‘We… Well, yes.’
‘It is the sort of thing couples are supposed to do.’
‘It is. We did.’ There was silence for a few seconds, probably while Marie’s cheeks cooled down. ‘You know… Maybe when the dust has settled a bit and we see where things are going, maybe we should try a threesome.’
Fox’s eyes snapped open and she let out a sputter of something incoherent before managing, ‘Getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren’t we?’
‘It’s just a thought. We all live together. Alcohol and a porn vid, and see where the mood takes us.’
‘I’m sure you were a sweet, innocent thing when we met.’
‘Oh yes. You and Sam have corrupted me horribly. My sainted mother is turning in her grave.’
Fox closed her eyes, a grin forming. ‘Pull the other one, it’s got bells on.’
12th July.
‘Yum,’ Kit said as Deveraux stepped out of the elevator at the entrance level of New York Tower.
‘Yum?’ Fox replied.
‘Well, look at him. He’s… yummy.’
‘Okay, Kit, I’m convinced. I’ll make a play and see if he goes for it. Didn’t I wear a short skirt today? You can stop trying.’ The pinstripe skirt suit did indeed have a skirt which was short of mid-thigh, and Fox had decided to wear it without a blouse and with a bra which had a little uplift. Her heels were not too high, which gave a slightly more conservative look, but she had added grey, mesh stockings, making sure the tops did not show. She had told herself she was just trying to look her best for the meeting with Dandridge, but it had occurred that she had never bothered much with that previously.
Deveraux spotted Fox, smiled, and started across the concourse toward her. He did look yummy in a double-breasted suit made of a dark material with a sheen to it. Summer in New York and he was in a waistcoat. His straw-coloured hair was loose around his shoulders, and his blue eyes sparkled. Fox found herself wondering what those lips would feel like kissing her neck.
‘You are looking good this morning, Fox,’ he said as soon as he was close enough.
Fox lifted her arms and looked down at her outfit. ‘Thanks. I thought it looked professional enough.’
His smile took on a playful quality. ‘It does, but I was not referring to your clothes. Shall we grab a coffee and discuss tactics?’
‘He so wants into your panties,’ Kit commented.
‘You’re just getting back at me for teasing you about Vali.’ Aloud, Fox said, ‘Sounds like a plan.’
There were various small shops around the level, one of them a coffee shop which Deveraux assured Fox sold perfectly agreeable coffee and very good pastries, should one feel inclined. Fox decided that there was not time for pastries, but the coffee was not bad.
‘We need them to open up about the servers,’ Fox said as she sat across a small table from him. ‘If they’d take the possibility of a vulnerability in the LifeWeb software seriously, that’d be good too. And I’d like as much information as I can get on Reginald Grant.’
‘They will likely be reluctant on all counts. Rumours of a vulnerability might be enough to cause a stock drop and they will cite personal privacy laws concerning the servers. Laughable, I know. Their users publish almost everything about themselves without a single worry.’
‘Well, one of them isn’t. Marie was going through the entire thing with Belle, that’s my house AI, protecting things from anyone she doesn’t consider a close friend. She’s definitely gone off LifeWeb.’
‘This is a concern, yes? A rush to leave the system by a large number of users could kill the company, and they would be looking for people to blame.’
‘Oh, I know, but I’d rather not have people dying for their stock option values. Besides, the killer seems to have decided to target me. Not as a victim, but he’s rubbing my nose in what he can do. Maybe not me, specifically, but Palladium. “You think you’re clever, well I’m better.”’
Deveraux nodded. ‘I did some digging into Mister Grant. Following his board’s decision to move him off mainline development, he spent some time abroad.’
‘Cape Town and Berlin?’
‘Yes, and the dates match well enough, but then I suspect the same might be said for a number of people. Why do you believe he is involved?’
‘Technical knowledge. He created that software. His fingers are all over it. He would know if there was a problem with it, I think. From what I’ve gathered about him, he fits the profile. Now there’s the location data to give him opportunity. Harper August didn’t like him and helped slide him out, and August’s granddaughter was the first victim. That we know of anyway.’
‘We will need more than that.’
‘I know. If it’s him and we can get enough to search his home, we’ll find everything we need.’
‘How can you be so sure? Your killer is meticulous in eliminating forensic evidence, reducing risk. Would he keep souvenirs or leave other evidence there?’
‘This guy tortures his victims for days, Jason. Somewhere he has a place he can do that, probably with a lot of gear and very good soundproofing. It pretty much has to be at home. He won’t want his plaything far from him.’
‘You are good at this. I understood you were, but it is more interesting to see you at work. We should go, I think. Being late will not endear us to our subject.’
They took the maglev, the BQ-line past JFK and then changing onto the LI-line for the final leg. They had just changed over when Deveraux frowned. ‘A call I should take, excuse me.’
Fox nodded. They would be arriving at the LifeWeb building soon, but the angle made seeing it difficult. She had never paid much attention to it: just one of a number of corporate or residential arcologies that the maglev line passed through. She recalled seeing the older buildings at its base and wondering what they were. Why had Grant decided to preserve his old alma mater? Nostalgia did not seem to fit the profile, or the man’s personality.
Deveraux’s face cleared and he glanced out of the window to check their location. He was smiling. ‘My mother checking up on me,’ he said. ‘She worries that I do not eat properly.’ His accent was a little thicker after the conversation. Fox imagined he had been speaking French.
‘You’re close with your family?’
‘Yes. I visit them, in Toronto, whenever I can. I see my sister a little less. She is with the FPR in Montreal.’
‘Force de police républicaine. I hope I pronounced that okay. I can do Spanish, but not French. Not much call for French in Topeka.’
‘Your pronunciation was excellent, mademoiselle. Yes, Gabrielle is a computer specialist. I do not understand half of what she does except in the general. I was with the FPR myself for many years before the UNTPP was formed and I was put forward for it.’
‘You were in at the start, like me?’
‘Based in the Montreal office. You travelled more widely, I believe?’
‘Oh yeah. Me and my team went anywhere they needed us.’
‘Not easy to hold onto family ties in a life like that.’
‘Wasn’t a problem. We parted on somewhat acrimonious terms, but we made up recently. I guess I’ll be seeing more of them now, but I’ve had a decade to decide I can manage without so it’ll probably take a little time to adjust.’
‘A shame, but I am glad that you are reconciled.’ His eyes flicked to the window again. ‘We are here. Time to go to work.’
They were a couple of minutes early for their appointment and the building’s computer directed them to a mid-level floor where they were met by Dandridge’s assistant who introduced herself as Corrine and took them to an outer office with a huge, solid wood door on the inside which presumably led to Dandridge’s office.
‘Mister Dandridge is running slightly late,’ Corrine told them. ‘He should conclude his teleconference shortly. Can I get you anything?’
They declined, sat down, and waited.
‘She is Corrine Hoffman,’ Kit informed Fox. ‘She has bee
n Mister Dandridge’s assistant for seven years. No rumours of a relationship outside the working one. She has a reputation for efficiency, discretion, and acting as an effective screen for her employer.’
Fox did not reply, but examined Corrine sitting at her desk. The PA was blonde, pretty, probably old enough that some of the looks were from cosmetic work, but it was clearly on a good base. The conservative but attractive business skirt suit suggested the lack of rumours was founded in fact. A secretary having an affair with her boss would wear a shorter skirt, even if she was discreet. Her eyes were unfocused now: she was working rather than observing the two cops waiting to see her boss, which spoke for the efficiency.
‘How hard was it to get this appointment?’ Fox asked quietly.
‘I had to jump through several hoops,’ Deveraux replied. ‘I admit to becoming a little exasperated and I am generally quite patient.’
Okay, so Corrine lived up to her reputation. Dandridge’s image was the LifeWeb messiah, proselytising the benefits of an open, easy-to-use platform for social interactions which could allow the world to meet friends and break down barriers. Pretty much every picture Fox had seen of him had featured a smiling face. Kit had told her he was a shrewd businessman, a skilled politician, and adept at marketing, and he had pushed his friend, the man who had created LifeWeb, out of the company. So which was the real Leonard Dandridge?
After twenty minutes, Fox was starting to wonder whether she would ever find out. Corrine had apologised once and said it would just be a few more minutes, smiling diplomatically while she lied through her teeth. Fox had figured that Dandridge would see the annoying detectives when he was damn well ready to, and she was more or less right.
‘You’re late,’ Dandridge stated when they were finally shown into his office. Fox looked around while Deveraux smiled and made introductions. She was fairly sure that the UNTPP man was having to force the smile and decided she was not even going to try.
The office was plush. Wood panel walls, a drinks cabinet, real wood furniture… Hell, the desk was huge and looked like walnut. One wall was all window showing a view out over the Atlantic. The guest chairs were nowhere near as cushy as the huge, leather chair Dandridge was seated in. And he remained sitting in it, his face fixed into a neutral-to-annoyed expression as his guests sat down. Fox crossed her legs, sat back, and fixed her gaze on the man who was definitely not really the smiling face of LifeWeb.
‘What is it that the UNTPP wants with LifeWeb?’ Leonard Dandridge was an attractive man. Fox knew he was in his sixties, but he looked thirty. His hair was black, not a hint of grey, and he had clear, hazel eyes. There was not a wrinkle on his face and his body suggested sculpting more than effort. His nose was a little long, a little hooked, and Fox figured he would have had something done to that if it were not for corporate image: people knew that face, had done from when LifeWeb was a start-up, and changing it was not an option.
‘We are investigating a string of murders in three countries,’ Deveraux said. ‘America, South Africa, and Germany. You may have seen reports of the last victim, Lauren Mary Coolidge.’
‘I pay little attention to tabloid news,’ Dandridge replied. ‘What does this have to do with LifeWeb?’
‘They were all users. All of them used LifeFit and were kidnapped while running.’
‘I’d imagine that the police found the live LifeFit updates very useful in determining the kidnap sites then.’
‘Evidence has come to light that the “live” data was faked. These people were taken from other locations while LifeFit reported them as being on one of their old runs.’
‘Impossible,’ Dandridge said, dismissing the statement with a wave of his hand.
‘I assure you, Mister Dandridge, that this information is accurate. Indeed, some of the evidence comes from LifeWeb itself. Runners have been pictured in locations which LifeFit would indicate they were nowhere near.’
‘Glitches in the system, I’d imagine. These things happen, infrequently.’
‘Twelve times?’ Fox asked. ‘In precisely the same way, at the right time to cover a kidnapping in each case. Twice is coincidence, Mister Dandridge, twelve times is something else.’
‘And what is MarTech’s interest in this?’ Dandridge asked, his attention shifting to Fox.
‘Palladium Security Solutions,’ Fox corrected. ‘We’ve asked MarTech Technologies to consult on the matter, but Palladium was asked to investigate the case.’
Dandridge’s eyes narrowed. ‘By whom?’
‘You know him. Harper August.’
‘Harper’s granddaughter…’
‘The first victim. There were five more in New York, then two in Cape Town, three in Berlin, and the latest back in New York.’ Fox watched his face, looking for signs that he had connected the locations to Grant, but there was nothing. ‘And there was attempt on another, but we got lucky there. He missed.’ Dandridge seemed to be gathering his thoughts, so she pressed on. ‘There are two theories on the erroneous data. Either someone is changing it on the server, or the killer is hacking the LifeWeb software the victims are using.’
‘Any suggestion of a vulnerability in our software, client or server-side, will be met with a legal response,’ Dandridge snapped.
‘We are very keen to ensure that no such rumour is started,’ Deveraux said. ‘This is why we wish to have the software and security systems of your company audited by a neutral party.’
‘Out of the question.’
‘Sir, if we are required to go through legal channels to obtain a warrant–’
‘Good luck with that. NAPA will–’
‘NAPA are just as keen to catch this man as we are,’ Fox interrupted. ‘The idea of coming to you like this was to avoid having NAPA go through all the steps required. If they have to sort out a warrant to look at your systems, it will take weeks and it will result in the information becoming public. Very few people know about this possibility right now, but the more who know, the more chance of someone gabbing to the media.’
There was enough of a pause that Fox knew Dandridge was considering his options. ‘No. If this information leaks, we will sue everyone involved and we will not allow people into our code without a court order. I believe you have wasted enough of my time now.’
Deveraux stood, trying hard to keep the scowl off his face.
Fox got to her feet, stepped forward, and put her hands on Dandridge’s desk, leaning over to stare at him. ‘Mister Dandridge, I have people investigating this. If they uncover a vulnerability in your software and work out how to exploit it, out of respect, we will report that to you so that it can be fixed. But we are talking about murder. Twelve people have died and more will follow. If you don’t fix this problem in a timely manner, we will go public, and it won’t be with a rumour.’
‘Don’t threaten me. I’ll–’
‘I don’t threaten people. That’s what you do. Fix this, Mister Dandridge, or the next body that turns up naked, raped, tortured, and murdered will be on your head.’
~~~
‘He’s cute,’ Terri said, keeping her voice low so that Deveraux would not hear her. ‘Blonde, and there’s the accent. Made for you.’
‘Don’t you start,’ Fox grumbled. ‘Kit’s been trying to set me up with him too. I’ve said I’ll ask him out for a drink or something.’
‘Fuck that! More specifically, fuck him. As soon as you can, get his well-fitted pants off.’
‘Terri!’
‘What? If you don’t grab him, I might have to check him out myself.’
‘You’re up to the base of your strap-on with Helen. Keep your hands to yourself.’ Terri was mostly into girls, it had to be admitted, but she experimented and Fox was coming around to thinking that Deveraux might be worth a try. ‘I’ll ask him. Now, pour the drinks and let’s get to business.’
After their meeting with Dandridge, Deveraux had made some comment about needing a drink to get the taste out of his mouth. Fox had suggested killing
two birds with one stone by getting an update from Jackson along with a drink. Jackson, it turned out, was in a business meeting, but Terri knew enough to brief them and they had retired to the solarium to talk.
‘The view is quite spectacular, Miss Martins,’ Deveraux said.
‘Sure is,’ Terri replied, not looking at the park which could be seen through the window. Fox considered hitting her. Terri handed Deveraux his glass: brandy, which Fox happened to know was aged and very good.
‘What’s the news on the software, Terri?’ Fox asked.
Terri sat down on a lounger while Fox sat on the other, beside Deveraux. Terri’s lips twitched, but what she said was, ‘Slowly. You know much about computers, Captain Deveraux?’
‘Enough to use them,’ Deveraux replied.
‘Just like Fox, okay. Modern software is encrypted to avoid decompilation.’
‘Even I know that,’ Fox pointed out.
‘Good. So that means we can’t just take the code we extracted from Marie’s implant, pull it apart, and examine it. What we can do is execute it under controlled conditions on a special kind of processor which logs exactly what it’s doing, and then reverse engineer it.’
‘You can’t just break the encryption?’
‘Yes…’
‘But that would be illegal,’ Deveraux pointed out.
Fox gave a grunt. ‘Okay, fine, go on, Terri.’
‘Reverse engineering is borderline. To be honest, it’s not illegal because it takes forever and ensuring you’ve persuaded the code to run every execution path is next to impossible. We’re bombarding the LWOS instance we have with all sorts of data, hoping we’ll see something we aren’t expecting. It takes time. A lot of time.’
‘So we’re nowhere.’
‘Um… Yeah. Sorry. Really, we need LifeWeb to do something about this. They have the original source code.’
‘They want a warrant issued to get it done, and they’ll obstruct that in any way they can, including a load of gag orders to avoid anyone hearing about the problem.’
‘Fox is right,’ Deveraux said. ‘Dandridge appears far more concerned about rumours of a problem with LifeWeb than with murder.’
DeathWeb (Fox Meridian Book 3) Page 25
