Stolen Identity Page 9

“Hey, I left Lauryn on the couch. She fell asleep before I finished the chapter.”

  “I’m not surprised.” Danielle closed the dishwasher and caught his tender gaze. She turned toward the living room, unable to ignore her heart’s reaction toward the man who’d swept unexpectedly back into her life. “She’s had a big day. I’ll carry her into her room and tuck her in as soon as I finish washing the table.”

  “Why don’t you take care of Lauryn, and I’ll finish up here. Philip just sent me a text saying he’ll be here in about five minutes.”

  Danielle nodded. The reprieve from the storm was over.

  Ten minutes later, Jason was making introductions. “I appreciate your driving all the way here tonight, Philip.”

  “Sometimes face-to-face meetings beat a conference call, which is definitely the case right now. Besides, Garrett was a friend of mine, as well. I’m as determined as the two of you to ensure that whoever did this doesn’t get away with it.”

  The IT specialist handed her his jacket. Beyond his Lord of the Rings T-shirt and the thick-framed glasses he wore, his fit physique carried no hint that he spent most of his time in front of a computer screen.

  Funny the memories that popped up. While dating Jason, she’d gotten used to the self-proclaimed computer geeks he used to run around with. Date nights often ended with boxes of pizza and unending computer games while they spoke proudly about how their skills would one day change the world. She’d learned quickly that there was a lot more to them than just the stereotypical black-rimmed glasses and Tshirts with geek jokes.

  “Can I get you anything?” Danielle hung up his jacket then shut the closet door. “We’ve got some lasagna left over from dinner.”

  “I’m fine, thanks. Picked up a burger and fries on the way here.”

  “How was the drive over?”

  He smiled amiably. “Familiar. I think I’ve made that drive a hundred times in the last couple years due to work.”

  Danielle took the seat beside Jason on the oversize couch, pulling her legs under her while Philip dragged his computer out of his bag across from them. Small talk seemed frivolous. There were things she needed to clarify in her mind before they went further.

  “Before we get started, I know your company deals with security, but I would like to know what exactly was Garrett’s job? With what I know about your company, I can’t help but wonder if there could be a connection to all of what has happened and his work.”

  “You raise a very valid question.” Philip looked up from his computer. “The security of our company is one of the reasons why we need to take this so seriously. Garrett, to put it simply, was a computer genius. He ran the computers side of the company with me while Jason focused on management.”

  “So he worked to ensure that your clients’ online sensitive information was kept safe.”

  “Exactly. Data breaches can be not only costly, but with sensitive information—like credit card accounts, for example—security is essential.” Philip pushed his glasses up. “We also do consulting on how to keep data safe among other things. Which is precisely why you’re right. We have to look at the possibility that something Garrett did—whether intentional or not—might have compromised the integrity of our business.”

  “I asked Philip to look into specifically what Garrett had been working on over the past six months, and he came up with some interesting information.” Jason leaned forward and rested his elbows against his knees. “One of the things we do is work on what we call information security which protects companies from losing information due to cyber attacks. Garrett was working on several accounts with companies that held classified government information.”

  Danielle realized that the picture they were painting was the perfect setup for what Garrett had experienced. “So while maybe what happened to Garrett had been nothing more than a romance scam, with murder now thrown into the mix, classified government information certainly would up the stakes.”

  “Yes. And there are other possibilities, as well,” Philip threw out. “One of which is blackmail.”

  “How so?” Danielle asked.

  “We call it industrial espionage,” Jason explained. “Hackers frequently blackmail their victims by various means if their victim doesn’t meet their demands.”

  “That sounds familiar.” Too familiar.

  “With the sensitive information Garrett dealt with on a daily basis, it’s something we can’t rule out.”

  “Here is what I don’t understand.” Danielle grabbed one of the mauve throw pillows from the couch beside her and hugged it to her chest as she worked to formulate her next question. “Why not simply come to one of you and confide what was going on? Why try to deal with this all on his own?”

  “Garrett was very good at what he did,” Jason said. “Admitting he was in some sort of trouble wouldn’t have come easy for him. He might have tried to fix things himself, thinking in the end no one would be the wiser.”

  Danielle felt as if she was playing catch-up, but she had to admit it made sense. “In other words, how does a hacker admit he’s been played?”

  “Exactly. Garrett was a good guy, but essentially, he was still a hacker in the sense that his job was to find weaknesses in computer networks. When you’re on the wrong side of the law, a hacker’s job is to find his victim’s weakness—not to become the victim himself.”

  “What about our hacker’s identity?” Jason turned back to Philip. “Are we any closer to finding out who he is?”

  “So far he’s been able to hide his internet protocol address through different proxy servicers, which means we’ve been unable to pin down his identity.”

  Danielle shook her head. “Wait a minute. Protocol address and proxy servers don’t mean anything to me.”

  Jason chuckled. “Basically, if you hide your public IP address by using an anonymous server your internet activity becomes difficult, if not impossible, to trace.”

  “Which means that with our hacker’s abilities—along with information Garrett possessed,” Philip added, “he could have found a way to hack into just about anything while avoiding getting caught.”

  There was one lingering question Danielle had to ask. “Do you think Garrett was clean?”

  Jason looked at Philip. “It’s something we can’t dismiss, but we’ve both known Garrett for a very long time. I just can’t imagine him betraying us or the company.”

  Philip shook his head. “I can’t, either.”

  “Then what is the information Garrett had that our hacker now believes we have?” Danielle asked. “Clearly it was something believed to be worth Garrett’s life.”

  “It could be a number of things.” Philip set his laptop onto the couch beside him. “For starters, evidence of who was scammed and communicated with online. Stolen credit card numbers sold to other hackers…. The list could go on and on. I don’t know about Jason, but I don’t think we’re looking at a typical hacker. Some simply steal identities, but this guy has taken things to the next level.”

  “I agree. Which could mean that Garrett had some sort of intellectual property our hacker wanted, or some kind of leverage.”

  Danielle let out a slow breath. The questions were coming faster than the answers. “Leverage?”

  “Shy of confronting him, which Garrett clearly did in the end, there’s a method called doxing which is simply gathering information on someone using internet resources. Garrett would have been able to recognize information that would give him the advantage.”

  “So when Garrett met with our hacker, he came in thinking he had enough leverage on him to get what he wanted?” Danielle asked.

  “That’s what I think happened,” Philip concurred. “He tried to turn the tables on our hacker. Garrett knew that identity theft will get you time in jail, but if he could prove our hacker was a threat to our national security, for example, then we’re talking a whole different ball game.”

  “And there’s a good chance that Garrett’s death wasn’t
intentional.” Jason added. “Because killing Garrett has put our hacker on the defensive.”

  Danielle fiddled with the fringe on the edges of the pillow, trying to process all the information they were doling out. “If you’ve found a way to steal government secrets worth millions—which evidently is an assumption regarding our hacker—why target me for simple identity fraud? Wouldn’t my house loan seem like small change to him?”

  Philip nodded. “Maybe what happened with Garrett was nothing more than a crime of opportunity, but on the other hand, it takes time to make your way up the ranks. In the meantime, our hacker did things to bring in a steady income while trying to stay under the radar.”

  “So what now?” Danielle asked. “The police are involved, but their time and resources are limited. The bank is doing their own investigation, as well, but that, too, is going to take time.”

  “I mentioned this earlier to Danielle.” Jason said to Philip. “Up until this point, we’ve been on the defensive. Unable to do much more than play catch-up, and anticipating his next move is almost impossible, because he’s in control.”

  “What are you thinking?” Philip asked, his eyes lighting with interest.

  “That we’re looking at things wrong. Our hacker has just killed a man which is more than likely out of the normal realm of how he functions. He’s running scared, which means it’s time we put him on the defensive.”

  “But how exactly would we do that?” Danielle asked.

  Philip smiled. “We turn the tables on him.”

  TEN

  “Turn the tables on our hacker? Isn’t that what Garrett tried to do?” Danielle stood up and walked to the window before turning back to face Jason and Philip, her hands pressed against her hips. “Garrett tried to take the upper hand. All it did was end up getting him killed.”

  “That’s true, but I still think we’re on to something.” Philip leaned forward, clearly in his element. “There are people who believe that if they can waste the time of these criminals, it gives the bad guys less time to actually take advantage of someone else.”

  “So we waste his time?” Danielle shook her head. “I don’t get it.”

  “Basically, we promise him what he wants, if he gives us what we want.”

  Danielle sat back down by Jason still unconvinced. “You’re talking about some kind of reverse blackmail?”

  “You could call it that, I suppose.”

  “And if this ends up backfiring on us?”

  “We deal with the fallout,” Jason began, “when—and if—something like that happens.”

  A fallout in this case could prove deadly, but she knew exactly what she wanted from this guy. “I need him to not only leave me alone, but fix the damage he’s already done. The problem is, though, that we don’t even have what he wants. What happens if he gives in to our demands then realizes the truth?”

  “For now, the main advantage, besides undoing some of the damage he’s done, is that it would buy us more time.” Jason appeared to already be on board. “In the meantime, we’ll have to pray that if he follows through on his end, that by then we have something to give him.”

  “I’m not willing to risk something happening to my daughter.”

  “Doing nothing is risking he’ll strike again,” Jason said. “What if there is a chance that we can reverse this mess? Philip might eventually be able to find this guy, but there’s no telling how much damage he will have done by that time. The police are working the murder angle, but how long is it going to take for them to run their investigation? It’s up to us.”

  “He’s right, Danielle,” Philip said. “We are out of time, and we’ve got to take the upper hand. We’re not talking about confronting him in person like Garrett did. We’re talking about playing his own game.”

  “If anything happens to Lauryn—”

  “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure she stays safe.” Jason reached out and took her hand. “I promise, Danielle.”

  Danielle nodded, still feeling uneasy, but knowing she needed to trust him. “Then what do we do?”

  Jason looked to Philip and nodded before turning back to Danielle. “We send him a message with a list of our demands.”

  *

  Danielle pulled out the wooden hand-cranked coffee mill from the cupboard, poured in a scoop of beans and started grinding them. While cooking might not sit high on her list of talents, there was something therapeutic about grinding her own beans. She continued cranking the wheel, while the last hour and a half played over in her mind. They’d composed a message for the hacker, and in the end they’d emailed their own list of requisitions—including a deadline.

  We’ll give you forty-eight hours to meet our demands….

  Worry gnawed at Danielle as she transferred the ground beans to the drip coffeemaker her mother had bought her last Christmas. After all, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that they’d taken a risk that would backfire on them. What if their hacker’s desperation didn’t force him to meet their demands, but instead twisted the situation into something far worse?

  Jason had tried to convince her that they were doing the right thing. That the possible benefits far outweighed the risks. All she could do was pray that they were right. The coffee began emitting the sweet scent of hazelnut into the room as Jason stepped into the kitchen a few minutes later.

  “Smells fantastic,” he said. “Looks as if you’ve got a few secrets up your sleeve.”

  “I try to make up for my lack of cooking skills with roasting and grinding my own beans.”

  She caught his gaze and tried to read his expression. Relaxed…intent…but there was also that familiar hint of interest in his vibrant blue eyes. A sense of longing she hadn’t expected—or wanted—to see. No. She shoved the thought aside. Her nerves were just on edge.

  When Philip had left to drive back home, she’d impulsively invited Jason to stay for coffee. She hadn’t needed or even wanted the coffee—it had simply been an excuse for him to stay. Now she was wondering if she’d done the right thing.

  She leaned back against the counter. “Did Philip get off okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I appreciate his driving all this way,” she murmured.

  “Me, too. I think we came up with a viable solution.”

  Danielle pulled down two mugs from the cupboard. “You seem almost relaxed.”

  “I like to problem solve, and I feel as if we made progress tonight.” He lifted a shoulder. “If nothing else we did something concrete.”

  Which was exactly what had her concerned. Engaging in a sparring match with a murderer probably meant someone was going to lose.

  He tilted his head and caught her gaze. “But you, on the other hand, look worried.”

  She set the sugar bowl on the counter, then leaned back against the granite top. “I’m worried because this guy is smart. He didn’t get to where he was because he flunked out of school. We both know that he’s learned enough personal information to ruin me financially.” She sighed. “Asking him to undo the damage assumes that he’s willing to do anything to get this information.”

  She moved to the fridge to pull out the milk as the coffee finished percolating, still not completely convinced their plan would work.

  “Listen,” Jason continued. “I’ll be the first to admit that what we did was a risk, but sitting back and doing nothing wasn’t getting us anywhere, either. This creep’s going to keep pushing until he gets what he wants.”

  “I’m just scared, Jason.” She set two mugs on the counter, tired of the fear and frustration that were closing in around her. “Part of me knows we did the right thing, but I can’t help running all the scenarios through my mind about what might happen.”

  “Going over all of the what-ifs isn’t going to change anything. And even if your fears come true…would it really have been worth doing nothing?”

  She clenched her hands nervously. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

  “Which is why
it is a risk. All we can do is pray and go ahead with the plan.” Jason grasped her hands, pulled them against his chest and bowed his head. “God, You know the fears we’re facing and even more importantly, You already know the outcome. Give us the peace and wisdom we need today to face everything that is still ahead. Amen.”

  Danielle opened her eyes and let out a slow breath. “Thank you. I needed that.”

  She reached out to hand him one of the coffee mugs. When his fingers brushed against hers, Danielle felt her heart quicken. Confusion mingled with unwanted feelings of pent-up longing. The mug slipped from her hands, crashing against the kitchen floor. Hot coffee and shards of pottery splattered across the tiled floor between them.

  Jason was the first to react. “Watch out. There’s glass all over the floor.”

  “I’m sorry.” Danielle let out a sharp breath and took a step backward.

  “Are you burned?”

  “I don’t think so. Just a few splatters of coffee on my jeans that will come out in the wash. There is a dustpan right behind you.”

  Her hand was still shaking as she grabbed a roll of paper towels off the counter while he started picking up the broken mug and placing the shattered pieces into the dustpan.

  A moment later, they stood up at the same time, close enough for her to note all the things about him she’d been trying to ignore…the color of his eyes, the curve of his smile, the slight curl of his hair. Everything about him was familiar.

  He grasped the tips of her fingers. “Danielle, I know you’re scared, but I meant what I said earlier. I promise I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you and Lauryn safe. I need you to trust me.”

  She started to pull away, but his arm slipped around her waist. He pulled her toward him. How did she explain that the pounding of her heart had nothing to do with an online criminal, or even the shattered coffee mug? Instead, it was the unexpected longing for something—for someone—she hadn’t planned on waltzing back into her life.

  But as much as she kept telling herself to resist, her heart knew this was exactly what she wanted. For a moment, she gave in to his kiss.