Page 44 of Girl, Empty
Ella took a breath.She really didn’t need this getting any weirder.‘Go on.’
‘I said it’s possible to breach these things, but it’s possible to land a 747 on a garage roof.In terms of difficulty, they’re about the same.’
‘Right.This is going to sound like a stupid question, but justhowdifficult?Could someone learn to do this with enough dedication, or is it one of those things where you need to have a certain type of brain?’
Lorraine laughed again.‘Both.To the extreme.If what you’re saying is true, then the complexity here is insane.We had penetration testers put both of those systems through the wringer, and our penetration testers were black hat hackers.That means they have no problem getting dirty, and it took them weeks to even get anywhere close to breaking in.’
‘But our killer didn’t just get close.’
‘No.It sounds to me like he did something three of the world’s best hackers couldn’t do even with weeks of preparation and intimate knowledge of the very systems they were hacking, so we’re not just talking about some script kiddie here.Your guy is… special.’
‘Like a savant?’Ripley asked.
‘I hate to sound politically incorrect, but I never met a hacker that wasn’t on the spectrum.It doesn’t matter who did this, whether they were part of the installation crew or not, they’ve got a brain worth preserving.’
Ella said, ‘We’ll need names of everyone who worked on these systems, especially those hackers you mentioned.Do you have them?’
‘Yup.I have two teams, and it’s always the same people.I can send you a list of employees.’
‘Thank you.’
They fell into a silence while Lorraine glanced around the back room, probably eager to get away from these annoying agents who’d interrupted his magic gig.Her instincts concluded that David Lorraine was no killer, just a man who happened to orbit the environments the killer operated in.Once she had his alibi, she could cross his name off the list.
All of this felt like new territory.She'd spent years learning to think like killers, but she'd never learned to think like a computer.And now she was chasing someone who apparently thought like both.Her memory, historical knowledge, behavioral expertise – it all felt as inadequate as a typewriter.She couldn't picture this killer's hands on a weapon because the weapon was code.She couldn't imagine him breaking into buildings because he'd never broken anything.He’d just asked politely in a language she didn't speak.
And the worst part was the creeping certainty that she was already several moves behind in a game whose rules she didn't understand.
'Mr.Lorraine,' Ripley said, 'what other buildings have you worked on in this area?Other places our killer might target?'
Lorraine shook his head.‘Not many around here.I work all over the state, but Indianapolis isn't exactly a hotbed of high-tech buildings.Most of my local work is basic corporate stuff.Nothing like the level at Morrison and First National.’
‘None at all?’
Lorraine reached for the deck of cards he’d pocketed earlier.‘Well, there’s one.About forty minutes outside of the city.A company called the Sinclair Corporation.’
Ella committed the name to memory.‘This Sinclair Corporation.They had the same levels of security as Morrison and First National?’
‘And then some.They’re a technology company.Don’t ask me what they do exactly, but I remember the owner was kind of a loony.You don’t actually get many loonies in this business, so he stood out.’
‘Who was this owner?And what was noticeable about him?’
‘Just a bit...nutty.I only met him a couple of times.He was one of those tech recluses, but I liked that.I wish more tech people were recluses, honestly.’
‘Tell me about it,’ said Ripley.‘What was the guy’s name?’
‘Mr.Sinclair himself.Can’t remember his first name.Can I get back to my gig now?I’m gonna have to do an extra hour because of this.’
‘Yeah, but stay here.We’re going to send an officer to check your alibi, okay?’
‘Fine.’
Ella’s phone vibrated against her thigh.Two quick buzzes.She checked it.
A text off Riggs.
You need to see this.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
