“Terra, what’s going on?”
“Late one night, about ten days ago, I’d gone to get myself a drink from the cafeteria. We were shorthanded, so I took the cell phone with me in case anyone called. I always smoke downstairs, outside. But when I’m there alone—I know we’re not supposed to smoke on the floor—I can’t leave for long when no one else is there. I leave the door open so I can hear the incoming bell ding, and go down the hall to smoke.”
Billet rules required that someone always monitor the office. Agents were issued specially programmed laptops and iPhones since encrypted emails and text messages were one of the quickest and most secure forms of communication.
“Why don’t you just smoke in the office?”
She shook her head. “You’d smell it. No way.”
Her affinity toward anything with tobacco was no secret, and federal law forbid smoking in the building anyway. “Forget about the cigarettes and get to the point.”
“Ten days ago, like I said, I was in the alcove at the end of the hall. I cracked the window to let the smoke out. I finished and headed back to the office. That’s when I saw him. He flashed a badge and made threats. He said he was from Treasury.”
“How did this man get in the building?”
“I checked the electronic registries the following day and there was no record of anyone entering at that hour.”
Every door was protected with a swipe lock that required a keycard for entrance. Which meant whoever he was had friends in the right places.
“What was he doing there?”
“He wanted computer access.”
“And you gave it to him?”
Terra nodded.
“How long was he in the office?”
“Half an hour. He used a terminal in the conference room. After he left, I looked, but its directory was wiped clear.”
“And you’ve waited till now to tell me this?”
“I know, ma’am. But I thought it was some emergency he was handling.”
“I can’t believe you’ve done this.”
Disappointment clouded her employee’s face. “I know. But … he made me keep quiet.”
She didn’t like the sound of that.
“I wrote a bad check, ma’am. It was when I was divorced the last time. The store took a warrant. I made good on it, but I was still arrested. This guy knew about all that. He told me he’d keep quiet and everything would be okay. I wanted to keep my job. I knew the arrest would be the end of my security clearance. The check was over $500. A felony. The charges were eventually dismissed, but I wasn’t going to take the chance. My children have to eat. So I did what I had to, but then he went too far.”
She was listening.
“He came back a few days later and wanted more computer access—this time on my ID.” Terra paused. “I gave it to him. None of this is right. And he wants access again, tonight.”
She considered the information, then asked, “Is that all?”
Terra nodded. “I’m so sorry. I really am. I’ve tried hard to do right by my job. I know you trust me—”
“You’ve broken every rule.”
Terra’s eyes reddened.
At the moment she needed this woman to be her ally, so she made clear, “We’ll let it pass—for now—provided you do three things.”
“Anything, ma’am.”
“Tell no one what you just told me. Give him access tonight. And tell me everything he says and does from this point on.”
Terra’s face brightened. “Of course. I can do that.”
“Now go on. Get out of here and get some sleep. Your shift starts in a few hours.”
Terra thanked her again and left.
That was a first. Never had Billet security been breached. Her unit had always been a tight one, without incident, the list of its successes far outdistancing any failures. That winning percentage had also bred jealousy among her colleagues. But Treasury? What did they want among Billet files badly enough to blackmail one of her employees?
Whatever it was, she had to know.
She slowly made her way out of the department store. Terra strolled thirty yards ahead of her. They entered the mall’s towering glass-topped atrium, which directed shoppers in four directions toward retail stores on two levels.
Stephanie caught sight of a man on the second floor.
Slim, thin hair, dressed in a dark suit and white shirt, standing propped against the railing. He immediately fled his position and started walking, one floor above, paralleling her direction. Terra hustled down the sparsely populated mall toward another atrium that housed the food court. Doors there led out to the rear parking lots. Stephanie’s gaze darted upward and she caught glimpses of the man still following. When they reached the atrium, Terra turned left for the exit doors, and the man bounded downward on a semicircular staircase. As he rounded the risers and approached the ground floor, Stephanie slipped her cell phone from her pocket.
The man came to the last step.
She pointed the phone, centered the image, and snapped a picture, quickly lowering the unit. The man found the terrazzo and turned for the mall’s rear exit. No question. He was after Terra. She caught sight of a security guard sitting at a table drinking from a coffee cup.
Something hard nudged her ribs.
“Not a sound, or your employee there might not make it to work tonight.”
She froze.
Terra left through the mall exit.
The man ahead of her stopped and turned back. A smile filled his face. The phone was still in her grasp, down at her side. The first man stepped toward her in a slow stride and reached for the unit.
“I don’t think you’ll be needing that.”
FOUR