Geneva
Another one down and just a few more to go. The thought made her smile.
Across the table, Spence laid the newspaper next to his plate and popped a forkful of liver and onions into his mouth along with a bit of green banana. They had lived away from the island for many years, but he still enjoyed the food from his boyhood. She found being in the kitchen therapeutic, but didn’t spend as much time cooking for the family since Alexia’s hospitalization.
He picked up the paper and asked, “Did you hear about this young man? The one who committed suicide?”
After a sip of coffee, she said, “Yes. I read about it just before you came down.”
“Pity, but that’s one less person Alexia has to face in court if the case goes to trial.”
“When, Spence, not if. I won’t stop until they all pay.”
“Trust me, I believe you.”
His close study made her uncomfortable, and she broke eye contact to top up her coffee cup.
“What did the doctor say about Alexia coming home?”
The change of direction startled her, but Geneva couldn’t help her spontaneous smile. “He thinks her recovery is something of a miracle. She’s improving every day. He says she’ll be up to it in another month or so.”
“That’s wonderful news.” Spence nodded slowly, then looked at her over the rim of his cup. He placed it on the saucer and asked, “What about specialized equipment and therapy?”
“He’s hoping she’ll be strong enough by then so all we’ll need is to have a therapist come in and work with her, which reminds me…we’ll have to convert a room down here.”
“Which one are you thinking?” Spence asked. “We could use my den, and I’ll share your office, if necessary.”
Her mood dipped because their discussion reminded her of all the reasons for their life changes. She didn’t regret any of the money they spent and was grateful for the combined means and resources that took care of Alexia’s needs. But all the dislocation and upset could have been avoided if those kids had acted like human beings. She swallowed her sigh and patted his hand. “That’s sweet of you, Spence. It’s so hard to think that all of this was over a stupid baggie of illegal drugs.”
“It’s no problem, hon.” He wiped his mouth with a paper napkin, then dropped it on the empty plate. “In any case, the only other space we have is next to the laundry room, and it’s tiny.”
Spence rose and kissed her forehead. “I have a meeting at nine. Talk later.” He left the room, and a few moments later, she followed his footfalls as he climbed the wooden stairs.
Geneva reached for the paper and read the story about Phil’s suicide a second time. God forgive her, but she couldn’t find it in her heart to be sorry for him. From what she gathered, his family sounded like decent people. Kids these days fell under all kinds of influence, but right and wrong were clear choices. Too bad he hadn’t made the right one when it came to Alexia. He could have chosen to put a halt to what Jason started, but he decided to be part of the attack. Phil had sealed his fate without knowing it.
With an analytical eye, she studied the article. If there was any thought of foul play, the paper would have said so, but it seemed the police considered his death a clear case of suicide. She sipped the rest of her coffee, then bit into a slice of pineapple, and wiped her fingers. She no longer ate breakfast, or any other meal, the way she used to do. Another thing that had changed since their lives went topsy-turvy. While clearing the dishes, she considered what she’d done lately.
Phil’s incident made her feel like a one-trick pony, but she had learned that people were creatures of habit. After she spoofed an email from the school regarding Phil’s disciplinary status and he took the bait, she made the next step to invade his privacy. Before doing any of that, she ensured that she operated from an IP address which happened to be a café that Deja had mentioned she liked. Geneva had been there a time or two to scope out the place and make use of their internet service. Her visits served a purpose that would be useful at the tail end of her plans. They served good food, catered to a mostly young crowd, and the atmosphere was pleasant.
Despite the precaution of a different location, she had the nagging worry that using that particular ruse a second time might have made her easier to track. Still, anything more complex than a phishing link would narrow the list of possible suspects for the police if they decided to look at Phil’s computer. If she used a more sophisticated method to reel Phil in, they would know they were dealing with a high-level expert. With any luck, his death wouldn’t cause a blip on the police department’s radar.
While clearing the dishes, she ran through the steps she’d taken. After getting access to the machine, she’d scanned the passwords he saved in the browser. He had a kazillion of them, but she knew what she was chasing. When she found the information she needed, she logged into the site and changed that particular password. Then, she copied all his files and deleted the originals from his cloud storage drive.
She hadn’t forgotten to erase the original email with the link that gave her a handle on his laptop. After that, she wiped out every trace of the invasion. Geneva didn’t know for certain that the nightly pop-ups had done the job they were intended to do, but she didn’t care anymore. The end result was what mattered. Phil was no longer an issue, and she intended to keep Christian on her radar. She didn’t trust the police not to mess up his case, but if that happened, she’d be ready to act.
This afternoon, she had several virtual meetings, so she’d visit Alexia early in the day. With Spence and Jaden out of the house, she tidied things up and caught herself singing Marley’s “Three Little Birds” on her way to the hospital. That hadn’t happened in a while. Alexia’s prognosis had to be the catalyst for that. For the first time in ages, she was in a chipper mood. No doubt this morning’s news had contributed to the shift.
She greeted the nurse at the reception desk, who told her Alexia had just finished her morning therapy session and was resting. Geneva breezed into the room and took a seat next to Alexia, who was busy with her laptop. “Aren’t you supposed to be taking it easy?”
“Hey, Mom.”
Something about her greeting made Geneva pay closer attention.
“What’s wrong, Lexi?”
Alexia wrapped the strings on her shirt around her fingers and turned stormy eyes on Geneva. “It’s Christian.”
“What about him?” Geneva asked, shifting to the edge of the chair.
Her baby’s fingertips ran over the scar on her forehead, and her voice shook when she said, “He left town. Just disappeared.”
Goosepimples broke out on Geneva’s skin. “What?”
Her sharp tone startled Alexia, who jumped. She rubbed Alexia’s arm and slowed her breathing. “Sorry, baby. Are you sure?”
She angled the laptop toward Geneva. “This was on the news an hour ago. He was released with special bail conditions and was supposed to report to the police, but he didn’t.”
“Let me see that.” Geneva reached for the laptop. “Does it say who bailed him out?”
Alexia nodded and fiddled with the choker at her neck. “It says here that it was his mother.”
Geneva was mad enough to spit nails as she speed-read the news report before replacing the computer on the pad in Alexia’s lap. She walked to the other side of the room then returned to Alexia’s bedside, her brain in turmoil.
“Are you okay, Mom?”
“I’m fine, baby.” She mustered a smile while she strangled the strap of her handbag between shaking fingers. “While you rest, I’ll run an errand. Before you know it, I’ll be back.”
Alexia’s curious gaze roamed Geneva’s face, but she didn’t ask any questions.
It was just as well, because Geneva didn’t have any words that were fitting for her daughter to hear.