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Leaning his chair back against the crypt’s wall, Declan appeared deep in concentration but formed a devilish smile. “What you’ve shown me is incredible, but I can improve it.”
“Bring it, O’Leary. These bastards killed Kyle, so don’t hold back. Go nuclear.” Relieved Declan was getting onboard with the plan, Tess exhaled.
“Obliterating their network is fantastic, but it doesn’t catch the perpetrators. Cut off the monster’s head, and the damn thing grows another.” He tapped a finger against his temple.
“What’s your plan, Declan?” Mark drained the rest of his coffee with one swallow and set the cup down.
“We need the geographical location of every hacker, so we can send the crooks to prison.”
“Great, but how?” Tess breathed easier as Declan perked up with more energy and his weary expression lightened.
“I’ll add an algorithm to the virus which sends the IP address and GPS coordinates of every computer on their network straight to the British authorities. The silent signal details their allegiance to Crimson Hammer.” Declan downed the rest of his coffee. “We anonymously gift the police this gold mine of data, and they can prosecute these wankers right into the clink.”
“Brilliant. You’ll catch them in the act.” Mark gave him a broad grin.
“O’Leary, you surprise me. Fantastic plan—do it.” For the first time all day, Tess smiled.
“Any way we can screw these maggots. Thanks for the virus. Without it ready to go, we’d be hosed.” He crossed his arms and shook out his legs. “But we’ve got other problems.”
She slumped her shoulders, realizing what she almost forgot. “Damn it. The encryption root key. We must determine which bank they want to match with the proper access code. Without it, they can’t proceed.”
“Which means you both remain in danger. Not acceptable.” Mark rested his elbows on the table.
“A year ago, we deployed our software suite with the last version of Firefly for several of our corporate banking clients. Given what the police found, those banks are probable targets for money laundering.” Declan’s voice had calmed.
“We need those bank names and any ties they have with Belarus or Russia. Check everything in Eastern Europe.” Tess jotted a note on a napkin.
“I’ll search now.” Declan focused back on his screen.
“We also have a window of time to escape to safety. The virus this unleashes will be undetectable for at least three hours.” She appreciated the Raven’s work built in a safety window.
“Yeah, whatever. The last thing I’m gonna to do is wait and find out.” He scowled over his laptop. “Okay, we’ve got three possibilities: Polski Bank Federalny and Pierwszy Narodowy Bank, two of Poland’s largest banks, and Sverbank, Russia’s largest one. No deployments in Belarus, but I’ll investigate these three and examine your mystery disk.”
“What are the police teams planning?” Mark turned to Declan.
“They’re supervising the handoff tonight, but I don’t have specifics yet. We damn well better find David alive.”
“How many hours left?” Many details remained ambiguous, which bothered Tess. Nothing about the coming police operation felt buttoned up.
“Not enough. Midnight. I’ll study this code until I receive the police’s instructions.” Declan continued typing on his laptop.
“Let’s divide and conquer. Ask Kavita to help you from the network side. Mark and I will visit Archie Willis, the detective who’s working Kyle’s case, and figure out his plan for tonight.” Still bothered by yesterday’s argument with Declan, she aimed to smooth things over. “One more thing. I apologize for not telling you about Kyle sooner, but I couldn’t hit you with crappy news the same day David disappeared.”
After removing the flash drive and pocketing it, Declan closed the laptop and slid it into his backpack. “I understand. Can’t say I wasn’t pissed, but I forgive you. I’m gutted, but you found the answer to save David’s life, and now we can seek revenge for Kyle, too.”
“Let’s hope we find it. Keep us posted.” She stood and gave his arm an encouraging squeeze. “You can do this.”
Declan pecked her cheek, then leaned over to shake hands with Mark. “Thanks, mates. We need all the luck we can get.”
Trafalgar Square bustled with tourists who ogled at the huge stone lions and milled about the plaza in front of the National Gallery. Pigeons scattered over the two matching fountains, and gray clouds filled the sky. A constant stream of cars, trucks, and London black cabs passed by the square with honking horns and puffs of exhaust.
Avoiding the crowd, she and Mark trekked several blocks down Whitehall’s grand boulevard toward the Metropolitan Police building near Great Scotland Yard. Minutes later, after a perfunctory greeting and introductions, she was sitting in Inspector Willis’s office in his now-familiar guest chair positioned closest to his desk. This time, however, she had Mark by her side, which offered welcome support she’d lacked on her solo visits.
“All right, let’s get straight to the update.” Inspector Willis took a seat at his desk and grabbed a pen and black, spiral notebook.
“Super. Tell me who hacked Kyle’s records and why.” Glad not to waste time with pleasantries, Tess crossed her arms and shifted in her chair.
“I’m afraid we haven’t identified who hacked our system yet, but our IT department managed to restore a backup of the original accident report and evidence files.” Willis grimaced, and the corners of his mouth tilted downward.
