Given the emotional roller coaster I had been on through the morning, perhaps I should have been more cautious, believing that everything was going to pan out right, but I couldn't fight the grin that kept spreading across my face. After all, I had already found out which the company owned or, at the very least, shipped the barrels. All it had taken was a few phone calls to find the local board of environmental regulations and use the scanner built into their website.
Confirming if they had any link to the Northwest family would have to wait until I got back to the restaurant, but I could still break the news to the person who needed to hear it the most.
Pulling up to Ashe's house, I killed the engine before making my way inside, where I found her still slumped over in the recliner, staring out into space with a vacant look in her eyes.
"So did you see the field?" Ashe muttered, hearing my footsteps as I entered the room.
"I did."
"Good, now go grab a bottle and get pissed drunk with me, drinking alone this early is just pitiful," Ashe grumbled as she turned to glance at me and paused, "Why the fuck are you smiling?"
"Because Preston fucked up," I answered as I moved around to stand in front of Ashe and pulled out my phone to show her the photos I had taken, "They used marked barrels, and each one went back to the same company."
"So?" Ashe grunted.
"So, I would wager that there's some paper trail that can prove Preston bought these barrels. I just need to get access to the company's financial records," I explained, "If we can find that trail, we can pin this to him and threaten to sue or report him to the authorities."
Ashe stirred a bit, though she wasn't nearly as excited as I hoped, "If we do that, at most he'll pay a fine for illegal dumping, which will barely put a dent in his pocket. Short of bringing him to trial and risking jail time, there's nothing we can do. And even if we managed to pull that off, the field is still ruined, and where else are we supposed to find organic compost on such short notice?"
I paused, "Why does it need to be organic?"
"Because the farm is certified organic!" Ashe stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Meaning we need to use certified organic fertilizer or else we would risk losing our certification and probably be sued for all we're worth if we tried selling anything."
"Then I assume also having high levels of road salt in the field we're using to grow produce in also disqualifies the farm from being organic?"
Ashe answered my question with a glare, "What the hell are you getting at?"
"Well, if Preston's actions could cause us to lose our organic certification, then that's tortious interference, interfering with a business's relationship with a third party. Which is normally only a civil crime, but since the USDA is the third party that issued our certification."
I watched Ashe's eyes grow wide as I finally got the reaction I was looking for, "Then it's a federal crime, with guaranteed jail time if he's convicted."
Ashe paused as if shocked by her own words before she stared at me, "Do you really think we could get him?"
I grinned, "I was always certain of that. I've already got a couple of hundred red flags planted on his public financial records, but now he's just dug himself into a deeper hole."
Ashe stared me down for a second longer, her hand suddenly shot out, grabbing my shirt to pull me down as she sat up. The next thing I knew, Ashe's shockingly soft and warm lips were pressed against mine in a kiss that was bleeding with emotion. Instead of asking questions, I just enjoyed being kissed by an attractive woman who, less than a month ago, threatened to put a round of buckshot through me.
Unfortunately, the kiss only lasted for a second as Ashe pulled away, though not before she bit my lip hard, making me hiss, "Ouch, what was that for?"
"So I didn't have to see that dumb look all guys get after a girl makes the first move, god knows your ego is already big enough," Ashe grumbled as she sank back into her chair, though I was almost certain her cheeks hadn't been as red before, "Now stop standing around and get to work saving this farm. I don't need you around as I sober up. Gonna need a clear head to figure out what I can do to fix our little problem here on the farm."
"I thought you said there wasn't any way to solve it?"
"Well, I gotta try something, I don't need you or anyone else thinking that you solved all of my problems like some prince charming, ya hear me?"
"I hear ya," I responded in kind before coughing once and standing up, "Now I just gotta get to work finding a freelance hacker."
Ashe frowned, "What the hell do you need a hacker for?"
"Private business records, I doubt that Preston or the Road Salt company is gonna give me an invoice for the sale." I explained, which only made Ashe's frown deepen, "Isn't that illegal?"
"Not if the evidence I gather shows that Preston was involved in criminal activity, it's protected underneath the whistleblower clause," I corrected before smirking, "Why, you wouldn't happen to know any trustworthy freelance hackers, would you?"
Ashe paused for a moment before grinning, "Let me make a call real quick."
---
I nursed a cup of coffee as I waited for Ashe's contact to arrive. I had been given sparingly few details other than show up at the address and wait. If it hadn't been for my absolute trust in Ashe and my complete lack of confidence in finding an actual hacker, I might have been more wary. But instead ,I trusted things were going to work themselves out, though I certainly would have preferred a more active approach.
Time passed at a crawl, especially compared to the rapid series of events that had occurred earlier in the day. But when the agreed-upon meeting time came and passed, I had nearly reached the end of my patience. Luckily, a second later a stranger slid into the seat across from me. It happened so fast that I almost didn't notice.
"So you're Ashe's new boy toy?"
For a moment, my brain misfired, "Boytoy?"
My confusion was met with a bout of laughter as the stranger reached up and pulled down their hoodie, revealing their face, "Sorry, I couldn't resist. And don't worry, I teased her plenty as well, though I should have pressed harder. She never mentioned that you were real easy on the eyes."
I don't know what I was expecting Ashe's hacker friend to look like, it was already a polarizing situation that a practical farm girl like her would know someone in the security cyberspace. But I was thoroughly surprised.
The girl's skin was dark and smooth like moca, and judging from her accent, she was of Hispanic descent. On the left, her hair was shaved, the rest draping over the right side of her head in long, dark locs, dyed in a gradient of purple at the very ends. A very similar shade of lipstick was applied to her lips as well. It was all part of her very alt cyberpunk aesthetic, including several visible piercings and a slit in her eyebrow.
"Well, thank you for the compliment, I guess," I replied after a second, taking a sip of my coffee. "Ashe said that you could help me out with some matters."
"Yep, basic retrieval job, nothing too complex," she replied, tapping her fingernail on the table. "All we need to do is discuss payment."
"I won't lie, I don't know the standard rates for this kind of business, but I'm confident I can meet your price tag," I admitted while leaning forward, ready to negotiate.
The woman grinned and sank back into her seat while crossing her arms, "I don't need your money, I want something far more valuable."
She then reached into her hoodie and pulled out a folded piece of paper, offering it up as if it contained the greatest secret in the world.
Taking the paper in my hands, I gingerly unfolded it and looked at what was written inside, "Is this…a recipe for chicken tortilla soup?"
"Yep, Ashe told me you were a chef and supposedly a pretty good one at that, "Make me that recipe to my standards, and I'll get you what you want, and maybe even owe you a favor."