interesting things.’
Kilkenny took in everything Iverson had said while studying the pictures of the two sibling devices; the black boxes were outwardly identical. ‘And you believe that one of these Spyders is sitting on our lab bench, hacking through the university network?’
‘After looking at this file you brought in, I’m sure of it.’
‘Just great.’ Disbelief rushed through Kilkenny’s mind as he massaged his forehead. The whole situation had given him several headaches over the past few weeks, and today’s revelation wasn’t helping matters.
‘Gentlemen,’ Kelsey said with just a touch of annoyance, ‘how is it that a highly classified piece of hardware can just be shipped out of here?’
‘Well, Ms Newton, that has become a long and interesting story,’Mosley replied.’One that has occupied much of Dan’s and my attention over the past few months.’
‘We’re investigating the murder of a CIA technician that occurred last December. This technician’s involvement in several classified projects, including the Spyder’-Harmon pointed to the brochure-‘left us wondering just what he was up to. We’ve been able to link him to a pair of suspected industrial spies, and your discovery strengthens the likelihood that he helped these people acquire control of a Spyder.’
‘This just keeps gettin’ better and better,’ Nolan said in disgust.
‘You can say that again,’ Kelsey agreed.
‘We understand your frustration, but I think we’ve reached the point where we can go on the offensive.’ Mosley had read Kilkenny’s service record and guessed that he didn’t like being limited only to reacting against an opponent. ‘Bill is already hard at work on a couple of little toys for us.’
Iverson sat up in his seat, resting his forearms on the conference table. ‘The program dump you ran told us a lot, but it also told our opposition that we’re looking at the Spyder. Before you two head back to Ann Arbor, I’m going to provide you with another little black box that’ll let you bypass the Spyder’s internal security. This will give us a clear picture of what they’re doing without tipping our hand. Once you get it in place, we’ll dump the real operating program to see what’s what.’
‘What’s the second little toy?’ Newton asked.
‘Before we knew that we were dealing with a Spyder operation, Harmon’s associates in Detroit were trying to trace your hacker the old-fashioned way.’ Iverson took some measure of pride in the success his creation had enjoyed to date, even if the Spyder was being run by criminals. ‘Now that Cal and Dan are tying their investigation to your problem, you can use some of our techniques. I’ve read the Detroit office’s report. The Spyder’s using anonymous E-mail addresses as deadletter drops, which prevents us from making a direct connection to the people controlling the device. That’s standard operating procedure for the Spyder. The FBI has gotten permission to install a Gatekeeper at each of the known Internet servers being used as Spyder drops. With a few modifications, we’ll be able to track these guys right back to where they live.’
‘I’d appreciate it if the two of you would clear your calendars for next week, from Wednesday on.’ Mosley’s suggestion was polite but emphatic. ‘The DCI is holding court at Langley with all the key players on this investigation. Due to your unusual involvement, you’ve been invited.’
‘We’ll be there,’ Kelsey replied for them both.
Kilkenny felt good about the direction things were heading and that they would finally start to track down the thieves who’d invaded his computer.
35
‘That’s Kilkenny’s car, and Newton is with him,’ Kang announced as the deep blue Mustang drove away from the old Hinsdale farmhouse.
Behind the smoked glass of the van, Vince Falk studied the car as it turned the corner and headed toward the tollway. The car and its passengers matched the information that had come with the retainer for his services.
When asked, Falk described himself as an independent contractor, a freelance troubleshooter of sorts. The kind of trouble he shot was exclusively human.
‘Let’s go,’ Falk said to his driver.
The van and a battered pickup truck pulled out of the parking lot, where they had waited most of the morning, and began following Kilkenny’s car.
Falk leaned back in his seat with a map, looking over the route between Chicago and Ann Arbor. Two days earlier, a valued client had contacted him with an urgent assignment. The client, an Asian with strong ties to the Far East drug trade, tripled his usual fee. He didn’t like rush jobs, preferring to set his own schedules, but the man was willing to pay and the assignment didn’t look too difficult. The only unusual aspect of this job was the observer, a man he knew only as Mr Deng, who sat quietly in the front passenger seat, watching the Mustang. Falk hoped that he would stay quiet and out of the way for the remainder of their trip.
The target was a young couple who were in Chicago at the time of the call and would be returning to Ann Arbor today. The client refrained from giving any reason for wanting the couple eliminated, and Falk knew enough not to pry into the man’s business affairs.
The drive east had been pleasant, with fair weather and light traffic easing the four-hour journey. Between Jackson and Ann Arbor, Nolan’s Mustang approached a stretch of road under repair on 1-94. A temporary road sign warned that the construction zone would start in four miles and that all vehicles should merge into the left lane.
Kent Smith and Joe Hooks were making good time today. The pair of short-haul truckers were ferrying another load of premium blended fuel to the gas stations along the Kalamazoo-Ann Arbor corridor. At this rate, they’d be done early today and on their way home while it was still light. A few weeks from now, during the Memorial Day weekend, they both knew they’d be lucky to finish this run by midnight. Hooks was riding in the passenger’s seat as he gazed at the deep blue Mustang.
‘Sharp car, huh?’ Hooks asked as their truck pulled ahead of the pony car.
Smith took another quick glance at the car in the truck’s right-side mirror. ‘I had one from the same year, but mine never looked that good.’
Hooks leaned out his window to study the car, and the stunning blonde in the passenger seat, as they passed. When he noticed the Mustang’s occupants looking back at him, he pointed at the car and nodded with respect. The Mustang’s driver threw a short, friendly wave. ‘Cute girl in there, too.’
‘Hadn’t noticed,’ Smith lied.
‘Oh, to be young again.’ Hooks sighed as he settled back into his seat.
Falk switched on his radio headset and called out to the driver of the pickup. ‘Jack, you awake back there?’
‘I’m up,’ the crackling voice answered Falk’s summons.
‘Good, we’re approaching the construction zone. Time to isolate the target.’
‘I’m in position.’
Falk watched the Mustang merge left, behind the fuel truck, as they approached the construction zone. His driver punched the accelerator, passing the Mustang on the inside. Falk’s van pulled up just beyond the Mustang’s front end and began jockeying to merge.
‘I don’t believe this guy,’Nolan growled.’He comes flying up from behind, trying to beat everyone into the merging lane, and he expects me just to let him in when he cuts it too close.’
‘Aren’t you going to let him in?’ Kelsey asked nervously as she watched the van trying to nudge itself into their lane. ‘It looks like he’s trying to squeeze over.’
‘he’s a jerk, so he can wait.’
Nolan gave the accelerator pedal a slight nudge and the gap between the Mustang and the truck closed to three feet. The van’s driver flipped Nolan the finger and roared ahead.
Kelsey sighed with relief when the van passed. ‘That guy is one serious asshole.’
‘Yeah, it’s a shame they don’t test for that when you get your license.’
