CHAPTER 23—UNLOCK
After repairing the computer, Eric and Colin concentrated on examining the restoration file located on the USB device. While a sense of suspicion remained on Colin’s face, Eric seemed unflapped as he pointed to the data and scrolled down the computer screen with his fingertips.
“Ouch,” Eric slightly groaned.
The hacker touched his side for a second, then resumed typing on the keypad, and Colin glanced at the sore spot.
“Problem?” Colin asked.
“I was attacked,” Eric replied.
Colin didn’t look surprised.
“I contemplated my findings.” Eric focused on an opened file named ‘Developments.’ “The polymorphic here is somewhat clear to me. It has letters and numbers. Several groups of letters, I believe, are short for social media sites. And the numbers...” Eric continued to scan. “They are filled with zeros and commas. I now believe this file is about luring people to the Thanksgiving Day Parade. It’s a promotional hoax mostly for tourists.”
“So you’re telling me that the staggering amount of people at this parade came because of a promotional deal?” Captain Steve asked.
“This data points in that direction. There are almost twice as many tourists as the year before,” Eric answered. He sat quietly for a few seconds while scrolling down a list of files.
“They won’t know they were victims of identity theft until later,” he then continued. “The victims will be oblivious. They will simply go to the parade and be among other tourist whose accounts were not listed in this file. It’s that simple.” Eric scrolled down the file.
“The hackers seemed to hack into the servers; targeting social media pages, impersonating users’ friends and connecting with others selected to be potential friends. This is how 1.5 million accounts were hacked into,” Colin added after observing the files.
“There are more than 2.5 million at this parade,” Eric said.
“According to this data, we cannot stop every account that has been hacked into. It’s already too late for some,” Captain Steve said.
“They reached 950,000 people. I suspect this will generate millions of dollars for this device,” Eric said.
“The damage has already been done. Benjamin texted me several keywords to confirm that. I am looking at these generated encrypted codes. I need to send this material to my company right away so they can block the remaining accounts from being hacked, as well as notify the police and account owners,” Colin stated.
Eric turned to look around for Special Agent Sanchez, but couldn’t find him. Captain Steve stood near as he watched Eric’s every move.
“Where are Special Agents Sanchez and Henderson?” Eric asked.
“Very busy. Why are you calling for them?” Captain Steve asked.
“I have to inform Special Agent Sanchez about the person I believe organized the Thanksgiving Day Parade hacking scheme.”
“And who would that be?” Captain Steve asked.
Eric stopped typing and sat back in his chair. He contemplated the question and shook his head. “I don’t have a clue,” he said slowly.
Special Agents Sanchez and Henderson walked quickly to join the rest of them.
“Here he is,” Captain Steve said, and Eric turned to Mr. Sanchez.
“I think I know who stole this USB drive from Gregory and conceivably might be his murderer.”
“You do? And who might that be?” Sanchez asked.
“Philip Cole,” Eric answered.
“Do you know for sure?” Special Agent Henderson asked.
Captain Steve Buchanan and the rest of the FBI agents looked at Eric, who remained silent and motionless as he thought long and hard about his answer. “It might be someone by the name of Philip Cole.” Eric quickly turned to look at them. “It might be him.” He slowly turned his head forward to face the computer screen, but didn’t lean towards it. He continued to contemplate. “I think he was the one who pushed the hacker name Gregory to his death at the Empire Hotel. After I felt a pain in my rib and found blood once I had fallen, I quickly looked at the colors of the shirt, pants, and sneakers. I will have to go with my first hunch like a multiple choice test.” Eric shook his head. “Don’t mind the last statement if you are confused.”
“And his name again?” Special Agent Sanchez asked.
“Philip Cole. Gregory told me he was one of the bidders. I met him once when they were having a conversation a few weeks before the fatal accident at the Empire Hotel.”
“I’ll check Philip Cole’s background to see if he has any prior record,” said Special Agent Lane of the New York Division.
“Colin?” Special Agent Sanchez said, and Colin turned around from the computer.
“I remember seeing you with Benjamin when I came to question him a while ago. Do you know where he is?”
Colin shook his head. “I can email him, but it’s his decision whether he wants to contact you. I can’t force the guy to come in.”
Special Agent Sanchez nodded his head and turned to the other officers. “I have more information and need to speak to all of you. Please come this way,” he said to the other FBI Agents and Captain Steve.
“I’ll stay with Eric and watch what else he is doing on the computer,” Special Agent Lane said.
They followed Sanchez to a corner of the room.
“After more leads, especially with extensive background information on Gregory, we discovered that a woman named Monica Hawley knew him well and worked as a cybercriminal. She may be the killer or the person who can lead us to the killer. Finding information is taking more time than usual, but we are currently investigating this. We need to track her by her last name and her connections with the suspect we interviewed at a hospital,” Special Agent Sanchez explained.
“The USB drive Eric and Colin just unraveled is separate, yet is part of the Thanksgiving parade. The device is a list taken days before the parade. It has people’s personal information: names, dates of birth, social security numbers, addresses, and other personal information the suspect can generate value from,” Special Agent Henderson said. “But here’s the best part: each of the victims recently signed up for an RFID-enabled credit card.”
“What’s an RFID?” one of the officers asked.
“Radio Frequency Identification. It’s technology that allows the credit card to be read wirelessly,” Henderson replied.
“We are getting information that the USB drive was created by that woman name Hawley but stolen by Gregory, who use to work for her. He took it the day he left her hacking network,” Special Agent Sanchez explained.
“ Hawley did not catch a whiff of it?” Captain Steve asked.
“That part I do not understand. Maybe she had other agendas, other cyber plans, that led her to forget this stolen device,” Special Agent Henderson replied.
“Another suspect – Philip Cole, according to Eric – allegedly stole the USB drive and pushed Gregory to his death. It was in our hands after a lineup he was in much earlier,” Special Agent Sanchez said.
“So Philip was right here, in this police station, then?” Captain Steve Buchanan asked.
“Yes,” Special Agent Henderson said.
Captain Steve contemplated all the information. “Hackers do mostly everything just sitting at their desk.” He nodded his head after a thought. “Okay, so hackers leave their workstation to go to the parade because of RFID scanners.”
“We are trying to figure that part out at this moment,” FBI Agent O’ Donnell said.
“Captain, Special Agent Henderson and I are going out there to look for Gloria. We now know she is in the Thanksgiving parade,” Special Agent Sanchez said. He turned to the FBI Agents of the State of New York Division. “I will check in for more updates on this USB stick and this Hawley individual.”
“We will text you a picture of Philip Cole just in case he is one of the hackers in the parade,” Special Agent O’Donnell said.
Captain Steve nodded. “
We will send more officers.”
“Thanks,” Sanchez said and quickly walked out of the building with Special Agent Henderson.
Captain Steve turned to an officer in uniform. “Get ready.”
“All right, boss,” the officer said and turned around.
The captain grabbed the officer’s arms, and the officer faced him again.
“Captain!” another uniformed officer called loudly.
They all turned around and saw the hacker from the Long Island Train Station and the one from the deli at Penn Station. “Where were they arrested?” Captain Steve asked.
“In Penn Station. The Penn Station Police Department notified us and transferred them here. A blind woman and two people accompanying her were witnesses,” the uniformed officer said. “He had this weird thing with him.” The officer held out an RFID scanner.
“A blind woman, you say,” Captain Steve stated.
“And two other people with her were witnesses,” the officer repeated.
Captain Steve took out his toothpick with amazement in his eyes, and did not say another word. He then took out his phone and called Special Agent Sanchez. “Hello, Michael... Don’t bother going to Harold Square anymore, because Gloria is in Penn Station.”
CHAPTER 24—UNTOUCHED
Monica was sitting at her desk in her nearly empty office. Her hair was slightly damp from the fall into the water at Central Park. She put on a clean and dry jumpsuit she kept inside a closet for jogging when she was stressed. She scrolled down an article with her mouse. Monica focused her attention on the person’s picture as it appeared on the screen. In fact, she was looking at the photo shot of Gregory. She scrolled down some more and stopped at a picture of the scene of the fatal incident. Sadness came over her, but she was also confused and couldn’t pinpoint why he was killed. Monica got up, turned to the window, and viewed the Secaucus water tower. The quiet serene area outside her warehouse calmed her. Monica then went towards her desk, opened her middle drawer, and took out a small single key. She then reached over and extended her hand to unlock the bottom left drawer of her desk. She stared for a minute at a bundle of keys on a key chain; one she rarely touched and that used to be her mother’s. She then slid her drawer closed, locked it, and looked up at the empty cubicles before her. Only one hacker was working by his computer.
“The forums are completed,” the hacker said when he went to see Monica minutes later.
Monica looked up. “Henry, no one else worked today because it’s Thanksgiving. Why did you decide to come, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I just wanted to get this completed,” Henry replied.
The hacker handed her several documents, which Monica took and then inspected. She turned to the hacker once more. “I hope you’ll enjoy the remainder of your holiday.”
“I definitely will. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!” Henry said.
Monica smiled at him. “See you first thing, Monday.”
The doors closed, and the office inside the warehouse was silent. She felt calm and collected when she got up to look at the window behind her. After a minute, Monica frowned. She looked to the side in thoughts. “Where is my list?” she said to herself. She went to her cabinet and looked through her files, but could not find it. She then went quickly to a hacker’s desk and looked through piles of papers next to the computer, but could not find the list there either. “My plate is so full. Of all the agendas I have, how could I miss this one?” she said to herself in an attempt to force herself to remember where she put it. She then returned to her desk and opened another drawer. She slowly looked up. “Gregory?” Monica shook her head. “No, no!” The words Gregory said the day he left began echoing in her mind. I have seen you busier than before... You’ve known me for a long time. What, you think something’s up? Monica remembered his words clearly. Anger and rage filled her, and she threw everything off her desk. “Liar! Liar!” Monica screamed inside the empty room. She breathed deeply with both hands on her desk. “How could I not see through him? How? How...” Her phone vibrated and then made a text alert sound two seconds later. “Who is contacting me now after I gave everyone a day off!” Monica said as she bent down. She pushed aside her laptop with the broken screen and a CD compartment door which stood out, then removed papers that were covering up the phone. She picked it up from her desk and looked at the text message.
CHAPTER 25—UNCOVER
In the midst of the crowds, Gloria, Anna, and Benjamin all made their way down to Pennsylvania Station on 34th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenue. They entered the front entrance, took the stairs by a nearby escalator, and stopped near the middle of the busy station next to a drugstore.
“New York Penn Station is a huge place, but I believe it’s a little easier than outside of Herald Square,” Anna said.
“That sounds good,” Benjamin said.
Gloria turned her head back and forth for a second.
“All aboard Track Two heading to Long Branch. All aboard Track Two heading to Long Branch,” the announcement stated.
“The question that puzzles me is why would four hackers be here rather than outside during the parade?” Gloria questioned.
“Probably because being in two places will make it much easier to execute their plan,” Benjamin said.
“Then the murderer isn’t here,” Anna said.
“That may be the case. If the main hacker isn’t here, then I’m afraid we will have to wait for more leads since I don’t have a computer with me,” Benjamin replied.
“I don’t expect to get more clues myself,” Gloria said quietly.
“I think the person in charge would want to be near to make sure that nothing hinders their assignment,” Anna said.
“That’s a good analysis. We have to watch out for people in promotional clothes,” Benjamin observed. “As you know, I overheard while eating at Starbucks that there would be eight hackers, and we just caught four.”
“Right, we now narrowed it down to hackers in promotional clothes with a logo that says '7-Hour Energy',” Gloria said.
“What floor do we take, the main level or the bottom level?” Anna asked.
“First, I have been here a few times with family and friends, but I still need details. Anna, you sometimes take the NJ Transit Train to New York City when you don’t drive; please relay the image you see so that I can try to create a picture of this station in my mind,” Gloria said.
“Okay, this floor has several food places, newsstands, plus clothing and accessories stores, too. The trains on this floor are the New Jersey Transit across from where we are standing, and Amtrak is a little farther away,” Anna explained.
“Fine,” Gloria said as she contemplated her sister’s words.
“And downstairs is the NJ Transit train from track 12 to 15. The Long Island train station is further down. Near that is the food court and the number one, two, and three subway train, as well as there are other local trains on the opposite side,” Anna said.
“Got it. Let’s try the bottom level first,” Gloria concluded.
Once on the main floor of the train station area, the three moved down another several steps to the ground level. Gloria held Benjamin’s arm tight as she heard more people move in and out of terminals and food stores.
“Anna, are we near the food court?” she asked.
“Yes, we’re in the middle of it. To your left, there is track fourteen and fifteen; and to your right, there is a waiting area for people going to the Long Island train. Also, there is a small newsstand behind you.”
“I think we should check all corners of this floor,” Gloria said to them.
“Then we should start at the waiting area,” Benjamin said.
They moved towards the Long Island Railroad customer waiting area. Anna glanced at a large sign that hung on a small table stating for passengers to show a ticket before entering the waiting area.
Gloria began to reach into her handbag, then took out her folded cane and un
folded it.
“You’re unfolding your cane? Wouldn’t that make a hacker suspicious?” Benjamin asked.
“No, Penn Station is crowded. Many blind people go in and out with their cane. You can stand across from where I’ll be sitting,” Gloria explained.
“We need to buy a ticket first,” Anna said.
“What’s the cue?” Benjamin asked.
“If there’s a hacker here, I will stand and point to the direction I believe the individual is in. If I find no hacker, I will stand with my hands down to my side. After a few seconds, you can come again and we will try another area,” Gloria said.
They moved towards the staff worker who was sitting behind the small table that had the sign “Show your Long Island Rail Road ticket before entering” pasted on the front.
“Hello, may I see your ticket,” the staff worker asked. They all showed their ticket as instructed, and the worker thanked them.
Once in the room, Benjamin sat Gloria down on an empty chair in the far end of the confined waiting area. Gloria felt her cane touch the ground. She rolled the upper part of her cane back and forth steadily with her fingertips as she focused. Then she leaned forward and kept her head steady as she faced straight ahead. She continued to move her cane back and forth until the noise of people’s activities and the announcement of track boarding started to fade inside her ears. Gloria started to eliminate certain sounds of people, while letting her ears work on the unique voices that caught her attention.
“I’m trying to get to the train. There’s a ten minutes delay. My mother is dying, what if I am not here for her because of the stupid train?” a stranger said.
Gloria listened to another voice.
“The woman should be with two people. I believe her friend’s nephew is from Maryland.”
Gloria then switched to a third voice.
“The train is late. I have all the information you need before the deadline. I will be there very soon. There is a surprise right in a pocket of my laptop case. Yes, the pin numbers I have on these two cards,” the stranger said in a lower voice. “One is debit. The other is credit. I have a list, and I will add these to it. Back of the card… I don’t know. That’s all the statements I received.”
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