Читать книгу Thread of Suspicion - Susan Sleeman - Страница 13
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Luke stared out his office window, the morning sun already high in the sky over SatCom’s parking lot. A silver SUV like Dani’s wound through the lot and pulled into a visitor’s space. He held a hand over his eyes to block the sun and confirm the vehicle belonged to her. She climbed out, but even with the early-morning chill, she didn’t wear a coat. She wrapped long, slender arms around her waist as she hurried toward the building.
Good. He’d hoped she’d arrive early so they could get to work on finding the real traitor. He eagerly made his way toward the small reception area to meet her. She’d taken a seat in a leather club chair and was looking at her phone. Her long legs were crossed and her foot swung in rapid arcs as if she were eager to get to work. She wore jeans again today, dark and pressed with a military precision that he could appreciate. Her shoes were more practical than yesterday’s and her top a vivid red that highlighted her fair coloring.
She was such a study in contrasts. Tough and determined, yet fragile. On the one hand, he found her to be sensible and grounded. On the other, she did things like not wearing a coat when the weather called for it and supporting him when the facts screamed his guilt.
She looked up and caught him watching. Her eyes, the color of rich cappuccino, locked on his, and he was riveted until she looked away and jumped to her feet. She headed toward him, and he noted a hint of concern in her expression.
Luke braced himself. He didn’t know if he could handle more bad news. “Is there something I need to know?”
“We need to talk.” Her voice held a definite edge that he hadn’t heard before. “In private.” She didn’t wait for him to respond but hurried toward the exit.
He had half a mind not to follow her, to keep from hearing another problem. But he wasn’t one to run from his troubles, so he trailed her outside. She stopped on the sidewalk and a strong gust of wind hit hard. A shiver rippled over her body. He took off his jacket and tried to settle it over her shoulders, but she stepped back.
“I’m just trying to be a gentleman,” he said, watching her carefully.
She gave him that same I-can-take-care-of-myself look she’d fired at him several times yesterday, so he shrugged back into his coat.
Strands of her long, silky hair whipped into her face, and she impatiently swatted it out of the way. “Mitch Elliot, my brother-in-law who’s a cop, came through for us. Kat and Mitch spent a good part of the night personally reviewing every computer in evidence and found the one we’re looking for.”
“That’s great,” he said, wondering why she’d felt a need to be secretive about this. “How did the police get it?”
“They picked it up during the bust of a small-time burglar. We don’t think he has anything to do with the network hack, but he might be able tell us where he got the computer. This is a perfect time of day to catch him at home, so I’m heading over to talk to him now. I thought you might want to come with me.”
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Then let’s go, and I’ll give you the details on the way.” She held out a remote to click open the doors on her large SUV, then flashed a mischievous smile at him. “After your accident yesterday, I’m thinking you don’t have a very good record behind the wheel, so I’ll drive again.”
Despite her adorable smile, he wanted to argue but didn’t want to admit he had a thing with letting other people drive. He climbed into the passenger seat and slid it back to accommodate his legs.
She slipped behind the wheel as gracefully as she did everything else. Not at all like he’d expect from a P.I. and definitely not from an FBI agent. He could easily see how criminals like the man they were going to talk to might subdue her.
Luke would have to keep a watchful eye on her—no hardship, that was for sure. But no matter how intrigued he was by her, that was as far as things would go. He had too many unsettled issues for that to ever be a possibility in his life.
She turned the key, and the powerful engine roared to life, then purred smoothly. “You seem like you’re in less pain today.”
“I am,” he said and waited for her to demand additional details as she always seemed to do.
Surprisingly she concentrated on winding her way out of the lot. While she merged the car seamlessly into heavy morning traffic, Luke called Tim to tell him he’d left the building and to ask him to inform his assistant so she didn’t worry. He’d already shared with Tim that they’d hoped a stolen computer was used to access the network, but despite questions Tim fired off, Luke kept the nature of this trip to himself. He didn’t want Tim to lose hope if the lead didn’t pan out.
“You really care about Tim, don’t you?” Dani asked when he’d stowed his phone.
“You can tell that from a simple phone conversation?”
“You’re reserved and cautious when you talk to people, but when you talk with Tim, your whole demeanor changes.”
He shook his head. “I need to remember you think like a P.I., assessing everything I say and do.”
“And I need to remember you’re a former SEAL doing the same thing.”
“Touché,” he said and laughed.
“So back to Tim.”
“I think I mentioned he’s Hawk’s little brother.” Mindful of Dani’s observations, Luke worked hard to keep the emotion over the loss of his friend from his voice. “I figure the least I can do for Hawk is to fill in for him with Tim when I can.”
She cast an appraising look his way, but he hadn’t a clue what she was trying to ascertain. After a quick shake of her head she said, “I should tell you that I reviewed the computer from your sister’s friend last night and I started vetting your sister.”
“And?” He crossed his arms.
“The friend didn’t use his computer to access your home network and I haven’t found anything to suggest your sister is involved.”
“Makes me sad that they’re now involved in this mess, but I get that you have to work every angle.”
“I’ll still need to dig a little deeper on your sister before I can fully rule her out.”
“Will you let me know as soon as you finish vetting her?”
Dani nodded. “I also need to tell you that General Wilder called me last night.”
Right. Here comes the thing that had her so uptight in the office.
“And?” He braced himself for the answer.
“He said they’d traced the anonymous phone call they received and it led to a disposable cell.”
“So it’s a dead end, then,” Luke said, fighting back his disappointment.
“Yes.” She braked as they approached a stoplight. “But while I had him on the phone, I got him to agree to relook at your software. Provided they haven’t signed another contract by the time it’s fixed, that is.”
Luke swiveled to face her. “He agreed? Yesterday he led me to believe that the sabotage had pretty much ended our chances with the other committee members.”
“It had, but I promised him I’d personally vouch for the software. I’ll have to review it thoroughly after your team makes the corrections, but we should be able to get it in front of the committee again.”
“I’m so relieved I could kiss you,” Luke blurted out before his brain caught up with his emotions.
She came to a complete stop at the light then looked at him, straight and long, those luminous eyes burning into his like an infrared scope. He wouldn’t have been able to pull away even if he wanted to, which he didn’t. She was one of those women you couldn’t seem to take your eyes off. Not because of her physical beauty, but because of a strength and determination that glowed from inside.
He wanted to ignore his common sense and give in to the sparks of interest. To forget everything else. To finally forget all about the hurtful things Wendy had flung at him before she’d left and think about dating again.
Wendy. Right.
Be a real man, she’d shouted at him. Let go of SatCom and get a job that can support a wife and family.
Words that sounded very much like his father’s when Luke had tried out for the SEALs. He’d thought his dad would be proud. Instead, he’d cut Luke to the quick when he’d said becoming a SEAL wasn’t honorable. It was selfish and self-serving. Only men who sought accolades as the hero followed that path. Real, hardworking men settled down with a wife and family.
Luke had worked even harder to make it as a SEAL after that, but he’d carried his father’s words as he carried his backpack, unloading a bit of the old man’s garbage with each trip. He thought he’d succeeded in ridding himself of all of it until Wendy had spit similar words at him.
Now he got it. He still let his father’s criticisms linger and he wasn’t fit for a relationship. Not fit for duty. End of story.
He jerked his gaze away. The light changed and Dani eased the car forward. An awkward silence descended on them, the air thick with tension. He’d probably offended her with his kissing comment.
He looked at her and waited for her to glance his way. “I’m sorry, Dani. My comment about kissing you was inappropriate.”
“It was nothing,” she said, but quickly darted her focus back to the front. “I could never have worked in law enforcement for as long as I did if something like that bothered me.”
Glad he hadn’t stepped on her toes, he turned to watch the scenery on the Sunset Highway fly past. Traffic was heavy this time of morning, but they soon swooped down the Sylvan Hill and into the tunnel before exiting into downtown Portland.
“So the guy we’re going to see is Freddy Eggleston.” Dani glanced over her shoulder and changed lanes. “Ring any bells?”
“None.”
“He has a long rap sheet. Served time for breaking and entering and once for assault. Nothing that would make me think he has the brains to sabotage your software.”
“I’m hoping he’ll at least be able to tell us where he got this computer.”
“Me, too, but don’t hold your breath. Criminals like Eggleston rarely offer to cooperate unless there’s something in it for them.”
A vision of Dani as an FBI agent sitting across the interrogation table from known felons flashed into Luke’s head, and he didn’t like the picture. Not one bit. “Maybe we should have the police talk to him instead of doing it ourselves.”
She cast him an as-if look. “So did you have a chance last night to think about who’d want to sabotage your software?”
Wishing she hadn’t so deftly changed the subject, he nodded. “Only thing I can come up with is our competitor, Security-Watchdog, wanting us to tank so they can get the contract.”
She clicked on her blinker, then turned the corner into a residential area. “Since we’re talking about a multimillion-dollar contract, I think that’s a good possibility. But it could also be someone holding a grudge against you.”
He hadn’t considered that this might be a personal attack. Was there someone who’d want to set him up to take the fall for treason?
He ran though his life and couldn’t come up with a single suspect. “I’m not a Boy Scout by any means, but I doubt anyone hates me enough to risk going to jail for treason.”
“Still,” she said. “You should spend some time thinking about it.”
“I will, but I think we should look into corporate espionage right away. Though I don’t know anything about the owners of Security-Watchdog,” he quickly added as he hated to cast suspicion on anyone without reason.
“Already started. Two of the three named partners are IT professionals who’ve worked in a few big firms here in Portland, and they seem credible.”
“And the other partner?” Luke asked. “Anything unusual jump out at you?”
“Before we talk about him, remember IT professionals know how software is sabotaged or they wouldn’t be able to protect their own investments. That doesn’t mean they have the desire to act on it, though. The other guy’s former military like you. That could mean he’s more likely to engage in subversive tactics, so I’ll keep digging into the company.”
So that’s how she saw him. Military through and through. But he was so much more than that. He was kind of hurt that she didn’t see beyond the SEAL, but most people didn’t after they learned about his military career. Not that he’d let her know it stung. Better to make light of it. “You don’t think I’d do something subversive, do you?”
She shot him a quick look of horror, and he couldn’t contain his smile.
She smirked. “Oh, I get it. You’re teasing me.”
“Kind of slow on the draw this morning, aren’t you, Justice?”
“If we find Eggleston at home, you better hope not.” She chuckled, and he couldn’t help but be impressed with how she maintained an even-keel temperament most of the time.
He’d been like that once. Before he’d gotten old enough for his father to bully and belittle while trying to control Luke’s future. Long before his father had lost it when his mother had threatened to leave him and he’d set the house on fire, killing himself along with Luke’s mother and older sister. Not a thought he’d linger on when he’d just managed to lighten his mood. He needed to be more like Dani. Upbeat. Cheerful.
“It’s showtime.” Enthusiasm bubbled through her voice as she turned into an older neighborhood.
He caught her mood. “You’re as excited as a rookie on her first case.”
“Actually this is the first investigation I’ve taken lead on since starting our agency.” She shot out a hand. “And before you get worried because you don’t think I can handle your case, I’ve been lead agent on many cyber crime investigations for the FBI and had no complaints.”
“I’m not worried in the least,” he said and meant it. But when he spotted the homes in disrepair and unkempt yards surrounding them, concern nagged at him.
Not Dani. Her eyes alight with anticipation, she eased slowly down the street and pulled up to a home with peeling white paint and a sagging front porch. A lawn covered in knee-high weeds surrounded the small bungalow. Just the kind of place a criminal might live. She turned the engine off, and he reached for his door handle.
“Wait.” She punched numbers on a safe bolted between the seats, then pulled out a Glock 45 and seated an ammo clip.
His mouth dropped open when she easily chambered a round like one of his SEAL team members. He didn’t know why seeing her handle a gun like a pro surprised him, but it did. “I didn’t expect you to carry.”
“You never know what might be waiting for us behind that door.” Her focus turned deadly serious, and for the first time, he saw Dani Justice, former federal agent, and his respect for her doubled.
“I feel a little naked,” he said, hoping she might have another gun for him.
“Just stay behind me and I’ll protect you from the big bad man.” She winked at him and her lips curled up in a grin.
He imagined this slender woman gracefully strolling up the walkway, his big, hulking body following. Seemed like something he’d see in a cartoon and he couldn’t stem a burst of laughter.
“Care to share the joke?”
“Just that you’re so...I don’t know, fragile-looking that it’s hard to picture you as my protector.”
She holstered her gun with a firm snap of her wrist and met his gaze, her eyes filled with disappointment. “I’m tougher than I look, Luke. Don’t make the mistake of underestimating me.” She clipped her holster on her belt. “Stay behind me, and at the door stay away from the peephole while I work my girlish charms on Eggleston to see if we can get him to come out.”
He still didn’t like letting a woman put herself at risk for him, but he followed her up the stairs and stood to the side of the door as she directed. A quick stab at the doorbell and she stood back. The soft breeze carried her fresh coconut scent his way, making the home seem not quite as dismal.
“Hello,” she called out in a sweet tone. “Is anyone home?”
Luke watched the transformation from a gun-toting, tough investigator to this very feminine woman. He suspected she’d taken down a suspect or two using her femininity over the years. He’d gladly fall for it, and he wasn’t an overly trusting guy.
She smiled at him, and that now familiar zing of interest kept his eyes fixed on her. She really was something else. He couldn’t help but think dating her would never get boring and wished that he was up for the challenge.
“Hello,” she called again.
Luke heard footsteps coming toward the door. Whisper-quiet, though, as if the guy didn’t want them to know he was home. When Luke saw the peephole in the door darken, he shot out a hand to pull her away. She deflected it, put her hand on her hip and faced the door again.
“I’m having car trouble,” she said loudly. “Do you have a phone I can use?”
Luke waited, listening for any sound, especially the chambering of a bullet.
Seconds ticked by. Slow, tense, weighty seconds.
Something was wrong.
If Eggleston bought Dani’s story, he should be opening the door by now. Luke couldn’t abide her standing in front of the door any longer. Made her too vulnerable to gunfire. He slipped his hand around her elbow and pulled her to him.
“What’re you doing?” she whispered and jerked free.
He heard a screen door slamming in the backyard.
“He’s running.” She bolted down the steps, and it took Luke a second to react.
By the time he moved, she’d raced through the weed-filled yard to a chain-link fence. He charged after her, nearly stumbling over a stump hidden in the weeds. She leaped over the fence, landing with the grace he’d come to expect from her. He hurdled the fence, all of his injuries from yesterday screaming at once, stealing his breath and stopping him in his tracks. When he could breathe again, he pounded around a building and into a narrow alley littered with trash.
Dani neared the mouth of the alley and he heard her shout, “Freeze.”
Luke kept running, clamping down on his teeth to stem the pain as he charged over the crumbling asphalt.
“Don’t,” he yelled when he saw her make a diving attempt to stop Eggleston.
She landed with hands on his shoulders and dragged him to the ground. By the time Luke reached her, she’d wrenched Eggleston’s arms behind his back and was sitting back, breathing deep. Luke dropped down beside her and tried to take control of Eggleston, but she glared at him so he backed off. Still, he stayed close by in case Eggleston tried anything.
“Let me go,” Eggleston whined, and tried to sit up. “I didn’t do nothing.”
Dani pressed his face into the ground. “Then why did you run?”
“It’s instinct to run from cops.”
“We’re not cops.”
“Right,” Eggleston said disbelievingly.
“I’m a private investigator, and my friend works for a computer company,” Dani said. “All we want is information about a computer found in your possession when you were busted last week.”
Eggleston snorted. “I tell you anything and you’ll go running to the cops.”
“We have no reason to do that. We just want to know where you got it.”
Eggleston craned his neck trying to see Dani. “Let me up and I’ll tell you.”
Luke doubted the creep was telling the truth, but Dani seemed inclined to let the man go.
“You try anything,” Luke warned, “and I’ll come after you.”
Eggleston cast an appraising eye at Luke, then nodded. Dani released Eggleston and sat back on her haunches. Luke remained crouched, ready to pounce if he needed to protect Dani.
Eggleston sat up and, rubbing his wrists, he winked at Dani. “You’re mighty tough for such a pretty little thing.”
Luke wanted to silence the guy, but Dani ran a hand over her hair and smiled, obviously using Eggleston’s interest to get the information she needed. “You didn’t say where the computer came from.”
“I bought it off a homeless dude I deal with sometimes.”
“Where’d he get it?” Luke jumped in.
Not taking his eyes off Dani, Eggleston shrugged.
“What’s the man’s name?” Dani’s tone was far sweeter than Luke’s had been, and it grated on his nerves that she’d be so nice to a man she’d had to tackle to the ground.
“Don’t know him by anything other than Smash.”
Dani looked disappointed. “Do you know where I can find Smash?”
“Nah. He doesn’t bed down in a regular spot. Likes to be free, you know what I mean? But I run into him every now and then.”
Dani pulled out a hundred-dollar bill from her pocket and waved it in the air. “This will be yours if you call me when you see him.”
“Oh, yeah.” Eggleston reached for the money.
Dani snatched it back. “Only if you call me.” She dug out her business card and handed it to him.
“Then be ready for my call, pretty lady.” Eggleston laughed as he got up.
“I’ll count on it,” Dani answered sweetly while Luke cringed.
Eggleston took off and Dani slowly came to her feet, easing out apparent soreness in her limbs as she rose.
Luke spotted blood staining her knees and elbows. “We need to get medical attention for you.”
“Later.” She took out her phone, stabbed a button, then lifted it to her ear. “Mitch, good. I stopped to talk to Eggleston, and he said the computer came from a homeless man named Smash. I was hoping someone there might know where I can find this Smash.”
She held her phone away from her ear and Luke heard Mitch’s angry response but couldn’t make out the words. Luke didn’t like the guy’s tone, but what could he do about it?
“How was I supposed to know you were on your way to question him?” Dani snapped into the phone. “If you’d bothered to tell me, I would’ve waited for you and Eggleston would be sitting at home right now.”
She listened, planting a hand on her hip. Suddenly she disconnected and shoved her phone into her pocket. “You could probably tell that was Mitch, and he’s miffed. Kat convinced him to take time out of his busy morning to come over here and question Eggleston. Mitch’s almost here and he’s mad that I wasted his time by chasing off Eggleston.”
Luke met Dani’s gaze. “Eggleston’s probably back at his house by now, so Mitch can still question him.”
“He’d better be, or I have no hope of getting my sister’s husband to talk to me again.” She gestured down the alley. “Let’s go meet him at the house.”
She limped along and Luke slipped a hand under her elbow to help.
“I’m fine,” she said and shrugged free. “I don’t need your help all the time. I’ve done just fine on my own, and I’d appreciate it if you’d back off.”
He held up his hands and let her take the lead. She had a stubborn streak a mile long, and if they were going to work together, he needed to remember not to push her. Hard to do when she rushed headlong into dangerous situations.
Rounding the corner of the house, he spotted a nondescript blue sedan in Eggleston’s driveway. A tall man whose bulky build said he took his fitness regimen seriously stood on the lawn. He’d folded his arms over his broad chest, and a scowl drew down his face. He had a gun holstered at his side and a badge clipped to his belt. When he caught sight of Dani, his eyes narrowed and Luke knew the guy was mad at her. Good and mad.
She didn’t seem to care but hobbled up to him as if approaching a sweet little baby, not an angry cop. “A simple phone call would’ve prevented this problem, Mitch.”
The glare Elliot directed at her made Luke pull in a deep breath and step up next to her. Not that she needed protecting from her brother-in-law or would even entertain Luke’s help if she did. But Luke didn’t like the look in the man’s eyes, and every defensive bone in his body sat up and paid attention.
“Look, Mitch,” she said, not at all fazed by the glare. “I’m sorry about what happened. You know I wouldn’t have stepped on your toes if I’d known.” She flashed a dazzling smile that would make Luke do just about anything, but Elliot’s face remained stony. “While I’ve got your attention, I thought I’d ask if you’d let me come down to the station and look at the computer myself.”
“Really, Dani? You think I’ll break every investigative rule for you just because we’re related now?”
She grinned again and actually took a step closer to the guy, who looked as if he wanted to lock her in a cell and throw away the keys. “Not every one of them. Just the ones I need you to break.”
Elliot rolled his eyes. “I was so not prepared to become a part of this family.”
“Does that mean I can look at the computer?” she asked sweetly.
Elliot sighed. “No, but if you give me a list of things to look for I’ll have someone do it for you.”
“Guess that’ll have to do.” Her lower lip slipped out in a cute little pout, and Luke couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her mouth. A very kissable mouth.
“Be careful, man,” Elliot said, clapping him on the shoulder and drawing his attention from Dani. “With the look on your face it’s only a matter of time before you’re as connected to the Justices as I am.” Chuckling, he headed for the house.
Luke felt Dani’s eyes on him, but he wouldn’t look at her again. Instead he watched Elliot step up to the front door and waited for him to head inside and return with information about the investigation.
Good. Concentrate on the investigation, he thought. If he could keep his focus on the threat to his company, he wouldn’t be thinking about the threat to his heart who stood just a few feet away.
* * *
Carrying her gym bag holding torn and bloody clothes, Dani wound her way through SatCom’s main room filled with cubicles. She smiled encouragingly as she passed curious workers on her way to Luke’s office. Though he’d founded the company, his office wasn’t as large and grand as she’d expected.
He was looking out the window, standing with that perfect posture she’d come to associate with him, his cell phone pressed to his ear. He didn’t turn even when she dropped her bag on the floor.
That was fine with her. She was still riled up over the way he kept trying to protect her like a helpless girl instead of seeing the abilities she’d spent many years developing.
Interfering like my brothers and taking charge like Paul, she thought as she wandered to a bookshelf filled with military photos and awards. Or maybe, she was using his behavior as a distraction from the connection that seemed to exist between them.
So not thinking about that right now.
She picked up a large photo of Luke. As she’d suspected, he was something to look at in his dress uniform. The jacket tailored to his wide shoulders tapered to a trim waist. A cap pulled low shadowed his eyes, making him look even more intriguing. Next to him stood a high-ranking naval officer who presented Luke with the Navy Cross.
So he’s a hero. She should’ve expected that. Par for the course for a man like him. Jump in. Take charge. Rescue the helpless or those in danger. She didn’t need rescuing, though he kept trying when Mitch got a little miffed. She could handle her brother-in-law on her own.
“Memorizing that?” he asked, coming up behind her.
She jerked her eyes free and set the picture on the shelf. “You’re quite the hero.”
He looked embarrassed by her praise. “Just doing my job.”
“You don’t need to be so modest. The Navy Cross is a top honor.”
“I’m not being modest. I just don’t happen to think I need medals for doing my duty. The only reason I displayed them was to impress the procurement committee.” He motioned for her to sit at the round table where he’d placed her laptop while she’d cleaned up. “While you dig into the code, I’ll arrange to have personnel files brought over. Though I have to say, since we’re working on a military project, I fully vetted everyone before they were hired.”
She wasn’t surprised to hear him defend his team. He’d likely adopted that attitude while in the military, but she couldn’t be as trusting. “People change, Luke. One of your workers could have been offered money to turn on SatCom, and we have to be thorough.” She settled on a cushioned chair near her computer. “Tim gave me network logs yesterday, but I’d like to have real-time access to the network.”
“He wants to talk to you anyway, so I’ll have him stop by when he’s free.” Luke sat behind his desk and lifted his phone.
She quickly lost track of his conversation with Tim as she reviewed software change logs for Crypton and discovered Luke had never made a change, adding credence to his claim of a lack of programming knowledge. Next, she delved deeper into network logins starting six months prior and moving forward. She found a login from Luke’s house during the time the two of them reviewed his home computers yesterday. Neither of them connected to SatCom, so the login couldn’t have come from his home unless his wireless network was hacked. With added security protocols that was virtually impossible. Which meant the log had been altered to make it look like Luke had logged in from home.
Someone had falsified the report. They wanted to make Luke look guilty.
Thrilled to have a lead that pointed to a suspect other than Luke, the next few hours flew by as she tracked the transmission through several servers. It didn’t take long for her to realize she was hunting a person who knew how to hide his tracks. As she worked, something kept niggling at her mind. The hacker’s pattern was familiar somehow. She’d seen the programming style before, but where?
“Knock, knock.” Tim stood at the doorway, holding out a piece of paper. “Here’s the login information for the network, Ms. Justice.”
She swiveled to face him. “Please, call me Dani.”
“And I’m Tim.” He handed her the paper. “Of course you’ll need to destroy this as soon as you memorize the info.”
Luke got up and joined them. “Isn’t that overkill?”
Dani shook her head. “Tim’s right. You can never be too careful with passwords. Especially since we already have a problem.”
Tim smiled his thanks at her, lighting up his face and making him boyishly handsome. “Good to talk to someone who understands tech stuff.”
“Back atcha,” Dani said. “My family would rather be hung by their fingernails than talk about computers.”
“I hear you.” Tim laughed and Dani joined him.
“I’m starting to feel like a third wheel,” Luke grumbled good-naturedly.
Tim’s humor faded, and he fired a patronizing look at Luke that Dani suspected was a normal occurrence between the partners. “Guess we could talk about the investigation instead. Any new leads?”
Luke nodded. “We found the computer I told you about earlier.”
Tim’s eyebrows went up. “Really? How?”
Dani quickly explained about Eggleston and the homeless man, leaving out her takedown of Eggleston. “I’m hoping Eggleston gives me a call and this homeless guy can tell us where the computer came from. Maybe even give us an ID on our suspect.”
“That’s good news, then, isn’t it?” Tim’s gaze drifted to her computer screen as if the talk of Eggleston had bored him and he couldn’t wait to get back to a topic he loved to discuss. “How about your work here? Having any luck?”
“Maybe. I found another login to the network that occurred yesterday. At first, it appeared as if it came from Luke’s house, but as I dug deeper, I found he’d used a proxy server in a long string of proxies. I’m tracking the transmission now.”
Tim gave a low whistle and leaned against the doorjamb.
“I’m going to pretend I understood that.” A lopsided grin flashed on Luke’s face, and now that Dani was starting to believe in his innocence, she grinned up at him. She got lost in his eyes, enjoying their obvious connection, until Tim pointedly cleared his throat.
She jerked her eyes away. She was working her dream case, and she had to let go of this hold Luke had on her. With his good looks, Tim probably had to deal with women throwing themselves at Luke all the time. She was not going to be one of those women. She focused her full attention on Tim.
“With skills like that,” he said, “it’s likely our hacker’s done this before.”
She nodded. “But why is the question. Since there’s really no financial payoff for this kind of hack, I’d say our hacker was hired to do it.”
“Hired by someone who wants us to fail.” Tim pushed off the door frame. “He’s no match for us, right? We won’t let him sink us.”
“Right,” she answered absently as his words tickled the elusive memory that she couldn’t help but feel was connected to the case. She needed to figure it out instead of standing here talking. “Thanks for the login, Tim.”
She turned back to the computer, opened Crypton and started clicking through the code while Luke and Tim chatted near Luke’s desk. She went deeper into the program. A line of code jumped out at her, sending her heart plummeting.
This was it. The elusive hint she couldn’t put her finger on earlier. Just a snippet of code but it was distinctive, like a trademark. A trademark for a ruthless hacker. A killer. Echo, the man who’d murdered Grace Waters, Dani’s friend and partner at the FBI, all because they’d tried to apprehend him for hacking a bank’s website.
And threatened to kill me if we ever crossed paths again.
How had she not seen the pattern yesterday?
“Oh, no,” Dani whispered as her world seemed to collapse in on her. Father, no. Not Echo. I can’t handle this again.
“Dani.” Luke looked up. “Is everything okay?”
Okay? her mind screamed as the two men watched her closely. No, everything isn’t okay.
Feeling as if she might be sick, Dani bolted from her chair and ran down the hallway to the women’s restroom. She leaned over the sink and took a good look at her face in the mirror.
Colorless. Fearful. Terrified.
This couldn’t be happening. Not when she’d finally given up on finding Grace’s killer and laid it to rest.
“But it is happening,” she mumbled, her mouth so dry the words barely slipped through her parched lips.
Echo was back and they were not only dealing with a ruthless hacker who worked for the highest bidder, but if she did her job right and got too close to him, he’d kill her without a second thought.
