Googling

By the time evening came, most of the staff had gone home, but Roland was still busily attempting to trace Nightingale.

The air of brutality surrounding Roland was completely unlike his usual calm, refined aura. His hands seemed to blur into a strange haze as he speedily typed.

'I understand that the business matters are compulsory; the suits, the board meetings, and the discussions are all necessary. But deep down, I know that's not me.

'All I really want is to code, like when I first started. Finding a problem and just getting stuck into it is how I want to spend my days.

'Well, now I have a pretty big problem, and honestly, I couldn't be happier.'

He smiled to himself as he thought that.

'Clearly, it's terrible that such a situation has come about, but this Nightingale is extremely talented.

'They've cleaned up their trail pretty well, not leaving me any crumbs to follow.'

Thinking about it, an idea abruptly popped into his head. 'Now, that is a thought. If this Nightingale is of the right sort—and by that I mean, not corporate and not some twisted ethical hacker, just someone out for money—I'll try to hire them.

'Sure, it's a risk, but the company could do with a dedicated white hat. After all, Nightingale has proven that our system has some shortcomings, some that even I would have missed.'

Roland shook his head, clearing his mind of unnecessary thoughts, and got back to the task at hand.

…

Back in the security office, Anna and Carter were trying to figure out how to collect evidence of Veronica's crimes.

Thus far, they hadn't managed to find any leads. Of course, googling 'Who is Nightingale?' was never going to get them very far.

"Look, neither of us is a computer expert; we can't hope to prove it that way." As he said that, inspiration seemed to suddenly strike Carter and he continued, "However, that's not the only way to prove that Veronica is related to Nightingale somehow, or at least up to something. We should play to our strengths; you've got a degree in Economics, and you're a qualified accountant. We can follow the money. As a member of the board she has to submit her finances for auditing annually. If I get those files for you, do you think you'll be able to find something?"

After thinking for a moment, Anna replied, "If there's something to be found, I'm sure I'll be able to find it eventually. However, as I'm not experienced in forensic accounting, I doubt I will be very efficient."

"That's fine," Carter quickly replied. "We don't need to prove anything today; we just need to keep moving forward, keep pushing for what we're aiming for, and eventually, we'll get what we need."

Carter's confidence impressed Anna. 'Hmm. Carter is very confident in what he does, but then, I guess that's the army for you. They do train their men well.

'It's surprising how different he is to Roland. They both have their own unique charm.'