Blindspot

Chapter 36

[Unknown Text message 1:43pm] : Where is my money

[Unknown Text message 1:45pm] : Answer Me! WHERE. IS. THE. MONEY?

"What do I do? What should I do?" Freen was panicking again and shoved her phone towards Rebecca.

"Ritchie?"

[Unknown Text message 1:46 pm] :YOU'RE PUSHING ME.

"One sec. One sec. The bug is picking up the IP address...query pending" Ritchie mumbled.

"Why is it so slow? Are you playing a game on the side? Is it lagging?" Rebecca was demanding by Ritchie's ear.

"The code is running! Geez, go stand in the corner, you're giving me anxiety shouting by my ear."

[Unknown Text message 1:53 pm] : I AM NOT BLUFFING. LAST CHANCE

"Stop whining. Do I need to message this shitty person back for you to be able to trace him?"

"GOT IT!" Ritchie grinned ear to ear, "your shitty person is currently residing in....Bangkok?"

"Where in Bangkok? Zoom in!" Mr. Armstrong asked anxiously as well.

"Hm....the IP address is traced to...an internet cafe. I thought it would have been to a burner phone or something. This is good."

"How is it good?" Freen questioned Ritchie's logic.

"Well internet cafes usually have security cameras and we have the times of when your blackmailer messaged you, so we only need to look back on the footage to see the face. If it was a burner phone, they aren't registered with an ID or registered with a fake ID, basically making it much harder to track and gather evidence." Ritchie explained.

"so...what is the next step? The phone is still pinging"

[Unknown Text message 2:14 pm] :YOU HAVE 5 MINUTES.

"Don't bother responding. We have what we need, let this shitty person talk to air." Rawee, Rebecca's mother answered, "Papa, let Jack know that we have the evidence and submit the paperwork to open the investigation. We need to go to the proper channels now, and let the police make the arrest."

"Is there any way I can resolve this privately? I don't have much confidence with the law nor do I want to involve so many people I don't know."

"P'Freen, please, have some faith in the law. We will get this shitty rotten slimy person."

[Unknown Text message 2:21 pm] : You will regret this.

Freen looked at the last message worriedly. They waited an hour and nothing happened. Two hours became three and still nothing. The Armstrong family and Freen stayed up as much as they could waiting for the explosive news but nothing. It was pure torture waiting for the axe to drop.
When morning came and still nothing bad had exploded on the internet, did Freen and the Armstrong family finally released long held breath.

"I think it is safe to say that it was a bluff. They really had nothing." Rebecca smiled, "so glad we didn't pay the ransom. It would have been a waste. I would rather burn all that money than give a single penny to that shitty person."

"Yah... thank goodness." Freen breathed out a sigh of relief but her gut was still giving her some doubts--it seemed too easy.

"We can call off on the contract workers being our internet watchdogs." Rawee suggested.

"Alright." Freen agreed.

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