Nerds in Force

by D. R. Grady

  “Chad has plants?” Keith must have noted the living greenery on a couple plant stands in the living room.

  “Yes. He enjoys taking care of living things, but he prefers the kind that stay in one place. Plants seemed like the logical option. He’s proved to have a green thumb.”

  “I’m impressed.”

  “Chad’s an interesting human.” She smiled at her brother as he marched down the hall.

  “I have the notebooks.”

  “Excellent. I’ve packed your snacks and clothes.”

  Chad kept the bag from his safe room close. It looked like a piece of luggage. Good call on Chad’s part. It matched the bag she had selected. Any observer might conclude that Chad had packed extra toiletries.

  “Did you remember the notebook from Dad?” She had to ask. While Chad’s brain was impressive, he did forget things that didn’t much interest him.

  He looked pained, at least for him. “That’s part of why we came, right?”

  “Right.”

  “I also remembered to add a different book Dad gave me.”

  §

  Keith made certain to keep one hand free and noted Harlow did the same as they gathered Chad’s things. Chad didn’t shy away from carrying his share. This also helped Keith and Harlow to better defend him. Not that Chad was likely aware of their reasoning but Keith appreciated Chad’s willingness to help nonetheless.

  They left the building, laden with Chad’s innocuous belongings, and his senses hit red alert. Beside him, Harlow’s slammed into high gear as well. Scanning in unison, he checked the buildings Harlow didn’t. He couldn’t spot the men sent to protect them but felt their presence.

  Harlow didn’t relax either as they casually placed Chad’s bags in the back of the SUV. Chad reluctantly left the toiletries bag in the back so as to appear as though this had been an essentials run. He did snag a snack out of one of the grocery bags.

  Chad hummed to himself as he ripped open the package and started munching. He offered the snacks to them but both he and Harlow declined.

  Keith didn’t relax as he backed out of the visitor’s spot before heading for the mansion. Harlow asked Chad something but she kept up her own vigilance. The drive back to the house was made in silence which suited him fine. The hairs on the nape of his neck remained alert and that didn’t bode well.

  He glanced at Harlow from the corner of his eye. Her nod was subtle but it assured him he was feeling things that were there. Keith didn’t breathe a sigh of relief even when the garage door rolled down.

  The three of them piled out of the SUV and returned to the back to retrieve Chad’s belongings. They trudged up the steps to Chad’s bedroom and placed his luggage on the bed.

  “Can I see the other book Dad gave you?” A small frown marred the skin between Harlow’s eyebrows.

  Chad nodded in a jerky manner then paused. “Dad told me something.” His eyes unfocused. “He said to give this to Harlow when she wanted the notebook.” Then he rifled through the toiletries bag and handed a small leather bound notebook to Harlow.

  Harlow took the notebook and Keith’s only indication that this meant something was a sharp inhalation of breath.

  A floppy rectangular object shoved into his hand distracted Keith. “This is the notebook from my dad.” It again looked exactly like the other notebooks in Chad’s possession. Then Chad turned his back on them to unpack the bags lining the bed.

  Keith indicated to Harlow to exit the room. She preceded him out the door and headed for the lounge area on the top floor. Others in the house didn’t seem inclined to use it. And it had a door.

  Once they settled on the sofa he flipped open the book Chad had given him at the same time Harlow found the first page of her notebook. Her finger traced the page as she became absorbed in the contents.

  He stared at the notations and calculations presented. It took his brain a little time to kick into engineer mode. When it did, the contents of the first few entries absorbed him.

  At least an hour passed before he resurfaced. Beside him, Harlow also stirred. She stretched. “What did you learn?”

  “People were definitely killed for this technology.” He indicated the notebook.

  “Oh no, it’s that bad?”

  “A long lasting battery.” He tapped the page on which he’d stopped. “The thing is, this technology came about thirty years ago, before we had cell phones.”

  “But they had this all worked out?” The CEO in Harlow pushed forward.

  “It’s mostly here. I wouldn’t say this is finished by any means.”

  “It’s dangerous.” Harlow didn’t ask.

  He pondered the repercussions. “I need some additional time to think about this, but yes. I think there are a lot of people who would kill for this technology.”

  “This project is thirty years old. What’s the possibility we can do even better now?”

  “The components used are easily accessible and inexpensive. The magic is in the way they interact.”

  “You’re saying this will revolutionize the cell phone market, as well as many, many others?”

  “Yes. But I need time to finish reading this notebook and I also need to research the science.” He glanced at the book on Harlow’s lap. “What did you discover?”

  “My dad stumbled onto a deal my great-grandfather made with Daryl Nunes, Nesla’s grandfather. A deal none of the rest of us knew about. My great-grandfather coincidentally died shortly after making this deal.”

  “Let me guess, it was for the shipping services via their shipping company?”

  “Yes, and they also were given some stock in Horgate Industries. Since this time, I discovered those shares, but couldn’t figure out who they belonged to. I reverted them back to me and Chad.” She stopped. “Of course. That was the same time I dug up information on the deaths of all those engineers.”

  Her lips tightened.

  “There was no record of the Nunes family getting those shares?”

  “None. From what my father discovered it was done in a near criminal way. Certain confidential company records were accessed and people soon started dying.”

  “Your dad discovering this deal—as well as his involvement in this battery research—sealed his fate.”

  “Yes.” Her voice cracked. She cleared her throat. “Yes, he died because he discovered this sweetheart deal with the Nunes family and their involvement in Horgate.” Her jaw tightened. “Chad has been involved in tightening up our security and I’m sure he deleted great-grandfather’s account, so how are they getting access to company information now?”

  “They might not be getting that info now.” Another thought leapt into his mind. “Or Patricia Swanson discovered their way in and they killed her before she could alert anyone.”

  “We surmised that she discovered the death of those employees, but it could very well be that she found that trapdoor. Or both.”

  “Or both,” he echoed. “Just one of those things would have meant her death.”

  “Patricia discovering that trapdoor though might indicate why someone is after Savannah. They want the information Patricia had.” Harlow sat up straighter.

  “We need to ask Savannah and Trace exactly what was asked of them after Patricia’s death.”

  “She might have the answer and not even know it.” Neither of them mentioned that this might be the very reason why someone wanted his new sister dead.

  Chapter 26

  Harlow tried to sort her emotions as she and Keith left the third story lounge in search of Savannah. But several questions hindered her efforts.

  How long had Chad had this book?

  Would she have known what to do with it if she’d remembered it sooner?

  Was Chad also in danger from this information?

  Did Nesla know that Chad could probably find that trapdoor in seconds if he put his mind to it?

  Had Chad started paying attention to trapdoors again or was he distracted? When he was busy with his own
projects the general maintenance things in his life slid to Not-As-Important status. Such as - checking for hackers or intruders who attempted to invade the Horgate Industries computers.

  They had plenty of IT department people who prevented most attacks but not many had been up to Patricia’s caliber if she’d discovered Nesla’s way in. Patricia probably hadn’t been as skilled as Chad. Then again, Chad likely had nowhere near the social skills Patricia must have possessed if she was Savannah’s mother.

  By the time they reached the first floor, her questions hadn’t sorted themselves out, but the time in which to ask them had. They paced through several rooms before finding Savannah and Molly in what Harlow had always deemed the music room. For perhaps obvious reasons, as this room boasted two pianos, several guitars and violins, as well as assorted other musical instruments.

  Neither woman’s significant other was present but Savannah and Molly sat at one of the pianos, enjoying themselves. They looked up when she and Keith entered the room.

  Savannah left the piano bench to greet Keith who she clearly already loved. Harlow could relate.

  “Savannah, can we ask you some questions about your mother?” She plowed ahead with their investigation. A voice in the back of her mind reminded her that Savannah would need caught up.

  “Of course.” A guarded looked crossed Savannah’s face, chased by a few other emotions.

  “My brother forgot about a book he had from our father. And some things within it have brought new revelations to light. Keith and I are wondering if we’ve discovered why your mother was murdered, if she was.” Harlow spoke softly because this woman had been through so much and Harlow’s instincts kept shrieking at her to remember that. To protect her.

  Molly interrupted. “Perhaps Trace should be here. He might be able to help answer some of these questions.” She tugged her phone out of a pocket and tapped out a message.

  “Thank you, Molly. And perhaps you could ask Beau to come along. We have discovered why his father was murdered.”

  Molly and Savannah both paled. Although Savannah had been well on her way already.

  “Let’s go to the lounge, it will be more comfortable,” Harlow suggested.

  She smoothed a hand up and down Savannah’s arm. Keith ignored that to instead draw his little sister into his arms. She went willingly and that seemed to help.

  Harlow smiled at him. This man. No other one would ever do.

  Trace and Beau arrived silently. It didn’t take Trace long to extricate Savannah from Keith and he moved with her to a small sofa across the room. Beau and Molly chose the larger couch so she and Keith took chairs side by side across from them.

  “What’s going on?” Beau asked.

  Keith brought the two men up to speed. Beau didn’t pale but he did lean forward. As a son who had grown up without a father he deserved to know this information.

  “My father was a part of this battery project?”

  “He was. This is cutting edge technology today, much less thirty years ago.” Keith sounded impressed.

  “The reason why he was killed had to do with this research?” Beau’s eyebrow rose.

  “My guess is that none of these engineers were willing to talk, much less sell, this information to the highest bidder. Whoever that bidder was decided to make sure these secrets died with them.”

  “These engineers worked for Horgate and were loyal to the company because we have a program that if an employee or a group of employees come up with an idea like this, those on the project make a percentage of the profits. It’s been extremely profitable for us and for our amazing employees.” Harlow still hated that this fabulous idea had gotten them killed. Her heart ached for the children who had grown up without their fathers. And the fathers who hadn’t known their kids.

  “How did someone figure out about this project?” Trace frowned at Keith.

  “That’s an excellent question. One we might never have the answer to. What we do know is that Chad had another notebook from their father and in it Harlow discovered that her great-grandfather had made a deal with Nesla Nunes’s family.”

  “After which my great-grandfather also promptly died. Before that he showed those alarming signs of dementia.”

  Beau’s lips thinned. “They poisoned his mind, literally, to cause dementia and made a business deal with him. Then killed him.”

  “Yes. None of the rest of us knew this. And I wouldn’t have discovered it myself because I was still young. But my dad, who headed this engineering project as he had a similar kind of brain, did stumble onto this deal. Or my great-grandfather might have told him. We’ll never know.” A wave of grief for her own father tried to sweep her into the abyss of grief and doubts but she withstood the tidal force. “My father recorded this and now we know mostly what happened. What we also wondered was how the Nunes family discovered this project.”

  “You’re sure they’re the ones who discovered this?” Molly inserted.

  “That’s also an excellent question.” She nodded to the woman. “Through the course of these notes, what we believe might have happened is my brother who usually mans the computers, might have been distracted by one of his projects at the time. That means he wasn’t monitoring our computer system as he usually does. However, a new employee of ours, whose computer skills were superior, did flag an unauthorized user in the system.”

  Savannah started. “You believe my mom discovered this Nesla person’s presence in the Horgate network?”

  “That’s our best guess.” She looked at Keith.

  “It makes sense. She flagged this user who had access to things she shouldn’t have. Information that told her exactly who were employed and when, how much money Horgate makes and on which products, to knowing where Harlow and her grandfather are, as well as access to their schedules and emails.”

  “My mom’s capabilities were such that all of this is not only possible but likely. When she caught on to something she pursued it to the very end. Until someone killed her.” Savannah’s hand fisted.

  “There is plenty of evidence to point to that exact scenario,” Keith stated. “Your mother knew way too much is what we concluded and got killed for her knowledge.”

  Savannah swallowed. “I’ve always wondered. She had never showed signs of heart disease and her diet was such that I questioned that diagnosis.”

  “Chances are good she was murdered. The good news is that my brother did eventually get around to checking the files and he noticed this unauthorized user as well. I’m wondering if the sneakier one, from back in our father’s day, might have been someone her grandfather planted in our company or had somehow got access to our fledgling computer systems and they got wind of that project. Eventually Nesla took over and infiltrated Horgate herself and that’s when your mother stumbled onto her. Then Chad, who is much riskier to kill.”

  She took a deep breath and fortunately, Keith took over the tale. “The two scenarios are that your grandfather grew suspicious of the actual person planted or Chad discovers this first hacker and removes them from the system.”

  “Old Man Nunes could have easily sent someone tech savvy into Horgate three decades ago. Someone who fed him a lot of information. Of course, it didn’t have to be Nunes, it could have been anyone. Unfortunately for them, Chad has kept an eye on the Horgate computers since he got his first computer at age seven.”

  “I’m still not clear on how Nesla managed to thwart his safeguards then…” Savannah’s hand curled around the base of her throat.

  “I am. She sent in someone to pose as Patricia Swanson’s replacement. And he gave her access.” Harlow didn’t even need to stretch with that scenario. “I know this because I didn’t have to go far in his background check to discover his misdeeds. I fired him immediately. The time frame still would have given him plenty of time to allow someone else access.”

  “But Chad discovered her?” Savannah clutched Trace’s hand in white-knuckled fierceness.

  “He probably caugh
t her within a few days. However, if she continued to bribe the IT department employees this would become an endless cycle.” She made a mental note to up the screening process of all new IT department employees and especially new hires.

  “It wouldn’t even need to be the IT department. Anyone with authorization capabilities could allow her in,” Keith said.

  “No, those are all family. And none of us would give her access.” Harlow herself had set up most of this infrastructure, based on her father’s earlier efforts. Chad had helped her and between them, the only flaw in their current system was the IT department because they didn’t have many family members who were interested in pursuing that sort of career.

  “That’s some system.” Trace looked impressed.

  “We’ve been working on it for a while now.”

  “There is something else I’ve confirmed. It’s about Savannah’s father.” Keith inserted this as things appeared to settle.

  Across from them, Savannah’s shoulders hunched.

  §

  Keith hated how Savannah tensed and paled. He hadn’t wanted to disclose this but she needed to know. He fully intended to tell Eric whenever he returned.

  “Harlow has been struggling to discover whether your father was an employee of Horgate. His records appear to have been scrubbed from the company. In a thorough manner.” He took a deep breath. “However, the notebook for the battery project clearly shows your father was a Horgate employee. If I’m correct, he was the mastermind behind the entire concept. And from the little I can deduce, your mother might have offered a few insights as well.” He raised his hand to tick off names.

  “We have Harlow’s father who headed the project as the family member and who incidentally seems to have been friends with all the engineers on the project. Savannah’s father dreamed up the idea and brought in a few friends whose skills he trusted. No less than Emmett Dubrinsky from Rurikstan, Brian Bentwater from the states, and a man named Coleman Fisher, a brilliant young man who interned for Matias Wilson, Savannah’s father. They hired him immediately after he graduated from college.”