Page 80 of John’s Yearning

“IP address, that’s it!” Savannah suddenly said excitedly. “The hacker.”

“What about the hacker?” John asked.

“Remember how he told you that he traced his boss by the email address he used and told you that each time it came from a different location? He was able to trace the IP addresses from wherever this man sent his email communications via the malware he’d sent in his link.” She snatched a quick breath. “Is the hacker still in one of your cells?”

“Yes. What do you need to know?”

“I need to find out if he kept a record of the IP addresses. And if the malware is still active and still sending data back to him.”

John reached for the phone and dialed a number. The call connected immediately. “Thomas? Can you talk to Otto Watson, the hacker we’ve got locked up downstairs, and ask him whether he kept a record of the IP addresses he tracked his boss’s email address to? Apparently, he tricked his boss into installing malware on his computer that tracks his IP.”

“Clever guy. When do you need it by?”

“Five minutes ago.”

“I’m on it.”

“Oh, and Thomas, when you have those IP addresses, send them to my computer. And can you somehow check whether the malware is still sending back any data we can use to pinpoint him in real time?”

“Sure.”

John hung up and looked at Savannah. “It won’t be long.” He moved behind his desk and sat down, then quickly logged into his computer. He turned up the volume on his notifications, then drummed his fingers on the desk.

Savannah started pacing. Donnelly rounded the desk and leaned against it, looking down at John.

“So, uh, Grayson said, the kidnappers were just, uh, regular guys, right? Any chance their boss is different?” he asked cautiously.

“Mike, you can stop being cryptic. Savannah knows about us. She knows what I am.” He slanted Savannah a look and she met it. “And she’s not afraid of us.” She’d touched his fangs, kissed him, trusted him. He couldn’t ask for more.

Donnelly said, “Oh, well, then we’re on the same page. So, you don’t think the kingpin is a vampire?”

“I can’t be sure, but at this point I see nothing that makes me suspect that he is. The kids didn’t know what time of day it was when he came to take Buffy.”

Just then, the computer pinged, and John looked at the screen. Thomas had sent him a file. He opened it. “The IP addresses. And a note. Thomas thinks the guy might have ditched his computer. Nothing has pinged back from it in the last couple of days.” He looked at Savannah. “What do you need me to do now?”

Savannah was already walking around the desk. “Let me sit. I’ll do it.”

He made way for her and let her take his seat.

He watched her as her fingers flew over the keyboard and her right hand clicked the mouse, copying and pasting items, plotting them on a map, and doing so over and over again. She was confident in what she was doing, and driven. Ten minutes later, she turned her head. “I’ve got all the locations. Detective, we just need to overlay this map with one containing all dry cleaners in the area and see if any match.”

Donnelly nodded. “No problem. Let me do that.” He motioned to the keyboard. “May I?”

Savannah got up and Donnelly took her seat. “I’ll just need to log into our database,” he explained. “Give me a sec.”

John put his hand on Savannah’s shoulder, squeezing it gently, and she smiled at him for the first time since he’d returned from Russia with bad news. Finally, he could see hope blossoming in her eyes again.

“Here we go,” Donnelly said after a few moments and pointed to the screen showing a large map of the city. “Bingo.” He pointed to several of the locations that Savannah had marked. “All these are dry cleaners, or dry cleaning facilities. This is good. I’ll make a few calls, see what the department has on these locations and the owners and their employees. It might take an hour or two. Can I stay here and use your office?”

“Of course,” John said. “We’ll help you with anything you need.”

Donnelly waved him off. “Nothing for you to do right now. Why don’t you take a few moments to relax and let me work on this?”

“I get the feeling you’re throwing me out of my own office,” John said with a raised eyebrow.

“Glad you got the hint. I’ll ping you when I’ve got something.”

John nodded. “Come, Savannah.”