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need something, I assume you’re back in the workforce. I knew theretirement thing wouldn’t stick. Did you get tired of eating early bird specials at four o’clock? Or was it the nasty taste of all those fiber supplements?”
    I ignored the retirement barbs. “It’s a long story. By the way, how are you enjoying the cushy job for Chesterfield Financial?” Soup is a technology junkie and one of the best hackers in the country. After helping me on my last case, he was hired by Samuel Chesterfield, head of a national brokerage firm, to overhaul their online security system.
    Keyboard clacks were rapid and nonstop. “Pays a helluva lot better than working for you.”
    “If you hadn’t been working a job for me, you never would have met Samuel Chesterfield.”
    “True.” He slurped something—probably soup, which is how he got his nickname—and a loud swallow traveled through the fiber-optic cable.
    “And,” I said, “you wouldn’t have just enjoyed a fabulous week on
Incognito
with your friends.” My one extravagance, the forty-eight-foot sport fishing yacht was a gift from a grateful client. As a thank-you to Soup, I had the boat fully stocked with food and booze, and hired Captain Pete to haul Soup and company anywhere they wanted to go.
    He blew out a long sigh and stopped keyboarding. “Okay, lay it on me. What do you need?”
    I needed a complete schedule of events that were happening within a two-hundred-mile radius of Wilmington, I told him. Anything, public or private, that involved more than one hundred people or anything that would be attended by high-profile power figures. For the upcoming four months.
    “That’ll cost you more than a return favor, Jersey. You’re talking some major time consumption.”
    “Let’s shave the parameters, then. How about a hundred-and-fifty-mile radius for the next three months?”
    “How about fifty miles and one month?” Soup said, admitting that he could in fact produce the information. He is brilliant that way. He just doesn’t like to work harder than necessary. And he would uncover some nifty details that Ashton’s people would overlook.
    “One-hundred-mile radius and two months out,” I countered.
    “Done. What do I get out of it?”
    “The opportunity to save lives.”
    “Anything else?” Keyboard sounds started up again and I knew his mind was already figuring out which databases he’d have to hack to fulfill my request.
    “The who-owes-whom-a-favor pendulum swings back in your direction,” I said.
    He snorted out a laugh. “By the way, we gave your boat a few tweaks.
Incognito’s
, GPS navigation system and depth finders are now coupled with a voice feature. Your radar screen is hooked up to a DVD player for those long trips. Oh, and the plasma flat screen in the salon? It gets satellite reception pretty much anywhere you go in the world. Same for the onboard emergency mobile phone.”
    “I don’t have an onboard emergency mobile phone.”
    “You do now.”
    “Are you crazy? I don’t want to pay every month for those satellite services.”
    “You’re not. I wouldn’t burden you with a satellite phone bill, you being on a fixed income and all,” he chided and hung up.
    I ran a foot back and forth over Cracker’s fur. “Remind me to never turn Soup loose on my boat again,” I said to the dog. He flopped onto his back and would have started snoring if not for timid knocking on my kitchen door at the top of stairs that went down to the Block. Thinking it was probably a stray customer in search of restrooms, I flipped on the security monitor and was surprised to see Ox’s daughter.
    I rushed to hug the girl and her chin was nearly even with mine. I am taller than average at five eight, and she is a still-growing teen. Cracker nosed his way between us and wiggled his hello. “Lindsey, how are you? Your dad didn’t mention you were visiting this week.”
    Ox’s only child, Lindsey is high-energy and beautiful. Even though her