Dez asked. "Track that?"
It was Braden who answered. "Probably just a lot of low-level guys who do nothing but bitch. Still not illegal to do that."
"True," Jason said, "but we could rule a few people out of this mess we're trying to decode."
"I'll get a functional version to you before dawn," Dez promised. "You can look at it and see if you can upload it."
Jason nodded. "I'll have to run that past Bradley, who'll probably need to run it up the chain of command. Seems our boss's boss is now interested in all of this thanks to Rhaven's little stunt."
"You wanted us to make sure the case stayed open," Chance pointed out.
"I'm also not complaining," Jason assured him. "I just..." With a sigh, he leaned back in his chair. "I can't see what these assholes are doing if I don't know who they are. Soul Reaper isn't alone. We know that. The man never does anything without a little help."
"Fair assumption?" Braden asked, looking at Chance.
"I think so," Chance said. "He's probably some dorky guy who's a loser in real life, made a little headway in the tech world somehow - gaming, programming, or who knows. For a moment he thought he was hot shit, and then he crashed and burned because of some woman."
"Or he's mentally unstable," Jason pointed out. "Delusions of grandeur, sociopath, or something else. Not everyone has a reason for their actions, Chance."
"I completely disagree," Chance countered. "I think everyone has a reason. May not be a good one, and may not make sense to anyone else, but in that person's mind, they have a reason why they do what they do. It's just how humans work."
Jason paused, looking back at his screen. "So, we're looking for a man with the charisma to motivate others - "
"No," Chance said. "I read enough on that forum to know this idiot isn't charming. He's simply saying what other sickos agree with. The only reason he's the 'leader,' per se, is because he did it first, and he's crazy enough to not stop at normal limits. This guy doesn't simply bitch. He makes a plan and follows through. I'm willing to bet the first time was an accident."
For a long moment, Jason said nothing. If he believed that Chance's ability to read people was actually accurate - all stories seemed to imply that it was - and used his opinions as if he were a profiler, what would change about this? Well, it would alter the age group a bit. Dez had been abducted eight years ago. If Soul_Reaper had organized it - done it first, as Chance said - then he would have to have been at least in his twenties back then. If he'd been working in the tech industry, then he'd have a degree, so a starting point would be twenty-two, but he could have possibly been older. Eight years had passed since then. So, the man Jason was looking for would probably be in his early to mid-thirties, possibly older.
"What kind of job does he have?" Jason asked almost absentmindedly.
"Man, I can't do that," Chance told him. "I can if I see a person, but I can't do your FBI shit."
"Fuck," Jason grumbled. "But from what you've said, I can say we rule out anyone under thirty. That should narrow it down a bit."
"Ruin was chasing personalized ads," Braden told him. "They got lots of real estate stuff in California and high-tech areas."
"Silicon Valley?" Zara asked.
Braden nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. Granted, that could be daydreaming, though. Is this guy wanting to open a company, does he have one he's trying to sell? Is he in the business of refurbishing those sites? I mean, it's hard to know, so they're still going through it."
"But we know he's a geek," Jason said, mostly to himself. "We assume he's in his thirties. I'm willing to bet he's white and single. That should rule out a lot of those social media connections, right?"
"Yep," Braden agreed. "Kinda cuts it in half."
"But I need to know who!" Jason snarled. "What the fuck is he planning for next weekend? How do I stop him if I have no idea who he is, where he's coming from, how he's getting here, where he's staying, and what types of resources he has?"
"Breathe," Zara said softly. "Jason, we're closing in on him, and taking down more and more of these assholes along the way, right?"
"But I want Soul Reaper," Jason told her. "He threatened you