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“Once from the Bahamas, once from Birmingham, Alabama. I think the Birmingham computer was being used as a conduit from yet another location.”
“And where is that location?”
“I haven’t been able to figure that out yet, but the very idea of somebody using our mainframe is pretty scary, wouldn’t you say?”
“Yes, I would say.”
“I mean, anybody logging on from outside the building would have to go through at least three levels of security, with a different eighteen-digit password at each level.”
“Then that person must be an employee, probably an operating agent.”
“Inside the United States? I was told when I was recruited that the Agency is barred from conducting operations inside the U.S.”
“That’s perfectly true, Ross, but there are reasons other than conducting operations that might cause an agent inside the country to employ the mainframe. Research, for instance. If you can figure out where the user is located, then I’ll know better if it’s one of our people.”
“So what do you want me to do about this?” Ross asked.
“You’ve already done the correct thing by bringing this to my attention.”
“You want me to bring it to your attention if this happens again?”
“Yes, please do that. On second thought, bring it to the attention of one of my deputies, Holly Barker. She’s on vacation now, but you can e-mail her through the system. She has an authorized terminal in her present location.”
“Okay, I’ll do that,” Ross said. “Thanks very much.” He got up to go.
“Thank you, Ross. Oh, to what use was this person putting the mainframe?”
“Sorry, I forgot to mention that. It was sort of a background check on a retired army colonel named James Bruno. The user dredged up the record of a court-martial and also went into the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles computer and extracted the guy’s driver’s license application.”
Something sounded familiar to Lance about all this. “Who was court-martialed?”
“This Colonel Bruno.”
“And what were the charges?”
“Rape and attempted rape.”
“Ahhh,” Lance said. “I think I know what this is about, Ross. I’ll deal with this; don’t bother any further with it.”
“Whatever you say, Mr. Cabot. See ya.” He gave a little wave and left the office.
Lance turned to his computer and sent an e-mail.
Holly returned from her second day’s training, exhausted again. She had finally gotten a grip on the simulator and was flying it well, but she was still anxious to get into the real airplane. She went into the kitchen to get a beer and a small, green flashing light caught her eye. It was just outside the door of her Agency-provided office, and she hadn’t noticed it before.
She tapped her entry code into the keypad and opened the door. A message was flashing on the monitor of the Agency computer: E-MAIL WAITING.
She logged on and went to her in-box. “Call me. Lance,” the message read. She looked at her watch. He might still be in the office, so she dialed his direct number.
“Lance Cabot,” he said.
“It’s Holly. You rang, master?”
“Yes. I had one of those teenaged geeks up here from computer services this afternoon to tell me about someone from outside the Agency accessing the mainframe.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that someone has been using the mainframe to investigate the background of a retired army colonel named Bruno. That rang a bell.”
