No Test for the Wicked: A Lexi Carmichael Mystery, Book Five (10 page)

Chapter Fourteen

I whirled around, pressing a hand to my heart. “Jeez. You scared me to death. I thought you weren’t coming over.”

“I got off earlier than expected. I was worried sick when you weren’t here. Don’t you ever check your phone?”

I glanced at my purse. “Ah, not much.”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “Were you at your parents’?”

“No. I was at the Zimmermans’.”

“I thought they were in Greece.”

“No, Xavier is in Greece, getting the villa ready for Basia. Elvis will go sometime after Christmas.”

“So, you were with Elvis?”

“Yes. Gaming and eating pizza with anchovies, which is why I’d better go brush my teeth before you kiss me. You are going to kiss me, right?”

He closed his eyes and sighed. “Of course I’m going to kiss you.”

I paused for a moment, looking at him. “Okay. Tell me the truth. Is it the hair?”

“
What?
”

“Well, all of a sudden everyone is treating me differently. Elvis is acting all weird, and now you’re talking to me in a strange tone of voice. Ever since I dyed my hair blonde, people have been interacting with me in odd ways. I knew something like this would happen. Hair dye is evil.”

Slash exhaled. “No,
cara
, it’s not your hair. I’m sorry, it’s just been a long couple of days. Go brush your teeth.”

“Okay then, I’ll be right back.”

I slipped past him and headed for the bathroom. What in the
freaking
world was wrong with everyone lately? If it wasn’t my hair, what was it?

I brushed my teeth and returned to the living room. Slash sat on the couch reading something on his phone. He looked really tired.

I stood there uncertainly. “Um, do you want something to drink?”

He put his phone in his pocket and wagged a finger at me. “No. Come here.”

I went and sat next to him. He put his arm around me and leaned in for a kiss.

“You taste like toothpaste.”

“Better than anchovies.”

“Indeed.”

I pulled back. “Slash, what’s wrong? You seem worried about something, and I mean more than not being able to reach me tonight.”

He rested his head back against the cushions, closing his eyes. “
Si
, I am. I’m limited in what I can say, but the arrest of Zogby, the discovery of the bombs in the apartment and additional intelligence strongly indicates that something big may be going down. I’m worried about it, so by extension, I’m worried about you.”

“I take it the agents didn’t get any useful information from Zogby’s parents.”

“No. We’re still working on tracing the materials from the bombs, but it is tediously slow work.”

I put my hand on his arm. “I’ll be careful, Slash. I promise.”

He covered my hand with his. “Stay out of public spots like malls, movie theaters, high-target tourist areas and restaurants. Be aware of your surroundings and don’t follow any more suspicious characters, okay?”

“Okay.”

“And for God’s sake, check your phone once in a while and let me know your whereabouts. I need to know you’re safe or I can’t concentrate.”

He sounded like my mom. “Look, Slash, you can relax. You know me well enough to realize I don’t normally go to any of those places, but if it will make you feel better, I won’t start going now. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“I’m
always
worried about you.” His arm tightened around me. “Trouble follows you like a stalker. Besides, you talked to Zogby. He knows who you are and where you work.”

“Zogby is in custody. Finn is reviewing the company’s security policies. Besides, I don’t
know
anything.”

“But he doesn’t know that.”

I shifted on the couch. “I’ll keep my eyes open, okay?”

“It’s just, now that I’ve found you, I don’t want to lose you.”

“You aren’t going to lose me.”

“No, I’m not.” He fingered my hair. “Who knew you could look so sexy as a blonde?”

“Sexy? Me? Really? This undercover stuff is harder than I anticipated. I can hardly remember my real name anymore.”

He relaxed, chuckling. “Ah, welcome to the club. So, how is high school?”

“Well, I’m making progress. I got invited to the Computer Club today. Already saw some suspicious things. Now I need to find some time to follow up. Oh, and someone put a dead rat in my locker.”

Slash straightened. “What?”

“I stood up for a kid who was getting some mouth from one of the bullies. Actually got between them. Said bully has decided I’m on his hit list now.”

His eyes narrowed. “Does he need a little straightening out?”

“Nothing I can’t handle. He’s just a dumb jerk who thinks he’s something special. On the up side, I got a new locker while they fumigate mine.”

“You certainly make an impression on people.”

“Did I mention I really hate the high school social dynamic?”

Slash looked like he was going to say something and then closed his mouth.

I touched his hand. “So, you ready to hit the sheets?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Is that an invitation to stay the night?”

“Well, it’s after two o’clock in the morning. Technically the night is almost over. We’re both exhausted and a bit wired. Since sex relieves tension, it seemed logical. We can just go to sleep if you’d prefer.”

A slow smile crossed his mouth. “Damn. I have the best girlfriend.”

“So, does that mean you’re ready for bed?”

“
Cara
, I’m
always
ready.”

Chapter Fifteen

I arrived at school rested and satisfied. Having a boyfriend did have its benefits and I was beginning to appreciate the comfort and companionship we were slowly building. When I’d agreed to be in a relationship with Slash, I’d never expected to enjoy it so much.

Bonnie had made sure to build a study hall into my schedule, giving me time to snoop, which was good because I needed some time to do research on Willem Jouret and the Veiled Knights. I slipped my laptop out of my backpack and set it up. Just in case anyone was monitoring the school’s system, I’d be anonymous in my movements. Ron was off today, which gave me free rein of Computer Central for at least this class period.

I started with Jouret and then moved to his application to the school. He was an only child born in Cape Town to a South African father and American mother. He held dual citizenship, and had attended the University of Cape Town, where he studied math and computer science. Jouret was thirty-eight and he’d held eleven computer-related jobs. That implied he was a crappy employee or had really bad luck choosing solvent companies. Interestingly enough, he’d shown no interest in teaching until the past year.

I began taking a closer look at his more recent employment history. The year prior to coming to the school, he’d worked part-time at a local cybersecurity firm, Maxim Security Solutions in Washington, D.C., while he got his teaching credentials in order. He put in his application to Excalibur Academy in the late fall and had been accepted for the new school year in March.

It all seemed to check out, but something kept bugging me. Teaching seemed out-of-character for a man like him, and there was a significant decrease in earning potential from the kind of money he
could
make with his credentials. Maybe that’s just who Willem Jouret was, but it didn’t feel right to me.

I decided to investigate Maxim Security Solutions. I certainly didn’t know the name of every cybersecurity outfit in town, but this one didn’t even ring a bell. A quick check indicated the company had been founded and registered in Washington D.C. a year earlier and then gone under about two months after Jouret left. Not that unusual, given a lot of start-up firms went under after a year. But what
was
unusual was the dearth of information I could find on the company.

I ran a trace on the name of the CEO and came to a dead end in about six minutes. It was bogus.

My spidey sense was tingling. Something was definitely off about Willem Jouret. But what, if anything, did it have to do with the strange encrypted file and the unusual anomaly I had witnessed during the Computer Club yesterday?

What I really wanted was to have someone run a face recognition program on Jouret so I could be sure he was who he said he was. Since I no longer worked at the NSA, I no longer had access to that software or database. But luckily I had a boyfriend who did.

I shot Slash a quick email asking if he would be willing to run a scan on Willem Jouret for me. I gave him all the information I had, but figured he wouldn’t need even that much.

I checked my watch and realized I had about ten minutes until my next class. I wouldn’t have a break until lunch, so I picked up the phone and called Elvis. He picked up on the third ring.

“Hello?”

His voice sounded sleepy. Jeez. I’d forgotten he was sleeping in. Good friend, I was not.

“I forgot. I woke you. Crap.”

“Lexi?”

“I’m sorry, Elvis. I got so focused on work, I spaced on the sleeping-in thing. I’ll call back later.”

He sounded more awake. “No, it’s okay. Really. I can’t think of a better way to wake up.”

“Really?”

“Really. What’s up?”

“The usual. Would you mind being my sounding board?”

“Not at all. Shoot.”

“Well, I’m trying to trace any other incidents where the Veiled Knight encryption software might have been used to see if I could tie it to Jouret, but I’m not sure which method is the right approach. Any thoughts?”

He was silent, thinking. “That’s a tough one. I’d need another look.”

“I can come by after school.”

“As it turns out, I’m mostly free today. I’m just tying up some loose ends at work before I leave for Greece next week. How about I stop by the school?”

“I don’t want to bother you.”

“No bother at all. Actually, I’m stuck with a code I’m working on. Getting my mind busy on something else might help.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Thanks, Elvis, that would be great. But let me clear it with the principal, okay? Then I’ll send you the address. I’ve got lunch at twelve forty. That might be a good time to rendezvous.”

“I could make that.”

“Thanks, Elvis. I really appreciate it.”

* * *

I swung by the main office and gave Bonnie a rundown of the situation and my concerns about the file on Mr. Jouret’s desktop. She, too, was conflicted about breaking in to the file without his permission and wanted to ask him directly what was in it. I convinced her to let me research it first. I worried if he got wind of our suspicions, he might destroy or remove the file before we could get more information on it. As a result, she cleared Elvis on the condition that she got to meet him first.

We were waiting for him in her office when Margaret—Ms. Eder—led him in and then left. She gave me a curious look but didn’t say anything. Elvis was dressed in a long, dark winter coat with no hat and gloves. He had snowflakes in his hair and smiled when he saw me.

“Hey, Lexi. Wow. You look really...different in that uniform.”

“I know. That’s the idea. By the way, don’t forget to call me Lara while I’m here. Part of the cover and all. Thanks for coming, Elvis.”

“Sure, I’m happy to help out.”

Bonnie set aside her glasses and stood. “I’m Bonnie Swanson, the headmistress of Excalibur Academy.” She extended a hand to Elvis. “Lexi has spoken highly of you.”

Elvis took it and shook it. “Elvis Zimmerman. Nice to meet you.”

“You’ve got a nice name. I’m a big Elvis fan. As in Presley.”

“Yeah. I figured.”

She smiled. “Well, Lexi says that you’re going to consult with her on an anomaly she’s come across on a teacher’s computer.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I patted Elvis on the shoulder and felt the melting snowflakes beneath my fingers. “No one knows anomalies like Elvis.”

“Well, I appreciate your assistance, Mr. Zimmerman.”

“No problem, but please call me Elvis.”

“Certainly, if you call me Bonnie.”

Elvis nodded, then turned to me. “Now what?”

“Now we go to Computer Central. Bonnie has cleared me for my next few classes, so I have some time to work on it with you.”

“Okay. I need to make a quick stop in the bathroom first.”

“I’ll show you where it is,” Bonnie offered, and they left the office. After a minute she came back smiling.

“So, that’s Elvis.” She leaned back against her desk. “Are you and he dating?”

“What? Me and Elvis? No. We’re just friends. Why would you ask that?”

“I just wondered. Does that mean he’s single?”

“Why would that matter?”

She shrugged. “It doesn’t really, I guess.”

I tried to imagine Elvis on a date and failed. Somehow, it just didn’t compute. But before I could say anything else, Elvis returned. With a final, puzzled look at Bonnie, I led Elvis from her office. I walked down the hall, carrying my backpack slung over one shoulder, still needing to appear as if I were a student.

“Where’s your badge?” I asked when I didn’t see him wearing one.

He shrugged. “No one gave me anything. I didn’t even sign in. I think the secretary was in a hurry to get to lunch. I suppose she figured I was only going to the principal’s office.”

“It’s okay. My badge will get us most everywhere.”

He looked at the gleaming lockers as we passed. “Nice setup here. Way better than what I had in high school.”

“Me, too.”

“Does the better environment make it any more bearable?”

“No. It’s only better the second time around because I know it’s just temporary. Overall, it still sucks.”

“I figured as much.”

We stopped in front of Computer Central. I made sure the hallway was empty before waving my badge in front of the access panel. A green light came on and the door clicked open. I stepped in and Elvis followed.

I led him to Ron’s desk and dropped my backpack on the floor. Elvis shrugged out of his coat and hung it on the back of one of the chairs. I pulled a rolling chair over next to mine and patted it.

“Sit here and I’ll show you the file.”

“Any chance I can have a peek at the general landscape first?”

“Sure.” I pulled up a screen. “So, here’s the deal. The school has three separate systems. There’s the security system—which controls access to the school and various rooms in the school—the phone system and the electrical system. The security system has computerized-controlled access and television screens on all major entrances and exits and is linked to an external security company that monitors the school and will call appropriate authorities in case of danger, fire or other disaster. The phone system is also linked to an external company. Although the external companies maintain routine control, the school can take charge of any system at any time with a manual override. This is unfortunate because if the kids hack in, they can overwrite controls and take charge. The upside is that they would have to break into three separate systems, as none of them are linked.”

“That’s pretty decent. They’ve got wireless here, I presume.”

“Yes. Cell phones, however, don’t work in the building. That was intended. Staff and students have to use the school phones or go outside to use their cells.”

“Makes sense these days, I guess.”

“I guess.” I tapped the monitor. “Anyway, neither the security system, the phone nor the general system is connected, so imagine my surprise when I’m sitting in the Computer Club chatting with some of the kids yesterday and I see the cursor moving around the screen all by itself and clicking on items.”

“Remote access?”

“Well, that’s what I thought. I checked the logs. No remote management was noted. But last night when I accessed the system from your place, it registered me. So, I know it’s working. I asked Ron, the IT guy, what was the deal on that and he told me external companies must request to connect to any one of the systems to do any administration work. They absolutely cannot access our system on their own.”

“Let me guess, no requests were made.”

“No. But someone was definitely playing around with the admin controls. I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Students?”

“Maybe, but it felt different. Can’t explain it better than that. Later I ran a virus scan. It was clean. It was like I’d imagined the whole thing.”

“But you didn’t.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Interesting. Let me have a look.”

I rolled to the side so he could be front and center at the monitor.

He had just started to engage when I heard a noise. It sounded like someone was making popcorn.

“Did you hear that?” I asked Elvis.

He looked up, listened. “Yes.”

“Popcorn?”

“No. I think...gunfire.”

“
What?
”

We cautiously approached the door. The popping sounds were louder now, accompanied by screaming.

He grabbed my hand, yanking me against the wall with him. “I think the school has an active shooter.”

“An active shooter? Here?”

“Yes.” Elvis leaned over and glanced at the doorknob. “This room locks automatically, right?”

“Yes. The badge has to be programmed to open this door. Only authorized staff can open it from the outside. But you gave me an idea.”

I dashed to Ron’s computer and started typing. Elvis followed me, snatching the phone receiver from its cradle.

He pressed the button a couple of times. “It’s dead.”

I raised my gaze to meet his. “Not a good development.”

He set the receiver back down. “Definitely not. Your typical active shooter doesn’t disconnect the phone system before he starts shooting.”

“So, who does?”

“Someone a lot more organized. You may have been on to something a lot bigger with your computer snooping.”

He peered over my shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“I just changed the access code to this room. As of right now, no one can use an access badge to get in here.”

“Good thinking, but it won’t give us much time. Someone with a big enough gun will be able to shoot their way in here if they are really determined.”

“True.” I ran to the security laptop and sat down.

“Now what are you doing?” Elvis asked, following me.

“I’m checking the cameras.” I pulled up the video and saw two black-clad figures kneeling by the front door. One was securing a chain on the door handles while the other one was working over something in a backpack.

“Holy crap, Elvis. They’re booby-trapping the front door. See those black and red wires? Jeez. Does that look like a bomb to you?”

“Unfortunately, yes. A sophisticated one, too.”

I switched to the gym entrance and saw two other black-clad figures doing something similar on that door. I quickly scanned the other entrances—all six were being booby-trapped. Elvis watched over my shoulder.

He whistled. “It’s a small army. I’ve counted twelve people already. This is
not
an active shooter scenario.”

I stared at Elvis. “The Veiled Knights.”

“Whoa. They’re cyber mercenaries, not terrorists.”

“The terrorists could be paying them.”

“To do what?”

“I have a feeling we’re about to find out.”

I started to say something else when Elvis pulled me toward him and put a finger on my lips. He pulled me under the desk as someone crashed against the door. My heart jumped to my throat.

Someone outside the door yelled, “The badge isn’t working. Go get something to blow the door.”

There was some noise and then the same voice shouted, “Fine. Clock is ticking. I’ve got to get into this room in under ten minutes or we’re dead.”

The noise at the door silenced.