My early morning visit to the hospital garnered nothing new on Adele’s condition.
Returning to the office, I settled at her desk.
Guilt prevented me from texting Jason. I sent him an email instead.
His autoresponder came back with a message that he’d be unavailable for the next two weeks. Baby Jayden had arrived, and our network administrator was a new daddy. I scrolled through Jason’s Facebook page, glad to see so many congratulations and the first pics of a healthy-looking kid with a bald head just like his father’s.
I couldn’t be mad at Jayden, but the kid’s timing sucked.
Getting to the bottom of my profile match with Peter Waring had become a top priority in the small world of Madelyn Harrison.
But to be fair, if Addie was spitting out false results, I could be looking at the tippy-top of an Everest-sized iceberg of corrupt data.
Without Adele, we needed the Addie database more than ever.
The possibility that the application wasn’t working correctly suggested a chance the searches I’d run for Peter weren’t valid either.
Or was that just an excuse?
I didn’t want Peter to view those profiles and discover he liked any of the women.
“Whoa, that’s quite the frown you’ve got going there,” Cynthia commented from the open door. “Is everything okay?”
I tipped my head back and relaxed my facial muscles. “It could be better.”
My friend’s features softened. “No change with Adele?”
“She’s still unconscious, but the doctor keeps reassuring us.”
I considered mentioning the Addie email alert I’d found but didn’t want everyone doubting the software based on one data point. The way I was. Not without Adele around to settle any doubts.
Cynthia crossed her arms. “I can’t think of anyone tougher than your grandmother. The doctor’s right. She’ll come around in a day or two, and her first question’s gonna be: How soon can I go back to work?”
She was right. Adele would come through this.
I spent the rest of the morning scouting business contacts for possible matches for Peter, women I didn’t want to find.
Miles stopped by the office to deliver a lunch buffet for the staff to celebrate the new arrival. He took a video of everyone gathered in the meeting room, shouting congratulations to Jason and his wife over their new baby.
My dear brother updated the team on Adele and delivered a wonderful pep talk. I loved having him around because it allowed me to fade into the background.
I picked at my salad while Miles spoke. Eating had become a chore with my stomach in a perpetual state of unease.
Mid-afternoon arrived, and I needed air.
Cynthia was on the phone, so I headed out alone to get coffee. Caffeine wasn’t a driving need, just an excuse to get out and move. I chose a coffee shop far enough away that I could boost my heart rate with an invigorating walk.
Stepping to the back of the line at the coffee bar, I heard my name and turned.
I recognized the auburn-haired woman waving at me, but it took a moment to place her.
Elizabeth. The woman I’d met at Peter’s office. His niece. What had she been doing the day we’d met? Fixing something on his computer.
“Hey, great to see you,” she said, joining me in line. “Peter mentioned you guys went running. Do you do long distance too?”
I smiled and nodded. “I’m planning to run in the Boston Marathon. Not competitively or anything. Just to do it.”
“I’m sure Peter will too. He has the last five years. He said something about convincing you to try yoga.”
“Hot yoga, yes. Thursday morning at six a.m.”
“That’s early.”
I agreed, then remembered something Peter had told me about Elizabeth. “Hey, I heard you specialize in databases.”
She smirked and nodded. “Yeah, I’m the company’s database admin.”
“Oh, what kind of databases?” I asked.
“Oracle and SQL Server,” she said, adjusting the strap of her shoulder bag.
Perfect. “Could I ask you a question?”
She shrugged. “Sure.”
“How would a database send an email alert? You know, like a warning message?”
“That depends how it’s set up. The alert could run from the database or get triggered by the application. But either way, the code would live in a stored procedure.”
I rubbed my neck. “And where would I find such a stored procedure, assuming one existed.”
“If you have read-only-access to the database, it would show up under the objects list. Once you’ve identified the procedure you want, you’d have to run a command to look at the code. And then interpret it, of course.”
My head spun. “You lost me at objects list.”
She grinned. “Don’t you have in-house IT?”
“He’s on paternity leave for two weeks.”
“Well, if I can help, I’d be glad to. I’m free at lunch tomorrow. We could meet somewhere and take a look while we eat.”
I spread my arms in worship. “You are my savior, and for that, I’ll buy you lunch.”
We made arrangements to meet, and I bought Elizabeth’s cappuccino while she added her information to my contacts.