Page 18 of A Simple Mistake
Jackarrivedatworkon Tuesday anticipating a stretch of sanctioned online snooping.He filled his mug with coffee and settled down to read, trusting Julian and Gareth not to send him on a wild goose chase.Julian had worked in mining since before he’d left school and knew the industry like a Michelin-starred chef knew his kitchen.And while Gareth had come late to his corporate security job, twenty years of army service had given him a well-honed radar for threats.
Jack read until, at the end of two hours, he had identified the commonalities between the projects Julian had flagged, but no pattern to kick off an investigation.He flipped to the second part of the dossier and perused the mix of investment firms and geotech services companies with incorporation documents on which the ink was still wet.None of them rang any bells and a call to Alex didn’t produce any enlightenment.
Jack moved on.
He picked the first company on the list and dug into its background, unsurprised to find a subsidiary of a holding company registered in the British Virgin Islands.The holding company would be a subsidiary of another such, each nestled into the other like a set of Russian dolls.Jack didn’t rate their chances of unravelling the connections before the lack of cash flow affected Nancarrow’s operations.
Time to consider this from another angle.
By lunchtime, Jack had a list of tasks—and an idea.He grabbed his notes and knocked on Gareth’s door.
“You need something?”Dressed in charcoal trousers and an open-necked amber shirt that matched his eyes, Gareth looked like a sleek, contented cat.
Jack loved that he knew why.“I need something, all right,” he said, voice a touch rough.“But that’s not why I’m interrupting you.I want to rope Janet and Frazer into Julian’s project.Any objections?”
“You think we’ll need their help?”
“I do.”Jack slid his notepad across Gareth’s desk and wondered where his former flatmate was plying his trade these days.Tom Walken’s people skills and nose for gossip could have put a spy to shame.“I’m not qualified to assess the mineralogy and whatnot.Until Julian or the guys from exploration tell me otherwise, I’m treating this as a case of cash flow sabotage.”
“Same.Janet and Frazer?”
“Janet has experience auditing company finances, and Frazer is fabulous with people.Between the three of us, we can work out who is dicking around with Nancarrow projects and where the money’s coming from.We also—and more urgently—need to find out how they knew which projects to target.”
Gareth sighed.“Yeah, we do.I’d hate the idea of another leak.”
“I’ve swept the network and found nothing, which is a start.”Jack didn’t need to point out that a clever intruder could mask their presence or that some opponents played long, patient games.Gareth had spent two years watching Jack work to have a solid understanding of what an even halfway decent hacker could do.
“You want to keep looking.”
“I do.It’s why you hired me, right?And I want Frazer on board because he has a knack for spotting user stupidity and deals with it without bloodshed.”
“Which is always appreciated.”
“Can the sarcasm.So… can I share with the class?”
Gareth rolled his eyes.“Get out of here.”
“Yes, sir.”It was a shame Gareth’s desk had the acreage of a rugby field.Jack would have loved to lean across and kiss that smirk off his face.He contented himself with a smart turn and if he put on a bit of a strut as he left… well, Gareth had earned it.
Janet and Frazer were both at their desks and Jack wasted no time.“Hey!Are you up for a project?We can discuss it over lunch across the road.”
Those two sentences wouldn’t have made sense to many people, but they made Janet and Frazer light up.“You’re paying?”
“Since I’m asking.We have ten minutes to make it to our table.”
“You knew we’d agree?”
“If one of you turned down lunch at Simpson’s, I’d be looking for the off switch.”Jack grabbed his leather jacket and led the way across the road to one of London’s oldest eateries.From a coffee house and chess club, Simpson’s-in-the-Strand had grown into a restaurant that offered the grandest breakfast in London and an equally famous carvery.Simpson’s held only positive memories for Jack—from the morning after his viva exam when he’d shared said breakfast with his friend Tom, to the day he’d come to Nancarrow Mining for an interview and had ended up at Simpson’s having lunch with Gareth.He loved everything about the place, from the food to the décor to the chance to relax in the middle of a busy day, and was happy to spread that love around.
“You know I’ll be in a food coma by two o’clock, right?”Janet said after they’d placed their orders.
“Skip dessert,” Frazer suggested.
“Do I look stupid?I’d rather drown in black coffee and put in an extra hour in the gym than pass on the bread and butter pudding.”
Jack didn’t argue with her.“Treat yourself,” he advised.“You’ll burn those calories before you know it.”
Janet leaned forward.“Will I?”she asked, at the same moment Frazer blurted, “What’s on fire?”
