“Yes. You’ve talked to her before. As a matter of fact, you met her in my store. She didn’t tell you she was a relative of your late wife’s?”
“No, she sure as hell did not. Unbelievable. Wait. Look at the picture. Why isn’t Taylor standing next to her brother? Why place her on the other side of the picture?”
“Taylor and Gerald never got along together,” Jillian explained. “I’ve never seen two siblings who detested each other more than those two.”
“Who was older?” I asked.
“Gerald. By a few years, I think.”
“Let me guess. He was always picking on her.”
“Every time I saw the two of them together it was the other way around,” Jillian contradicted. “Taylor went out of her way to make her brother miserable. She was a bossy little thing. Still is, if you ask me.”
“She seemed nice enough to me,” I recalled. “That is, she was still pleasant even after I chewed her out for publishing my picture in the paper without my consent.”
Jillian stared at me as though I had just sprouted horns.
“You think Taylor is nice? Far from it. She’s the type of person that will stab you in the back, with only a second’s notice, if she thinks she can benefit from it in any way, shape, or form.”
I looked down at Sherlock and then at the photograph. Was that who Sherlock was trying to get me to look at in the picture? Taylor, and not her brother? Was the reporter the person that was behind all of this?
I groaned aloud. Let’s face it. I sucked at being a detective.
I was reminded of my cell’s unusual text alert. Phones aren’t typically preset to the cricket, Jillian had explained. I know I didn’t change the text alert. No one else has touched that phone besides me. Could Taylor have been the one responsible for changing the alert for an incoming text? Even if she was, what was the purpose? Now that I’m thinking about it, could she have done anything else while she had been in possession of my phone?
“If Taylor is responsible for setting all this up,” I began, pulling my phone from my pocket, “could she have done anything to my phone that could come back to bite me in the ass?”
“You gave Taylor your phone?” Jillian asked, surprised. “What on Earth did you do that for?”
“To get the picture of the guy who she claimed had been her informant. She gave me the picture of Gerald. But, according to you, that is her brother. Why would she do that? Wouldn’t she have recognized her own family? Why pretend she didn’t know him?”
“They hated each other,” Jillian reminded me. “I’d say Taylor saw it as the perfect way to deflect attention from herself and throw a little heat on her brother. What better person to pin the blame on than Gerald?”
“But I caught Gerald following me!” I protested. “They’ve got to be working together.”
Jillian was already shaking her head.
“There’s no way. Now, I’m not saying they both don’t want the same thing. I would assume neither one of them want to see you in town. However, with regards to them working together, you need to trust me. They aren’t.”
I continued to stare at my phone. I was convinced Taylor had done something to it but didn’t have a clue as to what. Then again, I didn’t even know what the phone was capable of doing, so how was I supposed to check to see if it had been tampered with?
“You look lost,” Jillian observed. She held out a hand. “Give it. Let me take a look. All she did was send you a picture?”
“Yeah. Uh, let me think. She said she did something to my phone in order to get the picture over to me.”
Jillian was silent as she considered. She turned my phone over in her hands and stared at the manufacturer’s mark etched onto the back cover.
“This is one of the newer model smart phones. Its security settings are typically set high. Most of these things won’t allow a picture to be transmitted from a complete stranger.”
“That’s right,” I agreed. “I remember now. She said she had to add herself to my address book before she could send me anything. Can you tell if she did anything else to it?”
“Did you know these phones have ways to track family and friends?” Jillian asked as she tapped the surface of my phone several times. She slid a finger across the screen, waited a few moments, and then tapped it twice more. “I wouldn’t put it past her to enable tracking on… There it is. Wow. Do you see this?”
I came up behind Jillian and looked over her shoulder to see what she was doing. She had opened another program and it was showing a map of Pomme Valley on the screen. A blinking blue dot in the center of the screen caught my attention. Granted, the map wasn’t that spectacular to look at but there was no denying what it was showing. I could make out Main Street, and if that curve over there was 5th, then that would mean the blinking blue dot on the outskirts of town could only be…
“Is that me?” I incredulously asked.
In response, Jillian pinched her thumb and forefinger together, touched the surface of my phone, then spread her fingers apart. The map zoomed in and displayed a street level view of my house. Guess where the blue dot was?
“The ‘Spot a Pal’ app has been enabled,” Jillian informed me. “Look what it says there down there at the bottom. ‘Location shared on another device’. Do you have more than one cell?”
“I’ve had more than one cell before,” I said, shaking my head, “but not at the same time. And never one like this. I used to own a flip phone and man alive do I miss it. I got this one after the accident. Tell me, does this mean Taylor can see where I’m at all times?”
“It sure looks like it,” Jillian agreed. “I don’t see her anywhere on the map so that must mean she has hers turned off on her end. Or disabled.”
“So why can she see me but I can’t see her?” I demanded. “You shouldn’t be allowed to do that.”
“That’s why location sharing can only be enabled in person,” Jillian answered. “Do you know how long she had your phone in her possession?”
“Not long,” I said. “Maybe a minute.”
“Were you watching her the whole time?” Jillian asked.
“No,” I admitted with a sigh. “I definitely should have been paying closer attention. Why? Did you find something else?”
“Have you installed many apps?” Jillian wanted to know.
“Apps? No. Not a one. Why?”
Jillian leaned close and showed me the phone. The cell’s many icons were displayed on the screen. She made a slow and deliberate motion of sliding a finger across the screen. The icons changed, as though a page had been flipped in a book. The screen was now blank. There were no icons, or apps as Jillian kept calling them. The wallpaper was there, but nothing else.
“There’s nothing on this page,” Jillian remarked. She bore a puzzled look as she switched back and forth between the first page, with all the apps, and the second, which didn’t have any. “A second page would only appear if there were an actual app on it. Do you see anything? I sure don’t.”
“Okay, what does that mean?” I asked.
“It’s almost as if an app was installed on this page but was then deleted. Hmm, let me try something.”
“I’m glad you know what you’re doing,” I mumbled, as I watched Jillian fiddle with the sophisticated electronic device. I was really going to have to buckle down and learn how those blasted things worked.
She pressed a finger down on one of the apps, the map app from what I could see, and held it there. After a few moments she dragged it to the right, causing the phone’s display to switch to page two. She removed her finger and then let out an exclamation of surprise.
“What’s the matter?” I asked, leaning forward to look over her shoulder again.
Jillian showed me the display. The map app was now on the second page, only it wasn’t in the top left corner, but directly to the right of the ‘first’ position. T
he app was in the ‘second’ position, leaving an empty space directly to its left.
“Is that a problem?” I asked. I sensed Jillian thought this was important but I really didn’t know why. I’ll be honest. I still didn’t know what the hell I was looking at, other than Jillian had done something to my phone to make all those icon thingamajigs disappear. All but one, that is.
“This app should be sitting over here,” Jillian explained, tapping the empty space. She tried to slide the app over but the little map icon refused to cooperate. “It won’t let me put anything in the top left corner.”
“And that’s significant because…?”
“The phone thinks something is there.”
“Something? Like what, another app?”
Jillian nodded, “Exactly. The only problem with that logic is that I’m tapping the empty space there and nothing is happening. I was hoping that maybe the app just didn’t have an icon, but still required space on the display. Wait a moment.”
Jillian pressed her index finger down on the empty space and held it there. After a few moments a new screen appeared. I was looking at a simple page of options with toggle switches. My blood chilled as I saw what those options were and the fact that all the options had been enabled. I think I went from complete shock to indignant outrage in 0.3 seconds.
Geolocating…On.
Live Call…On
Call Recording…On
Ambient Listen…On
Ambient Recording…On
Rear Camera…On
“Are you kidding me?” I demanded, snatching my phone out of Jillian’s hands. “How the hell did she get this on there? Look at this. Does this mean she’s able to listen in on my phone calls? Ambient listening. Wouldn’t that mean she could remotely activate the phone’s microphone and listen to what’s going on around me? How is this sort of thing even legal?”
“There’s no way she could have gotten this on your phone,” Jillian told me. “There are security measures in place on all these types of phone. No one besides the phone’s owner can install anything. Not without knowing what your security code is.”
My eyes widened. Taylor had asked me to punch my code in. Something about trying to get into my settings?
“Do you need that code in order to look at a phone’s settings?” I asked, already knowing what the answer would be.
“You need a code to unlock the phone so you can use it,” Jillian told me, “and you’ll need that same code if you install anything on it. But you shouldn’t need the code to look at the settings, unless you change a security feature. Why? Zack, tell me you didn’t give her your code.”
“I didn’t.”
“Good.”
“But…”
“But what, Zack?” Jillian asked me, concerned. “What did you do?”
“She told me she needed my code in order to get my phone to allow a picture to be sent to it.”
“This model phone doesn’t need a code in order to do that,” Jillian pointed out. “The sender needs to be one of your contacts.”
“Right,” I confirmed. “She told me that.”
“But that wouldn’t need a code. Zack, I think that’s when she installed this secret app on your phone.”
“Does that mean she’s listening to us right now? Taylor, are you hearing this? I’m going straight to the cops with this, you crazy b…”
“Whoa!” Jillian cut in. “I don’t like that word, Zack.”
I swallowed my anger and nodded.
“Neither did Sam. Sorry.” I handed my phone over. “Would you please do the honors and get rid of that thing?”
Jillian placed a finger over the secret app and hesitated.
“Are you sure you want me to do that? It’s evidence your phone has been tampered with. You really don’t want me to delete it, do you?”
“Well, I don’t want her spying on me, either!” I protested. “How can I…” I trailed off and snapped my fingers. I quickly got to my feet, prompting Jillian to do the same. “Wait. I think I know what I can do. All those hours of watching TV might pay off after all.”
“What are you going to do?” Jillian asked as she followed me out of the living room and into the kitchen.
I started opening cabinets and drawers.
“Look for some aluminum foil,” I instructed. “I saw it on Lore Breakers once that a simple layer of aluminum foil will render a cell phone useless. If this thing can’t get a signal then it can’t transmit data back to wherever it’s sending data to, right?”
Jillian nodded, “If that’s true, then that would be perfect. Since I’m pretty sure that this app, whatever it is, is illegal then I’m sure there’s probably some way to remotely delete it.” Jillian squatted down to open the cabinets under the kitchen sink. “Do you really need to wrap it in tin foil? Couldn’t you just turn it off?”
I had been rifling through a drawer with all manner of kitchen utensils when I stopped, laughed like a drunk idiot, and looked at my phone like the alien piece of hardware I knew it to be.
“Well fine, then. Take the easy way out.”
With my phone safely off I placed it on the coffee table as I walked by. There was an old-fashioned wall phone hanging just inside the kitchen entry. Verifying that I had a dial tone, I was about ready to punch in a number when I hesitated. I looked over at Jillian and replaced the handset in the cradle.
“If she’s bugged my cell then there’s a damn good chance she’s bugged my home line, too. Hell, she’s probably the one that made those phone calls from inside the house before I arrived in town. Can I borrow your cell?”
Jillian pulled her cell from her purse and handed it to me. I’m pretty sure it was the same model as my cell, only Jillian had it in a bright purple case with sparkling rhinestones all over the back of it. Shrugging, I called Vance, who answered on the first ring. In case you’re wondering, yes, by now I knew his number by heart.
“Detective Samuelson.”
“Vance, its Zack.”
“Hey, Zack. What’s up? What are you reporting this time? Homicide? Breaking and entering? Someone run a traffic light?”
“Do you think I enjoy calling you all the time?”
“What do you need, Zack? I’m kinda busy here.”
“What do you know about Taylor Rossen?”
“Taylor Rossen? The reporter?”
“Right.”
“That’s it. That’s all I got. I know she’s a reporter for the Gazette. Why are you asking me this?”
“She bugged my cell phone,” I explained. “I wouldn’t put it past her to screw around with my landline, either. Also, her brother is the dude in the picture I sent you.”
“Aren’t you a veritable fountain of information today? Be careful, Zack. Those are some serious accusations,” Vance said. His voice lowered. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes. Jillian told me.”
“Jillian Cooper? Owner of Cookbook Nook?”
“The one and same. I’m on her cell ‘cause I flat-out don’t trust using my own.”
“I like Jillian. She’s friends with my wife.”
“Not surprising,” I chuckled. “I get the impression she’s friends with everybody.”
“What is it?” Jillian whispered to me. “What did he say?”
I placed a hand over the lower portion of the cell.
“That you’re friends with his wife,” I whispered back.
“Oh. He’s right. We are.”
“Of course I’m right,” Vance said. “And I can hear the two of you whispering back and forth. Just tell Jillian hello for me.”
“Vance says hello.”
Jillian smiled and waved at the phone, “Tell him hello for me, too.”
“She says…”
“I heard her. If you were trying to mute the phone then it didn’t work. Cell phone mics can be anywhere. If you want to mute the phone then just hit the mut
e button.”
I lowered the phone and rotated it in my hands. I was looking for a physical button with either the tiny label ‘mute’ on it or else the universal speaker symbol with the slash through it. Before you judge me I’d like to remind you that I already told you I didn’t know much about cell phones.
“These things have a mute button? Who knew? So, listen, I’ve got my cell here. I shut it off after Jillian found a hidden app.”
“Just because you find an app on your phone that you don’t remember installing is not a reason to panic. It happens to everyone as they get older.”
Jillian, overhearing Vance’s comment, slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.
“I’m afraid I’m gonna have to ask for that bottle of wine back, buddy,” I said with mock seriousness.
Vance laughed.
“So you think your phone is spying on you? Your own phone? Have you been drinking?”
Jillian held out a hand. She wanted her phone back. I passed it over.
“Vance? It’s Jillian.”
“Hi, Jillian. Care to tell me what’s going on?”
“There’s an app on his phone which doesn’t have an icon. Once we opened it we saw that all options had been turned on. Live call monitoring, ambient noise, remote camera access, everything. It’s spooky. I wouldn’t want to find that on my phone, either.”
I got the distinct impression that Vance was suddenly paying a lot closer attention.
“This was on Zack’s phone? How did you find it?”
“It’s Zack’s phone, alright,” Jillian confirmed. “I found it only because I saw his phone had a second screen available for apps only nothing was on it.”
“A second screen?” I heard Vance ask. Clearly his knowledge of smart phones rivaled my own.
“Yes,” Jillian said. “His phone is like mine. The second page wouldn’t appear unless there was something on it. I suspected there might be an app on it without an icon so I moved an app from the first screen to the second. It appeared, but to the right of where it should have been had it been the only app on that screen. It confirmed something was there.”
“How could Taylor have gotten her mitts on Zack’s phone?”
“Um, he, uh, gave it to her.”
“He what? He suspected her of being involved and he gives her his phone?! Put Einstein back on the phone.”
Jillian passed her phone back to me.
“He wants to talk to you again.”
“Yeah, I heard him,” I grumbled. “Vance? I’m here. In my defense, I gave her my cell before I had even considered her a suspect.”
“When the hell did you give her your cell? Better yet, why??”
“That’s how I got that picture of Gerald, the guy who told the newspaper all about me. I gave Taylor my phone so that she could transfer the picture to me since I didn’t know how to do it.”
“It doesn’t take long to send a picture from one cell to another. How could she have gotten some type of spying app on your phone in that short of time? How long did she have it?”
I was silent as I recalled the events of the encounter. How long had the phone been in her possession? Had it been long enough to install this secret spying app?
“Long enough,” I decided. “How did she even know about that app? Wouldn’t that suggest she’s used it before?”
“You bring up a very good point. If what you say is true, and it turns out Ms. Rossen is responsible for tapping your phone, then that would suggest your phone has been transferring data somewhere. Probably online, to a website. Our boys in the lab should be able to tell us where. If we can get access to it then we should be able to tell who the account belongs to and how long it has been used. Hell, we may very well learn that your phone wasn’t the only one that has been compromised.”
“Meaning what?” I asked.
“What you said. How would Ms. Rossen have known such an app existed? By having prior experience. This is a break that could clear you once and for all, Zack.”
“That’s music to my ears, pal.”
“Thought you might say that. Listen, how did you know Taylor and Gerald are brother and sister?”
“Jillian told me.”
“Well, if Taylor is Abigail’s daughter, then it’d make perfect sense why the two of them are conspiring against you.”
“Conspiring against me, yes,” I agreed, “but they aren’t working together.”
“How could you possibly know that? What, did you sit them both down and have a friendly chat with them?”
“Apparently the two of them hate each other,” I explained. “You couldn’t possibly get them in the same room together at the same time without some type of bloodshed ensuing. If I were to venture a guess…”
“Oh, by all means,” came Vance’s sarcastic response. “This I gotta hear.”
“Bite me, dude. As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted, I think both Taylor and Gerald are trying to get me out of the picture so that they can see who will get on their mom’s good side first. Abigail thinks the winery should be hers. She clearly wants to sell and I would imagine her kids want the money. The one thorn in everyone’s side is me.”
“Hmmm. If we can prove that your phone was tampered with, and if we can pin any of it to either of the Manson family there, then that’d be the proof we would need to bring them in for questioning. Where’s your phone now? Do you have it there with you?”
“I’ve got it here. It’s presently shut off, just in case there might be a way to remotely remove that incriminating app.”
“Smart thinking. Get that phone to me. I’ll have the lab boys put a rush on it. In the meantime I’ll see what I can dig up on Ms. Rossen.”
“You got it.” I ended the call, turned to hand Jillian her phone back when Sherlock, who had been napping on the ground at my feet, suddenly sprang up and began growling.
“What’s with him?” Jillian asked, looking down at the snarling corgi. “What’s the matter? Do you smell something, boy?”
Sherlock barked. It wasn’t the I’m-happy-to-see-you bark most dogs would typically do after seeing their owners come home from work, but more of the keep-your-%&^#$-distance-or-else-I’ll-rip-out-your-throat type of bark. Little Sherlock had either smelled, or heard, something and was letting whoever, or whatever, it was know that they were not welcome here.
Jillian followed me as I headed toward the living room. Just then we heard something that stopped us dead in our tracks. Someone had just inserted a key into the lock on the front door. Moments later we heard the door close. My blood froze. Someone had just unlocked my own front door and came in, as though they owned the place!
We hurried back to the kitchen. I shushed Sherlock as I knelt down to open the cabinets under the stove. I may not know where everything is in the kitchen but I do know that’s where Aunt Bonnie kept her cookware. I reached into the cabinet and grabbed the first handle I encountered: a cast iron frying pan. Hefting it like a caveman would do if he were holding a club, I pushed Jillian behind me and carefully stepped from the kitchen to the living room. My eyes widened with surprise. Sherlock had every right to be barking. The frying pan slipped from my fingers and clunked heavily to the ground.
There was a strange person standing in the middle of my living room, wearing a black hoodie sweatshirt and black pants. The hood had been pulled up and forward, obscuring the intruder’s face. Whoever it was had a gun pointed straight at me. A long, slender arm reached up to pull back the hood.
“Call off your dog or else the first shot is going right between his eyes,” Taylor Rossen coldly informed me as the gun she was holding swiveled down to point at Sherlock.
ELEVEN