Page 60 of Riptide
Tom at his monitors, surrounded by the growing graveyard of energy drink cans, Wade at the whiteboard, Reagan leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, Piper sprawled across the tie-dyed bean bag chair she’d schlepped over last week, laptop on the floor in front of her.
Tom's smile was exhausted but triumphant.
"I'm in," he said. "Full access. And guys—you're not going to believe what I found."
18
"Show us,"Wade said.
Tom pulled up screens showing multiple folders. "Blaire's system is more sophisticated than I expected. Multiple layers—the hunting program, client management database, evidence files, financial records."
He opened the hunting program. "This is the core. It's basically AI that scrapes accessible databases looking for specific patterns."
"What kind of patterns?" Reagan asked.
"People who've disappeared. Changed identities. Moved suddenly. Legal name changes. Large cash withdrawals. Anything suggesting someone's hiding."
Tom pulled up code. "It queries government databases, corporate HR systems, financial institutions, social media platforms. Some legal—public records, open social media. But most?"
"Illegal," Wade finished.
"Massively illegal. IRS records, FBI background checks, sealed court documents, medical records." Tom's expression was grim. "Multiple federal crimes."
Cara moved closer. "How many people has she hunted?"
Tom pulled up a list. "Active database has well over two hundred flagged targets."
Cara rocked back on her heels.
“Whoa,” Wade muttered.
"So many victims." Piper's voice was small.
"Potential victims. The program flagged them as hiding from something. Not all were blackmailed. But—" He pulled up another file. "This is her 'success' folder. Over eighty cases closed in three years."
"She's meticulous. Keeps records of everything. Investigation notes, evidence collected, payment schedules, communications." Tom opened several files. "But she's careful. Never explicitly threatens in writing. Look—'I've discovered information that might be uncomfortable if made public.' 'I'm sure we can reach a mutually beneficial arrangement.' Always implied, never direct."
Cara recognized the pattern. The same careful phrasing Blaire had used with her.
Tom scrolled through files. "Financial records showing payments. Most between ten and fifty thousand. Some paid multiple times over months or years."
"How much total?" Reagan asked.
"Four million in the last three years." Tom pulled up bank statements. "Accounts in three states plus offshore. Carefully structured to avoid federal reporting requirements."
"Money laundering," Wade said.
"Add it to the list." Tom opened another folder. "And here's the disturbing part. Files on people she hasn't contacted yet. People flagged but she's saving for later."
Cara looked at the list of names. Dozens of people, unaware they'd been identified.
"Can we warn them?" she asked.
"Might not be the best idea. A lot are hiding for good reasons. Witness protection, fleeing abuse, escaping danger. Contacting them could expose them." Tom's voice was heavy.
"So what do we do?" Piper asked.
Wade moved to the whiteboard. "We have evidence of federal crimes. Unauthorized database access, extortion, money laundering. But we obtained it illegally."
