Chapter 33: The Thieving Bastard!

December 9, 1991, Chicago, Illinois

“What do you think of the ‘Commonwealth of Independent States’?” Elyse asked at breakfast.

“It’s about what I expected. A security, currency, and trade union with relatively open borders. Right now, it’s just Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. We’ll see what happens in the long run. I don’t know if the Muslim republics will join. If they do, it’ll work, at least for a time. But in the long run, I expect it will fizzle. The key is, no broad civil war.”

“What about another coup?”

“Maybe. But the military seems to have figured out that they’re on the side of Russia, and the KGB is gone as an organization. Something might replace it, but it’ll be Russia-focused, not Soviet-focused.”

“This is good for your friends, right?”

“I’d say so. I can’t imagine how this could be bad for them.”

“Ready to leave?”

“Yes. Let me go find Kara and kiss her, and then say goodbye to the kids.”

Ten minutes later we left for the office. Jamie called about 8:30am with some news.

“BLS agreed to dismiss us from the case, in exchange for us dropping our lawsuit, with one condition.”

“Which is?”

“That both sides agree to not file suit against each other, or their employees, and submit to binding arbitration in the future. Their suit against Nolan would continue, and they offered a settlement to Nolan, but one I think is too large for Nolan to agree to.”

“They’re afraid, Jamie!” I said.

“I agree. But what I don’t know is why.”

A terrible thought came to mind. One that made perfect sense. And one that could potentially be devastating.

“I’ll bet I know,” I sighed.

“What?”

“I suspect Jefferson took copies of at least some of our source code with him. They don’t want us to find out. I can’t imagine any other reason.”

“That thieving bastard! I’ll kill him!” Penny exclaimed from her workstation. “I’ll fly to Boston and kill that little shit! My code?! He’s dead! DEAD!”

I covered the mouthpiece and chuckled, “Relax Penny. I’m on it.”

“How badly would that hurt you?” Jamie asked.

“I guess it depends on what he took. But we don’t limit access to source code except by project. He wouldn’t have access to the medical software, or the stuff we’re doing for Dante, or anything like that. But he’d have full access to the legal software. Son of a bitch! What can we do?”

“Would you have any way of proving it?”

“The change logs and server logs. If he didn’t change anything, we’d still see from the logs that he copied files to his workstation. If he did that without reserving them for changes, and did it right before he left, that would be a good indication. It’s something we should have fucking checked before. Damn it!”

“Relax, Steve. This is a whole new area of law. And a whole new thing for you. But I bet you’ll put new procedures in place now.”

“Absolutely. I’m thinking right off the bat a program to analyze the log files and flag any suspicious activity. It’s pretty simple to do that. And maybe more granularity for access to the source code, but that’s more difficult at this point. I’ve read some articles on the topic, but nobody has really solved the problem very well at this point.”

“Get those things in place as best you can. And let me know right away if you find anything in the logs. We can use that to turn the tables on BLS.”

“I wish I’d thought of this months ago,” I sighed. “They’ve had six months or so to analyze our code!”

“If you can prove it, you’ll own BLS before we’re finished.”

“What?”

“We’ll ask for damages in excess of their capitalization.”

“Their stuff is shit, Jamie. I like having a competitor I can use as a whipping boy. The guys in Dallas, Lone Star Systems, are the real competition.”

“So what do you want to do?”

I chuckled, “Licensing. We won’t sue them if they pay us a license fee for every copy of their upcoming Windows version. Say, $200 per copy per year.”

By Cindi’s competitive estimates, that would work out to more than $40,000 per year.

“Don’t you want more?”

“No. It’s about making a point. I have the stick if I need to use it. Show them the carrot. Oh, and we have the first right of refusal to buy them out if they try to get sneaky and sell the company.”

“Get your proof, and I’ll see what I can do!”

I hung up and dialed Sam’s extension and asked her to come in. When she did, I had her shut the door.

“I need you to do something that takes priority over everything. I’ll clear it with Dave.”

“What?”

“Write a program to analyze the server logs and change logs. I want it to spit out any anomalies, like someone copying the entire source code directory to their PC, or files they wouldn’t normally work on.”

“That’s a bit tougher, because most people work on everything. What about them copying more than normal? Develop some sort of baseline and then compare it backwards. And spit out that report every morning.”

“Perfect. But I also need you to review the logs for right before one of our former employees, Jefferson, left. See if he downloaded large portions of the code in the two months before he left.”

“You think he stole our source code? And gave it to our competitor?”

“It’s possible. BLS seems anxious to settle, and in a way that would limit our ability to go after them for anything. That makes me very suspicious.”

“I’ll need administrative access to the server. I don’t have that.”

I turned to my workstation and tapped on the keys.

“Done. You have the keys to the kingdom.”

“Take that away once I do this, please. It’s too risky for you or anyone but Julia, Dave, and Elyse to have that.”

“I will.”

“I’ll let you know this afternoon about the logs. The program will probably take a couple of days to write and test.”

“Whatever resources you need, Sam. Anything!”

“Got it!”

“Send Dave in, please.”

She left and Dave was at my door a minute later. I had him sit down, with the door shut, and I explained to him what I needed and why. Unsurprisingly, he reacted in almost the same way Penny had, though without the murder threat. We had a brief discussion and before he left, Sam was back at the door. I motioned for her to come in, and she did, closing the door behind her again.

“A complete copy of the legal software source code. The day before his last day here.”

“He’s fucking dead, Steve!” Penny swore.

“Let’s call Jamie,” I said. “And Penny, please be quiet.”

“But...”

“Penelope!” I said firmly.

“I’m going to fucking kill him,” she muttered under her breath, and went back to typing on her workstation.

I dialed Jamie’s number and was put right through.

“The entire source code,” I said. “On the last full day he worked before he turned in his notice.”

“DO NOT spread that knowledge around. You have to tell the Board, but keep it closely held until then. Who knows?”

“Sam, our new Principal Software Engineer, Dave, Penny, and me.”

“No more. Not even Julia or Elyse right now. Call each member of the Board individually and tell them. And tell your people to keep quiet. Preserve those logs!”

“They’re on backups, including the ones in your offices, as well as on the server. And I’ll tell them. Thanks, Jamie.”

We hung up and I admonished Dave, Sam, and Penny to not say a word to anyone. Dave and Sam left, and shut the door behind them. I made calls to my dad and Joyce who I got on the phone immediately, but had to leave messages for Karl, Al Barton, and Beth. They called back over the course of the afternoon. To a person, they were shocked, angry, and while not as vocal or violent about it as Penny, demanded immediate retribution. I explained what I’d asked Jamie to do and promised to get back to them.

I was pissed, mostly at Jefferson for the betrayal of trust, but also at myself for not thinking about it before the call with Jamie. I trusted every one of my employees implicitly. Now, I couldn’t. The question was, how far should I take the measures.

December 10, 1991, Chicago, Illinois

“I think I’ll head out today,” Aimee said at breakfast.

“A day early?” I asked.

“I did the sightseeing I wanted to, and your time is really limited because of work, so it makes sense. I got you Saturday and Sunday, and we did spend a bit of time together last night. I decided to head to Lansing, Michigan. I have a friend from the Academy who’s on leave. She has shore duty. Pearl Harbor.”

“Nice gig if you can get it!”

“Lots of guys; great weather; I could get a nice tan! But I’d rather be where I am. I’m pretty sure women are going to be assigned to combat ships soon, and I want to be there. I’m better than most of those idiot guys I graduated with, and it sure as hell doesn’t take a pair of testicles to give the order to fire cruise missiles! Or torpedoes for that matter. Subs are a bit more difficult than a carrier or a cruiser in terms of bunks and staterooms.”

“You’d serve on a sub?”

“I’d serve on the moon if it meant a combat command!”

“Moonraker aside, I don’t see THAT happening anytime soon! But I hope you get your wish. I also hope you never, ever have to give those orders except in training.”

“We’re on the same page. Peace is better. But if they want war? Fuck ‘em. They die. Fast. But it’s also about proving to all those little boys who think the uniform alone gives them the right to command and no women are allowed in their little club. Well, I got news for them, I’m BETTER than they are. Meaner. Tougher.”

“Damn, Aimee! What happened to that sweet, nice girl I met when she was seventeen?”

“She’s still here. But you hit on my hot issue. I know YOU think I’m fit. It’s the limp dicks in the Pentagon and Congress that don’t. Give me training in an F-14 and I’ll wax the ass of every ‘Top Gun’ qualified pilot in the fleet.”

“Of that, I have no doubt. When will you be back Stateside?”

“Years, probably. I’ll keep in touch. If you ever make it to Japan, let me know.”

“Funny you should mention that, but I may well be visiting Japan this coming year or the one after it, to train with an 9th Dan master for a month.”

“Cool. Well, if you do, let me know in advance. If we’re in port, I’d love to get together.”

“I’ll give you a lift to Meigs. It’s silly for you to take a cab.”

“Thanks.”

Ninety minutes later, I watched as her Piper climbed away from Chicago, and turned out over Lake Michigan. When I lost sight of the plane, I got back into my car, drove home, and then walked to the office. As seemed to be the case just about every day, there was an issue waiting for me. A message to call the FBI. I shook my head, took a couple of deep breaths, the dialed Jack Switzer. He was in court, so I asked for him to call back and set the phone message aside to deal with when he returned.

I didn’t hear from him before lunch, so I asked Keri to have him call my mobile if he called while I was out, and went for my usual Tuesday lunch at the diner where Crystal worked.

“I decided,” she said with a smirk.

“Oh?”

“On how you can make it up to me.”

“I’m all ears,” I said.

“Oh, I hope not!” she cooed sexily.

“I know you better than that,” I said with a huge grin.

“Damn you!”

“Sorry, that was just too obvious after what you said last week.”

“And you couldn’t play along? Just for a bit?”

“I suppose I could have, but it’s kind of silly to try it now.”

“Because you’re a spoilsport!”

“So, how can I make it up to you?”

“Buy me a really nice dinner. The kind where you have to wear a suit and tie and I have to wear a dress.”

“I can do that,” I said. “It’s certainly a reasonable request from a friend. Did you have a place in mind?”

“There’s a really nice upscale place in Bucktown. Apparently the guy who owns it is a master chef and has the most amazing dishes.”

I suppressed my reaction. She was talking about Alex’s place. This could be LOADS of fun. I had to be careful not to do anything that would upset her, but I sure as heck could enlist some help from Alex.

“Do you know the name of the place?” I asked, feigning ignorance.

“Bucktown Bistro,” she said. “One of my friends went there with her boyfriend. I guess they do an amazing New Year’s Eve thing, too. But you have to be twenty-one.”

You didn’t, but Alex tried to limit the under twenty-one crowd. I knew he’d make an exception for me, but I had my own party to run that night.

“I’ll call for reservations. What night works for you?”

“How about Sunday?”

My anniversary? As understanding and accommodating as Jessica and Kara were, there was no way in HELL that was going to happen.

“That won’t work for me, sorry. The following Sunday, the 22nd should be OK.”

“No, I’m going home on that Saturday for Christmas break. Could you do this Friday? Do you think you could get reservations?”

Of course I could. Alex would do whatever I asked. I might owe him a favor, but it would be well worth it.

“All I can do is try. If I can’t, I suspect it will have to wait until you come back for the new quarter in January.”

“Let me know.”

“How?” I asked.

“Call my dorm. Let me give you the number.”

She wrote it down and then went to put in my lunch order. I ate, and then returned to the office.

“Steve, an Ensign Shaughnessy called and said she made it safely to Lansing.”

“Thanks, Keri. Did Jack call?”

“Not yet. When he does, I’ll put him right through.”

“I may be on the phone. If so, buzz Penny so I can take the call.”

“Will do.”

My phone was configured with ‘do not disturb’ when I was on a call, but we’d agreed on using Penny’s phone as a bypass to that if I asked for it in advance, or there was a true emergency. Usually, though, someone would come to the door and signal me if necessary. I went to my office, shut the door and called Alex’s private line.

“I need a favor,” I said.

“Anything. What can I do for you?”

“I need a reservation for two for Friday, at 8:00pm. The quietest, most romantic table you have.”

“Well, you don’t make simple requests! I’ll have to do some fancy footwork. You know we’re booked solid on Fridays.”

“I do, but I have my reasons for asking.”

“Which are?”

I explained and he was laughing hard by the end. So was Penny, who shook her head, rolled her eyes, and mouthed ‘another victim’. I’d deal with her later.

“I think we can have some real fun here. She’s just a friend?”

“Yes. Nothing romantic between us.”

“Speaking of romantic, I have everything set for you for Sunday.”