by Liz Wolfe
“Can we talk in your office?”
“Certainly.” Dan led her down a wide hallway to a large office. He opened the door and gestured for her to enter. “Susan said you’re with the FSA?”
“Yes. Are you familiar with the FSA?”
“Oh, yes. I was quite the radical in college. I’m familiar with all the federal investigative agencies. May I see your ID?”
Liar-head. From his conversation with the receptionist, Shelby knew he’d thought she was with the Futuristic Software guys. She handed over the leather wallet that held her badge and identification.
“You know this could easily be duplicated.”
“Actually, it can’t. But someone could easily make a copy that looks like the real thing.”
“I think I’ll need more than this,” Dan said.
“I’m not surprised. Here’s a number you can call to confirm my identity. And you can call the local FBI office or your local police to confirm that the number is a valid one.”
“And I suppose you have the number for the local FBI office too?”
Shelby grinned at him. “Of course, but I think it might be better if you look it up yourself. I wouldn’t want you thinking that this is a ruse or anything.”
Dan turned to the laptop on his desk. He clicked the mouse, typed in a few commands, and opened the home page for the FBI. He picked up his phone and punched in the number for the headquarters in Washington, DC.
Shelby looked around his office while he spoke to someone for a few minutes. InfoTech Professionals was obviously doing well. His walls boasted some original artwork, and his furniture was a tasteful rosewood. She heard his phone click and more buttons being punched. He spoke to someone again, mentioning her name. After a moment he replaced the phone.
“So, exactly how can I help you, Ms. Parker?”
“You were contacted early this morning by The Center for Bio-Psychological Research. They have computer problems, and you assured them you would have a team there this afternoon.”
“Yes. I have one of my lead techs assembling a team now.”
“Stop him. You won’t be sending anyone out to The Center.”
“I won’t?” Dan raised his eyebrows, but didn’t seem to be resistant to her instructions.
“No. I’m expecting an associate, Josh Dalton, here within an hour. He’ll wait here while I go to The Center as one of your techs. If I need Josh, I’ll call and you’ll send him out. Your job will be to answer any phone calls from The Center and assure them that I am indeed from your office and highly qualified to take care of their problem.”
“Can I ask what this is about?” Dan asked.
“Yes, but you won’t get an answer.” Shelby grinned again, pleased that he wasn’t going to fight her on this.
“I’m not surprised.” Dan sighed. “You’ll need to have an InfoTech identification badge and a shirt with our logo. All our techs wear them.” Dan turned his palms up. “Anything else?”
An hour later, Shelby was enjoying some gourmet coffee in Dan’s office when his intercom buzzed.
“Mr. Knowles, there’s a Josh Dalton here to see you.” Dan’s receptionist sounded a little breathless.
“Send him back, Susan.”
“Hey, Josh.” Shelby gave him a finger wave from the sofa. “Sorry to drag you out here.”
“Hey, no problem. Getting out of the office occasionally is good for me.”
“Dan Knowles.” Dan stood and held out his hand.
“Can I get you some coffee or anything?” Susan lingered at the door, obviously awed by Josh.
“Thanks, that would be great. Just black.” Josh flashed her a smile.
Shelby shook her head. His smile was so guileless and charming, it should be classified as a weapon. Josh Dalton was an impressive piece of masculinity. Most men were intimidated by him at first, and most women were attracted. He stood about six four and had the kind of muscular build that came from good genes and some serious gym time. His blond hair was thick and wavy, and his blue eyes sparkled with humor and intelligence. A square jaw and quick smile completed the package. As if his looks weren’t enough, Shelby knew Josh boasted an IQ in the genius range.
Josh set his thick laptop case on Dan’s desk and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“So, you’re one of the FSA’s computer guys?” Dan asked.
“That’s me,” Josh agreed.
“Man, would I love to see what you’ve got in that case.” Dan made a forlorn sound that was halfway between a sigh and a chuckle.
“You boys get acquainted while I change in the ladies’ room.” Shelby suggested.
The men headed down the hallway, and Shelby made for the ladies’ room with her backpack. Ten minutes later she was looking in the mirror at Cathy Silvers. Plump, plain faced, with dull, curly, brown hair, and now wearing an InfoTech Professionals shirt. She closed the backpack and joined Josh and Dan in Dan’s office.
“And check this out,” Josh said tapping on the keys of his laptop and then leaning back to allow Dan a better view of the screen.
“No way!” Dan’s eyes were wide.
“Way! And this can—”
“You aren’t showing Dan our agency secrets are you?” Shelby asked.
“Not the important ones.” Josh grinned.
“Wow!” Dan looked at Shelby, his mouth gaping. “You don’t even look like yourself!”
“Yeah, she’s good at that,” Josh grinned. “You should see this one get-up she has. Looks for all the world like a senior citizen. Frumpy clothes, gray hair, that shuffling walk that older people have.” Josh shook his head. “You’d never know.”
“I’m impressed.” Dan nodded.
“Hey, don’t I need an InfoTech shirt too?” Josh asked.
“Not this time, Josh. You’re staying here. I’ll call if I need you.”
Josh sighed. “Ethan said I was going in with you.”
“Ethan lied.”
“I know.” Josh held his hands up. “Your op, your way. Still, I could be useful.”
“And if I need you, I’ll call. In the meantime, you and Dan can tech-talk to each other.”
“This is because of that first op, isn’t it?”
Shelby smiled at him. “Leaving your equipment behind was a bad thing.”
“It was only that one time. And it was my first op.”
“I know. It isn’t that, Josh. This is just how I work.”
Josh sighed and sat down again. “I never get to have any fun.”
“You know what to say if anyone from The Center calls?” she asked Dan.
“No problem. I didn’t get to where I am today without being able to tell a little white lie occasionally.” Dan winked and handed her the keys to one of the company vans.
“Hi, Mandy.”
The Center’s receptionist turned to greet Shelby. “Oh, Cathy, hi. What can I do for you?”
“I’m here from InfoTech Professionals to fix your virus problem.”
“Hey, you got a job? That’s great.”
“Yep. Just temporary, but it pays good.” Shelby shrugged.
Mandy lifted the phone and pressed the intercom button. “Dr. Carlson, the tech from InfoTech Professionals is here.” She replaced the phone and looked back at Shelby. “She’ll be right here.”
“So, it seems like you guys got that mole virus,” Shelby ventured.
“I don’t know what you call it, but it’s eaten up a lot of files. They’re just gone!”
“Sounds like the mole virus, all right,” she said. “Good thing is that we can fix that and get back all your files. It’s tedious, but not difficult.”
“Dr. Carlson will be happy to hear that.”
“Happy to hear what, Mandy?”
Mandy jumped a little in her seat. “Oh, Dr. Carlson. Cathy’s here from InfoTech Professionals.” Mandy busied herself with stacking some papers as Dr. Carlson stared at Shelby.
“Hi, Dr. Carlson.” Shelby held out her hand, hoping
to end the awkward moment. “I just got hired by InfoTech Professionals. Is that weird or what?” She pumped Dr. Carlson’s hand.
“Isn’t it.” Dr. Carlson pulled her hand away from Shelby’s.
“Perhaps you could give me a little background on your problem,” Shelby suggested.
“Certainly.” Dr. Carlson turned and walked down the hallway. “The only problem we’ve noticed so far is that files just seem to be missing. I’m assuming that’s one of the effects of this mole virus.”
“That certainly sounds like the mole virus. Not to worry, though. I can not only get rid of the virus, but probably restore most of your files as well.”
“That would be much appreciated. How long will it take?”
“No way to tell until we get started.” Shelby shrugged. “It depends on how much damage the virus has done.”
“Fine. Where do you want to start?”
“I’ll start in the computer room. I’ll need the administrative passwords for your servers, if you have them. Otherwise, I’ll have to reset some of the controls. Might take a while.”
“I thought as much.” Dr. Carlson handed her a file folder. “Unless Ted changed the passwords recently, they should all be in there.”
“Are there passwords on the desktops?”
“No.” Dr. Carlson shook her head. “Except for mine and Dr. Thomas’. Our computers contain very sensitive information about our clients. I’m afraid it isn’t possible for you to view anything on our computers.”
“So, your computers aren’t connected to the network?” Shelby asked.
“Well, of course they are. But we keep the sensitive files on our hard drives.”
“Not for long. That mole virus will eat them up.”
“What?” Dr. Carlson looked startled. “But there’s been no indication that the virus has affected our computers.”
“Not yet. But trust me, this mole virus is a nasty little bugger. If you’ve been connected to the network since the virus arrived, it’s just a matter of time before your sensitive files disappear.”
“Dear God.” Dr. Carlson pulled the inhaler from her pocket and gave herself a shot in the mouth. Shelby took a perverse pleasure at seeing her composure crack a bit.
“It’s not like I need to view any of the files in order to eradicate the virus, Dr. Carlson. Someone can be present while I work, if you’re worried about anything.”
“I see. I suppose that would be acceptable. Although Dr. Thomas and I are both very busy. I suppose I could have one of the guards stay with you while you work on our computers.”
“Excellent. I’ll start on the servers, and when the guard is ready, I’ll clean up your computers.”
The first time she’d been there, she had only seen the very front of the building that held the reception area and several offices. Dr. Carlson led her down a hallway, passing a set of double doors with windows that opened into what appeared to be a lab area. The computer room was at the end of the hallway.
Shelby worked on the servers for almost an hour before Dr. Carlson returned with a guard in tow. She followed them back to Dr. Carlson’s office and sat down in front of the computer. Shelby pressed the space bar and waited as the screen glowed to life.
“Hey, Dr. Carlson, it’s asking for a thumbprint. What’s up with that?”
“I have to log on using my thumbprint for identification. It’s a security measure.” Dr. Carlson pressed her thumb against the glass front of a small box on her desk. A light flashed from behind the glass, and the laptop whirred and clicked.
“Wow, that’s like real James Bond stuff.”
Dr. Carlson ignored her. “When you’re finished here, I’ll log on to Dr. Thomas’ computer for you.” She gave the guard a meaningful look, which Shelby was pretty sure meant for him to watch her like a hawk.
Shelby fished the diskette from the pocket on her backpack and slid it into the slot. The guard stood so close, she could smell the garlic he’d had at lunch.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“It’s the software to detect and clean the virus. See?” She ejected the diskette and held it up so he could see the label. Like that had anything to do with what was on the diskette. He nodded, and she slid the diskette into the slot again. Shelby started a standard virus scan, just so something would be on the screen to distract the guard. Working quickly, she clicked on the buttons that would install the File Transfer Protocol Service Josh had programmed and clean up the virus she’d installed earlier that week. The guard seemed mesmerized by the virus scan program and didn’t mention anything else she was doing. Josh’s program took only a few seconds to upload, but she let the virus scan run through all the files.
“That’s it. This machine is clean.”
“Dr. Carlson will be happy to hear that.”
Less than an hour later, Shelby assured Dr. Carlson that even though the mole virus had been present on both their laptops, she’d been able to eradicate it and they hadn’t lost any files. Dr. Carlson rewarded her hard work with a tight smile.
“Have you finished with the servers?”
“I’ve installed a program that will search and clean all the files. It’ll take a while to complete,” Shelby said.
“I see.” Dr. Carlson frowned, and Shelby could imagine how uncomfortable she was having someone poke around in her computer files.
“It’ll probably take ten or twelve hours for the program to complete, but it beats having to do each one individually. That would take several days. How many other computers do you have?”
“About a dozen. Although some of them are in the laboratory and clinic area. We don’t normally allow anyone back there.”
Shelby shrugged. “If they haven’t been on the network, it’s not a problem. I can start on the ones out here.”
“The receptionist is still working, so perhaps you can check Dr. McRae’s computer. He’s already left for the day.”
After Dr. Carlson let her in to Dr. McRae’s office, she settled behind his desk, pulled out the diskette, and started the program. That seemed to satisfy the doctor, and she departed without a word. Shelby smiled at her as she left. The woman could seriously use some social skills. At least she hadn’t assigned one of the guards to watch her every move here.
Shelby looked around Dr. McRae’s office. She’d need to be here for a while, just to make it appear that she was actually checking his computer for the virus. Might as well take a peek in his drawers. That thought brought up a visual that Shelby firmly pushed to the nether recesses of her mind.
She pulled open a drawer and scanned the file labels. Most of them were names, Cathy Silvers among them. Patient files, she supposed. Shelby pulled one out and glanced through it. Nothing of any interest, except some notations about levels of psychic ability. The next few were pretty much the same. A variety of both men and women, ages from teens to forties. The only thing common to all the files was the notation on their psychic abilities.
There were no files with either Shannon’s or Sam’s names. That in itself seemed strange. As the staff psychiatrist, Shelby figured he’d have some contact with every client at The Center. And according to the intel Ethan had given her, Shannon had brought Sam here at least a few times.
She replaced the files in the drawer, her hand lingering on the Cathy Silvers file, curious what the doctor had written about her. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to find out.
“Looking for something, Ms. Silvers?” Dr. McRae asked.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Shelby froze. Caught with her hand in the damn cookie jar. Dr. McRae closed the door softly behind him and leaned against it.
“Perhaps if you tell me what you’re looking for, I could be of some assistance?” His voice was soft, but she definitely heard a menacing undertone.
“And maybe you’d like to tell me why you’re keeping a file on me?” Shelby pulled the Cathy Silvers file out of the drawer and held it up to him.
“I have a file because if I jus
t left interview notes and test results lying about, the place would be a mess,” he answered with exaggerated patience.
“You know what I mean.” She let her voice and hand shake a bit, hoping he’d interpret that as a combination of fear and anger. “You have no reason to keep a file on me. Dr. Carlson said that that interview and the tests were in case she wanted to hire me. So, why isn’t that information in personnel instead of here?”
“We don’t have a personnel department per se. So, there was nowhere to put your file but in my office.” Dr. McRae’s eyes narrowed. “And aside from that, you still had no business going into my desk.”
“I didn’t go into it. Well, not exactly. I bumped into the drawer while I was checking your computer for the virus, and the drawer just kind of opened. I saw this file folder with my name on it.”
“Really?”
Hard to tell if he was buying her story or not. Before he could say anything else, there was a knock on the door. Dr. McRae barely got out of the way before it opened.
“I thought you’d left for the day, Dr. McRae.” Dr. Carlson stood in the doorway.
“I came back for something.”
“Are you finished with Dr. McRae’s computer?” Dr. Carlson asked Shelby.
“I just finished,” Shelby said.
“So, you’re done here.”
“For today. I’ll need to come back tomorrow and make sure the check completed successfully on the servers.” Shelby shot Dr. Carlson a geeky grin. “Part of the service. Making sure that everything is handled completely to your satisfaction.”
“I see. Then I’ll see you tomorrow morning at nine.” Dr. Carlson barely nodded, turned, and marched down the hallway. Shelby stared after her. She had the social skills of a wolverine.
“Dr. McRae, I’m really sorry for what happened. It was just weird seeing my name on a file, you know?”
“I can imagine. Next time, just ask.”
At least she could come back tomorrow. Hopefully, there would be fewer people around on a Saturday, and she could nose around some. In the meantime, all their files would be uploading to an FSA server.