Police being an example. When it was necessary, Susanâs bid was assured to be the lowest. The State Police project aided Washington in its War on Drugs.
*
Mark later found out that it was Sue who had given his name to Peter Thurstonâs Defense Department contact as part of a search that Dennis Peterson was conducting to find a backup for her. The assignment that he had taken on for Peter Thurston was also triggered by her. Mark knew nothing about either until the project was over, but since he had the opportunity to be with Susan again, it really didnât matter much how it came about.
CHAPTER 7
Mark returned home from his lunch with Susan around five oâclock. The traffic was unusually heavy for Saturday afternoon. The high price of gas apparently had not curtailed pleasure driving. There seemed to be more cars than ever. Mark decided to take another pass at NRBA files. Something Sue said rang a bell. They must receive hundreds of transfusion requests and donation information every day. Not all of them would be in a standardized format. He set up an e-mail with a request for information on AB Negative Blood, using a faux e-mail address of a Science Laboratory, one that he used occasionally for drug investigations. He used that ruse a lot back at âHide & Seek.â The body of the e-mail included an attachment that contained a virus that recorded the data path of the request through the receiverâs system. This would include any passwords used along the way. Their use of the âREPLYâ function would carry the data back to him. It isnât foolproof, since the receiver must open the attachment and must use the âREPLYâ function for it to work. Nevertheless, it had a twenty-eight percent success rate for him over the years, and the cool part about it was that by using the faux e-mail address, there was no way it could be traced back to his computer. He had nothing to lose, so he hit âSENDâ and settled back to await the reply.
Mark was not a computer geek by any stretch of the imagination. His strength was more in knowing where to find information. The computer was, of course, a valuable tool for him in his investigations, closely followed by the telephone. His most reliable computer was the one between his ears, and that got the first pass at all new cases. Sometimes he would just sit in his den and ponder a situation. He usually had a CD of the Stones, the Doors or other groups playing in the background as he scribbled down whatever came into his mind. The music acted as a catalyst for him. Mark heard it, but he didnât really listen. At first he maked no attempt to put anything into a sensible order, just trying to get a grasp of all of the facts available. Next he gathered up all his scribbling and drew charts and timelines. Lastly, he prepared a list of information he knew he would need to complete the picture, jotting down the probable source for each item on the list. That became an action list for him.
Most people think that to get the results he does, he must have a supercomputer. Far from it. Mark operated with just a Gateway laptop and a Canon printer. The key to his success was networking. Mark had access, through cyber hookups, to powerful computers that were at least a thousand times greater than his humble laptop. He knew from experience that itâs not what you know but who you know that counts. He just needed to stroke a few keys and heâd be connected to data processors all over the world. Of course, it didnât hurt that he had been allowed to retain his security clearance from the Defense Department. The years he spent in D.C. opened the world to him, and he developed strong bonds with people that he could count on to keep their business dealings confidential. He continues to have mutual dealings with many of them since he left Washington.
His taste in music was quite varied. Basically, it was the rhythm and the sound that appealed to
*
Mark later found out that it was Sue who had given his name to Peter Thurstonâs Defense Department contact as part of a search that Dennis Peterson was conducting to find a backup for her. The assignment that he had taken on for Peter Thurston was also triggered by her. Mark knew nothing about either until the project was over, but since he had the opportunity to be with Susan again, it really didnât matter much how it came about.
CHAPTER 7
Mark returned home from his lunch with Susan around five oâclock. The traffic was unusually heavy for Saturday afternoon. The high price of gas apparently had not curtailed pleasure driving. There seemed to be more cars than ever. Mark decided to take another pass at NRBA files. Something Sue said rang a bell. They must receive hundreds of transfusion requests and donation information every day. Not all of them would be in a standardized format. He set up an e-mail with a request for information on AB Negative Blood, using a faux e-mail address of a Science Laboratory, one that he used occasionally for drug investigations. He used that ruse a lot back at âHide & Seek.â The body of the e-mail included an attachment that contained a virus that recorded the data path of the request through the receiverâs system. This would include any passwords used along the way. Their use of the âREPLYâ function would carry the data back to him. It isnât foolproof, since the receiver must open the attachment and must use the âREPLYâ function for it to work. Nevertheless, it had a twenty-eight percent success rate for him over the years, and the cool part about it was that by using the faux e-mail address, there was no way it could be traced back to his computer. He had nothing to lose, so he hit âSENDâ and settled back to await the reply.
Mark was not a computer geek by any stretch of the imagination. His strength was more in knowing where to find information. The computer was, of course, a valuable tool for him in his investigations, closely followed by the telephone. His most reliable computer was the one between his ears, and that got the first pass at all new cases. Sometimes he would just sit in his den and ponder a situation. He usually had a CD of the Stones, the Doors or other groups playing in the background as he scribbled down whatever came into his mind. The music acted as a catalyst for him. Mark heard it, but he didnât really listen. At first he maked no attempt to put anything into a sensible order, just trying to get a grasp of all of the facts available. Next he gathered up all his scribbling and drew charts and timelines. Lastly, he prepared a list of information he knew he would need to complete the picture, jotting down the probable source for each item on the list. That became an action list for him.
Most people think that to get the results he does, he must have a supercomputer. Far from it. Mark operated with just a Gateway laptop and a Canon printer. The key to his success was networking. Mark had access, through cyber hookups, to powerful computers that were at least a thousand times greater than his humble laptop. He knew from experience that itâs not what you know but who you know that counts. He just needed to stroke a few keys and heâd be connected to data processors all over the world. Of course, it didnât hurt that he had been allowed to retain his security clearance from the Defense Department. The years he spent in D.C. opened the world to him, and he developed strong bonds with people that he could count on to keep their business dealings confidential. He continues to have mutual dealings with many of them since he left Washington.
His taste in music was quite varied. Basically, it was the rhythm and the sound that appealed to
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