Fatal Transaction (Thriller & Suspense, Cyber Crime) (6 page)

Chapter 12

“I
see our test worked.”

Sara heard him coming up the steps this time.

Like a watchdog, Mike tagged along behind Levy.

“Of course. I told you I could do it.” Her voice held more confidence than she felt.

Levy was in a good mood today. “I’ll get the others started today. Kai can handle this end for now.”

Not good news. Sara wasn’t sure what he had planned for her, but she needed to stay on the project for at least another week or so. She still needed a new passport, and she needed to install the code that would allow her to steal Levy’s money once she was gone. She planned for everything to come together the Saturday after next.

“One successful test doesn’t mean it’s ready. That only showed that the basic code works. I still need to run several more tests using the different merchant service numbers and vendor names. If only one of the iterations works, it will take no time at all for the FBI to shut us down and put us all in jail.”

Levy stared down at Sara. “Kai can handle that. It’s only looking at test results.”

Giving a forced laugh, Sara looked at the other woman. “And if there’s a problem?”

Levy shifted his attention to Kai. “Can you handle a problem like that?”

Kai glanced from Sara to Levy. “That’s her part of the code. I was on bank transfers. Setting up the routing through the different countries. I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

Levy wheeled his attention back to Sara. “How long?”

It only sounded like a question. He had his schedule, and she had to stick to it.

“Same as before. A week and a half to make sure everything works. After that, Kai can take over.”

“When can we add more cards?”

“I need to run a couple more tests today, but you can add two cards now, and we’ll add more cards next week.”

Levy shifted his stance. “Good. I want to be ready to add other cities in just a few more weeks.”

Perfect
. “That should work.”

“Once it’s fully working, train Kai to set up the other locations.”

Levy turned toward Kai. “I want you in New York by the start of next month. Learn everything you need to in order to duplicate the setup.”

Kai nodded.

Sara thought,
No way am I showing you how this really works
.

***

The office emptied promptly at 4:30, and thirty minutes later Derry was thinking of dinner. Within the hour, he headed out the door. Upon arriving at Jasper’s, he hoped to see the girl sitting in the same spot as the night before, but the table was empty. He knew it was too much to hope for. She didn’t eat any of the food last time. Why would she come back?

“Ah, you have returned. Come in.” Jasper took him to the same seat that he had occupied the previous evening. “Is this okay?”

“Yes, this is fine.” Derry peered at the empty table across from his. He was disappointed. Picking up the menu, he again attempted to read it. Hearing the front door open, he shifted his gaze to the entrance. The woman he’d been waiting for walked in.

She looked better tonight, fresher. She had beautiful brown hair. He hoped she’d return to the same table. This time he wasn’t disappointed.

Jasper approached Derry. “Have you decided?”

He couldn’t understand the menu tonight any better than last night. “I’ll have the moussaka.”

“Again? See, I told you it was good.” Jasper headed toward the kitchen.

Derry pulled out his phone to access the web. Next time, he planned to order something different.

But instead of doing research on Greek food, he stole glances at the woman. Although she physically resembled Tami, this woman acted nothing like her. Tami had a smile that could melt his heart. This woman carried a permanent scowl that only changed in its depth.

Derry ate slowly, studying her when he could.

Why was he so enthralled with her? She wasn’t friendly, and judging by last night, she and the owner might be up to something illegal. She ate very little of the food, but what she did eat, she ate with all the grace and charm of a pig at a trough. Was it sorrow he felt for her? If so, why?

She held up the credit card in the same manner as the night before. Glancing at her plate, Derry noticed that most of the meal remained.
Well, she’s certainly not here for the food
.

Jasper swung by for the card. The woman pulled it in just before his hand touched it. Stopping, Jasper peered down at her.

Her scowl deepened. “I told you it would work.”

“Yeah, well, one time. So what?” He snatched the card and left the table.

Before Jasper returned, two young men came in. They glanced over at the woman, and one of them gave her a nod. She returned their gaze with the same scowl she’d given Jasper.

Does this woman hate everyone
?

Jasper returned with her credit card and receipt. He took note of the two men. “Are they part of your team?”

“You think they’re here for the food?” She signed the receipt and left.

Derry’s suspicions grew. He finished eating, and when he left, the two men were the only remaining customers.

How can a restaurant stay open with no business?

Derry returned to the software company’s office and continued his work.

***

Rising to his feet, Derry peered out the window across the room. The sun was disappearing behind the Rockies. It was around eight and time to go home.

As he rode the elevator down, he thought about his dinner at Jasper’s. Something was up with the woman’s credit card. But what? Coming into a restaurant and buying dinner was not a crime.

If she was using stolen credit cards, the owner would know after the first night, wouldn’t he? Or at least he should. So why would he take a card from her again? Were they part of some credit card ring? That would explain how a restaurant with no business could survive in downtown Denver. But that would be dumb. The cops would be on top of them in no time at all, and Jasper would lose his restaurant. No, it had to be something else.

And what was it with those other two men? One of them acted like he knew the woman.

At home, Derry’s thoughts carried him into the backyard. He needed to focus on something besides the woman. Maybe running through some karate routines would help.

“You’re back here, I see.” His friend’s voice broke his routine. Lamar came walking around the side of the house.

“Hey.” Derry grabbed his shirt and slipped it back on.

“Didn’t mean to interrupt. Just stopped by to see how things were going. Things still a little rough?”

“What makes you think that?”

“You’re out here after nine, working up a good sweat. Are you having trouble getting past what happened to your mom?”

Lamar was a good friend. Even though he was as hard as they come on the outside, he was very caring on the inside, especially when it came to those he thought of as family.

“No, that’s not it this time, but thanks for asking. The new job has helped there.”

“Long hours?”

“Ten plus hours a day.”

“And still not tired?”

“It’s—” Derry cut himself off.

“Something you want to talk about?”

He wasn’t sure he would make any sense. “Not yet, but I will let you know when I’m ready.”

“I’m always available if you need to talk.” Lamar glanced at the garage. “Make any progress on the guesthouse?”

“Some. Kevin said he’d be around this weekend to give me a hand. You want something to drink? Coke, water, anything?”

“Sure. My mouth’s dry. Coke sounds good. But you know, there are other types of pop besides Coke.”

“Not in my house.”

Lamar preferred Dr. Pepper, but he wasn’t around enough for Derry to buy it. Derry stepped into the house and grabbed two Cokes. Returning, he gave one to Lamar.

“Was it Mary that got you hooked on Coke? She always keeps it around for special occasions.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Derry’s stepfather never had anything around the house to drink but water and beer. He said pop cost too much. Like beer didn’t? “When are you going to marry Mary, anyway?
You
know,
I
know, and I’ll bet most of the kids at Mary’s know, you love her.”

The big man shifted his gaze away from Derry. “My life ain’t no life to share with a woman like her. She could do much better than me. Besides, she needs someone who can really help her with all those kids. I’m gone too much, and at all hours of the night.”

Derry took a swig of his Coke. “Don’t you think she should decide that for herself?”

Lamar moved toward the future guesthouse. “You want to show me what you’ve gotten done?”

Derry smiled inwardly at Lamar’s poor attempt to change the subject. He decided to give in to him this time. “Sure, come on.” Derry opened the back door to the garage. It faced the main house. “Anything to avoid talking about Mary, huh?”

Lamar mumbled, “Only the marriage part.”

Chapter 13

D
riving up US-36, Sara reminisced about the last time she had come to Estes Park. It had been when she was just a little girl, before her dad died. Before her life was destroyed. As she came down the hill and viewed the city below, it appeared nearly untouched by time.

Passing through town, she pulled into the parking lot near the post office. The post office door looked just like Google Maps showed it. She let out a long slow breath. Even though she was sure she had lost Levy’s men, she was still nervous. She grabbed her pack and headed inside to rent a PO box. It was easier than she’d expected: three months deposit, longer then she needed, but easily handled. She paid and headed back to her car.

***

Sitting in the coffee shop, finishing off a cup of coffee and a sweet roll, Ben was thankful for his new job. It got him out of this tourist trap of a town, and allowed him to move back down to the city. And the work was easy enough. He spent most of his first week following some lady around Denver. He only lost her a couple of times, but Mr. Levy didn’t need to know that. Today, he had returned one last time to Estes to get the rest of his stuff.

A woman walking past the window caught his attention. She should, since he’d been following her all week.

What is she doing up here?

Ben contemplated rushing out of the coffee shop to follow her, but thought better of it. It was his day off. Why work any harder than he needed to?

He watched Sara move to her car. As she pulled out of the parking lot, he wondered if Mr. Levy knew about her being in Estes Park?

Most likely not.

Maybe he could score some points on Monday by telling Mr. Levy about Sara’s weekend activities. Ben took another sip of his coffee and leaned back in the booth. The waitress came by and asked if he needed a refill. She was cute. Sitting there, he knew there were some things about this town he’d miss.

Chapter 14

“M
r. Levy, I saw something the other day.”

Levy kept walking toward his office as he gave Ben an irritated glance. “And you expect a reward for that?”

“It was Sara.” Ben fell in behind.

“I hired you to follow her. You’d better see her.”

“No, it wasn’t when I was following her.”

“Do you have a point to this aggravation, or do you not understand your job yet?”

“It was on Saturday.”

“Saturday.” Levy glanced over at Mike. “Get rid of this nuisance.”

Mike moved into Ben’s path, stopping him.

Ben twisted his body to see around Mike. “Mr. Levy, she was up in Estes.”

Levy stopped. Wheeling around, he stared at Ben. “Estes.” He shifted his attention to Mike. “What do you know about this?”

“Nothing, sir. This is the first I’ve heard of it.” Mike remained in place and did not take his gaze off Ben.

Being eight inches shorter than Mike and half his weight, Ben had trouble seeing Mr. Levy.

“Okay, come this way.”

Mike stepped out of Ben’s path. The three of them climbed the rest of the steps to Levy’s office. Once inside, Mike closed the door. Levy took his seat behind the desk. “Where did you see her and when?”

“On Saturday, up at Estes?”

“You told us that part.
Where
in Estes?”

“Outside the coffee shop.”

Levy peered at Mike.

Mike attempted to get more details. “He wants to know
exactly
where in Estes. What store was she coming out of?”

Ben split his attention between Levy and Mike. “I didn’t see that. She was in the big parking area in the western part of town, near the old movie theater.”

Levy took over the questioning again. “What was she doing?”

“Walking to her car.”

“Was she carrying any packages, like she’d been shopping?”

Ben shifted uncomfortably. He hadn’t expected the third degree. “She only had a pack. The one she takes with her everywhere. She could have had packages in it.”

“Was anyone with her?”

“No, not that I saw.”

“What time of day did you see her?”

Ben hadn’t thought to check the time, so he made it up. “Around noon, I think.”

Levy instructed Mike. “Find out what’s near that parking area. From here on out, someone follows her every day, not just during the week.”

“We have been keeping track of her through her phone.”

“Did you know she went to Estes?” Levy glared at Mike.

“No, sir. Her phone never left Denver.”

“So what does that tell you?”

“That she knows we can track her phone, and that she’s up to something that she doesn’t want us to know about.”

“Who’s following her now?” Levy glanced at Ben.

“I know I was supposed to follow her all day, but I thought I should tell you what I saw this past weekend. All she’s been doing today is going to stores, spending money like mad. Same as last week.” Ben wasn’t about to tell Mr. Levy he’d lost her again. That would cost him his job.

“Stop thinking and do what you’re told.”

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s all.”

Ben headed for the door. He wanted out of the office before Levy decided to ask any more questions.

Levy shifted toward Mike. “Check the GPS on Sara’s phone to see where she is. Then call her and make sure she has her phone with her. Tell her I need an update.”

***

“I need the passport this week—by Friday, at the absolute latest.” Sara paced back and forth on the street about three blocks from her office as she listened to the man on the other end of the phone.

“Yes, I want it sent to my PO box. Is that a problem?”

The man wanted to make sure Sara put her physical address as her home address on the DS-11 form.

“I don’t use my home address for mail. I’ve had too many things stolen by others in my apartment building. If I use my physical address on the form, are you sure the passport will be mailed to the PO box?”

“Yes, as long as you list the box as your mailing address.” The man was calm, too calm for Sara. This was too important for him to mess up.

“Good. Now where do I need to go for verification of my ID?”

He gave her a list of sites around the Denver area.

Taking a risk, Sara decided to use the closest location, hoping no one there would recognize her. Before hanging up, she asked the man one more time, “Now, if I overnight you this form, how long will it take?”

“If everything is in order, no more than one or two days. We will overnight your passport back to your PO box. It will be there no later than Friday.”

Finally satisfied, Sara hung up the phone and headed over to the closest U.S. Post Office housing a passport office.

Twenty minutes after entering the building, she walked out. Her escape day was less than a week away. For the first time in months, she was elated. Next week she would be free.

She jumped as her phone rang. Pulling it out, she noted the name of the caller.
Mike
. She started to hit the reject button, but realized that would only antagonize him, and she wanted to keep things running as smoothly as possible for the rest of the week. “What do you want?” Her tone echoed her dislike for him.

“Levy wants to know where you’re at.”

Unsure if Mike had used the cell phone’s GPS to find her location, Sara needed to give an answer to satisfy him. “I just parked my car, and I’m heading over to Colfax to run the card at another store. I need to find out what happens if the card is full when it’s run.” This was something she had tested the other day, but only she knew that.

“Levy wants you back at the office ASAP.”

Sara did not want to go back. Each day she hated that place more. “I’m almost done here, then I was going to head over to Jasper’s for another test run.”

The phone was quiet for a moment. “You can go by later tonight. Mr. Levy wants an update from you. Be here in fifteen minutes.” The phone went dead.

She closed her phone. Now was not the time to push Levy or Mike. Soon it would be over, and once she was free she could send them an untraceable email, rubbing their noses in it.