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They’d been looking for a person in common, somebody linking these two victims, but maybe the technological common factor was more important still. Maybe these crimes were linked up to the actual command console of the smart homes that the victims lived in.
“How do we find out who the supplier is?” Connor asked.
“We can look inside it. Where can I find a screwdriver?” She looked around. The tip of a steak knife would work as well.
“Here you go.” Seeing the direction of her gaze, Connor moved over to the knife rack. He took out one of the steak knives and passed it to her.
Cami inserted the tip of the serrated blade into the screw. She turned it carefully. It slipped once, but she tried again, even more slowly and cautiously. The screw turned. She did the next one, then the next, and then the last, placing each screw carefully on the counter. One of the rules of being a hacker was that when you were dealing with any hardware, you absolutely needed to keep track of every last screw and chip and cable. The puzzle had to be replaced the way you found it.
She eased the cover off and took a look underneath. The implementation was well done. Wires had been neatly positioned and carefully connected. It was professionally done, and there had been room left for further additions in the future. This was no fly-by-night company. Someone who knew what they were doing had done this. But who?
What was this? It was right at the bottom of the console, half hidden behind a cluster of wires. Gently, using the handle of the knife, Cami eased them aside.
A tiny name was printed there.
Steadfast.
“I think we’ve got it,” she said. “Steadfast.”
“That’s the company name?”
“I’m checking now.”
Right there, standing by the counter, she opened her phone and went looking.
“Steadfast Electronics. Small boutique firm that was started up just four years ago from a splinter competitor of a larger firm. They specialize in smart home technology in the Boston area, and they are growing fast, now with clients in other areas of Connecticut and in five other states on the east coast. They now total more than a hundred employees.” That was a lot, Cami thought. But maybe they could narrow it down.
“Where’s their headquarters? Who’s their CEO?”
“His name’s Barney Sutherland and he’s here, at the Boston head office.”
Nodding decisively, Connor turned to the door.
“Barney Sutherland may have the answers we need,” he said. "But we need to get there fast because we're running out of time."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Do you think their head office will still be open?” Cami asked Connor, realizing what he meant. It was already after five. The day had flown by. With all the driving they had done, with all the leads that hadn’t panned out, office hours were over, and Barney Sutherland might not be available.
Getting face to face with him might not be as easy as they had hoped.
“The sooner we know, the better,” Connor decided. He didn’t wait. Standing right there in the hallway, he made the call to Steadfast’s offices.
Cami made a disappointed face as she heard the automatic voicemail service kick in for the after-hours messaging, but Connor wasn’t giving up. He hung on, listening to the recording, and right at the end there was an emergency number.
“Let’s give this a try,” he said calmly.
He dialed it, waited, and then took a breath as it was answered.
“Yes,” he said. “You can help me. It’s agent Connor here from the FBI. We urgently need to speak to your CEO in connection with a case. Can you help me with his number?”
Listening to the clacking voice that replied – Cami couldn’t make out the words – she realized immediately that this was not going to be easy. Connor was going to have to use all his persuasive powers, and even then, the power of the corporate machine and its strict rules could prevent this person from giving out the number, assuming they knew it in the first place.
But she might have a quicker way. Although CEO’s phone numbers were usually off the record for obvious reasons, Steadfast had only started four years ago. They were a newcomer to the market, and because of that, the CEO might still have his number somewhere out on the internet.
While Connor was engaged in a battle with the emergency operator, Cami looked up Barney Sutherland and immediately found a few hits. He had a business profile that told her he was forty years old and had worked for a few other technology companies before moving into the smart home space. He sponsored a few charities. Here was a hit on a sporting site – he was a runner. He ran marathons.
Cami’s eyes narrowed. This represented her best possible chance, she thought. A marathon runner would have his personal cellphone registered on the race sites. It would be in the record, together with all the other information. So now all she needed to do would be to find a way into one of the sporting sites.
