“If you had his name or address, if Sara was there, maybe. But from the way he rushed out of the store, you must have tipped him off.”
“Hey, I didn’t say anything. I just—”
“Leave, before I have Mike throw you out my window.”
Mike moved toward Ted.
Levy turned back to the monitor as Ted fumbled over himself to get out the door.
“Run it again.”
As the video played a second time, Levy kept his eyes on the image. “Pull the best images you can off of here, and use them for a search through the DMV’s database. Find out who he is and where he lives.”
Kai glanced at Levy. “These pictures are very low resolution. I’m not sure if I can get—”
Levy wheeled around and bore down on her. “I don’t want to hear your excuses. I pulled you off computer security because you couldn’t do that right. If you can’t do this, I’ll have no reason to keep you alive. Am I clear?”
“I’ll get on it right away.”
Levy reached over and yanked out the jump drive. He handed it to Kai. “Send me a copy of the images you use.”
“Yes, sir.” Kai took the jump drive and moved toward the door.
“One more thing.”
She turned back. “Yes?”
“Where’s my money?”
“I’ve traced it to the second bank, but the accounts she used aren’t up any longer. They were short-term accounts, set up for channeling money. They disappeared, along with their records.”
He’d used this type of account before. Some banks in other countries made most of their profit doing this. The accounts were designed to make it impossible for governments to track money.
Kai remained where she was, awaiting further instructions.
Levy needed to protect the money he had left. If Sara had the security codes for his offshore account, she would also have them for the credit card scam account.
So why hadn’t she taken the money from that account?
She’s waiting for it to grow.
“I want a completely new routing set up for the credit card money. Sara set up the current program, and will know how to steal that money, too.”
Kai’s delay alerted Levy to the problem.
“What is it?”
“That part of the program is buried deep in the code, and affects code at the credit card companies themselves. It’s not something that can be changed on the fly. Our program has to embed changes in their automatic update files, and the changes don’t take effect until those updates are installed.”
“How long will it take?” He was losing patience with this whole thing. If there wasn’t so much money involved, he’d walk away from it. Once he found and killed Sara, of course.
“Once I set up the new accounts and paths, it will take one to two weeks for everything to filter through, depending on how fast the updates move through the card companies’ systems.”
“Get started on it.”
“What about the DMV search?”
“Is that going to suck up all your time?” It was a rhetorical question.
“No, sir.” She started toward the door again, head down.
“And set up a temporary account. Have the credit card money moved into it today, and every day, until the code is fixed.”
“Yes, sir.”
Chapter 31
“I really appreciate this.” Derry leaned against the wall that divided the dining room from the kitchen. Sara was making dinner for him and Lamar.
It had been nearly two weeks since he rescued her. The bruises and cuts on her face were almost gone, but her hands still held a few marks.
He enjoyed her company most of the time, when she wasn’t lying to him. He still wondered who the men were that had beaten her, but he thought about that less each day.
“After risking your life for me, the least I could do is save the life of one of your friends.” Even from the side, he could see her smile.
“My cooking wouldn’t kill him.”
She peered over at him with a straight face, but her eyes held a twinkle. “You really believe that? Or is he really that tough?”
To change the subject, Derry asked, “Did you get your project done?”
She gave him an inquisitive stare.
“The credit card program?”
“Oh, yeah, uh. It’s going okay, I guess. Why?” Sara turned back to the stove, and dropped pasta into a pot of boiling water.
He wondered if any of what she had told him was true. He doubted it. “Oh, it’s just that you said there were penalties for being late.”
“I got a three-week extension. Now I just need a place to work where those men can’t find me. I can’t let them find the code.” She looked at him over her shoulder. It was a very sweet but controlling look, and Derry knew it.
“I told you, you can stay here as long as you want.”
Sara stirred the pasta as she used her other hand to taste the homemade sauce. “I can’t keep you out of your room forever. Sooner or later, I need a place of my own, but I don’t feel safe moving back to my apartment.”
What was her game now?
Derry was getting better at recognizing when she was trying to manipulate him. Until he knew what she was really up to, he let her continue to think he was clueless.
She glanced out the sliding glass door. “When will you be done with the guesthouse? Will it be ready to rent out soon?”
So, that was it. That was okay. Having her in the guesthouse would give him more opportunities to figure out what she was really up to. At least that was what he told himself.
“It should be ready in the next couple of weeks. Sooner, if I work harder on it.”
She turned her gaze on Derry. “How much are you planning to charge?”
“You sure you want to rent it? It’s pretty ugly on the outside.”
“I took a peek on the inside today, while you were at work. It’s not bad. It’s like an old book—a tattered worn cover with a great story inside.”
Derry tried not to smile, but he couldn’t stop himself. He gave her a figure that was lower than he knew it was worth.
“At that price, you must be expecting me to cook for you, too.”
“No, I—it’s a fair price.”
“So, you don’t want me to cook for you? You don’t like my cooking.”
“No, that’s not what I—you’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
Sara turned back to the stove. “Oh, yeah.”
***
As she was headed out to grab a bite to eat, Kai got the call to come to Levy’s office. She immediately changed directions, and headed back into the building. After another week of eighteen-hour days, she was feeling the stress.
“Did you identify the man who bought the computer from Ted?” Levy sat behind his desk, demanding answers as soon as she came through the door.
“I’ve found twenty-seven possible matches, but the program is still running.”
“Twenty-seven?” Levy rose to his feet.
“So far. I’m covering the whole state, any white male under thirty-five, with a Colorado license. When I left, the program was about eighty percent complete.”
Levy glanced at Mike. “Give him the list once it’s done. It’s about time he earned his pay. And what about the credit card routing? Is it fixed?”
Splitting her time between the two projects made her ineffective on both. “It’s close. I’ve set up all the necessary bank accounts, and can start coding tomorrow. Then I’ll need a day for testing. At that point, I’ll submit the updates to the credit card companies.”
“And then?” He wasn’t happy with the schedule, that was clear.
“One to two weeks at most,” she as
sured him.
***
Sara had a pleasant meal with Lamar and Derry. She learned about Derry’s past, and how the two men had become friends. Lamar acted more like a father to Derry than a friend. At the end of the meal, Sara started to excuse herself.
“So, how long have you known Derry?” Lamar was a very easy person to like.
“Not long. Why?”
Lamar looked at him, then back at her. “I just never heard Derry talk about you before. How’d you meet?”
Now he was starting to sound like a cop. Not so likeable.
Derry jumped in. “Some men were after her. I helped her out of a jam.”
“He’s being very modest. The men were trying to kill me. He saved my life.”
“That explains the marks. Do you know these men?”
“They were after my work.”
“Your work? What sort of work would make men want to kill you?”
Sara told the same lie to Lamar that she’d told to Derry. He asked her about reporting it to the police. She made excuses. She said it wouldn’t matter since she didn’t know them—and, after the beating, she couldn’t really remember how they looked. He tried to talk her into going to the police. She didn’t budge.
Lamar turned to Derry. “So, you’re letting her stay here to protect her from these men?”
“Just in case they know where she lives. I thought it would be safer.”
“You’re sure that’s the reason?” A smile formed at the corners of Lamar’s mouth.
“Yes. Why else do you think I’d let her stay?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Lamar smiled fully. “Maybe it’s because she’s very attractive.”
He had a jolly smile. It made Sara feel secure. She shifted her eyes toward Derry to see his reaction. He glanced at her without a word. Hard to read.
At that, Lamar rose from the table. “How about we take this conversation out back where it’s a little cooler?”
“I’m going to have to decline. Slaving over a hot stove all day has done me in.”
“Well, the food was excellent. Best this house has seen in years. You sure you can’t join us on the back porch? It’s not often I get the company of such a lovely young lady.” Lamar was charming.
Sara liked him, even if he was an FBI agent. Unlike those from her past life, he was kind, and treated her with respect. She understood why Derry liked him so much. Lamar had a strength about him.
“Maybe another time.”
The men cleared the table before heading out back. Sara waited for them to leave before going to her computer.
Bringing up her email, she found another message from Levy. She hesitated before opening it. With the protections she had on her computer, it was next to impossible for him to trace her. She clicked on the message.
Sara,
You sent your boyfriend out to buy you a new computer. Do you believe this will save you? Make you invisible? This is the mistake I’ve been waiting for. Next time one of my boys talks with him, he’ll give you up. Warming his bed only works until something more valuable replaces you. For the right amount of money, he’ll tell me everything I want to know.
What? How could Levy know about Derry? And why would he tell me about it, unless this is another one of his mind games. Would Derry really sell me out?
Sara controlled her rage better this time. She wouldn’t let Levy win—not now, not ever.
Okay, it’s time I tap into Levy’s computer, and find out what he really knows.
Sara brought up one of her programs that allowed her to tap into almost any computer without the user knowing. She checked the time. It was likely Levy was still in his office. Maybe his computer was still on. It only took a few minutes and she was in.
She initiated a program she had left on Levy’s computer. It downloaded to her computer any changes to his files over the last two weeks. The only problem was that, in order to stay hidden from the user, the program ran in the background, making it very slow.
How could Levy know about her new computer? What had Derry said to Ted?
Could Derry really be part of this? Could he be working with Levy, hoping to learn where the money was?
Her thoughts were running wild, and she knew it. Derry wouldn’t do something like that. Would he?
She paced while waiting for the program to finish. Glancing around the room, she spotted Derry’s laptop sitting on a table by the back door. The computer was closed. As she moved toward it, she could hear Derry and Lamar on the back porch.
“So, got any new exciting cases lately?”
“Oh yeah, and it’s a difficult one. It involves credit card accounts. Someone’s stealing numbers from all over town. It’s been happening here in Denver for a couple of weeks, and it just started up in New York a few days ago.”
Sara froze next to the window.
New York? Levy started it up in New York? That meant more money. Good.
Lamar leaned forward in his seat. “All we know for sure is that someone has come up with a way to steal directly from the credit card companies with no consistent pattern—different names, different stores, different card companies. Whoever’s making these fraudulent charges is good.”
“Forged cards?”
“No, we’ve seen those before. There are too many safeguards in place for those to be effective. The numbers, addresses, names, and zip codes must all be valid. Most people who steal card numbers only get away with some merchandise. But this group is after cash. It’s a very complex setup. Whoever is behind this is very smart. From what we’ve seen, they’re using random valid numbers from several banks for various amounts on each charge. But they’re doing it thousands of times a day.”
“How about tracking where the money’s going?”
“That’s the key, and we’re working on it. But the money goes through a maze of offshore temporary accounts, through countries unwilling to share their banking information with us.”
“Can’t you apply pressure on the governments of those countries?”
“That sounds easy, but in many cases these governments are receiving a kickback to keep us out. It can be very profitable for them.” Lamar turned away from Derry, and the two were quiet for a few seconds.
“Why are the card companies paying, if the charges are bogus?”
“They don’t know which ones are bogus. It changes every day.”
“Sounds rough.”
Lamar leaned back, and stared up in the sky. “Yeah, but don’t worry. Sooner or later, they’ll slip up, and when they do, I’m going to pounce on them with both feet. They’ll end up in jail for a long time.”
Sara glanced out and saw Derry staring at her. Forcing a smile, she waved and slid open the sliding glass door. “My computer’s tied up running a program. Mind if I use yours?”
His blank expression told her he was hiding something. It was only there for a second, but she caught it.
“No, that’s fine. Go ahead.” He smiled and waved his hand.
“Thanks.” Sara pulled her head back inside.
I will not go to jail for something I was forced to do.
Carrying the laptop back to the dining room, she knew this house was filled with deceit. Just like every other place she’d ever lived. Derry wouldn’t turn her in to the FBI. He was after more. He was after money. He was working with Levy.
Opening his laptop, Sara searched his files for any communication between him and Levy.
She found nothing. Maybe her imagination was playing tricks. She was more confused than ever.
Chapter 32
Sara sat at her computer, the morning sun coming through the window in front of her. Going through Levy’s files was slow and boring, but also somewhat amusing. Someone installed an off-the-shelf virus scanning program
. Clearly Kai was no longer in charge of computer security. These were the easiest programs for Sara to get around.
It was good news. When Levy learned that she tapped into his computer again, Kai wouldn’t be the one to pay the price.
With the back windows open, Sara could hear Derry, Kevin, and a couple of others pounding away on her future temporary hideout.
Was it mean of her to make Derry go through all this work when she was only planning to stay another week or two?
Not if he really talked with one of Levy’s men. If so, he deserved much worse.
Two weeks ago, Sara had used her special card at Jasper’s, which meant that the credit card money would now be going into her account instead of Levy’s. Two weeks of his men collecting money would give her quite a sum.
Opening a new window on her screen, Sara logged into the account where the credit card money had been piling up.
Zero. That can’t be right.
Checking the account number twice confirmed Sara’s fears. Levy somehow knew her plans. How much he knew was uncertain, but he knew she had access to this account information. There would be no more money coming this way.
Her attention was temporarily diverted to the backyard when one of the men yelled in pain. Sounded like Derry. He probably smashed his finger.
Did Levy promise him some of her money? Was Derry really trying to help her, or was he just pretending so he could find out where she hid the money?
Too many questions flooded Sara’s mind, questions without answers.
If Derry was helping Levy, she needed to run now. But if he wasn’t, it was safer to stay here until she figured out a way to get her passport from Estes Park without getting caught.
Forcing her thoughts back to the computer, Sara wondered how stupid Levy was. Maybe he put his new bank account information on his computer, believing that with her gone, it would be secure. Maybe she could still access the credit card money after all.
Going back into his files, Sara found Levy hadn’t learned. It was all there in an encrypted file: bank name, routing number, account, and pass code. In just minutes, she logged into the new account. The amount was twice as big as she expected. Levy’s drones had been busy.
Fatal Transaction (Thriller & Suspense, Cyber Crime) Page 16