“If I can get that, Gene, I can get you a general area of where he is currently.”
Well, easier said than done.
This dude was popping up all over the place and moving around undetected.
Corpus Christi.
Washington D.C.
Damascus.
He was like that mole in the game that popped up, and you had to hit it before it went back under.
“How the holy fuckity is he hiding so well?” he asked. “He’s some real estate hocker, whose daddy gave him all of his money. How is he disappearing so fucking fast?HOW?”
She had bad news for him.
“His financials have the distinct fingerprints of another hacker on them. He’s paid for the anonymity. That’s another reason I need immediate and recent.”
Well, shit.
As someone who worked outside the box, he knew exactly what she was saying.
“He’s been wiped?”
She nodded.
“Yeah, pretty much. He had someone go in and change things, so anyone going in after him won’t be able to figure out what’s going on. Picture it like this. You have twenty balls of yarn. Each end is a path. He’s paid someone to take all twentyballs, and put them in a dryer where they get spun around, unrolled, and unraveled. Then, they get all knotted up. You’re asking me to go in, find one end, and pull it from the chaos. Can it be done? Yes. Can it be done quickly? No. Not even MATE can dig through this chaos that fast.”
He sighed.
Why did that give him a headache? Because he was stressed, Gene rubbed his hands through his hair in frustration.
“I’m sorry.”
He stopped her.
“It’s not you, Gabs. We’re all on edge here. There’s this feeling of doom. Like it’s about to blow big holes in theS.S. Blackhawk, and we’re going to go down. The captain is holding on, but she’s not doing well.”
Gabby hated that her friend was suffering. She wished there was something she could do.
Then, it hit her.
“When this is over, everyone should take a vacation. You guys could come here early. I know everyone is heading here for Ian and Gryphen’s wedding, but there’s still a mystery left to solve regarding the castle.”
Gene laughed.
Oh, he appreciated that, but he knew the truth.
“Yeah, but does Elizabeth want to head to a haunted castle when she’s frazzled? That seems counterproductive. She might re-kill everything and laugh while doing it. That ghost won’t have a chance.”
Gabby laughed.
It was absurd, but she got it.
“Good point.”
Tapping his fingers, he glanced over at Chris. He was asleep on Elizabeth’s couch. He’d worked all night, and he needed some downtime.
