CHAPTER 4

"Thanks." Matt took the mug of hot coffee from the corporal and sipped it appreciatively.

"I don't know what in the hell is wrong with this…" La Font popped the side of the computer monitor. "…damn…" He hit the side of the tower.

"Mind if I take a look at it?" Matt put down the cup of coffee on the desk and sat down in the offered chair. After trying to adjust the controls on the front of the monitor he turned the tower around and tracked down the cable that was leading from it to the monitor. Looking around on the desk he spied a pad of paper and tore off a small piece, folding it up and inserting it into the plug with the cord. The picture still didn't appear on the screen. "Okay. Let's see if we can…" He turned the tower once again and ran his finger down the back of it finding an unoccupied USB port. "Hey Fibby, look in my bag there and hand me the cord that's wrapped up."

Bateaux dug around and found one. "This?"

"Yep. Toss it." Matt caught it and plugged one end into the back of the monitor and the other into a USB port on the tower. After hitting a few keystrokes he spoke again. "There ya go. Temporary fix." He looked at the tower again. "Think you need an upgrade. This thing is every bit of ten years old."

"Tell me about it." The captain rolled his eyes and then got an astounded look on his face when the surveillance video began playing on the monitor. "I'll be damned." Matt started to get out of the chair. "Nope – you've earned the seat – keep it." La Font watched. "Okay, there's the guy with the bow…it's kind of small, though."

"Not much room on the bike I guess." Bateaux watched as Phillip Gaston was shot with the arrow. Immediately afterward, his wife was sliced with the sword in another biker's left hand as he maintained control of the Harley with his right. The daughter, who they had found out was Jessica Gaston, was chased onto the grassy area by the third biker who took a spill as he caught up with her. "And there's your paint sample." He injected the struggling girl with the heroin and it wasn't long before she slumped to the ground. The boy, Travis, turned out to be a much harder target for the fourth biker who had a short-shanked scythe and finally caught up to his prey. With one sweep, the young man's life was gone.

All four men in the room were silent. Matt was the first to speak. "He put up a fight." Rewinding the video he zoomed in on the third biker. "Do y'all notice the bikers' clothes and helmets?"

"They look like skeletons." La Font was peering at the screen.

"Uh huh. And look at the third guy here when he goes to get back on the bike…his knee got scraped up some…he's missing some of the white on his pants leg." He tapped on the monitor. "The paint that they're using on the bikes can be used on just about anything…including cloth. So my guess is they not only change the color on the bikes…"

"How?" The captain looked between the two and Matt pulled up the website with the information on the paint. "I'll be damned." He shook his head. "Now see that could be a great invention but these idiots had to go and ruin it for everybody by using it like this."

"I'm going to send a copy of this to our forensics people – they can use it to try to get a physical description of the bikers – height, weight – all from the video." Bateaux took the chair as Matt stood up and moved out of the way, retrieving the cup of coffee and going to the window to look out as the agent made a phone call and began to transfer the video not only to his office but onto a flash drive as well. When he got off the phone he spoke to Matt. "I'm sending a copy to CJ, too…just in case." The PI nodded.

"Who's CJ?" Sgt. Wozniak looked at Matt.

"My wife – she's my partner in the agency."

"Agency?" La Font looked at the card that Houston handed him. "You're a PI?"

"Yep."

A little while later, Matt stepped outside to call CJ and fill her in on what had happened and what they had managed to find out as well as alert her that Bateaux had sent the video to her. Alex was standing looking out the window as La Font spoke to one of the CSI techs and then turned to the agent. "We're getting an APB put out for a group of four bikers with a possible clothing and helmet description." He followed Bateaux's gaze. "Since when does the FBI hire PI's to help out?"

"He wasn't hired – exactly. He consults for the LAPD quite a bit and has helped out ATF, DEA, Homeland Security…and oh yeah, he's taking classes right now as part of his job with the Fire Marshal in LA." He grinned at the expression on the captain's face.

"But a PI?"

"Did you hear about the Walter King case – the nutjob collecting bones in the Mojave Desert?"

"Yeah."

"My boss sent me to him. If it wasn't for him and his wife the guy would still be on the loose."

"Ooookay." He watched as Matt came back inside.

"She's gonna add the video to the file." Matt sat down on the couch and began texting on his phone.

"You're not sending her a dirty text are you?" The agent winked at La Font who looked surprised.

"No…" Matt finished. "Captain, you should be getting a delivery later on today. Let me know if you need any help with it." He winked at Alex and got up and walked back out to hit the coffee pot again.

"Delivery?" La Font looked at Alex.

"If I had to guess I'd say it's a computer – not that I want to ruin a surprise."

"How can he send me a computer?"

Alex was about to step out of the office and stopped just inside the door, lowering his voice. "The man's a billionaire – I've figured out he can do just about any damn thing he puts his mind to." He walked out and filled up his coffee cup, then answered his cell phone as it rang. He grabbed Matt's sleeve and jerked his head in the direction of La Font's office. "Right…And this was how long ago?" He mouthed to the PI They've been spotted. "Okay. Yeah, we're on it. Right…thanks." He hung up. "They were spotted by a deputy just outside of Reno about forty five minutes ago. He lost them when a tire blew out on his patrol car. They were headed east on I-80."

"Can I borrow your computer, Captain?" Matt received the nod from La Font and dove into the chair and began working the keyboard. "I can get us into Reno-Tahoe International in…" He looked at his watch. "About forty five minutes if we push it and don't get delayed waiting for takeoff." Looking up at Bateaux he grinned. "Think you can pull a few Fibby strings and get us on the runway quicker?"

"I can try." Bateaux pulled out his phone and began dialing.

"I'll take you back to the airport." Sgt. Wozniak pulled out his keys and Matt shook La Font's hand.

"Nice to meet ya, Cap. Thanks for the hospitality."

"Thank you." He watched as the two tore out of the station along with Wozniak. "Like a damn tornado." He shook his head and watched as the deputy hit the siren and floored the SUV leaving the parking lot.