The Coffin Maker

Chapter 15

Heading downtown, Blackwood could feel his anxiety level spike. He tried to convince himself that Ailsa would turn up and provide some innocent excuse for her tardiness, but he was fighting a losing battle with his intuition. By the time he got the car parked and took the elevator to the FBI office, Special Agent Wu had an update.

"We picked up her phone signal, James." Wu walked over to a map on the wall and placed her finger on it. "Before it became too weak to track, it was between two relay towers on MN23 in Pine County, about an hour and a half north "

"The signal is out?"

"We presume the phone battery has lost charge," said Wu.

"Why would she go north and not tell us?"

"She never used her phone today, James."

"Maybe somebody stole it?"

"Possibly. However, I have more information and you are not going to like it," said Wu.

"Tell me," said Blackwood hastily.

"We know she never used the Data Guard program, right?" Blackwood nodded. "We were in my office and I watched her put it in her purse two days ago," continued Wu. "I am assuming that it's still there."

"So?"

"The Data Guard is always active James, so we traced it," said Wu.

"And?"

"As we speak, she's more than halfway to Chicago on the I90."

"You just told me she was on MN23 in Pine County," insisted Blackwood.

"No, I told you her phone was," said Wu.

"What are you saying, Lily?" said Blackwood. "She can't be in two places at once."

"We have two agents in the area who are on the way to intercept." Wu pointed to a monitor on the wall where a tiny light flashed on a map of I90. "We can track the Data Guard in real time," said Wu. "The Chicago agents are traveling west on the I90 and will wait for her in an unmarked car at a highway U-turn." Wu pointed again. "When she drives by, they will commence pursuit."

"You don't believe it is her driving do you Lily?"

"No, I don't. The only certainty is that Ailsa's Data Guard is in a vehicle traveling east on the I90 toward Chicago."

"It might not be her car," said James.

"Maybe not. We will find out. The agents will surveil the car and then call in the State trooper to pull it over. I have a helicopter on standby. We expect to intercept the car about here," Wu indicated a spot with her finger, "and we have a live feed with the agents, so let's listen in."

"This is Agent Brown. The vehicle just passed our contact point. We are in pursuit. There is a man driving and a female passenger." The agent read aloud the license plate. "The car is a late model gray Toyota Camry, driving well within the limit."

Wu gave a hand signal to her administrative assistant to run the plate who quickly typed some strokes on a keyboard. "It's registered to a printing company in St. Paul," she said, her fingers dancing across the keyboard. "No official listing for the company though."

"Agent Brown, this is Li Li Wu. We have a fake plate. I want you to pass the vehicle without engaging and give us a description of the occupants. Send us a video using the digital in the door post."

In a few moments, a video appeared on the monitor. "Okay, it's coming through now. We don't see our investigator and we don't recognize these people," said Wu. She turned to her assistant. "Get Sheriff Petersen on the line."