scoonts.theminotaur-第83章

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nd　heart　monitor　was　harder。　He　twisted；　trying　to　get　fortable。
　Somehow；　someway；　the　E…PROMs　in　the　fly…by…wire　puters　were　screwed　up。　He　had　heard　them　talking　this　afternoon。　How　could　it　happen？　How　could　TRX　and　AeroTech's　checks　and　double　checks　and　Quality　Assurance　programs　all　go　south　at　precisely　the　same　time？
　Someday　hell！　She　might　die　today；　or　tomorrow。　Or　the　day　after。　You　could　lose　her　any　day。
　He　picked　up　her　hand　again　and　massaged　it　slowly　and　gently。　Finally　he　placed　it　carefully　back　on　the　covers。　He　leaned　over　Rita　and　kissed　the　two　square　inches　on　her　forehead　not　covered　with　a　bandage。　〃Hang　tough；　Rita。　Hang　tough。〃
　
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　The　corporate　offices　and　manufacturing　faculties　of　AeroTech　sat　in　a　manicured　industrial　subdivision　of　a　Detroit　suburb　in　a　low；　sprawling；　windowless　building　among　a　dozen　similar　buildings　carefully　arranged　amid　the　lawns　and　pruned　trees。　A　gardener　was　laboring　in　a　flower　bed　as　the　FBI　car　swung　into　the　parking　lot。
　Agent　Lloyd　Dreyfus　decided　that　the　goddess　of　the　post…industrial　revolution　had　e；　conquered；　and　already　departed　this　corner　of　Michigan。　Smokestacks　now　belonged　only　to　the　inter…city　poor　and　wretched　Third　World　peasants。　Not　a　single　one　of　the　antique　structures　blighted　the　skyline　in　any　direction。
　After　a　display　of　credentials　to　the　wide…eyed　receptionist；　the　agents　were　ushered　in　to　see　the　president　of　the　pany；　who　had　trouble　understanding　just　why　the　FBI　were　here　at　the　AeroTech　facilities。　No；　Dreyfus　did　not　have　a　search　warrant。　He　had　not　thought　one　necessary　since　AeroTech　was　a　defense　contractor　with　annual　billings　in　the　millions　and　the　agents　were　here　to　investigate；　not　to　search。　But　he　could；　of　course；　get　such　a　warrant　if　the　official　thought　it　necessary。　Did　he？　No。　pany　employees　examined　security　clearance　documents　with　care　and　led　the　government　men　to　an　empty　conference　room。
　The　investigation　took　time。　At　9　P。M。　the　FBI　team　had　established　that　the　data　contained　on　the　E…PROM　chip　from　the　TRX　prototype　that　crashed　in　Nevada　did　not　correspond　to　the　data　that　AeroTech　had　used　to　manufacture　its　chips。　Yes；　a　call　had　been　received　last　week　from　a　TRX　engineer　in　Tonopah；　and　yes；　he　had　updated　the　data　base　via　puter　modem。　The　pany　had　manufactured　new　E…PROM　chips　based　on　the　revised　data。　The　new　chips　had　been　taken　to　the　mail　room　for　overnight　shipment。　Yes；　the　records　in　the　mailroom　showed　three　chips　sent　by　a　bonded　mercial　overnight　courier。
　So　at　9　P。M。　Dreyfus　sat　in　the　conference　room　and　scratched　his　head。　He　had　been　making　notes　all　evening　on　a　yellow　pad；　and　now　he　went　over　them　again；　placing　a　tick　mark　by　each　item　after　he　considered　it　carefully。　One　of　the　agents　had　gone　out　for　burgers；　and　now　Dreyfus　munched　a　cold　cheeseburger　and　sipped　a　Coke　in　which　all　the　ice　had　melted。
　He　decided　he　had　two　problems；　and　he　decided　to　tackle　the　one　that　he　thought　would　be　the　simpler　first。　He　asked　to　see　the　pany　president；　who　was　shown　into　the　conference　room　and　motioned　into　a　chair　beside　Dreyfus。
　〃Sorry　we're　taking　so　long；〃　Dreyfus　said　as　he　wadded　up　the　cheeseburger　wrapper　and　tossed　it　at　a　waste　can。
　〃Quite　all　right；〃　the　president　said　cheerfully　enough。　His　name　was　Homer　T。　Wiggins。　The　pany　prospectus；　which　Dreyfus　had　thumbed　through　earlier　in　the　evening　at　a　slow　moment；　said　he　was　the　largest　shareholder　of　AeroTech　and　one　of　its　four　founders。
　〃It　appears　we　have　a　little　problem　that　necessitates　a　search。　Now；　when　we　got　here　this　afternoon　I　told　you　we　were　here　to　investigate；　not　search。　Now　we　want　to　search。　We　can　do　so　with　your　permission；　or　we　can　go　get　a　warrant。　It's　your　choice。〃　Dreyfus　got　out　his　pipe　and　tobacco　and　began　the　charging　ritual。
　〃Why　do　you　want　to　search？〃　Wiggins　asked。
　Dreyfus　shrugged。　〃I　can't　tell　you。　I　should　tell　you；　though；　that　I　believe　I　have　enough　information　to　persuade　a　judge　to　find　probable　cause　and　issue　a　search　warrant。〃
　〃On　what　grounds？　Just　what　is　it　you're　investigating？〃
　Dreyfus　took　his　time　lighting　his　pipe。　He　puffed　experimentally　to　ensure　it　was　lit　and　drawing　properly。　Finally　satisfied；　he　tucked　his　lighter　into　a　pocket　and　took　a　deep　drag　on　the　pipe。　〃I　can't　tell　you。〃
　Homer　T。　Wiggins　had　the　look　of　a　very　sick　man。　〃Just　what　is　it　you　want　to　search　for？〃
　〃Oh！　Didn't　I　tell　you？　E…PROM　chips。〃
　Bewilderment　replaced　the　pain　on　Wiggins'　face。　〃Go　right　ahead。　Search　to　your　heart's　content。〃
　After　escorting　the　president　out　of　the　conference　room　and　posting　an　agent　to　guard　the　paper　spread　out　on　the　table；　Dreyfus　led　the　other　two　down　the　hall　and　around　the　corner　to　the　mail　room。　〃Okay；〃　he　said。　〃I　want　puter　chips。　Start　looking。〃
　It　took　an　hour。　One　agent　found　three　chips　in　a　package　without　an　address　within　fifteen　minutes；　but　it　was　an　hour　before　Dreyfus　decided　those　were　the　only　chips　in　the　room。　Back　he　went　to　see　the　president　with　the　chips　in　hand。　The　president's　eyes　expanded　dramatically。
　〃Okay。　Now　I　want　one　of　your　engineers　to　put　these　on　your　testing　machine　and　let　me　know　what　these　chips　are。〃
　With　a　glance　at　the　clock；　Wiggins　picked　up　his　phone。　A　half　hour　later　a　rumpled；　unhappy　engineer　with　long　hair　and　the　faint　odor　of　bourbon　about　him　appeared　in　the　door。　〃Sorry；　Tom；　but　these　men　want　some　tests　run　this　evening。　Apparently　it　can't　wait　until　tomorrow。〃　He　held　out　the　bag　with　the　chips　in　it。
　〃Go　with　him；　Frank；　and　explain　what　we　want；〃　Dreyfus　told　one　of　the　agents；　then　resumed　his　exploration　of　an　industry　magazine　that　resided　on　a　side　table。
　The　agent　appeared　in　the　door　at　five　minutes　before　midnight　and　motioned　to　Dreyfus；　who　joined　him　in　the　hall。　〃Okay；　Dreyfus。　Those　were　the　chips　that　they　manufactured　last　week　with　the　new　data　from　TRX。　The　engineer　is　printing　out　the　data　now；　but　it's　exactly　the　same。〃
　〃Good。　The　guy　in　the　mail　room　just　sent　the　wrong　chips　to　Tonopah。〃
　〃But　when　the　chips　reached　Tonopah；　wouldn't　TRX　test　them　before　installation？〃
　〃No　doubt　they　should　have；　but　I　suspect　someone　will　admit　that　there　was　a　mistake；　human　error；　and　somehow　or　other　the　chips　that　did　get　installed　didn't　get　checked。〃　After　all；　Dreyfus　knew；　mistakes　made　the　world　the　happy　place　it　is　today。　What　should　have　happened　and　what　did　happen　were　usually　vastly　different　things。
　〃Then　where　the　hell　did　the　bad　chips　e　from？〃
　〃From　here。　Right　here。〃　The　question　was；　how　did　AeroTech　get　the　erroneous　data　that　was　burned　into　the　bad　chips？　That　data　was　the　stuff　Admiral　Henry　said　was　in　the　Pentagon　puter；　stuff　that　Harold　Strong　had　been　the　last　man　to　revise。　A　phone　call　from　Camacho　earlier　in　the　afternoon　had　given　Dreyfus　that　fact。　And　the　bad　data　had　been　cooked　onto　chips　at　AeroTech。
　〃Well；　Frank；　it　looks　like　it's　going　to　be　a　long　night。　I　want　you　to　go　back　to　the　local　office　and　wake　up　someone　in　the　U。S。　Attorney's　office。　Have　him　get　cracking。　I　want　a　search…and…seizure　warrant　for　all　AeroTech's　travel；　long…distance…telephone　and　expense…account　records　and　all　the　data…base　files。　Until　we　have　the　warrant；　we'll　lock　this　place　up　and　post　a　guard。　Someone　around　here　has　a　nasty　little　secret。　If　we　can　find　the　smoking　gun；　we'll　know　who　and　when　and　can　save　ourselves　the　trouble　of　listening　to　a　lot　of　lies。〃
　〃You'll　need　to　e　down　to　the　office　and　write　the　affidavit。〃
　〃Yeah。〃　He　was　going　to　have　to　call　Camacho　at　home。　No　doubt　Luis　Camacho　could　think　of　a　plausible　story　for　the　judge。
　The　phone　call　came　at　2　A。M。　and　woke　Camacho　from　a　sound　sleep。　He　listened　to　Dreyfus'　recitation　of　the　events　of　the　evening　as　he　tried　to　move　noiselessly　around　the　bedroom　and　put　on　his　robe　and　slippers。　When　Dreyfus　had　pleted　his　summary；　Camacho　told　him　to　call　back　in　five　minutes。　He　was　down　in　the　kitchen　sipping　a　glass　of　milk　when　the　phone　rang　again。
　〃Dreyfus　again；　boss。　What　do　I　put　on　the　affidavit？〃
　〃The　truth。　Suspected　illegal　sale　of　classified　defense　information。　Don't　name