by Des Hunt
‘This machine has stolen our credit card,’ he said with what sounded like a German accent. ‘My wife put it in, but now it won’t come out.’
‘Try bashing it,’ Luke suggested.
‘I have bashed it, thumped it, banged it on the bench. It still will not give me her card back.’
Luke picked up the card reader and had a look at it. The base was held on by screws, which might come out with the right screwdriver. ‘Do you want me to pull it to bits?’
‘Can you?’ asked the man hopefully.
Luke had another look at the screws. They weren’t standard ones, but maybe Andy had something that would fit. ‘I’ll give it a go, but I need to get some tools.’
Andy was in the workshop, stirring a pot of paint.
‘Aw, Luke, I’m sorry to hear about Spock. That must’ve been hard to take.’
Luke nodded. ‘Did you hear what happened?’
‘Yeah! That blimmin’ Cheeta.’ He shook his head slowly. ‘My word, that man’s got a lot to answer for.’
More than you think, Luke thought, but now was not the time to go into that. Instead he asked, ‘You got any fancy screw-drivers?’
‘How fancy?’
‘One with a split blade.’
‘I don’t have anything like that. Whatcha want it for?’
Luke explained the situation.
‘Mate, you need to be careful there. Cheeta doesn’t like anyone fiddling with those computers.’
‘I’m only going to get a credit card out.’
Andy made a sucking noise as he thought about it. ‘All right, let’s see what I’ve got over here.’
He didn’t have the right tool, but Andy soon made one by filing down an old screwdriver until it looked like it would do the job.
‘Thanks,’ Luke said, heading for the door.
‘No worries, mate. Just don’t let Cheeta find out what you’re doing.’
The couple were still there, staring at the card reader as if willing it to give up the card. They looked relieved that Luke had returned.
The screwdriver worked. Soon he had the case off, and yes the card was stuck inside. A bit of the surface of the card had peeled back and got caught on the way out. With a bit of fiddling Luke released it, much to the relief of the Germans. He handed it back to them, and after lots of thanks they left.
Before putting the machine back together, Luke took a closer look at the machine to see how it worked. It was pretty simple: basically a motor and a card-reading chip. But it was not the simplicity that surprised Luke; it was the way it was constructed. The thing looked like it had been made out of a kid’s toy. Without doubt it was homemade. Surely credit-card companies didn’t allow DIY things on their systems? Could this be another of Chizza’s scams? Was he ripping tourists off as they checked their emails? It certainly seemed like something that Luke needed to investigate further.
To get to Port Douglas they had to go south, back towards Cairns along the road that had brought them to Cape Tribulation. Back past the tea plantations, sugar-cane fields, across the Daintree River ferry to the more populated parts of Tropical Queensland.
Port Douglas reminded Luke of Whitianga. It was mostly holiday homes, with a main street full of restaurants and tourist shops. It even had a similar estuary harbour and strong links to the explorer James Cook.
Down at the harbour they met up with Blue, who was their skipper for the day. Blue explained that they would first go into Packer’s Creek to fish for barramundi and maybe see some crocodiles. On the way back, they’d do a bit more fishing over an inshore reef.
The creek was lined with moored boats, many more than Whitianga had. Further upstream, they found they weren’t the only ones after barramundi. It seemed to Luke that there were so many boats that the fish didn’t have a chance. However, in the hour they spent there, they never caught a fish and neither did any other boat.
Nor did they see a crocodile. Blue pointed out some places in the mangroves where crocodiles were often seen, but they had to take his word for that.
The surprising thing was how knowledgeable Lora was about fishing and boats. She sat up the front with Blue, chatting about various fishing trips she’d done in her father’s boat. At one stage Blue let her take the wheel, and she handled the job like a pro. Luke watched her. Not jealously, but with admiration for the things that she could do. He was beginning to really like this girl.
Back out at sea, they got down to some serious reef fishing. Ham and Luke fished one side, with the two females the other. It quickly became a contest between the blokes and the sheilas, as Blue called them.
Luke caught the first fish, a golden trevally—his first fish ever! After that, it was all on. Eventually they stopped because they had enough fish, not because they were sick of fishing. Beth wanted to keep going, because the sheilas were the losers—a fact that the blokes kept reminding them about all the way home.
That night they all had dinner at The Nest, where the chef made a special dish using the day’s catch. Luke thought it would have been a happier meal if Chizza hadn’t joined them, but, as his vehicle had made the day possible, he probably had a right to be there.
After dinner, Luke joined Beth and Lora in the Reva for the short trip to the Reef Sands Resort. They wanted him to help decide which Great Barrier Reef trip to take.
The little electric car was designed for only two adults, so it was a very snug fit for the three of them. Luke didn’t mind, though; especially when Beth zipped around corners, throwing Lora onto his lap. After the third time, he wondered if Lora might not be helping it to happen.
At the Reef Sands, Beth excused herself, saying she was tired. Lora and Luke sat in the bar near the computers, looking at brochures. It didn’t take long to decide which trip to take: the one that had a pontoon with an underwater observation deck would probably be easiest for Beth.
‘We can go snorkelling as well,’ said Lora. ‘Have you ever done it?’
Luke shook his head.
‘Oh, it’s real cool. You just float on the surface with this whole different world below you. It’s fantastic.’
‘Is it hard to learn?’
‘Nah! I’ll teach you. We can do it off the beach here.’
Luke liked that idea, and it was quickly organized for the following afternoon.
After that there was a lull while Luke debated whether to tell Lora about Chizza. In the end he pointed to a computer showing the screensaver and asked, ‘Have you noticed that those are the same photos that Ham sent?’
She nodded.
‘They’re on the computers at The Crocodile Nest, too.’ Then, after a moment’s thought: ‘That’s how the virus got onto Beth’s computer.’
She looked at him sternly. ‘So it wasn’t my P2P program?’
Luke’s eyes dropped. ‘No,’ he said quietly.
Lora’s expression changed to a crooked smile. ‘I knew that. I checked my computer at home and there wasn’t any virus.’
‘I bet that program over there’s carrying it. When you log on, does it come up with a screen to tell you how to send it to your friends?’
‘Yes. I haven’t, though.’
‘Don’t! Or you’ll send them the virus as well.’ From then on it was easy. He told her everything, right through to the session with the Germans that morning.
When he’d finished, she put her hand on his arm, concerned. ‘Do you think your father’s involved?’
‘I did at first, but not anymore. It’s just Chizza. He’s a real animal.’ He then described the pig hunt and how Spock had died.
Afterwards, she was quiet for a time. Then: ‘We’ve got to stop this man.’
‘That’s what I’m going to do.’
‘We need to tell the police,’ said Lora
‘I’ve thought about that, but I’ve got no evidence.’
‘Wasn’t it the Cairns police who tried to find who collected Beth’s money? Surely they’d be interested? Why don’t we tell them?’
‘We’ll give it a day,’ he said. ‘See if I can get more information.’
‘All right. I’ll do some sleuthing, too. I’ll give these computers a check-over.’ She thought for a moment. ‘We’ve been to other places that have the same screensaver. Maybe I’ll go back and start asking some questions.’
‘Not too many,’ Luke said quickly. ‘Be careful—we don’t want Chizza to find out.’
She put her hand on his arm again. ‘You be careful, too, Luke,’ she said softly. ‘You’re the one in the most danger. He already knows you’re interested.’
‘I will be,’ he said. ‘But he won’t do anything to me. He and Ham are mates.’ Yet, even as the words came out, Luke knew they were not true. Chizza and Ham were not really mates. There was something binding them together, but it wasn’t friendship. And if things went wrong, Luke doubted that the relationship would stop Chizza turning to violence, no matter who was involved.
Chapter 20
Thursday morning was Ham’s last day off before he had to start working afternoons. His plan was to laze around all day. That suited Luke, as there were plenty of things he could do before meeting with Lora for the snorkelling lesson.
Once again Luke had breakfast by himself, before heading to the computers. He wanted to find out about card readers and how they could be abused by criminals.
It didn’t take long to find what he wanted. Only certified equipment could be connected to EFTPOS and credit-card systems, and anyone doing otherwise would lose the right to accept cards. If Chizza’s illegal machines were discovered, it could cost The Crocodile Nest a lot of business.
More research showed that the most common theft using card readers was called skimming. That needed a tiny video camera to record the PIN. The card reader recorded the information from the magnetic strip on the card. After that, a card writer was used to make a duplicate. From then on, five hundred dollars could be taken from an ATM once every day. A couple of days’ work and the equipment was paid for; the rest was all profit.
Luke studied photographs of the equipment involved. One showed the sort of blank card used. It was identical to the one Chizza had given him, indicating that Chizza had a card writer. While Chizza might use it legally to make computer access cards for workers, Luke was willing to bet that he also made copies of credit cards.
The question was: where in the games room were the cameras that recorded the PINs? Luke glanced to the ceiling without seeing anything obvious. Unfortunately, other people were using the computers and he didn’t want to alarm them, so he decided to come back when the place was empty.
He spent the next half-hour visiting the bush chooks’ nest. Although it was almost ten o’clock, they were still there. Except, instead of their morning dig, they were prowling around the mound as if something was wrong. As Luke watched, one made a soft clucking noise and they both stopped dead, with their heads on one side as if listening. Next they were at the top of the mound, picking up twigs and dropping them over the side. It was tidy-the-nest time. Soon the top was mostly just loose dirt. Then they dug furiously until they’d formed a crater. After that, they stood on top examining their work, before climbing down and disappearing into the bush.
Luke returned to the games room to go over the room for cameras. Unfortunately, one computer was still being used. So Luke decided to research the bush chooks to find out why their behaviour had changed. His card and PIN got him onto the computer all right, but the Internet wouldn’t open. Luke groaned in frustration.
‘It does not work,’ said the young woman beside him. ‘The Internet. It makes no connection.’
That seemed strange to Luke. He looked at her computer; she seemed to be typing an email. ‘Then how does the email work?’
‘It is not email. I am using a word processor. I will save it on this.’ She pointed to the memory stick plugged into the front of the computer. ‘I will come back when it is working.’
‘Are you staying here?’
‘No, I am at the backpackers’ nearby.’
‘Don’t they have computers?’
‘Yes, but it is much cheaper here.’ Her face spread to a grin. ‘And sometimes they forget to charge your credit card, so you get it for free. That’s what happened to my friend. She came here three times and never got charged. That is good! Yes?’
Luke agreed that it was good, but it had him puzzled. What was the point of having card readers if the cards were never charged?
While he was thinking about that, he tried the Internet again, without success. So he logged out and went to see Ellie in the office. ‘Did you know that the Internet is down in the games room?’ he asked.
She pulled a face. ‘It is down everywhere. A digger cut through the telephone line. We have no phone, no Internet, no EFTPOS. Soon it will be lunchtime and customers will not be able to pay for their food.’
Luke chuckled. ‘They’ll have to use cash. You know—real money?’
She did not appreciate his humour. ‘They won’t have cash! And they cannot get it, because the ATMs will not work. It is terrible.’
Luke left her to fluster by herself. He walked slowly back to the games room, thinking that something was wrong here. If the telephone line was broken, then how could the credit cards work on the computers?
A friend had joined the other woman. She was logged onto the computer Luke had been using. ‘Excuse me,’ he said. ‘Did you just log on?’
She looked at him as if he was stupid. ‘Yes, of course! How else would I use the computer?’
‘Did you log on with a credit card?’
She rolled her eyes. ‘Yes! That is the only way.’
‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘I’m just confused about something.’
He went to a computer on the other side of the room, and checked the cables at the back. There was a power lead and a network connection. Another cable went from the card reader to the computer, but nothing went from the card reader to a telephone line.
Luke now knew why the credit cards could work when the telephone was down: the card reader had nothing to do with charging the credit card—its sole purpose was to get the credit card details and the PIN. There wouldn’t be any camera in the wall. It wasn’t needed. The computer recorded the PIN, not a camera. Nothing was ever checked with a bank.
To test his theory, Luke used the card and his normal PIN. It worked! He logged out, and then did it again using 1234 as the PIN. It also worked! He did it again using four random digits. Of course it worked! He was so excited about solving the mystery that he logged on over and over, using any four digits he could think of. It worked every time. He would have liked to ask the women to do the same with their credit cards, but that would surely have caused alarm. Before he made another move, a whole lot of thinking was required. If he got this wrong, then things could turn bad, very, very quickly.
Luke’s thinking led him to find Ham. It was time his father knew about what his ‘friend’ was doing.
Ham had just got up and was ready to eat. Lunchtime was normally the busiest time in the restaurant, but not this day. The sign at the door saying Cash only was clearly keeping people away. It showed that a restaurant wouldn’t exist for long if it couldn’t accept plastic money.
Over a meal of spaghetti and meatballs, Luke described how Ham’s email had led to the money being stolen from Beth’s bank account. Ham listened without comment, concentrating on the food, almost as if he already knew what he was being told.
When Luke had finished, Ham asked, ‘And you think Chizza is involved?’
‘I know he is.’
Without comment, Ham got to his feet and went to the bar. While he was away, Luke considered his father’s reaction. He had expected a denial, even anger. But not this. It was very concerning.
Ham returned with a glass of beer. ‘Can you prove thi
s?’
‘Not the spear-phishing scam,’ replied Luke. ‘But that’s not all he’s doing.’
‘Tell me.’
Luke did. Everything. By the time he’d finished, the meal was over and the table had been cleared. Ham had finished his second beer and seemed to be considering having a third. He looked around the room as if after a waitress, but it was Ellie he signalled to. She’d been standing by the door most of the meal, looking upset at the poor turnout for lunch. She rushed over, giving Ham a smile that suggested more than just relief for the distraction.
Ham pulled a chair out for her. ‘Ellie, who gets the money for the use of the computers in the games room?’
‘Chizza. He owns the computers and charges us nothing. In return he gets all the money.’
Ham nodded.
‘Why do you ask?’
‘Aw, Luke is good at computers and he’s thinking of making a career out of it. We were wondering if there was any money in it.’
‘I do not know,’ said Ellie. ‘He charges so little, there can’t be much money. But they do bring a lot of people here, because it is so cheap.’ Then she looked around the room. ‘But not today.’
She stood. ‘Sorry, I must check the phone line again.’
When she was out of hearing, Ham said, ‘I believe you. What are you thinking of doing?’
‘I thought of contacting the police in Cairns who were looking for Beth’s money. I can probably get a name from a guy in the bank.’
‘No,’ said Ham, quietly, ‘you can’t do that.’
‘Why not?’
‘I’ll lose my job.’
Luke shook his head. ‘Ellie just said that the computers are Chizza’s. Surely they wouldn’t stop the restaurant using credit cards because of what somebody else has done?’
‘It’s not that,’ said Ham, his eyes fixed on the tabletop. ‘It’s something else.’
‘What?’ Luke was beginning to get a sinking feeling in his gut.
Ham studied the table for a while longer, before looking up and nodding towards the desk near the entry to the restaurant. ‘Have you looked at those diplomas over there?’