was slightly built with short red hair under a Red Sox cap turned backwards. The bucket was on wheels and Hines directed it into the office with the mop. It rattled past Laverne, who cupped his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone.
'I'll be outta here in a minute,' he said.
Hines nodded, went to the back of the room, and began mopping the floor, all the while watching the screen of one of the three computers in the back of the room. That particular computer had a modem and was left on all night to receive bills, order confirmations, or messages. The clock on the wall crept closer to three o'clock and Laverne was still yapping on the phone.
At exactly three o'clock, Vulpes typed FONCOM into his mini-computer and immediately got the dial tone of the hall phone. He held the tape recorder up to the small mike built into the machine and pressed play. The sound of a quarter dropping into the phone slot played into the mike and from there to the phone. In an instant he had a dial tone. He dialled 555-7478. It rang once and then the word CONNECT flashed on the screen. He typed DIRCOM into his machine and the screen went blank.
Across the street Morris heard the phone operate, heard the coin drop, and then heard the dial tone.
'He's on the horn again,' Morris said. He turned on the monitor. Solomon put the paperback novel he was reading aside. They listened to Vulpes dial. The phone rang once and as soon as it was answered, there was a hum on the line.
'What the hell's that?' Solomon said.
'Sounds like he got a bad connection.'
'Can't you do something with all that stuff you got, you know, get it on another frequency or something?'
'What do you mean, another frequency? We got a bug in the damn phone. He dialled wrong or got a bad connection.'
In his room, Vulpes began talking to the computer on the other end of the line as soon his screen went blank.
At City Hospital, Laverne was about to leave the billing office when he heard the computer beep.
'What's that?' he said, half aloud, and walked back to the computer. Rudi Hines stood back against the wall, eyes staring at the screen, terrified, squeezing the mop handle with both hands.
HYDRA, FOX IS FREE. The message appeared on the screen.
'What the hell is that?' Laverne said. 'Hydra? Fox?
Some hackers must be screwing around.' HYDRA? 'This is ridiculous.' Laverne snapped.
HYDRA?
Laverne leaned over the keyboard and typed: WHO THE HELL IS HYDRA? AND WHO ARE YOU?
In his room, Vulpes immediately typed DISCON and the program returned to READY. He sat and stared at the computer for several seconds. Someone must have come in and seen the computer screen. Vulpes would not try again. Everything was ready. If Hydra was there, the message was clear. Vulpes was free. That was the only reason for the call.
Across the street in the loft, Solomon was getting nervous.
'Why isn't he hanging up?'
'Maybe he's stupid,' Morris said.
'What's he doing, sitting over there listening to a dead line?'
'I don't know what the hell he's - '
The line suddenly went dead.
'There. Stupid schmuck finally figured it out,' Solomon said. He picked up his paperback and started reading again.
In his room, Vulpes unplugged the minicomputer, put it back in the toolbox, and returned the night table to its place. He looked at his watch.
Three-ten. Time to go.
And at the hospital Laverne muttered. 'Just some crazy kid hackers,' as he headed out the door. And to Hines: 'Be sure the door locks behind you when you finish up.'
Hines nodded and watched Laverne go. Hines sighed with relief. It was all right, Laverne was annoyed but not concerned by the message from Fox. Fox was free, that was all that mattered. The clock on the wall said 3:20.
Only six more hours.
Ten minutes later Vulpes left the halfway house. Morris dialled Grosso.
'Present,' she said.
