SIXTEEN

Rachel took a deep breath before she stepped through the door and introduced herself to the office manager. Shane soon appeared, but he looked troubled. Her stomach twisted as she followed him to Jonathan's office. He pointed to a chair and offered her a soft drink.

"No thanks." Her voice sounded anxious. "So, what'd you find out?"

Shane looked at Jonathan before he spoke. "I wish we had better news for you, Rachel, and I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but you've had a serious security breach."

A shockwave jolted through her body. "A security breach? What kind of a security breach?"

Shane looked her in the eye. "The spyware I found didn't come from an unscrupulous marketer. It was planted by a sophisticated hacker, whose identity is still unknown, and it has given someone access to all of your passwords."

"What?"

"Someone was able to get ahold of your passwords," said Jonathan, "and this individual has been using them to log into your email accounts. Both your business account, and your personal account."

Rachel's worst fears were now realized. "Who? No, wait. What am I thinking? We all know who it is, don't we?"

"Yes and no," said Jonathan. "It appears that only one computer and one mobile device have been used to access your personal information, but I need more time to find out who the computer and smart phone belong to."

"I'm afraid this is where it all gets really complicated," said Shane, "so I'm going to let Jonathan explain it to you."

"First of all, Rachel," said Jonathan, "Shane and I both believe as you do. Craig Walker is the person who's been hacking into your accounts. The good news, if we can call it that, is he's never logged into any of your bank or credit card accounts, even though he would've had your passwords. Nor has he ever logged in to any of your online shopping accounts. He's never so much as clicked on a link in an email from Amazon or eBay to find out more about the products you were buying. This means he had no intention of defrauding you for financial gain. His intent was to find out where you live, where you work, who your friends and associates are, and your general whereabouts. Please understand, what he did is still against the law. It's called, unauthorized access, and it's a federal crime."

Rachel perked up. "So does this mean he'll go to jail?"

"Possibly. Once we're done here, and after Shane helps you change your passwords, I'll send you a link to the Justice Department website so you can report it. However, there's no guarantee they'll pursue it, but if they do, we'll fully cooperate and do whatever we can to make sure he's convicted."

"So in other words, what you're saying is even though he broke the law, they may not go after him, which means he could still get away with it."

Jonathan shook his head. "No, not necessarily. I'm simply saying they don't have the resources to go after each and every violation, and even if they decide not to, it'll still be on the record. This means if he were to do this to someone else later on, they could still go after him."

"Great," said Rachel, sarcastically.

"I understand your frustration," said Jonathan. "We sometimes have to deal with it ourselves. However, you can certainly file a civil case against him, even if you've suffered no financial loss, because you still have a serious invasion of your privacy. And if you do, then we'll do everything we possibly can to provide you with the evidence you need to prove your case."

Rachel remained in a state of stunned disbelief. "I can't believe this is happening. How long has this been going on? And what does he know about me?"

"I'm afraid it's been going on for some time now," said Shane. "The spyware was planted before Sierra Life folded."

"What? How can that be? That was a few years ago, and I've only had this computer for about eight months."

"I know. It snuck in when you imported your data from your old computer."

Rachel shook her head in disbelief. "So how much does he know?"

"Too much, I'm afraid. As Jonathan just said, he knows where you live, who your friends are, including me, and he knows all about your family. Anything mentioned in an email, he knows."

Rachel's voice was shaking. "My god. I feel like I've been violated. So when was the last time he looked at my email?"

"About eight o'clock this morning," said Shane. "Your computer is in my office and we're going to change all your passwords. I've already created a new one for you that's both secure and easy for you to remember. I've also removed the spyware and put in a protective firewall. It's now nearly impossible for anyone to hack their way back in."

Beads of sweat popped out on Rachel's forehead as a strong wave of nausea swept over her. "Where's your restroom?"

Shane looked concerned. "Are you alright? You look pale all of a sudden."

"I need to get to the restroom. Now. I'm about to be sick."

Rachel jumped from her chair. Shane grabbed her by the hand and raced her down the hallway to a small door. She rushed inside, and he offered her a damp cloth when she came back out.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." The cloth felt cool and soothing as she patted her face. "I'm just, you know, pretty shocked, and not really myself right now."

"I understand. Is there anything I can do?"

Rachel shook her head. "No. I'm okay, Shane. At least physically. Emotionally, not so much."

"I understand, and I'm just as horrified by this as you are. As soon as you're ready, I'll take you to my office."

Rachel followed him down the hallway and Shane closed the door behind her. Her laptop sat on a small table across from his desk. He pulled up two chairs and as she settled into her seat, he sat down next to her and handed her a small slip of scrap paper.

"Here's the new password that I recommend you use." He gave her a pen and a pad of paper so she could take notes. "I'm also suggesting you make some variations of it as we go along. Now it may look like a jumble of random letters and numbers, but they'll actually make sense once I explain them to you. Are you ready?"

"Sure. Go ahead."

"Okay, the first two letters are for our old high school, Desert Sunrise, and the next two letters are for math club."

"Got it."

He gave her a smile. "I knew you'd catch on quickly. The number sequence is the month and year of our graduation, but as you can see, they're backwards."

Rachel finally smiled. "What a clever idea."

"Thanks. And because it means something to us, you'll remember it, but to anyone else it's just a bunch of letters and numbers. So, why don't you log into your email account and we'll change your password."

Jonathan tapped on the door a short time later. "Here's your purse, Rachel. You left it in my office."

She looked a little embarrassed as she thanked him.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I sort of went into shock for a little while, but I'm okay now."

"I know you did, and we're all just as shocked as you are." Jonathan paused for a moment. "My daughter once had a similar experience. The woman who stalked her is now in prison, but for a time she put us all through hell, so please, be careful, and don't underestimate this guy. I know you're pretty shook up, and I don't mean to frighten you any more than you've already been frightened, but you need to understand that he won't be happy once he realizes he's been locked out of your accounts, and he may try to retaliate. So, if you notice anything suspicious, or if for any reason you feel that you're in danger, you need call the police. Better safe than sorry."

A chill ran down Rachel's spine and she struggled to mask her fear. "I understand, and I'll be careful. I take it your daughter's okay now."

Jonathan smiled and nodded. "She's fine." He turned his attention to Shane. "Are you about done?"

"We're getting there," said Shane. "We've changed the passwords on her email accounts, and we've just finished changing it on Amazon. We still have a few left to do, but we shouldn't be too much longer."

"Then why don't you take her home when you're done? I really don't think she should be left alone right now."

"I agree. Thanks, Jonathan."

Rachel spoke up. "Before you go, how much do I owe you?"

Jonathan gave her another smile. "It's on the house."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

He nodded. "I'm sure. Take care, and if you need anything, please let us know. We'll do whatever we can to help you."

Rachel shook his hand. "Thank you, for everything, and I'm sorry I had to run out like that."

"You're welcome, and you have nothing to be sorry for."

Jonathan gave her a final nod and after he left, she and Shane went back to work. Fifteen minutes later their task was complete.

"Is that all?" Shane asked.

"I think so, and if I've missed anything, I can take care of it myself." Rachel sighed. "I'm still totally blown away by this."

"Me too." Shane turned his chair so he could see her face-to-face. "I know all about what happened with Jonathan's daughter, and trust me, he's speaking from experience when he says not to underestimate Craig. He knows where you live, and he knows you're alone much of the time. And now that we've locked him out of your email accounts, I really think you should find another place to stay. The sooner, the better."

"I can't. I already told you. My aunt is renting me the place at cost, and I'll never find anything affordable in as good of a neighborhood."

"I understand, so here's what I'm suggesting. My house came with a small guesthouse. It's nothing fancy, but it has a decent sized room with a small kitchenette and bath. I'd rented it out to a college student, but she left at the end of the semester, so it's now empty. It has a full-size bed with a nearly new mattress, a dresser, a writing desk and a small table and chairs. I think we should move you in, as soon as possible."

"What about all my stuff?"

"We can put your furniture in storage, if it comes to that."

Rachel thought it over for a moment. "I appreciate the offer, Shane, I honestly do, but I don't think it's a good idea. What if something were to happen, and we decided to go our separate ways? It would be too awkward."

Shane gave her a look. "Let's not go there, okay? I'm not asking you to move in with me. I'm fully aware we're not ready for that level of commitment. The guest house is detached from the main house, and it sits at the back of the property, so you'll have your privacy."

"I understand, and like I told you before, I really appreciate the offer, but I'm not sure about giving up the place I'm renting."

"It's okay. It wouldn't have to be a permanent arrangement. You'd only be there until Craig leaves town."

Rachel sighed in frustration. "And who knows when that might be. Let me think about it, okay?"

"All right, and just so you know, I'm considering you a guest, so I'm not going to charge you rent. Perhaps you could just bring your essentials, you know, your computer and your clothes, and leave the rest of your things at your place. With any luck, you'll only be there a short time."

"I don't know, Shane. Let me think about it, okay?" She stopped and sighed. "So, how often did he go snooping through my email?"

"Daily. Sometimes more than once a day. There wasn't any set pattern." Shane looked her in the eye. "So you can rest assured that sometime within the next twenty-four hours he'll know you've changed your passwords."

"But I've changed them before," she said. "I've had my personal email account for years, and I've changed the passwords many times since Sierra Life folded."

"And each time he was able to get your new passwords, but now that I've removed the spyware, he can't do it anymore, and I'm worried about how he'll react. We now know his being at the hotel where our class reunion was being held was no coincidence. He not only knew you'd be there, he was able to anticipate when you'd be arriving, which was how he was able to concoct the story of you harassing him at the bar. Then, after you left, I sat down at the bar and talked to him face-to-face. He's totally obsessed with you."

"What do you mean?" asked Rachel.

"He wanted to be more than friends with you. He said he planned on dumping girlfriend so he could pursue you, but then you got that promotion behind his back, so—"

"So he sees himself as some sort of jilted lover? Is that what you're saying?"

"Pretty much. So, until we can find some way to trip him up permanently, you're in danger, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let anything happen to you. If you don't want to stay at the guest house that's fine, but I don't want you staying on your own right now. You'll either need to stay with your mom, or your sister, or Pilar, until this blows over."

Rachel sighed. "I haven't told my mom or Alice about Craig being back in town. Alice just got engaged. She and Donny will make their official announcement Friday night. This is a big deal for them, and I don't want to spoil it by putting a damper on things. Pilar has a small child, and I don't want to do anything that could possibly endanger him."

"Then I think you've just answered you own question." There was a no-nonsense tone in his voice. "We'll stop by your place so you can pack a bag."