by Toby Neal
Sophie frowned. “That is a dilemma. But I’m sure you’ve already considered that the name on the account may not be that illuminating. It’s probably an alias, anyway.”
“In light of that, I think we need to reach Rex Gibson, President of the Board, and ask him how they want to proceed, and whether or not they want to press formal charges when the perpetrator is found. I have arranged a video call. This could be our opportunity to update him on our progress,” Leede said.
Sophie gestured to the large monitor on her desk. “What do you want to use to tune him in? Gibson may have other members of his team he wants included.”
“Let’s set up your monitor on the table, so we can see them, and they can see us.”
A few minutes later, Sophie had done so, and they connected with the President of the Schools’ Board. Rex Gibson looked as skeletally thin and monk-like as he had when Raveaux met him in person. Behind him stood the scowling visage of the Headmaster, Dr. Ka`ula. Cho had been left out of this meeting.
“We are eager for an update,” Gibson said.
“And we have one for you.” Leede proceeded to fill the two men in on what they had been able to discern so far. “We are waiting on any news from the security that is deployed to watch the computers in the student lounge. We speculate that the perpetrator is a staff member who is using one of the terminals there in order to obscure their IP address, although, of course, they’re already using a VPN. We are also going to investigate someone within the Peerless Accounting office a little more closely. Ms. Smithson, why don’t you fill them in on what you’ve discovered on the computers.”
Sophie cleared her throat. “I have been digging through the mirror image hard drives of the accountants working on the Kama`aina Schools’ bookkeeping. You will be pleased to know that so far, I’ve found nothing on any of the computers associated with the board members, or either of yours.” Gibson nodded, relief and annoyance evident in his attitude, while Ka`ula rolled his eyes and gave a head shake.
“I was glad to get my computer back,” Ka`ula said. “Can’t do my job without it.”
Sophie inclined her head, “I do understand the inconvenience. My plan today is to go to Peerless Accounting in the guise of a computer work tech, and visit this person Ms. Cho has expressed concern about. I’ll plant spyware on her computer, and have the rig cast directly to my own so that I can track what our target is doing as it happens.” Sophie took a sip of water and went on. “There are ways that people can clear their cache and make sure that their computer appears to be clean, and if she is activating any of the routing that has led to us being aware of how the money is being skimmed, I should be able to perceive it in real time.”
“Excellent,” Gibson said. “What else do you need from us?”
Leede leaned forward, making a pyramid with her fingertips. “We’d like to know how you want to proceed with prosecuting the embezzler. We have an offer from the FBI to get us a warrant to identify the owner of the Caymans bank account where the money is being skimmed to. From our end, this is not entirely necessary or useful in solving the case, because many times these accounts are listed under aliases or shell corporations. It also requires our going to the FBI, and presenting the case to them in order to get the warrant. That opens a whole Pandora’s box: law enforcement involvement. I encourage you to discuss with the rest of the board whether you want us to move in that direction.”
Gibson’s eyebrows had risen at the same time as Ka`ula’s lowered. The two men looked like opposite comedy masks, but both of their expressions showed distaste. “We will have to get back to you on that.” Gibson said. “Do not proceed without talking to us, first.”
“Certainly. We will wait to hear from you. Was there anything else you want to know from our end?” Leede cocked her head, an inquisitive sparrow.
“No,” Gibson said. “Send your bill for this week to my inbox directly.” He ended the call with a push of a button.
“Well, I guess I better get into my computer tech disguise,” Sophie said. “I’m actually looking forward to getting into that coverall. It has a nice loose waistline.”
Leede patted her hand. “You look blooming, young lady.”
Sophie smiled. “You’re lovely to say so.” She stood up. “And if you two could work on the computers in the basement while I’m gone, I’d appreciate it.”
Leede pointed to Raveaux. “He’s all you get. I still have ledgers to cross-check.” She stood and picked up her leather bag. “Off to the salt mines.”
Raveaux stayed where he was. Sophie went behind her desk and bent to take a zippered carryall out of a cabinet. “You have a question, Pierre?”
“Did you speak to your father about his involvement with the multiagency task force?” Raveaux had been wondering how that went.
“It was unpleasant, but we worked it out.” Sophie did not seem inclined to elaborate. She had unzipped the bag and was checking the equipment inside. “If you don’t mind, I have work to do, and so do you.”
He had been dismissed.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Sophie
Sophie picked up her zippered work tote and made sure her name tag was pinned onto her cotton work coverall. She pulled on a Security Solutions ball cap. Sophie was targeting Jana Kanekoa, the accountant whom Cho had shared concerns about, adding the hardware to the woman’s computer that would cast to Sophie’s for monitoring. She did not plan to lie about what she was doing; she would be introduced by Beverly Cho as a technician putting in a security upgrade.
Sophie appropriated a Security Solutions van and drove the relatively short distance through busy Honolulu traffic to the Peerless Accounting building. She punched the parking garage code that she had been given into the turnstile gate and parked in the cool downstairs garage.
Sophie hadn’t been kidding that she liked the looseness of the coverall. She still wore a pair of running shorts and a spaghetti strap top underneath it, but her midsection was sensitive to any sort of binding, even at the early stage of this pregnancy. Experience had taught her it was better to go with everything her body was telling her than to fight it.
Sophie exited the van and took the stairs to the fourth floor, all of her senses alert as she pushed open the office’s door. The Peerless floor was set up like many a workspace: a sound-deadening, short nap carpet in wear-concealing oatmeal covered the floors, and three-quarter height cubicles boxed the room into separate work areas.
Sophie walked confidently through the cubicles, heading for Beverly Cho’s office. The woman’s name was marked clearly on the door. She knocked, looking around for a receptionist, but there was none visible.
The door opened. Cho stood in the doorway wearing a flax dress that looked like it had been cut out on the floor of someone’s barn, and a pair of Birkenstocks. Sophie blinked: she wasn’t used to seeing that kind of outfit on an accounting executive. She extended a hand. “Sophie Smithson with Security Solutions. Pleased to meet you.”
“Beverly Cho.” They shook, and Cho held the door open and stepped aside. “Come in.”
Sophie stepped inside, and Cho went on. “I’m glad to have you here so quickly. I think it’s better if you install the software on all of the computers, so Jana isn’t singled out.”
“I agree. I came equipped for that.” Sophie walked into a spacious work area, tastefully decorated with a theme of wood and fiber arts. “I see you are an aficionado of the natural look.”
“Oh yes,” Cho said. “Actually, I create this work in my spare time.” She gestured to a woven wall hanging, and a low table made from a wood burl. “These are from my own workshop.”
Sophie’s estimation of the woman went up a notch. “I admire someone who can create things with their hands. I mostly work with computers.”
Cho smiled. “I can manipulate numbers, but I’m not a programmer, and I admire that skill too. Jana Kanekoa, whose computer I’d like you to monitor, is the mother of a talented young man, a student at Kama`aina
Schools. Jana says he’s a computer genius.”
Sophie’s internal antennae went up. Whoever had figured out how to skim the money from the Kama`aina accounts knew how to code. Could the embezzler be a student? Or maybe it was a pair: the son working with his mother to steal from the schools.
“Why don’t you start me on a different computer than the target one, and I’ll work my way to her cubicle.” Sophie held up her zippered bag. “I brought plastic nodes to plant. Most of them are dummies, but I will put a live one on Kanekoa’s computer.”
“Perfect.”
Cho led Sophie to the first of six cubicles, and indicated the target with her head as they walked past a black-haired woman industriously working on a spreadsheet. Once she’d explained that Sophie was here to install security software on their computers, Cho went back to her office.
Sophie introduced herself politely, sent the accountant for a coffee break, and installed the dummy node.
She worked her way to Kanekoa’s cubicle, and smiled brightly in the doorway, holding up her kit. “Good morning. I’m Sophie Smithson with Security Solutions, and I’m here to add a security upgrade to your unit.”
Jana Kanekoa stood up with a smile. She wore a tropical print aloha shirt down past her ample hips, and a pair of leggings with heeled shoes. Her long black hair was braided in a thick cable that nearly reached her waist. Sophie could easily imagine her dancing hula with that pretty hair swishing.
“Is this tech job something you went to college for?” Jana asked, surprising Sophie as she approached the computer.
“Not a bachelor’s degree,” Sophie said. “But I did take several certifications in programming and hardware tech.”
“I’m asking everyone I meet who’s in the computer business how they got where they are.” Kanekoa seemed talkative as she took up a position at the back of the cubicle, watching Sophie.
Sophie felt sweat prickling under her arms as she knelt in front of the computer. Did this woman know something more than usual? Would she detect the casting device Sophie was installing? “What is your interest?”
Kanekoa shrugged. “I’m raising a brilliant kid who’s great with computers. I’m trying to present different pathways to him.”
An unexpected opportunity! Sophie set aside her kit and turned to face Kanekoa, still on her knees in front of the computer’s plug-in area. “Oh, I’m always interested in young people who have a talent for tech. Tell me about your son.”
“Conrad is a real genius.” Kanekoa’s eyes gleamed with pride. “He got into Kama`aina Schools on a scholarship. He is so good with computers that they let him fix up the school’s lab and update all the units with the latest software!”
“You must be so proud. Has he ever gotten in trouble with hacking into something he shouldn’t have?” Sophie smiled in a conspiratorial way. “I certainly did when I was a teen.”
Kanekoa flapped a hand dismissively. “Oh, no. He’s a good boy. I’m a single mother. He would never endanger anything for us, since we live from paycheck to paycheck.” She seemed to realize she was over-sharing, and clapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I do go on and on. I’ve had too much coffee this morning!”
Sophie shook her head as she opened her computer kit. “No problem at all. Sometimes my job is quite lonely, so I always enjoy talking to people when I have a chance.”
“Usually it’s men doing this kind of work,” Kanekoa observed. “What got you into the tech business?”
Sophie took out the casting device. She plugged it into one of the ports on the side of Kanekoa’s unit. She had come up with an explanation that made sense in case any of the accountants asked her for more information. “You’re going to have to restart the system to activate this security device. What it does is help keep other devices from trying to breach your unit. It’s an exterior firewall.”
Kanekoa nodded. “That makes sense. We handle a lot of sensitive information. Beverly is always concerned about making sure we have the highest security.”
Sophie sat back on her heels. “As to your earlier question, I just always had an aptitude for—how do I say it . . . figuring things out. I like to find better ways to do things. And once I got my hands on a computer, it drew me into another world. A world where I felt comfortable, where I instinctively knew the language. I don’t have a better way of explaining it.”
Kanekoa gave a huge smile. “That’s exactly what my boy Conrad says!”
She was so likable.
Kanekoa pulled out her chair and sat down. “This job was a godsend. I was just doing minor bookkeeping for a few stores, when I saw an ad for Peerless. Working here is a real career, and I found my way into it because I was good at numbers! But I want so much more for my son, and he deserves that.” A shadow seemed to pass across her visage.
Sophie honed in on that. “Why?”
“Conrad had a rough start. My husband and I adopted him when he was three, and his biological parents had exposed him to a lot of neglect. We don’t think he was actively abused, but he wasn’t given the kind of affection a baby needs, and it affected him. And since my husband left, he’s been really withdrawn.” Kanekoa clapped her hand over her mouth again. “I can’t believe I’m telling you my life story! I’m so sorry. Conrad says I have diarrhea of the mouth.”
Kanekoa had one of those “glass faces” that Marcella had said were so easy to read; she was definitely hiding something, and it showed in her eyes, in her demeanor.
Sophie patted the woman’s knee. “I’m so glad you told me all of this. It makes my day to have been able to make a genuine connection with someone.”
“Oh, me too. Thanks for listening.” Kanekoa gave Sophie a hug goodbye. “Don’t work too hard, now.”
Clearly, something was on this woman’s mind, and she had chosen to confide in Sophie in a way that left her vulnerable. Whatever happened going forward with the case, Sophie was going to do her best to protect Jana Kanekoa and her son.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Raveaux
Day 9
The next day, Raveaux came in from his early morning lap swim in Waikiki Bay to find an urgent text on his phone from Leede. “Get down to my office, Pierre! The security detail watching the target computer has nabbed a suspect at the school!”
Raveaux grabbed his towel off the sand, turning for a brief look at the turquoise water that had felt so refreshing. He enjoyed the waving palms, the seabirds, the arc of beach peopled by only a few early morning walkers. He’d decided to start looking for a more permanent dwelling, somewhere that he could have a pet of some kind, but he would miss being right next to the ocean and being able to swim every day. Maybe he would get lucky and find an apartment near the water that allowed animals.
Raveaux hurried to his apartment, pausing to wash the sand off his feet before taking a shower inside. Under the fall of water, soaping up, he thought of Sophie.
Smooth tawny skin. Shapely legs. The curve of her breasts. Those mysterious tattoos down her thighs, along her arms. Droplets of water falling from her lips; the way her neck arched.
The fact that she was pregnant only made her more attractive to him—was that perverse? He didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. No one knew what went on in his own private mind. He was deeply satisfied with the progress they had made in friendship. He was so grateful for the gift she had offered him in having a role with her children.
All of that was enough for now. And in the meantime, he was only human if he enjoyed the attention of a few other women for casual activities.
He shaved, dressed, and summoned a rideshare to Leede’s office.
Leede opened the door. “You’re a sight for sore eyes, Pierre.”
Leede’s rhinestone glasses were in place, her white hair in a bun, and she wore one of those suits that made her look eighty. “I see Inspector Hermione Leede is in residence,” he said. “That orange really becomes her.”
“You’re onto my wicked ways.” Leede extended a tiny fist.
“Open up, I have something for you.”
Raveaux held out his hand, palm up. Leede opened hers, and dropped a key into it. “You no longer need to knock. Let yourself into my office anytime.”
Raveaux’s neck flushed. He wasn’t sure what to say. “Thank you,” he managed.
Leede took in his expression and tipped her head back to laugh. “Haha! I have rendered Monsieur Pierre Raveaux speechless. Excellent!” She scooped her messenger bag off the desk. “We’re taking my car and heading for Kama`aina Schools. They have the suspect in custody.”
Raveaux followed her brisk walk as they exited the building and climbed into the boat of a Cadillac. Raveaux belted himself in as Leede hoisted herself onto her booster seat, adjusted the mirrors, pedal support, and steering wheel to her satisfaction, and roared out of the parking garage, hardly looking to the left as she turned onto the busy avenue. Raveaux cringed as he heard a screech of tires, and shut his eyes for the drive to Kama`aina Schools.
Dr. Stuart Ka`ula wore the disconcerting scowl that appeared to be an essential part of his standard uniform. “Follow me.”
He’d met them at the entrance to the main office, an area neither Raveaux nor Leede had seen before. They walked down an immaculate, dignified hallway lined with cultural artifacts installed on the walls: an antique Hawaiian canoe paddle, sections of preserved kapa cloth, even a framed, professionally mounted royal feather cape.
Ka`ula opened a heavy teak door at the end, ominously labeled Headmaster, and led them inside his office. A large, burly Hawaiian man in a school logo shirt with “Security” emblazoned upon it, stood with his arms crossed against one wall.