To Catch a Cheat Read online

  Unfortunately, Rob refused to give them any privacy at all.

  “Let me get this straight,” Rob said. “You don’t think it’ll look suspicious for all of us to walk into the newsroom this morning?”

  “If anything, it’ll help with our alibi when we do the same thing on Thursday afternoon,” Jackson said. He turned to Gaby. “So like I was saying —”

  “But Thom and I have never attended a meeting before.”

  “As long as you turn in those membership forms, you’ll be fine. Charlie will take care of it if people start asking questions.”

  “You said Serena’s been reviewing video for Mr. James, right? Maybe we can bribe her to unplug the cameras.” Rob stopped walking, blocking Jackson and Gaby’s path. “Me and Thom can be quite persuasive with the ladies.”

  Gaby gave Jackson’s gloved hand a small squeeze. “I’m running ahead,” she said. “Seems like you two have other things to talk about.”

  Rob waited until Gaby had caught up with the others before speaking again. “You’re forcing us to take a big risk by going in during the basketball game.” He looked around the virtually empty parking lot. “I mean, we’re already here. Why don’t we call Victor, tell him to turn off the cameras, and sneak into Clark’s room now —”

  “Trust me — Victor’s not going to help us.” Jackson rubbed his palms, trying to remember the feel of Gaby’s hand in his. “Come on. Gaby’s going to be late to her meeting if we don’t hurry.”

  Rob fell into step beside Jackson. “You keep talking about sharing the risks, but Gaby sure does get off easy.”

  Jackson forced himself to keep walking. “She’s got a basketball game, Rob. Think about it — how much attention would it draw if she was sitting in the stands with us at the boys’ game instead of playing with the rest of the girls’ team at Riggins? Anyway, she has her own role to play on Thursday afternoon.”

  They entered the school and followed the others to the social studies hall. Everyone stood just inside the doorway, underneath one of the security cameras.

  “Okay, we don’t have a lot of time,” Jackson said, checking his watch. “Since some of us were late.”

  Thom shrugged. “I wanted to find the right shirt.”

  Charlie frowned at Thom’s shiny gold-and-silver shirt. “Out of everything in your closet, that’s what you chose to wear?”

  “I wanted to stand out.”

  “You succeeded,” Jackson said as he began unbuttoning his coat. “Don’t forget, we have to look exactly like we’ll look tomorrow. That means no coats and no bags.” He turned to Hashemi. “Is the MATE ready?”

  “Pulling up the camera app now,” he said.

  “Jackson!” Megan said. “Where are the recycling bins?”

  Jackson looked down the hallway. “I thought the Environmental Action Team didn’t rotate them out until tomorrow.”

  “They don’t,” Gaby said. “They must be cleaning the bins for us, since we’ll be using them to sneak in the equipment on Thursday.”

  “I thought you were going to check with Carmen about this,” Jackson said to Charlie. “Now what’s Gaby supposed to stand on?”

  “How was I supposed to know they were going to clean them out today?” Charlie ran his fingers through his hair. “Maybe we can drag a desk out of one of the rooms?”

  “That’ll draw way too much attention.” Jackson tugged on his tie. “Options, people. We’re running out of time.”

  “Someone needs to give Gaby a boost,” Megan said. “That’s the only way she can get high enough to record us at the right angle.”

  “Maybe she can climb on my shoulders,” Bradley said.

  Gaby took in Bradley’s bony, wiry arms. He was a full head shorter than everyone else. “Thanks for the offer,” she said, “but I think maybe we should pick someone taller.”

  “Hashemi’s the tallest of us,” Charlie said. “Maybe he can give her a boost.”

  “Wait,” Thom said. “If Gaby is on Hashemi’s shoulders, then he won’t be in the video, right?”

  Jackson paused. Thom was the last person he expected to figure that out.

  “That’s correct,” Jackson finally said. “We’ll be down another member.” He looked down the hallway, toward the newsroom. “Megan, can you handle tech support on your own on Thursday?”

  She shook her head. “I need Hashemi. I can’t work all the programs by myself. We’ll also want him nearby in case we have problems with the MATEs.”

  Jackson surveyed each member of the crew. “Okay, we can’t lose Hash and Megan, and Bradley’s too short.” He narrowed his eyes at Rob. “You’re the next tallest, Rob. You should be the one to give Gaby a boost.”

  “So I’ll be sneaking into Mrs. Clark’s room by myself on Thursday?” Thom asked.

  “I’ll go with you,” Jackson said. “Charlie will take my place manning the first tablet stand.”

  “You guys must think I’m stupid,” Rob said, his voice cutting through the hallway. He leaned against the brick wall and crossed his arms. “Victor warned us about something like this.”

  “What are you talking about?” Jackson rubbed his temples. “Come on, we don’t have time for —”

  “This is another trick,” Rob said. “Another way to get me out of seeing the test myself.”

  “Thom will be there,” Megan said. “Isn’t one of you good enough?”

  “You think I’d trust Jackson and Thom paired together? No offense, Thom.” Rob nodded toward Charlie. “Let de la Cruz give his sister a boost.”

  Jackson allowed a small smile to slowly spread to his face. “One point for Rob. You’re smarter than you look,” he said. “Okay, guys, plan C. Charlie, you’re up.”

  As the others peeled off their coats and book bags, Gaby placed her hand on Jackson’s shoulder. “It was a good idea,” she said.

  “Not good enough.” He glanced at Rob, who was staring them down.

  “He really is smarter than he looks,” she said, dropping her voice lower so only Jackson could hear her. “Be careful tomorrow.”

  He winked. “The basketball game is tomorrow and the test is on Friday. What else could go wrong between now and then?”

  Serena stood up as the service technician from KRX entered the main office building during first period on Wednesday morning. “Please sign in,” she said, pointing to the register on the counter. “Then I’ll walk you to the security room.”

  She looked at the two administrative assistants behind the counter. She figured that they had seen her talking with Dr. Kelsey enough not to question her hall pass, but she still knew that the quicker she left the office, the better.

  It had been easy enough getting a pass from Mrs. Kau in order to attend the KRX Supreme hard drive installation. Of course, she had yet to get approval from Dr. Kelsey or Mr. James. She figured in this instance it was best to act first and ask for forgiveness later. Worst case, they could always send her back to study hall.

  But the way she saw it, they owed her. If it wasn’t for her convincing Keith to make the donation, they wouldn’t even have a new NVR hard drive.

  Serena didn’t speak to the tech as they headed to the security room, but she did keep sneaking sideways glances at him. He only looked eighteen or nineteen. Too young to be a “security expert.”

  She stopped in front of the door but didn’t knock. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but can you show me some ID?”

  “Excuse me?”

  The door swung open. “I thought I heard voices out here,” Mr. James said. Then he frowned. “Serena, what are you —”

  “I happened to be in the office, and I figured I’d walk the technician down here,” she said. Not technically a lie.

  Dr. Kelsey rose from the desk. “Shouldn’t you be in class?”

  “I’m only missing study hall,” she replied. “Don’t you think it might be good to have someone in here who’s familiar with the machine? You know, since I spent so much time looking through all that video f
or you?”

  Dr. Kelsey sighed. “Come on in. It’s tight, but there’s enough room for us all.”

  The technician moved toward the door, but Serena stepped in front of him. “We still need to see your badge, please.”

  The tech looked at Mr. James. “Sir, I —”

  “I’m just trying to be careful,” Serena said. “If he’s who he says he is, showing ID shouldn’t be a problem.”

  Mr. James pulled a packet of sunflower seeds from his shirt pocket. “Do what she says, son. It’ll save us all a lot of time.”

  “Fine. Hold this,” the technician said, shoving the box into Serena’s hands. He opened his wallet and showed them all his KRX security card.

  “Franklin W. Duke,” she said, reading the card. “And what about a driver’s license?”

  “Look, little lady —”

  “What’s the problem?” Dr. Kelsey asked, now at the door. “You drove to the school, correct? I’m sure you’re not operating a vehicle without a license.”

  The technician huffed but pulled out his license, which indeed read Franklin W. Duke. “Want a pint of blood as well?”

  “No, this will be sufficient. Thank you.” Serena stepped back to allow him to enter the room, then followed him inside.

  Franklin looked around the small office. “This is your security room? Looks like a graveyard for electronics.”

  “How about you focus on the security system,” Dr. Kelsey said.

  The tech shrugged before sitting at the desk and picking up the NVR. “Since the cameras are already attached, this should be as easy as popping in the hard drive, recalibrating the system, and resetting the password, though some of the advanced features won’t be operational until I upload all the data to the mainframe in the office.”

  “Once you reset the system, it’ll be as good as new? And impossible to hack?” Serena asked.

  “Well, virtually impossible,” he said. “No system is completely secure.”

  She crossed her arms. “That’s not what your advertising says.”

  He pulled a thick rectangular tablet from his bag. “I’ll run a diagnostic to see if there are any other networks physically tied to the cameras. That would be the only way anyone could theoretically hack the system.” He plugged a few of the camera cables into the tablet. “Looks like there are a few switches connected, but …” He squinted at the screen, then shook his head. “Nope, they aren’t tied to an outside network. Or worst case, they’re tied to a network that isn’t powered on.” He pressed a few buttons on the machine. “In my professional opinion, someone probably just did a sloppy job of running the wires. Did we do the Ethernet install for you guys?”

  Dr. Kelsey fiddled with a button on his jacket. “Um … We went with a different service. You all were … outside of our price range.”

  Franklin unplugged the cameras from the tablet. “I can take a look if you’d like. Want me to work up a quote?”

  Serena nodded. “Yes, thank you —”

  “That’s not necessary,” Dr. Kelsey said. “You mentioned that you would reset the password, correct? I assume that would fix any potential issues.”

  “Yep. No way anyone else can tie into the system without the password. In addition, today’s install comes with a free thirty-day trial of our Insta-Alert service. If anyone tries to hack your system or log in with an incorrect password, we’ll immediately trace the signal back to its source.”

  “And will I still be able to view the cameras on my cell phone?” Dr. Kelsey asked.

  Franklin was already pulling tools from his bag. “Anytime you introduce outside components to the KRX Supreme, you increase the risk of a security breach. You would be better off purchasing a few of our handheld monitoring devices. They’re designed to be as secure as the KRX. If you buy three, you get a ten percent discount.”

  “I’m well aware of those options,” Dr. Kelsey said. “Mobile access will be sufficient. I’ve already spent the money on new phones for me and Mr. James.”

  “Are your phones password-protected?” Franklin asked. After Dr. Kelsey and Mr. James nodded, he said, “Good. The network video recorder requires a twelve-character code for security reasons — a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. You’re not going to want to type that into the app every time you want to view the cameras. But as long as your phone has a system to lock the screen, the app will allow you to save the password.”

  Serena cleared her throat. “Maybe you should reconsider the handheld monitoring devices, Dr. Kelsey. We don’t want any breaches.”

  “We’re adults, Ms. Bianchi. We’re more than capable of holding on to our phones. Isn’t that correct, Mr. James?”

  The security guard nodded. “Yes, Dr. Kelsey. Absolutely correct.” He tugged at his collar. “Though mistakes do happen. We can’t watch our phones twenty-four hours a day.”

  “Well, like I said before, I’m happy to continue monitoring the video cameras for you,” Serena said. “In the morning and the afternoon — whenever you need me —”

  “I appreciate the offer, but that shouldn’t be necessary,” Dr. Kelsey said. “With the new hard drive, reviewing the footage becomes much more manageable.”

  “But … Like the technician said, the system won’t be fully operational for a while. What if we miss something today? Or even tomorrow?”

  Dr. Kelsey crossed his arms. “Have you heard something?”

  She quickly shook her head. “It’s just … You can never be too sure. If something happens — and I’m not saying that it will, but it could — we should be ready. And it is a new system. There could be bugs.”

  “There aren’t any bugs,” Franklin said. “Though if you’re worried about glitches or user errors, you can upgrade to our —”

  “Just the installation, please.” Dr. Kelsey said. Then he turned to Mr. James. “Since I’ll be out for the next two afternoons, why don’t you have Ms. Bianchi assist you with monitoring the cameras?”

  “You’re gone both days?” Mr. James asked.

  He nodded. “Dentist appointment today. And don’t forget, I got suckered into attending the girls’ game at Riggins on Thursday.”

  Mr. James cleared his throat. “Sir, while I appreciate Serena’s help, I’m more than capable of handling the security on my own.”

  “I understand. But you have to admit, it doesn’t hurt to have an extra set of eyes.”

  “Of course,” Mr. James said. He sighed. “I’d be … happy to have Serena’s assistance.”

  Dr. Kelsey slapped Mr. James on the shoulder. “Good. We’re all in agreement.” He checked his watch. “Now, Ms. Bianchi, you should get back to class.”

  Serena had to fight to stifle her smile as she left the room. This was perfect. Mrs. Clark’s test was on Friday. If Jackson was going to steal that exam, it would have to happen today or tomorrow. And now, she had the best opportunity to catch him in the act.

  She still wished Dr. Kelsey had splurged on those handheld monitoring devices. Then she could keep track of Jackson all the time. But maybe Dr. Kelsey would order one for her next year … once she was chair of the Honor Board.

  Victor, Rob, and Thom sat on the couch in Kayla’s bedroom on Wednesday afternoon. Rob’s and Thom’s elbows kept jutting into Victor’s ribs, but he was too busy staring at the blank computer monitor to care. “Are you sure you can’t log into the system?” he asked for the third time that afternoon. “Can’t you at least try to —”

  “Are you crazy?” Kayla asked. “This is the KRX Supreme we’re talking about. Didn’t you read the manual?”

  They all shook their heads.

  She picked up a thick booklet. “As soon as I try to hook back up to the network, the NVR will ask for a password. If I don’t supply it within one minute, the Insta-Alert program will send a message to the system administrator and automatically trace the signal back here.” She looked at Victor. “It’s possible your school didn’t splurge on the Insta-Alert — the price is outrageous — but I’m no
t about to take that chance.”

  Rob scooted forward, jutting Victor in the ribs again. “Maybe they didn’t change the password. Maybe our old password works.”

  “Again, read the manual,” Kayla said. “Of course they changed the password. It’s standard protocol.” She took off her glasses and placed them on the desk. “If you guys were able to get your hands on the security guard’s cell phone, I could probably bypass the phone’s PIN and get the password like last time. But there’s no way I can access the KRX Supreme without it,” she said. “That system is hack-proof.”

  Victor tried to remain calm. It had taken weeks of planning and watching Mr. James — mapping his napping schedule and security routine — in order for them to figure out the best time to steal his phone. After that, it took Kayla’s program a full weekend to crack his phone PIN. They didn’t have that kind of time.

  He cleared his throat. “So you’re telling me that without the password, we’re totally blind?”

  “Yes, but so is Jackson.” She leaned back in her chair. “They’re right, it really is like the Mutara Nebula.” When no one responded, she continued, “You know, from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Only the best Trek movie ever.”

  Victor turned to Rob. “I thought you were supposed to be attending all of Jackson’s meetings. How is it that you didn’t find this out before yesterday?”

  Rob shrugged. “And if you had known, what would you have done about it?”

  “I would have talked to Keith. Convinced him not to pay for that new hard drive.” Victor stood up from the couch. “But it doesn’t matter. We still have the doctored video of Jackson’s crew.” He picked up his book bag and pulled a small box from it. “I need another favor,” he said to Kayla. He handed her the box and waited for her to open it. “Those are the watches we’re supposed to use on Friday. They put out UV light, allowing us to see the answers written on the back of our hands.”

  She held up one of the watches. “Slick. A little bulky, though.” She pressed the button, letting out a small beam of light. “Looks like it works. What’s the problem?”