The Most Random Thing I Had to Research This Week

You know you’re writing a romantic suspense novel when your browser history looks like a federal agent might come knocking at your door any second.

This week’s random rabbit hole: how to hide a trafficking operation inside spreadsheets.

I created a file on my flash drive and sat staring at it for several minutes after; trying to formulate a plan of action to research the subject without setting off a million red flags on my server! The LED light flashed in the handle. Was it mocking me? Taunting me? Daring me?

I swallowed hard, blew out a breath and dove in. After all, my writing desk sits next to a window overlooking my driveway. I’d have a warning if any men in black showed up at my door at least. Right?

“Relocation Unit Bravo”? “Holding Clearance”, “Transit Auth Code: HC-Delta9” ? Sounds official, right? They started as placeholder gibberish, but then I had to explain what they meant. Naturally, I had to figure out how someone would bury a manifest of twenty human victims inside a budget spreadsheet—and how to make each look like just another invoice for consulting work. Next thing I know, I’m knee-deep in military coding formats, financial invoice examples, Homeland Security protocols, and whether HC could stand for “Human Cargo.” (Spoiler: It can.)

            Turns out, Excel has more hiding spots than a toddler with a cookie. You can embed a spreadsheet inside a spreadsheet, color-code cells to match the background so the text vanishes, even add encrypted hyperlinks. One forum I found literally started with, “We don’t condone illegal activity, but here’s how to...” I backed out fast. And quickly scanned the driveway. No new blacked out vehicles appeared.

Claire and Sam now get to look like geniuses.

Me?

Breach of Trust has turned me into a part-time crime analyst with a full-time imagination. I now know more about pivot tables and criminal tax evasion than I ever wanted to know.

Claire and Sam better appreciate this!

Writing is weird!

If you're a writer, how do you handle the abnormal research topics?

If you're a reader, here's a little insight into what we writers go through to create awesome stories for you.

Happy Reading/Writing!

Annie