The cab pulled up at the gates of the suburban villa complex just as Blanche’s phone rang. It was Mr. Jordan–he sounded breathless, barely containing his excitement. The security firm had traced the suspect’s IP address.
Blanche was surprised; she hadn’t expected anyone to act faster than her. Her own tracking system was ready to run the following day, but it seemed someone had beaten her to the punch.
She hurried back to the office, only to discover that while they had traced the IP, it was disappointingly generic–just a regional address. There was no way to pinpoint an individual.
Mr. Jordan’s frustration was palpable.
Blanche stepped forward. “Mr. Jordan, I’ve designed a honeypot system based on the typical patterns of these cyber thieves. If they try anything, the system will track them in real time, right to their doorstep.”
Mr. Jordan’s eyes lit up with hope. “What do we do now?” He was clearly putting all his faith in her.
“We’ll integrate the system into the bank’s network and wait for them to take the bait.” Blanche’s hands flew across the keyboard as she spoke, lines of code reflecting in her eyes.
Mr. Jordan looked at her with genuine admiration. Why hadn’t his son ever crossed paths with someone like Blanche? All the good fortune had gone to Gaylord.
The tension in the computer lab was thick enough to cut with a knife. Everyone held their breath, watching the monitors.
Suddenly, a blue dot flickered onto the screen.
A staffer answered a call, then turned to report, “There’s been a breach at the
bank–over a million dollars stolen from an account.”
Instantly, a red dot appeared on the screen, trailing the blue one.
“Are we close?” Mr. Jordan’s voice was tight–this case had dragged on for over two weeks, and the pressure was mounting.
“Not yet,” Blanche murmured, eyes glued to the screen. The red dot chased the blue, zigzagging through a labyrinth of servers. “They’ve routed through tens of thousands of servers, covering half the internet on this side of the world.”
09.59
Chapter 202
Mr. Jordan glanced at Blanche, then back at the screen, his nerves fraying as the blue dot started circling back, drawing closer and closer to their location.
Suddenly, the red dot shot straight through the maze, colliding with the blue.
Blanche’s fingers danced across the keyboard, and within seconds, a 3D rendering of a building appeared on the monitor. The label was unmistakable: The Harvey
Group.
“Twenty–first floor,” she announced.
“We’re moving out, now!” Mr. Jordan barked. As the team rushed for the door, a staffer hurried over.
“Mr. Jordan, this is Carney Harvey’s company. His connections are-
“I don’t care who he knows,” Mr. Jordan snapped, suddenly resolute. “Call the station–get the SWAT team on the line!”
Blanche stood and nodded. “I’m coming with you. If the suspect tries to destroy evidence, I’ll be there to stop it.”
He grunted his approval.
Accompanied by the team, Blanche strode through The Harvey Group’s lobby like she owned the place. On the twenty–first floor, she pointed to a particular office. “The signal was traced from the server room downstairs to here. This is where it
vanished.”
“It has to be this one.” But her certainty faltered as she caught sight of the nameplate: *Kermit Griffiths, IT Manager*.
Kermit?
Pollock Griffiths had a son named Kermit.
Before she could process it, Mr. Jordan and his team broke down the door. Inside, several computers hummed quietly, screens aglow.
Blanche wasted no time. She hooked up her laptop to the network and launched her
with tracker. Within moments, she uncovered the theft records. Her voice tremL excitement. “Mr. Jordan, these machines were used to steal the funds. The money’s still sitting in Kermit’s bank account.”
“Arrest him–now!”
Staff began searching the premises, questioning the rest of the IT team and taking statements.
Chapter zuz
Blanche stayed seated at the desk, a strange sense of emptiness settling over her.
Deep down, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t over yet.
Chapter 203
anded
