Chapter 10 #2
Ethan laughs. “I should have warned you that I had remotely taken control of the session and unmuted your microphone. I thought maybe you were having technical difficulties when we could see your mouth moving but not hear you.”
I narrow my gaze, “I may not be as tech-savvy as Patrick or Jerry and able to hack into secure systems, but I do know how to do the basics. I even know what the ‘O-F-F’ button means.”
“That’s a start,” Jerry retorts. “And speaking of hacking, I was able to access the FBI servers using the credentials that Director Whitman provided, but I went a step further and gained access to Deputy Director Finnegan’s computer to get a peek at what cases he was directly involved in.
Most of it was cleanup from the case we had six months ago involving the cartels and the CIA.
Trials are still ongoing, so he had his hands full.
However, there was a file labeled ‘Vacation Plans.’”
Harper leans forward eagerly. “That has to be about his trip down here. What was in the file?”
Jerry frowns and shakes his head. “I don’t know. The file is encrypted using AES-256 protocols, which is the Advanced Encryption Standard that uses 256-bit blocks and...”
“You’re speaking a language I don’t understand,” I interrupt.
Jerry sighs. “It would take me more than a hundred lifetimes to brute-force my way into that file. Without the key, it’s locked up tighter than a vault. I find it hard to believe that Finnegan’s vacation plans are worthy of Fort Knox-level security.”
“Sorry to have wasted your time,” Harper says, despondent.
“But you didn’t! I may not have been able to crack the file, but I didn’t come away empty-handed.
I checked the access logs and noted that your father’s computer was remotely accessed two days ago from a public IP address that belongs to a coffee shop in Marathon.
The place is called Don’t Be Brewdy. Whoever accessed the computer didn’t use a VPN to cover their tracks, which made tracing the source fairly easy. ”
“Great work, Jerry. That gives us a place to start searching. Patrick, what were you able to find out?”
Patrick yawns. “The number of people going to Key West during the winter is surprisingly large. I filtered out anyone who boarded in Baltimore from a connecting flight, which brought the number down to 82. From there, I went ahead and isolated anyone with a Virginia, Delaware, or Maryland home address. I added the District of Columbia, even though most agents prefer to commute. That brought the number down to 68.”
I grab the back of my neck and rub out the tension building between my shoulder blades. “That’s a lot.”
Patrick nods, but then he smiles. “It is, but I cross-referenced that list with employees in the FBI database and reduced the number to two.”
Harper shakes her head. “Only two? My father typically travels with four agents at a minimum.”
“You’re right, Harper. I would have expected more, which is why I also checked flights from Reagan National on the same day and went through the same process. Once again, there were two agents on board. I’m sending you their profiles now.”
A message icon pops up almost immediately. “We’ll need someone to go talk to them,” I say.
“That’s not going to be possible, Roger,” Ethan says. The four agents haven’t returned from their trip. They each requested two weeks of leave and aren’t due back to work for another five days.”
Harper bounces in her seat. “Then that means they might still be in the area! We can go to their hotel and…”
“They never checked in,” Ben interrupts.
“If they’re still in the area, they are flying under the radar and most likely using a rental home under an assumed name.
There are more than a thousand rental properties listed on multiple sites, but I’ve got Savannah combing through places that would accommodate at least four people and are willing to take cash or a prepaid credit card. ”
“Have you told Whitman about this?” I ask.
“There’s nothing to tell him yet,” Ethan says. “As far as he knows, four agents are on vacation right now, and I’m unwilling to share any information that isn’t rock-solid. What we have so far is gelatinous at best, unless you have anything to share.”
I tell him about the suspicious activity on the docks last night and layout our plan for the rest of the day.
He agrees and suggests that we rent the boat for the entirety of our stay.
While Jessie, Elijah, Carter, and Leanna take the charters, Harper and I will try to map out the route the bus took and determine the best places to set up a stakeout.
“I’m going to send Jaxon and Savannah down to Marathon to check out the coffee shop and scout out the area while Jerry will continue to monitor Finnegan’s computer access logs,” Ethan says.
Ben adds, “Patrick, Ethan, and I will be available for anything else you need. We’re in an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ scenario, and the plane is fueled and ready to go. One call, and we’re on our way.”
Harper wipes a tear from her eye. “Thank you all so much. You’ve accomplished more in one day than Whitman has in a week with an entire agency at his beck and call.
I see why my father was sad to see you all leave the Bureau.
With every day that passes, the chances of finding my parents dwindle.
But no matter what happens, just know that my dad loved you all. ”
Jessie scowls. “Loves us all, Harper. There will be no speaking in past tense in present company. Do you hear me? We will find your parents. Even if it’s the last thing we do.”