Thread of Suspicion

by Susan Sleeman

  “Fine,” he said, not liking it one bit, but knowing he needed to play by her rules if she was going help him. “Lead the way.”

  She pivoted sharply and set off. Not needing to hide his less-than-optimum performance any longer, he followed at his own pace. He should be royally miffed at her, but he respected her determination, and his anger quickly subsided. He liked a woman who knew her own mind. Even better when the mind was encased in a captivating package.

  He met her at her SUV and climbed into the passenger seat next to her. The subtle scent of her coconut fragrance wrapped around him. Feminine and tough at the same time.

  What man could resist such a combination?

  She laid her arm along the top of his seat and backed out of the space. As she returned her focus to the front, their gazes met for the briefest of moments. He got lost in her eyes, and interest in a woman that had lain dormant for years flared to life. She quickly jerked her gaze away, but before she did, he saw the same spark of interest.

  You’ve got a great sense of humor, God, sending this woman into my life after all these years and at the worst possible time.

  Not really expecting God to talk back, given Luke’s strained relationship with Him, Luke turned to look out the window. He caught Dani’s reflection in the glass and that little zing sparked again.

  He stifled a groan and reminded himself of all the reasons why getting involved with any woman right now was a bad thing. Working with Dani Justice was going to be interesting. Maybe too interesting for his own good.

  * * *

  The sun was setting in glorious oranges and reds behind the West Hills by the time Dani pulled into Luke’s driveway and parked behind his rental car. After extensive testing, the E.R. doc had cleared him to drive, so they’d retrieved his car from SatCom and she’d followed him to his town house.

  Long, uncomfortable silences had populated their time together, and she almost dreaded getting out of the car, but she had a job to do. She grabbed a flashlight, and as she walked toward the front door she searched through the light drizzle and thick fog blanketing the lushly landscaped property.

  In one of their brief discussions, Luke had claimed to have sunk all his money into his company, and yet he lived in one of Portland’s most exclusive areas. Dani’s sister, Kat, had bought a foreclosure home in the area, so Dani knew the high price of property here. Luke could be renting, she supposed. Or maybe her initial instincts about him were totally wrong, and he wasn’t who he seemed.

  “Nice property,” she said, trying not to sound obvious in her search for an explanation.

  He watched her for a few moments, then grinned with that magnetic smile he seemed to flash freely. “For a P.I., you’re not very good at fishing, are you?”

  Her irritation instantly flared, but she wasn’t sure if it was because he saw right through her or because her pulse kicked up whenever he grinned with boyish charm, in direct contrast to the imposing man standing before her. Either way, she wouldn’t let him see her reaction.

  She gave him an innocent smile. “I’ve never been much for fishing. I’m a city girl through and through.”

  “Too bad.” His smile widened, one corner crookedly tipping higher. “I could’ve shown you all the best fishing holes in the area.” He opened the door, then turned back. “Oh, and in answer to your unspoken question, the town house belongs to my sister, Natalie.”

  Ugh! She’d known him for only a few hours and yet he seemed to think he was always right. So confident. Everything she was attracted to in a man. Sure, he was good-looking—fit, muscular with a swagger that spoke to his self-assurance—and she’d have to be blind or near death not to react to him. But men like him were off-limits for her. He was too much like her ex-boyfriend, Paul. She’d found his confidence attractive, too. Until six months ago, when he’d gone all controlling and stalker on her. She wouldn’t put herself through that ever again. Not for any man.

  “You can go on in,” she said, trying to sound unaffected by anything he said or did. “I’d like to do a quick inspection out here.”

  His brow went up in question, and he held his position.

  She’d have to explain if she wanted him to go inside. “I need to see if there are signs of a break-in. If your computer was used without your permission, they would’ve had to break in or access your wireless connection from close by.”

  “I hadn’t thought about that.”

  “That’s why I’m the private investigator and you’re the client.” She kept her voice free of the sarcasm that wanted to creep in. “I’ll be just a minute.”

  He nodded but stopped mid-nod when a flash of pain darkened his face.

  “You should take something for the pain,” she suggested.

  He straightened his spine. “I’m good.”

  Right. Mr. Tough Guy. “It’s not a sign of weakness to accept help, you know.”

  “Come in when you’re finished,” he said, changing the subject. After a protracted look, he went inside and closed the door.

  “Fine, be in pain, then,” she mumbled as she often had when her stubborn brothers refused to listen.

  She shone her flashlight over the property, checking the windows for pry marks. She continued around the home, catching a welcoming wave of light spilling from floor-to-ceiling windows in the backyard. As she glanced into the family room, she spotted Luke leaning against a counter in the adjoining kitchen, talking on the phone. Even if he hadn’t just told her that the town house belonged to his sister, the feminine decor screamed he wasn’t the owner. She was certain he wouldn’t abide floral prints of any kind in his home, and she had to admit neither would she.

  She finished circling the town house and stood in the driveway, making a quick sweep of the neighborhood. A security camera on the home across the street pointed down their driveway, which meant Luke’s place would show up in their footage and it might prove useful.

  Useful if she cleared Luke’s name and if she found herself searching for another suspect, she reminded herself as she headed for his front door.

  Since he was expecting her, she didn’t knock but entered the two-story foyer with an open staircase. Through the rich mahogany banister she could see the family room and the adjoining kitchen island.

  “Luke,” she called out.

  “In the kitchen,” he responded.

  She found him still resting against the counter, his phone to his ear. He held up a finger and told the person he was talking to that he had to go.

  “That was my sister, Natalie.” He stowed his phone. “I figured you’d want to look at her computer, too, so I got her permission.”

  Not something a man with a secret to hide would do. Was he really a ruthless traitor and he planned to set up his sister? Or could his sister be behind the sabotage?

  “Did you find anything outside?” He pushed off the counter, coming closer.

  She took a step back, garnering a quirk of his eyebrow. So what if he knew she was being cautious? He was a former SEAL. He could end her life in a moment if he so chose.

  “There were no signs of forced entry, but the people across the street have a security camera pointed in the direction of your house. If I determine a break-in did occur, we may have the suspect on video.”

  “They’re good friends with Nat, so I’m sure they’ll share the video if we need it.”

  “Good to know,” she said. “I’d like to look at your computers if you’ll show me where to find them.”

  “This way.” He led her toward the back of the house.

  She crossed the gleaming wood floors and shook her head as she imagined this big hunk of a guy trying to get comfortable on his sister’s dainty sofa and chairs in the family room. He stepped through French doors into an office with an ornate desk sitting in the middle of the room and white bookshelves circ
ling the perimeter.

  “The laptop is Nat’s. She lets me use her old desktop.” He gestured at an older model computer, the monitor sitting by a pricey ultrathin laptop.

  Dani’s gaze flew to his face. “You don’t own your own computer?”

  “No.”

  She watched him carefully, looking for a hint of deception. “Kind of odd for a guy who owns a technology company not to have a computer.”

  He lifted a shoulder in the briefest of shrugs. “The world needs computers, but I’d rather my life was free from things I can’t control.”

  So he was a control freak like her twin brother, Derrick. Not the only one in her family, but he was the worst when it came to her. Balking anytime she did anything the least bit risky and if he didn’t get his way, losing his temper. As a result, she pushed harder. Even going into law enforcement when a career in information technology was her first dream.

  She dropped onto the desk chair as Luke grabbed a straight-back chair. He turned it around and straddled the seat. “Will this take long?”

  “Depends on what I find.” She booted up the computer and the laptop.

  As she worked, she could feel his eyes on her. She didn’t look at him but watched the screen wake up, then called up the needed information. She ran through several screens but found she couldn’t concentrate with his piercing eyes tracking her every move.

  She looked at him. “This would be a lot easier if you didn’t stare at me like that.”

  “Sorry,” he said, looking sheepish. “It’s just you’re nothing like I expected for a computer guru.”

  “Is that so?” She appraised him.

  “I expected someone like Tim and the rest of my programming staff. You know...kinda geeky. Wearing a T-shirt with an odd saying that only computer professionals understand. Shy, not real good with people. Not someone like you with your...your...well, you know.” His face turned the color of a ripe tomato, so out of character for the charmer she’d seen so far.

  She’d had this same discussion a hundred times with other people and knew he meant she was fashionably dressed and attractive. Not that she was conceited, but she’d been told enough times that God had blessed her with above-average looks. But the big, bad military man was too embarrassed to say it. Oddly this more than anything else he’d said or done since she’d met him made her believe in his innocence and made her want to put him at ease.

  “Minus the T-shirts, I am that person,” she offered. “I just don’t look the part. I work hard to overcome the shyness, and trust me, if you saw my Star Wars collection, you’d know I’m a real geek at heart.”

  For a moment, he didn’t seem to know how to take her response, but then he tipped back his head and laughed, an altogether pleasant sound.

  When his laughter stilled, she said, “So can I get back to work without you watching my every move now?”

  “I could stand to get cleaned up, I suppose.” He stood and she saw the pain light in his eyes for a moment before he cleared it. This guy didn’t want anyone to see he was weak, and yet it was his weakness that made him seem human to her.

  As he left the room, she dug into his computer files. Thirty minutes later, she knew without a doubt that even an inexperienced hacker could have used his home network to access Crypton on the night in question. But what she found next threw her a curveball.

  “Interesting,” she whispered as she wondered what her findings meant.

  She heard footsteps heading her way, and she looked up to see Luke returning. She didn’t want to stare at him, but how could she not? He wore pressed tactical pants in a dark brown, a light tan T-shirt that molded to his toned physique and his damp hair was even darker and brought out the penetrating blue of his eyes. He was the complete physical package, and she was more attracted to him than she’d first thought. Something that hadn’t happened since Paul’s reign of terror.

  Why now, God? Why him?

  “Have you found anything?” he asked, oblivious to the battle raging inside her.

  She forced her mind back to the job. “Yes, but I don’t know what to make of it yet.”

  “Can you explain it in simple terms that I can follow?”

  She swiveled the monitor so he could see it, then tapped the screen. “These entries are from your and Natalie’s computers. The entry shows you both used your wireless router to connect to the internet the day before SatCom was hacked. Notice the two IDs.”

  He nodded. “Since the IDs are different, does that mean each computer has a different ID?”

  “Exactly, and that lets me see who accessed the internet the night in question.” She opened another log. “This is the day SatCom was hacked. You can see one computer logged on to the internet, and the ID is different from the first two I showed you.”

  He leaned closer to look at the screen, his fresh minty scent filling the air. “I don’t understand how that can be. We only have the two computers you see here.”

  “What about a visitor? Did you or Natalie have a friend over that night?”

  “Not at three in the morning.”

  “Then the only thing that makes sense is that someone used your wireless network from outside your home. To do that your network would need to be unsecured.”

  “Nat takes care of all of that stuff,” he said quickly—maybe too quickly in hopes of covering himself. “At least she did until her computer crashed a few days ago. She had to call in a friend to help her. He found a virus on her computer.” He shook his head. “Another reason I don’t like computers much. I prefer to be able to see my enemies.”

  “Did the friend access your network with his computer?”

  “I don’t know. Can’t you tell by looking at the logs you’ve been reviewing?”

  “I can tell a computer other than your laptop or your sister’s desktop accessed your network, but without seeing the friend’s computer, I can’t tell if it was his.”

  “I can call Nat and ask him to bring it over.”

  “That would be great.”

  As he made the call, Dani tuned him out and pondered the puzzle before her. What motive might the friend have for sabotaging SatCom? For that matter, what motive might Luke’s sister have?

  Dani would need to run a background check on both of them and prove a connection to SatCom before considering them strong suspects. At this point, Luke still held top spot on her list.

  Assuming his guilt, had he used another laptop to do his dirty work, then hidden or disposed of it? But then why log into SatCom from his home, where it could be traced?

  Made no sense. The only other explanation was that the network wasn’t secure on the day SatCom was accessed. That she could check easily enough.

  She pulled up the wireless router log and scanned the data. The settings had been altered a few days ago, well after SatCom’s hack. Maybe the friend who fixed Natalie’s computer had changed the settings to block other viruses. If Dani had been called in to fix Natalie’s computer issues, she would’ve secured the network, and she guessed the friend had done the same thing.

  Luke’s conversation was coming to a close, but Dani signaled to him not to hang up yet.

  “Hold on, sis,” he said, turning his attention to Dani.

  “Will you ask Natalie if her friend altered the network security settings?”

  Luke asked the question. A few moments later, he said, “She says he didn’t connect to the network with his computer that night, and he said something about making things more secure, but Nat doesn’t know exactly what he did.”

  “Thanks,” Dani replied. “As long as he drops by with his computer tonight, that’s all I need for now.”

  Luke said goodbye to his sister and stowed his phone.

  She waited for him to look at her again. “When did this friend work on Natalie’s computer?
”

  “I don’t know. Do you need the exact date?”

  “If you don’t want to go to jail, I do.”

  He cringed and moved back.

  “Look,” she said. “I’m sorry for being so blunt, but since I’ve cleared your computers, we can assume no one broke in here to use them. And with the current security settings, the likelihood of access coming from outside your house is minuscule. But I found a change made to the settings, so I suspect the friend helping your sister modified the settings to protect her from another virus. If this happened after the login to SatCom, we can prove the network was accessible before that day.”

  He raised his head in thought. “I think it was last Tuesday. No wait...Monday. I remember because the Seahawks were playing, and her friend commented on the game.”

  She checked the dates again. “That correlates with the date I found.”

  “So this means someone could have accessed our network from outside the house before then, right?”

  “Right.”

  The tension in his expression loosened. “Is there any way to find the computer that was used?”

  “Maybe. The hacker might have used a stolen computer to cover his trail and ditched it afterward. I’ve seen something like this happen when I worked cyber crimes for the FBI.”

  “So if it was stolen, might the police have it in evidence?”

  “Possibly, but the identifying information we need wouldn’t be in their reports. We’d have to physically look at each computer.” Her mind whirled over steps she could take to locate the computer. “My sister, Kat, is married to a Portland police detective. She should be able to get access to the computers they have in evidence.”

  “What are the odds that they’ll have it?”

  “Very low, and—” she paused to meet his gaze to ensure he was listening “—even if we do find it, I have no proof that you didn’t use this laptop, then discard it yourself.”