by Ali Franklin
“I know, but at least we can do that from the comfort of home.”
Summer parked in the garage and helped Teddy into the house. The deputy on duty came to the front door and introduced himself.
“If you need anything at all, you just holler,” he said. The women thanked him and closed the door.
“Are you ready for bed?” asked Summer.
“I’m suddenly wide awake. Can we look around and make sure everything that was connected to a computer is not connected anymore?”
“Of course.” They made their way through the house with Teddy looking at every small and large appliance, including the lamps and clocks. In the bathroom, she picked up her electric toothbrush and stared at it.
“What do you think?” she asked.
Sumer was tempted to laugh but thought the better of it. “The experts combed the house for anything dangerous. They said everything that could be hacked is gone. I’ve been using mine and it’s been fine.” She pointed at the other toothbrush on the counter.
“I guess I can’t be scared of everything that uses electricity.” Teddy forced a smile. “Do we have a working freezer?”
“We do.”
“Tell me there are popsicles in it.”
“My dear,” said Summer, “what good is a freezer without popsicles?” They laughed and walked into the kitchen.
Teddy grinned as she ate her treat. “I know I wasn’t in there for very long, but I am glad to be back in the land of real food. I can’t wait to have a decent cup of coffee in the morning. Can we go to Java Jimmy’s?”
“Whatever you want,” said Summer.
They finished their popsicles and Teddy had another. When she was finally relaxed enough for bed, they started toward the back of the house. Summer looked out the front window and saw the deputy parked at the curb. She waved toward the dark interior of the car but couldn’t tell if he waved back or not.
24
Ryan went to the campus rec center to swim laps early Saturday morning. Swimming was not her favorite workout activity, but she made sure to get to the pool at least once every week. She had a vague goal of completing a triathlon someday, and she knew she would have to maintain her swimming skills to keep that dream alive. Besides, every time she completed her water workout, she treated herself to fresh bagels and lox.
Coming out of the locker room after her shower, Ryan ran into Abby. The controller stopped short, face contorted in anger.
“Hey!” Abby yelled.
“Good morning.” Startled, Ryan took a half-step backward.
“Do you have any idea what happened to me yesterday?” asked Abby.
“You’ll have to tell me,” said Ryan, shrugging.
“I was taken to the police station and interrogated for over an hour.” Narrowed eyes, lowered brows, wrinkled nose: anger.
Ryan took another half-step back. “Why?”
“As if you didn’t know.” Abby pointed her finger at Ryan’s chest. “You already told them I was the last person to get to O’Leary’s on Monday, and then they went looking into my bank accounts.”
“Your bank accounts? I don’t understand.”
“I’m an actual suspect in Cora’s murder.” Her pointing finger was moving closer to Ryan’s chest.
Ryan concentrated on keeping her face blank as she looked from Abby’s face to her finger.
Abby continued. “How can I be a suspect? They got that Loh woman, didn’t they?”
Ryan couldn’t help but smirk. “Grace isn’t a suspect anymore.”
Abby’s eyes opened wide. Ryan pursed her lips. “Abby, what were you doing on Monday afternoon?”
She watched Abby’s face transform. She had seen it before in meetings when the controller wasn’t getting her way. It became a peculiar shade of crimson that signaled an impending eruption. Abby raised her chin. “That is absolutely, positively none of your business.”
“Abby, if you don’t have anything to hi—”
“Shut up, Ryan. It’s none of your business what I was doing that day. And there is no evidence that I killed Cora.”
Ryan tried a different tack. “What were you doing on Wednesday night?”
“The detectives asked me the same thing. I was at home alone. Do you honestly think I could program a smart fridge to electrocute someone?”
Ryan thought about it. She had no idea what was in Abby’s academic background or training, so she didn’t know if Abby was capable of murder by computer. Suddenly Ryan realized she was alone with someone who did not have an alibi for the evening Cora was killed or the night Teddy was targeted. She wondered how quickly she could get to the building’s front desk, where she knew student interns were on duty.
“I’ve got to go,” said Ryan, making up a story she thought might get her out of the situation, “I’m meeting Nicki for lunch. She’ll be in here looking for me if I don’t get over there. Take care, Abby.”
Ryan shot out of the building at top speed. Out in the bright sunlight, she wasn’t sure why she had been so frightened of Abby. The controller wasn’t an imposing woman. Maybe it was just the thought of being alone with someone Ryan wasn’t sure she trusted. She dismissed the thought, then smiled. She was glad to learn the detectives had talked to Abby.
A loud cheer erupted from the side of the building. Rounding the corner, she saw there was a 5k event being hosted on the rec fields. A large pink and white balloon arch was stationed at the near corner of the field. A white banner with huge black letters read, “For All Women.”
People in shorts and T-shirts with race-number bibs ran under the banner alone or in pairs. Many of the runners had elaborate hat-based concoctions on their heads. Once through the arch, race volunteers placed medals around their necks and directed them to tables stocked with water, bananas, oranges, and little cups of greenish liquid. Pickle juice, thought Ryan, who had participated in plenty of 5k fundraisers herself.
Ryan remembered that today was the city’s annual fundraiser for women’s assistance programs. She walked over to see how things were going. Next to the balloon arch was a table covered with pamphlets from various women’s organizations as well as support groups that served both men and women. Heather Wayne, president of Pi Omega sorority, stood behind the table.
Ryan knew Heather well. The student was a regular on the Dean’s List and a member of the Student Honor Court. A double major in psychology and political science, she always stayed in Haverwood over the summer so she could earn more course credits. She was on track to finish both degrees in four years.
“Good morning, Heather.” Ryan said. “Looks like a good turnout today.”
“Hi, Dean McCabe. We already beat the fundraising record we set last year.”
“Terrific.” Ryan leafed through a few of the pamphlets. She was familiar with all of the organizations, both as a resident of the city of Haverwood and as dean of students. Campus groups competed to raise funds and volunteer with these organizations throughout the year. It was a great way for them to earn the community service hours the college required.
A tall woman with red hair walked over to the table and greeted Ryan and Heather. Heather smiled at her and started to introduce her to Ryan.
“It’s okay, Heather, Jenny and I have been friends for years,” said Ryan. The two women hugged.
Heather smiled. “Did she tell you she’s the brand-new CEO of Hannah’s House?”
“Really?” Ryan smiled. “Congratulations. I didn’t realize Zena was gone.”
Jenny nodded. “The board thought it was time for a new leader. And just in time for our biggest fundraiser.” She looked at the crowd.
Heather walked over to help the gaggle of Pi Os who were restocking the refreshments table while Ryan and Jenny talked about the work being done at Hannah’s House. The house had been founded twenty years earlier by a woman who had left an abusive relationship. It had expanded through the years and now provided living space for up to twenty mothers with children at a time. It also spon
sored multiple programs throughout the county for low-income women, including a small thrift store that specialized in providing free clothing for job interviews.
Hannah’s House was a bit of an enigma. Everyone in Haverwood seemed to know it existed and many citizens actively supported its programs. But, due to the way its residents came to need it, very few people knew where the house was located. It was likely that it wasn’t even located in the city of Haverwood. Ryan had always been amazed and thankful that its administrators and residents had kept the secret so well.
“Jenny, you must know Grace Loh. She told me she does some work with the House.”
“Yes, I know Grace. But she doesn’t work with us anymore.”
Ryan’s eyes widened. “Oh, I must have misunderstood when she and I talked about it.” Hadn’t Grace said she would be at Hannah’s House that morning?
“Grace hasn’t worked with us since shortly after I took over as CEO.” There was something about the way Jenny said the words that made Ryan look at her more closely.
“Forgive me if I’m prying, but was there a problem?”
“I can’t tell you much,” said Jenny, “but we had to make a few changes at the House. That’s actually why both Zena and Grace aren’t with us any more. I shouldn’t say any more.” She looked like she really wanted to say more.
“I don’t want to put you in a bad position,” said Ryan. “You don’t have to say anything else.”
“As a nonprofit, we have to be extra careful about how our records are kept. We have to be able to show where every cent is going. If people get the idea that we’re misusing or misplacing funds, it could be the end of our donations.”
Ryan was watching some of the runners cross the finish line, purposely not looking at Jenny’s face. In her experience, people often told you more if you seemed to be only half listening. Jenny’s words swirled in Ryan’s mind for a moment before they caught hold. She turned toward Jenny.
“Misplaced funds?”
Jenny wrung her hands. “Please promise you won’t say anything.” Ryan shook her head and Jenny continued. “About six months ago our financials started trending downward. Spring is usually a good time for our fundraising. There’s the Campus Extravaganza, our pizza night, and people generally give a lot around Easter.”
Ryan had now turned to fully face Jenny, a frown on her face.
Jenny continued. “Our numbers just weren’t what they have been for years. The board came to me and asked if I knew what was going on. I didn’t, but I contracted a local firm to do an independent audit. They couldn’t find any proof, but the lead auditor said he’d swear on a stack of Bibles that someone was siphoning money from the House. He called it ‘computer wizardry.’”
Ryan realized she was standing there with her mouth open while she listened to the story. “No way.” She felt a flutter of pain in her chest.
“We had to tell Grace she was no longer welcome to volunteer, and the Board let Zena go because it had happened on her watch.”
“Jenny, I am so sorry that happened.”
“Very few people know about it and we still don’t have all the details. But we have a new computer system and new controls in place. I’ll be micromanaging everything for a while.”
Ryan shook her head again. She couldn’t believe someone would try to steal money from a nonprofit group. “Jenny, did you talk to the police about this?”
Ryan replayed the events of the last few days in her mind as she drove home from the college. Grace had been arrested and cleared, someone had tried to kill Teddy, Abby had been questioned, and Grace had been dismissed from her volunteer position. Ryan was still in shock about the last item on that list. She exhaled loudly and slumped a little in her seat. There was so much going on, and finding Cora's killer wasn't getting any easier.
Her phone rang. She answered the call despite not recognizing the number. “Hello. Ryan McCabe.”
“Hello, Dr. McCabe. This is Dr. Aarav Ghosh at MIT. I believe you left me a message about a former student?”
“Dr. Ghosh, I’m so glad you called." She heard a beep and the screen showed another incoming call. Maddie. Ryan clicked the button to deny the second call. She needed to talk with the MIT professor.
Ryan continued. "I’m looking for information on a woman named Grace Loh. She would have been a student in your department about ten years ago."
"I was Grace's advisor. She would be hard to forget." Ryan thought she heard a smile in his voice.
"Dr. Ghosh, what were your impressions of Grace? I mean about her character?"
"Grace was a determined student. We knew right away she was going to be a success here. She worked hard in her classes and always produced good work."
"Did she get along with the other students?"
"She had her favorites, but we never had any problems between her and other students. In fact, everyone could tell she was talented. She was in high demand as a project partner."
"She earned bachelor's and master's degrees with you, right?" asked Ryan.
"Yes. She left after her master's, though we were prepared to have her continue for her doctorate."
"Do you know why she left?"
"No. She was doing well and we would have been excited to have her teaching the undergrad courses. She did some really interesting work in artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things – even before it was called that."
"What kind of work, Professor?"
"Grace was one of the first people to really run with the idea that everyday items in an office building could be linked to the internet and to each other, saving energy and making work substantially more efficient."
"Like a 'smart office?'" asked Ryan.
"Exactly."
Ryan pulled onto a side street and put the car in Park. She took a deep breath.
"Dr. Ghosh, do you know much about 'smart houses?'"
"Yes. I do a lot of consulting work for smart house design."
"In a house with smart appliances, can you control the appliances remotely?"
"That’s one of the main reasons people use smart appliances. Say you put your roast in the oven before you go to work, but it only needs to cook for a few hours. You could go online and tell the oven when to start cooking it, then have the oven keep it warm until you get home."
Ryan didn’t like the path her brain was taking as a result of this information, but she followed it anyway. "Dr. Ghosh, do your computer science students ever learn about electrical engineering?"
The professor paused. "The official name of our degree program is 'Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.' Our students complete courses in physics, mathematics, electrical engineering, and computer science."
Ryan took a deep breath and held it for a moment. She wasn’t sure she was prepared to hear the answer, but she had to ask. "Dr. Ghosh, is it possible to program a smart appliance to send a current of electricity to harm the user?"
The professor paused. "Why would you want to do that?"
"One of our faculty members was electrocuted when she tried to open her smart refrigerator this week."
There was silence on the other end of the line.
"It could be done, yes." He was speaking slowly now, like he was thinking aloud. "You can send a command to any appliance that uses electricity and is connected to your system. But in order to hurt someone, you would have to bypass or remove the safety measures."
"What do you mean?" asked Ryan.
"Everything that uses electricity could be dangerous, right?" He was in teaching mode now. "Appliances, especially those used in the home, are always designed to keep the electrical currents from reaching the people who use them."
"How hard is it to get around the safeties?"
"If a person knew how the measures were designed or how they worked, he could circumvent them."
Ryan laid her forehead on the steering wheel. She spoke softly. "Dr. Ghosh, my friend almost died this week. Is it possible that her refrigerator was pr
ogrammed to send that current?"
"Yes, it is possible."
Ryan's mind was racing in too many directions to count. Grace was in the county jail when the crime occurred, so there was still a chance Grace was not the one who hurt Teddy. Ryan rubbed the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath.
"Dr. Ghosh, would a command like that have to be sent at that exact moment it occured, or could a person program it to happen at a later time?"
"It could be programmed to occur at any time. All a programmer would need is access to the internet.”
"Like hacking into a home network?"
"Exactly."
"Dr. Ghosh, does Grace Loh have the skill to do that?"
He answered carefully. "Home networks are notoriously easy to hack. I'm quite certain that someone with a degree in computer science from MIT could do that."
Ryan thanked the professor for his time and ended the call. She leaned back against the seat and looked through her sunroof, letting everything she had learned in the past few days settle in her mind. Could Grace really have been involved in Teddy’s accident? If so, was she Cora’s murderer?
25
Ryan jerked back into the present as a car came around the corner and honked at her. Her eyes flew open and her blood started pumping again. She reached down and pressed the starter button, making the engine skip.
"It's already on, Ryan. Take it easy," she said aloud. She took a deep breath. She had to tell the detectives what she had just learned. Remembering the call she had not accepted earlier, she pressed the screen and clicked the button to contact Maddie.
"This is Detective Maddie Trainor. I'm sorry I can't take your call right now. Please leave a message and I will return your call as soon as possible. Beep.”
"Maddie, this is Ryan." Pause. "McCabe. Ryan McCabe. Maddie, I just talked with Grace's old professor from MIT. He says Grace has a talent for computers and knows how to manipulate smart appliances. I think you should talk to him. About what happened to Teddy. Please call me back."
Ryan disconnected the call and looked around to get her bearings. She was about fifteen minutes north of Maddie's office. She turned and headed south.