Melissa Stovall was examining Julie’s computer; just before Julie was about to get off for breakfast, her computer screen flickered and a blue screen popped up. Thinking it was the famous blue screen of death, Julie did what most people did. She pulled the plug, the re-plugged the PC and turned it on. Just as her computer’s O/S was finished booting up the screen changes to a repeating video loop of a matador being gored by a bull. A message scrolling underneath reads ‘Mess with the bull and you get the Horns, fish face.’
“And what exactly where you doing Julie?” Melissa asks.
“Doing more research for my report,” Julie saying truthfully.
“Did you do anything else;” Melissa turning around to look at her daughter.
“I did go onto my social media sites before bed,” Julie seeing no reason to lie. She noticed the key logger program on her computer. Knowing that her parents will verify everything she said.
“And?” Melissa probes further.
“I did get an email from a friend,” Julie remembering; “But when I opened it, it was blank. It was the last thing I did before bed. I swear;” Julie looking genuinely alarmed.
“Okay,” Melissa sighs; “Looking at the message on the screen it looks like someone is clearly mad at you. This wouldn’t have anything to do with those anonymous emails regarding Brian Walker and Alyssa Copper now would it?”
“I don’t know;” Julie lying. She was the author of those emails, and she was certain that her anonymity remained intact.
Melissa just goes back to Julie’s computer staring at the repeating message. While the “bull” message was generic; It was the “fish face” statement that made Melissa think a were was responsible. With all those that Julie crossed as of late there was no shortage of suspects.
“I’m going to have to scrub your PC Julie;” Melissa states;” Sadly that is going to take a few hours and then another to re-install and re-initialize your O/S. You’re better off doing other school work until then.”
“Okay mom,” Frieda gets up; “But mom, next time leave the key logger out. I spotted that a mile away;” Julie grins as she darts downstairs for breakfast.
*****
An hour after breakfast Martin and Melissa were going over the logs to verify what Julie said earlier. While they did want to believe there daughter; her actions of late did warrant suspicion.
“well she was telling the truth for a change,” Martin looking at his screen.
“That’s because she saw the key logger on her computer,” Melissa looking embarrassed.
“I thought you hid the program,” Martin looking at Melissa.
“I did,” Melissa looking defeated; “I buried that program in the O/S kernel and disguised it as an .ini file.”
“You taught her too much,” Martin chuckles.
“Wait,” Melissa looking at the logs; “go back to that email. Let me see the file size but don’t open it.”
“Aren’t emails supposed to be a few kilobytes in size,” Martin asks.
“Only if there is nothing but text,” Melissa answers; “but this email is a few megabytes in size.”
“So that means Julie infected her PC by foolishly opening it up,” Martin snorts in disgust.
“Well it’s not as if she has many friends left after what happened last Tuesday,” Melissa shoots back.
“Touché,” Martin sighs; “So she is in the clear?”
“Julie admitted to what she did,” Melissa answers; “She’s in the clear, but here;” Melissa inserting a thumb drive in martins computer, "Let me save a copy of that email.I want to exam in it more in depth later." Melissa access her daughter's email account starts to copy the item in question.
"Will that infect my computer?" Martin looking nervous.
"Only if you open it," Melissa answers as the email is finished being copied. afterwards she deletes the original
Both Stovall’s walk out of Martin’s home office to see Julie doing what little homework she had left. Knowing that it will not be long before she starts driving her parents up the walls with being bored due to lack of internet and T.V; Martin tries to think of something. But before he could come up with an ideal, the doorbell rings; answering the door Martin sees, Frances Twist.
“Oh shit,” Martin blurts; “Sorry Frances, not you.”
“Did you forget we had a therapy session for today,” Frances asks.
“It slipped my mind, what with a minor crisis that is going on,” Martin inviting Frances in.
“Crisis?” Frances getting her note book out.
“Not that kind,” Martin breathing a sigh of relief; “Julie’s computer got infected with a nasty worm and we were investigating how and when it happened.”
“Oh my,” Frances responds; “No anti-virus software?”
“I think Julie was targeted,” Melissa speaks; “by someone here in town.”
How can you be certain,” Frances questions as she see Julie putting away her school work.
“Mess with the bull and you get the horns, fish face;” Julie’s grouses; “That’s what the message on my screen flashed. Hi doctor, the letter you wanted me to write for my parents was on my computer. I can’t access it.”
“Do you remember what you wrote for your parents?” Frances ask.
“Some of it;” Julie answers.
“And what about the one for Eric?” Frances asks.
“Never started it,” Julie being truthful; “and before you ask why, look at the mountain of home work I have been doing.”
"Fair enough," Frances sighs; "well discuss that later." Looking at Martin, "You have your letter to Melissa ready?"
"Just need to print it off," Martin looking crestfallen; "Can you wait a few minutes? Writing down every misdeed that I could remember did take a while."