Page 20 of Just Right

"It's originating from a phishing scam, and it seems to have been used to collect personal information." She pressed more keys, keenly scrutinizing the program she'd just unearthed.

"You think that might be how he's targeted them?" Connor asked her. "Because that's what I've been wondering. Why them? There's nothing in common between them, besides that they are all blonde, which might be coincidental, and they all advertised their locations."

"I'm sure the fact that they advertised their locations is not a coincidence, and it's how he's tracking them, but I've also been asking myself how he's been finding them. Perhaps he put this onto social media and followed the people who downloaded it."

"And how would he have done that?" Connor asked. He sounded genuinely interested and Cami was surprised by how engaged he was over the process.

Was this really the same agent who'd seemed to shut down when anything IT-related was mentioned? She felt glad that he was becoming more interested in the world that she was so passionate about.

"In a quiz, it looks like," Cami said. "Online quizzes are the worst for that."

"They are?"

"They're information gathering in every way. If it's not trying to get passwords, it's harvesting personal details that can often be narrowed down by the quiz responses and even used to hack other confidential portals. There's risk in the quiz itself and in associated malware that tags along. My lecturer always says that when he advises younger people on how to stay safe online, and companies on their company policies, doing quizzes is one of the big no-nos, because people do them innocently and they think it’s just fun. It's not like messaging a stranger or advertising where you're going—as these victims also did."

"Did the others do quizzes too?"

That was a good question. Turning to her own phone, Cami checked back on Patti's and Leanne's activities online.

"Yes, they did. Both of them did quizzes often. And all types too. Totally random ones."

She shook her head in disapproval. “Is there really a need to find out what type of car you would drive if you were a millionaire, or who your ideal celebrity boyfriend is, or what type of thunderstorm you are?” she asked.

“What type of storm? Seriously?” Connor’s voice sounded like he thought some people had way too much time on their hands.

"I'm an electrical storm, powerful and dangerous. My lightning bolts will scorch you, and you can expect third degree burns if you get caught in my epicenter. Stay on my good side, and I'll bring you a shower of refreshing rain," Cami read aloud in disbelief.

"People do that?" Connor made a face. "Assuming, obviously, the answer is 'yes,' how can we track where this originated? I always thought that these types of quizzes originated in Eastern Europe for some reason."

"A lot of hacking activity does come from that region," Cami agreed, digging deeper into the quiz's code. "But it looks as if this particular malware is local. It's been launched from an IP address near here."

She turned to her mapping software to see if it would be possible to map the IP. Given that they'd had issues narrowing down IP addresses in the past, Cami had since gone hunting on the dark web and had found a few helpful programs that could pinpoint the origins of the IPs with more accuracy.

"I'm going to see if I can find it using this quick fix," she explained, glancing up at Connor.

His fascination with the online world had ebbed, and now he just looked impatient. "We need to get it fast," he urged.

"I'm doing my best," Cami said.

Her program was working, using information available in the public domain and networking it with other online activity. And as she watched, it got them a result.

"It looks like it's a cafe on the waterfront, near the starting point of one of the Milwaukee River cruises. Sam's Cafe, it's called."

"And how do we locate this person?"

"Well, the first step is to go there."

Connor wasted no more time. He turned to the door, and to Cami's relief, said, "Let's head straight to the cafe. I think we’ve gotten what we needed from this scene."

***

Sam's Cafe was a big, popular place, overlooking the Milwaukee River, with about thirty tables inside and another ten or so outside on the boardwalk beyond the entrance.

The staff were dressed in navy blue shirts with white piping, in homage to its waterfront location perhaps, and the walls were filled with local art.At this hour, with lunch under way, almost every table was taken.

“Can you tell where he is?”

“I need some time to pinpoint it,” Cami said cagily. This wasn’t as simple as Connor seemed to think it would be. She hoped that he wouldn’t get mad at her when he found that out.

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