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He shrugged. “I told you. He got caught on a phone call. He’ll be out soon.” He glanced around the off-site space where The Real Connection housed its backups. “Pretty spiffy.”
I nodded. “It is.”
“Remember what I told you about this guy. Don’t take offense.”
“Right. No handshakes, stay out of his space, don’t get personal.”
“Yeah, he’s a bit jumpy.”
A moment later, the man himself appeared. Jeff Drew was tall, the word rotund coming to mind. Heavyset, his scalp gleaming under the bright lights, he shuffled his way over. His hazel eyes were large behind thick glasses, his scruff helping hide a thick chin. He nodded at us. “Gentlemen.”
I nodded back, not offering my hand. “Damien DeSalvo. Thank you for your cooperation.”
He ran a hand along his bald head, his thick wedding band catching the light. “I built this site so people could find their soul mate. Get to know someone without seeing them first.” He smiled ruefully. “My wife and I met online years ago. We talked for weeks before meeting or exchanging pictures. She didn’t care about my appearance. She cared about the man she had come to know. I used that idea to develop this app. To think someone is using the site to stalk women? It’s horrifying. Of course I want to help.” He shook his head, his eyes sad. “Please follow me.”
We entered a room filled with equipment. He sat down in front of a monitor, the chair squeaking under his weight. “Let’s see what we can find.”
* * *
“I have no idea what has happened. How is this possible?” Jeff’s voice was incredulous. Confused. Anxious.
“It’s possible because he knows what he is doing. Somehow he is in and out, getting what he wants and deleting his trail before your backups are done,” Egan mused. “He’s good. Better than I thought.”
Jeff passed a hand over his head. I noticed it was something he did when upset or nervous. He did it a lot, and I had a feeling being in this room with us made him extremely anxious. He also cleared his throat a great deal and constantly had a candy in his mouth. In the closed-in space, despite the cool air, I could smell his cologne. The overtones were heavy, musky, and somewhat unpleasant. I tried to keep my breathing shallow.
I had to wonder how deep his tension ran. If he had been diagnosed with a disorder. He certainly showed many of the signs.
He turned and faced us, his eyes anxious and damp. “I am sorry, gentlemen, there seems to be nothing I can do to help you find this man. I have, however, instructed my team, and they have implemented more safety features and have added some functions that will alert us immediately if a profile is built using any of the words this Andy person used. It will log every keystroke, and regardless of what he does, they will not be eliminated. If this happens, I will forward you the information right away.”
We stood, hearing the dismissal in his tone. “We are happy to provide you with some extra cybersecurity we can implement,” I offered.
He stood, shaking his head. “I have looked into it and spoken with the company I had hired. They have fixed the firewalls. Tightened them. Anyone will have trouble getting in now. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.”
“It’s the least we can do. Let us show you what we can offer.”
He wavered. Jeff stepped to the side as I approached him. I laid my hand on the computer Jeff had been working on. “I think this Andy is very talented. He might find a way in.”
“Could it not happen with your solution?”
I sat down. “Can I show you? It will only take a moment.”
Jeff nodded, not looking happy. He obviously didn’t like the fact that we had discovered the weakness, but I was grateful he was setting aside his pride.
My fingers flew over the keyboard, moving so fast that no one could keep up—even Egan. Screens appeared and disappeared. I double-checked and nodded. “They have tightened it well,” I admitted. “But I think I could get in with a few more moments.” I hit some more keys. “Ours would stop them the first time it was attempted. Lock them down completely.”
Jeff peered at the screen from a safe distance. “Send me the parameters. I will look them over… shortly.”
His unspoken words were clear. Once we were gone. I sensed his uneasiness growing. The sweat was beading on his forehead, and he dabbed at the dampness several times with a handkerchief he took from his pocket. His dislike of being close to strangers was evident, and I knew we had to leave before he decided not to help us at all.
I stood. “I will.”
Jeff shifted, clearly uncomfortable.
“Thank you for your time,” I said.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t help your friend. But we will keep searching,” he assured us, opening the door and walking ahead of us.
I could smell his cologne, the scent hitting me again. Less concentrated, I realized I had smelled it before. I wasn’t sure when, but there was something familiar about it. Jeff offered us a tight smile then waited until we left the building. He hurried away, at least as quickly as he could hurry. His shuffle was more obvious the quicker he tried to move.
