“What laptop?” said the mother.
“Mrs. DesChamps, this is a national security matter that is time sensitive, so I suggest you tell your son to start talking. We’d hate to see him carted off to Guantanamo,” said Agent Alvarez.
Mrs. DesChamps, eyes now as big as saucers, said, “You tell these men what they want to know Rene, right now!”
Rene looked sheepish. “It ain’t like I stole it or nothing. I was at the park and there was this dude there, sittin’ on one of the benches. Someone down to the creek started yellin’ help, help, like that, so the dude jumps up from the bench and runs toward the creek and the laptop was right there so I … uh just wanted to see it, so I … uh picked it up and jest walked away. I didn’t mean to steal it, I jest wanted to play with it you know …”
With that his mom swatted him on the head and he shied away from her.
“What did this man look like, Rene?” said Agent Dixon.
“I don’t know, man. His back was to me the whole time. He was wearing a brown leather jacket and a hat.”
“Was he white or black, Hispanic, Asian?” asked Kintrell.
“I think he might have been black, but like I said I only saw him from the back. He run pretty good though.”
“What do you mean?” said Dixon.
“Man, that dude was off dat bench and runnin’ like his dick on fire, when somebody yelled help.”
His mother swatted him again.
“So, this guy runs toward someone in need, and you decide to steal his stuff?” said Alvarez.
The boy put his head down and mumbled, “I didn’t mean nothing by it, I just wanted to see it.”
His mother glared at him.
“So, after you grabbed the laptop, you never saw him again?” asked Kintrell.
“No, man, I was outa there.”
“How were you able to break into the laptop? Wasn’t it password-protected?” asked Alvarez.
“The dude left it open when he ran, and…”
“Go on,” prompted Kintrell.
“Well, there’s a way to keep it open so’s it don’t go in quiet mode, and need a password again. It’s kinda like a loop that keeps it runnin’ in the background,” said Rene.
Alvarez said, “it’s been dusted for prints and DNA residue. Nothing. A trace of Mastix spirit gum was found on some of the keys. This guy was super careful. He most likely coated his fingers with the spirit gum before using the laptop. When the gum dries it is clear and undetectable till you’re right on top of it. Strippers use it to … ah”
“Thank you, Agent Alvarez,” said Dixon.
Kintrell turned the laptop toward himself, saw that the screen was dark, and said, “Show me how you do this.”
Rene rose from the table, hit two keys on the laptop and sure enough, they were in. A list of programs appeared on the screen.
“Better turn it over to the cyber boys,” said Alvarez.
“Let’s get it plugged into a power source. We don’t want it shutting down,” said Kintrell.
Kintrell then turned his attention back to Rene. “What did you discover when you went through the laptop?”
Rene, head down, sheepishly glanced sideways at his mother. “Nothing man, I could get into the basic programs, but the files and e-mails are all encrypted. Must be AES-256, not even quantum computers can crack that shit.”
“You seem to know a lot about computers, Rene. You know if you spent more time learning everything you could about them, you could make a decent living. The path you’re on now can only have one result. And that result is a wasted life spent in and out of jails. You’re lucky this time, because the guy you copped this laptop from isn’t going to come forward to press charges. So, you get to use a get out of jail free card. But that card can only be used once. We’re going to cut you loose, but we may want to talk with you again. Keep your nose clean,” said Dixon.
Dixon then nodded to his assistant who rose, unlocked Rene’s handcuffs, then escorted Rene and his mother out of the office.
Dixon then rose, nodded to Kintrell and Alvarez, then left the office.
“I think it’s time we rattled the judge’s cage,” said Kintrell.
Chapter 21
The judge answered the phone as it was still vibrating. “Encrypted?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Go ahead.”
“We might have a problem. My laptop was stolen, probably some kid.”
“Where?”
“Carroll Park in Baltimore. They won’t be able to crack the encryption and there won’t be any prints. Once it goes into sleep mode a password is needed to open it. They’ll get three tries, then it will shut down, and wipe the hard drive. My only worry is that it may have been still open when it was grabbed. There are some personal notes in my calendar that could be accessed, but the odds are long that whoever has the laptop could make heads or tails out of the information. So, I’m ninety-nine percent sure we’re okay.”
The judge thought it over, then said, “We can’t afford at this point to ignore the one percent. Better go to the cabin. Provisions have been laid in and the electricity and plumbing are up and running. There’s a flat screen and a computer in the bedroom. Password is 661944. Firewood’s in the back and there’s enough food for a few weeks. You’ll be able to hunt quail and grouse if you’ve a mind to. Weapons are in the sub- basement in a safe, combination is 479634. You might have to stay there till phase two. I’ll keep in touch.”
“Roger that.”
The judge then placed a call to the FBI, requesting, by pre-arranged code, a contact for 7:00 that evening.
***
The call came in at the appointed time. Once encrypted the judge said, “We may have a problem. A laptop is missing.”
“We have it. Don’t think we can break the encryption though.”
“How did your people come to possess it?” said the judge.
“Agent Kintrell somehow got the NSA to ping it and they located it in Baltimore. They raided the house where it was. A teenager was using it to play video games.”
“How’s that possible? I was told that once it goes into sleep mode you only get three tries to access, then it erases the hard drive?” asked the judge.
“The kid that stole it knew a way to defeat the sleep mode by running a program in the background,” said the contact.
“Kintrell again, huh? He was here the other day. He somehow knows or thinks I’m involved,” said the judge.
“What? This isn’t good. How could he possibly know of your involvement, unless someone in our circle got careless or worse? Something’s going to have to be done about Kintrell, Your Honor. The fucking guy’s a blood hound.”
“Yeah, best not go snooping around if they suspect a leak. From now on, we’re in a holding pattern till phase two. I’ll alert the team and think about the problem with Kintrell.”
***
Later that day the judge placed a call to a number in Puerto Rico.
“Hola.”
“Please call back on a secure line, you know the number.”
“Si.”
A few minutes later the judge picked up an encrypted SAT phone. “Hello, it’s time you paid your debt.”
After a few seconds hesitation, “How many men will I need?”
“Two should be sufficient,” said the judge.
“When?”
“Two weeks from today.”
“Where?”
“Philadelphia.”
“Armaments?”
“All will be provided,” said the judge.
***
The man in Puerto Rico disconnected then walked out on the patio that overlooked the impossibly blue waters of the Caribbean. A short time later, a beautiful woman wearing a sarong over a bathing suit joined him.
“What is wrong, Domingo?”
“I have to go to Philadelphia in a couple weeks.”
“Why?”
“To pay a debt,” said Domingo worriedly.
&nbs
p; “You promised you were done with that life. Please tell me you’re not going back to it, Domingo.”
“I promised the man that got me out of that life that I would do him a favor whenever he asked. I have no choice, it is a Deuda de Honor. Do not worry mi amor, this is the last time,” said Domingo.
“We’ve made a good life here, my husband. The children are happy, and we are thought highly of in the community. Please don’t tell me it’s slipping away.”
“No, my darling, nothing is slipping away. I will do this one thing and that will be the end of it. Remember, we would not have the life we now enjoy, if not for the judge,” said Domingo.
Later, Domingo placed a call to New York.
“Hello?”
“Do you know who this is?”
“Si, Jefe! Como esta?”
“I am well, my friend. I’m going to need a little help with something in two-weeks-time. Perhaps you and Bernardo can join me?”
“Of course, Jefe. Will we need any special equipment?”
“No, it will be provided. I will contact you with further instructions two days before I arrive in Philadelphia, and Jorge, Thank you.”
“De nada, mi amigo. Give Maria my love.”
After Domingo hung up, he thought about the strange circumstances that brought him and the judge together. The turning point in his downward journey. He would do anything for the judge, anything. He could not refuse.
Chapter 22
Kintrell huddled in his office with Alvarez.
“Listen, Lanny, we have a leak, so from here on out we don’t trust anyone. Whatever we’re going to do, we keep it to ourselves till we do it, then we tell them.”
“I agree. I also think we should keep Norm’s involvement to an absolute minimum. I’d hate to see his career suffer because of us,” said Alvarez.
“You’re right, partner. The shame of it is, he’s the only person, outside of you, that I absolutely trust on this.”
“I also think we should keep Dede out of the loop till we run down the leak. I don’t think she’s the leak, but she may feel compelled to share what we give her to the higher-ups, and this might put her in a compromising position,” said Alvarez.
“Yeah, right again partner. What a cluster-fuck this is turning out to be. Look, Lanny, I don’t know quite how to say this without sounding like an arrogant a-hole, but I’m worried about what this may do to your future prospects in the Bureau. I’m going nowhere here. If I stay, I’ll just be a grunt chasing bad guys and that’s fine with me, but you have a great future here. I could see you running the Bureau someday. I don’t want to be the one to damage that future.”
“Thanks for saying that, Tom, but as I’ve told you before, I can take care of myself.”
“I’ve never doubted that, partner.”
“Okay kinder, gentler Kintrell, let’s get back to work before we get maudlin,” said Alvarez.
***
Kintrell placed a call to his friend at the NSA.
“Hey, Chuck, I need a favor.”
“What a fuckin’ surprise. What is it this time? You want me to wiretap the president?”
“No, nothing that simple. I got a laptop that I can’t shut off. There’s a program running in the background that keeps it from going into sleep mode. I don’t want to take the chance of getting it down to you. If it shuts off, there goes the one good lead we have on these guys. There’s some high-level encryption that keeps us from accessing most of the files, but there is one file, a calendar, that I need you to take a look at,” said Kintrell.
“So, you want me to drop everything, come to Philadelphia, not tell my superiors anything, and try to crack a code we have no way of knowing what it’s based on?” said Wilkins.
“I knew you’d understand, my man. I’ll expect you some time tonight. Dinner’s on me and you can pick the wine. Thanks, pal, I owe you,” said Kintrell, disconnecting before his friend could answer.
“But wait a minute … Hello, hello?” Wilkins laughed. Fucker got me again. Well at least he makes my life interesting at times.
Wilkins then went on-line, checked train schedules and texted Kintrell back, pick me up at 30th St. Station at 7:15.
Kintrell texted back, k.
Kintrell and Alvarez met Wilkins at the 30th Street Station where Kintrell and Wilkins performed the bro half-hug. Wilkins then shook Alvarez’s hand, said, “I see the FBI has raised its hiring standards, the last female FBI agent I met looked like a former shot putter for the Soviet Union.”
Alvarez smiled, “I see the NSA has also raised its standards, the last male agent I met from the NSA was wearing a seedy looking pocket protector and had a corn flake stuck in his nose.”
Wilkins threw back his head laughing. “I think I’m in love.”
“Okay, Don Juan, where do you want to eat?” said Kintrell.
“The Saloon of course, I’ve been thinking about that Lobster Francaise they do there, for the last three hours, and, as for the wine, I believe a couple bottles of the Caymus Cabernet will do nicely,” said Wilkins.
“I look like a millionaire to you?”
“Shit, I wish I had a penny for every dime you have. Besides the whole tab for the three of us will be less than six hundred, guaranteed,” said Wilkins.
“Blackmail is what it is,” said Kintrell.
“You still haven’t paid me back for that little favor I did for you in New York.”
“Sure I have, I mentioned you in my will,” said Kintrell.
“What are you leaving me?”
“A handsomely framed photo of me besting you in our last wrestling match, in high school.”
“Thoughtful.”
***
Once inside Kintrell’s SUV, Wilkins said, “So Lanny, if I may call you that, are you married?”
Alvarez looked at Kintrell who was laughing. “Don’t worry, Lanny, this palooka is married to an exceptionally beautiful lady who would remove a necessary part of his anatomy if he ever stepped out on her, and he knows it.”
They arrived at the Saloon where Wilkins regaled Alvarez of Kintrell’s and Wilkins’s childhood together. Wilkins had the lobster, Kintrell had shrimp oscar, and Alvarez the chicken melanzana. They also downed two bottles of Caymus Cabernet that was correctly chilled. For dessert Wilkins opted for Amaretto on the rocks. Kintrell and Alvarez passed on dessert.
Kintrell said, “Chuck, it’s absolutely essential you keep this to yourself. These guys we’re up against are most likely operators, and you don’t want to be in their sights.”
“Ah, more good news. So, now I gotta worry about getting my ass shot off, too?”
“Well, you could use a little trim back there,” said Kintrell.
“Thanks, pal, leave it to you to find the silver lining. Okay let’s get to work before I come to my senses,” said Wilkins.
Kintrell paid the bill with a credit card noting that with tip the bill was a shade under six hundred. They then had the valet fetch the SUV and made their way back to FBI headquarters. Kintrell called ahead and had the laptop brought to his office from the evidence locker.
Wilkins sat at the small table in Kintrell’s office and started typing in commands to the laptop. After spending twenty-five minutes laboring over the laptop, Wilkins said, “You guys were right about the encryption. Nobody’s cracking this baby. The calendar is, as you know, coded, and it’s probably something simple—most likely a book cipher. Without the book it would be impossible to decode.”
“Explain it to me,” said Kintrell.
“Take a look at these numbers, 24, 6,10.”
“If it is a book cipher, 24 would be the page number, 6 would be the line on that page and 10 would be the word on that line. So, without the book the code is based on, it would be nearly impossible to crack. The only way to crack it is with a quantum computer and that computer would have to have access to every book ever written in the English language. And what if these guys are really paranoid, and based it on a book written in
a foreign language?”
Kintrell thought about that for a while. Alvarez said she was going to look something up and left the office.
Kintrell said, “Looks like a dead end, huh?”
“Yeah, Tom, unless you can come up with the book, I’d say we were screwed.”
“Are you certain it is a book cipher?” asked Kintrell.
“Not certain, Tom. But look how these numbers are grouped, all in threes, number comma—number comma—number comma, then a space. I can’t think of any other code that would be set up like that. Very simple, yet highly effective.”
“Sorry I wasted your time, Chuck,” said Kintrell.
“Nah, it was good to see you my friend and the dinner was excellent, as was the wine. You and Lanny …?”
“No, strictly professional, Chuck.”
“You could do a lot worse,” said Wilkins.
“Yeah, let’s find out when the next train leaves for D.C. or do you want to stay at my place tonight and head back early tomorrow?”
“If there’s a train tonight, I’d prefer to head back. JoJo can’t stand to spend the night without me.”
Kintrell, knowing it was the other way around said, “You’re such a stud.”
After checking schedules Wilkins said, “We can catch the 11:40 if we hustle.”
***
The following morning Kintrell and Alvarez met Stryker at a coffee shop in the Bourse Building. Kintrell and Stryker had bagels with cream cheese and a Columbian blend coffee, tea for Alvarez. Kintrell explained to Stryker the impasse with the laptop.
“You said before, you were going to rattle the judge’s cage. This may be a good time. Why don’t you put it out that the NSA has cracked the code and they believe they will have suspect(s) shortly? Limit the information to just a handful of people. If the judge does something rash, maybe we nail him and we will also know that there is, in fact, a leak,” said Stryker.
“That’s good, Norm, but it could also make these guys go to ground,” said Alvarez.
Termination Limits: Tom Kintrell Book 1 (Tom Kintrell Thriller Series) Page 14
