2: THE DEAL

WITH A TRAVEL mug full of fresh, hot coffee, Hanna was ready for another day. Despite Dennis’s absence, there was still a checklist of tasks running through her head. First on the list was to review the footage of Dennis’s prior session and record the results in a reportable format.

As she pulled into her parking spot, she noticed an unusual amount of activity. The lot was filled with unmarked black sedans, and there were well-dressed men walking in and out of the building.

She sipped her coffee and marveled at the sight of a parking lot that was usually quite empty. After a moment of observation, she stepped out of her car and walked toward the building.

When she entered the lab, Russell was near the back, talking to an older man who was dressed like all of the others. She approached them, waving to grab Russell’s attention. “Russell?”

He turned around and smiled. “Here she is. Just like I said. 8 AM, right on the dot.”

“What’s going on? Who are all of these people?”

“Hanna, this is Charles Ward, the director of Greater Boston Homicide and the active lead for the SCB.” He gestured to the man, who had long gray hair and a full beard. “Sir, this is Hanna Li.”

Charles stuck out his hand. “Ms. Li, it’s a pleasure to meet you. We’ve heard a lot of good things.”

Hanna shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you as well.”

Charles turned to introduce two of his acquaintances. “These are two of my brightest detectives. Meet Agents Howard Grimley and Claire Foster.”

Howard was a tall man with dark brown hair and a well-defined jawline. Claire was not as tall, reaching only to Howard’s shoulders. She had long blonde hair, which she had tied into a ponytail. They both wore plain black suits with SCB badges clipped to their belts.

Hanna shook both of their hands. “The Serial Crimes Bureau? I apologize for asking, but why are you here?”

Charles shook his head. “No need for apologies, Ms. Li.”

“Please, call me Hanna.”

“Very well, Hanna. I understand this may seem out of the ordinary. Please, allow me to explain. I assume you know about the Eileen Warner case, yes?”

Hanna tried to recall the nickname Russell had mentioned.

“The Beantown Slasher,” Charles said. “Her name was all over the news yesterday.”

Hanna nodded. “Yes, the Beantown Slasher. We saw you captured her.”

“That’s right. We have taken Eileen Warner into custody.”

Russell crossed his arms, trying to achieve a professional posture. “It’s great to know there’s one less killer on the streets, thanks to the SCB.”

“Yes, it is good news,” Charles said, “but we’ve run into a problem. Something we believe Hanna can help us with.”

“I don’t understand,” Hanna said. “Why would you need my help?”

Claire stepped forward. “You are the founder of Core Tech Computing, correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“And you specialize in cerebral infiltration?”

Hanna nodded.

Charles flashed a satisfied smile. “From what I hear, you’re the leading force in this specialized field.”

“It’s not exactly a thriving field. It’s extremely experimental, but yes, I suppose I’ve excelled in my research.”

“She’s being modest,” Russell said. “She’s the best there is.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Charles said. “Your expertise could be useful in the Eileen Warner case.”

“I’m sorry,” Hanna said. “I still don’t understand. How does thought-hopping help in a serial murder case?”

“Personally, I think it’s a waste of time,” Howard mumbled.

Charles shot a glare of disapproval. “There’s no need to be rude, Howard. We’ve discussed this before. You willingly stepped aside to let me lead this case. The decision is not yours to make. It’s mine.”

He turned back to Hanna.

“There has been a lot of discussion about whether or not we should approach you for help. Howard believes we have enough evidence to convict Eileen Warner, but I’m not so sure.”

He leaned forward and lowered his own voice.

“Given the current reputation of our organization, we find ourselves backed into a corner. The public doesn’t like us, and I suppose for good reason. We haven’t solved a case in over a year, not to mention the disaster that happened in Southie. Innocent people died that day, and the blame was on us. This Eileen Warner case is our big break, and we can’t afford to mess it up.”

“I’ve read some of your papers,” Claire said. “It’s all very fascinating.”

“That’s right,” Charles said. “Claire is the one who suggested Core Tech Computing. To be honest, I had never heard of thought-hopping before. It sounded like something out of a science fiction movie. A computer that lets you enter someone’s mind.”

“It’s more of a visual representation of the mind,” Hanna said. “The host brain sends off certain signals, and once the computer processes those signals, it stimulates similar signals in the visitor’s brain. It gives the illusion of being inside someone’s thoughts.”

“Either way, it sounds impressive. I was skeptical at first, but the more I looked into it, the more interested I became. I guess science fiction is starting to lean more towards science than it is fiction. The way you implement the technology is clever. Helping people conquer their fears. I know a lot of people who would pay good money for that.”

“It seemed like the most obvious application,” Hanna said, “but there is potential for other uses as well.”

“That is precisely why we are here. I believe we can use this technology for interrogation. We’ve already interrogated Eileen Warner through traditional methods. I can’t say I expected a confession, but she’s been less cooperative than I would have liked. Let me ask you a question. Can you use this technology to extract information?”

“I suppose so. Although, it’s a little tougher if the host is not cooperative.”

“But it is possible?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think you could extract information from Eileen Warner’s mind? Something to incriminate her. A memory of the murders, perhaps.”

Hanna considered the question. It was certainly possible, but what were the risks? “With someone like Eileen Warner, there would be a lot of uncertainty. To extract information, she would have to be the host mind. Most of our tests have been with stable hosts. Given her background, I would assume her mind is not as reliable as we need.”

She paused, running through the options in her head.

“Unfortunately, I believe it would be too dangerous. I’m flattered you’ve asked for my help, but I have to pass.”

Charles nodded. “Very well. But before we leave, I understand you have a fairly small operation here, correct?”

Hanna nodded. “It’s just Russell and I.”

He glanced around the lab. “And your equipment is quite old, I see.”

“Our funding has been…limited.”

“What if I told you the Serial Crimes Bureau is prepared to write you a check for five-hundred thousand dollars?”

Hanna’s eyes lit up. “That would be incredible. We could replace all of our equipment. Hire an assistant. Maybe even conduct some real tests.”

“I figured you would like that,” Charles said. He removed an envelope from his pocket. “I’ve always believed in emerging technology. I think it’s important to invest in good ideas, and when I look at Core Tech Computing, I see a good idea. That’s why I’ve drafted a contract. If you help us on the Eileen Warner case, the money is yours.”

Hanna took the contract from his hands and scanned through the text. “It’s that simple? I help you, and you pay me, no matter how successful the outcome is?”

“That’s right. As long as you follow SCB policy, we are obligated to pay you five-hundred thousand dollars, regardless of the outcome. I’ll let you confer with Russell, if you would like.”

“No need to discuss with me,” Russell said. “I’m all in. The final decision is up to her.”

Hanna pointed to a line in the second paragraph. “It says here that an SCB agent will accompany me. In my professional opinion, that’s a bad idea. Thought-hopping is a specialized skill. It can be dangerous for someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing. I wouldn’t want anyone to take that risk, especially under these heightened circumstances.”

“I’m afraid that part is non-negotiable,” Charles said. “We need one of our agents to be there with you. Otherwise, the validity of any evidence will be brought into question.”

Hanna skimmed down to the dollar amount at the bottom of the page. $500,000. It was enough money to steer her research in the right direction. “Okay,” she said, looking up from the contract. “I will help, but only under the condition that I personally train whoever is coming along with me. I don’t want any accidents.”

“Neither do we,” Charles said, handing her a pen. “Just sign on the bottom line.”

She took the pen, scanned through the agreement one more time, and scribbled her signature at the bottom of the page.

Charles nodded and took the signed contract from her. He stuffed it back in his pocket and turned around to face Claire and Howard. “Now, which one of you wants to go through the training.”

Howard raised his hand. “I’ll go, sir. I know how important this case is, and I want to make sure it’s done right.”

Claire stepped in front of him. “Howard’s done nothing but complain about bringing Core Tech Computing into this case. I’m the one who suggested them. I should be the one to go.”

Charles shrugged at Howard. “She has a point.”

“No offense,” Howard said, “but I have more field experience than you, Claire. Given how pivotal this case is, we can’t afford to make mistakes. The media is watching everything we do. One wrong step, and they’ll rip us apart.”

Claire propped her hands on her hips. “I’m just as competent as you, Howard. Us gals aren’t as helpless as you think.”

“That’s not what I meant. You’re putting words in my mouth. I know you’re a great detective, but I have ten more years of experience under my belt. I should have seniority.”

“Enough,” Charles said. “If you can’t make a decision, neither of you will go. I’ll send Lenny instead.”

“Lenny?” Howard scoffed. “He’s a rookie. He doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing.”

“Then the two of you better figure this out.”

“If you don’t mind,” Hanna said, stepping between them. “It may not be up to you. Let me ask both of you a question. If I tell you to picture an apple, do you see an apple?”

They both stared at her with confused looks. “What do you mean?” Howard asked.

“In your mind, do you see an actual visual image of an apple. Shiny red skin. Green leaf hanging from the stem. Goofy worm with glasses popping out. You know, an apple.”

Claire closed her eyes. “Yeah, I see it.”

Howard scrunched his face. “You do?”

She nodded. “Yes. Are you saying you don’t?”

“You’re telling me you can visually see an apple?”

“Yup.”

Howard shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

“It sounds like you have aphantasia,” Hanna said.

“Aphantasia?” Howard repeated, pausing between each syllable.

“That’s right. Most people have the ability to conjure an image in their mind. It’s what we call, the mind’s eye. But about three percent of the population has aphantasia. It means you don’t have a mind’s eye and you’re unable to conjure a visual image in your head. Most people who have aphantasia don’t realize it because no one ever talks about it. But in our case, the ability to picture something in your head is very important. It’s part of our extraction method. I’m afraid if you have aphantasia, you are not suitable for thought-hopping in its current form.”

“Then it’s settled,” Charles said. “You will train Claire, and she will accompany you during the rest of the investigation.”

“How much preparation time do we have?” Hanna asked.

“Eileen Warner will arrive tomorrow afternoon, once all of the paperwork has gone through. You have until then to train Claire.”

“That’s not a lot of time. Ideally, training would last at least a week.”

Charles shook his head. “We can’t afford to wait a week. Like Howard said, the media is breathing down our neck. They’re going to start questioning why we came to see you. Please understand, while your technology is impressive, it is still experimental. Spending time with something unproven will not look good in the eyes of the media. Not without results. We’re risking our reputation by even coming here in the first place. It’s because I believe in the technology so much that I’m willing to take that risk.”

Hanna nodded. “I understand. We’ll have to consolidate some of our lessons, but we can make it work.”

“Good. But before you get started, we would like to conduct an interview with you to assess your initial expectations regarding the case. We’ll continue to interview you throughout the process. It will help us document our progress with this new technology and evaluate its worth as a method of investigation. Agent Arthur Freeman will be in charge of these interviews. He should be around here somewhere. Claire can help you find him. In the meantime, is there a place where the rest of us can set up?”

“Yes, of course,” Hanna said. “You can use the conference room. It’s just down the hall. First door on the left.”

“Thank you,” Charles said, walking past her. “We look forward to working with you.” He turned the corner, and Howard followed.

“Agent Foster,” Hanna said, turning around to address her new trainee.

“Please, no need for formalities. Call me Claire.”

Hanna smiled. “Okay, Claire. I’ll be in my office. You can send Agent Freeman in for the interview whenever he’s ready. After that, we’ll get started with your training.”

Claire nodded. “Very well. I’ll send him your way.” She exited through the front doors, leaving Hanna and Russell alone in the lab.

“Crazy morning,” Russell said. “What do you think about all of this?”

Hanna took a deep breath, staring at their cracked monitors and broken headband. “Five hundred thousand dollars? I think we just caught our big break.”