Chapter 9 - Tracking the IP|
Leaving Bia safely at a friend’s house in a gated community, Ricardo drove straight to an internet cafe in the industrial district. He couldn't risk using his home network anymore.
He plugged an external reader into the public computer and slotted in the micro-SD card he had pulled from the doll.
The folder opened instantly. No encryption this time. Camila had wanted this to be found easily once the decoy was bypassed.
Inside were dozens of high-resolution photographs of financial ledgers.
Ricardo clicked through them rapidly. They were offshore bank statements linked to a corporate shell company called Vanguard Holdings. Millions of dollars were being transferred out of a hospital administration fund and into private accounts months before Camila even got sick.
And the primary signatory on the offshore account? Lucas.
Ricardo pulled out a burner phone he had purchased at a gas station and dialed Marcus’s number.
“I thought I told you not to call me,” Marcus answered, sounding paranoid.
“I found the motive, Marcus. Lucas wasn't just killing his wife; he was covering up a massive embezzlement scheme at the hospital. Camila found out. She took photos of the ledgers.”
“Rick, you need to take that to the FBI. Right now.”
“I will. But I need one more thing from you. The guy who hacked my cloud archive last night to leave me that audio file. He didn't do it to threaten me. He gave me the key to this whole thing. Can you trace his IP?”
Silence on the other end of the line. Then, the sound of typing.
“The IP was masked through a VPN, but I managed to ping the bounce-back server,” Marcus said. “The signal originated from a public library downtown. But Rick, whoever left that audio file for you... they left a digital signature in the code.”
“What signature?”
“It’s a medical license number. I ran it through the state database. The license belongs to a Dr. Aris Vance. Does that name mean anything to you?”
May you like
Ricardo’s blood ran cold.
Dr. Vance. The attending physician who had signed Camila’s death certificate.
