Death of Secrets Read Free Page B

the Department
of Homeland Security, and now the National Security Agency. It seemed to vary
with the political outlook of whoever sat in the White House.
    Whatever one called the office, they had oversight duties over
many government and private entities involved in information assurance. That
was a fancy way of saying they helped stop computer crime.
    Nathan Jacobs was one of the government’s top hackers and he
loved his job.
    There were times when he wondered if it was too much. There
were times when he wondered if the things said about his agency in the press
and in politics might have a point.
    But right in the middle of a massive hangover was not one of
those times. He tried to force his eyes into a shape that could see the text on
his computer screen. 
    A report from a major corporation about a possible attack was
on his screen when one of Jacobs' people walked in. "Got a hot one here.
One of our decoys got hacked late last night. He was there for ten
minutes."
    One of the initiatives Jacobs had spearheaded upon taking
office was to drastically increase the number of decoy computer systems the
government employed. They were computer systems designed to look like naive,
innocent home users to lure hackers in. Once the criminal broke into the decoy
machine, though, the NSA could track his every action.
    Jacobs clapped his hands together and grinned. "Great! I
knew that idea would pay off. What did we catch him at?"
    His subordinate shrugged. "Nothing really. Just surfing
and chatting."
    Jacobs nodded. "OK, that's a start. I want him watched,
obviously."
     
    ***
     
    At eleven forty-five, Kathy showered and got ready to go to class.
As she washed her hair, Colleen stood outside the shower door and yelled
something about taking the flash drive the computer lab to check it out.
    That flash drive spoiled Kathy’s entire day. In acting class
she missed a cue, forgot three lines, and actually tripped walking across the
stage.
    It wasn’t just her acting class. Kathy’s work was all off in
her courses. Since the incident with the police, her mind stuck to the dead
man, and the mystery drive he’d pressed into her hand. She endured criticism
and raised eyebrows from her professors. She slumped against the wall of the
elevator as it carried her up, then trudged down the hall to her room.
    The door hung wide open, swinging in a light breeze. Kathy knew that she’d closed and locked it when she left.
     

CHAPTER
2
     
    Kathy knew her roommate’s schedule by heart. Colleen would not
be home from her last class until seven.
    Seconds dragged into minutes as she simply stood there and
stared at the door. A long list of reasonable explanations presented itself to
her mind, but after last night she wasn’t in the mood for any of them. Her
internal battle showed itself in little beads of sweat on her forehead, and in
the whispered prayers slipping out of her mouth. Finally curiosity triumphed
over caution. She took a moment, then tiptoed through the final few steps to
the door.
    No one was in the room – they wouldn’t have had space. All
their possessions, their dresser and desk drawers, the mattresses of their
beds, and everything they owned on earth was strewn about on the floor.
     
    ***
     
    Colleen came home at seven to find her roommate sitting on the
floor, legs splayed to either side and head propped up on her arms. The streaks
of dried tears spoiled Kathy’s usually perfect makeup. The reason for them was
equally clear.
    "What in the heck happened here?" Colleen asked,
kneeling down to bring herself to Kathy’s level.
    "Someone broke in."
    That much was obvious, but Colleen didn’t comment. Instead, she
cast a belated glance at her desk.
    With a shriek, she bolted up from the ground and across the
room. Pieces of her PC decorated the entire desk and the floor around it.
"Son of a…" Following that, Colleen issued a stream of profanity to
make a sailor blush as she stood and gaped at the remains of her pride and