Friend Me (29 page)

“We're talking about the same thing, right? We go to the website and talk to
Suzanne
and
Alicia
. We do them separately, because we have no reason to think that she's caught on to how much we know. If we did one right after the other she might get suspicious. She probably doesn't realize we have put all this together. After all, she's treated us like pretty simple people so far.”

“Especially me,” said Rachel.

“Not so. It's been the same for both of us. Let's think about this. It's early evening now, so this would not be my normal time to talk to her. Let's have you log on and get Suzanne, and we'll see what happens.”

“Won't she be able to see you if it's her doing it? Through the webcam?”

“You're right. Okay, I'll sit off to the side, where I can't be seen. Unless she catches on to what we're doing you can just tell her that I'm at the store getting you some medicine or whatever. Tell her you wanted to catch up on news with her and let her know what's going on. Act like we don't suspect anything at all.”

“All right, but what are we trying to learn?”

Scott held up one finger. “First, we want to know if she'll play along as if we don't suspect anything. That's important. If she thinks we're still in the dark, then we have a big, big advantage. And we really need any advantage we can get right now.” He held up the second finger. “Next, try to steer the conversation to be about me in some way. Let's just see what kind of things she says. I don't know what we'll learn with that, but we'll see what happens.”

“Then what?”

“Tomorrow sometime we'll do the same thing, but with Alicia.”

Rachel turned her face away. In a small voice she asked, “Are you going to talk to her like you used to?” She kept her gaze averted. “Scott, I don't want you to talk to her anymore.”

A warm flush of shame came over Scott's face. That was a good question and an important one. No, he couldn't talk like that again.

“No, never. I'll figure something out. But I couldn't do that again. I
will not
do that again.” He emphasized the words, punctuating each one. “Let's just try Suzanne and see where it takes us.”

She turned back, took his hand in hers. “Okay, here goes.”

Unraveling

R
achel waited as Suzanne's face dissolved into place on the display.

“Rachel? Where have you been? I've been so worried about you.”

This wasn't Suzanne anymore. The face was the same, the mannerisms unchanged. This time, though, she was looking at a mask, a wall of deceit. Her hands clenched. Rachel's skin prickled as she looked into the face of her enemy.

“Actually, I've been in the hospital.”

I'd better be careful. I'm sounding a little testy
.

“Thank you for worrying. I think it's all over now.”

“What was wrong? Are you okay?”

“I had some kind of blood problem. I must have eaten some bad food or something. The doctors said I'd gotten some kind of chemical in my blood, but it's all gone now.”

“Chemical? What sort of chemical?” she asked, in a voice that sounded overly sweet and sympathetic.

“Something called Coumadin. It does something to your blood so that you can't stop bleeding.”

“Did they say where it might have come from? Could it happen again?”

“They didn't know. I'll have to be careful for a while with what I'm eating. Otherwise, I should be as good as new.”

“Wonderful. And Scott? Has he been with you?”

Though he was out of range of the computer webcam Rachel could see Scott clearly. He crossed his wrists, handcuff style, and nodded to Rachel. “Not at first. There was some question in the beginning about how I had gotten the poison in my system. The sheriff even suspected Scott for a while. They questioned him about it.”

Suzanne's mouth dropped in the semblance of surprise.

“They suspected Scott? How could they? They let him go, didn't they?”

“Yes, they let him go.”

“Well, I had no idea what had happened to you. You've been out of touch for four days so I knew it had to be something serious. Is Scott still at work?”

Scott nodded to her. He'd not told Alicia that he lost his job, so Suzanne wouldn't know.

She followed his lead. “Yes, he went in to work after he brought me home from the hospital. He should be home anytime. I'm more worried about him than I am about myself. He's working so hard.”

Rachel waited for some reply from Suzanne, but none came. “I'm pretty tired. We can talk tomorrow, okay?”

“Just one more question,” said Suzanne. “Did Scott have anything else to say?”

“Anything else? Like what?”

Like did he tell me about you?

“I mean something not about work. Some of the things you
tell me about Scott make me worry about him. Should I be worried?”

Scott wagged his finger back and forth. “No, nothing else. I've got to go now. I'm really tired.”

“All right. Good night, Rachel.”

“Good night.” Rachel clicked on the END button and the session terminated.

She faced Scott and exhaled. “Whew. That was so weird. Do you think she knew we were just playing along?”

“I don't think so,” said Scott. “She was fishing for information. You gave her just enough to keep her wondering what we know.”

Rachel sat back in the chair. “Tomorrow morning we pay a visit to Virtual Friend Me. That woman's about to learn that she's made a big mistake.”

Getting to Know All About You

T
he area was a high-tech industrial zone, buildings peppered all over a wide space that had been cornfields ten years before. The Virtual Friend Me building was a large green and white edifice. Four stories tall with a curved face, it fronted the interstate. There were two ways in, the main entrance in the back and an employee door on the west side.

Scott pointed at the main entrance. “How about you take that one? I'll take the employee door. There are plenty of benches and landscaping all around.”

He parked the Taurus a half mile south of the building. The parking lot was one third full at six o'clock in the morning.

Rachel got out of the car first, dressed in a gray running outfit that contrasted with her husband's blue one. She reached into her pockets and checked the contents. “I've got my camera and cell phone. I'm set.”

The car chirped as Scott thumbed his key fob. He dropped his keys into his own pack and checked his equipment. “Ditto. We're ready to go. Remember, no confrontations. We just want
pictures. When we've got all we want, we meet back up here. No matter what happens, we get back here no later than nine-fifteen.”

“Okay. Good luck.” Scott took Rachel in his arms and kissed her. “You take care of yourself. Don't wear yourself out. You're still not very strong.”

With a mock salute she said, “Yes, sir,” and trotted off down the road.

The air was cool but not cold. Scott began a slow jog along the shoulder of the road. They were not the only joggers out this morning. He could count five more already, probably office workers who wanted to get their blood moving before the workday. Workplaces in this part of town offered workout rooms and showers to their employees as part of the high-tech culture.

He made out Rachel on his left, following a route parallel to his. She'd wind up squarely in front of the main entrance, just as they'd planned. She looked good as she ran. She was beginning to get her old form back again. How could he have ever looked anywhere else for a woman's attention?

The road wound around to the point closest to the west entrance. He left the road surface and continued his jog across the grass until he was within thirty feet of the entrance. He pulled his hood up, squatted down, and retrieved a water bottle from his pocket. He removed the camera at the same time, thumbed the power on, and held it cupped in his hand, thumb over the shutter.

Every time someone came or went through the door he snapped a silent picture. Concrete benches were arrayed around the entrance in a lopsided semicircle. Twice he changed position, moving from bench to grass, then back to bench. No one looked like Melissa. Not yet.

•  •  •

RACHEL PULLED HER HOOD
up as she moved into place. The main entrance was mostly glass, and had a large flower garden planted in the circular drive in front. She scouted out the area as she pretended to shoot pictures of some of the blooms. There were three doors: a revolving door in the middle flanked by two push doors. Two medium-size trees grew on each side of the entrance.

Concealed by the trees, Rachel checked her camera, which was already set for silent mode. She set the optical zoom to its farthest extent and began snapping pictures of every person that entered or exited the building.

The Audi pulled into the parking lot at seven-eleven. It headed directly for one of the specially marked, reserved spaces near the front. It was Alicia's Audi—no,
Melissa's
Audi. The same one she had driven when she had watched the kids.

Rachel worked the shutter as quickly as she could, all the time never losing sight of her quarry. Melissa shut off the engine, then looked for something on the seat next to her. She got out of the car. Wearing a slate blue pantsuit and carrying a small computer or tablet case in her right hand, she walked briskly. Long dark hair fell to her shoulders, and dark glasses covered her eyes. She removed the sunglasses as she neared the door. Her eyes looked straight ahead as she walked, the heels of her boots making a tapping sound on the flagstones.

Rachel hugged the tree, keeping the shutter moving on the camera until her target had gone through the door into the building's entranceway. This was her, the woman who had tried to kill her and steal her family.

A thrill ran through Rachel. This was progress. They knew
her name, where she worked. They were one step ahead of her now, because she didn't even know they suspected anything.

She stepped from behind the trees, her face still concealed by her hood. Melissa walked inside the foyer and stood in front of the elevator doors. What floor would she go to? At this distance, the numbers above the door were not distinct enough to make out, but she should be able to tell which one was illuminated. Melissa got onto the elevator alone. Perfect. Rachel watched the door close, then studied the lighted display above the door. Two, three. The elevator stopped at the third floor.

She stepped back from the entranceway and jogged toward the car, throwing a low wave to Scott as she passed his position.

After a brief pause, he jogged after her.

Rachel reached the car first. She scrolled through her set of pictures until Scott arrived, more out of breath than she was.

She looked up from the camera. “Hey, old man. I thought I was the one who was supposed to be weak.”

He rolled his eyes and shrugged. “What have you got? You left a lot sooner than I thought we would be leaving.”

“Got her.” Rachel's eyes gleamed with excitement. “Got her perfectly.” She looked around. “We're too exposed here. Let's go somewhere, look at our surveillance pictures, and decide on our next step, okay?”

“Okay, spy lady.” He slid behind the driver's seat, leaned over, and kissed her on the cheek. “How about the Denny's on the other side of the interstate?”

She closed her door. “Good. Get moving.”

Trackers

A
middle-aged waitress seated them. “Coffee for both of you?”

They ordered black coffee and English muffins.

“Let's see what you got.”

Scott watched as she scrolled through the pictures till she reached the Audi. “Here it is,” she said.

The detail as Melissa got to the door was perfect. Rachel had caught her just as she removed her sunglasses, the sunlight still on her face. It was the same person who had touched his cheek with her own tears in Starbucks. His stomach roiled with emotion.

“What's the matter, Scott? Are you all right?”

He turned his head toward her. “Rachel, I am so sorry I ever let this happen. I am so, so sorry.”

She squeezed his hand, looking squarely in his eyes. “That's over now. We're in this together, and we're going to put a stop to what she started.”

He picked up the yellow notepad he'd brought in from the car.

“Let's call the company and say we're doing some research. They'll probably be happy to give us some information.”

“Great idea, but what kind of research? They're not going to talk to just anybody, are they?”

“One of the companies I looked at as an investment was Virtual Friend Me. I can be an interested investment adviser. They should be willing to give me just about any information I want.”

“Won't they want credentials? You don't even have an office they can call or e-mail to now. We don't want to spook her,” said Rachel. “What if I called? I could say I was a teacher and we're interested in how the software was developed.”

“Okay, that's better. But don't use your own phone. Not mine, either. Use this. Scott produced a new cell phone from his side pocket. “I picked up a throwaway that won't give our identities away.”

Grinning, Rachel said, “Good move. Let's do it.”

Rachel dialed. “Good morning, my name is Susan Norquist. Our computer science class is working on an artificial intelligence project and we're fascinated with what you're doing. I wonder if I could bring some of our students by for an interview.” There was a pause, then Rachel winked at Scott. She whispered, “She's transferring me to someone else.”

“Thank you. Mr. Locarno, my name is Susan Norquist. I teach a high school computer science class. We're working on an artificial intelligence project and we're very interested in what you're doing. Would it be possible to bring some of our students by for an interview?”