Blood Money Read Online Free Page B

exceptional challenge.
    His “home computer” was a small collection of hardware in his father’s basement. Mark’s dad left him the house when he passed on, and although the study was larger and on the main floor, Mark decided to leave the books and personal things intact for the time being. He used some of the money left to him to purchase a new laptop, a printer, an updated encryption machine, a “Road Runner” connection and a few other gadgets. What Mark liked most about living in Centerville was the easy access to his office complex, stores and the residential areas. Everything that he needed was within a ten to fifteen minute drive. Within between twenty minutes and two hours he could be in Dayton, Cincinnati or Columbus. His house was located on a cul-de-sac, set on a one acre heavily treed plot. It was built in the early 70‘s. The location was ideal, especially to operate a business like his. It took a little bit of cajoling, mostly on his father’s part, to get the city to allow Mark to operate a quasi-business in the house. The zoning was strictly for residential use. The selling point was that Mark would not, as a normal practice, have clients visiting there. As it turned out, he never had to. Since his business office was also in Centerville, there was no town Income Tax conflict.
    Mark left the car in the driveway, got the mail from the box and scanned it for anything that might be important. He entered the house through the side door, stopping only to disarm the alarm, drop the mail on the kitchen table, grab two bottles of Miller Genuine Draft from the fridge and head on down the stairs to his office. He had no specific plan in mind. He was in the fact-finding mode. This was the way he usually approached a new assignment.
    The computer/internet is vital to the work of a private investigator. Locating people, job candidates, tenant screening and competitive intelligence and prepping for legal cases are just a few of the many reasons a PI needs a good computer network. It’s not just about having a lot of expensive hardware or software. There’s an old saying that goes, “It isn’t the size that counts, it’s how you use it.” This certainly applies to computer configurations.
    He keyed in “National Rare Blood Association” and got thirty-seven matches. He spent the next hour wading through their web site, which included a plethora of self-serving references to the organization and the contribution they made to the world, including speeches by Dr. Elliott Gorton, one of the original founders of the Association. Mark made several attempts with encryption equipment to enter their corporate computer system. The result was either a “NO MATCH” or “PASSWORD REQUIRED.” Normally he would spend more time and try more approaches, but realized that he would just be going down the same road that Thurston’s system’s guys must have taken, with the same inevitable results. What he needed to do was to get past the firewalls and into the systems that are an integral part of their day-to-day operations.
    The NRBA was not using a basic “package,” as far as he could discern. Access to their computer files, other than from in-house, was logically limited to participating Blood Banks making a specific inquiry or reporting blood donation transactions. These entries would be strictly controlled, requiring the use of appropriate passwords. It was obviously a “members only” operation, and he wasn’t welcome.
    Mark’s expertise was in finding things, mostly people and money. He used public records in his work. The key being the knowledge, acquired over time, of what was out there and how to access the information. When the situation required it, he used some of the software acquired during his stint in Washington. His new Marshall-Mason D-777 encryption machine gave him access to places where he was not always