With Olivia by my side, we logged into Delia McCarthy’s social media accounts. I picked out the harassers who appeared most often on her timelines and asked Olivia to trace their IP addresses. Then we cross-referenced them to see how many of them shared the same IP address, which indicated that they were the same handful of people who had set up sock-puppet accounts to make it look like there were more trolls than there really were going after Delia. The IP addresses were with the usual providers: BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone, Virgin, and so on. Olivia easily “obtained” the real names and addresses behind those IP addresses.
I typed up the list, coupling the usernames with the IP addresses they posted from and the real names and addresses. There would be enough of a digital trail for Delia to submit as evidence when she decided to prosecute the worst trolls. This was a nice meat-and-potatoes job, easily wrapped up within a day by just going over data and finding the links, solved without my even needing to leave the office or meet the client.
I’d just finished emailing a copy of the list to Marcia when I heard Julia laughing with Roger and Cheryl in his office.
“All very impressive,” Roger said as he walked Julia out of his office. “You can start tomorrow if you like.”
“I’m sure we can find something for you to do almost immediately,” Cheryl said.
“Thank you.” Julia smiled. “This means a lot to me.”
“She’s a keeper, this one,” Roger said. “Hold on to her, Ravi.”
What the fuck?
“Attention, children,” Roger said. “I’d like to introduce a new addition to our little family. I’m sure you’ve already met Julia due to her relationship with our Ravi, but now she’s formally joining us. She’s a quick learner, sharp as a tack, and already well versed in the ins and outs of social engineering.”
Oh, Christ.
David leaned over to me.
“Told ya,” he whispered.
“I’ll sort you out a desk and a computer, dear.” Cheryl grabbed Benjamin to help her set up another workstation and terminal in our open space.
“Welcome to the Monkey House,” Mark said with a salute.
While Benjamin set up Julia’s office email and logins, she pulled up a chair and sat next to me.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Making myself useful, of course.”
“But here? What about your studies?”
“I’m taking a sabbatical. Told my tutor I needed time off to sort myself out. My therapist said I could be of service as a way to offset my . . . condition.”
“Julia, you know what we get up to around here. Why do you want to get mixed up in all of this?”
“I still remember what we did in Paris.”
“Er—”
“It was a hell of a thrill. You were as high as I was afterwards.”
“So you want more of it.”
“While being of service, yes. And I get to be closer to you.”
Olivia was amused. They all were.
I went into Roger’s office and shut the door.
“You’re here to talk about your girlfriend, I take it?”
“Is it such a good idea to hire her? She’s totally green.”
“So were you when we first took you in.”
“Yes, but—”
“As you might have noticed,” Roger said, “Julia is the very picture of an English Rose. You don’t need me to tell you how rare it is to have someone pretty and intelligent who can blend in at almost any establishment and posh setting where they will grossly underestimate her and take her for granted, which makes her the perfect Trojan horse. Julia will be learning on the job with you, so do use her where appropriate. Consider her not just a colleague but a valuable investment in our arsenal of bright young things.”