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Back Roadkill Save as PDF
Chapters (48)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Chapter One: Fender Bender
  5. Chapter Two: Bigfoot Burrito
  6. Chapter Three: Treasure Hunt
  7. Chapter Four: Open Sesame
  8. Chapter Five: Central Intelligence
  9. Chapter Six: First Flight
  10. Chapter Seven: Park It
  11. Chapter Eight: Next Steps
  12. Chapter Nine: Search Strategies
  13. Chapter Ten: Overflight
  14. Chapter Eleven: Barn Doors
  15. Chapter Twelve: Saturn Fly-By
  16. Chapter Thirteen: Getting a Clue
  17. Chapter Fourteen: Hacked
  18. Chapter Fifteen: The Spy Game
  19. Chapter Sixteen: Investigations
  20. Chapter Seventeen: Break-In
  21. Chapter Eighteen: Battening Down
  22. Chapter Nineteen: Shoring Up Defenses
  23. Chapter Twenty: Third Time’s the Charm
  24. Chapter Twenty-One: Proxy
  25. Chapter Twenty-Two: Rescue
  26. Chapter Twenty-Three: Chase
  27. Chapter Twenty-Four: Spies R Us
  28. Chapter Twenty-Five: Surveillance
  29. Chapter Twenty-Six: Making Plans
  30. Chapter Twenty-Seven: Going In
  31. Chapter Twenty-Eight: Infiltration
  32. Chapter Twenty-Nine: Accidental Captive
  33. Chapter Thirty: Interrogation
  34. Chapter Thirty-One: Reaction
  35. Chapter Thirty-Two: Kidnappings
  36. Chapter Thirty-Three: Reviewing Options
  37. Chapter Thirty-Four: Public Debut
  38. Chapter Thirty-Five: Distractions
  39. Chapter Thirty-Six: The Big Reveal
  40. Chapter Thirty-Seven: Regrouping
  41. Chapter Thirty-Eight: Waiting for Results
  42. Chapter Thirty-Nine: It Hits the Fan
  43. Chapter Forty: Disassembly
  44. Chapter Forty-One: Wrapping It Up
  45. Chapter Forty-Two: Negotiations
  46. Chapter Forty-Three: Coda
  47. About the Author
  48. About the Publisher

Nat didn’t reply, instead making heavy breathing sounds while holding her hand out in a pincer shape. Patrick obligingly pretended to choke.

I watched this performance for a few moments, then asked, “Anything on the filtering, Nat?”

She dropped her pincer hand and shook her head. “Not really. I’ve eliminated all mundane companies, associations, partnerships, clubs, and religious institutions. It doesn’t leave much, and honestly even the half-dozen items I have left aren’t the kinds of things ringing alarm bells.”

“Well, what are we looking for?” said Patrick.

“Well, look, if the Loranna wanted to create climate issues, they’d own a big ol’ gas company with international reach and no scruples. Those we have in spades, but not in Taft County, Ohio. If they wanted to create social and economic strife, they could go with social media or partisan news outlets feeding people targeted information designed to create or accelerate a tribal mentality. Those we’ve got, too—”

“Just not in Taft County, Ohio,” I finished for her. “Right. I can see examples for all the other possibilities Sheldon mentioned, but none of them has a presence here. So we’re back to square one.”

Nat raised her voice slightly. “Sheldon? You have a comment, or anything to add?”

“No, Natalie. Sorry. I know in your movies I’d be able to sift through terabytes of data over a one-megabit connection and come up with a hidden pattern just after the next commercial break, but in practice I’m optimized for operating a spacecraft, not performing miracles.”

I slapped my laptop closed with a snarl. “Well, I’m done for the night. Let’s try to take a fresh look at things tomorrow, guys.”

Chapter Eleven: Barn Doors

Chapter Eleven: Barn Doors

Day 7. Thursday

“Hey Jack,” Patrick said as he and Nat entered the barn.

“Hi guys. Anyone have any flashes of brilliance since yesterday? Anything you want to share?”

“Nope,” Patrick said.

“Nada,” Nat added.

I sighed. “Me neither. Maybe we need to take a break or get a different angle on this.”

“May I make a suggestion?”

I swung around to look at the communicator, which I’d left on the table. “Sure, Sheldon. What do you have?”

“I have a set of automatic barn door retractors, freshly printed, modeled after something I found on Amazon.”

“Hhhhh … what?”

“Was that unclear? I can direct you to the fabrication area in the ship, where you will find rails, electronics, a motor-and-pulley system, and a remote. Indistinguishable from the original item. I’ve even included instructions from the PDF on the manufacturer’s website.”

“Wait, how are you able to get on the internet?”

“Your Wi-Fi, of course. Woefully inadequate security, I might add.”

“You cracked the password?”

“No, I listened while you gave it to your friends. By the Maker, you humans are slow.”