Fatal Transaction (Thriller & Suspense, Cyber Crime) (16 page)

Lamar’s voice carried into the house to Sara. For the first time in a long time, she felt a spark of hope.

Chapter 34

R
ays of light peeked around the window shade as Derry lay staring at the ceiling. Was it the first night back in his own bed, or his thoughts, which kept him from a restful night’s sleep? For the last two days, he had been unable to get the doubts out of his mind.

Was Sara hiding from her past, or hiding from the law?

Was he her savior, or her dupe?

Throughout the night, his thoughts and dreams had revolved around Sara and images of Jasper’s.

Lying in bed only made things worse. He threw off the sheet and rose. Moving across the room to the window, he stared out at the guesthouse. In the early morning light, it looked deserted, but it held secrets he longed to understand.

How long would she stay?

Was she the mastermind behind a huge crime cartel that spanned the country?

The answers had to be at Jasper’s, or perhaps just out the back door.

It was easier and safer to check out Jasper’s.

What do I look for?

Would I even know the answer if I saw it?

Derry had to do something, even if it meant learning what he was most afraid to know.

The tools at work could shed some light on this tangled mess. Thirty minutes later, he headed out the door.

***

The lack of furniture in the guesthouse didn’t bother Sara. She’d only be here a few days, a week tops. Derry loaned her an inflatable mattress to sleep on, and a folding table and chairs to use for now. He told her he put the word out at his church that she needed some furniture.

Yeah, she knew what kind of furniture people were willing to give away.
No, thank you
.

But it didn’t matter. She’d be gone before any furniture arrived. Derry was so naïve.

There were only two things she cared about: finding a way to Estes Park to retrieve her passport, and finding out how much of Levy’s money she had. The second would be much easier to accomplish than the first.

She turned on her computer. Waiting for it to boot up, she headed into Derry’s house for a bite to eat. It was after ten, and he’d left for work hours ago.

After making some toast and grabbing a cup of coffee, she headed back to the guesthouse, cutting across the lawn. A minute later, she was seated in one of the folding chairs, logging into her computer with one hand, holding a piece of toast in the other. She would check email later. First, she wanted to check on her money.

Logging into her offshore bank, she checked the deposits for the last day.

Nothing.

That’s weird. The money from the credit cards should have been deposited there by now.

***

Levy heard someone tap on his office door.

“Come.”

It was about time Mike showed up. For the past several days, he had been tracking down the names Kai had identified as possible leads on the man in the video. Levy was anxious for a report.

“I hope you have some good news.” Levy barely glanced up from his desk.

“Not as good as I had hoped. Out of the thirty-three names Kai came up with, I was able to narrow down the list to nine highly likely candidates. Seven live in or around the metro area, one just outside of Estes, and the last one in Nederland.”

“Nederland?”

“It’s a small town straight west of Boulder. Highway 7 connects it to Estes.”

“This man first showed up in Estes, then again near Highway 7?”

“Yes, sir.”

“So why are you in my office telling me about it? The Nederland contact is the most promising. Check him out. Then the one in Estes. If neither of them pans out, get back to me.”

As Mike left, Levy rotated his chair toward the window. It wasn’t much, but he finally had some leads. It was only a matter of time before he had the little thief.

***

Lunchtime came around, but Derry remained at his desk. Today had been busy, and this was the first chance he’d had to look up Jasper’s public records. Jasper Damaskinos bought the restaurant a few years ago. He took out a five-year loan with a balloon payment due at the end, the balance due being just under fifty percent of the value of the loan.

Dumb, dumb, dumb. More people lose everything they have with this type of financing.

The final payment had come due four months ago, and somehow Jasper had come up with the money. Considering how many customers Jasper’s had on a regular basis, this seemed impossible.

Finding no other pertinent information in this file, Derry accessed other public records in an effort to find out where he got the money. He followed a rabbit trail of paperwork before he found a reference to a foreign bank picking up the loan.

Why would a bank in Nigeria pick up Jasper’s loan?

Investigating Jasper’s personal records, Derry learned not only had he paid off the loan, but Jasper also bought a new house with a second loan from the same Nigerian bank. Something was not right. Derry reached for his phone.

“Hey, it’s Derry.”

“So it is. What’s going on?” Lamar came back.

“You got some time tonight?”

The line was quiet for a minute. “My last meeting’s at five. I’ll be home by seven. Will that work?”

“Yeah, want me to pick up some food?”

“Only if you plan on eating tonight.” Lamar chuckled.

“Takeout, it is. What would you like?”

“Surprise me.”

Derry hung up, and pulled a jump drive out of his pack. Inserting it, he made a copy of the files.

***

A light knock sounded at the door. “Enter.”

Kai stuck her head into the office.

“Yes?” Levy did not even look up.

“You wanted an update as soon as I located Sara’s account.”

“And?” It was the end of a long day, and Levy had plans for the evening.

“It’s at your bank.” Kai moved a few steps farther in, her hands fumbling nervously with each other.

“My bank?”

“Yes, your offshore bank. Sara’s transferring the money through the same route we set up months ago. The only thing she changed was the account number for the final location.”

Levy glanced at Kai’s hands. They were starting to really bug him. She stopped fumbling, and stuck them in her pockets.

He glanced back up at her face. “Why didn’t you see this before?”

“She’s using a different name.”

A new passport, a new identity. A new life. One she would
never
see. “What name?”

“Sara Ramos.”

Levy pushed his chair away from his desk. “Do you have her password?”

“Not yet. I’m working on it.”

“I’ll put a call into my contact at the bank. He owes me. Check other banks for accounts under that name. Make sure she doesn’t have other resources to draw on. I want her penniless.”

“That could take months.” She was fidgeting again.

“Think. Start with this bank and others in Abuja. Then check Denver. Run a credit report on her.”

“Yes, sir.” Kai wheeled around and left the room.

Levy scooted up to his desk. He had her now. No matter where she was hiding, Sara would need money. Take that away, and she would have to come up for air.

***

As Derry walked toward the door, the aroma of the Chinese food piqued his hunger. He found the door open, and Lamar waiting.

“Man, I could smell that food all the way down the hall. Come in, please. I’m starved.” Lamar held the door open as Derry passed.

Derry glanced down at Lamar’s midsection. “Starvation has a whole new look to it.”

“Hey, I haven’t had anything to eat since noon. The FBI’s on some new health kick. No snacks in the afternoon meetings.”

“Man, I bet that’s rough on you.”

Derry set the food on the dining room table. Lamar lived in a very nice apartment a few blocks from the FBI offices near the old Stapleton Airport.

“Which do you want? Kung Pao chicken or Szechuan shrimp?”

“How about half and half?” Lamar shut the front door, and headed to the kitchen.

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

He returned with plates, and Derry split the meals.

Lamar prayed over the food, then shoved a big bite into his mouth. “So, what’s up?”

The food lost some of its appeal as Derry thought about how to approach this subject with Lamar. He didn’t want to say something that would incriminate Sara.

“I found some information about Jasper’s that looks very fishy.”

“Jasper’s?”

“Yeah, it’s a restaurant downtown.” He glanced down at his food, taking a small bite before telling Lamar what he had learned that afternoon.

“I hope you have a good reason for looking at this restaurant’s records.”

Derry gave a hesitant, “I do—I think.”

With a deep breath, he told Lamar what he had seen and heard at Jasper’s in the past few weeks, leaving nothing out.

“You saw this, and didn’t want to tell me about it?” Disappointment laced Lamar’s words.

“I know. It was wrong.” Should he tell him everything about Estes and Mr. Levy, too? Maybe later.
Right now, it would only make things worse for Sara.

Lamar rested his hands next to his plate. “Okay, I’ll let it slide for now. Where’d you say the bank was located?”

“Nigeria.”

Lamar shoved another bite in his mouth. “There are a lot of reasons businesses get loans from overseas banks.” He set down his fork, and retrieved a briefcase that was sitting in the living room. “In many cases, it’s because U.S. banks won’t loan them the money. They might be too high-risk. The offshore banks can charge much higher interest rates, so they are willing to finance risky businesses.” He pulled out a laptop. “Sometimes the offshore banks do it because someone wants to own a piece of America. Giving a loan worth only half the value of the business, knowing the business is going under, allows them to buy it without all the red tape.” He sat down, and opened his laptop. Using one hand to eat with, he used the other to navigate computer files. “Here it is. Do you know the name of the bank in Nigeria?”

“It wasn’t in the file. It only listed the country and city, which was Abuja, the capital. Why? What are you looking at?”

“Oh, it’s just something that came up in the meeting today.”

“You’re looking into Jasper’s dealings?”

Lamar smiled a little. “Not yet. This has to do with the credit card case. There are several banks in Nigeria looking for easy money.” He raised his gaze over the top of the screen. “I need the name of the bank. Can you get it?”

“I should be able to.”

Lamar closed his computer and remained silent for several seconds. Softly, he said, “If this leads us where I’m thinking it will, I’d say you got yourself mixed up with the wrong young lady.”

“But what if she’s trying to go straight? Do the right thing?”

“You believe that?”

Chapter 35

S
ara paced around the backyard, barefoot and thinking. The warm sun alternating between her back and her face did nothing to calm her. Somehow, Kai had pulled or overwritten her changes to the credit card code, preventing the money from going into her account.
That’s the only way to explain it
. Then Kai went in and changed the login passwords, destroying any chance Sara had of ever changing the code again. She wasn’t sure which bothered her more: the fact that Kai was smart enough to think of changing the passwords, or that Sara hadn’t thought of doing it herself.

Dumb, really dumb
.

She stopped pacing and peered up at the clear blue sky.

This meant no more money from Levy—at least no more for now.

Resuming her trek across the yard, she realized it didn’t really matter in the long run. He could go ahead and store the money for her in his account. She still had one more trick—his new bank account information—but could only count on using it once. She’d have to wait until just the right time to move the rest of his money over to her account. For now, she’d have to be happy with the two million dollars she’d already taken. It was enough to get her anywhere in the world she wanted to go.

If Kai was smart enough to override her program, Sara wondered what else she could be up to. Maybe Kai was smart enough to find her.

Sara decided to play it safe, and leave soon. Taking a deep breath to mark the mental decision, she felt a sharp pain in her side. Her ribs were better, but not fully mended. A few more days would help, and Kai couldn’t find her that fast if she stayed out of sight.

Monday while everyone’s at work will be the perfect time to leave.

“Hey Sara, you busy?” Kevin startled her. He was peeking over the wooden privacy fence that surrounded Derry’s yard.

“No. What’s up?”

“A couple of things. First, before I forget, Natalie wants to know if you and Derry would like to join us on Sunday for dinner?”

He was smiling from ear to ear.

“I guess. What’s up?”

“We’ll tell you on Sunday. The other thing is, some men from my church just called. They’re bringing over some furniture for you. They’ll be here in about twenty minutes.”

Great. I’m getting a bunch of flea-infested throwaway junk to stink up my house. Well, only four more days, and I’ll be gone.

Sara plastered on a fake smile. “Sounds great.”

***

Seeing Mike coming in as he was heading out, Levy stopped for an update. “What do you have?”

“Both the Estes and Nederland leads were dead ends. I’m headed to meet with Kai right now. I have some ideas on how to narrow down the field.” Mike looked tired, but that didn’t matter to Levy. He wanted results. Everything else was irrelevant.

“This has gone on long enough. One useless little bit-brain
can’t be that hard to find. You either bring me Sara, or the person who’s hiding her by next week, or I’ll have no more use for you or Kai. Is that clear?”

“I won’t fail you this time. I want her as much as you do. If she’s anywhere in Colorado, I’ll find her.” Mike had lost his crooked smile.

Levy proceeded to his car. He had an important meeting to discuss the losses his other companies were incurring. The credit card scam was vital to his survival, and he would not let Sara or anyone else get in his way.

***

After a busy day, Derry headed home from work. He hadn’t found time to locate the name of the bank for Lamar. Maybe tomorrow. Part of him wasn’t sure he wanted to find the name. What if it showed Sara was behind the credit card fraud?

As he approached his block, something caught his attention in the alley running behind his house. A pickup truck sat near the guesthouse. Hitting the brakes, he backed up, wheeled around into the alley, and pulled up behind the truck. Two older men came out the gate from the yard. They moved toward the back of the pickup.

“Right on time I see. You could have shown up an hour ago,” one of the men remarked as Derry climbed out of his car.

“Hey, Norm. No one told me you were coming today. Some of us still have to work for a living.” Derry walked over to Norm and Bob, two men from his church. They each grabbed an end of a kitchen table and headed back through the gate. He grabbed two chairs and followed.

“Well, he made it just in time to watch us finish up.” Bob smiled across the table at Norm. “I don’t know about young kids these days, always showing up after the hard work’s done.”

They set the table in the kitchen, and Derry set the chairs near it. “It doesn’t look like that table is too heavy.”

“This load wasn’t bad. It was the first one that had all the heavy furniture.” Norm headed back out, Bob following.

Kevin was squatting on the floor, attaching the legs to the bottom of a couch. It looked brand new.

Sara stood off to one side, silent. Glancing away from Kevin, she nodded to Derry as she moved toward him. “I can’t believe how nice some of this is. Do I have to pay for this?”

He was glad to see Sara so surprised by the furniture.

Kevin tipped the couch up and slid it into place. “No, it’s all free. But if you want to pay someone, I’m always willing to take your money.”

She watched Bob and Norm carry in the last two chairs. “Where’d all this come from?”

“We pirated it, arrrr.” Bob’s imitation of a pirate was poor.

Sara giggled. “I believe it. People don’t give away stuff this nice.”

Bob continued in his pirate voice, “Nay, matey, but they do when they own a furniture store. Some of it come from the scratch-and-dent section. Stuff only an old sea dog like meself would want. The rest be from families in me church who want to help ye.” His imitation was getting worse. Sara giggled at him again.

“Come on, you old sea dog. My wife’s waitin’ dinner on us.” Norm grabbed Bob’s arm, and dragged him out. Kevin said goodbye, and followed the duo out the door.

After they left, Derry observed Sara running her hand along the back of the couch. She moved to the kitchen table. It wasn’t new, but still nice. She appeared quite pleased.

Could she really be the mastermind behind the theft of millions of dollars? Hunted by the FBI? Or was she just an innocent woman, trapped in a bad situation?

“What are you looking at?” Sara’s smile brightened her face.

“It’s just that you look so happy.”

“I am.” Stepping next to Derry, Sara looped her arm around his as she continued to survey the room. She glanced up at him. “I’ve never seen people so willing to help someone they don’t know.”

“The church I go to is a very giving church. I’ve never seen them turn anyone away who needed help.”

Sara dropped her hand, and moved away without comment. He instantly felt a distance grow between them. He decided to change the subject. “Hungry?”

She moved toward the back of the house. “First, I want to show you the rest of the stuff.”

Derry followed. She pointed out her new bedroom furniture. He helped her move a few items, then she led the way to the kitchen.

“They even brought me dishes, and stuff to cook with. Now I need to go shopping and get some food.” Sara opened a cupboard to show Derry her cache. She was acting like a kid at Christmas.

“Tell you what. Let me take you out for dinner, and we can stop by the grocery store on the way home.”

“Can you give me thirty minutes to get ready? I feel all sweaty after helping them unpack boxes and all.”

“Sure, I need to run into the house anyway. See you in thirty.”

Half an hour later, he headed back out to the guesthouse. He was looking forward to this
first date
with Sara.

The guesthouse door opened as he approached. “I heard you coming. So, where are you taking me?”

Derry cleared his throat, amazed. “You look nice.”

“Natalie picked up a few things for me.”

“That dress fits you nicely.” Too nicely; it showed off her slim figure to the finest detail.

“So, how about if you let
me
buy dinner? I owe it to you, for all you and your friends have done for me.”

Raising his gaze to meet her eyes, he felt his face warm with embarrassment. He’d been caught studying her. A bashful smile rested on her lips. He became lost in it.

“Yeah, sure, I guess.” He wasn’t really paying attention to his words.

“How does Italian sound? It’s a lot better than Greek.” She headed toward the passenger side of the car.

Did he just agree to let her buy dinner? “Okay. Do you have a place in mind?” Derry asked as he opened the door for Sara.

“Not really. Do you know of some place close by?”

“The Old Spaghetti Factory. It’s not far.”

“Sounds good.” She slid in, and looked up at him with a smile as he pushed the door shut.

***

Although the conversation had been light on the way to the restaurant, after they ordered Sara became somber. “Will you answer a question for me?”

“Sure, if I can.” Derry tried to match her mood.

“What’s your game? What are you and your friends up to? Giving me new furniture and all. Stuff worth a lot of money. Why? What are you after?” Her voice and her question carried a hard skepticism.

“That’s more than one question.” How could he answer them all to any satisfaction?

Sara picked up her fork and rubbed the tines with her thumb. “Okay, I’ll start with the easy one. Why all the furniture? Those people don’t know me, and some of that stuff is nicer than what you have.”

“You needed help, and they wanted to help you.”

“Giving the stuff away made them feel good,” Sara interjected.

“Yes, but it’s more than that. We are supposed to help those in need.”

“We? So I’m your church’s charity case? I guess Christians need charity cases to feel good about themselves. It hides their own shortcomings.” Anger tinged her words. “I have money. I don’t need people’s hand-me-downs. And I’m not here to help them
feel
good about themselves.”

His answer was more defensive than he meant it to be. “No, that’s not it. They like to help others because it’s the right thing to do. It has nothing to do with any shortcomings. In fact, Bob owns the furniture store where your couch and bed came from. He actually has a fair amount of money. Norm, on the other hand, works at Walmart. He barely makes enough to get by. Both of them came to help you because that’s what they like to do. Jesus tells us to help one another.”

Sara’s attention focused on her fork as she reflected for several seconds. “Okay, I’ll let your answers stand for now. I’m not saying I believe it, but you obviously do.”

He was disappointed. “No, I’d rather you not
just accept it
for now. Why don’t you believe that people would help you because they want to?”

“I have another question that’s bothering me more. Did you save me for the same reason? Just because I needed help?” She laid the fork down next to the knife.

“Yes.”

She grasped the knife. Looking up, she gazed straight into his eyes. “Why were you on that dirt road?”

“Long story.”

Sara glanced around. “We have time.”

“After the men grabbed you in the tent at the festival, I followed them.”

“Why didn’t you help me get away from them? You could have saved me from their beating.”

Why didn’t he? That question had gone through his head a thousand times. “I tried once. I got hit in the stomach for it.”

She dropped her gaze. “One hit to the stomach, huh? Go on.” Dissatisfaction permeated her tone.

If he could go back and relive that day—but he’d said that before. His hands were sweaty; he wanted to wipe them. “Anyway, they took you out to a car and sped up the hill. I ran to my car and hoped to catch up. But I lost you.”

“Then how’d you end up on the dirt road? How’d you find me?”

He dropped his gaze. “I was speeding, still hoping to catch up, when I got pulled over. The cop thought I might be high. He gave me a sobriety test and a ticket. He kept me busy for over twenty-five minutes.”

“Why didn’t you tell the cop about me? That you were trying to save my life?”

Derry looked up to see her stare boring into him. Before he could say more, the food came. He wiped his hand on his pants as he waited for the server to leave.

Sara was still hurting emotionally, and understandably so. An attack like that was something most people never got over. “At that time, I didn’t know how much danger you were in. You seemed to go with them somewhat willingly.”

“You think I wanted to go with them? That I—” Sara held up her knife, and gave it a slight wave. “So, if you were so blind to the truth, why’d you come after me?”

“Something told me you needed help. But what could I tell the cop? ‘Hey, I saw this girl get into this really nice black limo, and I think she’s in trouble.’ He’d have hauled me in for drug testing.”

“Okay. So, you gave up without trying. Go on. You still haven’t said why you were on that dirt road.”