Spyder Web (25 page)

‘Sure, version one point one.’

‘That’s weird. One point one was just a beta test. I didn’t think we released any units with that batch of code. It still had a couple of nasty bugs.’

‘Could those bugs explain our problems?’ Nolan’s question was a shot in the dark, but they had long since exhausted the questions that made any sense.

‘No,’ Iverson replied quickly, ‘the bad code would have caused the Gatekeeper to lock up on you every now and then, but nothing that would have sent it off hacking.’

‘I thought as much, but at least this one hasn’t bombed out on us.’ Something else about the version number bothered Iverson, but Nolan didn’t know why.

‘That surprises me even more,’ Iverson admitted. ‘Can you send me a copy of that code? I’d like to run it past some other people on that project.’

‘I can do better than that. Professor Newton and I are leaving for Chicago in an hour for a long weekend. We can meet at your office and have a closer look.’

‘Great, I’ll make arrangements here.’ Iverson sounded relieved, since some problems just weren’t diagnosed well over the phone. ‘I think there’ll be a few people here interested in hearing about your experience.’

Nolan hung up the phone and transferred the Gatekeeper file to an optical disk, which he tossed into his Eddie Bauer briefcase. He also gathered up some realtime copies of the hacker in action, to demonstrate to the people at Moy what they were all up against.

‘Are you out of here?’ Grin asked.

‘Yeah, I got to pick up Kelsey and drive to Chicago. She didn’t need this hacker nonsense, not with all the time she’s been putting in with the chip fabricators. She’s wiped. My sister-in-law is taking her out for a little shopping therapy while I help my brother renovate that old house of his. Hey, keep an eye on our friend while I’m gone.’

Grin caught the pager Nolan tossed his way and clipped it to his belt. ‘Will do. Just have a good time. Say, if you don’t mind my asking, when are you going to do something about Kelsey? She’s too good to let get away.’

‘I thought you didn’t believe in marriage, something about it being an archaic ritual that diminishes women to the level of property.’

‘I didn’t say anything about marriage; it’s just that I’ve gotten to know the two of you pretty well over the last few months, and you make a great team. Just something to think about during a long drive to Chicago with a pretty lady.’

‘You’re right on one count-Kelsey Newton is a very special lady. ’

April 29

‘Ian, I’ve something you ought to take a look at,’ Roe announced as she entered Parnell’s office.

Parnell looked at his watch and saved the document that he was working on. ‘You’re a bit early-we’re not scheduled to meet until noon. What’s so urgent?’

Roe sat in the leather chair in front of Parnell’s glassandsteel desk. ‘We’ve made a little headway at Chrysler, but only a piece of what you wanted is there.’

Parnell thumbed through the report; the financial data he had requested was listed as ‘Inaccessible’ from that system. ‘It was a long shot, trying to punch through from the engineering side to finance, but worth a try anyway.’

‘There is some troubling news at the end of the report.’

Parnell flipped through to the last page and read the Spyder’s status report. The device was operating nominally, as always. Parnell’s brow furrowed when he reached the item regarding an attempt to dump the Spyder’s operating program. ‘What does this mean?’

‘Someone is taking a close look at the device, closer than we’d like. Unfortunately, it can’t tell us who or why, so we don’t know if it has to do with that experimental processor it’s attached to or something else.’ Roe didn’t have to elaborate on what ‘something else’ might be.

‘Any thoughts on what we might do about it?’

‘Unfortunately, we’re not going to get anything more detailed about this situation without going there. Actually’-Roe mused for a moment-‘that might not be a bad idea. They’ve gotten a fair amount of press regarding that optical processor. Perhaps I could arrange an interview to see how things are progressing. That might get me close enough to see what they’re doing.’

‘Excellent idea,’ Parnell agreed. ‘I’ll have Paulette make arrangements for you to fly out this afternoon. After all, we wouldn’t want our source to disappear suddenly.’

In the building across the riverfront park from the latemodern tower that housed Parnell’s office, two watchers from Axton’s team sat armed with cameras and laserdriven sound amplifiers. From their vantage point in the unleased space, they had a clear shot at Parnell’s corner office. Teams had been staked out here around the clock since Kang Fa’s last visit to London, without much success. If Parnell was involved in something illegal, he was doing a good job of not discussing it during business hours. This afternoon, Neville Axton sat in with the watchers, taking his measure of the man in the other building.

‘Interesting, lads-that’s the first time I recall Parnell mentioning an outside source for his information. Interesting, but strange,’ Axton mused.

‘How so?’ one of the watchers asked.

‘Well, it’s their language,’ Axton explained, still not clear himself about this train of thought. ‘They never come out and say who their source is, but Roe mentioned that someone was looking “at the device.” I wonder what she meant by that. Very odd.’

April 30

Roe arrived at the MARC building and parked her rented car in a visitor’s space next to a beige sedan bearing government plates. As she walked into the building’s lobby, she quickly checked her notes on the research project tied to the Spyder.

‘Good morning. I’m Alex Roe,’ she announced as she reached the reception desk. ‘I would like to speak with Professor Kelsey Newton, if she’s available.’

The receptionist checked Newton’s calendar. ‘I’m sorry, but she’s out of the office. Was she expecting you?’

‘No, I’m afraid I don’t have an appointment. I was in the area doing research for another story, and I decided to stop by and see how her project was going. I read about her work in the New York Times, and I was thinking about writing a detailed piece for magazine publication.’

The door to the left of the reception desk opened, through which two conservatively dressed women passed, followed by Sean Kilkenny.

‘That gentleman is our director,’ the receptionist offered politely. ‘Perhaps he can help you.’

Roe waited until Kilkenny had escorted his guests out the door and over to the government sedan. She studied the women as they left and noticed the unmistakable bulge of pistol holsters on both. They were armed and, undoubtedly, federal agents.

The receptionist flagged Sean Kilkenny down as he returned from the vestibule. ‘Mr Kilkenny, this is Alex Roe. She came to interview Professor Newton about the processor.’

Roe offered her hand to Kilkenny. ‘A pleasure to meet you, and no, I didn’t have an appointment. As I told your receptionist, I was in the area and I thought I’d stop by and see how things are progressing. Unfortunately, I seem to have picked a bad day.’

‘Very true. Both Professor Newton and my son are in Chicago doing a little troubleshooting.’

‘Troubleshooting?’ Roe feigned a journalist’s detached interest. ‘Nothing wrong with the processor, I hope.’

Kilkenny shook his head. ‘No, just visiting one of our vendors. I can furnish you with some publicity information about the project, but, unfortunately, we don’t have anyone else here who is technically qualified to speak with you about it.’

A slight tremor of panic shuddered through Roe. Perhaps they were closer to discovering the Spyder than she’d imagined. ‘When are they expected back?’

‘It’s just a weekend trip; they’ll both be back Monday morning. If you like, our receptionist can schedule an interview with them early next week.’

‘Unfortunately, I’m flying out this evening.’ Roe finished jotting down a few notes and closed her pad. ‘As soon as I finish up my current project, I’ll try to get back out this way. And next time, I’ll call ahead.’

Roe handed Kilkenny a business card and left the MARC building. She was amazed at how well she’d held her composure while speaking with Sean Kilkenny. The researchers at MARC might be very close to unmasking the Spyder. In all her years as a spy, Roe had never felt so close to discovery.

After driving around town to get her thoughts in order, Roe returned to her hotel. The information she had was circumstantial; what she needed was verification.

‘Moy Electronics,’ the receptionist answered enthusiastically. ‘This is Debra. How may I direct your call?’

Roe smiled at the sound of a human voice. Moy Electronics might be one of the premier high-technology companies in the world, but its owner was a firm believer that a human voice was better than an electronic voicemail system for communicating with his customers.

‘Hello, Debra. This is Rena from the Michigan Applied Research Consortium in Ann Arbor,’ Roe lied with ease, ‘and I need your help. Two of our people are in Chicago, and they’ve misplaced their itinerary. I don’t have a copy of it here, and I’m desperate. I need to reconfirm their meeting schedule. Do you have that information available?’

Roe knew from her previous visit to Moy that all staff schedules and on-site meetings were accessible by computer. The only snag would be if Debra didn’t take pity on her and refused to pass that information over the phone.

‘Normally, I wouldn’t do this,’ Debra replied, ‘but I guess I can help you out. What are your people’s names?’

‘Kelsey Newton and Nolan Kilkenny,’ Roe answered, her voice showing just the right amount of relief and gratitude.

Roe could hear the receptionist clicking away at her computer to locate the information. ‘I show only one meeting for them-today at two-thirty, with Bill Iverson. No other information is listed in the entry.’

‘Today at two-thirty, Bill Iverson,’ Roe repeated. ‘Thanks, Debra, you’re a lifesaver. I just hope the other companies I have to call are as helpful.’

‘It was no trouble,’ the receptionist replied cheerfully, responding to the compliment. ‘You have a good day.’

The line went dead and Roe held the phone for a moment as it buzzed. Kilkenny and Newton were going to meet with Iverson, the brain behind the Spyder project. Things were definitely getting too hot. The wailing of the phone in her hand brought Roe back to the present. She depressed the phone cradle to clear the line and dialed Parnell in London.

‘Paulette, it’s Alex. Is Ian in? I need to talk with him.’

‘he’s in, but he’s with Ba Xan.’ The distaste Paulette felt for the man was evident in the sound of her voice.

‘That’s fine,’Roe assured her. ‘This has to do with him, as well. Put me through.’

The line went silent for a moment as Paulette transferred her call.

‘Alex, I’ve got you on the speaker with Mr Ba. I’ve informed our client that you are in the States looking into a problem with our source. What seems to be the difficulty?’

‘Discovery, or damn close to it. They’ve identified our device as part of a communications problem they’re experiencing. Two of their people are in Chicago to talk with the engineer who designed it. This supply line looks like it’s going to dry up very quickly. I suggest we download the suicide program and cut our losses.’

‘Sorry,’ Parnell apologized, ‘but we’re going to have to hang on a little longer. Our client has some news for us.’

‘Miss Roe, this is Ba Xan.’Even with the Atlantic separating them, Ba still sounded dangerous. ‘Your partner has graciously taken me into his confidence regarding the source of your information. I must insist that you keep it available for the next few weeks.’

‘Ian, can I assume that our client’s position is not negotiable?’

Parnell correctly took Roe’s question to mean that they had no choice in the matter. ‘Precisely.’

‘Mr Ba, Ian and I would love to keep our source in place for another few weeks, just for you,’ Roe said sarcastically, ‘but forces outside of our control are moving to shut it down as we speak. I doubt that it will last much past Monday.’

‘Please describe your situation and the people involved,’ Kang said calmly. ‘I might be able to assist in keeping your source in place.’

While Roe explained what she knew about the unraveling situation at MARC, Neville Axton and his watchers were having fits with their equipment across the way.

‘Damn, all we’re getting is static!’ Axton growled. ‘I can’t believe our luck! Kang pops up, and now this. What’s going on?’

‘Sir, the equipment’s fine,’ a frustrated engineer replied. ‘Kang’s got a white-noise generator of some kind that’s feeding us all this static. It’s even affecting the phone tap. Sorry, sir, but I’m not picking up enough of what’s being said to make any sense at all.’

Axton slumped in his chair, still staring at the obscured window in the building across the park. Inside that office, a foreign agent was executing an intelligence operation on British soil. Part of him wanted to break in and arrest the bastards, but he knew better. Like any good hunter, he had to study his quarry, understand it, before he could move against it. Kang was dangerous, and very clever-not the sort of man you went after unprepared.

Their journey to Chicago had been a quiet one, with Nolan driving and an overworked Kelsey sleeping the entire way there. Sensing Kelsey’s weary state, Nolan’s sister-in-law, Maureen, immediately made plans for the physicist’s recovery. Unfortunately, John Kilkenny felt no such compassion toward his younger brother and immediately put him to work. While Kelsey and Maureen spent most of Thursday being pampered at a luxurious spa, Nolan and John demolished the old garage to make room for a new addition.

By Friday morning, with two full nights of sleep in her system, Kelsey had returned to her normal self. As she entered the kitchen, she found Nolan and his brother seated at the table, eating breakfast and reading the newspaper.