“Well,” said Janice. “You’re not asking an expert. I never had a long-term relationship with a man. I took care of things overseas with the nearest guy around. That was the extent of it. Not much since — every now and then. Work seems to tie me up.”
“Come on,” teased Sue. “You need some hottie to tie you up!”
“Yeah, literally right?” asked Janice.
“You naughty girl,” laughed Sue.
Sue had been playing a playlist of music in the car from what seemed to be her own playlist. A tune came up that Janice liked — about pining for a lost love.
“Wait, wait,” said Janice, reaching to turn up the volume. “I love this one.”
Janice sang along. Sue joined in and they sang together all the way to the burger joint.
By now, Janice had completely forgotten that all these antics were shared with a group of FBI agents in real time.
Both of them laughed as they parked across the street from a small, mom-and-pop restaurant. An open kitchen overlooked a dozen tables and a couple of booths. The owner was neither a mom nor a pop, but a dark, handsome man in his thirties.
Sue!” he said. “Where have you been hiding?”
“Hi, Mark,” she said, and introduced him to Janice.
It was late for dinner and there were only four others in the place. Janice and Sue slid into one of the booths and ordered loaded cheeseburgers, fries, and Sam Adams beers.
“That’s the owner? Mark is it?”
“Married, two kids,” Sue replied dryly.
“So,” said Janice, “Are you looking?”
“Well,” replied Sue, “I am in a relationship, kind of.”
(After listening to a lot of girl talk, there was a flutter of interest in the FBI surveillance center.)
“Well,” said Janice. “Do tell.”
“It’s kind of silly,” said Sue sheepishly.
“Come on,” prodded Janice, for a moment forgetting that she already knew.
“Well, I’ve been getting back into programming. Nothing big, just a little here and there. Well, I got a contract with a bank in Hong Kong. It wasn’t a big thing. An IT shop in Reston has a contract to build the next version of their banking system, and I'm doing a little code work on it. While I was doing it, a guy over in Hong Kong was working on the same thing.”
“And?” Janice said intently.
“We started sending messages to each other.”
“Texting?”
“Well that’s it. We’re not texting.”
“Then what?”
“It’s all in code.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” said Janice. “I first found something odd in the code that he was doing.”
“What?”
“I probably shouldn’t tell you.”
“Why not?” asked Janice.
“Well, it may sound silly, but it would betray trust.”
Janice did not need to know the code. She already knew it. She did not press this point.
“Sure, I get it. But what did he say?”
Mark brought out the burgers. “Here you are, ladies. Enjoy.”
The burgers broke the conversation—Sue wasted no time picking hers up and stuffing it in her mouth. She chewed it with relish, closing her eyes and grunting with satisfaction.
“I have never seen anyone, male or female, enjoy a hamburger like you do,” said Janice.
“Cheeseburger,” Sue corrected with her mouth full.
“OK, Cheeseburger,” corrected Janice.
“I don’t know,” said Sue, “It’s just one of those guilty pleasures that can’t be explained."
“Well, go for it. Somehow, you’re still a twig,” said Janice, who tried to revert to their previous topic.
“So, about Tau,” said Janice.
“Tau?” said Sue.
Janice realized that she was betraying guilty knowledge but thought quickly to avoid exposure.
“You said he was Chinese, so I just gave him the first Chinese name that popped into my head,” she said.
“Well,” Sue said. “I don’t know his name. I said he was working on the same project in Hong Kong. But I don’t actually know where he’s from.” She paused. “I have to admit, what he writes is charming and totally un-Western. So, maybe he is Chinese.”
“What does he write?” asked Sue.
“Oh, Janice. It’s so poetic. I feel like a school girl. He really touches me. After what I have been through, I feel like I need something gentle like this.”
“Would you let me see?” said Janice.
“Maybe,” replied Sue, noncommittally.
Janice shifted the subject. “So, how’s your brother Charlie?” she asked.
“Oh, Charlie has been such a sweetheart!” said Sue. “You met him at the wedding, right?”
“Yes, he clearly wanted to take care of his little sister.”
“He’s so great. He was livid when things went south with Bobby. He said he was coming down to Costa Rica to have a serious discussion with him. I talked him out of it. But he’s been nursing my wounds and we talk all the time.”
“Isn’t he a coder, too?” asked Janice.
“Yes. In fact, he’s been helping me with some of the code I'm working on for Hong Kong.”
Although Janice had no feedback from the FBI surveillance center, she thought she could almost hear a bunch of agents yelling ‘BINGO!’ But she composed herself and asked, simply, “Is that right?”
“Yes. He’s been helpful in looking at the code I sent and making suggestions.”
“Where is he?” asked Janice.
“He’s stationed at Lackland, in Texas,” said Sue.
“What’s he doing there?”
“Network monitoring,” said Sue, grimacing. “Pretty dry stuff.”
“Does Tau know that you are sending your brother code?” asked Janice.
“Yes, in fact, he suggested that I get his help,” said Sue.
“How long has that been going on?” asked Janice.
Sue then studied Janice’s face. “I don’t know. It’s been a while. Why?”
Janice backed off. “I don’t know,” she said. “I guess it’s not.. Hey, could I have some of those fries?”
“Sure,” Sue said, her gaze steady. “They’re to share.”
Janice took some of the fries and then moved to another subject, quickly. “So did you hear about Roxanne? She was arrested on a DUI.”
“I had no idea,” said Sue.
“Yep,” continued Janice, relieved to have distracted Sue. “She was driving through Georgetown last month and was pulled over.”
Janice and Sue enjoyed their meal and gossip about all their college friends. Janice had successfully confirmed the connection. That was all the FBI wanted for now, she hoped. She realized how much she’d missed her friend and the evening rekindled their affection.
Intuitively, Janice felt Sue was in danger. She wished there were more she could do.
Eventually, the friends noticed they were the only customers left. They had talked late into the night. Mark obviously wanted to close up. Janice and Sue said a final good-night to Mark and walked to the car.
Sue was up-beat, happy, and grateful to Janice for getting her moving again. She had been cloistered in a little house, cut off from everyone and, save for an on-line affair, had shut herself away from the world.
Janice worried silently about her friend, not wanting to break the mood.
As they pulled into Sue’s driveway, Janice slipped off her glasses and tucked them in the console’s cup holder, effectively cutting off the surveillance center. They left the car and lingered in the driveway.
“I just want to thank you,” said Sue.
“For what?” Janice said.
Sue took Janice’s hands in hers.
“For getting me out of my shell.”
Janice tried to brush her off. “No,” Sue continued. “I really mean it. You’ve been a good friend. And I need a good
friend.”
“Sue—”
“Look at me. I’m living out of the way of people. I live through a laptop all day long. The only boyfriend I have is virtual. And I don’t even know what he looks like. It’s pathetic. I need a life.”
“Well, about Tau—”
“No, that’s all fine, really, but being with you has been better.” Sue paused. “Thank you.”
Janice gently pulled her hands from Sue’s. She cared more for this woman than she realized and enjoyed her touch.
“Sue, there’s something I have to tell you.”
“Sure,” said Sue still smiling in the grateful glow of friendship.
“There are some things I can’t tell you, and I’m not sure why I feel this way, but—”
“But what?” asked Sue, perplexed.
Janice finally blurted it out. “I think you’re in danger.”
“Danger? What do you mean?”
“I feel like Tau is using you.”
“Using me. How?”
“Look,” said Janice. “You trust me. Right?”
“Yes,” said Sue hesitantly.
“Then you have to break it off with Tau.”
“Break it off?” asked Sue. “Janice, there is nothing to break off. I don’t even know the man.”
“Stop communicating with him. Don’t do anything with the code he sends you.”
“Now you’re scaring me,” said Sue.
Janice tried to take it down a notch. She collected herself. “I’m sorry. Maybe I’m over-reacting. But,” she said, putting her hands on both of Sue’s shoulders and looking squarely into her face, “Would you do this? Please?”
“I guess,” said Sue.
“Hey, I forgot my glasses,” Janice said retreating to Sue’s car. She held them in her hands as she walked back to Sue. “I should get going,” she said.
Sue was looking at the ground as though the answer to her friend’s request was somehow spelled out in the stones beneath her.
“Are you going to be all right?” asked Janice.
“Of course,” she said, forcing a smile. “Thanks, Janice. I really did have a good time.”
“Me too,” said Janice.
They hugged warmly. Janice kissed Sue’s cheek as they released. “It’ll be OK,” said Janice.
Sue silently watched her friend put her glasses back on and drive away.
CHAPTER 7
BACK TO SUE’S
“Why did you take off your glasses?” asked Agent Francis.
“They were annoying me and I took them off for a moment,” replied Janice. “I just walked Sue to the door when I remembered them and went back to the car to get them.”
Janice was glad she was not likely to get another polygraph test at this moment because it surely would have set a few graph needles jumping. She felt she had to warn Sue, but she didn’t think the FBI would have wanted to follow that script. She was prepared to answer the obvious question about the glasses when she came in for the debriefing this morning. She had not slept well and thought she looked haggard, but the debriefing went smoothly.
“Well, we have the confirmation we wanted,” said Agent Francis. “Good work,” added Charlie.
After a beat, Janice asked “So, what’s next?”
“Well, your part is done for now,” said Agent Francis. He was reluctant to share anything more, so Janice looked to Charlie. Charlie said “The Air Force brought Sue’s brother in for questioning. Like Sue, it seems he was unaware that the code was malware. He shouldn’t have had it anywhere near the high side, but that’s an issue between him and the Air Force.”
“What about the suspect in Hong Kong?” she asked.
“We’re back to the CIA for that one. They can narrow it to a few suspects now that we know which project he was working on,” added Agent Francis.
“And Sue?” asked Janice.
“Well, she’s not totally off the hook,” said Agent Francis. Janice turned to Charlie for further explanation. “She may or may not be genuine about not knowing what she was doing,” said Charlie.
“I believe her. She didn’t know,” defended Janice.
“I know,” said Charlie. “But we’re keeping a watch on her.”
“Can I see her?”
Charlie looked at Agent Francis and then back to Janice.
“We want you to see her. If you broke off communication now, it might make her wonder why,” said Charlie.
“We don’t need her wondering,” added Agent Francis.
“But we don’t need to tell you not to tip her off to anything about the investigation, right?” said Charlie.
“Of course,” responded Janice.
Janice left the building more uncertain about her friend than ever. She was sure that Sue was not intentionally wreaking havoc on the Air Force. She wasn’t certain Sue was safe or who could hurt her. She had to see Sue, now.
Janice pick up her car from the underground parking garage around the corner from the FBI building and headed straight to Gaithersburg. She was there in less than an hour. Sue’s car was in the driveway. Sue was surprised to see her friend so soon.
“Hey!” she said. “What’s up?”
“Could I come in?” asked Janice, shifting from one foot to the other.
“Of course,” said Sue, opening the door. “Have a seat.”
“I actually don’t know why I’m here,” said Janice. “I just wanted to talk more about what I said last night.”
“About Tau?” asked Sue.
“Yes, about Tau,” said Janice.
“I’m glad you’re here,” said Sue. “I thought a lot about it. I was wide awake last night — I couldn’t sleep. I thought about what you said and I sent something to Tau.”
“What did you say?” asked Janice. She did not expect such immediate action on Sue’s part.
“Well, in so many words,” Sue said, “I told him that maybe we should not be communicating the way we were. I said that we were on a project, being paid to do a job, and maybe we shouldn’t take time away from it.”
Sue waited for more.
“I asked him, ‘Why not talk in the clear?’ I mean, why all the cloak and dagger, right? Why not talk like real people? He knows my email address. Send me a note.”
That Tau knew Sue’s email address was of some concern. “What else does he know?” Janice asked.
“I don’t know, I’d have to think,” said Sue. “But I’m glad you’re here, because he responded.”
“He did?”
“Yes, and I have no idea what to make of it. Let me get it,” Sue said, retrieving a piece of paper from her desk. “I just decoded it this morning.”
Janice read the short message.
It is such a sad day
When the Lotus of the West fades and dies
The hair on the back of Janice’s neck stood. “This is not good,” she said.
“What do you think it means?” asked Sue.
“Didn’t he call you the Lotus of the West?” asked Janice.
Sue looked confused. “Something like that,” she said. “How did you know?”
The conversation was interrupted as the front door deadbolt clicked into place.
“What was that?” asked Janice.
“It was the front door,” said Sue, twisting the knob. “That’s odd. It never closed on its own before.” She took out her cell phone and punched at buttons on her security app. “I’m going to have to get that looked at,” she said calmly. Janice was not calm.
Janice smelled the unmistakable scent of natural gas. “What’s that?” she asked.
“What’s what?” asked Sue who had yet to pick up the scent.
“Gas,” Janice said. “What uses gas here?”
“The water heater,” answered Sue, now getting concerned. “It’s on automatic control.”
“Automatic?” asked Janice.
“Sure,” said Sue, leading Janice to the closet where the heater was housed. “It comes up and down when I leave
the house.”
Before they were able to get to the heater, unlit stove burners came on, spewing gas. The stench intensified.
“We have to get out of here,” said Janice. They went to the back door. It was bolted as well. Returning to the living room, they saw sparks flying from the toaster and flames licked from a melting circuit board in the fridge. The entire house was tied to the Internet and everything was coming unglued with a hateful vengeance.
They ran to the living room, Janice eyeing the picture window as Sue was started to cough from the noxious odor. The flat-screen TV joined in the melee shooting out sparks. Janice grabbed the big blanket off the back of the couch.
“Hold this,” she yelled to Sue, who took one corner and followed Janice’s lead in shielding themselves with it. Janice grabbed Sue by the waist and, launching themselves from the couch, towards the picture window, threw themselves through the glass.
The blanket shielded them from glass fragments as they hit the ground, but a fireball whizzed into the air above their heads in conflagration. Janice forced Sue’s head down to protect her from the fire.
The fireball quickly subsided as the house filled with flames. Janice helped Sue to her feet and they ran from the house hand-in-hand.
They stood side by side, silently watching as the flames consumed Sue’s house. Sue turned to Janice, eyes filled with tears, and embraced her as though she would never let go. Janice lifted Sue’s face to hers and they kissed long and hard. The feelings were there all along, simmering just below the surface.
Two unmarked cars raced in, concealed blue lights now blazing bright. Charlie got out of one as other agents in marked FBI vests rushed from the others. One agent radioed the fire department and soon sirens wailed in the distance. Charlie walked over to the women, who were still holding each other, shaken.
“Are you OK?” he asked.
“Yes,” said Janice. “We’re alright.” They nodded and exchanged glances. “We really are all right.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jackson Coppley, a consummate storyteller, illuminates in his writing what happens when technology intersects with human behavior and emotion. Coppley weaves his stories from a sophisticated knowledge of computer technology and an understanding of human behavior. Coppley’s resume includes a dynamic career with leading world communications and technology companies, and the launching of what the press called “a revolutionary software program” during the rise of personal computing. As a world traveler, Coppley has developed an interest in and an understanding of cultural differences and nuances which play an important role in his stories. His YouTube video on the Hmong people of Vietnam, as an example of how he investigates other cultures, received thousands of hits. It is this sensitivity about human behavior combined with the understanding of the potential of technology that brings to his writing a glimpse of what is yet to come.
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