“It depends on what I find. If I’m digging up good stuff, I’ll need to excavate slowly.”
“Fair enough.” Pete pressed the bridge of his glasses. “Where do you want me to sign?”
“Near the bottom.”
He signed his name and slid the paper toward his wife.
Elvira stopped him. “I’ll need you to date it.”
“Good grief.” Pete, with an almost pained look on his face, dated the agreement.
Carlita added her signature and the date below her husband’s. “We have the terms of the agreement in order. Can we check the surveillance?”
Elvira glanced at the clock. “Now is the optimal hour. The regular IT security team has gone home for the day. The hospital keeps a much smaller staff working the evening and night shift which means not as many eyes are looking for hackers.”
“How do you know?” Pete waved dismissively. “Forget I asked.”
“Forgotten.” Elvira reached into a drawer, pulled out a shiny black laptop and placed it on the desk. “What is about to take place stays in this office between you, me, Pete and Dernice.”
“Spy,” Snitch squealed. “Duck.”
Elvira pointed at her parrot. “Stop listening.”
“Get the hacker.”
“That bird is going to be the death of me.”
“Or help put you behind bars,” Dernice snickered. “The cops don’t need to question us. All they gotta do is feed Snitch treats and she’ll sing like a canary.”
“Don’t give her any ideas,” Elvira said. “It’s gonna take me a minute to set things up.”
Carlita, curious to see exactly how she accessed the cameras, crept in behind her, watching her fingers fly over the keys.
She abruptly stopped and spun around. “I don’t work well with people watching.”
“Sorry.” Carlita moved away. “Carry on.”
“What’s up with the different computer?” Pete asked.
“It contains special software to help conceal my digital footprint.”
“Making it more difficult for the hospital’s IT department to trace you if you were to get caught.”
“Bingo.” Elvira grew quiet, laser-focused on the laptop screen.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Click. Click. Click.The tapping and clicking continued for several long moments. Each time someone got close, she would immediately stop and cover the screen until they moved away.
Carlita cracked her knuckles.
Once again, Elvira paused. “Do you mind?”
“Mind what?”
“Not cracking your knuckles. It’s interrupting my focus.”
“You’re cranky.”
“You’re annoying. Do you want me to hack into the hospital’s surveillance or not?”
