Just Business (28 page)

‘What do you expect me to say?' Nishikawa Shacho retorted. ‘I have no magic formula to resolve this. If we pay the ransom money our profit and share price will plummet and our competitors will almost certainly make a takeover bid. On the other hand, if we let the virus take hold, HDD will be sued to the point of bankruptcy. That's where we stand, Yoshi. We will have plenty of time later to analyse why we were exposed like this – that's if you and I still have a job left by then. Now, I must go. I'm in Kyoto and I must get into the city as soon as possible. I was to meet with the analysts today to tell them about the AIZ contract renewal. I will have to find some reason to cancel.'

Bruce went to the kitchen to make himself a strong coffee. An illicit cigarette balanced from the corner of his mouth. He didn't have time to go outside and he couldn't think straight without the nicotine. Armed with the black coffee, he crossed
the executive area, stopping off at Niamh's office.

‘Do you know where she is?' he asked Sharon, whose desk stood guard outside the empty office.

‘She went to get a coffee – that was over an hour ago now,' she replied. Helen had also been around looking for her boss. Sharon didn't know what to say other than the truth. Niamh seemed to be having an extra long coffee break and wasn't answering her mobile phone.

Bruce was thoughtful as he took a sip of the black coffee. ‘I told her some … bad news this morning,' he said quietly. ‘She wouldn't do anything stupid, would she?'

‘I don't think so. God, I hope not. But she hasn't been herself the last few weeks.'

Sharon was really worried now. What had Bruce told Niamh? She had assumed that Niamh was having problems at home, but maybe, from what Bruce was saying, the problem was with work.

Bruce's cigarette was lying idly between his fingers now and some ash fell onto her desk. ‘Have they changed the rules about smoking in the office?' she asked, her face a sheet of disapproval amid the wild hair.

‘No. Don't tell on me, will you?' he grinned unrepentantly.

‘I don't have anyone to tell – Niamh would rap you on the knuckles but she seems to have disappeared into thin air.'

Bruce gave in and stubbed the cigarette out against the side of her rubbish bin. ‘See? You've got to my conscience. Look, we're probably worrying unnecessarily about Niamh – I'm sure she's just gone off to do an errand or something like that. When she comes back, can you tell her we need her in Malcolm's office?'

Bruce hurried away and Sharon tried Niamh's mobile again. It was still going to voicemail. She decided to go downstairs and
check the coffee shop. She didn't expect that Niamh would still be there, but it was as good a place to start looking as any.

There was a fine sheen of sweat on Willem's forehead. The computer room at AIZ was very well airconditioned but pressure always caused him to sweat. And this was pressure the likes of which he had never experienced before. Bruce had despatched his most experienced software engineers to each of the customer sites listed in the fax. It had taken the engineers ten minutes to run all the standard virus scans but, as expected, there were no corrupt files found. Marcus Diddams had used his considerable skill to create a brand-new virus and there was no existing antivirus software to detect it.

The only other thing Willem could do was to run some ad hoc searches across the enormous web of servers, directories and folders of the bank. If he had more time on his hands, he could have narrowed the portfolio of potentially corrupt files by a process of elimination aided by the LAN administrators at the bank. But with only thirty minutes remaining on the clock, time was a luxury he didn't have.

He searched for files with
Lucinda
or
Marcus
in the name. Then he typed
Denis
and
Greene
separately into the search box. There was no success with any of these obvious guesses at the name of the file containing the virus. With a flash of inspiration he remembered that Denis's wife was called Lily. There were a few moments of anticipation before
No files found of that name
flashed on the screen to mock his optimism. He desperately tried to remember the snatches of conversation he had heard through the airconditioning vent. He typed a few more guesses into the search box before he remembered one of the last things that Lucinda had said.

‘It's time to cut the kite loose.'

Willem ran a search on
Kite
. One file was found deep down in the layers of directories and folders. It was highlighted on the screen. One click of the mouse would open it. But the bank's systems would come crashing down if it was the virus. He ran a search on the mainframe for a file of the same name. It was there too. He phoned Bruce.

‘Tell the others to run a search for a file called
Kite.exe
. Tell them to check the mainframes as well as all the servers. Remind them not to open or delete it at this point. I just want to see if the sites have the file in common.'

Willem continued to run random searches while he waited for Bruce to call him back. He was still sweating; his watch told him they had only fifteen minutes left.

Yoshi was the first one back to Malcolm's office.

‘I talked to Nishikawa Shacho. I've got the approval to pay the money if we need to,' he told the CEO.

Malcolm shrugged, choosing not to respond. For the last thirty minutes, left on his own while the others scurried around, he had done some thinking. He had decided he was finished with all this. It was too stressful. All for two selfish kids who would do nothing worthwhile with their private education anyway.

‘Did you call the police?' Yoshi asked, noticing that Malcolm seemed to be in a world of his own.

‘My secretary is onto them.'

‘You didn't call them yourself?' Yoshi was critical.

‘No, I didn't.' Malcolm stood from his seat, his stomach protruding through his striped shirt. ‘Look, you're running the show here – I don't think I'm needed any longer.'

His large frame was remarkably agile in its path to the door.

‘You're walking out?' Yoshi's mouth dropped open. ‘You're walking out
now
, in the middle of all this?'

‘No, I'm resigning,' Malcolm corrected the Japanese spy, ‘It's all yours, Yoshi. It's what you wanted. I'm sure you'll find it harder than you thought – it's not as easy as looking over someone else's shoulder. But have fun, won't you?'

Malcolm passed Bruce on his way out. The services director had his ear glued to his mobile phone and barely looked at the CEO. He saw Helen leave her office, also talking on her phone. Niamh's office was empty, as was Lucinda's. He wouldn't miss any of them, he thought as he pressed for the lift. He was retired, finished, done with all the bullshit. The spoiled brats, his children, would have to fund their own education.

Helen and Bruce arrived at Malcolm's office in tandem, both of them speaking on their mobiles.

‘It's Keith.' Helen put her hand over the mouth piece to update Yoshi. ‘He's just pulled up outside the international terminal.'

Bruce took his cue from Helen and also paused in his conversation to give a quick update. ‘Hold on a minute,' he told the engineer at the end of the line. ‘Yoshi, we think Willem has found it. Two of the sites have the same file … It's looking good. I'll try one more site, the Department of Defence. They have a different profile to the banks. If they've got
Kite.exe
, then we've found it!'

Helen and Yoshi were frozen in a flimsy moment of hope as they waited. Would they be that lucky? Had Willem really achieved the impossible and located the virus?

Bruce finished the call and dialled the engineer out at the Department of Defence. Helen realised that she had a dial tone
on her own phone. Keith had got fed up waiting for her to come back on the line.

The Department of Defence confirmed positive to a file named
Kite.exe
on its mainframe. Malcolm's phone directory was open on his abandoned laptop. When Helen saw the way the conversation was going, she took the initiative to call Willem Boelhoers direct.

‘Here …' she said, handing her phone to Bruce when he finished, saving him precious seconds having to dial the number himself.

‘OK, Willem.' Bruce swapped phones. ‘I'm ninety-nine per cent sure we have it. No more time to sit on the fence … Yeah, delete it …' He waited, his heart hammering. ‘Anything happen? No? Give it a minute … Still okay? … Right, I'll get on to the others to delete it as well …'

‘Give me the names of some of the engineers,' Helen said from Malcolm's desk, the phone directory on his laptop proving very useful. ‘Yoshi and I can help pass on the message … It's to delete any files called
Kite.exe
, is that right?'

Lucinda was waiting for her flight to be called. Her hair pulled back in a ponytail, she wore a navy tracksuit and looked like all the other travellers who were waiting in the departure lounge for the British Airways flight. They were all dressed for comfort, prepared for the twenty hours of flying that lay ahead.

She had been unable to get on the same flight as Marcus and Jack. The three of them had left the house together with no sadness on her part. It was an ugly house on an ordinary street. Jack had spent most of his childhood there but he would soon forget it.

She had driven her son and husband to the airport before calling Malcolm to say she was taking a week off. He was mildly surprised but didn't ask any awkward questions. She didn't return to the ugly house again, feeling it was safer to sleep both nights in a motel.

She was in the ladies' toilet when she heard her flight being announced. Her reflection in the mirror showed her smile as relief flooded through her. She was on her way to Paris at last: to make a new start with Marcus and Jack. Everything would be different over there. They would be free from the likes of Kel Sheridan.

She washed her hands and balanced her cabin bag on her shoulder. She was making her way to the gate when she heard someone call her name.

‘Lucinda … Lucinda!'

She didn't turn around, couldn't risk it. She kept walking, counselling herself to stay calm.

‘Lucinda, wait up.' Fingers grasped her arm.

She looked around to see Steve Jones, the barrister. He had a stupid smile on his face. ‘Imagine bumping into you here. Where are you off to?'

‘I'm late for my flight,' she hissed, pulling her arm free.

His face fell. ‘We're going to Fiji,' he said, pointing to his overweight wife who was watching from a distance. ‘Adam was there recently. Do you remember Adam? Do you know he's twenty-one now? Actually, his girlfriend works at HDD – Donna Howard.'

Lucinda shook her head in denial. ‘I haven't come across her. I must go –'

‘You're looking great.' He had a desperate edge to his voice. ‘I meant to say so when I saw you that day, but I was caught off
guard – you see, I didn't know you were with HDD – you were the last person I expected to see … Not that I wasn't very happy to see you …'

‘Goodbye, Steve.'

‘Would you like to catch up sometime? Maybe we could have dinner?'

‘I don't think so. Now, I have to go – my flight …'

‘Maybe I could help you …' he pleaded, his desperation completely unveiled. ‘I could take you away from your problems …'

‘I have no idea what you are talking about,' she said, pointedly looking in the direction of the wife he seemed to have forgotten about.

‘There she is!' a man yelled from close to where the wife was standing.

Lucinda saw a grey-haired, ginger-bearded man run towards her. Her first reaction was panic but then hope shot through her that the strange-looking man was running after someone else. She turned away from the lovesick barrister. She had walked only a few steps when she felt her arm being grabbed again, this time with more force. Her heart stopped. It wasn't Steve's fingers that were curled around her arm. She looked into the face of the ginger-bearded man and saw it was over. If it hadn't been for Steve Jones, she would be on her way to Paris.

Niamh's nose was broken. It was X-rayed, reset and bandaged. When they were happy she didn't have any concussion from the blow, they released her with a warning not to be alone for the next twenty-four hours.

Armed with a prescription for painkillers, she went outside. Morning had turned into afternoon. It was a beautiful day, the sun high in the sky. She sat on a bench overlooking the front gardens of the hospital. The flowerbeds were bursting with colour but the scent was lost on her because of the enormous bandage holding her nose in place. She considered whether she should call Malcolm or Yoshi. She decided on Yoshi. She was going to tell him she wanted to take a few weeks off work. It wasn't because of her nose; it was her emotions that needed the break. So much had happened, they needed some space to run riot before any kind of normal life could be resumed.

‘Yoshi, it's Niamh.'

‘Niamh! Where have you been?' He sounded frantic.

She was as casual as possible with her reply. ‘I've just come out of the hospital. I have a broken nose and I'm a little shocked – but I'm basically okay.'

‘What are you talking about?' he asked, obviously confused. ‘Have you been in an accident?'

‘Didn't Willem come and tell you?' Niamh's heart sank. Why hadn't Willem told Yoshi what had happened in the alley?

‘You mean Willem Boelhoers? He's been at AIZ all morning. He's the one who found Lucinda's virus. What was he meant to tell me?' Yoshi's voice was becoming very stilted as he tried to deal with the baffling conversation.

‘Yoshi, sorry for being stupid but what on earth is Lucinda's virus and how would Willem find it?' Niamh was starting to wonder if she had suffered concussion after all. This conversation was certainly making no sense.

Yoshi could feel Helen watching him and he decided to let the two women speak. There would be tension after their confrontation that morning but at least their command of the English language should help them translate this disjointed string of events into a chronological summary. ‘I'm going to hand you over to Helen. She can explain what's happened better than I can.'

He pretended not to hear when Niamh said, ‘No. Please don't.'

There was some background noise as the phone changed hands.

‘Niamh, it's Helen. Did I hear correctly that you have a broken nose?'

Niamh smiled ironically – she should have called Malcolm after all. At least he wouldn't have had Helen hanging off him when he was on the phone. ‘Yes. I was attacked in the alley this morning.'

‘You were mugged?'

‘No, mugged is when they want your money,' Niamh corrected her. ‘I think he was trying to kill me.'

‘Are you saying it wasn't a random attack?'

‘I think it was a very deliberate attack. Both Willem and I think Lucinda was behind it.'

‘Lucinda?' Helen's tone changed. ‘Lucinda got someone to assault you? Good heavens, she's had one busy morning.'

Niamh's earlier smile tightened on her face – apparently there was another twist to this very strange day. ‘What do you mean? What was Yoshi saying earlier about her “virus”?'

‘I'll give you the two-minute version,' Helen said, her voice picking up speed. ‘Lucinda's husband, Marcus, created a virus and paid Denis to put it on the operating systems of some of the banks and government departments. Malcolm was sent a blackmailing fax this morning …
Pay thirty million bucks or we'll bring down the systems of your clients!
Lucky for us, Willem found the virus in time.'

‘Oh my God!' Niamh's animosity towards Helen was lost in her astonishment. ‘Really? My
God
… that's incredible … but it explains everything – why Lucinda wanted Denis back in his role and her lies about the visa; Denis breaking into AIZ. It all makes perfect sense. Where are Lucinda and Denis now?'

‘Denis got on a flight to the UK, but he'll be picked up on landing. Lucinda didn't make it as far. Keith caught her just as she was about to board a flight to Paris. She's being questioned by the federal police as we speak.'

Niamh's mind was working fast; there were a lot of questions she wanted to ask but she rationed them down. ‘You said Keith caught Lucinda at the airport … how did that come about?'

‘He's been investigating her for the last few weeks,' Helen
replied. ‘I hired him. It was only a hunch at the start but there was more behind Lucinda than I'd ever imagined.'

‘Did Keith know Lucinda was going to have me assaulted? It would have been good if he could have prevented my nose from being broken.' Niamh's tone was wry.

Helen risked a laugh. ‘Sorry, I don't think he knew that …'

Niamh was overcome with a wave of gratitude that Willem had cared enough to follow her that morning. ‘I was lucky to get off with a broken nose. The guy was going to kill me but Willem saved me.'

‘It sounds like Willem saved the day all round,' Helen said, then paused. ‘Look, I know you don't want to hear this now, but I am really sorry about the party and what happened with Chris.'

‘I know you are. But I just couldn't believe it was you, Helen. I knew he was with someone, but
you
?'

‘Please believe how sorry I am … and please believe that I didn't know he was your husband.'

‘We're getting divorced, did I tell you that earlier?'

‘I'm sorry,' Helen said again.

‘Don't be.' Niamh was blunt. ‘I'm not sorry. I'm relieved.'

‘Okay.' Helen seemed to be struggling for words. ‘Look, I'll hand you back to Yoshi now.'

Niamh waited for the phone to change hands again. She jumped in before Yoshi could speak. ‘I'm going to take some time off … maybe a few weeks.'

‘That's an understandable reaction. Take as long as you need.' His kindness was matter-of-fact.

‘Can you tell Malcolm what's happened?'

Yoshi paused before saying, ‘That won't be necessary. Malcolm resigned earlier today.'

‘Are you the new CEO?'

‘Yes.'

‘Congratulations – I'm glad you're staying on in Sydney.'

‘Thank you. Call me tomorrow and let me know how you're feeling.'

Niamh hung up and allowed the beauty of the gardens to seep into her soul and wash away the bad feelings. She was happy for Helen and Yoshi. She was alive. The sun was beaming down on the back of her neck and her bare arms. The warmth reached the deepest, coldest parts of her.

She sat for another few minutes before phoning Scott. ‘Hello.'

‘Hello, yourself.'

She felt a surge of happiness to hear his voice and to think of all that was ahead for them. ‘What are you doing today?'

‘I've just come out of that interview and I'm on my way to pick up Jenny from Deb's.'

‘How did it go?'

‘Really good,' he said. ‘They sounded me out on salary so I think they're close to making an offer.'

‘That's great.'

‘You sound funny – blocked up. Have you got a cold?'

‘No – my nose is –' She faltered, it was too long a story to tell over the phone.

‘Don't tell me! It's grown too long from telling fibs about not being on the rebound and now you can't breathe through it.'

‘No, it's not that, I swear,' she laughed. ‘Look, I was ringing to see if you want to call round to my mother with me this afternoon.'

‘Why aren't you working?' he asked immediately. ‘I'm playing truant … Yes or no?'

‘I'd have to bring Jenny,' he said after a small hesitation.

‘That's fine. Mum has a lovely garden. Jenny will love it there.'

‘Are you sure?' He was still hesitant. ‘Don't you want time alone with your mother? Don't you have things you should talk about?'

‘We can talk while you two enjoy the garden. Mum will be delighted to see Jenny, she loves babies.'

‘But will she be as happy to see me?' Scott asked. ‘You've only just broken up with Chris – I don't want her to see me as the other man.'

‘After what Mum went through to be with Tom, I think that's the last way she'd look at you.'

‘I hope you're right. Where will we meet?'

They agreed to meet at the playground on the Corso.

‘I can't wait to see you,' he said.

She smiled into the phone, his words making her brim over with a happiness that she hadn't thought herself capable of. ‘I can't wait to see you too.'

She hung up and started to walk to St Leonards station. She got a few curious looks on the way. She had one other call to make and had planned to do it later in the day. But now that she had made up her mind, she found she couldn't wait. She dialled the number as she walked; the call was to Ireland.

‘Hi, Aisling. It's me.'

‘Niamh? Is that you? Is it really you?' The voice on the other end started off groggy but was quickly coming alive.

‘Yes, it's really me. What time is it there?'

‘It's …' Aisling paused to check the clock, ‘it's 4.00 am … You wait all this time to call me and then when you do, it's the middle of the bloody night.'

‘I'm sorry, I rang without thinking … I hope I didn't wake the baby.'

‘I would have killed you if you had.'

They both laughed, then Aisling asked, ‘Why are you calling? Is Mum okay?'

‘She's fine.'

‘Tom and Aidan and the twins?'

‘Never been better. I'm ringing to tell you I'm coming over there for a holiday.'

‘Really?' Aisling squealed. ‘That's great news – when?'

‘In the next few days … as soon as I can organise a flight.'

‘You sound like you've been crying.'

Niamh was about to deny it, to explain that her nose was blocked, when she felt the wetness on her face; big soft tears that surprised her so much she didn't even try to wipe them away. She let them fall, let them be.

Aisling could see, despite being far away. ‘Now that you're ready to face your demons you don't want to dally, is that right?'

‘Yes, I suppose that's the way it is …' Niamh replied. Her voice was blurred with tears, but everything else was perfectly clear. ‘I want to see the garage, and the grave. I want to put Dad's soul to rest … Then maybe I can get to know that new niece of mine.'

 

ALSO BY BER CARROLL IN PAN MACMILLAN

Executive Affair

Claire Quinlan is unlucky in love and fed up with her life in Dublin. So when an opportunity arises to transfer to the Sydney office of her company, she grabs it. She sets up house in Bondi with her old friend Fiona, finds a new boyfriend Paul, and is sure that her life has changed for the better.

But her new job and boyfriend are more challenging than she imagined. Then she finds herself falling for the handsome American vice-president, Robert Pozos. Robert is sophisticated and charming and very complicated. He spells another broken heart, but she just can't stop herself …

As Claire wonders if she can trust Robert, she uncovers a corporate fraud and gets caught in the crossfire. Everything is tossed up in the air: Robert, Fiona, Paul; and Claire is left questioning who has the most to lose in this executive affair …

High Potential

A NOVEL OF AMBITION, FAMILY SECRETS AND THE SEARCH FOR LOVE.

Katie Horgan is going places: soon she'll be a partner in the prestigious law firm where she works. Her love life, on the other hand, is going nowhere – until she meets Jim Donnelly. Jim is brilliant, handsome and, like her parents, Irish. The only problem is that he already has a girlfriend …

When Katie is sent to Ireland as part of her training, she happily settles into life in Dublin where she works in a clinic that provides free legal advice to the homeless. She befriends Mags who makes it her business to initiate Katie to Dublin's social scene. Then Jim Donnelly comes home on a visit, their relationship deepens, but everything begins to unravel …

Bit by bit, the truth comes out, about Jim, Mags and the reason that Katie's parents left Ireland – and Katie learns that life and love are not as black and white as she always thought.