Henry Wood Perception by Brian D. Meeks Page A

share Phase II, I think it's important to discuss our own security. I've mentioned this to several of you and usually gotten strange looks…”
    Everyone knew what was coming, but they weren’t laughing this time.
    “I'm convinced that our phones have been bugged. I've been keeping records and listening to the lines when I make calls, and the persistent clicking only happens on our business and home lines. Every other call I've made from a pay phone to another number is free of the noise. It isn’t very loud, but I know that some of you are noticing it now also.”
    William said, “I thought he was crazy, too, but we had a talk, then we did a test together. Now I hear it all the time. I'm with Martin on this one.”
    Everyone started to talk at once. The general feeling was that someone was listening. What couldn’t be agreed upon was who it might be. The most plausible theory was a competitor, but as Martin pointed out, the group was not public record. The investments had been kept secret. How could one person bug everyone's phone?
    Matthew sat and listened to the commotion. All of them were standing, talking over one another. The theories were getting wilder by the minute.
    Matthew was sure each man felt he was right and that the others were wrong, though nobody seemed to be listening to what was being said. Matthew almost laughed at Richard and William who were arguing fiercely, despite saying almost the exact same thing.
    Finally, Martin had had enough, “Quiet. I said quiet, damn it!” He threw his water glass against the wall, and everyone stopped. “Gentlemen, please sit down, we aren’t getting anywhere.”
    They realized he was right and took their seats. Martin continued, “I think we all agree that whoever it is, we don’t want them knowing our plans.”
    John said, “I barely used my phone all day.”
    The others made similar comments. It wasn’t long before they agreed the best course of action would be to never discuss group business on the phones. Also, they agreed everyone should avoid contact outside of meetings, which would be scheduled by messenger. The last point was to return to using their phones for normal business so as not to tip off the listeners.
    The meeting broke up without the men ever discussing Phase II, which was exactly what Martin and Matthew had planned. They wanted to wait as long as possible to unveil their real agenda.

 
     
    CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
     
     
    He wore a dark trench coat, hat, and carried a small bag with his tools neatly wrapped in felt cloth. He moved like a whisper. The street was empty, as one would expect at 3:30 am on a Thursday. It was chilly, so Jack had his collar up and his head down. He was a master at being uninteresting and not worth notice. The Flatiron building was mostly dark, save for a weak light on the third floor. He hoped it wasn’t 309.
    Jack climbed the stairs and entered the hall. He moved along the edge of the hallway out of habit. On wood floors, the edge is less likely to creek. The door with the light brought a pause, but when he didn't hear any sound, he continued to the door at the end. Picking the lock was easy. The hinges were silky smooth and he was inside.
    Lamps were a good place for bugs, but they were also cliché, and he decided to place two in the outer room and two more in Henry’s office. The first one went behind the awful painting of the White House. The plant looked like a candidate, but errant watering or tending to it might be problematic. There was a reasonable amount of space between the filing cabinet and the wall. Jack eased the cabinet out and got down on his hands and knees to install the bug. The gun, in its shoulder holster, dug into his ribs as he stretched to put it in place. Jack removed the gun and set it on the floor. A few minutes later, the bug was installed, and he moved to Henry’s office.
    Jack took out his camera and photographed the layout.
    The view from Henry's office was nice. Jack loved the