Fast and Loose Read Online Free Page B

yes, something is very wrong. Gut instincts in this business are just as credible as seeing something in black and white.
    â€œWhen I took over Babylon nine years ago, everything was in perfect order. With the changing of the guard, I hired on a new five-star accounting firm and a new legal team. I wanted to start clean and fresh. The lawyers and accountants told me that we were in good shape, and that the previous guys had done a good job. I had no cause to doubt any of that, and I still don’t doubt it. Whatever is at play here is insidious. I do not use that word loosely.
    â€œI think someone is tapping into or hacking our accounts. I think . . . Now, bear with me while I try to explain my thoughts, because right now I cannot prove anything. Let’s just say someone like Abner, who excels at hacking, manages to get into the account and alters the deposit by, let’s just say by thirty-three dollars or even one hundred thirty-three dollars. Who is going to pay attention to revenue being down thirty-three dollars or one hundred thirty-three dollars? But if the next day revenue is down, say, one hundred nineteen dollars, no one is going to pay attention to a loss of one hundred nineteen dollars. Then maybe nothing for a few days, and everything is back to normal, no glitches, no penny shortages.
    â€œAnd then it starts all over again, with small amounts for maybe a total of five days a week, to the tune of let’s just say five hundred thirty-two dollars for the week. It could be more, or it could be less. Multiply that by four, and you have two thousand one hundred twenty-eight dollars. Certainly not a fortune by Vegas standards, where the casinos operate in the millions every day of the year. Multiply that two thousand one hundred twenty-eight dollars by twelve, and you have a tidy little amount of twenty-five thousand five hundred thirty-six dollars. Remember now, these are just rough numbers. If this has been going on for the past nine years, the amount would be somewhere around or close to two hundred thirty thousand dollars for that time period. Give or take a few thousand. Who knows how long it has been going on, or if I’m even right. No one caught it, because the amounts were so small.
    â€œAs I said, the industry deals in millions daily, and this is pennies compared to that. In the scheme of things, we can afford to lose that much and not blink an eye. Since it has gone unnoticed, that should tell us all something. If I’m right, and I’m not saying I am, this is one very clever son of a bitch we’re dealing with here. It would have to be someone who has an in to this business, and no, it is not Dixson Kelly. He simply doesn’t have the stones to pull off something like that. Could you, Abner, with all your expertise, do what I’ve just described?”
    Abner looked suddenly like a deer caught in the headlights. “As much as I hate to admit it, the answer is no.”
    â€œI realize you travel in . . . um . . . different circles, have an eclectic set of friends, fellow hackers, and I mean no offense here by saying that, but is there anyone you know who could pull something like this off?”
    Abner’s brain raced. He didn’t trust himself to speak and just shook his head before he realized Bert couldn’t see him shaking his head. “No!” he blurted.
    â€œWell, then, it’s your job to check things out once you get to Vegas, nose around, see what the inside information is, if any. Pay out some serious money. I’ll reimburse you. Shake the tree. Hard. Something might fall out.”
    â€œYeah, sure,” Abner said, his eyes suddenly going glassy.
    Jack wondered if anyone but he was picking up on Abner’s offbeat behavior. He casually looked around, and sure enough, Maggie and Ted looked worried. Dennis was openly staring at the hacker, but thankfully, no one said anything. They could figure out later what, if anything, the