Author's Note: I made some references to the time Hildy and Terry worked in San Francisco as police inspectors. There were cases involving corrupt police officers that I wrote about in the previous parts of this Kami and Hildy story. Mentions will be made of them here.

Chapter 2 The Magician's Wand

The team of investigators spent the next day and a half working for their new client. They checked Mr. Samuel story and his background inside out and inside again. He was an upstanding citizen and well respected in the community. Based on everything they found out they concluded that it was unlikely that he was involved in any illegal activities that may have lead someone to rob him in an effort to even some unknown score. The team then turned their attention to the other business along the street and the folks who owned them. They reasoned that if their magician's wand theory was correct then there was some illegal activity going on in the vicinity of the store or along the street somewhere. Mr. Samuel's shop was used as a distraction for the police, a kind of collateral damage while the real illegal activity took place. As the police officers were generally over loaded with open cases, there was a good possibility that the robbery of the furniture store would eventually end up on the back burner as there was no evidence or clues left behind by the thieves.

While the investigators were trying to find out the weak link in the chain that the businesses along the street represented, Kami went to work on the CCTV cameras that were able to continuously transmit erroneous pictures when the robbery was in progress. She checked the footage from the cameras in the street and in the furniture store but Kami was not able to find the server the signals came from. Rather than feeling discouraged by this temporary technical road block, Kami's adrenalin began to flow. She loved to solve technical puzzles and this one thus far was proving to be a puzzle.

"So far nothing is panning out", Edgar announced to the team. "By all appearances the other businesses on the street all seem to be legitimate". He threw his pen on the desk in exasperation.

"There is something we are not seeing and it is right in front of us" Jim said in a frustrated tone of voice.

Everyone remained silent for a few minutes as they looked at the case from different angles. Abbi stood at the door of the engine room and listened to the comments then said;

"Maybe the other business folks on the street are innocent and clueless just like Mr. Samuel. Maybe whoever robbed him has nothing to do with anyone presently on that street".

David got an expression on his face that was like a light bulb went off in his mind. He sprang up from his chair and rushed to Abbi and kissed her in the middle of her forehead. "My darling daughter you are brilliant!"

Then he turned to his work mates and said "Presently on the street, that is the key!"

David turned to Kami and asked her if she could access how long the present business tenants or owners have been renting or owning their shops. With a few key strokes Kami had the information David asked for. All the investigators looked at the data on the monitors and it became obvious that all the present businesses have been operating on the street for over three years with the exception of one; the flower shop which was located three shops to the right side of the furniture shop.

Hildy began to think of possible ways this information could be important. She turned to her lady and asked "Kami can you find out who the previous owner was for the building the flower shop presently operates out of? Then run his or her name through the data bases and see what pops up".

The words had barely left Hildy's mouth before Kami was able to have the information on the screen. The previous owner was a man named Luis Boyle and he ran a barbershop at the flower shop's location. After his name ran through the data bases it became evident that he had a criminal past but had not been arrested in recent years for any crimes. However the data alluded to a gambling problem. This addiction begun to affect his business which resulted in his accounts always in the red.

"Somehow that old barbershop has something to do with this case. The Boyle character was operating from that location up to a little over two months ago. The information Kami pulled up on the screen lets us know Boyle owned the building but it was foreclosed by the bank to pay off outstanding loans. Then the lady who presently runs the flower shop bought it for her business". Jim shared with the team as he read the information on his monitor.

Hildy's eyes were trained on her lover as she observed her typing away rapidly on her computer. Hildy walked over to her and asked, "Kami have you thought of something?" But Kami was in her zone and did not hear the question. A few moments later the main big screen monitor flashed floor plans that looked superimposed on each other. "The floor plans for the buildings on that side of the street has been altered to conceal a small room at the back of the flower shop", Kami informed the team.

As soon as Terry heard this he picked up the phone and called the flower shop. When the phone was answered he asked for the owner, a lady by the name of Cynthia Romany. Terry put the phone call on speaker as he introduced himself and explained that he worked for the investigation firm that was assisting Mr. Samuel find out what happened to his furniture. Terry went on to further explain that they were exploring several theories and one involved the sale of the building she purchased. He asked if she could tell them if there was anything unusual about the sale of the building she bought.

"It is funny that you should ask about the sale because less than one week after I bought the building from the bank, the man who owned the building before me came to my home to ask if I would consider selling the place back to him. I can tell you I got nervous because he had a kind of desperate look about him. It was like he was scared and he had to get the building back. I told him I bought the building fair and square from the bank and I had no desire to sell it back. He then offered me twice the money I paid the bank for it. That set off a red flag in my mind immediately. So I asked him how could he afford to pay me double for the building and he could not afford to pay back the bank the money he owed them".

Terry and the team exchanged looks as they listened to Mrs. Romany explain what happened.

"What did he say when you asked him that Mrs. Romany?" Terry asked.

"He did not say anything; He just got an intense look in his eyes. I could tell you I was glad my son was in the kitchen while I was speaking to the man at the front door. I then told him never come back to my home, and I closed the door. When I told my son who was at the door and what he wanted my son insisted I make a report to the police. So I took his advice and made a report that same day. The police officers assured me that they would have a word with the man and he would not be a problem in the future".

"Thank you Mrs. Romany for the information it has been useful" Terry said in an appreciative voice.

"Oh it is not a problem at all. I have not been on the street long but Mr. Samuel and his wife are pleasant business neighbours. I was really sorry for them especially after what happened with my store's alarm".

Terry sat up straighter in his chair as Mrs. Romany added this last bit of information. "What happened to your alarm Mrs. Romany? Terry asked.

"About two days before Mr. Samuel was robbed my store alarm went off. The CCTV camera did not show anything was wrong, and nothing was stolen from the store so I figured that there was some kind of short circuit in the alarm system. Then two days later Mr. Samuel was robbed but his alarm did not go off. This modern equipment can be so unreliable at times" Mrs. Romany complained.

Terry thanked her once more and signed off the phone call.

The investigators looked at each other and David voiced what they were all thinking. "This is not a coincidence".

"OK, let's look at what we have so far", Edgar began.

"We know that Mr. Samuel is not involved with any kind of illegal activity. We know he pays his workers well, so the disgruntle employee or the insider job theories don't hold water. We know that someone who has access to city records did a switch-a-roo on the floor plans for the building down the street. We know the former owner of the building, one Luis Boyle, approached the flower lady Mrs. Romany and offered, maybe begged is a better word, to buy back the building from her. We know a police report was made after he visited her, and that two days before the furniture shop robbery the flower shop's alarm went off indicating an intruder but nothing was stolen".

While Edgar was recapping the facts Kami was still rapidly typing away at her keys.

"I discovered something". Kami said softly, everyone's attention turned to her.

"I have been trying to bypass the block that is preventing me from finding out where the server is that kept up the false pictures of the furniture store". Kami took a deep breath and turned away from the monitor as she gave her full attention to her work family.

"The program that was used to block the server is a modified version of a program that I wrote many years ago for the United States Government".

Everyone's face reflected shock and disbelief as the meaning of Kami's words sunk in.

"Kami, are you saying that this is Government job?" Hildy asked her lady in a shocked voice.

"All I am saying", Kami began as she looked at her partner, "all I am saying is …. about six to eight years ago I was commissioned to write a program to be used by the CIA. The program was suppose to give false pictures on CCTV while activities were taking place in real time in front of the same cameras. Now the program that was used to fake the pictures for the furniture store robbery was the tweaked version of that program. Whether the CIA is involved in this case or not I cannot say".

Terry and Hildy exchanged a look that was intense, memories of their time as inspectors in the San Francisco Police Department flooded their respective minds. It was like in that moment Terry and Hildy shared one mind. Images of crocked police officers and judges who were involved with the notorious criminal Julius Caesar (JC) were remembered. These memories were followed swiftly by the other crocked police network called The Club that Hildy's brother got caught up with because of his gambling addiction.

The two former police inspectors kept looking at each other until Jim broke the stares with a question to Kami.

"Kams, as you wrote the original program do you think you can override it even though it has been modified?"

Kami smiled as she answered "I just did". She then firmly tapped a key on her computer keyboard and the large screen main monitor that filled most of the side wall of the engine room came to life.

"The first pictures we are seeing are from the night the flower shop's alarm went off. The street camera clearly picked up two men entering the premises but their faces were obscured. Now the camera to the back room picks up the image of the men walking towards the far wall".

Terry stood up as he looked at the screen intently. The team's eyes were glued to the monitor as the men could be seen pushing against a wall and a door springing open. Then the men were out of the range of the camera as they entered what looked like a small room. As the investigators waited for the men to reappear, Hildy asked her lover if she could zoom up on the men's' faces when they exit the secret room and run their faces through her image recognition program".

Kami nodded as they saw the men emerge from the hidden room with an armload of documents in their hands. Kami fingers flew over the keys as she did her thing. In no time flat, on one of the other computer monitors, the two men's faces were being matched against all available date bases. In a matter of seconds two loud 'pings' could be heard from the computer as the men's faces were recognized. The first face was identified as Luis Boyle, and the second was identified as police Sergeant Gideon Conway of the New York City Police Department.

David let out a loud and long whistle when the policeman was identified.

Hildy turned to her lady and asked her if she can let the other footage for the night of the furniture store robbery roll. Kami obliged by hitting her computer key once more.

A moving truck and a black coloured sedan were seen pulling up to the front of the furniture store around 8:30 pm. Between the two vehicles seven men alighted and entered the premises. The street camera did not get a good angle on their faces to make a positive identification. The store monitors did however, and images of the men's faces were entered in the data bases. The men were seen randomly picking up furniture, tools and wood. They worked quickly and efficiently to load the truck. It took less than thirty minutes to empty the store.

The team of investigators were not surprised when one after one the identity of the men was displayed on the smaller monitors around the room. All seven men were police officers. As the men got in the truck and car and drove off, they were replaced with a van which parked in front of the store. This time three persons in full protective overalls came out with containers in their hands. As then entered the furniture store they began meticulously wiping down all the surfaces, walls and floors. In exactly ten minutes they were finished, back in their van and gone. Kami's computer identified the last group as working for a janitorial company who had ties with criminal elements.

As the video footage came to an end everyone sat quietly lost in their own thoughts.

The first person to break the silence was Abbi. She asked "What do we do next? We can't just call the police because who knows who else is involved?"

"We have to come up with a plan", Terry said.

"Let's all reach out to our most trusted police contacts and discreetly ask about any whispers of an organized ring of dirty cops", Edgar suggested.

"OK, while you all do that I will reach out to my contact in the CIA and see what I can find out about Kami's program. Let us meet back here in one hour and share what we find out". Terry suggested.

As the investigators all began to make their calls. Hildy took Kami's hand and pulled her up out of her seat.

"Let's get out of here for a few minutes," Hildy suggested to her lady.

Kami looked at her and smiled but sat back down. "Give me a minute to set up a program that will track the route the furniture truck took after leaving Mr. Samuel's shop".

With that Kami put her program in place. She knew by the time she and Hildy returned to the office they would have more answers on where the stolen furniture was taken.

Hildy took her hand as soon as she was finished with her program and lead her lover out of the office. The ladies took a walk up 8th Avenue to Central Park and began strolling hand in hand along one of the pathways before sitting for a while.

"Its' nice to just sit here and relax for a few minutes after watching the disgraceful conduct of the police officers", Hildy said as memories of her time in San Francisco once more filled her mind. She took a deep cleansing breath determined not to allow negativity to touch a positive moment with her lady. Hildy turned and smiled as she spoke to her lover. She continued in an almost conspiracy voice; "Do you remember the first time we came here together".

Kami laughed as she leaned on Hildy's side. "How could I forget? It was last year October, I wanted to get away from the guys for a bit as they had just warned me off. They told me in no uncertain terms that if I ever hurt you they would make me disappear". Kami laughed as she recalled the veiled threats she received from Edgar, David and to a lesser degree Terry.

Hildy smiled as she remembered how upset she was with her work brothers for the things they told Kami. She pulled her lady in tighter and hugged her.

"The things that stand out for me the most from our first trip to this park was the hug we shared, the heartfelt conversation we had, and then the first kiss, oh boy the kiss". Hildy grinned from ear to ear as she remembered.

Kami turned in her lover's arms as she too smiled. "How about if we do a repeat performance?" Kami asked as she wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive way that just make Hildy smile wider if it were possible.

And like the first time they kissed, they once more leaned into each other and let instinct take over. One kiss lead to another, and another. Eventually they stopped because if they did not, they would catch a taxi home to spend the rest of the day in a dance that was as old as time. Wrapped in each other's arms, the ladies stayed there sitting on the park bench enjoying each other's company in the cool April air as they watch people go walking by.

Eventually Hildy said "We should head back to the office and see what the guys found out from their contacts. I want this case closed as soon as possible".

The lovers began to make their way back to the building that housed their firm in the hope that the matter of the missing furniture and the magician's wand will be resolved posthaste.