The Gadgeteer

Chapter 30

ARABETH STOOD OUTSIDE the cab, thinking. Bringing justice to the guys responsible for Bernie's beating was a moral imperative.

Sam cleared his throat, standing beside her. "What's on your mind?"

"To catch a cop, you have to think like one, right? When we interrogated the man who attacked me, did you report it to your superior?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. We were gathering information, and he lived."

"Can you find out who the new guys are and where they live?"

"We're going to search their homes? Good idea, but dangerous. Let me handle this. You concentrate on what you do best - your devices. I'll see what I can find out about the new guys."

She stopped and looked at him. Suddenly, she laughed. Not loud. There was no point in seeming crazy. This was going to be solved by her listening devices. She'd been working on the solution to the Dawson case the whole time.

"Ah, fate. You are a funny one," she said, sighing as she turned back to her house.

"Care to explain what just went through your head?" Hicks asked.

"You'll see. It's brilliant. You go to the station and I'll make the devices. It's a perfect plan." She chuckled. "I feel stupid for not thinking of it sooner."

Sam narrowed his eyes, watching her. "You're sure you don't need sleep or something? You seem a little... unbalanced."

Arabeth chuckled again, then pushed his shoulder. "You, go. I have work to do, but come back once you have their address. I have a plan."

She needed to produce a large quantity of the miniature transmitters, quickly. That would take time, but the five she had parts for now would be a good start. She promised herself that once this was all over, she'd invest in smaller tools so she could make them herself. As she turned to go, she spotted two men standing outside her house. One of them looked like the guy they'd evaded earlier. Guards? Was this Clement's idea, because of the project he wanted her on. Well, they had to go. They wouldn't listen to her, so it would have to wait until Clement's next visit.

Arabeth flipped her hood back and walked over, nodding at the guards as they scowled in her general direction. The door handle turned easily... meaning it was unlocked. She stopped herself from opening the door, wondering who today's uninvited guest might be. With guards outside, there were very few people who could get in. Still, stopping to chat would slow her down. The back door would be better. That's where Bernie would have dropped the parts she'd ordered, anyway.

The workshop door closed behind her and she waited for the familiar clunk of the lock system. Sam still had a key, although she wondered why she'd given him one at times. You had to trust someone, right?

Arabeth emptied each of the three small bags onto her work table and organized them by which part of the assembly process they would be needed in. The devices practically snapped together, none of them being more than the size of a large coin. It still amazed her when so many specific bits came together easily. Next, she had to make sure they each transmitted and test their range. They'd be useless if you couldn't hear through a wall or had to be within ten feet to do so. Snickering, she decided on the perfect location.

She picked her boots up and left through the kitchen exit, turning left toward the outside door. There, she pulled her boots up and quickly thought of an excuse for going out again.

"I need something from the meat shop. Marble is running out of her chicken jerky." She tried to seem casual as she opened the metal mailbox at the side of her door, setting one of the devices inside. "If someone drops me a letter, let me know, okay?" She tried to sound disappointed.