“True. So, Edward Thompson, Amelia Swenson—four more names. Daniel and Broderick McClintock, brothers who started up a company called Bulwark Cybersecurity.Their emphasis is on firewalls and so on that can lock out any malware or any other similar dangers. Interesting...”
“What’s interesting?” Chloe asked. “In particular?”
“I’m pretty sure I read an article on them. They claim to have tremendous ability in shutting down the dark web—they’ve reportedly worked for the San Francisco police,” he said.
“I don’t see that here—”
“Rumor—I had friends working on a trafficking site. I wasn’t on the case, but I believe they mentioned the company in their work.”
“Why would they have appeared on the suspect list? Surely, at the federal level, this sheet would include—” Chloe started to ask, frowning.
“Keep reading. They did help the San Francisco police—they were exceptional in their ability to trace a site that bounced around twenty different countries.”
“They are suspects—for being too helpful?”
He shrugged, looking at her. “Retired Special Agent Matt Greenberg, a specialist who was at the forefront of profiling, apparently wrote in a ‘need to know only’ memo about them. They were helpful, yes. On that investigation. But Greenberg’s memo warned that while helpful, they also needed to watch for godlike tendencies within the pair. By helping, they were also learning how to avoid detection should they move into criminal online activities themselves.”
“Wow. I can’t begin to imagine being that powerful online!”
Wes shook his head. “I can navigate the usual tasks, but tracing IPs, et cetera, is not in my scope of brilliance. Thankfully—or maybe not—that’s why we’re field agents with the true brains of it all behind us.”
She smiled and nodded. “Last two on this list of six are a married couple. Both employees of something called Amarylis Solutions.”
“Money,” Wes said, reading. “So, Celia Henderson started the company and quickly enlisted her husband, Jeff. They handle payroll for corporations around the world. Now, why would such a pair want to murder those involved in other aspects of computing?”
“They want more paychecks coming to themselves?”
“What they could embezzle right now is humongous.”
“Is that a word?” Chloe asked.
“Sure! Anyway...” He frowned, looking at her across the table. “You’re getting on a cruise ship like that? I mean, not that you don’t look fine! Just... you look like a cop.”
“Ouch! Okay, I’ll change now!” she told him.
He grinned. “My wife can’t be better dressed than I am!”
She groaned and stood and headed out to grab her bag from the front office and change. She had planned well enough, just... Coming to this meeting, where state and federal agencies were combining, she’d wanted to start off with a more professional look.
Most of the time, it didn’t matter if she looked like a “cop.” In fact, it could help.
But she chose a short halter dress with a flared skirt, a “fun” outfit, she hoped. She let her hair free and grabbed a light sweater, a “Florida” sweater, enough to take on a breeze—or air-conditioning that could bring a room down to sixty in defiance of the high eighties or nineties outside.
She met him at the door. Alonzo was there, ready to sendthem out. Their bags had been repacked with the weapons that could pass through any screening. Alonzo nodded gravely to them, and they headed out in the nondescript car that have been given a fake license plate, as well.
As they headed to the car, Wes stopped and looked at her.
“What?”
“Are you going to be insulted if I drive?” he asked her.
She groaned. “I don’t give a damn who drives. I mean, I am making my own assumption. You are a decent driver, right?”
He laughed and slipped into the driver’s seat.
And as he drove, she studied their lineup again and spoke aloud.
“Edward Thompson, VP with the hosting company, Milestones. Amelia Swenson, Daniel and Broderick McClintock, brothers, and married couple Celia and Jeff Henderson. And they are all people who know one another already—they’ve been at the same conferences or meetings, all near the sites of our so-called suicide or murder-suicides. They will all be speaking on the ship.”
