I slept in. When I woke, streaks of sun shooting through the fir trees stretched across my bed. For a minute, I closed my eyes and thought about falling back to sleep. Then I heard a door slam.
“Trisha?” My sister had entered the house.
“Don’t tell me you’re asleep?” I heard her say as she walked up the steps, headed toward my bedroom.
“Dad? Are you here?” After a pause, I heard her mumble to herself. “Where is everybody? Trisha, you better be in your room. I had to get a babysitter for Timmy so I could get over here this morning.”
She stood in the doorway wearing black workout capris and a tee shirt which showed the letter ‘e’ in at least fifty different fonts. She was a graphic artist down to her clothes.
“Why are you standing in my room?”
“Dad let me know about your adventure last night. Now Earl is missing along with Tyler and the dog was found wandering around Ocean Beach which is like, thirty miles away!”
She came over and sat on the edge of my bed.
“Then you text me in the middle of the night saying that Uly hit on you. I figured your life, and this house was falling apart. Ad that I’d better do something before you disappeared, too.”
I threw back the covers and walked into the bathroom, shut the door and turned on the shower. Just as I stepped into the steaming water, Lena opened the door and leaned against the sink.
“What’s going on?”
“Can I take a shower in peace? Please?”
“Not until you tell me what’s up.”
Water flowed through my hair, down my face. I wanted to ignore her, but she deserved an answer. “It has something to do with techie-types hacking their way into city governments. And Earl … yes, our Earl … is involved. And not in a good way. Happy now?”
“Yes. Now get out while I finish up in here.”
Surprisingly, Lena turned around and left. But she didn’t close the door. I took a deep breath and continued soaping myself up. When I strolled out, rubbing the towel over my hair, I discovered Lena staring into the refrigerator.
“That’s why you didn’t answer any of my texts.” She pulled out the chilly cell phone and tossed it on my bed.
“What happened to the inside of your refrigerator? Did someone attack it with a pickaxe?”
“Something like that.”
“You?”
“My refrigerator was spying on me.”
“Of course it was.”
“No, I mean it. Someone hacked into its system and was watching and listening to me.”
“Who would want to do that?”
“I first thought it was Burk. Maybe Earl. Then I thought it was Uly. How else would he know about Jon and me?”
I pulled on a pair of lightweight Levi’s and a crop top with a Giants logo across the chest, the one I use when jogging.
Lena scanned me up and down.
“Stand up.”
“Why?”
“Just stand up.”
I did.
“Turn around.”
I did. Then I put my hands on my hips. “What?”
“Not bad.”
“Thank you, sister. I’m trying, but it isn’t easy. Now, what did you do with my phone?”
She pointed over to the bed. I picked it up and smiled.
Before Lena could start with her questions, I pulled her into the bathroom and turned the shower back on.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Earl thinks the house may be bugged,” I said.
“Seriously?” asked Lena.
“Just listen,” I said. Then, I embarked on the story of the day before. My dinner with Burk (which never happened), my visit to the house on the other side of the hill, the discovery of the papers stuffed into the box springs of a child’s bed, papers whose list of numbers matched those hidden in Earl’s office.
“That’s a lot for one day,” said Lena. She perched on the bathroom vanity.
“Oh, I’m not done,” I continued, telling her about Earl’s disappearance and our trip into the Outer Richmond to find him.
“Did you?” she asked. I shook my head and reported on my visit with Uly.
“His theory—well, actually, more than a theory now—is that the hackers over the hill are planning to invade the computer networks of several small towns around the west. I think the main guy behind it is Nicholas Eroe Popolare.”
“I know that name,” said Lena. “Why?”
“You mean I know something about computer history that you don’t?”
Lena rolled her eyes. “Talk.”
“He’s the guy that developed the computer system for the city of San Francisco and then walked off with all the passwords,” I said.
“Oh, yeah. I remember now. He left for Italy with millions of the city’s dollars.”
“That’s the guy. Anyway, he came back to California and has been living in that house over the hill. Apparently preparing to shut down some other municipalities. And his partner is my landlord.”
“I don’t believe it,” said Lena.
“Which part?”
“That someone as well known as Popolare was living in Marin without anyone noticing. And that Earl is involved with the whole thing. There has to be an explanation.”
“Okay. Tell me what’s wrong with this theory.”
Instead, Lena changed the subject.
“Why choose small towns to hit with the ransomware? Go for the big cities.”
“I have been thinking about that. Maybe this is a test run, an opportunity to work out the kinks. Then it’s onward to bigger fish.”
“So, what happens next?”
“I’ve reached out to Burk. He’s the connection. He’ll make the next move if he wants those papers back.”
“And what do you want?” asked Lena.
“Earl and Tyler. And I need to find them soon. They’re in danger.”
With that I reached over and turned off the shower.
Lena called the babysitter and arranged for her to stay until Dr. T came home so she had time to help me come up with a plan. First, we laid all the papers out on the bed. My sister took a picture of each one, sending it to my email, to her own email, and even to Dad’s email. Once they came through, she downloaded the pages onto a thumb drive.
“Insurance,” she said.
Burk had responded immediately after I stuffed my phone in the fridge. First, there was the casual approach.
What papers?
When I didn’t answer, things became a little more aggressive.
What do u have?
Trisha, r u there?
Answer me!
His texting stopped at 3 a.m., only to start up again two hours later.
I need those back.
Now!!!
Five hours had passed since his last text. Time I responded.
I don’t think so.
Make a deal?
How about a swap?
I showed my text to Lena before I dramatically pressed the send button.
“Where’s Dad?” she asked.
“He was going over to the city to pick up The Babe and meet the people who found him wandering. He’s hoping it’ll lead to some clue about Earl.”
“That makes me nervous. What if they’re part of this whole ‘hacker thing’ and want him as a hostage, too?”
“Dad doesn’t know anything about anything. You should have heard him last night. He met some lady while we were walking, and she invited him over for dinner.”
“So?”
“He said ‘yes.’ He doesn’t even know her. They talked for like, ten minutes. Nobody goes to somebody’s house they don’t know.”
“You want him to be happy, don’t you?”
“With a stranger?”
“Everybody’s a stranger until you meet them. Never mind. This is beyond your comprehension,” said Lena.
My phone pinged. It was from Burk.
What do u have in mind?
Earl and Tyler for the papers.
I grinned at Lena like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland when I hit send.