Leverage characters are not mine. Please leave a comment. Thanks for reading.
Chapter 3
The Phone
Jacob hit the road at the planned hour. The house felt empty as Billie walked through the rooms trying to visualize where each paintings should be hung. She heard a faint knock on the front door as she stood in her bedroom staring at the walls. Walking towards the front of the home, she saw Eliot standing at the door.
Unlocking it, she opened it. "Hey Eliot, what's up?"
"Breakfast." He held up a box of what appeared to be donuts. She stepped aside to let him in.
"Coffee?"
He nodded. Pouring two cups, she set one in front of him. Getting creamer and sugar out, she placed it on the table. "So what brings you here? Jacob's on the road and there's no furniture to move."
"Curiosity." He took a bite of a donut.
Billie tilted her head. "About?"
Before he could answer, the company phone began to ring. Eliot looked at the microwave. "Your microwave is calling you."
Opening up the unit she pulled the phone out. "Billie speaking."
She listened for minute. "I thought orientation was on the 12th." She paused. "No, not a problem." She listened as she grabbed a notepad off the fridge. "Tomorrow at 10 AM. What's the location?" She jotted some notes down on the pad. "Okay, I'll be there."
She turned off the phone and placed it near Eliot. He watched as it shut down. Taking a sip of coffee, he watched as it rebooted. Picking it up he pushed the buttons to shut it off. Setting it on the table, he watched it turn off. Taking a bite of a donut, he watched it reboot again. Picking it up, he put it back inside the microwave and closed the door. He signaled her outside.
Walking to the backyard. "Definitely wouldn't talk about anything personal in the house. They probably heard us talking and video taped both of us."
"Is that a problem?"
"We'll find out soon enough." He paused. "You weren't suppose to go in for orientation until the 12th and your son was called back to work early. Both seven days before scheduled. Are the two businesses connected?"
"I don't think so. In my dealings with the company up to now, I didn't see any indication in the books I reviewed over the last three years ...but each section of the firm handles different companies under the umbrella." She thought a minute. "Amanda, an former employee, might have more information." She shook her head. "It will probably have to be in person, she doesn't trust phones or the internet."
Eliot nodded. "I don't blame her."
Eliot quickly briefed his team on Billie, Jacob, the phone and the coincidences of the change of dates for both Jacob and Billie.
Nate sat back in his chair. "Hardison, what would cause the phone to turn back on?"
Alec glanced up from his keyboard. "It would be remote. Is it her personal phone?"
"No." Eliot shook his head. "She was issued a phone from her employer."
"Then it would be their IT, but I am sure that came from above, like HR, or from the CEO." Alec brought up photos of the head of IT, HR, CEO. "A lot of companies are protective of the clients they service, finances."
"Even as inexpensive as phones are, new employees would drop their personal phone to save on costs and use the business phone." He took a sip of his drink. "An easy way to keep track of your employees, on the job and off the job."
"Wait, is that legal?" Sophie sat up.
"Well, no. I am going to guess a waiver is signed during orientation." Nate frowned. "When does Billie attend that?"
"She said tomorrow at 10 AM." Eliot watched as Hardison pulled up an orientation package from SPMT, Billie's new employer. Pulling up the waiver, it proved to be written in legal-ease. He tapped the top of the table with his fingers. "But what about videos, recordings that the phone picks up?"
Hardison enlarged the waiver. "Here it says all communications."
Eliot furrowed his brow. "Even if they don't plan on using the phone for personal use?"
Hardison looked over from Nate to Eliot. "If they refuse to sign the waiver, they will be required to use their personal phone." He thought a moment. "I am sure if they are trying to keep tabs on their employees, they will attach a small but effective code in a business email that will turn their phones to work like their business phone."
Nate took another sip of his drink. "How can the phone be neutralized?"
Hardison held up a metal box. "It's sound proof."
Eliot walked over and picked it up. "It's heavier than it looks." He looked at Alec. "What about the audio and possibly video on her phone?"
"Wiped clean off the company server and the hierarchy phones." Hardison grinned.
Pulling into her driveway, he tapped his horn. In a couple of minutes, she was standing by his car. He handed her the metal box. He quickly explained what Hardison had said.
He could see relief in her eyes. "Thank you. And the video and recordings?"
"They were removed from SPMT's servers and the phones of the CEO, IT, HR."
She nodded.
"Hardison wants to clean anything off your personal phone that might make it run like the business phone. You can bring it by Bridgeport Brew Hub tomorrow. It shouldn't take too long for him to check it."
"Will do."
Sitting at a table, Billie pulled her wallet out of her purse and pulled a photo out. A waitress brought her an unsweetened tea, she glanced at the photo. "Nice looking man. Your husband?"
Billie nodded. "Yes."
"Are you expecting him to join you?"
Biting her lip to prevent the tears from falling, she looked at the young lady. "No. He won't be here today." She quickly tucked the photo back into her wallet. "Thank you for the tea."
Hardison was in Leverage HQRs going through Billie's phone, when Nate came down the stairs. "Working on her phone."
"Yeah, it has a pretty good security system on her phone. I went in and assigned all contact from SPMT as spam."
"What do we really know about Billie?"
Hardison began typing, pulling up several photos of her and her family. "They lived on a small ranch in Wyoming. Tom, her husband, was running for sheriff. It seems he had some issues with the current one and the prosecuting attorney. He was doing quite well in the polls."
"Was?"
"Yeah. He died in a one vehicle accident on his way back home. The medical examiner ruled it as a DUI. Shame too, he had some good policies to clean up some of the questionable stuff going on in the Sheriff's office. Like drugs missing from evidence, release of M-13 suspects with no charges." Hardison populated the screen with photos of the suspects and the prosecuting attorney.
Eliot walked in and glanced at the screen, he quietly took a seat at the bar.
Nate slightly turned, seeing Eliot in his peripheral. "What happened to them?"