* * *
Friday morning, I borrowed Egan’s car and drove Raven to work. I wanted to ask her not to go, but I knew she would refuse. I walked her into the building, knowing without a doubt Andy was still around, then once I knew she was safely inside, headed to the office. I called the garage, made arrangements for my car, then called Julian directly, bringing him up to speed on the situation. He listened, not interrupting, then mused in silence for a moment when I finished speaking.
“He’s escalating, Damien. He’s angry. When unstable people get angry, get denied the one thing they want, they get desperate—which makes him more dangerous.”
“I’m hoping he gets sloppy.”
“So he’s slipped under the radar on the website, even with the extra backups they do,” he said, thinking aloud. “Have you thought of an inside job?”
“Yes. I was going to contact Jeff today and ask for a list of employees. Or I’ll get Egan to do it maybe,” I replied. “I seemed to make him nervous.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. Egan noticed how tense he was around me. I put him on edge. He’s, ah, already really introverted, and I was rather insistent.”
“Have you checked him out?”
“Quickly. He’s intensely private and stays out of the limelight. Opened the company four years ago. No complaints aside from some disgruntled people who didn’t find their connection, but the same as on any site. He’s late forties, heavyset, married. Clean record. Not a suspect at all.”
“Okay. Get Egan to request it. If he refuses…” He trailed off.
“We’ll hack in.”
“You might have to. He wants to help, but handing over his employee list might not sit well. I’ll do a little digging here too. None of our contacts matched up the sketch with a known entity. Their searches got no hits on the name. I think you’re right in assuming it’s fake.” He was quiet for a moment. “Proceed carefully. Don’t make him angry again.”
I told him about Raven’s idea for an argument. He hummed in agreement. “Not a bad idea. Might flush him out. With the right precautions, you might nab him and keep her safe.” He paused. “She’s brave, your lady.”
“She is.”
“And you really care about her.” It was a statement, not a question.
“She is it for me, Julian. I can’t imagine life without her now.”
He chuckled. “And another one bites the dust.”
“Big-time.”
“All right. Let me see what I can do. I have a couple more calls I can make.”
“Thanks.”
I hung up and walked to the windows, staring down on the street.
“Where are you, asshole?” I muttered.
I needed to find him.
Soon.