Grabbing the computer, she flipped it over and pulled out the battery. She hoped the program had not had time to send the routing information. Kai would be using the program they wrote together. It would take too long to develop and test a new one. Thinking back, she replayed the events from thirty minutes ago in her mind. She needed to calculate how much time she had given the program to run:
She saw the new email.
She opened the email and started the countdown.
She read the email. Ten seconds tops.
Thought about it. Maybe five more.
Derry came in and said something. She closed the lid. Okay, four more seconds.
Add one more, just in case.
That makes twenty seconds.
How fast was this computer? She read the labels on the bottom.
Slow. That was a plus in this case.
Sara figured it would take at least thirty seconds for the program to set up, gather the data, and send it back to Kai.
She was safe—she hoped. The problem was, as soon as this computer went back online, the data would be sent, and Levy would find her. She couldn’t let that happen.
She hoped there was nothing important on Derry’s computer. If there was, oh well.
Sara took her glass of water, and poured it through the air vents in the back of the computer. Sticking the battery back in, she hit the power button.
Chapter 27
Turning the power on and off several times, Sara made sure the computer was completely fried. But, to ensure Derry didn’t dry it out and get it working again, she took her spoon and placed it on the keyboard. After slamming the lid hard enough to crack the screen, she put the spoon back in her bowl.
Waiting for Derry, she worked on her new plan. First thing she needed was a new computer. One like she had when she worked for Levy would be perfect. With that, she could move around the Internet without Kai or anyone else tracking her.
With a new computer, she could set everything back up: a new escape route, new travel plans, everything she needed—everything but her passport. That was sitting in Estes, waiting for her. Right now it was too dangerous to chance a trip up there. In a couple of weeks, things should be cooled down enough. She could wait that long.
Hearing Derry come into the house, Sara threw the computer to the floor. She slid out of bed and onto the floor, coming to rest next to the demolished laptop, whimpering. She didn’t have to wait long.
Derry burst through the door and dropped down beside her. “I heard a crash. Are you okay?”
“I’m so sorry,” Sara spoke through fake tears. “I spilt water on your laptop, and when I got up to get a towel to dry it off, I got dizzy and dropped it on the floor.”
Derry barely glanced at his dead computer. “Here, let me help you back into bed.” He slipped his arms under her as she placed her arms around his neck.
“What about your computer?”
He carefully set her onto the bed. “It was old. It needed to be replaced anyway. Are you sure you’re okay?”
She kept her arms around Derry’s neck for a few seconds longer than necessary. “I’m fine. But I think I broke your computer.”
He glanced over at it. Bending down, he retrieved it from the floor. He pushed the power button and waited. Nothing.
“Does it still work?”
“No. Maybe it just needs to dry out. I’ll let it sit overnight, and try it again in the morning.”
“What about the screen?”
“It can be replaced. It’s no big deal.”
It was to her. It better not work, or both of them could end up dead. Part of her wanted to tell him the truth. It was too dangerous. That would only make him ask questions.
“Look. I broke it. It’s only fair that I buy you a new computer.”
“Accidents happen.” Derry pushed a few of the buttons, his attention glued to the screen.
“No, I insist. I’m not a free loader. I broke it. I’ll replace it. It’s only right.”
He closed the computer then headed toward the door. “We’ll see how it looks in the morning.”
Once he was around the corner, Sara hit the bed with her fist. Men! They could be so frustrating.
Derry was back in two seconds. “Natalie’s coming over in a little while to see how you’re doing.”
Sara fumed. “Fine.”
“Look, the computer’s not that big of a deal. There’s no reason to be so upset.”
She glowered at him. “Then why won’t you let me replace it? It’s my fault.”
“Fine, buy me a new one. I don’t care.”
“Good.”
“Good about what?” Natalie strolled through the door.
Derry turned to greet her. “Oh, hi. I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Well, you shouldn’t leave your door wide open if you don’t want people just walking in.”
“Oh, yeah. I was working out back. I didn’t want to leave you stranded out front.”
Natalie moved in next to Sara. “You look a lot better. How do you feel?”
“Fine, other than having to put up with stubborn men.” Sara stared at Derry.
“I know exactly how you feel.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, Natalie started checking Sara’s vital signs. “So, what’s the male of our species doing wrong this time?”
Sara told her side of the story as Derry cut in, hoping to defend himself. Natalie checked Sara’s ribs. They were still very tender.
Natalie straightened back up. “Other than your ribs, you’re coming along as well as can be expected.”
“Which means?” The statement was unclear to Sara.
“Which means, I want you to get plenty of bed rest for a few more days. If you do get up, go easy, and if you feel lightheaded at all, sit down or have Derry help you.”
“Yes, Doctor.”
Natalie rose. Turning toward Derry, she added, “And you.”
“What?”
Natalie shook her head as she moved past him. “Men.”
“What did I do now?”
As Natalie headed through the living room, Sara heard her say, “Let her replace what she broke, and stop acting so macho.”
The front door clicked shut. Sara shifted her gaze to Derry. He looked lost. “I said I’ll let you replace it. Man, you women are hard to please sometimes.”
“You don’t know the half of it.”
***
Walking slowly into the living room, Sara took a seat on the couch. Grabbing a blanket, she wrapped it around her shoulders. The sun had set, and the temperature dropped with it.
“You shouldn’t be out of bed. Remember what Natalie said.” Derry was heating up something in the microwave, just out of her sight.
“I made it to the bathroom just fine. This is only a few more feet. Besides, I’m tired of looking at the same four walls. Ever think of adding some pictures to your room? It needs something.” Sara curled up on the couch, and let her head rest against the back.
Derry stepped around the kitchen wall to where she could see him. “Made you a potpie.”
“All by yourself? I’m impressed. Mmm—smells good.”
How to ask? She needed to stay for more than just a few days. Her plans had fallen apart and she needed new ones, plans that would keep her safe from Levy. To do that, she needed to know what Levy was up to. How much he knew.
“The doc said I was coming along fine.”
“Yeah. That’s good.”
“I guess that means I’ll be out of you hair soon.”
The room was quiet for several seconds. “You don’t have to rush out of here.”
Exactly what she wanted to hear. She waited before asking the next question.
“How long are
you willing to let me stay?”
No answer. Derry came around the corner, carrying dinner. He set three potpies on the coffee table, and took a seat at the other end of the short couch.
“You afraid of those men finding you again?”
She gave him a pleading stare.
“You can stay here as long as you want. Your safety comes first. Okay?”
Perfect. “Thank you. You don’t know how much of a relief that is.”
They ate, and made small talk. Derry told her about his job, and why he’d gone to Jasper’s so many times.
She wondered just how much he noticed while he was there.
Sara created an excellent cover story for herself. “I wasn’t there for dinner.”
He didn’t ask. He just sat quietly waiting for her to continue.
“I freelance for credit card companies, writing and testing software for them.”
This part was true. Sara noticed some tension leave Derry’s face. Good.
“I was running tests there on a new security protocol. Jasper was paid to help me out, and at first everything went fine. But when I found a few problems with the code, it messed up his card reader. It took me a couple of days to fix it. We compensated him for his losses, but he wanted to back out. He said it was more trouble than it was worth.”
“What kind of problems?”
“I’m working on a triple encryption algorithm. The new code rejected several valid cards. The problem was with some small banks that were using outdated software. My program will make credit card companies close to impossible to hack into, and their cards almost impervious to duplication. If I can get the bugs worked out.”
Sounded good.
“Whew, that’s way over my head. Do you think that might be the reason those men were after you?”
“I’m sure of it. They wanted my code. They tried to beat the location, and password out of me. I knew if I told them anything, the whole credit card infrastructure would be at risk.”
Boy, don’t I sound noble?
Derry shook his head slowly. “You’re quite the lady. I imagined all kinds of stories about why you were there. I feel pretty bad now.”
“What do you mean?” She tilted her head slightly.
“Well, you were there almost every night, but never touched more than a bite or two of your food. And the way you and Jasper acted about the credit cards, I was sure they were illegal somehow. I just couldn’t figure out how.”
The man’s no dummy. Gullible maybe, but not stupid.
“And you still risked your life for me? Believing I was doing something illegal?”
“You needed help.” He sounded so matter-of-fact.
“Unfortunately I still need more help.” Sara moved her gaze to the empty potpie pans.
“Name it.” He sounded more upbeat.
“If I’m going to stay here for a while, I really need to find some way to finish my program. It’s already late, and each week costs me a bigger penalty.”
“I’ll pick up a new computer tomorrow, and you’re free to use it.”
Sara gave a short giggle.
“What?”
“I, uh, need a real computer. Not a gaming system.”
“Hey, I didn’t have that many games on my computer.”
“Sure, I saw the list.”
“Okay, I’ll pick one up for you, too. What kind of real computer do you need?”
“I’ll make you a list. It’s not something you can pick up at Walmart.”
“Okay. Make fun of my shopping habits.”
“And”—Sarah put on a shy smile—“could you possibly loan me the money, just until I get the system up and running? I have the money. It’s just not accessible without a computer.”
Derry gave her a sweet smile. “Sure, how much are we talking?”
“A few grand.”
“Wow.”
“Like I said, it’s not the type of computer you can just pick up anywhere.”
“I’ll have to take it out of my remodeling account.”
“Thanks. You’re a very trusting person.”
***
It was late, but Derry couldn’t sleep. He stood at the window, peering out onto the quiet street. The few houses he could see through the trees were dark. Their owners weren’t grappling with deceit.
Sara was misleading him. Why?
Part of what she said may be true, but she knew those men at the Scottish Highland Festival. One of them said she worked for them. On top of that, you don’t use small businesses to test money transactions.
Things didn’t add up.
Chapter 28
Levy stood at the window, mindlessly following a few wispy clouds as they moved off the Rockies. “Where is she?”
Mike coughed behind him. “She’ll be here in two minutes.”
It had been a rhetorical question. He wasn’t referring to Kai.
Where was Sara? She had managed to escape his grasp. She must have resources he knew nothing about. That’s the only way she could circumvent his efforts.
“And what about New York?” Levy shifted his gaze to the surrounding buildings.
“Jarred has everything ready. Kai was able to walk him through the setup over the phone. The first test run will be tonight. If it goes well, we’ll start full operations this weekend.”
“You haven’t found any of the problems Sara warned us about?” Levy turned and faced Mike.
“We’ve been using all of the cards without any problems, even when the cards are full. The program works.”
Sara had lied.
“When I find Sara, I’m going to make sure her death is extremely slow and painful. How many times do you think Vance can bring her back to life in order to kill her again?”
Mike gave a distorted smile, but no answer.
A knock came at the door.
Breaking out of his depressed mood, Levy migrated to his desk. “Come in.”
Kai opened the door and stepped into the room.
“Were you able to recover the data from the hard drive?”
“Enough of it.” Kai’s gaze shifted from Levy to the floor.
“And?”
“It’s a complete copy of all the data from your computer.” Kai looked up.
Levy’s anger burned. “Was there anything on the disc that will help us find her?”
“No, sir.” Kai moved back a step.
“You spent the whole morning at Ted’s and that’s all you have?”
“I finished the search through the hospitals.” Kai shifted her gaze back to the floor.
“Let me guess. Nothing.”
Kai refused to look up.
Levy continued, “It’s been a week. You think she’ll still be at a hospital?”
“No, but you—”
“If you had done your job when I asked, I’d have her.”
“I checked the records for the last week. There’s nothing. No one by her name or who fits the profile has been in any of the area hospitals.”
Levy pounded his desk. If it weren’t for the fact he needed Kai right now, she’d be dead where she stood.
“Someone’s helping her. She was too beat up to survive on her own.”
“I made sure of that,” Mike interjected.
“What about the email? Why hasn’t your program worked?”
Kai didn’t answer.
“The problem is, she’s too smart for you. She’s too smart for all of you.” Maybe Kai wasn’t so good after all. He could replace her. Putting a bullet in her wouldn’t find Sara but—
Levy’s phone rang. “Yes, what is it?”
The call was from his offshore bank. Levy’s anger grew as he listened.
<
br /> “No. I do not want to close my account.”
“Well, since all of the money was transferred out, we wanted to make sure you still wanted to keep the account open.”
“I did not authorize any transfers.” Levy’s voice was strong, determined.
“Your security code was used.”
“How’s that possible?” As the words came out of his mouth, he had the answer. Sara had gotten them off his hard drive.
“We are not responsible for your security code. You must have—”
“Stop the transfers at once, and get my money back.”
“I am sorry, Mr. Levy. But that is impossible. The transfers took place several days ago.” The voice on the other end stayed calm.
“Your bank guarantees my deposits.” Levy’s knuckles turned white as his grip the phone tightened.
“Sir, we only guarantee deposits up to one hundred thousand U.S. Dollars, and only against a failure on our part. Your loss is not our doing, and is therefore not covered.”
“Where did the money go?”
“I am sure I do not know, sir.”
“What bank was the money transferred to? Can you answer that?”
“I do not have that information at this time. But I will have one of my assistants look into it and send you what we learn.”
“Given the amount of my money you lost, you better make it a top priority. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir. And I am sorry—”
Levy slammed his phone down on the desk.
“What’s wrong?” Mike glanced at Kai, then back at Levy.
“Sara,” escaped his tightly clinched teeth.
Mike’s stare shifted between Kai and Levy again. “What’d she do now?”
Levy walked around his desk in an effort to master his emotions. “She hacked into my bank account. She has my money.”
“When?” Mike’s inflection revealed his lack of surprise.
“A week ago.” Levy turned to Kai. He needed her after all. “Can you put a trace on bank transactions?”
“Maybe, but when I moved her money into your account a couple of days ago, there was still a lot of money in there.”
Levy bore down on Kai. “Not my stateside account, you idiot. She hacked into my offshore account.”
Fatal Transaction (Thriller & Suspense, Cyber Crime) Page 14