* * * *
Leaving for the day, Alder overheard employees from some of the administrative offices discussing whether they would be able to access their information in the morning when they returned to work. Rumors circulated like fire to dry kindling; Gary was on the warpath. He’d begun a lockdown of all information for high-profile projects because of the alleged release of trade secrets. Alder wondered if Gary could possibly have known someone released information in relation to Aurora. He had talked to the three at the church earlier in the day but dismissed the idea that they could be culpable because they were clergy and promised they wouldn’t tell anyone about his visit. Did anybody observe him going through the files in Gary's office when Sheila left her desk and workstation unsecured? The other possibility was that one of the three he visited earlier in the day might have contacted the company to confirm the truthfulness of the information he provided. Maybe there were no mention of names; however, the fact that specifics for the project were exposed could be enough to warrant the lockdown. After all, Alder thought, Gary hadn’t approached him. Even though the company was getting comfortable putting large amounts of information back into the data systems again after the loss of its IT personnel, he himself hadn’t tried accessing any unauthorized files, so an electronic audit shouldn't direct anyone toward him.
The Fallen and the Elect Page 52