Mutation (22 page)

     After running the two in a computer that could numerically establish areas of homology versus the areas of heterogeneity, Victor realized that the two samples of DNA differed in only one area.

     To make matters more confusing, the sample that Victor had given Robert contained some small areas of normal liver tissue in addition to the tumor. In his habitually compulsive fashion, Robert had carefully fingerprinted both areas of the sample. When Victor compared the normal liver DNA fingerprint with David's previous fingerprint, the match was perfect.

     Discovering a cancer with a documented alteration in the DNA was not a usual finding. Victor did not know whether he should be excited about the possibility of an important scientific discovery or fearful that he was about to find something that he either couldn't explain or didn't want to know.

     Victor then started the process of isolating the part of the DNA that was unique in the tumor. By initiating the protocol, it would be that much easier for Robert to complete the work in the morning.

     Leaving the main lab room, Victor went through the dissecting room and entered the animal room. As he turned on the light there was a lot of sudden activity in each of the occupied cages.

     Victor walked over to the cage which housed the two smart rats whose water contained the single capsule of cephaloclor. He was amazed to find one rat already dead and the other semicomatose.

     Removing the dead rat, Victor took it back into the dissecting room and did an autopsy of sorts. When he opened the skull, the brain puffed out as if it was being inflated.

     Carefully removing a piece of the brain, he prepared it to be sectioned in the morning. Just then, the telephone rang.

     "Dr. Frank, this is Phil Moscone. Louis Kaspwicz asked me to call you to let you know that the hacker has logged onto the computer."

     "I'll be right there," said Victor. He put away his rat brain sample, turned out the lights, and dashed out of the lab.

     It was only a short jog to the computer center; Victor was there within a few minutes.

     Louis came directly to him. "It's looking good for the trace. The guy has been logged on now for seven minutes. I just hope to hell he's not causing any mischief."

     "Can you tell where he is in the system?" Victor asked.

     "He's in Personnel right now," Louis said. "First he did some sizable number crunching, then he went into Purchasing. It's weird."

     "Personnel?" Victor questioned. He'd been thinking the hacker was indeed no kid, but some competitor's hired gun. Biotechnology was an extremely competitive field, and most everybody wanted to compete against the big boys like Chimera. But an industrial agent would want to get into the research files, not Personnel.

     "We got a positive trace!" the man with the two-way radio announced with a big smile.

     There was a general cheer among all those present.

     "Okay," said Louis. "We've got the telephone number. Now we just need the name."

     The man with the radio held up his hand, listened, then said, "It's an unpublished number."

     Several of the other men who were already busy breaking down their equipment booed at this news.

     "Does that mean they can't get the name?" asked Victor.

     "Nah," Louis said. "It means it just takes them a little longer."

     Victor leaned against one of the covered print-out devices and folded his arms.

     "Who's got a piece of paper?" the man with the radio said suddenly, holding the radio up against his left ear. One of the other men handed him a legal-sized pad. He jotted down the name given him over the radio. "Thanks a lot, over and out." He switched off his radio unit, pushed in the antenna, then handed Louis the paper.

     Louis read the name and address and turned pale. Without saying anything he handed it to Victor. Victor looked down and read it. Disbelieving, he read it again. What he saw on the paper was his name and address!

     "Is this some kind of joke?" Victor said, raising his head and looking at Louis. Victor then glanced at the others. No one said a word.

     "Did you program your PC to access the mainframe on a regular basis?" Louis asked, breaking the spell.

     Victor looked back at his systems administrator and realized the man was trying to give him an out. After an awkward minute, Victor agreed. "Yeah, that must be it." Victor tried to remain composed. He thanked everyone for their effort and left.

     Victor walked out of the computer center, got his coat from the administration building, and walked to his car in a kind of daze. The idea of someone using his computer to break into the Chimera mainframe was simply preposterous. It didn't make any sense. He knew that he had always left the computer telephone number and his password taped to the bottom of his keyboard, but who could have been using it? Marsha? VJ? The cleaning lady? There had to have been some mistake. Could the hacker have been so clever as to divert a trace? Victor hadn't thought of that, and he made a mental note to ask Louis if it were possible. That seemed to make the most sense.

     Marsha heard Victor's car before she saw the lights swing into the driveway. She was in her study vainly trying to tackle the stack of professional periodicals that piled up on a regular basis on her desk. Getting to her feet, she saw the headlights silhouetting the leafless trees that lined the driveway. Victor's car came into view, then disappeared behind the house. The automatic garage door rumbled in the distance.

     Marsha sat back down on her flower-print chintz couch and let her eyes roam around her study. She'd decorated it with pale pastel striped wallpaper, dusty rose carpet, and mostly white furniture. In the past it had always provided a comforting haven, but not lately. Nothing seemed to be able to relieve her ever-increasing anxiety about the future. The visit with Valerie had helped, but unfortunately even that mild relief had not lasted.

     Marsha could hear the TV in the family room where VJ and Philip were watching a horror movie they'd rented. The intermittent screams that punctuated the soundtrack didn't help Marsha's mood either. She'd even closed her door but the screams still penetrated.

     She heard the dull thud of the back door slam, then muffled voices from the family room, and finally a knock on her door.

     Victor came in and gave her a perfunctory kiss. He looked as tired as his voice had sounded on the phone that afternoon. A constant crease was beginning to develop on his forehead between his eyebrows.

     "Did you notice the security man outside?" Victor asked.

     Marsha nodded. "Makes me feel much better. Did you eat?" she asked.

     "No," Victor said. "But I'm not hungry."

     "I'll scramble you some eggs. Maybe some toast," Marsha offered.

     Victor restrained her. "Thanks, but I think I'll take a swim and then shower. Maybe that will revive me."

     "Something wrong?" Marsha asked.

     "No more than usual," Victor said evasively. He left, leaving her door ajar. Ominous music from the soundtrack of the movie crept back into the room. Marsha tried to ignore it as she went back to her reading, but a sharp scream made her jump. Giving up, she reached over and gave the door a shove. It slammed with a resounding click.

     Thirty minutes later, Victor reappeared. He looked considerably better, dressed in more casual clothes.

     "Maybe I'll take you up on those eggs," he said. In the kitchen Marsha went to work while Victor set the table. A series of bloodcurdling gurgles emanated from the family room. Marsha asked Victor to close the connecting door.

     "What in heaven's name are they watching in there?" he asked.

     "Sheer Terror, " Marsha said.

     Victor shook his head. "Kids and their horror movies," he said.

     Marsha made herself a cup of tea and when Victor sat down to eat his omelet, she sat opposite him.

     "There is something I wanted to discuss with you," Marsha said, waiting for her tea to cool.

     "Oh?"

     Marsha told Victor about her lunch with Valerie Maddox; she also told him about Valerie's offer to see VJ on a professional basis. "How do you feel about that?"

     Wiping his mouth with his napkin, Victor said, "That kind of question involves your area of expertise. Anything that you think is appropriate is fine with me."

     "Good," Marsha said. "I do think it is appropriate. Now I just have to convince VJ."

     "Good luck," Victor said.

     There was a short period of silence as Victor mopped up the last of the egg with a wedge of toast. Then he asked, "Did you use the computer upstairs tonight?"

     "No, why do you ask?"

     "The printer was hot when I went upstairs to swim and shower," Victor said. "How about VJ? Did he use it?"

     "I couldn't say."

     Victor rocked back in his chair in a way that made Marsha grit her teeth. She was always afraid he was about to go over backward and hit his head on the tile floor.

     "I had an interesting evening at the Chimera computer center," Victor said, teetering on his chair. He went on to tell her everything that had happened, including the fact that the trace of the hacker ended up right there in their home.

     In spite of herself, Marsha laughed. She quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, but I can just see it," she said. "All this tension and then your name suddenly appearing."

     "It wasn't funny," Victor said. "And I'm going to have a serious talk with VJ about this. As ridiculous as it sounds, it must have been him breaking into the Chimera mainframe."

     "Is this serious talk going to be something like the one you had with him when you learned he'd been forging notes from you in order to skip school?" Marsha taunted.

     "We'll see," Victor said, obviously irritated.

     Marsha leaned over and grasped Victor's arm before he could leave the table. "I'm teasing you," she said. "Actually I'd be more concerned about your cornering him or pushing him. I'm afraid there is a side to VJ's personality that we've not seen. That's really why I want him to see Valerie."

     Victor nodded, then detached himself from Marsha's grasp. He opened the connecting door. "VJ, would you come in here a minute? I'd like to talk with you."

     Marsha could hear VJ complaining, but Victor was insistent. Soon the sound of the movie soundtrack was off. VJ appeared at the door. He looked from Victor to Marsha. His sharp eyes had that glazed look that comes from watching too much television.

     "Please sit at the table," Victor said.

     With a bored expression, VJ dutifully sat at the table to Marsha's immediate left. Victor sat down across from both of them.

     Victor got right to the point. "VJ, did you use the computer upstairs tonight?"

     "Yeah," VJ said.

     Marsha watched as VJ glared at Victor insolently. She saw Victor hesitate, then avert his eyes, probably to maintain his train of thought. For a moment there was a pause. Then Victor continued: "Did you use the PC to log on to the Chimera mainframe computer?"

     "Yes," VJ said without a moment's hesitation.

     "Why?" Victor asked. His voice had changed from accusatory to confused. Marsha remembered her own confusion when VJ had so quickly confessed to his truancy.

     "The extra storage makes some of the computer games more challenging," VJ said.

     Marsha saw Victor roll his eyes. "You mean you are using all that computer power of our giant unit to play Pac-Man and games like that?"

     "It's the same as me doing it at the lab," VJ said.

     "I suppose," Victor said uncertainly. "Who taught you to use the modem?"

     "You did," VJ said.

     "I don't remember . . ." Victor began, but then he did. "But that was over seven years ago!"

     "Maybe," VJ said. "But the method hasn't changed."

     "Do you access the Chimera computer every Friday night?" Victor asked.

     "Usually," VJ answered. "I play a few games, then I range around in the files, mostly Personnel and Purchasing, sometimes the research files, but those are harder to crack."

     "But why?" asked Victor.

     "I just want to learn as much as I can about the company," VJ said. "Someday I want to run it like you. You've always encouraged me to use the computer. I won't do it anymore if you don't want me to."

     "In future, I think it would be better if you don't," Victor said.

     "Okay," VJ said simply. "Can I go back to my movie?"

     "Sure," Victor said.

     VJ pushed away from the table and disappeared through the door. Instantly, the soundtrack for Sheer Terror  was back on.

     Marsha looked at Victor. Victor shrugged. Then the doorbell sounded.

     "Sorry to bother you folks so late," Sergeant Cerullo said after Victor had opened the door. "This is Sergeant Dempsey from the Lawrence police." The second officer stepped from behind Cerullo and touched the brim of his hat in greeting. He was a freckled fellow with bright red hair.

     "We have some information for you and we wanted to ask a few questions," Cerullo said.

     Victor invited the men inside. They stepped in and removed their hats.

     "Would you like some coffee or anything?" Marsha asked.

     "No, thank you, ma'am," Cerullo said. "We'll just say what we come to say and be off. You see, we at the North Andover police station are pretty friendly with the men over in Lawrence, both being neighbors and all. There's a lot of talk that goes back and forth. Anyway, they have been proceeding with the investigation of that mass murder over there involving the Gephardt family, the one Dr. Frank here discovered. Well, they found some rough drafts of the notes that you people got tied to your cat and around that brick. They were in the Gephardt house. We thought you'd like to know that."

     "I should say," Victor said with some relief.

     Dempsey coughed to clear his throat. "We also have ascertained by ballistics that the guns used to kill the Gephardts match those used in several battles between some rival South American drug gangs. We got that from Boston. Boston is very interested to find out what the connection is up here in Lawrence. They've some reason to believe something big is going down up here. What they want to know from you, since you employed Gephardt, is how the man was connected to the drug world. Do you people have any idea whatsoever?"