Price No Object Ch. 04

When the Intel Center was built out of Classrooms 'C' and 'D', Classroom 'F' was converted into Lt. Mary Milton's office. She and Myron were in there when I got there. Myron was typing feverishly on his laptop, able to do anything from there that he could do from his own office in the basement.

"What's going on?" I asked. Mary answered.

"Two cyber-attacks, sir." she said. "We haven't tried to figure out yet if they're separate or coordinated. One of them is a general attempt to infect all our systems, to shut us down as completely as possible. Because that's happened in the past, our systems were prepared to handle it, so we're okay------"

"So far." Myron interjected as he studied his laptop screen and typed some more. "But the attack is relentless, and continuing every few minutes. Commander Muscone is in contact with the FBI at the Federal Building, and they're trying to trace the source."

Mary said "The second attack was an attempt to get at our evidence servers. Fortunately, they are sealed off from all other systems, and cannot be accessed from the internet or ethernet, but only through dedicated computer terminals that have physical chips that must be present."

Myron said "It's a good thing, too. I've never seen what they were using to try to get to the evidence servers. It got past every anti-virus program we have, but couldn't find the hardwire access to the evidence servers."

Mary added: "They also tried going through the Court System's computers, and failed. We've alerted the judges and all the court system offices, and they're taking further precautions as well."

I nodded. "Good work, both of you." I said. "I'll get out of your way. Let me know if anything new and bad happens..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

4:45pm, Thursday, January 7th. I was called by Chief Moynahan into the Main Conference Room. A video hookup to the Chambers of Federal Judge K.M. Landis in Lexington had been established. In the room with me were Chief Moynahan, Deputy Chief Tanya Muscone, Lt. Commander Teresa Croyle, Captain Claire Michaels... and D.A. Miriam Walters.

Paulina Patterson was in Lexington, waiting to be called into the Judge's Chambers. Judge Landis had called up and asked for me, but after finding that I was out on a mission, he called Miriam Walters and asked for Paulina, as Paulina had applied for the original warrants. When Miriam tried to send Savannah Fineman instead, Judge Landis snapped her head back, verbally, anyway, and said that he'd called for Paulina, not Savannah, and that he expected Paulina, not Savannah, to appear in his Chambers.

That prompted a visit to the Chief's office by Walters, and I was called in. Miriam wasted no time: "I think you orchestrated that, having Paulina instead of Savannah go down there." she accused me.

"You damn right I did!" I replied heatedly.

"God damn you, Troy!" Walters spat. "I've told you to do your job and let me do mine!------"

"MY job is to put a man who arranged for the murder of an innocent woman in prison, if not on Death Row!" I snarled loudly. "And YOU are doing every fucking thing you can to prevent me from doing that. And I've told YOU, and I will say it right here in front of the Police Chief: I fully intend to keep fucking you over like that for as long as you are District Attorney!"

I went on: "You've already harmed my case by letting your idiot dog Fineman release Davalos. And I'm not having you fuck this one up!"

"What the fucking hell is your problem with Savannah?!" yelled Miriam.

"I have two answers, and you can choose the one that works best for you." I replied, a bit more calmly. "First, Savannah can't handle it, and she can't handle being the MCD ADA. She's not good enough. And second, Savannah is too fucking lazy to get the job done, and she won't do what needs to be done. She's already punted on Davalos, just like Gil Krasney punted too many times to count."

Me: "And Krasney lost his next D.A. race because of his poor choices... just like you are going to lose your next D.A. race because of Savannah's poor choices... and your support of her poor choices."

"Are you threatening me?" Miriam said angrily, her beady black eyes narrowing to mere slits.

I shrugged. "You can call it what you like. I call it an assertion of the facts and a prediction based on those facts..."

Now in live time, we were waiting to hear if BigCommo's attorney Edward N. Parker and Regional H.R. Director Karen Harper would turn over any more documents. At 4:57pm they were ushered into Judge Landis's Chambers, where the Judge and Paulina were waiting. Judge Landis introduced Paulina, then turned to them and said "Well?"

"Your Honor," Edward Parker said, "We have turned over the classified documents per your orders, though sealed with the hope that only persons with the proper clearances will be allowed to see them."

"So noted." said Judge Landis. "And the other? That employment offer?"

"Your Honor," said Karen Harper with fearless alacrity as she stood erect in front of the judge's desk, "I do not believe that any document corresponding to that paper exists. I am not saying that as an accusation of perfidy by Donald Troy, though I believe that it is. I am saying it because that document does not exist, neither in personnel records nor any other records, including those of our C-level Officers."

"So you're ready to be jailed for Contempt of Court?" Judge Landis said. "Because I don't believe you."

"You can put me in jail if you like, Your Honor." said Karen Harper. "Doing so will not cause a document that does not exist to suddenly materialize into existence. It is what it is, and it isn't what it isn't. To the very best of my knowledge, that original document does not exist."

"Your Honor, we will appeal any Contempt jailing." said the lawyer Parker. "You may not believe us, but the Federal Appeals Court will be less biased, especially when we show that there is nothing, nothing at all, to show that that document scrap was from a BigCommunicationsCorp document."

"Counselor Patterson?" said Judge Landis.

"Your Honor," said Paulina, "I'd like to ask Commander Troy to give his input."

"Commander?" said the Judge. Your Iron Crowbar appeared on the television monitor set up for the videoconference. Judge Landis said "They may be right, and no amount of jail time is going to make Karen Harper talk nor give up that paper."

"Yes, Your Honor. Thank you." I said. "It logically holds that a job offer document in the Matheson home would be for one of the Mathesons, and the large numbers involved show that it's likely for Dwayne. And the only company really interested in Dwayne's employment is the company for whom he was employed before. So yes, it is logical that our scrap of the letter is from BigCommo."

"That's not logical at all." said Edward N. Parker. "And speculation is not evidence. Your Honor, he has no evidence, and his attempt to go fishing for it should be disallowed."

"I don't agree." said Judge Landis. "I think the TCPD is showing that something has been withheld, and in direct contradiction to my subpoena."

I then said "Having said that, Your Honor, I might give Ms. Harper the benefit of the doubt that that paper is being kept from her. So in lieu of her doing jail time while in Contempt, I'd like to ask Your Honor to issue an arrest warrant for Matthew Willis..."

To be continued.