by L. A. Larkin
Serena continued, ‘He has this charisma that draws people to him and I’m convinced several women in the office fancy him. A PA called Sue can’t keep her eyes off him.’ She decided not to mention his interest in her. John was already being overly protective.
‘He’s got a bit of a reputation,’ said Baz. ‘I think he’s been caught out once or twice with some unwanted pregnancies. Nothing confirmed. Just rumours.’
‘But he’s religious, right?’
Baz raised his hands in mock defeat. ‘I’m just telling you what I heard.’
Serena swallowed her last mouthful. ‘My problem is their security. It’s unbelievable. They really are paranoid.’ She looked over to John. ‘I really wouldn’t mind talking it through with you.’ Too much was at stake. She had to persist. He left the table and rinsed his plate before stacking it. Serena glanced at Baz, who winked encouragement. John folded his arms and leaned against the dishwasher.
‘I can probably guess, but why don’t you tell me about it?’ said John.
‘You sure?’
‘Go on,’ John said.
Before John could change his mind, she launched into a detailed description of the security systems she’d seen that day.
‘That’s some system,’ he said. ‘Seri, there’s no way you’ll get through all that. You’ll need to get into Highly Protected and you simply can’t do it.’
‘But why not?’
‘Why not? Okay, let’s look at the four hurdles you’ve got to jump.’ He held up his hand and counted them off. ‘First, the simple one. You have to know Bukowski’s user name.’
‘ARBukowski.’
‘As I said, that’s the simple one. Second, you need his password. Apart from actually seeing him tap it in, your only other option is to guess it. If you guess wrong, and you will, you’ll activate “password lock-out”.’
‘But I’ll get a couple of attempts before I get locked out, right?’
‘Yeah, and then alarm bells go off in IT. It’s a bad idea. In fact, this whole thing is a bad idea.’ He shook his head. ‘I can’t believe I’m discussing this.’
‘John, I’m sorry. I know this is putting you in a really tough position. But I have to keep going.’
‘Since Tracey told me about your hep S theory, I can’t stop thinking about it. Part of me thinks the whole idea is crazy and part of me thinks there’s a chance she’s right. Look, I’ll help where I can. Just understand there’s a limit.’
‘I do,’ she replied, touching his arm. He looked down at her hand. Serena instantly withdrew it.
‘Okay, let’s get back into it. Third, you need to know the ten-digit code on Bukowski’s watch fob. That’s pretty impossible, unless you are standing right behind him when he brings it up. You can’t guess it, and the random numbers will change at regular intervals, probably every few minutes.’
‘He and a few other top execs use this code to open Highly Protected files.’
‘Makes sense. And even if you do happen to see the code, it’ll be useless after a few minutes anyway.’
‘But if I do get to see it and I establish how frequently it changes, I might be able to use it?’
‘You might. But, as I said, how are you going to see it? And even if you find the professor’s report, you can’t copy it on your computer. You’ll have to use a computer, such as Bukowski’s, that allows copies. Then you have the problem of the biometric mouse, which won’t respond to your fingerprint, only Bukowski’s. There’s no way past that unless you break into their system and link your fingerprint to Bukowski’s name in the biometric database.’ ‘But I might be able to persuade the database administrator to link my name to Bukowski’s mouse.’ ‘Serena, I have no doubt you can be very persuasive. But that will take some doing.’ ‘Or a brilliant hacker could do it easily,’ she said grinning cheekily. ‘Yeah, he could, but he won’t,’ he replied, smiling. ‘You don’t give up, do you?’ ‘Not generally,’ she replied, laughing.
Chapter 26
As a child, Serena had enjoyed sneaking up on her family and shouting ‘Boo’ at the top of her voice. She knew if she timed it right there was a slim chance she could walk into Bukowski’s office unobserved. She might then see him tap in his password and use his watch fob. She had to try it.
Serena didn’t announce her presence and he hadn’t noticed her. She was too late to see him enter his password, but saw him turn his left wrist up so he could see the watch face. It simply showed the time in four capital cities. Then he pressed his thumb on the face and it changed to reveal a line of green numbers on a black LCD screen. He tapped in the numbers with ten keystrokes. He looked up, surprised.
‘Amber. I didn’t see you.’
‘Sorry;I knocked but you didn’t respond,’ she lied and continued, ‘I wanted to ask you a quick question, if I may? What time do you want to arrive in New York for the launch? I’m guessing the day before, which means Tuesday? I need to tell your pilot.’
He leaned back in his chair and put both hands behind his head. His shirtsleeves were rolled up to just below his elbow to reveal lean, strong arms.
‘It’ll have to be around four in the afternoon on the Tuesday.’
‘Which means leaving Sydney on Tuesday, because of the time difference.’
‘I have a meeting at head office that evening. Have my driver pick me up.’
Serena moved closer so that she stood beside his desk. She’d worn her black wrap-around dress and the fabric brushed his leg. He looked down. She glanced at the digital photo frame, which had just that instant switched from a portrait close-up of a young girl to the same girl on a horse. It was time to find out more about this man.
‘She’s very pretty,’ Serena commented.
He gazed at the photo.
‘Jen’s my daughter and I think she’s awesome, but I’m biased.’
He smiled his wide smile, the rest of his face almost disappearing behind it.
‘How old is she?’
‘Seven, going on twenty-seven,’ he joked.
‘And she loves horses. I loved riding as a kid. Couldn’t get enough of it. My mum used to despair of me ever doing my homework, always grooming or riding Biscuit.’
‘Biscuit? Great name. Jen’s mare is called Princess,’ he responded shaking his head in disbelief. He continued. ‘Dumb name but Jen’s won a lot of competitions on Princess.’
‘You must be very proud.’
‘I am but, unfortunately, I don’t see much of her. She’s with Cecile, her mom, in Dallas.’
‘That must be hard.’
‘Yes, I miss her very much: Jen that is, not her mother. We’re divorced.’
‘So, is Jen your only child?’
‘She sure is,’ he replied without hesitation. If this man had illegitimate children, there was no tell-tale response giving it away. ‘But with the money she costs me, I’m not sure I’d want another. You know, she rang me the other day asking for her own credit card.’
‘Credit card? At seven?’
‘Yup. I said no. Then she tells me she wants something called a Shopping Barbie. It’s a robotic doll with conversation skills. Barbie talks about the latest fashion items and where to buy them, and even comments on what she sees in the stores.’
‘Sounds like Shopping Barbie could end up costing you a fortune!’ she laughed.
He stared at her silently for a moment. The irises of his eyes were so dark they appeared black.
‘So how are you finding working with us?’
‘I’m loving it. It’s a great company. And how are you finding Australia?’
‘I haven’t seen much of it, except from the plane. I don’t have time to be a tourist, unfortunately. But I am going to a football match tomorrow. I believe it’s very different from American football.’
‘Oh yeah. They don’t wear all that padding, for starters,’ she said, grinning.
‘Yeah, but our matches are tougher,’ he replied, clearly enjoying her cheekiness. ‘Pitch the Dallas Cowb
oys against your Wallabies and we’d make minced meat of them.’
‘Oh, I don’t think so,’ she laughed.
He looked at his screen. An email had just whooshed into his inbox.
‘I’ll leave you to get on, Mr Bu...sorry, I meant Al.’
He looked up at her.
‘Nice talking with you, Amber.’
She was almost out of his office when he spoke again. ‘That dress suits you.’
Serena returned to her desk, unsure if he’d been flirting with her or if he were simply paying her a compliment. When she looked through the glass partition, he had the photo frame in his hand. A lock of black hair fell forward and he brushed it back into place before placing the frame carefully back on the desk.
Bukowski was proving difficult to fathom. He clearly adored his daughter, and showed compassion and generosity to his employees. Yet, this man was ultimately responsible for ensuring the safety of each and every product released onto the market. He was global CEO. He had to know that T-Speed was dangerous. He also had to know about McPherson’s research in Zimbabwe. He personally would be presenting Supercrop Ultra to the world in eight days’ time in New York; the very products the professor had said were genetically engineered to ‘cover their tracks, to hide the truth’. How could he live with himself, knowing his daughter might be eating foods that could make her sick?
She kept watching Bukowski: he was making big gestures with his arms as he spoke on the phone. Was it possible for a CEO to be unaware he was selling dangerous products? Was this information being kept from him? Serena shook the thought away. This man could have prevented her dad’s death and she must never forget it. She mustn’t allow herself to get sucked in by his beguiling manner.
‘Amber?’
She jumped. Chris was standing in front of her.
‘Chris. How are you?’
‘Good. Wondered if you wanted a curry tonight? I’ve got the taste for one.’
It was early morning and Serena found it hard to imagine how anyone could crave a curry at breakfast time.
‘Would love to, Chris.’
‘Gorgeous day … perfect for a beer first, wouldn’t you say?’
‘Absolutely. Where do you suggest?’
‘The Forresters first, at the junction of Riley and Foveaux. Then on to the Taj Mahal. Six-thirty suit?’
‘Done. I’ll see you there.’
Chris then manoeuvred his large body on its skinny legs out of the executive suite.
At lunchtime, Sue, Liz, Sal and Ron took her for a sandwich at the local café. They were very friendly, especially Sue, who loved to gossip. As a result, Serena learned a bit more about her boss: his birthday was 2/8/74, which made him forty; his favourite movie was The Silence of the Lambs, which she found slightly creepy; he was a God-fearing man and read his electronic Bible every morning; he drove a black Maybach, registration GENSIS13; and the rumours were true that he was a bit of a ladies’ man. Ron warned her with a wink that he had a penchant for redheads. As he said it, Serena spotted Liz giving Sue a sideways glance, as Sue stared stony-faced at Ron. If Bukowski found Serena attractive, could she use this to her advantage? She decided to try to put Sue at her ease: if Sue became her enemy, life might become very difficult.
‘God, I’m so not interested. I’d never dream of having a relationship with my boss. And, anyway, I only go for very tall men.’
Sue scanned Serena’s face. She must have been satisfied with what she saw, because she relaxed her clenched jaw and chatted happily for the rest of the lunch break.
As they walked back to the office, Serena silently mulled over the information she’d gleaned on Bukowski and wondered if it might help her guess his password. Most people tended to pick one that was easy to remember, such as their child’s name or a car registration. Serena was tempted to try one or two possibilities, but, heeding John’s warning, decided against it.
As they entered the executive suite, a pale man with thinning blond hair and sharp cheekbones came out of his office. She hadn’t met Darko Petrinec before.
‘Sal, where is that investment bank submission?’
‘I’m sorry, Darko, they were supposed to email it over by lunchtime.’
‘I wouldn’t be asking for it if they had. Please call them immediately.’
Sal raced off and dialled the contact at the bank. Serena heard Darko mutter ‘Fools’ under his breath as he returned to his office.
In a whisper, Serena asked Sue, ‘Is he always like that?’
Sue nodded. ‘Yeah, he’s a real piece of work but Al rates him. In fact, they seem to be best mates. I can’t work it out myself. I mean, Al is always so, you know, open and charming. And Darko; well, he’s just cold and grumpy most of the time.’
They sat back at their workstations. ‘So, what does Al see in him?’
‘No idea but I know why Darko is so loyal.’ She looked around to check that nobody but the PAs were in earshot. ‘The story goes that Darko was working for Al when Al was VP of strategy in the Eastern European office. Darko was young and really ambitious. He was running this takeover of a local competitor and it turned out the target’s CEO was involved in price fixing and bribery, and Darko missed it in the due diligence. And the local authorities then went after Gene-Asis as the new owner. Of course Al sorted it all out, but it should have gotten Darko fired. Instead, Al promoted him. He’s now head of strategy and corporate development for Asia-Pacific. I think that’s a credit to Al, don’t you? I mean, giving Darko a second chance.’
You mean, Bukowski has power over Darko. He’s bought himself a loyal puppet, thought Serena.
‘And what’s with the sinister name?’ asked Serena.
‘Darko means “gift” in Croatian, apparently. Some gift!’ she replied quietly, raising her eyes.
Chapter 27
Bukowski was out at a meeting for a few hours that afternoon, so Serena had some time to snoop around. She was almost certain that Dr McPherson’s report would be in a Highly Protected file and she therefore wouldn’t be able to open it, but at least she could locate it. Serena discovered a Highly Protected folder called ‘Gibson Research Lab’. Curious, she tried to open it. Her computer beeped loudly, as ‘access denied’ popped up on screen. Sue looked her way.
‘Sorry, made a mistake. I’ll turn the sound off.’
She broke out in a sweat and quickly returned to Bukowski’s diary. To Serena, the computer beep had sounded as attention-getting as a loudhailer. As she calmed herself, she wondered where the Gibson Research Lab was in Australia. She knew of the Gibson Desert: hot, remote and isolated. A location like that would ensure absolute secrecy. Could they really sustain a research facility in such a hostile environment?
It was then she noticed that the icons running along the bottom of her screen had changed colour. They were usually on a pale blue bar, which was now pale red. Quickly checking Sal’s screen, Serena noted that her icons bar was still pale blue.
‘What’s with the different coloured icon bars?’ asked Serena pointing at Sal’s screen.
‘If it turns red, you’re being shadowed.’
‘Shadowed?’
‘Means the thought police are reading every word you type,’ she announced dramatically.
Serena blushed from her scalp to her chest.
‘Who are the “thought police”?’
‘Oh, I call them that. Don’t look so worried; they’re only the guys at the IT service desk. If they suspect a computer glitch or virus, they can check out your files remotely. They sit at their desks and watch everything you’re doing on your computer, as you do it. It’s a bit Big Brother, I think. Anyway, why do you ask? Is your toolbar red?’
‘Yes.’
‘They’re just checking your system is bug-free. They do that from time to time.’
Serena sat back down. What was she going to do now? Someone would have seen her trying to access the Highly Protected Gibson Research Lab file.
Trying to clear her head, she r
ested her fingers over the keyboard and took some deep breaths. She needed to find out who was shadowing her, so she rang the service desk line.
‘Hi, I’m Amber Crosby, Al Bukowski’s new PA.’
‘Hi, Amber, I’m Kylie, and I know who you are. I have all your details in front of me.’
‘I think I’m being shadowed and wondered if you could tell me who is doing it?’
‘Me. I’m checking for any problems in your software. Al asked me to make sure it was running perfectly.’
‘What have you found?’
‘Seems to be running fine; you’re virus-free.’
‘Great. So, how long do you shadow for?’
‘I’m just about done for today. By the way, you know you can’t see Al’s Highly Protected files, don’t you?’
‘I’m so sorry. I’m a bit confused about what I can and can’t do, to be honest. This is only my second day and I’ve never worked anywhere with so many levels of security. There’s no harm done, is there?’
This excuse sounded incredibly lame even to Serena but it was all she could think of.
‘Shit, hasn’t anyone told you that you can’t get into his Highly Protected files? It’s a big no, no. I’ll come up and talk you through it.’
‘That would be fantastic. I’m feeling a little lost at the moment,’ said Serena pathetically.
Kylie arrived a few minutes later. Short and dark with very hairy arms, she also had some very distracting black hairs under her chin. She ran through all the security accessing issues that Liz had described yesterday. Fortunately, it seemed that Kylie was enjoying showing off her knowledge to the none-too-bright Amber.
‘Am I in trouble for this?’
‘Nah, look, I won’t be dobbing you in. It’s an easy mistake to make, but just be careful not to do it again. Next time I’ll have to log the incident.’
‘Thanks, Kylie; I really appreciate your help.’
‘No worries, darl.’
Bukowski arrived back at four o’clock. Serena had worked hard to get all her work up to date, and now waited nervously to see if Kylie kept her word. She watched him unpack his briefcase, dock his handheld and sit. He tapped his earpiece: he was receiving a phone call. He was looking down, nodding. She couldn’t make out his expression. After that call, he made another one and then settled down to reply to some emails. There was nothing in his actions to suggest he’d been informed of her activity that afternoon—except an email acknowledging a password change. Why would Bukowski change his password today? Did he do it at the end of every day?