Read Online Daniel Ganninger - Icarus Investigations 01 - Flapjack by Daniel Ganninger - Free Book Online

100%.  Galveston now had thirty seconds until the guard returned.
    “ It’s almost loaded,” he said into the radio. 
    “ Pull the flash drive out when it’s done,” Alex began again. 
    Just then the elevator door opened and the guard came out holding Galveston’s bag and began walking down the hall.  Galveston cleared the screen and knelt down, pulled the flash drive out of the port, and reached to drop it in his tool belt.  Instead of dropping noiselessly in a pocket of the tool belt, it dropped onto the carpeted floor.  The guard appeared at the door and Galveston stepped stealthily on the flash drive, which was about the size of a cigarette lighter.
    “ Here’s your bag,” the guard said.
    “ Thanks for that.  I think I already have the problem figured out.”  He scooted his foot toward the bag and then crouched down, pulling the bag toward him.
    “ Is that the network room?”  He asked pointing to some closed doors by the elevator.  As the guard turned he quickly grabbed the drive and threw it in the bag.
    “ Uh, I don’t know.  Do you need to find it?” the guard inquired.
    “ No, I don’t think so.  Let me just check the other offices and if they look alright, I think we’ll be done.  The IT guys must have inadvertently fixed the problem,” Galveston fibbed.
    The pair moved to the other offices.  Galveston entered each one and jiggled some wires, pulled out a voltmeter, and checked the wiring, having no clue what he was doing.
    “ Yup, everything looks good.  I think we’re done.  I don’t see any problems,” Galveston shrugged his shoulders and grabbed his bags. The pair made their way to the elevator and took it back down to the lobby.  As the door opened on the bottom floor, another guard was standing at the door.
    “ Damn it,” Galveston thought, “it’s time to pull a rabbit out of the hat.”
    “ Hey,” the first guard said, “we’re all done up there.”
    “ I didn’t know we had any maintenance scheduled,” said the second guard, whose identification tag read Jeff.
    “ Yeah, me neither, that’s why I’m six hours late,” Galveston interjected, giving a quick laugh, “and there’s nothing wrong,” he added, taking hold of the conversation.  “I tell you what. I’ll just cancel out the work order.  My bosses won’t like me doing that, but I know you guys have to keep a record of who was here.  Somebody won’t be happy getting a bill for work that wasn’t done, or needed,” he lied.  “If you give me the work order I’ll call the IT guys tomorrow.”
    Galveston needed that work order to make sure there was no record of him being there and to ensure a bit of safety.  He hadn’t counted on dealing with two guards, but that was par for the course.  Guard Jeff looked thoughtful.
    “ I don’t know.  I don’t care if they get charged, but if the work needed to be done, we need a record of it, even if it wasn’t needed,” guard Jeff responded.
    “ Well to be honest with you, I want to cover my own ass too.  I mean, I am six hours late.  I was supposed to be here no later than eight and here I am at,” Dan looked at his watch, “two-thirty in the morning.” Galveston was pandering to the blue collar tendencies of the men to help a poor schlub out.
    “ I don’t see a problem with that,” the first guard answered.
    “ Yeah, it’s okay, I guess,” guard Jeff said, after thinking for a moment.
    They gave Galveston the work order he brought with him and he asked for the IT department number just to make it look like he gave a crap.
    “ Thanks fellas,” Galveston said while he gathered all his things.  He hiked his bags onto his shoulders.  “I’d say it was fun, but at this point I still have a long night ahead.”  Galveston moved toward the front door and opened it.  “Thanks again for the help.”  He gave a friendly wave and turned to leave.
    Guard Jeff said loudly, “how’s Mike doing over there?” 
    Without flinching