Read Online Jezebel's Ladder by Scott Rhine - Free Book Online

for a computer animation company, one of your Hollywood rivals, but is bored out of his skull. He worships the ground Dirt Bag walks on,
and has read all his computer-science papers.”
    “This isn’t somebody whose bones
you want to jump, is it?” Fortune accused.
    Jez kept her cool. “Kyle doesn’t
even need to know I exist. You wanted good people for the red-giant project,
and I think he can help you.”
    Baker said, “Let me check him out.”
    Jez took a deep breath. “The next
one is a peace envoy for the Middle East. We’ll probably have to kidnap him,
technically, to make the offer.” When no one objected on moral grounds, she
continued. “I propose to get him alone in an elevator. I’ll have one of Oobie’s
wheelchairs with me. If the envoy is active, I'll touch him with the tip of a
page. This will cause a stun-gun effect. We take him off the elevator at
another floor and have the interview.”
    Fortune frowned. “I can’t risk a
valuable page in the field like that.”
    “What about the blank page in my
safe?” Benny suggested.
    Baker chimed in, “Our working
theory is that the information gets wiped when the carrier gets killed, but
that shouldn’t change the theta effect.”
    Fortune debated with them for
several minutes before grudgingly ordering Benny, “Try the blank on Butterfly.
If it works, she can have it for this experiment.”
    Benny started to object when Jez
interrupted, “That would be acceptable.”
    Fortune snapped, “This meeting is
running over the allotted time. Who are nine and ten?”
    “A pupil of the late Professor…”
she started.
    Fortune shouted, “Out of the
question! They’re all under US-governmental seal. You know the rules.”
    “You just green-lighted the
kidnapping of a diplomat,” she shouted back.
    “Not a US employee,” Fortune
insisted. “The Midas team and I have an agreement. Case closed. Number ten,
please.”
    Sighing, Jez put up the last slide
and dug in for another battle. It was the only woman in her list. “Nena
Horvath.” The blonde’s publicity picture was worth a few thousand words. Daniel
was chomping at the bit, with a big thumb’s up and a huge grin.
    “A nineteen-year-old, Miss Iowa runner-up?” Fortune scoffed.
    “If you'll read further,” Jez
persisted, “you’ll see that she was a high -level, executive assistant
for one of the Fossil chemical companies.”
    “How is a gymnast, health-food nut
going to be any use to our efforts?”
    She gritted her teeth and said, “Vice
presidential-level assistant. Originally we thought it was sexual harassment.
She did join a women’s self-defense class soon after. But your hacker contacts
found out that she phoned a federal, whistle-blower hotline from her posh,
corporate apartment. They tossed her out on the street the next day and had a
gag order issued by a high, federal-court judge. Now, no one will hire her
except the local animal shelter.”
     “I’ll send a contact team today,” Baker
jumped in. “This is a golden opportunity. She can tell us a lot about their
whole informational structure, and she has an ax to grind.”
    Fortune seethed. “Fine. It seems
that Oobie has an opening for a new secretary. If you’ll excuse me, I have
better things to do. Good day.”
    Daniel’s expression was priceless. “You
set me up so the animal lady would like me. She likes horses, doesn’t she?” He
sounded like he was about to hyperventilate. “You are the best wingman ever.
Anything you want, I’ll do it.”
    Jez laughed. “I’ll remember that.”

Chapter 9 – New
Blood
     
    The Eye Corps flew to Seattle for standard search
activities, while the rest of the project processed Jezebel’s recent
recommendations. Daniel got a haircut, anticipating his first meeting with a
new coworker and potential girlfriend.
    The first night back from vacation,
they had no good leads. “There are a lot of rich people in this area who do
strange things,” commented Daniel.
    Dirt Bag was