Cyber Countdown

by Terence Flynn

  “Yes, Mr. Solomon. About thirty percent of the students decided to remain in Munich, forty percent decided to go to America, and more than twenty percent to other countries. Less than ten percent elected to return to China and take their chances.”

  “I’m sure that’ll piss off the Chinese government. Please make certain that the best students are recruited by companies we invest in.”

  Dimitri took a flight back to New York after he watched George’s plane leave. When he returned home, he immediately sent an email to the Big Man’s representatives saying he was available. They scheduled a meeting for the following afternoon in Manhattan.

  The next day, Dimitri took a taxi to the building where the meeting was scheduled to take place. After going through security, he was escorted to a conference room, where a woman was waiting for him. They exchanged greetings, and as she handed Dimitri an encrypted flash drive, she told him that everything he needed to know was on the drive.

  Dimitri returned home and began reviewing the file while drinking a beer. It was another assassination. While reviewing the description of the target, he nearly choked. The target was George Solomon. He read it again just to make sure. There was no mistake, but it didn’t make any sense. He couldn’t figure out how he’d been wrong about George.

  He immediately called Director Brockner.

  “Director, I need to meet with you as soon as possible.”

  “What’s it about?”

  “A threat on George Solomon’s life.”

  “Okay, tomorrow in my office at nine.”

  Dimitri arrived at Shelly Brockner’s office and was led to her conference room, where she was waiting. He powered up his laptop as he said, “Director, I had an interesting meeting in Manhattan yesterday with my former employer’s representatives. They gave me this flash drive. It provides information on a target that they want removed.”

  “I assume that means killed, Dimitri. Is this the kind of job you normally were assigned?”

  Dimitri ignored the question, and entered his eight digit code to decrypt the drive.

  “This is all the relevant information on the target. I think you’ll find it startling. I know I did.”

  Dimitri turned the computer screen toward her and sat back in his chair as he watched her reaction.

  “I don’t understand. The target is George Solomon, but you told us George was your employer.”

  “Apparently the information I was given was inaccurate.”

  “Or you might’ve been purposely misled. Have you considered that possibility?”

  “I have, but the sources for the information were people I’ve known for years. I’ve trusted them with my life. I believe they may have been misled or misinterpreted the information, but I can’t believe they’d intentionally mislead me.”

  “I don’t think this changes my plans with respect to George, but the information is appreciated. Thanks for coming here today.”

  After Dimitri left, Rick walked into the director’s office to discuss his trip to Munich. He briefed her on the meeting with Chris Hoffman and the emails indicating George wasn’t manipulating the stock market for profit.

  “It doesn’t matter, Rick. The FBI is going to arrest George anyway. We have sufficient evidence for an arrest even if we can’t get a conviction. An arrest would take the pressure off the FBI, and it could also save George’s life. Dimitri just briefed me on a new contract that he received from his previous employer. The contract was for George’s murder. Dimitri had it wrong. George isn’t the Big Man, and we have no clue who is.”

  Rick was taken aback by the director’s revelation. After considering the news, he said, “Arresting George would be a good idea if we could keep him in jail, Director. His lawyers will certainly get him out on bail, and we have no conclusive evidence that he was involved.”

  “I agree, Rick, but I’ll ask for a house arrest and the surrender of his passport. George would be confined to his home with an ankle bracelet that monitors his location. He’d agree to that if we showed him evidence that his life was in danger.”

  “That could work, as long as the location is secure so he can’t be targeted. We’ll also need to minimize his staff and check everyone who would have any direct contact with him.”

  “Okay. I need to discuss this with Barbara to make sure she agrees. You should tell James.”

  “I’ll call him.”

  Shelly called Barbara and briefed her on the FBI’s plan to arrest George.

  “He needs to be in a real jail, Shelly, not in his house.”

  “We can’t do that, Barbara. Dimitri showed me evidence that he was just offered a contract by his former employer to murder George.” After a long silence, Shelly said, “Did you hear me, Barbara?”

  “Yes. I was just thinking that might be a better solution.”

  “What?” Shelly screamed.

  “Okay, okay, go ahead with the house arrest.”

  “Thanks, Barbara. I also want to let you know that Theresa Killian is our primary suspect as the VSI employee that sabotaged their security systems. She had access to all the required VSI resources, and she had the skills. She was also the employee in charge of developing all VSI patches, including the one that supported the attacks on our businesses and the Chinese web pages.”

  “Do you plan to interrogate her?”

  “I would if I could find her. We’re looking for her, but so far we have nothing.”

  “What about Mr. Hoffman?”

  “We no longer believe he was involved.”

  “When will you arrest George?”

  “If the president agrees, I’ll inform the attorney general and draft the arrest warrant.”

  “I suggest you do that immediately, Shelly. The president is meeting with the Chinese ambassador this afternoon. He could certainly use this information to ease the tension existing between us.”

  George was in a good mood as he read the Wall Street Journal on his way to his office. The stock market had completely recovered, and the White House was blaming the press for blowing everything out of proportion. George knew the White House was right; in fact, his plan had depended on the media doing just that.

  As George entered his office, he was met by Rick Tanner, who showed his badge and said, “George Solomon, you’re under arrest.”

  “On what charges?”

  “Violation of the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.”

  “I’d like to call Sean Flaherty, my attorney.”

  “Sure, tell him we’re taking you to the Hoover Building.”

  George called his attorney.

  “Sean, the FBI has just arrested me. They’re taking me to the Hoover Building. Rick Tanner is the agent in charge.”

  “Don’t say anything until I get there.”

  “Don’t you think I know that?”

  As George was being led out of the office, he turned to Nadya and said, “Tell Astrid I might not make lunch.”

  George was taken to a conference room where Director Brockner, Rick, and James were waiting. Ten minutes later, Flaherty arrived.

  “Director Brockner, I’d like a list of the charges against my client.”

  “Certainly, Mr. Flaherty. Here is the arrest warrant. It cites hundreds of counts under the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, including unauthorized access to computers, theft of proprietary data and information, malicious denial of service, and theft of property.”

  “Where is my client being arraigned?”

  “We’d like to avoid a public arraignment process, since we believe your client’s life is in danger. Instead, we’d like to have the arraignment here with a federal judge on the phone and place your client under house arrest at his home in Virginia.”

  George smiled. “This is just an attempt to avoid the publicity from an arraignment in a federal court. I know lots of people who dislike me, but I doubt any of them would try to kill me.”

  “George, I’ve known you for a long time,” James said. “You know
I’ve never lied to you. I’ve seen the proof that the FBI is going to show you. The man who was contacted to kill you is here and will explain it to you. You need to listen to him.”

  “All right, let’s get this dog and pony show over with. Bring my executioner in.”

  Dimitri walked into the room with his laptop. He showed George the evidence, including pictures and locations of his homes and businesses, his friends, and all his clubs and favorite restaurants. George was stunned. There was information in his profile that he thought was totally private.

  “How’d you get this information?” George asked.

  “I was the one who was contacted to complete the contract, Mr. Solomon. The information was provided by my former employer. When I saw who the target was and what they wanted done, I contacted the FBI and showed them this evidence.”

  “Someone had to go through a lot of trouble to get this information. I guess they really want me dead. How will this house arrest and the FBI protect me, Director Brockner?”

  “Dimitri will tell his contact that you’re being heavily guarded and that there’s no way he or anyone else can complete the contract. That will lead to either of two possibilities. They’ll either give up, or attempt to find a way to get to you. I believe it’ll be the latter, and we’ll be there to stop them.”

  “Okay, I’ll agree to this as long as my fiancée, business manager, and attorney are allowed to visit whenever I want. I also want my current household staff and bodyguards to remain at my home.”

  After a quick phone discussion with the attorney general, Shelly said, “The government agrees as long as we have the names of everyone who’s to have access so they can be vetted.”

  After the meeting, George was arraigned and taken back to his residence, where he was fitted with the ankle bracelet. Shelly called Barbara.

  “We’ve got him, Barbara. George Solomon is officially under house arrest.”

  “Thanks, Shelly, I’ll let the president know so he can inform Ambassador Yang when they meet today. Please make sure no mention is made of the words ‘house arrest’ in any communications.”

  The White House press conference was very short. President Meredith announced that George Solomon had been arrested for his support of the recent cyber attacks. He told the reporters that he couldn’t answer any questions about the case while it was pending. He was thankful that no one asked where George was being held.

  So far so good, thought President Meredith. He wasn’t looking forward to meeting with the Chinese ambassador, because he knew there might be questions he couldn’t answer. The Chinese had traced the attacks on their web pages to the United States, but the Chinese media hadn’t identified the Chinese students as being culpable. The president knew that if the Chinese government was aware of it, they would refuse to publicize it either for political reasons, or possible embarrassment, or both. James had briefed him on the difficulty the Chinese might have in finding the true source of the attacks. Maybe they really didn’t know.

  Ambassador Yang arrived slightly early, and the president greeted him in the Oval Office.

  “My government is very gratified by the news that one of the persons responsible for the cyber attacks has been arrested. I’m also saddened by the fact that it was a close friend of yours.”

  “I wouldn’t call George Solomon a close friend, Mr. Ambassador. He might’ve thought that, but I certainly didn’t. George was arrested for helping to disable some security systems that allowed the hacking of our businesses to succeed. Has your government identified who was responsible for the attacks on the Chinese government web pages?”

  The ambassador was flustered for a second, and the president thought he was about to blame the United States, but instead he simply said, “No, we haven’t. My government is still very upset with the passage of the foreign cyber-attack legislation by Congress. It’s a bad law that will ultimately damage both our countries.”

  “Sixty-five percent of the country is in favor of the legislation, Mr. Ambassador.”

  “Yes, Mr. President, that’s true. But you could veto it, and there wouldn’t be enough votes to overcome your veto. That would certainly be appreciated by my government as a gesture of friendship.”

  “I can’t do that. The bill was a campaign promise. If I veto it, I’d be going against my own policy and be seen as a hypocrite and a weak president. Some of the more onerous provisions that the late Senator Thompson wanted have been removed. I believe the legislation is necessary, especially in light of recent events.”

  The president could see that the ambassador wanted to say something in response, but instead he said, “I’ll inform my government. We believe Mr. Solomon should’ve also been charged with kidnapping.”

  “On what basis, Mr. Ambassador? There’s no evidence under US law that George Solomon kidnapped anyone.”

  “George Solomon tricked my government and our students into believing the cybersecurity symposium was an educational experience. He lied to the students about being in jeopardy if they returned to China. There was no threat to the students from my government. The threat was from George Solomon, who scared the students so that he could recruit them for his businesses. Has the educational system in the United States become so poor that you have to kidnap Chinese students to obtain talent you can no longer get from your own citizens and universities?”

  President Meredith’s face reddened, but he composed himself before responding in a calm and careful manner.

  “The United States had nothing to do with that symposium. You could solve the problem yourself by formally inviting the students back. Your government could simply issue a public statement that said none of the students would be punished. In addition, the educational system in the United States is still very productive and has generated numerous technologies that many countries still seem intent on stealing.”

  The president knew the Chinese government would never publicly invite the students to return. It would be an admission that Chinese students were involved in the attacks. He concluded by saying, “The United States had nothing to do with any actions taken by George Solomon. I’m intent on his prosecution for the crimes he may have committed that have damaged both our countries.”

  The ambassador agreed, and the meeting ended with his reminder of the upcoming Senkaku Islands exercise. “The Chinese Navy will be watching,” he said.

  James visited George in his jail cell, which was a 35,000-square-foot mansion on one hundred acres of land in Warrenton, Virginia. He was led through the front door and then a metal detector as George waited for him with a big smile on his face.

  “Welcome to Alcatraz, James. How are things in the outside world?”

  “Things are fine, and I’m sure you know what’s happening better than I do.”

  George led James into the library and poured himself a vodka and tonic.

  “Can I get you a drink, James?”

  “It’s a little early isn’t it, George? It’s only eleven in the morning.”

  George smiled. “As Jimmy Buffett says, it’s five o’clock somewhere.”

  “Actually, it’s five o’clock in Munich, but I’m sure you knew that, George.”

  “So what can I do for you today, James? I know you didn’t drive all the way out here for my stimulating conversation.”

  “I want to apologize for accusing you of murdering Philip and Senator Thompson. Dimitri was certain it was you, but after his revelation, we know you had nothing to do with it. I always had a hard time believing you could be involved in murder.”

  “Thank you, James. I appreciate that.”

  “I also wanted to ask you if you’ve heard from Theresa.”

  “No, why do you ask?”

  “The sabotage of the VSI patch would have had to be done with the support of someone at VSI. There were only three realistic possibilities, and both Tom and Chris are no longer suspects. She’s the prime suspect.”

  “Why do you believe it’s her?”

  “T
heresa had the skills and the access, and maintenance patches fell under her responsibility. She also suddenly took leave right before the cyber attacks and hasn’t been heard from since.”

  “I didn’t know that. She’s a close friend and a beautiful and intelligent woman. I really hope she’s okay.”

  “Was she involved in your plan?”

  “You know I can’t talk about that and you can’t ask me without my lawyer being present. Nice try, though.”

  “This has gotten very personal for me, George. JoAnn got an anonymous call from an unidentified woman warning her that I needed to back off my investigation.”

  “And you think it was Theresa?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “I doubt she’d be involved. I know her better than I know my own son.”

  “What happened between you and Chris?” James asked.

  “Christopher hates me and has for a long time. He thinks I killed his mother, which isn’t true.”

  “What happened to her?”

  “She was with me at my summer house on Lake Starnberg. I was on the beach reading a newspaper while she was on a pontoon raft with her sister Frances. Christina slipped as she was getting ready to swim back to the beach and she hit her head on the raft. Her sister completely froze and did nothing. I jumped in and tried to save her, but by the time I got there, it was too late. She’d already drowned. Frances never accepted her sister’s death and blamed me.”

  “How’d Chris find out?”

  “When he was fourteen, he found some pictures of his mother and me at Lake Starnberg and asked his Aunt Frances about it. She told him about the accident and that I didn’t try to save her. He believed her and never listened to my side. He trusted her, since she raised him while I was gone building my financial empire. Chris has hated me ever since.”

  “I’m very sorry, George. I have one last question. I know you put a hold on some accounts with your firm after the stock market crash. Can you provide me with any information on who owned the accounts?”

  “No, but I know who can. A senior account manager at one of my offices informed me of some very large trades made right before the crash. The trades were identified by our automated monitoring systems. Whenever that happens, we automatically place a hold on the accounts to determine whether there was illegal insider trading. My lawyer has all the information. Technically you need a warrant, but I’ll have him give it to you as a favor. Remind the FBI that I’m cooperating.”