Page 54 of Girl, Empty
‘Come on, Dark.I’m itching to get this done.’
‘We tag-teaming it?’
‘We sure are.And then I’m taking a gas can and paying a visit to his little museum.That’ll be the really fun part.’
Ripley seemed to have developed a taste for wanton destruction in the past 24 hours, and that was fine with Ella.A destructive partner was preferable to an indifferent one, because destruction meant there was fire in the veins.Ella had a moment of concern for Alexander Sinclair, because she didn’t see how he could come out of that interrogation room in one piece with Ripley guarding the door.
‘Grab the folder from the office, then let’s go put the screws to him.’
***
The interrogation room was as cold as a morgue, and Alexander Sinclair looked like he belonged in one.The smug-looking tech lord from his headshot had morphed into a greasy-haired fifty-something who could have passed for a homeless man, and one with a bruise covering half of his forehead.Ella took a seat opposite him while Ripley opted to stand.She had a folder perched under her arm.
‘Mr.Sinclair.Or can I call you Alexander?Alex?’
‘Mr.Sinclair,’ he said.
‘Alex it is.My name’s Agent Dark, and that woman over there is Agent Ripley.She’s the one who cracked your plasterboard a couple of hours ago.’
‘And you’ll be paying for it,’ Sinclair mumbled.
‘It’s not plasterboard, it’s drywall,’ said Ripley.‘And we’re not paying for anything.Want to tell us who you are?’
Sinclair sat back and crossed his arms.He aimed for defiance but landed somewhere around pitiable.‘You know who I am.’
‘The tape recorder doesn’t.’
‘Fine.I’m Alexander Sinclair.I run Sinclair Corp.Anything else you want to know?’
Ella said, ‘Yeah.What does Sinclair Corp do?’
‘We specialize in quantum encryption.Do you know what that is?’
‘No idea.’
‘It helps keep software safe.We work with major tech companies, banks, governments, courts.You name it.’
‘Fascinating.Tell us about the security systems at your workplace.’
Sinclair looked genuinely surprised by the question.‘What?Why?’
‘Because we’re asking.’
‘Umm… the system is an integrated Sentinel-7 platform.’
Ripley said, ‘What does that mean?’
‘Multi-factor authentication at every access point.Biometric palm-vein scanners tied to a triple-redundant server, retinal pattern matching at all secure-zone thresholds, and geo-fenced RFID keycards that deactivate the second they leave the property.’
‘I wish I hadn’t asked.So you’re pretty familiar with that system, right?You know your way around it?’
‘Not really.I’m not great with that kind of security.I do software, not hardware.Why are you asking this?’
Ella said, ‘Because Morrison & Associates have that same security system.First National Bank, too.’
Sinclair smoothed his pony tail, although it did nothing to alter his appearance.‘I see.This is about that murder in the news.’
A laugh tore from Ripley’s throat.‘Why else would we smash your head in and drag you into a police station, Zuckerberg?What did you think this was about?’
