Daemon

life – and that he expected it to get a lot tougher any second.
    ‘Ron? Pav was the one killed?’
    Massey nodded and produced a cell phone. ‘Damn this canyon. Can’t get a signal.’
    Pietro produced his phone for a bar-count contest. ‘What service do you use? I have two bars.’
    Sebeck butted in. ‘You are?’
    Pietro turned back to him. ‘This is Haime.’
    ‘What’s your full name, Haime?’
    ‘Haime Alvarez Jimenez, señor.’
    ‘Can I see some identification, Mr Jimenez?’
    ‘What’s going on?’
    ‘There’s been a fatality. Can I have that ID, please?’
    Haime looked at Pietro and Massey, then dug into his pocket for his wallet. He found his driver’s license and held it out to Sebeck. Its leading edge quivered noticeably.
    A slight smile creased Sebeck’s face. ‘Haime, did you kill this guy?’
    ‘No, sir.’
    ‘Then relax.’ He took the ID and examined it.
    Haime pointed at the steel box. ‘I close a ticket on this winch today. I just turn a key. Like it says on the work order.’
    ‘Where’s the work order?’
    ‘On the Pocket PC in my truck.’
    ‘Do you have the key to this winch housing?’
    Haime nodded and produced a bar-code-labeled key chain with three keys.
    ‘You activated this winch today? What time?’
    ‘About nine, nine-thirty. I can tell you exactly from the work order.’
    Sebeck motioned for the keys, then used them to unlock the housing. He flipped it open with the tip of his pen. Inside, there was an electric winch with another keyhole in its face.
    ‘What’s the third key for?’
    ‘Manual override for the front gate.’
    ‘So you turned the key. The winch activated and pulled the cable …’ Sebeck leaned over, ‘… out of the ground.’
    ‘No, señor. No cable. Just the winch motor.’
    The others rolled their eyes in unison.
    ‘Haime, if you were sent by your company to do this, then you don’t have much to worry about. What’s the purpose of this winch, anyway?’
    Haime shrugged. ‘I not run it before.’
    ‘Can you get me that work order?’
    ‘Yes, sir.’ Haime scurried toward his truck.
    Pietro was looking down the length of the cable. ‘What exactly happened, Detective Sebeck?’
    ‘Someone built this winch and the housing, then buried a steel cable in the soil. Running the winch stretched the cable across the dirt road at neck level.’
    The two CyberStorm representatives looked confused.
    Pietro put a hand to his chin. ‘Are you sure that it’s not a … like a chain across the road?’
    ‘Why bury it? Why do it at all when you have a steel gate at the entrance?’
    Pietro was at a loss.
    Haime returned and pushed his Pocket PC into Sebeck’s face. He shadowed the screen with his callused hand and pointed to the work order displayed there. ‘See, it says ‘Run the antenna-lifting winch until it stop.”
    Sebeck took the handheld computer and with Mantz studied the data fields on-screen. ‘Nathan, we’re going to need a search warrant for the property management firm. Put their office under surveillance until we get a team over there. Also, get me a case number, and get me Burkow’s notes. I’m taking over the investigation. Everything goes through me from this point forward.’ He looked up at Haime. ‘Haime, we’re going to want to chat with you at the sheriff’s station.’
    ‘Señor, I didn’t do anything.’
    ‘I know, Haime. That’s why you want to cooperate while we arrange a search warrant for your employer.’
    Pietro interposed himself. ‘Detective Sebeck—’
    ‘Counselor, this cable assembly was maintained by your property management firm – which would indicate they had prior knowledge of it. Would you prefer to make CyberStorm the responsible party, or does CyberStorm want to cooperate with my investigation?’
    Pietro pursed his lips, then turned to Haime. ‘Haime, don’t worry. Go with them. Do everything they say. Tell them everything you know.’
    ‘I don’t know anything, Señor Pietro.’
    ‘I know that, Haime. But I think it best that you do what Detective Sebeck says.’
    ‘I am a U.S. citizen. Am I under arrest?’
    Sebeck looked to Mantz. Mantz stepped in. ‘No, Haime. We’re just gonna talk. You can leave the pickup truck here. We’ll take care of that.’ Mantz motioned for Haime to move toward the patrol cars and started escorting him away.
    Pietro nodded to Massey. ‘Detective Sebeck, we’ll contact your office for a copy of the police report. You know whereto reach