Burke’s smooth voice came over the line. “Not much yet. Cole is going over the tapes. I think you’re definitely right. This is an insider.”
He’d known that. Part of him relaxed. He didn’t have to decide yet what to do next. But Hannah was still in danger. “Run deep background checks on everyone. Human Resources would have done some of the legwork, but you have resources they don’t.”
“I’ll start with anyone who has daily dealings with Hannah. This is a big company we’re talking about, James. It could take awhile.”
“I understand. I want you to be very thorough. Start with Scott in IT. The way I see it, he might be hung up on Hannah in a dangerous sort of way if he’s suddenly demanding to have an important lunch with her. There’s nothing so critical about the project she’s coordinating that should require her to spend her lunch hour with him. And our CIO, Preston Ward III. He and Hannah had an…altercation recently.”
“Funny that you mention him. The other reason I called you was to let you know you’ve got trouble up there in Alaska.”
“Yes, there were some minor computer issues. It made a decent cover for us leaving, but it’s nothing we’re too concerned about.”
There was a long pause. “I was in your office this afternoon. Apparently, your minor trouble became something major. I overheard Ward saying that River Run is in serious trouble, and he’s headed up there himself with a couple of techs to fix it. You’re going to love this. One of the techs is Scott. The other is the head of your help desk, Lyle.” Gavin didn’t love it. It was the worst news possible. Preston was on his way down with two techs, and all three men were on Gavin’s list of suspects. Any of them could be Hannah’s stalker.
Son of a bitch.
While in Alaska, Gavin had imagined that he could go fishing with his brothers in an attempt to reconnect, but maybe a good old-fashioned ass-kicking was the ultimate bonding experience.
Because by the time the trio got here in the morning, he hoped they’d figured out the identity of Hannah’s stalker. The asshole was going to have a welcome party he would never forget.
“Thank you, Burke. Could you find out what flight they’re on? One of the admins should know. I want to be prepared.”
“I just sent you an e-mail with that information. I’ll keep digging, focusing first on the men you’ve mentioned. But something is off here; I feel it. Watch your back, James. I’ll call back when I know more.”
The line went dead, and Gavin immediately opened his e-mail.
“What’s going on?” The expression on Slade’s face told Gavin he’d figured out something was up, but he couldn’t move because Hannah’s head was on his chest. Otherwise, they might be wrestling over the phone. “What did he find out?”
Gavin scanned the e-mail. It was a copy of the incoming employees’ itinerary. Preston hadn’t wasted a minute. He and two others were coming in on the redeye to Anchorage, followed by a puddle-jumper they’d hired to get them to River Run. First Class for Preston, but he’d shoved the techs into coach. Douche bag.
“It looks like we’re going to have company. Have you checked your cell lately?” Slade flushed slightly. “I turned it off while we were in the air. I haven’t turned it back on.” Because he was far too busy with Hannah. Work was going to come second for Slade from now on. Gavin could deal with that. He scanned through his e-mail, reading a group of them from the foreman at River Run, which had started minutes after Gavin’s plane had taken off.
“Don’t feel too bad. I just started mine again. There was a system failure at the facility. They got it under control, but it needs to be looked at by an expert.”
“I can be there in an hour,” Slade said.
“A computer expert. It isn’t an engineering problem. The system crashed, and now that it’s back online, it’s giving off some strange numbers. Ben Kunayak, the IT guy who runs our facility up here, thinks the system has been hacked. Preston decided it was serious enough to investigate in person. Scott and Lyle apparently volunteered to come with him.”
“What the fuck?” Slade’s voice boomed through the car. “How convenient.”
“Exactly.”
* * * *
When they reached the house, Slade caught him up on the Lenox brothers’ call. Dex thought seriously about putting his fist through another wall. “That fucker is going to be here in the morning?”
Gavin nodded from his seat on the couch. Dex couldn’t sit. All he could do was think about the fact that Preston Ward III had followed Hannah to Alaska.