Page 97 of My Secret Snowflake
Letters are underlined. Very faintly, but definitely.
I show Sebastian. We copy them down.
“Given the Greek messenger story, it should be something relatively simple.”
“I don’t know,” Sebastian says. “I wouldn’t like to have my head shaved just so people could read a message written on my scalp.”
I ruffle his hair. “I wouldn’t like you to shave your head either.” I study the first chapter ofThe Code Bookwhere the messenger story is recounted and try one of the methods listed there: rail fence transposition. No go. Next, I try the Caesar shifter, which was used by Julius Caesar. I replace each letter with a letter three places down in the alphabet.
[email protected] is revealed.
We stare at the written words.
“What do you think it is?” Sebastian asks.
“I think it’s the email address of the white hat hacker,” I say. A huge weight feels like it was just lifted off my chest.
Chapter twenty-nine
Sebastian
IrisemailedPriya,butshe hasn’t received a response yet, so now I’m doing whatever I can do here at the office. To be honest, doing this kind of investigation is one of the reasons I like practicing law. But it would be better if the stakes weren’t so high and Iris’s career didn’t depend on it.
I step into Bob’s office. He doesn’t look very restored from a night of sleep. If anything, he looks worse.
And indeed, he immediately says, “I didn’t sleep a wink last night. I have a bad feeling about what’s going on. I thought Iris was telling the truth. And I wasn’t brought in on Raphael’s departure, which makes me suspicious. As the GC, I should definitely have been consulted about his termination.”
“Do we have a copy of Raphael’s NDA?” I glance at the stack of folders on Bob’s desk.
“We’ve been given nothing, but I was told he signed one by Colby and Amelia.”
“Why don’t we release Raphael from his NDA so we can get the truth about what he discovered?” I ask.
“That’s a good idea. I’ll talk to Xaiver and insist that we need to do that. I’ll ask HR to contact him,” he says. “I’ll also ask HR for copies of whatever he signed. This is part of Legal’s purview.”
Whether Xavier agrees will show whether he really wants the truth.
Back in my office, I call my former boss and ask if she can recommend employment counsel for Iris. The calendar shows Ernest is out. I call Aaron and ask him if he can come to my office.
I gnaw on my lip. Given that Hank deleted Raphael’s files, Kevin might have confided in him. Hank might be a weak link whom I can question. But that didn’t seem to be their relationship during the conversation I overheard.
Aaron knocks on my door and comes in, taking a seat. He’s carrying a mug that says, “I’m an accountant, not a magician.”
“I like your mug,” I say.
“My latest gift from my Secret Snowflake,” he says. “It seems especially apt. If only I could conjure up some more budget cuts for Colby.”
“I’m investigating this white hat hacker situation, given the company’s potential liability in an employment lawsuit.” It’s true enough. “If there was an outside white hat hacker, they would have been paid. Has that been recorded anywhere?”
“Jazmine is really upset.” Aaron opens up his laptop.
We pore through the financial statements. It’s certainly not recorded under third party payments or outside contractors.
“Ernest mentioned that he found more money at one point because Colby had recorded something incorrectly. Do you know anything about that?”
“I recall him mentioning it,” Aaron says. “The company paid an invoice, and Colby said he should have paid it instead. Ernest would keep records of that.”
“Even if Colby told him to delete that?”
