Susan Sleeman - Thread of Suspicion

Question was, who would do such a thing? Was it one of the owners, Timothy Revello or the conspicuously absent Luke Baldwin? She was hired to locate the problem, not prove who perpetrated it, but she couldn’t let a traitor go free.

She could track the transmission through the internet service provider, and that meant she needed Derrick’s help. She dug out her phone and dialed her twin brother.

“Do you still have that friend at Northwest Internet?” she asked the minute he answered.

“Yeah,” he replied skeptically.

“I need an address for one of their clients.”

He didn’t respond right away, and she was tempted to ask again. But while she made snap decisions, he often needed to process information first, so she waited, tapping her foot on the floor and feeling as if time physically ticked away. She glanced at the clock on her computer. The demonstration would start any minute now, and she needed to get to the conference room to tell General Wilder and his joint military committee about her findings.

“I don’t know, sis,” Derrick finally said. “Stan’s a contact you don’t want to burn. He’s helped me a lot lately, and I don’t want him to get into trouble.”

“This is important, Derrick.”

He snorted. “You always say that.”

“This time I mean it.” He’d agree if she offered details of her discovery, but she wouldn’t do that until she’d put together a comprehensive report for their family’s private investigations agency.

“You promise you won’t ask me to talk to Stan again after this?”

“Promise,” she said, but her response didn’t ring true even in her own ears.

“That didn’t sound real convincing.”

“It’s hard to make a promise like that. What if we faced a life-or-death situation and Stan could save someone’s life? I’d go back on the promise then. Or what if—”

“Enough.” He laughed good-naturedly. “I got it. I’ll call Stan.”

She rattled off the network login information Stan would need. “This is urgent. As in, I need the information now.”

“Don’t worry. I got it. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” He disconnected.

She went back to the software and started her written report for the general. In less than ten minutes, her phone chimed a text. She grabbed it from the desk and smiled when she saw Derrick had come through with the address she needed. She plugged it into a database they often used to locate people, and a name flashed on the screen in front of her.

“Really?” she whispered in surprise as she spotted the name of a SatCom associate, then sat back with a satisfied sigh.

God was smiling on her today. She’d located her first ever traitor, possessed the evidence to prove it and was only moments away from exposing him at the demonstration.

* * *

Inside SatCom’s modern two-story building, Luke rounded the corner to the conference room. The three-member military procurement committee and two of his staff members sat around a long table. Tim, wearing his usual jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt, paced at the head of the table. A tall, slender woman with softly waving blond hair stood at the side. Her back was to Luke, but he could still see her hands in motion as she spoke.

The infamous consultant Dani Justice, he assumed. And if she was attending the demonstration, their software was most likely corrupt as the anonymous caller had claimed.

Could this be the end of his company? Of his reputation? Of everything he’d worked for?

He dragged in a breath but came up thirsting for more, his heart racing.

Breathe, he told himself. Just slow down and breathe. Your team needs you. Fight the problem, but do it the right way.

Calm. Respectful. Befitting a former SEAL.

He slowed to compose himself. No point in barging in the room with a crazed glare as if he’d crawled out of a combat zone.

“Your software has been altered, Mr. Revello.” Ms. Justice’s voice, filled with passion, carried out the door. “I found a backdoor, fully compromising it.”

Luke’s feet completely faltered for a moment as shock from her confirmation washed over him. A surprised murmur traveled through the committee and several mouths dropped open. Luke had no clue what a backdoor was, but he clearly understood someone had compromised Crypton as the anonymous caller had claimed.

“Is this possible, Mr. Revello?” General Wilder asked, though his expression said he’d already decided it was true.

He thinks we sabotaged the software on purpose. Luke’s heart sank.

“No one here would do such a thing,” Tim answered emphatically.

Ms. Justice pulled her shoulders back, looking even taller than the five-ten or so he pegged her at. “The software wasn’t modified internally. It was done by remotely logging on to your network.”

“No,” Tim said again, but this time his voice had fallen to a whisper. “Our network security is top-notch.”

Tim was melting down. Luke needed to get in there. He rushed toward the door.

“Do you have proof of this breach, Dani, and can you find the person responsible?” Wilder asked.

She took a few steps closer to the table. “The best I can do until I have time to dig deeper is to give you the physical address where the transmission originated.”

Luke stepped into the room and met Wilder’s quizzical gaze. He came to his feet, his chair shooting back and hitting the wall as whispers filled the room. “Baldwin,” he said. “You look terrible. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Luke smiled, but he had to force his lips to turn up. “I apologize for being late. I ran off the road last night and was trapped in my car until an hour ago.”

Wilder let wizened eyes rove over Luke. “And you’re sure you’re fit to be here?”

“Fine.”

“Then you should know there’s a problem.” Wilder took his seat. “We were just about to start the demonstration when Dani told us the software has been sabotaged.”

“I heard her outrageous claim from the hallway.” Luke met Ms. Justice’s damning gaze, firing back with as much strength as he could muster.

She crossed her arms. “It’s not outrageous, Mr. Baldwin. I have verifiable proof that your network was remotely accessed and the software modified.” The zeal in her large brown eyes told Luke she spoke the truth.

“I will, of course, need to see the proof, but at least we now know about the issue and can fix it.” Luke faced Wilder again. “Since the sabotage came from outside the company, I hope you’ll give us a chance to correct the problem and still consider Crypton for this contract.”

“I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear, Mr. Baldwin,” Ms. Justice jumped in, her full focus pinned on Luke. “The transmission may have come from outside the company, but it originated from a SatCom employee’s home address.”

“What?” Wilder slammed a hand on the table making everyone jump. “Give us the address, Dani, so we can expose this traitor.”

She rattled off a local address, her eyes never leaving Luke’s face.

Impossible.

Shock iced over Luke’s heart and his legs felt as if they would no longer hold him upright. He hissed out a breath and searched for a response that not only wouldn’t end his career, his company, his dream, but also wouldn’t land him in jail for espionage.

Ms. Justice took a deep breath then added, “I’ll let Mr. Baldwin tell you who resides at that address.”

Luke couldn’t speak.

“You obviously know who lives there,” Wilder said after a few moments, his focus locked on Luke. “I suggest you share it with us, or the committee and I will walk.”

Luke planted his hands on the table for support, pulled back his aching shoulders and met Wilder’s penetrating gaze head on. “I live there, General. It’s my home address.”