***
I glanced at the clock.One thirty in the morning.Night shift was settled in; I’d finished the pizza and tossed the box, then texted Ben.
Me: Ready to get started again?
His response was almost instant.
Ben: Meet me in my office.
Riley’s next, then Craig.
We’ll catch Doug after the update.
I took a couple of minutes to collect the empty drink cans, paper plates, and another pizza box.The trash was overflowing, so I pulled the bag, tied it off and put a fresh one in the can.The cleaners wouldn’t be in before four.Better not to risk overflow.
Do the mundane to organize the important.
By the time I’d made a pit stop, splashed cold water on my face, and cleaned up, it was close to ten minutes after I’d received Ben’s text.Just as I opened the door to his office, I caught a last, “What the hell is she doing?”
“Hey, Ben, sorry I took so long.Who’s doing what now?”
He didn’t look up from the screens on his desk.“Yo, chief.Come take a look at this.You’re the only one with a direct line to the way Em the ninja’s mind works.Maybe you can tell me what she’s up to.I have an idea, but I want to see if you’re seeing what I’m seeing.”
I moved around the desk so I could stand next to Ben’s chair and watch the screen.It didn’t take long to figure it out.
I zeroed in on another rolling chair and pulled it over beside Ben’s chair.
“Don’t you look smug.”
“Got any beer and popcorn?Looks like the show’s just starting.”
Ben leaned back, folded his arms across his chest, and answered in his best spoiled kid voice, “I won’t share unless you share your secret.”
“If you’re gonna be that way…Benny.Look here.I think Emma’s hacked the hacker.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Emma
It was right where Tim suspected it would be: The HR archive.The only reason I’d been able to take a peek was because Marcus had asked me to write an update for the reminder portion of the records app that notified department directors of upcoming individual reviews.No problem.I loved the occasional jailbreak, and in order to accomplish his request, I needed access to HR.Permissions for HR were extremely narrow.Tim didn’t have access to the archive.
The read-me-first note on the thumb drive was short and to the point.
Emma,
We’ve looked everywhere.No joy.Thought it over.Where would someone put it to hide it in plain sight?Tate’s not smart enough.Baylor’s a total douche.Hugo is a devious SOB and probably wrote it.Posit: Someone had to let him in.He’s been gone for two years, so who’d think he’d come back and drop malware into his HR archived file.I saw Marcus’s closed support ticket and the notation that you had been granted access.What harm can it do to look?T
As soon as I read the note, the pieces fell into place.Tim had even included samples of some code Hugo had written.And miracle of miracles, Will had confirmed that the malware had been uploaded from a burner phone.
I wasn’t going to jump to any conclusion yet, and I wasn’t going to tell anyone until I had confirmed Hugo was the author of the malware, that he was using the creds, and who he’d used to create the dummy profile.
I’d work backward, but before I began my search, I set a shadow trap.If our intruder showed up again, the profile would be tagged at login and immediately shadowed.If the intruder was this guy Hugo, I’d have to make sure the trap was well hidden.
I’m gonna drop the hammer, you SOB.You’re in my house now.
***
“Know your enemy.”Sun Tzu was right.I didn’t wait for the files I’d requested from Asher.I had access, so I used it.Hugo Wayne’s file proved to be interesting reading.
