Gage took a gulp of strong coffee and glanced at his watch. It was nearly 5:30 p.m. and he would leave shortly to pick up Lena. He sighed and rested his head against the smooth leather cushion of his office couch. The thought of small talk with dozens of people during the night’s fundraiser was tiring to consider. It had been an eventful day, and he wished he could spend the evening with Lena in private.

The day had been a whirlwind of activity. Wally, his lab manager, had advised Gage the computer virus had been eliminated and the system was back on-line. Despite Dempster’s efforts to sabotage the system, the back-up file had been retrieved and the research data re-uploaded. Wally also discovered that Dempster had not been able to access the last phase of the research project.

Gage and his IT team had discussed implementation of new security measures since the previous security breach. The last phase of the project was to be maintained on a separate computer system headed by another lab team. Apparently, the data had already been transferred. If Dempster had taken a copy of the data from the primary system, he was missing the final phase.

Gage stood and walked over to the bookcase. He stared unseeing at the collection of nineteenth century leather bound books. Despite what he knew now, there were still too many questions that required an answer. Why had Dempster not taken the time to destroy the back-up system? Why had Dempster disappeared in such a hurry? Surely he knew that without the final phase, NST’s research wasn’t complete.

"Mr. McCotter," a formal voice interrupted. "You asked that I remind you when it was time to leave."

Gage peered at his house manager, Paul Nichols. He reminded Gage of a cultured gentleman that had taken the position simply for something to do. A middle-aged man with a firm jaw and crisply ironed suit, he had been in Gage’s employ for over ten years.

"Yes. Thank you," Gage murmured.

Gage walked to his desk and glanced at the papers spread over finely polished wood. Lena had spent most of the day locked away in a private office on the executive floor of NST Technology. While browsing the Internet for various connections to Synosis Technologies, she had uncovered some curious information.

Gage had felt compelled to review the material again before leaving tonight. The final piece of the puzzle had been identified. He immediately squashed the taste of resentment and self-disgust at his own blindness. He still could never have imagined that the person he least suspected might be the mole.

He set the coffee cup down and picked up his evening jacket. The frustrating investigation would soon be over. He and John had set the bait and would patiently await their worthy opponent’s next move. When justice had been served, only then would Gage know for certain that Lena was out of harms way.

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