Page 19 of Just Now

“When?” Connor asked, feeling the same intent surge within him.

“Gracie, about six months ago.And Kate more recently. His name is Gavin Brandon, and he lives in Boston. He’s also listed on the fetish side of the dating app, and he used the normal app as well. That was where he matched with both the victims.”

A date in common? This was more than he’d hoped for, and he felt a flare of admiration for Cami’s skills and speed.

Now, Connor got onto his own database, typing as fast as he could. It was time for him to track down where Gavin lived and worked.

In a focused minute, he had his result.

It was time to go and confront the man who had matched with both the victims, and could have then fulfilled his darkest fantasies by killing them.

CHAPTER NINE

A match with both the victims was more than Cami had hoped for. Gavin Brandon was a seriously strong suspect. And he lived close by, in a suburb adjacent to Kate’s, and not far from where Gracie lived. He would have been close enough to stalk those women.

As they were on their way to Gavin’s place, another thought occurred to Cami.

“You said neither of these victims have family who live locally,” she said.

Connor nodded. “That’s right. Always makes it harder. Kate was a lawyer, worked long hours. I believe Gracie moved away from home a few months ago and came to Boston. Her parents said she was looking to be more independent. I think they were protective of her, if you read the police report.” He sighed.

“Do you think that was why he chose them?”

“Because they lived alone?” Connor asked.

“Maybe there were other reasons, but that could be one? Because they lived alone, they were easier to stalk, to take?”

“It’s definitely something to keep in mind,” he said. “That could be one of the reasons he chose them.”

As they drove into the neighborhood where Gavin lived, Cami took a look around, taking it in. This was a hodgepodge area where higher-density apartment blocks coexisted, somewhat incongruously, with straggling small homes. Warehouses on the opposite side of the road presented a looming threat, waiting to consume this dilapidated suburban area.

“Gavin lives in number twelve, but it’s the middle of the day. Will he be home?” Cami wondered.

“We’ll see,” Connor said. “There was no recorded workplace. So if he’s not here, we’ll have to find out where he is.”

“Maybe I can find something on him,” she said, getting onto her phone and seeing if his name brought anything up, anywhere, that was relevant.

Engrossed in her research, she barely noticed when Connor stopped the car.

“He does have an online profile,” she said. “I’m seeing here that he works in tech,” she said, surprised. “He’s a programmer and he seems to work from home.”

“In tech?” Connor cast her a doubtful glance. “So he could research his victims easily, then?”

Cami nodded.

Gavin being in tech was automatically making her more on the alert. She found herself looking more carefully at his house, searching for hidden cameras or any other signs that he was monitoring his surroundings.

The house was a gracious two-story home with a small yard, which was in surprisingly good repair compared to some of its neighbors. But there were small yet important signs that the owner liked his privacy. Cami didn’t see cameras, but she did note the security gate and the burglar bars, and the tinted glass on the front windows, with the blinds closed so that nobody could see in.

Connor pulled up in front of the house, and they both got out, approaching the front door. Connor rang the doorbell, and standing next to him, Cami waited anxiously for a response.

While she was waiting, she wondered what tech opportunities this house might have for a hacker.

His physical security was good, and she could see why. This was a mishmash area, and most likely there were high levels of opportunistic crime. But since he worked from home, had he put as much energy into his online defenses? This wasn’t an area where it was likely that anyone would be lurking around and trying to access his Wi-Fi.

It might be worth a try. She opened her phone, taking a look at his Wi-Fi. There it was. She could see it. But could she get in?

If it was highly protected, she knew she might not stand a chance. But if it wasn’t, she had a beautifully written program that was able to brute-force non-complex passwords in a very short time.

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