Never Say Die Read Online Free PDF

never seen George train so hard.”
    â€œYou’d better give my suggestion a shot. If you don’t, you may never get a chance to reason with her again.”
    â€œBut, Dad—”
    The telephone rang, cutting Nancy off. Leaning backward in his chair, her father stretched toward it and lifted the receiver.
    â€œHello? Oh, good morning, Steven.” He paused, sipping his coffee. “What? Are you serious?” He paused again. “That’s shocking. Have you called the police? Good. Yes—yes, I’ll be right over.”
    He hung up. “That was Steven Lloyd. His office was broken into last night.”
    â€œWas anything stolen?” Nancy asked.
    â€œYes, a new software program he was working on. He’d like me to go over there. Would you like to come along?”
    Nancy smiled. She loved it when her father asked for her help. “Let’s go. I’ll follow you in my car.”
    â€¢Â â€¢Â â€¢
    Lloyd Software Systems, Inc., was located in a new industrial park in Summitville, not far from the velodrome and not far from River Heights. Turning into the parking lot behind her father, Nancy surveyed the beautifully landscaped lawn with interest.
    There were no signs of a break-in around the low, dark-windowed building. Inside, however, was a shambles. Several police officers were milling around, while Steven Lloyd himself paced back and forth. His office door had been smashed, and papers were strewn everywhere.
    â€œI’m telling you, Carson, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he groaned. “That program was crucial. It was going to be the centerpiece of a whole new product line.”
    â€œDo you think one of your competitors stole the program?” Carson Drew asked.
    â€œNo, this guy was in business for himself,” Steven replied.
    â€œA freelancer? How can you be sure? What about one of your employees?”
    Steven shook his head. “I doubt it. An insiderwouldn’t need to smash down the door. Besides, there’s the note.”
    â€œWhat note?” Nancy asked quickly.
    â€œOh, didn’t I mention it?” Leading them into his office, he picked up a floppy disk. “Until yesterday, my new program was on this. Take a look at what’s on it now.”
    He slipped the disk into the A drive of the personal computer next to his desk. A moment later a message appeared.
    GREETINGS, MR. LLOYD. YOUR SOFTWARE PROGRAM #5240-A HAS BEEN STOLEN. PAY ME $1,000,000 OR IT WILL BE SOLD TO ANOTHER COMPANY. INSTRUCTIONS WILL FOLLOW. HAVE A NICE DAY.
    â€œA million dollars!” Nancy gasped. “But wait, I still don’t get it. How does that prove the program was stolen by a freelancer?”
    â€œAn insider wouldn’t ask for money. He or she would take the program to a competing company and ask for a job. And he or she would get it. And the competitor would just keep the program and market it themselves.”
    Nancy’s father nodded. “It’s a lot less risky that way. I agree with Steven—this has all the characteristics of a professional working alone.”
    Nancy had to go along with them. There was still one point that was bothering her, however.She turned to Steven. “Was the disk protected by a password?”
    Steven nodded. “Yes, and I was the only one who knew it. That’s the one thing I don’t understand. How did the thief guess it?”
    Nancy didn’t understand, either. Even with the help of a code-breaking program, a password could take months to crack.
    But the rest of the evidence was pretty straightforward. The side door to the building had been jimmied, and the security system inside had been turned off with a device that could only be used from outside. No clues there. Just more indications of a well-planned job.
    By then Steven’s employees had begun to drift in to work. The police questioned them one at a time, but the interrogations led nowhere.