Page 86 of Decoding Emma
Besides being an all-around bully, Hugo had all kinds of problems with authority.On the background, there’d been some hints, but no one came right out and said anything definitive.Same for university.He explained the gaps in his resume as freelancing, everything from classes on navigating computers, to repair, to basic software installs.However, the running thread was that he was a talented, excellent developer, coder.His first review wasn’t exactly glowing, but Asher was impressed with the guy’s expertise.
During his employment with FI, he’d been written up several times, each incident flouting or outright breaking company policy.At one point, he was referred for counseling.Result: No change.Asher finally laid down the law and put him on probation.One more infraction, Hugo was out.Didn’t even take six weeks.
When Tate tried to hack the time tracking app, he confessed that Hugo was the mastermind.The final straw.When he was faced with the evidence, he actually hit Asher.I had to admit he had some big brass ones because even when faced with the possibility of assault charges, he’d demanded FI waive the noncompete.Asher and FI decided not to press charges—seems they didn’t want to wreck the guy’s life but made it clear if Hugo tried to break the noncompete, all bets were off.Nick’s letter documenting FI’s position made it abundantly clear he’d have no problem going after the guy.
***
I had no idea how much time had passed from when I started reading the file and finished building the trap.Where to hide it in plain sight?Oh wait, it couldn’t be that simple, could it?Tate Riser.And voila!There was his archived record.I threw a chef’s kiss into the air.Install was flawless, and it was running in the background.If you didn’t know about it, you wouldn’t see it.
Sometime after the third energy drink and another power bar, I got up to stretch my legs and make a pit stop.On my way back into the office, as I input the keycode, I noticed a faint handprint on the glass that wasn’t there before.I flattened my hand over it.Asher, it had to be.Butterflies in my middle and warmth all over.
“When this is over, Asher, we will pick up where we left off, and I will rock your world.Count on it.”As I’d done once before, I kissed my finger and instead of his cheek, I tapped the glass.
Now, playlist number four, fresh coffee, and time to figure out how to dissect the malware without triggering whatever it had been set to unleash.
Fun times.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Asher
“Damn!Why would we look there?”
“You’re right.The guy’s been gone for two years.But riddle me this: She’s traced the access attempts.The intruder was never able to penetrate the subnets.I get why they tried HR, R&D, Finance, even email, but why the Tri-O-Tech subnet?People, products, money, communications.Makes sense if they’re trying to take down FI.Still doesn’t explain T-O-T.Are the attempts on T-O-T a distraction?”
I shook my head then mentally kicked my ass.The more I thought about what Emma had found, the more convinced I became that Hugo Wayne was our intruder.Sure, everything was circumstantial, but sometimes hoofbeats really did mean horses.
I should’ve pressed charges, but no, I didn’t want to tack a criminal record onto lousy job performance.We’d received two inquiries.Yes, he’d been employed here.Resigned.No, we wouldn’t rehire.
What was he planning now?I knew Emma was going to try and dissect the malware to see if she could figure out intent.For the moment, it looked like a cyber-attack and corporate espionage.But why try to access what was essentially Emma’s subnet?
“Let’s finish the interviews.Once that’s done, you compile everything, and I’ll write the summary.Once Emma has analyzed the malware, we may have a better idea of what his plan is.”
Ben tilted his head and squinted at me.“You’re thinking it’s Hugo, aren’t you?”
I nodded and ran my finger along the edge of the desk.“Still doesn’t bring us any closer to finding out who created the profile.And why he’s messing with Emma’s subnet.”
***
Two hours.Not wasted in the usual sense but definitely fruitless.Riley and Craig had nothing new to contribute.I wasn’t expecting a Hollywood level confession, but I was interested in their insights into the problem and their observations and if they’d encountered anything they considered out of the ordinary.
Doug had finished the update, and I asked Craig to send him in.Twenty minutes ago.I was impatient to finish this and get back upstairs to see what Emma was working on.
I was so far inside my head, I didn’t hear a knock on the door.
“That’s probably Doug.”
The kid looked unsure, even anxious.He froze when he saw me, then managed to recover.
“You wanted to see me?”
“Asher, you remember Doug Randall, support specialist?”
“Yes, I do.Good to see you again, Doug.”
We shook hands.“Sorry to interrupt your shift.Ben and I wanted your input regarding the intrusion issue.Please… have a seat.”
We were seated at the round table in Ben’s office.Doug seemed like a fish out of water.I didn’t blame him.He’d only been with the company for less than eighteen months.He’d come through the probationary period with flying colors, and his first performance review was unremarkable.Not unusual since he’d joined FI right after graduation from State.
