The Alberta Connection by R. Clint Peters Read Free Book Online Page A

celebrate.”
    Not long after John moved his software
company to Idaho, he heard someone in his family was having a
birthday party. He checked his email, but found nothing telling him
of the event. He checked the fireplace mantel where he kept
important papers. There was nothing to tell him about the party.
When John asked about the party, he was told that he was out of
town when the invitations were handed out.
    John’s solution to the problem was to
establish the “Family Table” at the Ranch chow hall. It was not
always only one table, but John hoped that at some point during one
of the three meals of the day, the members of his family would
actually talk to each other.
    Tanya and Ryce arrived at the chow hall a
little after 7:00 AM. Ryce looked around, but did not see anything
that said “the Pendergast family eats here”. He and Tanya walked
toward the serving line.
    As he completed the transaction with the
cashier, Ryce heard a very small voice.
    “Mr. Dalton, my mommy asked me to come show
you where we eat.”
    He turned to see a young girl.
    “My name is Annette Pendergast. My mommy is
Danielle and my daddy is AP. Please follow me.”
    Annette led Tanya and Ryce across the chow
hall to a separate room. Ryce noticed a sign reading “Pendergast
Family Dining Center” was attached to the wall beside the door.
Ryce and Tanya had been to the chow hall the first evening they had
arrived at the Ranch, thanks to the reception organized by Ramona
and Marge. However, since that night, they had eaten in their
apartment. Ryce was not willing to share Tanya with anyone, at
least not yet.
    As they walked into the room, Doug stood and
began to applaud. He was soon joined by the other ten diners. Doug
looked around the room.
    “Ryce and Tanya have been attempting to
conquer the Cyber Crimes course.”
    Ryce heard a chuckle from somewhere in the
room. “No wonder they haven’t been here for any of the meals. That
course would make an alligator lose its appetite.”
    When the laughter died down, Doug pointed in
the direction of the voice. “That is Mark. He wrote most of the
course. He will be your tour guide starting Monday.”
    Karen began laughing. “Now that they know
about Mark, I am surprised Tanya and Ryce are not running back to
Montana.”
    John looked around the room, and then at
Ryce. “As you can see, we have a very close-knit group here. And
some of them actually like each other.”
    Ryce and Tanya found two open seats at one of
the tables, sat down and began to eat. Soon after Ryce finally
placed his napkin on the tray, Doug walked over and sat across from
Ryce.
    “You did a lot better than I
anticipated.”
    The look on Ryce’s face was more than Doug
could handle. He started laughing.
    “We have everything connected here, by either
Wi-Fi or Ethernet. The two laptops you are using have been
reporting your progress since the first log in.
    “Ryce bogged down in module 5.6 and 5.9.
Tanya had a hiccup in module 3.7 and 5.9. I had predicted that you
would each have problems in at least five modules. John, Marge and
Karen all bet against me. They are now each $20.00 richer.
    “There will be no classes today or tomorrow,
unless you can’t keep your hands off the laptops. On Monday, we
will throw you into the cavern of lost hope.”
    John walked over and sat next to Doug. “You
have been taking the standard entry course for the Cyber Crimes
division of The Washington State Patrol. It has been adopted by
almost every law enforcement organization in the country. Anyone
who wants to work in Cyber must pass this course before they are
even considered.
    “Doug says you have done very well. If you do
not make any more errors, you will finish with a better grade than
the developers did. Mark wrote most of the course and missed four
modules. Doug, by the way, missed five modules. That is the same
number he thought you would miss. It’s like taking candy from a
baby.”
    John laughed, stood, and walked back to