Catwalk Criminal

by Sarah Sky

  She sucked in her breath, remembering the huge bunch of flowers he’d given her, along with the kiss on the cheek, and his general flirting, which had annoyed Jamie. And her.

  “Why? You didn’t actually think…” Zak’s voice trailed off as he grinned at her.

  “No, I did not!” Jessica retorted. She could feel her cheeks reddening again. Why did she have to blush so easily?

  “Think what?” Sasha asked. “I’m confused.”

  “Forget it,” Jessica growled. She felt stupid enough already for thinking Zak might be interested in her without having to admit her infuriating mistake to everyone present. “Why are you really in London?”

  Zak pushed his chair back abruptly. For some reason, his cheeks were flushed too. “In a week’s time, the president of the United States is scheduled to visit for a trade meeting with your prime minister. I joined the secret service team sent ahead to assess active risks in the capital. As of this weekend, our main concern is The Collective. The hackers’ leader has been active in the States for years – attacking personal bank accounts – but has only chosen to reveal himself in the UK days before the president’s arrival. That worries us.”

  “I get the secret service being involved in a security visit, but why Rodarte?” Jessica asked.

  “The president wants to meet with representatives from the British fashion industry while he’s over here,” Zak said shortly. “Plus, his eldest daughter, Lydia, is scheduled to join him for the trip. She’s opening for Mulberry at London Fashion Week and also giving a talk to young diabetes sufferers at a conference.”

  Of course! Lydia Eastwood was huge in the States, landing lucrative contracts with Mulberry, Coach, Michael Kors and Estée Lauder. She’d also featured in an exclusive spread for Vanity Fair, revealing how she’d volunteered to become the goodwill ambassador for a charity helping people with diabetes. This was shortly after her father, Robert Eastwood, made headlines across the world with the news that he had the lifelong condition, which means the amount of glucose in the blood is too high for the body to manage.

  “Working London Fashion Week gives me a handy cover if the visit takes place,” Zak said. “I’ll be a member of Lydia’s protective detail at the show, although she’ll never know that. I don’t stand out as much as the secret service. They’re hard to miss – you know, dark shoes, dark glasses, etc. They’re what you’d expect from the movies. I’m not. People don’t notice me. Well, not in that way.”

  He leant back in his seat and stretched his hands behind his neck. Muscles rippled beneath his shirt sleeves. Bree, Celia and Sasha shot him admiring glances. Could Zak be more full of himself? Why did the Rodarte agent have to be him, of all people?

  “Zak’s boss has offered us their full assistance, including access to CIA files on The Collective.” Nathan checked his watch. “Perhaps you can crack on.”

  Zak pulled out a folder from his rucksack. “LibertyCrossing started targeting the US about five years ago. We have every reason to believe this person is based here in the UK.”

  “Why?” Jessica asked. “What evidence do you have?”

  “Phishing emails that were traced to IP addresses in the UK, under the name LibertyCrossing. The scam back then worked by hacking into thousands of people’s email accounts in the States and vacuuming up passwords to things like online banking. Money was siphoned off into offshore bank accounts while the hacker also sent out fake emails under the guise of the people he’d hacked, begging for cash. He came up with heart-rending stories, like they’d had their credit card stolen while travelling abroad and needed urgent help. Unfortunately, a lot of people believed their friends or family members were in trouble and immediately transferred cash, again to what were actually offshore bank accounts. We believe the hacker has made millions of pounds over the years through these scams.”

  Jessica had been doodling on her notepad. She looked up. “Were the hacks ever linked to Lee Caplin? He’d have been fourteen back then.”

  “His computer, mobile phone and iPad were seized after the attacks on the Pentagon and the CIA three years ago and they contained no trace whatsoever of the phishing emails or any evidence of LibertyCrossing. Plus, LibertyCrossing remained active even though Lee’s computer equipment had been confiscated during the extradition battle.” Zak sifted through the file. “The hacking method suddenly became more sophisticated eighteen months ago. Instead of a scattergun approach, LibertyCrossing started to pick high-profile US victims, which really caught our attention.” He tossed a selection of photos across the table. “Politicians, diplomats, Hollywood actors and actresses, the chief executives of major companies and multimillionaire businessmen.”

  Jessica stared at pictures of some of the most famous people in the United States. “What happened to them?”

  “The victims were all hacked, but not through the use of spam or phishing emails like before. We’ve been unable to discover how the hacker actually got into their computers. Most had their bank accounts totally drained, with funds diverted to untraceable offshore accounts. However, others had photos and personal details stolen. They faced having lurid allegations about their private lives posted on the web and were blackmailed for substantial amounts of money to stop that from happening. The cyberattacks were all traced back to LibertyCrossing.”

  “Why these people? What do they have in common?”

  “Duh,” Zak sneered. “Apart from being massively wealthy, famous and, er, obvious targets?”

  Jessica glared at him. “There could be something else that you haven’t spotted yet.”

  It was Zak’s turn to scowl.

  Nathan ignored them both and leafed through the photos. “It’s strange that LibertyCrossing’s modus operandi changed again with the attacks in the UK this weekend. He went from being a thief, stealing millions of pounds using different cyber-methods, to recruiting a hacking army, wreaking havoc and declaring the need for total freedom of information across the internet. Thoughts, anyone?”

  The door banged open, making everyone jump. Agent Hatfield strode into the room in a black suit and high heels, followed by Agent Booth, Sam the computer analyst, and three security guards. Agent Hatfield shot Jessica a furious look. She blushed guiltily. Oh God. They had found out about the Sargasso file. She should have come clean to Nathan right away instead of waiting to be discovered.

  “Close this briefing down now!” Agent Hatfield barked.

  “What’s going on?” Nathan demanded.

  “Sam’s traced the source of Saturday’s hack on MI6,” Agent Hatfield said.

  Nathan walked towards them. “And?”

  “It came from Jessica.”

  She pushed her chair back and stood up. “That’s impossible.”

  “It’s true,” Sam said. “The first attack came from your iPhone in this exact room. It hacked into Nathan’s laptop and launched a virus to attack our computer system’s mainframe. It was definitely an internal hack, originating from you. The second attack also came from inside the comms room. Again, your phone is the likely culprit.”

  “I didn’t do this. I’m pretty sure I was hacked over the weekend too. I think my Oyster card, MI6 security pass and my dad’s bank account and credit card were targeted by The Collective on Saturday morning.”

  Zak took a sharp intake of breath.

  “Why am I only hearing about that now?” Nathan demanded. “Didn’t you think that might be relevant to our investigation?”

  Jessica picked her finger behind her back. “I didn’t want to bother you when Armageddon was breaking out across the country – you had bigger things to worry about. But I was going to tell you everything once this briefing wrapped today.”

  “Is that the cover story you’re actually going with?” Agent Hatfield snapped.

  “It’s not a cover story. It’s the truth.”

  “As soon as the hack started, I
launched Operation Chaffinch – a separate internal investigation monitoring the computer accounts of every single MI6 employee, from agents out in the field to secretaries and technicians. So tell me the truth, Jessica. Did you or did you not hack into confidential MI6 files at one fifteen p.m. on Sunday and access a restricted document entitled Sargasso?”

  Jessica felt the room lurch. “Yes, I did. But that’s all.”

  “What?” Nathan stared at her.

  “I didn’t hack in. You have to believe me. I logged on to my MI6 account and discovered I had unrestricted access. I admit I took advantage of the security lapse. You see, I had to find out about my mum’s death. I’ve been investigating it for the last six months. I know it’s connected to something called Sargasso. This was the only chance I had to see what MI6 had on it.”

  Nathan looked stunned. He held up a hand to silence her. “I’d advise you not to say anything that will incriminate you further.”

  “But—”

  “You’re working with The Collective, which explains why last night’s mission failed,” Agent Hatfield said. “You helped the group hack in on Saturday and then tipped off someone that we were coming for Henry. You insisted that your godfather swap a senior agent, Bree, for Natalia, a far less experienced operative, who you knew would be easier to handle and let Henry escape to prevent us from taking him into custody.”

  “You’ve got it all wrong. I wanted Natalia with me because I didn’t trust Bree after the Shard job.”

  “Another mission you took part in that we suspect involved a leak to a third party,” Agent Hatfield snarled. “Funny, that.”

  Jessica glanced at Bree, who scowled back. She’d definitely made an enemy of her. Possibly a very dangerous one, who’d incriminated Jessica before she’d had chance to expose her.

  “I had nothing to do with the leaks on either job,” she insisted. “If it wasn’t for me, you’d never have caught the Frenchman at the Shard or discovered Henry was missing until the ambulance arrived at the hospital.”

  Agent Hatfield shook her head. “You’ve jeopardized the whole of MI6 and put countless agents at risk. How long have you been involved with The Collective?”

  “I’m not. Can’t you see what they’re doing? They’re trying to frame me. They hacked my dad’s home computer yesterday and used it to get into my Facebook account and my school’s database. They posted teachers’ names on a dating website and sent emails out under my name.”

  She paused. Why hadn’t she thought about this before? The Collective had posted about Hatchett Hatcham on her Facebook account. How had the hackers known her nickname for him? They must have read text messages and email exchanges between her and Becky and Jamie. That was the only time she might have referred to the most loathed teacher in her school.

  Cyberstalkers had been secretly studying her life.

  “You should have reported all of this to me as soon as it happened,” Nathan pointed out. “You must realize that.”

  “I only found out about the hack at school this morning when the head teacher called me and Dad in for a disciplinary meeting. I’ve been suspended while Dad gets an IT expert to examine all the computer software.”

  Agent Hatfield’s lips curled into a snarl. “Presumably they’ll find what we did – a secret back-door password that you used to access the MI6 system. ‘Lily’.”

  Jessica stared at her, stunned. It was her mum’s name.

  “I’m being set up by someone who knows me. Someone who knows how to press my buttons.”

  “Really? By whom?” Agent Hatfield looked unconvinced.

  There was only one person who’d pull a stunt like this. “Margaret Becker.”

  Agent Hatfield frowned. “The ex-MI6 agent?”

  Jessica nodded. She’d given evidence against Margaret in a closed court six months ago and the double agent had been jailed for life for treason. She’d worked alongside villains including deranged former supermodel Allegra Knight and the terrorist Vectra before she’d finally been brought to justice.

  “Margaret’s locked up in a maximum security prison with very limited access to computers,” Nathan said. “She can’t be involved in this.”

  “I’m telling you, it has to be her. She’s using my mum against me again. She’s done it before. She told Allegra details about Mum back in Paris. She could have told LibertyCrossing stuff about me. This is personal. Margaret’s still trying to attack me from behind bars as revenge for helping to put her away.”

  She closed her eyes. How could this be happening all over again? She thought she’d heard the last from Margaret Becker, but it was possible she’d found another way to get at her even from prison.

  “You’re clutching at straws,” Agent Hatfield said.

  Jessica’s eyes flew open. “I’m not. You have to investigate this, Nathan.”

  “We’re under immense time pressure, which means I have to prioritize what leads need chasing,” he replied. “I can tell you that Margaret’s subject to the highest level of monitoring, both online and off. Staff double-check all material she has access to and red flag anything of concern. So far, I can tell you there’s been nothing. I should know; I get regular updates from Low Newton prison.”

  Jessica blinked. She’d heard that name before. “Low Newton. Wasn’t that one of the prisons hacked by The Collective on Saturday?”

  “Along with virtually every prison across the country,” Agent Hatfield said quickly. “It’s hardly significant considering the fact that Belmarsh and Wakefield, which house some of the most violent criminals in the country, suffered much more serious hacks.”

  “It’s true,” Nathan said, pushing his glasses up his nose again. “Members of The Collective did us one small favour. They exposed huge loopholes in the security systems of many prisons around the country, which need to be fixed. However, Low Newton’s firewalls were among the strongest. No one from The Collective managed to open or lock a single door.”

  Jessica bit her lip. She was sure Nathan was wrong about Margaret; she could have found a way past the security checks in prison to contact LibertyCrossing. She may even have been involved in the attack on her own prison.

  “I’m going to prove to you that—”

  “You won’t be doing anything,” Agent Hatfield interrupted. “You’re no longer a member of Westwood.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Jessica saw Bree cover her mouth with her hands. Was that a smirk she was concealing? Had she helped Margaret and The Collective to set her up?

  “Haven’t you heard of innocent until proven guilty?” she said, clenching her fists.

  “Have you ever heard of a twenty-year jail sentence for assisting in the hacking of MI6?” Agent Hatfield shot back.

  “For God’s sake!” Nathan exclaimed. “It’s not going to come to that.”

  “This is what’s going to happen, Jessica,” Agent Hatfield said quietly. “You will hand over your security pass, along with your iPhone. These guards will escort you home and you will give back every single MI6 gadget you possess. Nathan will provide us with a list and the guards will not leave until every item is accounted for.”

  Jessica steadied herself against the table, hands trembling.

  “We will also take whatever electronic equipment we find in your home – iPads, computers, laptops,” Agent Hatfield continued. “Everything will be subjected to a thorough forensic examination while we investigate the extent of your connection to The Collective. After that, we’ll consider what action to take. But Nathan’s right, this can’t go through the courts. What’s happened can never be made public.”

  Had it even crossed Agent Hatfield’s mind that she could be innocent? The MI6 operative was building a case around the single fact she believed to be true: that Jessica was The Collective’s mole at MI6. Was everyone else thinking that too? No one was going to help her, not even Nathan. />
  Bree broke the silence. “What happened to the thread we collected last night, Jessica? Have you handed it in to MI6 or are you covering for your co-conspirator?”

  Jessica reeled. Bree had stuck the knife well and truly in her back as revenge for the whole mobile phone incident months ago. Not handing the evidence in straight away looked bad when she was already under a cloud of suspicion. “It’s in a sealed bag at home. I was going to hand it over to forensics later today.”

  “Jessica!” Nathan remonstrated. “What were you thinking?”

  “It’s over for you,” Agent Hatfield said witheringly. “The guards will retrieve the forensic evidence, our evidence, as well as all the equipment. You’re lucky I don’t throw you into a prison cell for obstructing our inquiry. If it wasn’t for the fact you’re Nathan’s god-daughter, I would.”

  Bang! Zak threw his rucksack down on the table.

  “Seriously? You’re actually naive enough to believe that Jessica is involved with these hackers? It makes no sense whatsoever. Sure, she’s made a few bad choices. She should have reported the hacks immediately, but she didn’t. It’s obvious she’s been set up. As for the thread, we’re talking about a delay of a few hours. Big deal.” He turned to Nathan. “Come on. You have to stop this lunacy before it’s too late.”

  Jessica stared at him, stunned. Seriously, Zak was the last person she expected to fight her corner. Hadn’t he accused her of screwing up the job at the Shard and last night’s mission, claiming he could have done better?

  “The rules under Operation Chaffinch are clear,” Agent Hatfield said coldly. “Immediate suspension followed by investigation, expulsion and punishment. Jessica’s out and won’t be coming back.”

  “Oh shut up, will you!” Zak snapped. “I don’t know what kind of power kick you’re on, lady, but give it a rest. You need Jessica on the inside of this investigation, not the outside. She’s the best you’ve got.”

  The words rang in her ears. She had no idea what had got into Zak. It was as if he’d been replaced by his far nicer identical twin.