also knew if I got her flustered enough, she’d probably think of what it was, so I wouldn’t have to go looking for it. Using Black’s first name was kind of a cheap trick, but it worked.
Thank goodness for old school administrators.
THE OFFICE DIDN’T fully clear out until about eight p.m.
By the time I actually sat down in front of his computer, I’d already spent a few hours doing other kinds of research, mainly in the company’s databases on trafficking networks in Asia and Eastern Europe. I didn’t learn much that I hadn’t already known.
I did learn a few things.
Mainly, I learned I’d been right about Lucky having made a few enemies over the years. Not only trafficking rivals and law enforcement, but also a few governments and at least one off-the-grid militia-type group. I wasn’t sure if I could use any of that, but it was good information to have. Anyway, I already had some thoughts about how I might find out more.
As the office emptied out, no one seemed to notice that I stayed behind.
Or if they did notice, it didn’t cause any kind of concern.
They all knew I had a key to Black’s apartment, so if they thought about it at all, they probably assumed I planned to stay there for the night.
When I switched from my computer to Black’s, I made sure the network cable was unplugged on his computer before I turned it on.
I also plunked a wireless signal blocker down on his desk and switched that on as well, after grabbing it from the equipment locker earlier. The last thing I needed was for one of his tech guys to flip out because the firewall had been breached in Black’s office.
Because of course Black had his own firewall.
Of course he would have something in place in case anyone logged onto the network from one of his machines, too. I didn’t doubt either thing for a second. Knowing Black, he probably utilized linked virtual proxy networks housed on government satellites that got routed through Uzbekistan before all of his data got military-grade encrypted and reached him via a third or fourth VPN run out of the Pentagon.
He was ex-intelligence, well-connected and liked gadgets.
Given all that, I knew there was a good chance I’d set off some kind of alarm no matter what I did. But I had to figure whatever he wanted me to look at sat on his actual hard drive, or he wouldn’t have bothered telling me to look at all.
Dropping my briefcase next to his chair, I sank into the high-backed leather seat, firing up his desktop computer after only a few seconds of fumbling around on the power strip where he had everything plugged in. His monitor was bigger than the last television I’d had––but then, I’d always been more of a book than a television person anyway.
Once I got through his password and opened up his file directory, it only took me a few more minutes of clicking around before I saw it.
He had it on his hard drive all right. It lived inside a larger folder named “Three.”
Unfortunately, when I clicked on that, a box formed on the front of his monitor.
“Voice recognition...” it intoned.
I hesitated, then leaned closer to the screen.
“Miriam Fox,” I said, tentative.
The image reformed. Seconds later, the file directory lay open in front of me.
I just stared at it for a moment, sitting back in his chair.
“Huh,” I said to myself.
I began scanning names inside the main directory. About halfway through the list, I found myself leaning forward once more. He’d labeled a secondary folder Blackfish.
One of the folders inside that was labeled M.
The M folder wore the same image he’d shown me in my mind––the same detailed drawing of a leaping orca and three stars that lived on the pendant I wore around my neck. Fingering the design there etched in silver, I clicked on the folder and started skimming through the names of files. There were a lot of them. Most were labeled with numbers, but I couldn’t make sense of the naming convention, assuming he even
Thank goodness for old school administrators.
THE OFFICE DIDN’T fully clear out until about eight p.m.
By the time I actually sat down in front of his computer, I’d already spent a few hours doing other kinds of research, mainly in the company’s databases on trafficking networks in Asia and Eastern Europe. I didn’t learn much that I hadn’t already known.
I did learn a few things.
Mainly, I learned I’d been right about Lucky having made a few enemies over the years. Not only trafficking rivals and law enforcement, but also a few governments and at least one off-the-grid militia-type group. I wasn’t sure if I could use any of that, but it was good information to have. Anyway, I already had some thoughts about how I might find out more.
As the office emptied out, no one seemed to notice that I stayed behind.
Or if they did notice, it didn’t cause any kind of concern.
They all knew I had a key to Black’s apartment, so if they thought about it at all, they probably assumed I planned to stay there for the night.
When I switched from my computer to Black’s, I made sure the network cable was unplugged on his computer before I turned it on.
I also plunked a wireless signal blocker down on his desk and switched that on as well, after grabbing it from the equipment locker earlier. The last thing I needed was for one of his tech guys to flip out because the firewall had been breached in Black’s office.
Because of course Black had his own firewall.
Of course he would have something in place in case anyone logged onto the network from one of his machines, too. I didn’t doubt either thing for a second. Knowing Black, he probably utilized linked virtual proxy networks housed on government satellites that got routed through Uzbekistan before all of his data got military-grade encrypted and reached him via a third or fourth VPN run out of the Pentagon.
He was ex-intelligence, well-connected and liked gadgets.
Given all that, I knew there was a good chance I’d set off some kind of alarm no matter what I did. But I had to figure whatever he wanted me to look at sat on his actual hard drive, or he wouldn’t have bothered telling me to look at all.
Dropping my briefcase next to his chair, I sank into the high-backed leather seat, firing up his desktop computer after only a few seconds of fumbling around on the power strip where he had everything plugged in. His monitor was bigger than the last television I’d had––but then, I’d always been more of a book than a television person anyway.
Once I got through his password and opened up his file directory, it only took me a few more minutes of clicking around before I saw it.
He had it on his hard drive all right. It lived inside a larger folder named “Three.”
Unfortunately, when I clicked on that, a box formed on the front of his monitor.
“Voice recognition...” it intoned.
I hesitated, then leaned closer to the screen.
“Miriam Fox,” I said, tentative.
The image reformed. Seconds later, the file directory lay open in front of me.
I just stared at it for a moment, sitting back in his chair.
“Huh,” I said to myself.
I began scanning names inside the main directory. About halfway through the list, I found myself leaning forward once more. He’d labeled a secondary folder Blackfish.
One of the folders inside that was labeled M.
The M folder wore the same image he’d shown me in my mind––the same detailed drawing of a leaping orca and three stars that lived on the pendant I wore around my neck. Fingering the design there etched in silver, I clicked on the folder and started skimming through the names of files. There were a lot of them. Most were labeled with numbers, but I couldn’t make sense of the naming convention, assuming he even
Similar Books
