“Matt, do you realize you just made him an accessory to a crime?” She could just imagine how Tim and Susan Roberts would react if they discovered their other child was also implicated in this crime. Both children facing prison sentences.

God. She’d taken this job to be an advocate for justice, to make a difference in people’s lives. Right now, the lines between justice and fairness were blurred into those gray areas where consequences were unimagined, and the guilty were not who they seemed.

Would it be any clearer if she got some sleep?

“I’m sorry, Ms. Lange. I wanted to protect Leah.” There was a defensive edge to the hacktivist’s voice. “All Joey has to do is stay strong and deny that he was at her apartment. He’s been there many times. I doubt they could isolate his fingerprints to his visit early this morning.”

“Don’t underestimate the police.” Kate wondered if he had any idea of the forensic techniques the police employed. “Right now, they are running online searches as well as scouring the area for Aiden Boyne. They’ve discovered that his identity was an alias. If they find him before we can offer any valuable information, the deal is off. That’s why I’m calling you. Leah thought you might be able to crack his online identity.”

“I can do better than that.” The hope was back in Matt’s voice. “Aiden—or whoever he is—contacted Joey a few hours ago and wanted to meet me.”

The jet lag seemed to have kept her brain working in a different time zone. “But you are in Florida, correct? Can you get to Halifax quickly?”

“I’m already here. I flew in a few hours ago,” Matt said. “I’ll get Aiden to meet me.”

“Even if he meets with you, how are you planning to find out his identity? He has worked hard to keep it secret.”

There was a pause. “He’s insecure, Ms. Lange. And when people are insecure, they are easily exploited.”

“And easily provoked.”

“Ms. Lange, he was the one who wanted to meet with me. He had to have a reason.”

The silhouettes of the shrubs in Kate’s back garden had melded into the night over the past hour. One minute, easily seen, the next minute, no longer visible.

Just like Aiden Boyne.

“What do you think the reason was? Does he want to hurt you?”

“I don’t think he would dare. I think he needs my help. With coding. I’m better at it than he is.” He exhaled. “Besides, I need to help Leah. I should have stopped her before she broke into the Owen house. Now that I know he might have a knife, I’ll make sure to be extra careful.”

“I don’t think this is wise, Matt. Aiden seems unpredictable.”