Chapter One: Undeniable
Byron Palmer
Undeniable is available for purchase on Amazon . DIE BABY KILLERS The graffiti was crude and unimaginative . The words were scrawled across a ten - foot section of the corridor wall in tall letters the color of blood . Drips ran down from the thick spots where the vandal activist started and stopped his strokes . The scent of aerosolized acrylic lingered in the air . Security guard Burt Dobbin pressed a finger to one of the spots — the paint felt tacky . He wiped the residue on the wall and pressed the send button on the microphone clipped to the epaulet of his uniform . “ Charlie   you copy ?” “ Yeah  ” a voice crackled back . “ I ’ m on six   main corridor near the conference room . Some nut job musta got in and spray painted a nastygram on the wall .” “ How the —? Hold on   I ’ m toggling the cameras .” Dobbin could hear Charlie Sparks breathing over the walkie - talkie . Same with the stairwells .” “ I take it this death threat wasn ’ t here during your rounds an hour ago .” “ Hell no .” “ Well   call it into Central   double - check the doors   and get up here . We need to do a room - by - room sweep .” Ten minutes later   Dobbin ’ s partner on the night shift scaled the stairs to the top floor of the six - story commercial loft in the heart of Manhattan ’ s Tribeca District . The nineteenth - century warehouse building had fallen on hard times and then found new life with a renovation that transformed it into the national headquarters of Heartland Family Planning . As he closed the stair door behind him   Sparks swiped a card key through the jamb reader to set the door into alarm mode . The illuminated display changed from green to red . He then joined his partner by the defaced wall . “ Damn  ” Sparks hissed through his teeth . “ We set ?” Dobbin asked . “ Main floor perimeter is locked down . The elevators are parked on one   and if they pop a stair door without a card key   we ’ ll hear about it .” “ Good . Let ’ s start with the conference room and work our way around .” Sparks nodded . The pair drew their side arms and moved into position on the strike side of the door to the floor ’ s large conference room . Sparks swiped his card key to unlock the door . On Dobbin ’ s signal   Sparks grabbed the lever handle and opened the door . Sensors inside the room detected the sudden motion and the lights suspended over the conference table flickered on . They entered and visually swept the room   their eyes tracking in concert with the barrels of their Sig Sauer P250s . Both signaled a thumbs - up   confirming that the room was clear . Sparks locked the door as they exited   and the pair moved on to the next room . The sixth floor housed the administrative offices of Heartland Family Planning   a nationwide network of clinics and counseling facilities offering a full range of women ’ s reproductive health services . No patients or clients visited the Tribeca facility . This building contained only the back - office legal and administrative functions associated with the specialty healthcare provider . The guards searched counterclockwise around the floor   checking the offices belonging to Heartland ’ s senior staff and finding nothing amiss . Halfway through their circuit   Dobbin led the way through the open office area that served as the antechamber to the chief executive officer ’ s inner sanctum . Finding no one hiding under the desks   the security guards proceeded to an imposing wood door . Sparks again cleared the electronic lock   opened the door   and followed Dobbin in . As the senior man   Dobbin believed in leading by example   especially with a new guard like Sparks   who had only spent a few weeks on the job . He took two steps into the room   then felt his partner move into position behind him . The city glistened through the arched windows of the large office . And as the lights came on   Dobbin saw a can of spray paint on top of the CEO ’ s glass and steel desk . He took a step toward the desk   quietly thankful for its open frame construction that offered no place of concealment . The office smelled of fresh acrylic   and a single word clung wetly to the glass desktop : MURDERER . “ Our perp must still be in the suite  ” Dobbin said   just above a whisper . Then everything went black for Dobbin . Sparks watched his partner collapse onto the carpeted floor   the unconscious man ’ s awkward descent ended with a muffled thud and the clatter of his dislodged sidearm . A satisfied smile curled in the corners of his mouth — his time playing the role of Charlie Sparks was over   and Byron Palmer ’ s real work could now begin . The device in his hand bore a passing resemblance to a Taser   though its technological innards were considerably more sophisticated . A fan of Star Trek from his youth   Palmer called his invention a disrupter   because it did exactly that to the low - voltage current that powers the human body . It was much like flipping a switch and   depending on the intensity   the effect could be temporary or permanent . Palmer left his former partner where he fell and sat behind the CEO ’ s desk . During his rounds over the previous weeks   he had loaded select computers with keystroke traps   collecting legitimate usernames and passwords . Bit by bit   he fashioned a temporary identity with unfettered access to the wealth of information stored in Heartland ’ s data center . He slipped a flash drive into the USB port   and the programs it contained came to life . A window opened on the CEO ’ s flat screen monitor   displaying the status of Palmer ’ s data mining effort . Satisfied that all was performing as planned   he left the office whistling the dwarf ’ s work song from Disney ’ s Snow White . In addition to scouring Heartland ’ s electronic archives   the programs Palmer unleashed tapped the building ’ s security network   bypassing live camera feeds with prerecorded imagery . He made his way through the building to the loading dock . Just outside the service door   he found the pair of homeless men he had befriended over the past few weeks . “ Look   it ’ s Charlie  ” one said warmly   his face expectant like a dog ’ s upon the return of his master . Both men staggered to their feet   hopeful for another few dollars to carry them through the coming day . “ Hey fellas   real cold out tonight . Wanna step inside and warm up a bit ?” “ C - can we ?” one asked   surprised by the offer . I ’ ll kick on the dock heaters .”  Palmer  led the two men through the open door . Once inside    he  quickly stunned both with the disrupter .  He  then stripped the men and dressed the one closest to  his  height and build in an identical guard uniform . The other wino  he  clad in activist chic — used jeans   a hooded sweatshirt   and a careworn army field jacket .  Palmer  stuffed the threadbare   grimy rags  he  had peeled from the men into a large black trash bag that  he  set beside the loading dock door .  He  loaded the two men on a dolly along with a pair of backpacks and checked  his  watch — right on schedule . Once on the sixth floor   Palmer set the stage .  He  laid the fake guard on the floor outside the CEO ’ s office door   where Palmer had stood when he incapacitated Dobbin .  He  dragged the faux activist into the office   setting him against a credenza between two of the arched windows   and placed both backpacks on top of the desk . From one    he  removed a pair of jeans and other layers appropriate for this time of year in the city .  He  quickly changed clothes and stuffed  his  uniform into the empty backpack .  Palmer  waited for the computer to chime   then  he  withdrew the flash drive   and tucked it into  his  pocket .  He  saw the fading remnants of the programs erase themselves and knew that all traces of their actions would disappear from the internal network . Satisfied    he  reached into the second backpack and activated a timer . As it counted down    he  slung the backpack containing  his  uniform over  his  shoulder and departed . Down on the main floor    Palmer  picked up the black trash bag and slipped out the back door into the alley .  He  followed a meandering course away from the building and dumped the trash bag in a pile of refuse awaiting the 5 : 00 a . m . garbage collection .  He  heard a low dull rumble as  he  neared the subway station   and then saw a bright flash as flames leaped skyward from the top floor of the Heartland building .
Undeniable is available for purchase on Amazon . DIE BABY KILLERS The graffiti was crude and unimaginative . The words were scrawled across a ten - foot section of the corridor wall in tall letters the color of blood . Drips ran down from the thick spots where the vandal activist started and stopped his strokes . The scent of aerosolized acrylic lingered in the air . Security guard Burt Dobbin pressed a finger to one of the spots — the paint felt tacky . He wiped the residue on the wall and pressed the send button on the microphone clipped to the epaulet of his uniform . “ Charlie   you copy ?” “ Yeah  ” a voice crackled back . “ I ’ m on six   main corridor near the conference room . Some nut job musta got in and spray painted a nastygram on the wall .” “ How the —? Hold on   I ’ m toggling the cameras .” Dobbin could hear Charlie Sparks breathing over the walkie - talkie . Same with the stairwells .” “ I take it this death threat wasn ’ t here during your rounds an hour ago .” “ Hell no .” “ Well   call it into Central   double - check the doors   and get up here . We need to do a room - by - room sweep .” Ten minutes later   Dobbin ’ s partner on the night shift scaled the stairs to the top floor of the six - story commercial loft in the heart of Manhattan ’ s Tribeca District . The nineteenth - century warehouse building had fallen on hard times and then found new life with a renovation that transformed it into the national headquarters of Heartland Family Planning . As he closed the stair door behind him   Sparks swiped a card key through the jamb reader to set the door into alarm mode . The illuminated display changed from green to red . He then joined his partner by the defaced wall . “ Damn  ” Sparks hissed through his teeth . “ We set ?” Dobbin asked . “ Main floor perimeter is locked down . The elevators are parked on one   and if they pop a stair door without a card key   we ’ ll hear about it .” “ Good . Let ’ s start with the conference room and work our way around .” Sparks nodded . The pair drew their side arms and moved into position on the strike side of the door to the floor ’ s large conference room . Sparks swiped his card key to unlock the door . On Dobbin ’ s signal   Sparks grabbed the lever handle and opened the door . Sensors inside the room detected the sudden motion and the lights suspended over the conference table flickered on . They entered and visually swept the room   their eyes tracking in concert with the barrels of their Sig Sauer P250s . Both signaled a thumbs - up   confirming that the room was clear . Sparks locked the door as they exited   and the pair moved on to the next room . The sixth floor housed the administrative offices of Heartland Family Planning   a nationwide network of clinics and counseling facilities offering a full range of women ’ s reproductive health services . No patients or clients visited the Tribeca facility . This building contained only the back - office legal and administrative functions associated with the specialty healthcare provider . The guards searched counterclockwise around the floor   checking the offices belonging to Heartland ’ s senior staff and finding nothing amiss . Halfway through their circuit   Dobbin led the way through the open office area that served as the antechamber to the chief executive officer ’ s inner sanctum . Finding no one hiding under the desks   the security guards proceeded to an imposing wood door . Sparks again cleared the electronic lock   opened the door   and followed Dobbin in . As the senior man   Dobbin believed in leading by example   especially with a new guard like Sparks   who had only spent a few weeks on the job . He took two steps into the room   then felt his partner move into position behind him . The city glistened through the arched windows of the large office . And as the lights came on   Dobbin saw a can of spray paint on top of the CEO ’ s glass and steel desk . He took a step toward the desk   quietly thankful for its open frame construction that offered no place of concealment . The office smelled of fresh acrylic   and a single word clung wetly to the glass desktop : MURDERER . “ Our perp must still be in the suite  ” Dobbin said   just above a whisper . Then everything went black for Dobbin . Sparks watched his partner collapse onto the carpeted floor   the unconscious man ’ s awkward descent ended with a muffled thud and the clatter of his dislodged sidearm . A satisfied smile curled in the corners of his mouth — his time playing the role of Charlie Sparks was over   and [TGT] ’ s real work could now begin . The device in his hand bore a passing resemblance to a Taser   though its technological innards were considerably more sophisticated . A fan of Star Trek from his youth   Palmer called his invention a disrupter   because it did exactly that to the low - voltage current that powers the human body . It was much like flipping a switch and   depending on the intensity   the effect could be temporary or permanent . [TGT] left [TGT] former partner where [TGT] fell and sat behind the CEO ’ s desk . During [TGT] rounds over the previous weeks   [TGT] had loaded select computers with keystroke traps   collecting legitimate usernames and passwords . Bit by bit   [TGT] fashioned a temporary identity with unfettered access to the wealth of information stored in Heartland ’ s data center . [TGT] slipped a flash drive into the USB port   and the programs it contained came to life . A window opened on the CEO ’ s flat screen monitor   displaying the status of [TGT] ’ s data mining effort . Satisfied that all was performing as planned   [TGT] left the office whistling the dwarf ’ s work song from Disney ’ s Snow White . In addition to scouring Heartland ’ s electronic archives   the programs [TGT] unleashed tapped the building ’ s security network   bypassing live camera feeds with prerecorded imagery . [TGT] made [TGT] way through the building to the loading dock . Just outside the service door   [TGT] found the pair of homeless men [TGT] had befriended over the past few weeks . “ Look   it ’ s Charlie  ” one said warmly   [TGT] face expectant like a dog ’ s upon the return of [TGT] master . Both men staggered to their feet   hopeful for another few dollars to carry them through the coming day . “ Hey fellas   real cold out tonight . Wanna step inside and warm up a bit ?” “ C - can we ?” one asked   surprised by the offer . I ’ ll kick on the dock heaters .”  [TGT]led the two men through the open door . Once inside    [TGT]  quickly stunned both with the disrupter .  [TGT]  then stripped the men and dressed the one closest to  [TGT]  height and build in an identical guard uniform . The other wino  [TGT]  clad in activist chic — used jeans   a hooded sweatshirt   and a careworn army field jacket .  [TGT]stuffed the threadbare   grimy rags  [TGT]  had peeled from the men into a large black trash bag that  [TGT]  set beside the loading dock door .  [TGT]  loaded the two men on a dolly along with a pair of backpacks and checked  [TGT]  watch — right on schedule . Once on the sixth floor   [TGT] set the stage .  [TGT]  laid the fake guard on the floor outside the CEO ’ s office door   where [TGT] had stood when [TGT] incapacitated Dobbin .  [TGT]  dragged the faux activist into the office   setting him against a credenza between two of the arched windows   and placed both backpacks on top of the desk . From one    he  removed a pair of jeans and other layers appropriate for this time of year in the city .  He  quickly changed clothes and stuffed  his  uniform into the empty backpack .  [TGT]waited for the computer to chime   then  [TGT]  withdrew the flash drive   and tucked it into  [TGT]  pocket .  [TGT]  saw the fading remnants of the programs erase themselves and knew that all traces of their actions would disappear from the internal network . Satisfied    he  reached into the second backpack and activated a timer . As it counted down    he  slung the backpack containing  his  uniform over  his  shoulder and departed . Down on the main floor    Palmer  picked up the black trash bag and slipped out the back door into the alley .  He  followed a meandering course away from the building and dumped the trash bag in a pile of refuse awaiting the 5 : 00 a . m . garbage collection .  He  heard a low dull rumble as  he  neared the subway station   and then saw a bright flash as flames leaped skyward from the top floor of the Heartland building .