Cat and Mouse
By Terri D. Thomas
Part 11
"We'll be there in about an hour, Jeremy." Tom disconnected the cell phone and turned to Harry. "Jeremy's going to pull up all entries into the Murdock investigation for the past month. He says he'll call us as soon as he has the data.
Harry nodded as he put the sedan gearshift into drive. Cassy had been adamant about coming out of hiding, but Harry had threatened her with her badge and she finally had agreed to stay in protective custody. Now he and Tom were returning to the station to meet with Jeremy Reed, the department's resident computer expert. "So, you think that Jeremy can tell us who accessed Cassy's report?"
Tom shrugged his shoulders. "Harry, let's face it. The physical security around the station is hardly Pentagon quality. I would guess that the data security isn't much better."
"We're a police station for Godsake. Surely we don't let outsiders just wander in and out of our computer systems and file rooms."
"All I'm saying, Harry, is that I don't think it would take much to tap into our system if one was really motivated to do so."
Inspiration suddenly struck Harry. "Maybe you wouldn't have to break into it."
"What do you mean?"
"What if you already had access to it?"
The thought sickened Tom. "You mean an inside job?"
"It's possible," Harry answered.
"Do you really think someone inside the department could do something like this. . .would want to drag Cassy through this?"
Harry thought long and hard about the answer. "She does have enemies."
"We all do, Harry," Tom responded flatly, "but how many of our co-workers hate us so much as to murder two people."
Harry pulled the sedan into his driveway. He thought through Tom's words. He opened the driver's side door and climbed out of the car. Tom followed suit. "Okay, I suppose there's no use in guessing until we've talked with Jeremy." He climbed the front steps to the house. "Besides, I'm not thinking straight anymore. I need a shower, a change of clothes and a strong cup of. . ." he paused as he realized what he was going to say, then he corrected the word, ". . .of tea to wake me up."
Tom smiled at the man's attempt to cover his slip. "Not me, Harry. I need coffee, and I'm sure I can convince your wonderful wife to make it for me."
"There have been multiple inquiries into the Murdock file in the past few months," Jeremy Reed said as he flipped through the computer printout he held in his hand.
"Multiple inquiries? Why?" Tom was perplexed. Ollie Murdock had been on the run for over a year. It made no sense that inquiries would be occurring now.
"I thought that was unusual myself, so I did a little investigating on my own. All of the inquiries came from other law enforcement agencies. Most, up until the last three months, came from the U.S. Marshall's service. My guess is that they were using the file with the hope it would help track down Murdock."
Harry frowned at the man's words. "What about the last three months?"
"Well, that's a little strange. The inquiries came from area police departments. . .Miami, Boca Raton, Ft. Pierce, Riviera Beach, Cocoa Beach, a few others."
"What?" Tom asked, mystified.
"I don't understand it either," Jeremy confessed. "But I've been able to trace the inquiry properties and access codes back to those departments."
Harry let loose a pent-up breath of air. Tom could see anger in the man's eyes. "I want to know why in the world we would allow those departments to access our files."
Jeremy shrugged. "We entered into a state-wide agreement with them. We gave them access rights to our computer files. It was part of the 'crack down on crime' campaign by the Governor."
"So any one of those agencies could read the details of the Murdock file."
"Yeah. . .unless we put specific access restrictions on it. . .which we didn't."
Tom shook his head and sighed. "Damn. . .then there's no way to know who could have seen Cassy's report."
"No. They all could have seen it. We've been scanning all of our documents into computer files under the new DR policy."
Harry looked confused. "DR?"
"Document Retention," Jeremy clarified. "The paper files are taking up too much room, so we are moving documents to the computer and then after a certain amount of time, destroying the paper files.
"Great. . .just great," Harry muttered.
"I'm sorry, Captain," Jeremy apologized.
"It's not your fault. Thanks for your help, Jeremy."
The man stood. "I wish I could be more help. If there is anything I can do, let me know. Cassy's a good friend."
He made his way to the door. Harry's voice stopped him. "Jeremy, there is one thing. Could you call those departments for me and find out if there were any logical reasons that they were accessing the Murdock file. Maybe we can narrow down the inquiries and get a lead."
The man nodded eagerly, more than willing to help. "I'll get right on it."
"If you come up with anything let us know ASAP."
Jeremy, happy to be able to help in some way, left the office to begin his investigation.
Harry watched the tall young man leave the squad room. He then removed his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. "Damn it, that was not what I wanted to hear," he muttered.
Tom was silent for a moment. "You know, Harry, I work for this Captain who told me once that I was having trouble solving a case because I was too busy concentrating on making the facts fit a particular suspect instead of investigating the case from all angles."
Harry looked at his detective, a hint of confusion in his eyes. Then they cleared and he smiled. "You mean you actually listened?"
"Yeah, I did. And guess what? He was right." Tom leaned forward, resting his arms on Harry's desk. "We've been so busy trying to make the facts fit Murdock, we've been ignoring the investigation."
Harry tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"Well, presuming Murdock isn't the murderer of Sara McCarthy, you have to ask yourself, who else could have done it? "
"Anyone. . .a stranger, her family, friends," Harry muttered, then he paused, realization striking him. "Her husband."
Tom nodded. "Exactly. There are other suspects out there that we've been ignoring because we've been so focused on Murdock."
Harry smiled at the young detective. Then the smile faded. "Yeah, but what about Burt Murdock. How many of those 'other suspects' would have a reason to kill him?"
Tom frowned as well. "I haven't made it through the reasoning that far yet."
Harry leaned forward, elbows on desk. "Let's not try. Let's work on one investigation at a time. Murdock was the only factor which tied these investigations together. If you remove him, you have two separate deaths with no relevance to each other." Tom nodded his agreement. "Okay, so we investigate the homicide which is under our jurisdiction. Let's find out about Sara McCarthy, shall we?" Harry rose from his chair, grabbed his suit jacket and made a beeline out of the office. Tom followed close behind.
End Part 11
To Part 12