“Morning, Jess. What seems to be the problem?” Sheriff McKean said as he entered the co-op.
“I think someone broke into my home computer.”
“Interesting. How do you know this?”
“My e-mail had been downloaded when I wasn’t home. Krispin’s looking on the office computer to see if anyone’s tampered with them.”
“All right. Keep me posted on Krispin’s discoveries. He is qualified, right?”
“According to Randi, yes.”
“Good enough for me. I’ll see you later.”
Three hours later, Krispin got up from the computer. “Jess, you’re fine. I only saw remote access from your home computer, nothing else.”
“What time? Can you tell that?”
“Not with this software. I’ve uploaded a better encryption software package and changed all your access passwords. You can change them again after I leave.” Krispin handed her a small piece of paper.
“If anyone got in, it would have been through that computer. Do you keep your doors locked?”
“No. I guess I should, huh?”
“If you’re going to have access from your home computer to this one, yes. However, I’ll need to encrypt your home computer, as well. At the moment, no one can enter this computer without your permission, and that means even looking at pop-up windows on the Internet.”
“How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing. It’s my own program; not even my company had access to this one. However, the password is twenty-five digits. You’ll need to keep the key handy but in a safe place.”
“Twenty-five?”
“I can reduce it, but until we find out who’s trying to get in, I felt higher encryption would be wiser.”
“You’re right. Sorry.”
“Also, I cleaned up your hard drive. You should notice it running faster.” Krispin smiled.
“You’re good at this, aren’t you?”
“I have a knack.”
Jess laughed. “I’d say that was an understatement. Okay, why don’t I take you to my house and I’ll fix us some lunch while you work on my home computer?”
“I’d love to, but it will have to be later. I have an appointment for lunch.”
“Sure, just let me know when, and I’ll work around your schedule.”
Krispin placed his hand on the doorknob. “Thanks for calling me, Jess. I’m glad I was able to help.”
“Thanks for coming. I was so scared someone got into the financial records or even to the bank account information.”
“You’re safe now. But you might want to speak with the bank and change your account information, just as an extra precaution. They can give you a new account number in no time and transfer the funds over.”
“I’ll go to the bank right away. Thanks again, Krispin.”
“You’re welcome.” Krispin left and went to his car.
Jess watched with interest. He seemed more confident today. As if things were falling into place for him. Jess prayed a short prayer of thanks for Krispin and asked the Lord to continue to draw Krispin close to Him.
❧
Krispin hurried over to the shop and met Greg just as he was about to pull out of the parking lot. “Hey, sorry about that, Greg. Jess had an issue with her computer.”
“No problem. The wife’s looking forward to meeting you. I hope you like lobster salad.”
Krispin smiled. “Yes.” Whenever he did leave Squabbin Bay, he probably wouldn’t be eating lobster for two years.
“Great, ’cause she made minestrone soup.”
Krispin roared. “Thanks.”
“I remembered you said you liked it well enough but it wasn’t your all-time favorite food.”
“Touché.”
“Follow me.”
Krispin settled back behind the wheel and followed Greg in his old pickup truck. They passed through town and drove out past a huge field peppered with boulders. Greg’s home was set back in the woods and up a windy dirt road. Krispin would have to wash and wax his car this weekend.
Pine trees lined the path. A two-story clapboard house painted white with blue trim spread across the clearing. Kids’ toys littered the front yard. A couple of bicycles leaned against the front steps. No one would doubt a truckload of children lived in this house.
Their home was humble but clean. The kids were bright, and Lissa, Greg’s oldest, knew her math just like her father had said. Bryan, Greg’s seven-year-old son, brought in a boat he’d made from a couple of pieces of wood. “See, it floats, too,” he boasted.
“Wow, that’s great. Maybe you can come and give your dad and me a hand at the shop.”
“Really?” Bryan turned toward his father. “Can I, Dad?”
“Since it’s all right with Mr. Black, then maybe someday. You need to mind your mother.”
“Yes, sir.” Bryan ran off to play with the others.
“Mr. Black, can you show me how to do algebra?” Lissa asked.
“Now kids, give Mr. Black some space. Lissa, he’s here for lunch, not to be your math tutor.”
“Sorry, Daddy.”
“I’ll be happy to show her a few things. Does she have a book?”
Lissa pulled out a book from under her chair. “Right here. Mommy got it from the library for me after Daddy told her that it was all right for me to learn algebra.”
Krispin chuckled. “Okay, how about after lunch? I’ll spend a few minutes with you before I go.”
“Thank you, Mr. Black. That would be awesome.”
Jayne, Greg’s wife, set a bowl of minestrone soup and some homemade rolls of Portuguese sweet bread beside him. “Thank you, Jayne. You don’t know how good it is to have a home-cooked meal.”
“You’re not a cook, Mr. Black?”
“Call me Krispin, and no, I’m not.”
“I thought most men were these days.” She served Greg, then the children, then herself. The perfect hostess, he mused.
“I never had time for it. I ordered out a lot. But in Squabbin Bay, takeout eateries are limited.”
Jayne laughed. “That’s stating it mildly. It took me a few years to adjust to life up here.”
“Where were you from?”
“I met Greg in college. I grew up near Hartford, Connecticut.”
“A city girl.”
Jayne giggled. “Not anymore. I’ve been countrified, as they like to say.”
The meal progressed with light chatter. They were a happy family. After the meal, Krispin sat down with Lissa and helped her to understand the first chapter. Doing the algebraic problems wasn’t difficult, but helping her understand concepts behind how to use the math problems took a bit longer than he expected. On the other hand, she was only nine years old and had an incredible mind for mathematics.
He returned to town and went over to the co-op to see if this was a good time for him to work on Jess’s computer. It was a typical Northeastern-type cottage that had been converted to a place of business, with grayed weathered shingles and white trim paint around the windows. It had been built into the side of the cliff overlooking the harbor.
Krispin got out of his car and strolled up the walkway to the open front door. Jess stood face-to-face with a stranger, medium build and brown hair. As Krispin watched, the man leaned over and kissed Jess.
“Jess?” Krispin’s heart stopped.
Nine
“Krispin,” Jess gasped. “Trevor, back off.”
“Come on, Jess. I’m sorry. Please say you’ll get back with me,” Trevor pleaded.
“No. Now back off!”
“You heard the lady,” Krispin said in a firm voice.
“Is he the reason you won’t get back together with me?” Trevor demanded but took a couple steps away from her. Jess had never been so happy to see Krispin.
“Mr. Black and I are friends.”
“Right, and I was born yesterday.”
“Trev, it’s over. It has been for over a year, so why are you here? Never mind, I d
on’t want to know. Go back home to Boston, Trev.”
Krispin planted his feet and puffed up his chest. Jess saw she had a defender if needed. If anything, dating Trevor had taught her that he had no backbone. He would not go up against Krispin Black or any other man, for that matter.
“I thought—”
Jess stopped him. “It’s over, Trev. I don’t love you. Go home.”
Trevor started to take a step toward her, then cast a second glance at Krispin and headed out the door. “You’ll regret this, Jess.”
“No, I only regret the time I spent with you,” she mumbled after he walked out the door.
“I’m sorry you had to see that,” she said, turning to Krispin.
“Who is he?”
“An old boyfriend from college. Thanks for coming when you did. I was about to smack him.”
“I’d be happy to oblige.”
Jess laughed. “Seriously, I appreciate your coming in when you did.”
“Divine intervention,” Krispin said and turned to watch Trevor’s departure from the door window.
“Is he gone?”
“He’s pulling out now.”
“Good.” Jess crumpled in her seat. “I loved him once.”
“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“He wanted me to live in Boston. But it’s more than that. He wouldn’t get a job out of college. He’s been living off his parents ever since. I guess they got wise and kicked him out. He’s incredibly lazy. I never saw it when we were in school. He did his schoolwork and even worked a part-time job. I don’t know what happened. Once we were out of school, he changed. And to think I almost…” Jess let her words trail off. Confessing her past relationship with Trevor to Krispin Black seemed totally inappropriate.
“What?”
“Never mind.”
“Right, okay. I came by to see if you wanted me to work on your home computer.”
“Yes, that would be great. Let me finish a couple of things; then I’ll bring you over to my house.”
Krispin sat down and picked up one of the annual reports of the co-op and thumbed through it while she finished off a couple of e-mails.
“I’m ready.”
Krispin placed the report back on the small table.
“What do you think?”
“Interesting. So you founded the co-op?”
“Yeah, it’s based off of what the cranberry growers did years ago when they formed their co-op.”
“It’s a sound plan. You might want to consider…”
“What?”
“Sorry, force of habit. I don’t know your business. I was just thinking speculatively.”
“I’m all ears.”
“No, Jess. I shouldn’t get involved. It’s your business, and you’re doing a fine job.”
“Thanks, that means a lot.”
They got in their cars, and Krispin followed Jess. She kept watching her rearview mirror. The man remained a mystery. It took less than ten minutes to get to her place from the co-op. Jess let him inside the cottage, then left to go to the grocery store. “I’ll be right back,” she called from the door as he settled in at the computer.
❧
Krispin found the problem. Someone had been on Jess’s computer the day before. Whoever it was had made three password attempts before figuring out her password. His thoughts drifted to Trevor. If he was as lazy as Jess said he was, he might have been after some quick cash from Jess.
Krispin looked to see if Jess’s bank records had been accessed by her computer yesterday. They had. But by her or the intruder? Krispin got up from the computer and started to pace. He picked up his cell phone and looked at his incoming calls. He called the number that Jess had called from earlier today. The house phone rang. Krispin hung up.
He went back to her computer and found a Trojan program that would silently run in the background and gather all her financial information. It had been installed yesterday. To the best of his knowledge, it hadn’t been accessed for its information yet. Krispin deleted the nasty program and installed his encryption program on her computer.
Jess returned. “Hey, how’s it going?”
“Jess, someone has been on this computer.”
“What?”
“I found evidence they tried three times for your password, then they got into the portal to the co-op’s computer. I checked your online banking records. One log-in occurred yesterday. Was that you?”
“No. Wait, yes. Last night.”
“Okay, that’s the only instance I found. However, as with the co-op’s bank account, you should change your account information, as well.”
She glanced up at the clock. He did, also. Five of five was too late. “I’ll do that first thing tomorrow. I’ll have Dad go lobstering in the morning.”
“Jess, I don’t want to scare you, but you have all your information on this computer. Someone could steal your identity with the information on here.”
“I knew I should have bought a Mac.”
Krispin laughed. “There is that. However, I’ve put my encryption program on here and another twenty-five-digit password.”
Jess sighed.
“Hey, I could have made it forty-nine digits.”
“No way. I’d never use the thing. Please tell me you’re just scaring me.”
“True, I am scaring you. You could take some simple steps to protect yourself, and you won’t need a twenty-five digit password forever. The more difficult encryption is to protect you because someone has tried and succeeded. What I find odd is that nothing is missing. However, I did find a Trojan horse program that would gather all the information they would need, like credit card numbers, bank numbers, your social security number, and things as harmless as your e-mails to your friends. All of that is to say I don’t know who is after your information or what information they are after. It could be somebody just after the co-op information. Or it could be more personal. I hate to ask, but is Trevor capable—”
“Trevor? Nah. Well, wait, he does lug his computer around with him everywhere he goes. I thought he was always playing games online, though.”
“It might not be him. And if he’s after money, why would he have waited, when he had access to your accounts?”
“Because I don’t have that much in my account right now.”
“Possibly.” Krispin tapped the top of the computer. “You’re safe for now. Please lock the house when you’re gone.”
“I will. I promise.”
“Good. I’d better be going.”
“Krispin, I bought a couple of steaks. Would you like to have dinner with me?”
Krispin paused. He’d love to, but was it wise?
“I want to thank you for all your help.”
“Jess, I don’t—”
“Shh, I know the fear. I have my own. But we’ll sit on the front deck of the house. We’ll keep ourselves in view of everyone.”
“All right. I have to go home for a few minutes, though. Is that a problem?”
“Not at all. Why don’t you come back in an hour? I should have everything done by then.”
“Can I bring anything?”
“Not this time. Maybe next.”
Krispin left the house and sat behind the wheel of his car, his hands shaking. “Dear Lord, give me strength.”
❧
After Krispin left, Jess thought better of the two of them being alone and picked up the phone. “Hey, Mom.”
“Hi, Jess, what’s up?”
“I need a favor. I’ve invited Krispin to dinner tonight. He’s coming in an hour. I’d like you and Dad to be praying. And could you swing by at around nine? I want the safety check.”
“I guess we could. Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yeah, he’s been a huge help today.” Jess started to prepare the dinner. “Plus, Trevor came to the co-op today.”
“Trevor?”
“Yup. He wanted to get back together.”
“Oh, Je
ss, what did you tell him?”
“Before or after he kissed me?”
“He what?”
Jess sighed. “Mom, I can’t believe I loved him. His kiss meant nothing to me. It was interesting seeing the look on Krispin’s face when he came in and saw Trevor forcing himself upon me.”
“What did you do? What did he do?”
“Krispin was the perfect gentleman. But he would have decked Trevor if I’d asked him to. I would have decked Trevor if Krispin hadn’t come in. I was savage. That is, I was until I saw Krispin. Mom, isn’t it kind of weird the Lord would use someone like Krispin to protect me?”
“It’s weird, all right. But He used a donkey to speak to Baalam.”
“True,” Jess agreed, laughing. “Mom, tell Dad Krispin encrypted the co-op’s computer as well as mine. He’s some kind of expert in encryption.”
“I’ll let him know. And Jess, we’ll be over sometime tonight. I won’t guarantee it will be at nine.”
Jess smiled. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome. Be careful, sweetheart.”
“I will. I promise.” Jess hung up the phone, grateful for the relationship with her stepmom. Dena had been the one to get Jess to see Trevor’s faults and the problems with their relationship.
With the potatoes rinsed and in the oven, she flipped the steaks in the marinade and then started on the salad. She opted for a spinach and purple cabbage salad with a honey-mayo dressing. It was simple and easy to make. She’d only started learning how to cook since Dena had married her dad. She’d never had an interest in cooking before then. Instead, she used to pride herself on knowing all the delivery numbers in town.
❧
Krispin pushed his dish away. “That was wonderful, Jess. I can’t believe I’ve had two home-cooked meals in one day.”
“Two? What was your first?”
“Greg Steadman and his wife had me over for lunch.”
“They’re a lovely couple.”
“Yeah, and they’ve got a great bunch of kids.”
“Do you like children?”
“Well enough. Truthfully, I hadn’t given having children much thought.” Could I be a father one day? Would the Lord allow such a thing? That would be a huge blessing.
“Randi having her baby has made me start to consider it. When Trevor and I were together, we thought eventually, one day. But neither one of us was in a hurry to have children. Of course back then I was going to run a Fortune 500 company in ten years, according to my plans.”
Suited For Love Page 8
