Thread of Suspicion. Susan Sleeman
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figure the least I can do for Hawk is to fill in for him with Tim when I can.”
She cast an appraising look his way, but he hadn’t a clue what she was trying to ascertain. After a quick shake of her head she said, “I should tell you that I reviewed the computer from your sister’s friend last night and I started vetting your sister.”
“And?” He crossed his arms.
“The friend didn’t use his computer to access your home network and I haven’t found anything to suggest your sister is involved.”
“Makes me sad that they’re now involved in this mess, but I get that you have to work every angle.”
“I’ll still need to dig a little deeper on your sister before I can fully rule her out.”
“Will you let me know as soon as you finish vetting her?”
Dani nodded. “I also need to tell you that General Wilder called me last night.”
Right. Here comes the thing that had her so uptight in the office.
“And?” He braced himself for the answer.
“He said they’d traced the anonymous phone call they received and it led to a disposable cell.”
“So it’s a dead end, then,” Luke said, fighting back his disappointment.
“Yes.” She braked as they approached a stoplight. “But while I had him on the phone, I got him to agree to relook at your software. Provided they haven’t signed another contract by the time it’s fixed, that is.”
Luke swiveled to face her. “He agreed? Yesterday he led me to believe that the sabotage had pretty much ended our chances with the other committee members.”
“It had, but I promised him I’d personally vouch for the software. I’ll have to review it thoroughly after your team makes the corrections, but we should be able to get it in front of the committee again.”
“I’m so relieved I could kiss you,” Luke blurted out before his brain caught up with his emotions.
She came to a complete stop at the light then looked at him, straight and long, those luminous eyes burning into his like an infrared scope. He wouldn’t have been able to pull away even if he wanted to, which he didn’t. She was one of those women you couldn’t seem to take your eyes off. Not because of her physical beauty, but because of a strength and determination that glowed from inside.
He wanted to ignore his common sense and give in to the sparks of interest. To forget everything else. To finally forget all about the hurtful things Wendy had flung at him before she’d left and think about dating again.
Wendy. Right.
Be a real man, she’d shouted at him. Let go of SatCom and get a job that can support a wife and family.
Words that sounded very much like his father’s when Luke had tried out for the SEALs. He’d thought his dad would be proud. Instead, he’d cut Luke to the quick when he’d said becoming a SEAL wasn’t honorable. It was selfish and self-serving. Only men who sought accolades as the hero followed that path. Real, hardworking men settled down with a wife and family.
Luke had worked even harder to make it as a SEAL after that, but he’d carried his father’s words as he carried his backpack, unloading a bit of the old man’s garbage with each trip. He thought he’d succeeded in ridding himself of all of it until Wendy had spit similar words at him.
Now he got it. He still let his father’s criticisms linger and he wasn’t fit for a relationship. Not fit for duty. End of story.
He jerked his gaze away. The light changed and Dani eased the car forward. An awkward silence descended on them, the air thick with tension. He’d probably offended her with his kissing comment.
He looked at her and waited for her to glance his way. “I’m sorry, Dani. My comment about kissing you was inappropriate.”
“It was nothing,” she said, but quickly darted her focus back to the front. “I could never have worked in law enforcement for as long as I did if something like that bothered me.”
Glad he hadn’t stepped on her toes, he turned to watch the scenery on the Sunset Highway fly past. Traffic was heavy this time of morning, but they soon swooped down the Sylvan Hill and into the tunnel before exiting into downtown Portland.
“So the guy we’re going to see is Freddy Eggleston.” Dani glanced over her shoulder and changed lanes. “Ring any bells?”
“None.”
“He has a long rap sheet. Served time for breaking and entering and once for assault. Nothing that would make me think he has the brains to sabotage your software.”
“I’m hoping he’ll at least be able to tell us where he got this computer.”
“Me, too, but don’t hold your breath. Criminals like Eggleston rarely offer to cooperate unless there’s something in it for them.”
A vision of Dani as an FBI agent sitting across the interrogation table from known felons flashed into Luke’s head, and he didn’t like the picture. Not one bit. “Maybe we should have the police talk to him instead of doing it ourselves.”
She cast him an as-if look. “So did you have a chance last night to think about who’d want to sabotage your software?”
Wishing she hadn’t so deftly changed the subject, he nodded. “Only thing I can come up with is our competitor, Security-Watchdog, wanting us to tank so they can get the contract.”
She clicked on her blinker, then turned the corner into a residential area. “Since we’re talking about a multimillion-dollar contract, I think that’s a good possibility. But it could also be someone holding a grudge against you.”
He hadn’t considered that this might be a personal attack. Was there someone who’d want to set him up to take the fall for treason?
He ran though his life and couldn’t come up with a single suspect. “I’m not a Boy Scout by any means, but I doubt anyone hates me enough to risk going to jail for treason.”
“Still,” she said. “You should spend some time thinking about it.”
“I will, but I think we should look into corporate espionage right away. Though I don’t know anything about the owners of Security-Watchdog,” he quickly added as he hated to cast suspicion on anyone without reason.
“Already started. Two of the three named partners are IT professionals who’ve worked in a few big firms here in Portland, and they seem credible.”
“And the other partner?” Luke asked. “Anything unusual jump out at you?”
“Before we talk about him, remember IT professionals know how software is sabotaged or they wouldn’t be able to protect their own investments. That doesn’t mean they have the desire to act on it, though. The other guy’s former military like you. That could mean he’s more likely to engage in subversive tactics, so I’ll keep digging into the company.”
So that’s how she saw him. Military through and through. But he was so much more than that. He was kind of hurt that she didn’t see beyond the SEAL, but most people didn’t after they learned about his military career. Not that he’d let her know it stung. Better to make light of it. “You don’t think I’d do something subversive, do you?”
She shot him a quick look of horror, and he couldn’t contain his smile.
She smirked. “Oh, I get it. You’re teasing me.”
“Kind of slow on the draw this morning, aren’t you, Justice?”
“If we find Eggleston at home, you better hope not.” She chuckled, and he couldn’t help but be impressed with how she maintained an even-keel temperament most of the time.
He’d been