Fatal Transaction (Thriller & Suspense, Cyber Crime)

by Lawrence, W. Richard

  Gazing out the back sliding glass door, she noticed Derry in the yard, cutting a piece of wood. He wasn’t wearing a shirt. She stopped for a minute to enjoy the view. Maybe sticking around for another week or two to let the money grow wouldn’t be so bad.

  ***

  “You taking another break?” Derry pulled out his cell phone to take a picture of Kevin. “I’m going to get a picture of you sitting on your duff again. Proof to show your wife what you really do all day when she thinks you’re working.”

  Kevin smiled. “Make sure you get my good side.” He downed half the bottle of water he held in his hand.

  “And which side would that be?” Derry put the phone in camera mode. He stopped as he remembered the last time he had used it as a camera. The last image was still up. It was a picture of the men at the fair, the ones who tried to kill Sara.

  “I thought you said you were going to take my picture, not play with your phone?”

  The image was too small to see any detail. He needed to upload it to his laptop. Glancing at the house, he could see Sara working at the dining table. He wasn’t sure how she would react if she knew he had taken these pictures, but he needed his computer.

  “I’ll be right back.” He headed into the house.

  Sara’s head jerked toward him as he stepped through the door, and her eyes flashed wide. “What are you doing in here?” Her tone expressed paranoia mixed with fear. His laptop sat on the table close to her.

  “I just need to look up some building codes.” He retrieved the computer and headed back outside.

  “So how’s it going out there?” she asked before he made it to the door.

  “Good. The men who work for Kevin are fast. We’re hoping to have it done this weekend.”

  “Does that mean I can move in tomorrow night?”

  “Sometime next week. It’ll need to pass inspection first.” Derry headed out the door. Once inside the guesthouse and out of Sara’s view, he set the laptop on the kitchen counter and uploaded the pictures.

  As he went though the images, Kevin moved in to see what caught Derry’s interest. “What’s this?”

  Derry glanced around, not sure if he wanted Kevin’s men to hear. “It’s from the Scottish Highland Festival.”

  “You always take pictures of business men? That’s a strange hobby.”

  Stepping back just a smidge, Derry let Kevin get a better view. “No, these are the men who tried to kill Sara.”

  Kevin leaned in and, taking control of the pad, zoomed in on one of the men. “You sure?”

  “Pretty sure.” Derry zoomed back out, and pointed to two of the men. “These two are the ones who grabbed her, and if you look right here, you can see her arm.”

  “Did you see her leave with them?”

  “Yeah, I followed them. They took her out the gate, and stuck her in a black limo.”

  Kevin shook his head.

  Swiveling toward him, Derry asked, “What?”

  “He looks like one of my customers.”

  “You know him?”

  “It’s hard to tell from your pictures, but, yeah, I’m sure it’s him.”

  “Hey, what are you guys hiding over there? A box of doughnuts?” Gerald was carrying in a five-gallon bucket of paint.

  “Come here for a sec.” Kevin motioned to Gerald.

  Setting the paint down, he moved in beside Kevin and peered down at the screen. “Yeah?”

  “You recognize him?”

  “Mr. Levy, yeah. What about him?”

  Derry didn’t like so many people becoming involved, and liked it even less that everyone but him knew about this man. “Who is he?”

  “Bad news.” Gerald spoke to the screen, not to Derry.

  Kevin glanced at Gerald. “Bad news? No, he’s not.” Kevin smiled as he spoke. “We’ve done work for him. He’s a good client.”

  “But he’s a bad boss. Word on the streets is, once you’re his, you’re his for life. You do what he says, or you’re dead.”

  Chapter 33

  Sara heard a noise at the front door just before the knock came. She opened it to find Derry’s friend, Lamar, looking down at her.

  “He’s out back, working on the guesthouse.”

  “He’s not at work today?”

  Why would Lamar be here if he didn’t know Derry was home?

  “He said he had a few things to finish on the guesthouse before the inspector showed up.”

  Lamar’s chuckle was rich and deep. “So, he’s finally taking care of that old shack. Is he planning a bonfire or using explosives?”

  Sara covered her mouth to stifle the giggle. “I’m hoping for the bonfire. Maybe we could roast some marshmallows and make s’mores.”

  The smile on Lamar’s face disappeared faster than it came. “You got a minute?” He stepped in without waiting for an answer.

  She moved back to allow the big man to pass. “Sure, I guess.” She began to sweat as she followed him into the living room.

  Taking a seat across from the couch, Lamar’s large frame filled the chair. Sara curled up in one corner of the couch, and waited for him to speak.

  “I’m not sure how close you and Derry are, or if he has said anything about a case I’m working on, but it’s something you should know a lot about.”

  More than I’ll ever tell you.

  Sara tilted her head slightly. “He hasn’t said anything.”

  “Before we go there, I have to ask you one more time—are you sure you don’t know the men who attacked you?”

  Time to spin more lies. “I think I may have seen them around my apartment building, but I don’t think they lived there. They always looked out of place.”

  “Out of place? What do you mean?”

  “You know, never going into any apartments, just hanging around the parking lot.”

  “Did you tell the apartment management or notify the police?”

  He’s good, and he’s backing me into a corner. Careful.

  “Look, I know you’re just trying to help and all, but talking about them is upsetting. Can we change the subject?”

  “Sure, in a minute. I just have a few more questions. Did you think they were there for you?”

  “Not at the time. Why would I?”

  “Could you identify them if you saw them again?”

  Cops and their one-track minds.

  “No. No, I don’t think so. I can’t really remember what they looked like. I think I blocked it out. There’s too much pain in those memories.”

  Several seconds passed between the two of them. He let out a breath as his gaze dropped to the floor. Finally he looked up. “But you said they were after you because of a credit card program you wrote?”

  “You know, it’s all kind of hazy, but that’s what I remember.”

  “You said you are involved in credit card security. What part?”

  He doesn’t miss a trick.

  “Most of the code I write is for encryption/decryption.”

  “What exactly is that?”

  “Credit card security is extremely complicated. Many of the merchant service providers use their own encryption algorithms. In addition, the different card providers have separate algorithms. There are a few standards, but they are constantly changing. They are evolving, becoming more advanced, becoming harder and harder to crack. These encryptions can be as large as ten-twenty-four bits with embedded keys.”

  “Wow, that’s way over my head. Can you say all that in a way I can understand?”

  Good—over your head is good.

  Sara dropped her gaze to the floor to think. How much should she say?

  She looked up into Lamar’s stare. “It just means all the data is stored and transferred in a coded form
at that is almost impossible to break.”

  “Almost impossible?”

  “Nothing’s impossible—if you have the right information or enough time.” She was saying more than she should. “But without the encryption keys, the codes are pretty safe from hackers.”

  “Do you have access to the encryption keys in your work?”

  “No, those are highly classified. Only a few people working for the credit card companies have access. I have to submit all of my work to them for final testing.”

  “Hmm. Is encryption the only part of the credit card system you work on? Have you worked on other parts in the past?”

  Had he been checking up on her? How could he? He didn’t have her real last name.

  “That’s all I’ve done so far. Hey, I should count myself lucky. I’m one of the youngest people holding this position.”

  “You seem to know a lot about the whole setup. Maybe you could help me understand how someone might perpetrate a well-thought-out credit card crime.”

  Lamar described his case to her.

  At the end of his story, Sara was a little surprised at the amount of information they had gathered already. “You’re saying these charges are coming in under several names, charged against several stores, and paid out to multiple accounts from multiple banks?”

  “Yes, that’s what we have so far.”

  She shook her head, acting like she didn’t really believe what he was saying. “All the names would have to not only be valid, but also match the street number and zip code associated with each card number. I don’t think it’s possible to get around that check.”

  “They’re not getting around those checks. The customer’s data is valid. It’s the stores that the money’s going to that are not valid. Could someone slip code in that would bypass checks on the store side, making businesses appear to be real and legal when they’re not?”

  “No, that would be next to impossible. Too many tests are run on each and every change. Bogus companies would be caught and flagged.”

  He looked straight into Sara’s eyes. “There’s no way to get around these tests?”

  “People have tried and been caught. There is no way I know of.”

  Lamar still studied her face. Did he know something, or was this just a cop game? What’s he looking for?

  He finally spoke. “So you’re saying it could not be done with software?”

  “No. You would need someone, or several someones, working on the inside of each credit card company.”

  “Todd thought it might be possible through software alone.”

  Did he just bait me? Does he already have the answers?

  “Todd?” She put on the most innocent expression she could muster.

  “Yes, the Denver office’s top programmer and part of my team. He’s probably one of the top computer experts in this part of the country.”

  She found herself backed into a corner. If she disagreed, it would bring more attention to herself, but if she agreed with Todd’s assessment, it could have the same effect.

  “Maybe you should be talking with him. He seems to know a lot more than I do.”

  The room became stuffy as Lamar stared into her eyes.

  Could this man read minds?

  He knew more than he was letting on. Sara looked away. She was unable to hold his gaze. “You have any other questions?”

  “Hmm, not right now.” Rising, he turned toward the backyard. “Well, shall we go see the damage Derry’s inflicted on that poor building?”

  ***

  Kai had more bad news for Levy. Delivering it was riskier than playing Russian roulette with five out of six chambers loaded.

  “What is it?” He glared at her.

  Kai scanned the room. Empty, except for her and Levy. “It looks like Sara was one step ahead of us, again.”

  “What now?” His shoulders drooped slightly.

  Kai felt the sweat under her arms. Any minute, he would kill her. Ryan was shot for less. “A new set of routines that we knew nothing about went into effect over the weekend. The credit card money’s no longer going into your account.”

  Levy jumped to his feet. “What? Pull it. Put ours in place.”

  “I already submitted our changes. It will take one to two weeks. Sara obviously submitted her changes around the time she ran.” She backed toward the door, watching his right hand. If it moved toward his gun, she would dive out the doorway.

  “Sara’s stealing more of my money.” His voice echoed down the hall.

  “We can stop all activity on the cards today, and wait. That will give time for our program to kick in.”

  “Do it. Call Jasper and tell him not to run any more cards, starting now.”

  “Yes, sir.” She was still alive. That was good. She spun for the door.

  “Hold up. Can you use her changes to find her account? Can you track where the money’s going?”

  “Maybe. I can do a one-to-one comparison against the earlier program. That will give me the first location for the money. At that point, I’ll have to do a deposit into that account and track it.” Kai didn’t want to help Levy, but it was better to find Sara’s money than to lose her life.

  “Change the access passwords. I don’t want Sara logging into the program again.”

  Kai began to believe she might make it through this ordeal after all.

  “Once you find Sara’s account information, I want my money back, and I don’t care how you do it. Now, stop wasting my time and get to work.”

  With the dread lifted, Kai rushed for the door.

  ***

  “This is nice.” Sara ran her hand along the new countertop. “I’m impressed.”

  Derry smiled. “Yeah, it came out better than I thought it would. Kevin’s guys do great work.” He walked over to the living room window. “We mostly stayed with the 1920 décor, wood windows and all, but I gave you a modern kitchen. I’ll start on the outside as soon as I have the money.”

  Sara moved through the house, stopping at the bathroom that divided the front living-kitchen area from the bedroom. The bathroom was larger than she expected. “Where’d you get an old claw-footed tub?”

  “It only looks old. I picked it up at the hardware store.”

  “You did good work here, son.” Lamar’s rich voice made Sara jump a little. She was thinking about her new home and Derry. She’d forgotten Lamar was there. “Think you can get those guys to fix up the inside of the main house?”

  “Funny.” Derry said dryly.

  Sara moved on into the bedroom. The window looked out into the yard. Slipping off her sandals, she let her feet indulge in the thick pile carpet. “I like it.”

  Glancing around, she spotted one of the four-inch-high baseboards at an odd angle. She stepped over, and tapped it with her big toe. It moved easily.

  Derry saw it, too. “Oh, I must have missed nailing that piece. I’ll get it later.”

  Sara observed an open area behind it. “No rush.” A secret hiding place might come in handy.

  She hung back as he and Lamar moved back toward the front room.

  “Well, I should be going,” Lamar said. “Walk with me to my car?”

  The way he asked the question struck a cord in Sara. Something was up. As Derry followed Lamar around to his car, Sara slipped back into the main house. She crouched down next to the open living room window.

  ***

  Once at the car, Lamar turned his back to the house. “I had a talk with your friend. What’s going on here?”

  “What do you mean?” Derry suspected what Lamar was getting at, but he wasn’t going to aid him.

  “First, that story she told about the men who beat her up doesn’t hold water. Sounds more like something she got out of a book. Second
, I just had a talk with her about her work. Every answer she gave was guarded. She’s hiding something.”

  Lamar was only validating what he already believed.

  Derry leaned back against Lamar’s car. He crossed his arms and stared at the ground. “You’re right—and I wish I knew what it was.”

  “Are you in danger?”

  He glanced up to see concern on Lamar’s face. “I don’t think so. If the men who are after her knew who I was, they’d have been here by now.”

  Lamar shifted his position. “You know, if it wasn’t for the fact that she’s been in your house, injured, for the last two weeks, she’d be our prime suspect in the credit card crimes.”

  Should he tell him about Levy? Would Lamar even believe him? According to everything he could find on the Internet, Levy was an upstanding citizen. If Derry accused Levy of trying to kill Sara, it might make things worse for her. And if Levy was as powerful as Gerald said he was, a report by the FBI might help Levy find Sara.

  Derry stared at the house. “Maybe she’s trying to go straight. Maybe that’s why the men were after her.”

  Lamar glanced at the house then back at Derry. “If she is, then I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

  “What about her possible past crimes?” Just how far would Lamar really go?

  “Some people break the law because they don’t care about anyone but themselves. Some people break the law because they’re put into a hard situation, and make the wrong choices. If they figure that out, and want to escape from the past, I’ll do everything in my power to help them start over.”

  “What about their debt to society?”

  “Never read anything about that in the Bible.”

  ***

  Lamar’s voice carried into the house to Sara. For the first time in a long time, she felt a spark of hope.

  Chapter 34

  Rays of light peeked around the window shade as Derry lay staring at the ceiling. Was it the first night back in his own bed, or his thoughts, which kept him from a restful night’s sleep? For the last two days, he had been unable to get the doubts out of his mind.

  Was Sara hiding from her past, or hiding from the law?