Stolen Identity

by Lisa Harris

  “What about Kate? Is there anything new about her?” she asked.

  “I put in a quick call to Detective Rodriguez a few minutes ago. As of this morning, she hadn’t arrived back at her apartment and her car was still sitting out front.”

  Eddie appeared with a bowl of fruit in front of her mom who carried a tray with filled juice glasses. Clearly her mom had decided to put him to work.

  Eddie offered a prayer of thanks for the food once they all sat down. “I don’t know the details of all that has happened, but if you ask me, if Garrett had been smart and done things the old-fashioned way he might not have gotten in to this kind of trouble.”

  “What do you mean?” Jason dug into his cinnamon roll.

  “You understand more than most people, son. We store our information online and the whole world can see it. Even things we think are hidden have the potential to be hacked by an expert.” He shook his head slowly. “Life was easier fifty years ago when you hid your money under the mattress, and secrets were never told for the entire world to see.”

  Jason’s brow rose. “So you think we should all stop using the internet?”

  “Hardly. I’d say we’re both realistic enough to know that isn’t a possibility, but thinking about how we use it as a tool while keeping safe is important. I guess I’m saying that none of this completely surprises me.”

  “And from what I’ve learned there aren’t any perfect solutions.” Jason played with another bite of his cinnamon roll with the end of his fork and turned back to Danielle. “So have you decided if you’re coming to the funeral?”

  Garrett’s funeral had been planned for 10:00 a.m. Leaving her little time now to decide.

  Danielle reached over and tousled Lauryn’s hair. “I’m just not sure I want to leave Lauryn and my mom.”

  “You know my father.” Jason took a juice glass from the tray. “With all of his security gadgets in place, only a fool would break in and try something.”

  Danielle’s mom chuckled as she sat down beside Eddie. “We definitely got a sampling of them this morning. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I would hate to go up against this man in an investigation.”

  “Well, just believe me when I say this isn’t the first time my gadgets could come in handy, my P.I. business aside. Besides the dogs, I’ve got motion sensors outside, and surveillance cameras… Danielle, if you want to go, go. They’ll be fine.”

  Danielle weighed the pros and cons. If she was gone, she’d worry about Lauryn, but not going would leave her feeling guilty. She felt she owed it to Garrett and his parents to be at the funeral. “What about Philip? Is he coming?”

  “Yes. Not only will it give him a chance to pay his respects, but we’d like another chance to go over things in person again. The police have already handed over Garrett’s computer to him to see if he can trace any communication Garrett had with our hacker. If there is something to be found, Philip is the one who can find it.”

  Each step was another step closer to the truth.

  She turned to Jason and nodded. “I’ll be ready to go within the hour.”

  SIXTEEN

  Jason grabbed Danielle’s coat off the couch then headed back outside to the car where she waited for him. The temperature had dropped and the winds were picking up as another storm approached from the west. He could hear Maggie and Lauryn laughing in the kitchen as they cleaned up the breakfast dishes. For a moment, he could almost convince himself he was heading off to lunch with Danielle. Not heading off to his best friend’s funeral.

  Almost.

  His dad was starting up the porch steps after feeding the dogs. Jason stopped at the top of the stairs and held up the coat. “Danielle thought she might need something warmer today.”

  “Smart move. The weatherman predicted this morning that the temperatures were going to drop into the low forties by this afternoon.” He climbed up the rest of the stairs and sat down on the porch chair. “You’re good for her you know.”

  Jason shook his head. “I’d say it’s more the other way around.”

  “It usually is with a good woman.”

  “Like Maggie?” he asked.

  “I’ve been lonely since your mother died.”

  “I know.”

  “And with Maggie…I don’t know.” His father crossed his legs and leaned back. “There’s this spark about her. Something that makes me want to get to know her better. To be with her.”

  “That’s usually how it starts. Besides, I’m pretty sure Maggie feels the same.”

  Denying his attraction toward Danielle had been impossible. Deciding what to do with those feelings was the question now weighing heavy on him.

  Charlie bounded up the steps onto the porch and nudged Eddie’s leg.

  “I guess it’s been so long since I’ve felt this way, but when you get to my age…” his father began. “I don’t know. You start to realize that certain things are rare, and you have to snatch up an opportunity before it disappears.”

  Jason shot his father a grin. “Are you asking my permission to court Maggie Taylor?”

  “Since when do I need your permission to go out with a woman?” His father chuckled then reached down to pet Charlie. “I’m just saying that I’m not as young as I used to be. Life is uncertain, and I don’t think I want to let this one get away.”

  “Fifty-five isn’t exactly over the hill.”

  “My knees would tell you otherwise.” His father’s smile faded. “But what about you and Danielle? You’re not planning to let her get away this time, are you?”

  Jason glanced across the yard at the car where Danielle waited for him. The last time he’d talked to his dad about his love life he’d been barely twenty years old. In love with Danielle, and ready to say I do.

  He shook his head. “I still don’t know what the future holds for us. Too much has happened this week for me to even guess.”

  “What do you feel right now?”

  Jason studied his father’s expression. They might have always been close, but that didn’t mean he was ready to lay open his heart. Not when he wasn’t even sure how he felt. “I once knew that she was the woman I planned to spend the rest of my life with. When she broke things off with me, I was forced to question a lot of things. I guess I’m still questioning things. I don’t know what else to do but wait and see what is left once this situation is finally behind us.”

  “She hurt you once.” His father leaned forward, catching Jason’s gaze. “It’s normal to wonder if that could happen again. To wonder if you should take the chance that maybe this is the person you could actually spend the rest of your life with.”

  Chase ran into the yard from behind the house. Charlie ran down the steps after him barking.

  “Are you talking about me or yourself?” Jason asked.

  “Maybe both of us.”

  “Danielle’s waiting for me—”

  “I know. Just remember that she’s not the same person she was all those years ago. You are both looking at a relationship in a very different way than how you did ten years ago.”

  “Maybe that’s what I’m afraid of. That whatever has happened to us this week is nothing more than an emotional pool we’ve gotten swept into.”

  “Maybe, but once this is over, you’ll have time to figure that out.” Eddie clapped him on the shoulder. “You’d better get a move on, son. And don’t worry about Maggie and Lauryn. I’ll keep them safe.”

  “I know you will.”

  Jason headed toward the car, and the reality of the situation came back full force. There would be a time to continue exploring their feelings, but for today, they had enough to deal with. “And, son?”

  Jason stopped on the edge of the lawn and turned back to his father. “Yeah?”

  “I know I’ve said it before, but I’m sorry about Garrett. I know the two of you had been friends for a long time, and that losing him has been hard on you. Things like this are impossible to prepare for.”

  Jason nodd
ed as he went to join Danielle, praying God would grant him the strength he needed to make it through today.

  *

  She shouldn’t have come.

  Danielle fiddled with one of the hearts on her charm bracelet in the lobby of the church building. Jason stood beside her, his hands in the pockets of his dress pants, his silk paisley tie slightly askew. She should offer to straighten it, but somehow, it didn’t seem to matter.

  Men and women filed past them into the sanctuary, dressed in varying shades of black and gray. Garrett’s casket sat at the front, covered with lilies and carnations. The only thing not dreary about the day was the late-morning sunlight filtering through stained-glass windows casting colored beams of light onto the walls.

  But all Danielle could think about was Lauryn’s and her mother’s safety—and memories of another funeral. Her thoughts shifted. No matter how much time passed, nothing could change the fact that Quinton had been a significant part of her life. Situations like today’s funeral brought that loss to the forefront. Reminded her that there are no certainties in life. And it hit home how quickly a life could be taken.

  She glanced at her watch again. The sooner the service started, the sooner it would be over, and she could get back to Lauryn. “Are you sure Philip’s coming? The service is about to start.”

  “We’ve still got a few minutes. I’m a bit surprised he’s not here, though. Philip’s typically always early.” He reached down and laced their fingers together. “Listen, I know that coming wasn’t an easy decision for you, but it will mean a lot to Garrett’s parents.”

  “I know.” His touch brought with it the extra dose of strength she needed. “I’m just…antsy, I guess.”

  “Worried about Lauryn.” He said it more as a statement than a question.

  “That and—” she shot him a weak smile “—funerals tend to dig up old memories.”

  “I won’t even claim to understand what you’re feeling, but I know for me, I keep expecting Garrett to walk up these steps. I feel as if he’s just played some big, bad joke on us all. I still can’t quite convince myself that he’s really not coming back.”

  Jason’s thumb slowly rubbed the back of her hand. His loss might be different from hers, but there was a connection of their shared loss in today’s events they both had to deal with.

  “Sorry I’m late.” Philip pushed up his glasses as he strode across the emptying lobby toward them.

  “You’re fine. They haven’t started yet.”

  Danielle started to follow Jason into the sanctuary, but Philip held up his hand.

  “I know the funeral is about to start, but before we go in, we need to talk.” Philip guided them toward the empty far corner of the lobby and lowered his voice. “I just got off the phone with Lance.” He turned to Danielle. “Lance is the only guy I’ve let in on this to help me.”

  “What did you find?” Jason asked.

  “Here is the thing. As you know, I’ve spent the past couple days going through both our company files and, more recently, Garrett’s files. This morning I found a bunch of encrypted files buried in his laptop.”

  “Considering Garrett’s work, that doesn’t sound unusual,” Jason noted.

  “It’s not, but these files were different. All of our data can be encrypted or decrypted by certain passwords. But not these files.”

  “Why not?” Danielle asked.

  “Encryption programs use algorithms and what I found isn’t like anything our company has used up to this point. You also need a password to both encrypt and decrypt whatever data you want to ensure is unreadable which I don’t have for these files. Long story short, I think I found what our hacker is after. I don’t think these guys are after specific intel our company has been protecting.”

  “Then what are they after?” Danielle bit down on her lip, trying to follow.

  “The passwords to decrypt a new security software Garrett was working on. Garrett must have known he’d been compromised.”

  “Garrett told me he was working on a new program.” Jason said.

  “Until we get the decryption passwords, I won’t be able to know a whole lot more, either, but from what he told me before he died, it’s basically a highly sensitive computer program that would help the military and other government agencies track computer activity for viruses and hackers.” Philip paused. “Without the password, the information is basically useless. But with the passwords, if it got into the wrong hands, it could be used to undermine our government’s security.”

  Jason shook his head. “If our hacker found out about the program he could try and sell it on the black market. All he would need was a buyer, which for something like this wouldn’t be hard to find. The black market for intellectual property is huge.”

  “Garrett wouldn’t just hand someone the software, though.”

  Philip shrugged at Danielle’s statement. “No, but maybe he was somehow blackmailed into giving it to him. Maybe Garrett fed him just the encrypted data until he could figure out what to do. Without the password, the software is useless.” Danielle felt a new wave of fear sweep over her. Which was why their hacker was desperate to get his hands on the information Garrett had.

  “Wait a minute.” She cleared her throat, trying to make sense of what Philip was telling them. “So even if we find Garrett’s passwords, we can’t give them away. Which means we don’t have anything to trade now.”

  Jason squeezed her hand. “We knew all along that the information Garrett had might pose a security threat if leaked. It’s always possible to switch the information we give him.”

  But Danielle could only think of one thing. With nothing to trade they lost their leverage to get her life back together.

  Someone walked through the lobby toward the back of the sanctuary. Danielle turned, momentarily distracted.

  Kate?

  Danielle blinked her eyes. She had to be imagining things. But there was no doubt the woman slipping into the sanctuary side door was her employee. Familiar profile, curly, dark shoulder-length hair and the purple scarf she’d bought at a local craft fair around her neck.

  Danielle felt her breath catch. If Kate had scammed Garrett, what reason would she have had to show up at his funeral? She jutted her chin toward the sanctuary doors as the young woman walked through them. “It’s Kate. She’s here.”

  Jason’s brow lowered. “Why would she be at Garrett’s funeral?”

  “I don’t know, but I’ve got to talk to find her.”

  Danielle hesitated in the doorway of the sanctuary. The service had started. Music was playing. Someone began singing. Kate turned around. Panic filled her expression as she recognized Danielle.

  She squeezed Jason’s hand. “I’m going after her.”

  “Philip, call the police. I’ll go with Danielle.”

  Danielle watched as Kate slipped out of the side door toward the parking lot that was edged by a busy, four-lane road. Outside the sanctuary the wind whipped through Danielle’s hooded raincoat as she ran down the steps of the church with Jason right behind her. Kate hurried toward the busy intersection where cars zoomed past, reminding Danielle once again how life didn’t slow down for anyone. Quinton was dead. Garrett was dead. Life had to go on.

  But not until she found out the truth.

  Kate continued down the main street running parallel to the church’s property. Where was she going?

  Danielle turned back to Jason who was a couple of steps behind her. “Let me try to speak to her alone first.”

  “Kate?” She shouted above the noise of the morning traffic. “Kate, please…wait.”

  If she’d heard her, Kate didn’t let on. Danielle broke into a run.

  “Stop. Please.” Danielle grabbed her arm to stop her. “We need to talk.”

  Kate kept walking. “I can’t do this, Danielle.”

  “You can’t do what? Talk to me?”

  Danielle caught her gaze. Dark shadows beneath her eyes. She’d been crying.

&nbs
p; “I need you to leave me alone.” Kate broke away from her grasp and hurried down the sidewalk. “You don’t understand. He’ll kill me…just like he killed Garrett.”

  “Just tell me what happened.” Danielle quickened her pace.

  “You don’t know what you’re getting involved in. You should have just given him what he wanted, then all of this would be over.”

  “Given it to who? What are you involved in, Kate?”

  “Ian promised…”

  Kate stopped at the edge of a sidewalk, struggling to catch her breath. Cars rushed past. Someone honked, impatient. Danielle looked back at Jason who had stopped a few feet away, close enough to intervene if possible.

  The police would be here soon. She needed to keep Kate talking. “You conned Garrett. I know that. What I don’t know is what made you do it? Or if you were a part of his murder.”

  “I told you, you don’t understand.” Kate pressed her hands against her forehead. “I loved Garrett.”

  “Loved him?” Danielle took a step forward. “Then how did he end up dead? Don’t lie to me, Kate.”

  “It wasn’t what you think….”

  “I don’t know what to think. I thought you were my friend. But now I find out that you’ve been living a double life? You keep lying to me when my family is threatened. I need the truth, Kate.”

  The other woman tugged on the end of her scarf and looked behind her, clearly scared. “The truth is that Ian won’t stop until he gets what he was promised.”

  “Who’s Ian?”

  A spray of bullets exploded into the air.

  Seconds passed in slow motion. Someone screamed. Glass shattered in the car beside them. A car alarm went off. Jason grabbed Danielle and pulled her down onto the grass with him, covering her with his body. Her muscles flinched beneath him as a second round of gunfire discharged around. A black SUV zoomed through the intersection.

  Kate dropped to the ground beside them.

  “Kate!” Danielle crawled across the pavement to her friend. She wasn’t moving. Eyes open, gaze unfocused. Blood pooled beneath her head.