to use a lot of armed guards. Private residences couldn't afford such things, and used more electronic devices. You'd think those are easier to defeat, and they often are, but there is a drawback in that if you don't know one is there, you're easily screwed. Many of them had battery backups or other systems in place, so you had to scan for them individually.
I anticipated trouble though, and was taking my time. Francine Berkowitz was not only rich, but corrupt as well. Before, she'd only used her corruption and power in what could be called quasi-legal means. Lots of blackmail, some arm twisting, but at least nobody had a gun held to their head. By contacting the Latin Kings however, she had crossed a line, one that took her out of just being countered in the political and legal arenas and into my line of expertise.
My sensor flashed and I pocketed the small computer. There was one final system that I could expect, and it was one that I couldn't detect. I needed assistance. "You there?"
"Yeah," Patrick replied in my ear. He was back at Mount Zion, working the computers. Sophie was ready to assist, but was resting with Andrea. The mission tonight didn't require quite as much knowledge as some, and it was good practice for him. "You sure we need this much area?"
"I'm sure," I said. "Even if the sensor has a battery backup, we need to cut out the power to the cell towers in the area. I've already taken care of any hard-lines."
"Okay. You've got five minutes to get in and get out," Patrick reminded me. We were tapped into the city power department through a backdoor hack that Captain Zappy had given me months ago. It would take them that long to reboot their system once we crashed it, blacking out fully a couple city blocks. Fortunately there were no hospitals or other emergency care centers nearby.
I listened, and as soon as the click in my ear told me the power was down, I went into action. Slipping the lock, I had to move silently and quickly. It was the most dangerous type of breaking and entering, in that Francine was at home. I couldn't move during the day, and she was unpredictable as to when she would be at home or at the office. I had to wait until she was asleep and hope that she wasn't having a bout of insomnia. She was divorced, her husband and children having moved out years ago. My sensor sweep and casing had at least shown she wasn't moving around and talking, but you never knew for sure.
The condo hallway was pitch black, but my night vision goggles let me see clearly enough. I made my way silently to the living room, looking around for something to hide my little presents in. By the television, under the Blu-Ray player, I hid one, a super thin passive microphone that would go active only on a trigger.
The second bug was more traditional, and was active, using a burst wifi signal to send constant audio and video to an offsite server in Malaysia. A program on the server would scan for target words in conversation, and ping us back at home if certain words were said. We could also tap into it at any time we wanted.
The third sensor was like the first, passive. It went under the sofa, against the wood frame where it wouldn't be detected. Unfortunately, it would also be slightly muffled, but I only wanted it there in case bugs one and two were detected. My time running short, I made my way out, double checking to lock the door behind me. The unarmed security system could be attributed to the power outage, and I didn't think Francine would suspect anything.
* * *
The next night, I had another contact to make, this time for the first time meeting someone face to face. Or at least he thought so.
The roof of the Federal building was cold, but it was safe. It was just past eleven at night, and I hoped my meeting would go quickly so I could get home before one in the morning. Seven hours of sleep was a luxury.
"You up here?" I heard, then a stamping of feet and hands rubbing arms over a heavy jacket. Bennie Fernandez may have been a good attorney, but he wasn’t prepared for the winter cold. He was dressed in a full length heavy parka, looking for all the world like he was getting ready for a winter blizzard instead of just a conversation on a clear winter night.
"You look uncomfortable, Prosecutor," I said, keeping my voice pitched. "You should try getting a job in Dallas or something."
"Very funny," he replied. "You know I'm breaking about half a dozen volumes of the laws I'm supposed to be upholding just talking with you up here. What do you need?"
"Francine Berkowitz," I said. "You have your eyes on her?"
"My boss does, I don't," he replied. "She's a very big fish, like in Washington level. There are plenty in the DOJ who would like to see her taken down, but she's got a very tight game. Nothing that can be proven, nobody willing to talk. And she's got political allies. Why?"
"If I bring you direct evidence of her collaborating with a street gang to incite violence at the new community center that is opening up next month, think you can get something done?"