85 #ReverseBug

‘Cap’n, we’ve found the computer Horrigan’s tweets are being sent from,’ Haye said excitedly.

‘About time,’ Sorrell said.

‘Yeah, but you may need to sit down for this one. They are being sent from Bryce Horrigan’s own office computer in New York.’

Sorrell’s face was a mass of confusion. ‘Back up a minute. Not only are these tweets being sent from a dead man’s Twitter account, but they’re also coming from his own PC? How is that even possible?’

‘Remotely. NYPD’s computer crimes unit finally got the warrant to confiscate his PC, right? But as our guy was about to unplug all the equipment, he spotted some sort of device sticking in a USB port that he just knew shouldn’t be there. Turns out it was a bug that allowed the hacker to switch on and access his computer to send the tweets,’ Haye explained.

‘How come we didn’t trace it sooner?’ Sorrell demanded.

‘It was tricky. The user never stayed on too long. They also hopped around a lot. They would bounce around the world until they reached Horrigan’s PC, then bounce around some more. The PC was just the middle link of the chain. The tweets were finally sent from some public Wi-Fi hotspot in Prague.’

‘What now?’ Sorrell asked, knowing he was way out of his depth when it came to technology.

‘Okay, this is the really cool part,’ Haye said, struggling to contain his excitement. ‘NYPD have installed a reverse bug. All we now have to do is wait until the hacker accesses Bryce’s computer again. Not only will we be able to instantly trace back to where they really are, it will also install our own surveillance program into the hacker’s machine. It will set off like a homing beacon every time they go online. We’ve got them by the balls, cap’n,’ Haye beamed.

‘An electronic trap,’ Sorrell said in amazement, although his mind was already elsewhere.

‘Uh-huh. So, that’s the good news. But there’s bad news as well: Chrissie Hardie has turned up dead. Shot in her apartment. No sign of forced entry.’

‘What about her old injuries? The bite marks. Did they check for those?’ Sorrell demanded.

‘It’s all there, cap’n. Along with the gunshot wounds to her head, she had extensive scarring to her breasts, including one of her nipples. The Bride of Frankenstein description fits, just like O’Neill said. His story about switching her cell phone stands up, too. She did have a new iPhone. And guess what? The number matches one of the calls to Horrigan’s phone you took on the morning of his death. She may have hated Bryce, but she called his cell to find out if he was really dead. Along with one from Lacey Lanning and one from that reporter, Presley.

‘Her name hadn’t shown up on Bryce’s phone because it was a new number. I think knowing Bryce Horrigan was very dangerous for your health,’ Sorrell concluded.