Scattered Graves

Peeks was killed at the mayor’s house and we discovered that Bryce and Rikki may have been looking for some kind of list at the scene of the crime. It also came to our attention that the mayor was trying to bring the crime lab, the DNA lab, and the osteology lab under his control. We suspected that the mayor and his friends were in volved in something criminal but didn’t know what. Are you with me so far?’’ she said.
‘‘Gotcha,’’ said Jin, grabbing another slice.
The others nodded.
‘‘I went to see former mayor Sutton today and we had a talk. This is what his daughter told me.’’ Diane explained about Loraine’s friend Buckley seeing the mayor having dinner with the young people and giving them watches. ‘‘One of the kids wanted to talk with Buckley. They set up a meeting, but the kid didn’t show and couldn’t be contacted. Buckley described him as young—late teens, early twenties—Asian, and with a body-piercing ring in his nose.’’
‘‘Oh,’’ said Neva. ‘‘Well, that’s similar to the bones you described.’’
‘‘Yes,’’ said Diane. ‘‘And the last time Buckley saw the young man, whose name was Malcolm Chen, cor responds roughly to the time I estimate the bones were deposited in the ground. However, keep in mind, all of this is a thin thread supported by mostly circum stantial evidence. I’m only about eighty percent sure of the sex of the bones—and a set of characteristics is not by any means an identification.’’
‘‘If you have a tooth,’’ said Jin, ‘‘there’s a good chance I can get DNA from the root.’’
‘‘I’m hoping,’’ said Diane.
‘‘So what do you think is going on?’’ said Neva.
‘‘When I was telling the sheriff to look into a person named Malcolm Chen, Frank recognized the name as one he has on a list of hackers.’’
‘‘Okay, the plot thickens,’’ said David. ‘‘So the late mayor had himself a cybergang.’’
‘‘That’s what Frank said. What is that exactly?’’ asked Izzy. ‘‘I know hardly nothing about computers.’’
Diane gestured to Frank. He finished his last bite of pizza, wiped his hands on a napkin, and took a drink.
‘‘There are several types of cybergangs, from loosely organized groups of friends who hack because they can, to well-organized networks of people who commit crimes using computers. The money they make with identity theft, stealing financial and proprietary infor mation, and laundering money is in the billions—it’s now more lucrative than illegal drugs,’’ said Frank.
Izzy whistled.
‘‘Wow,’’ said Neva. ‘‘Wow.’’ She shook her head. ‘‘Wow.’’
‘‘What’s with the watches?’’ asked Izzy.
‘‘It’s like gang tattoos, or colors,’’ said Frank. ‘‘A way to increase the tribal feeling of the members. It lets them know if they continue to work they are in for riches.’’
‘‘I’d think the kids they’re recruiting would prefer iPods,’’ said Izzy.
‘‘With electronics, you have to update them in a year. They’re a commodity, temporary. The watches are a symbol of the long term and of wealth. At least I think that’s what Jefferies had in mind,’’ Frank said.
‘‘It’s like those identical signet rings worn by Jefferies and Peeks—and Bryce,’’ said Diane. ‘‘Defines them as a group.’’ Diane explained to Frank about the identical rings bearing the image of Alexander the Great.
Frank laughed. ‘‘Tribal leaders get to wear different markings,’’ he said. ‘‘It fits the profile of a lot of gang culture.’’
‘‘So,’’ said David. ‘‘We’ve never really speculated on the content of this mysterious list. I was thinking offshore bank account numbers. But it could be the names of the cybergang members.’’
‘‘Could be more than one list,’’ said Frank.
‘‘I’ll bet Jefferies was the only person who knew what was on the list, or lists,’’ said David. ‘‘Or maybe Jefferies and his top two lieutenants. And now all the people who knew are dead.’’
‘‘The murderer could be anybody,’’ said Neva. ‘‘Leaders of a rival organization, members of his own organization, Bryce, Rikki, Curtis Crabtree.’’
‘‘I think it’s time we tell Janice Warrick to sit Rikki and Bryce down and get serious,’’ said Diane.
‘‘You might want to give Janice the information and see how she wants to handle it,’’ said Izzy, smiling.
‘‘Yes,’’ said Diane. ‘‘That’s what