Page 41 of Just Tonight

“That’s where I am now,” Cami said. “I don’t know how much I’ll be able to see. But we just need to find that one technician. Just that person. It’s not much, but it might be more difficult than it seems because of the security sweeps. If they detect me there, then they are going to shut down everything and revert to backup. That will mean I can't see anything anymore. So, I'm going to have to keep my full focus on this. It'll be like crossing a floor while there's a moving searchlight in operation. I'll need to keep clear of the beam as it sweeps by."

She took one more giant bite of burger and a huge gulp of soda.

And then, Cami turned all her attention to the screen in front of her, ready for the start of the process.

“Right,” she said, through tight lips, as the screen populated. She gazed at it intensely, taking it in, trying to figure out where the best place to move would be.

“Records,” she said to herself, navigating there.

The place was a complex minefield. Sutherland had said that his security was top-notch, but Cami wished he'd paid the same attention to keeping a tidy set of records. These were all over the place. They were in higgledy-piggledy order according to date, state, and also activation of the home – if they were an upcoming, current, or ex-client.

She breathed for a moment, taking it all in. It was a hot mess, but no more so than some of the coding she'd had to help students with when she did her coaching sessions.

Date was the most important parameter. She needed to get back to that time six months ago when that record had been accessed. Then, once she was back in time, she could start to search for that particular area and for that client's name and address.

Linda Caddy, of Ridge Road. That was who she was searching for.

“Where are you, Linda? Where are you?” she muttered to herself, fingers flying, remembering to glance at the alert she’d set in the top right hand side of the screen which would hopefully give her a few moments’ warning of a security sweep. “Come on, Linda, help us here.”

Here! She’d got into the right group of records, more by fumbling luck than by change, because it was in the wrong order. And then she hissed in a breath, quickly exiting the entire system again as the security sweep flashed onto the screen.

She lay low for twenty seconds. Thirty. Only then did she think it was safe to go back in, and to retrace her steps. Thankfully, it was a little easier this time around. There was the set of records she needed, there was the one she wanted. She clicked on it, glancing at the user details and then going quickly back into the history.

The machine hung, and she dug her nails into her palms, worry filling her. Was it going to kick her out? Was there another layer of security in place here?

No, there wasn’t. She was in and through. And here was the exact date of the unique number access. In black and white on her screen.

Cami stared at it in astonishment. This wasn’t what she had expected at all. And the fact weighed heavy on her shoulders now that Sutherland must have lied. He hadn’t told the truth to them at all. She had no idea why that was.

“Look here, Connor,” she said, in a soft, perplexed voice. “I’ve got it. But what it’s showing is impossible.”

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

"Impossible? Why?" Cami scooted aside as Connor moved to stare at the screen. She glanced at the box on the top right-hand side, feeling worried because time was running out. It would soon be time for another security sweep, and she'd have to take evasive action once more.

“Because this code was changed by – look here – this person.” Cami raised a finger and pointed at the screen. “And this person has an employee code. They are still working for Steadfast.”

Connor drew in a sharp breath. “You sure about that?”

“Yes. I’m sure. But I’m not sure why Sutherland didn’t tell us.” Quickly, Cami got out her phone and photographed the employee code, just in case the next security sweep changed the parameters and they couldn’t get back in.

“So somebody employed at Steadfast logged in and changed a bunch of codes in the Boston area? And they weren’t on Sutherland’s list?” Connor sounded as incredulous as she felt. “Why would Sutherland not have told us that?”

"I'm going to have to get out of here," Cami said. "These security sweeps are coming way too frequently, and I can't predict them." Hastily, she exited. Now she wasn't in the main records, but she was still within the system itself. It could still catch her. Just not so easily. But no way was she ready to leave, not when she had discovered this much, but still had no idea why it could have happened.

“Maybe it was a remote employee,” Connor said. “He accessed these systems, changed the code, and then he took leave from work and he came here to do the killings.”

“Maybe it was,” Cami said, but she felt doubtful. The way these murders had been done, the way this killer had been able to disappear, it felt to her as if he was familiar with the area, or else, had spent a long time here doing his homework.

“We can check that,” she stated. Now, keeping an eye on that ticking clock of the security sweep, she went back in the system again. This time, in a different direction. She was going to see if she could access the personnel records. She needed to know who that employee number belonged to.

That random row of numbers belonged to the killer. Cami knew it had to.

"Where can I find it? Oops!" Teeth gritted, she beat a hasty retreat. These security sweeps were coming more frequently, and she had a nasty feeling that they were doing so for a reason. Perhaps any activity within the system, outside of normal working hours, triggered them. And if that was the case then the whole system might lock itself just now, as a precaution, if the activity continued.

“I’m going back in now,” she said. “Employee records. Here you are.” She sighed. “Of course, they are organized by alphabetical name. I can’t reconfigure that. We’re going to have to go into each record to see the number.”

“If you’re ready, I’m ready,” Connor said, staring at the screen. “I’ll be your second pair of eyes. Together, I’m sure we can work almost as fast as you can type.”

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