The Apple of My Eye

by Mary Ellen Bramwell

  My eyes swept our bedroom again, but nothing stood out to me. I moved to Paul’s dresser, frantically pulling out his drawers one after the other, searching behind and beneath clothes. By the time I reached the last drawer, I was pulling clothes out and shaking them before dropping them into a pile in the middle of the floor.

  Irrational and panicked by now, I wasn’t even sure where to look next. The clothes on the floor made me think of our walk-in-closet, so I moved to try that next.

  As I flipped on the switch in our closet, our small wall safe came into view. Paul had thought it was a good idea to install it when we bought the house, while I had thought it was a waste of money. But Paul convinced me with talk of the jewelry he would buy me over the years. He’d only had time to buy me a few pieces. They were securely tucked away in the safe for the parties we had yet to attend.

  I pushed clothes aside, bringing the safe into full view. It had been so long since I had opened it that I had to stop and think about the combination. I needed to try a couple sets of numbers before I got it right. When the door slid open, I was disappointed to see only my jewelry cases inside. I slammed the door in frustration, but it only bounced back open as if to taunt me. I looked at the contents in front of me again, feeling defeated on every hand. Only then did I notice something I hadn’t before. One of my jewelry cases was perched at an odd angle, as if it were sitting on top of something else.

  I tentatively reached inside and picked up the case. Underneath it, in the far corner of the safe, was Paul’s small USB flash drive.

  Curious yet nervous, I pulled it out. Leaving the safe open, I returned to Paul’s sitting room office, bringing the flash drive with me. I turned Paul’s computer on and after booting it up, I inserted the drive. It contained only two files. I opened the first and immediately recognized it as a computer program. There were no comments to guide me through what it did; I would have to step my way through it line by line. I minimized that window for future perusal and opened the second.

  It was a JPEG file. Opening it revealed schematic drawings, but very little was labeled. It was not at all apparent what the drawings were meant to be. They looked like technical specs. The only labels were numbers. I couldn’t tell if they were part numbers or maybe measurements or coded id numbers. I sent the drawings to our printer so I could look at them more closely.

  It was only as I went down to my office to retrieve the print outs that I realized the printer had been left behind by the intruders, as if I needed any further proof that they were looking for something specific.

  There were four pages of specs. Looking at them in print didn’t help me understand them any better. Clearly the item was of rectangular shape, almost brick like. Unfortunately, that didn’t narrow down the possibilities much.

  I tried to think of some way to search the internet for something to match this, but there just wasn’t anything I could pick out that was unique enough to key in on for a search. Even after showing it to my parents and Amy, who was now awake, we were nowhere closer to an answer.

  When Amy agreed that an internet search would be pointless, I remembered the other file. The drawing of the mysterious box had so intrigued me that I had forgotten about the program on the screen upstairs. I remembered it at the same moment we heard Noah stir. The program could wait; I wanted to hold my son.

  PROGRAMMING MYSTERIES

  It wasn’t until after Noah went to bed that night that I had time to focus on the computer program. Once I told them about it, Amy and my parents had both offered to play with Noah while I concentrated on it, but I wanted to celebrate the return of Amy and enjoy our little gathering. It was a little peace amid the storm.

  When at last Amy had gone and Noah was nestled in his bed, I crept downstairs, taking the laptop and thumb drive with me. I settled on the couch in the great room with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk by my side. I knew the treats seemed incongruous with the task at hand, but that was exactly the point. I wanted the comfort of milk and cookies to see me through whatever I might find.

  As I started to study the code, I began to learn a few things. First, this was not a complete program. It was meant to be part of something else. This was simply a function that performed one task as part of a bigger application. Without the other information it was difficult to understand what role different variables played. None of the variables even had names that helped to identify what they were. I could tell that most of the variables were defined as numbers, but they didn’t include any decimal digits, so it’s unlikely the numbers were related to money. A couple of variables held dates, but that wasn’t unusual so it didn’t tell me much.

  I analyzed the code from different perspectives, making certain assumptions and checking to see where those assumptions would lead. None of my ideas shed any light on the situation.

  After several hours of analysis, I had an understanding of only a few things. The function appeared to be called or used when something went wrong, because it was designed to return an error message, with information about what was causing the error. Beyond that, the only thing I could determine is that the error had something to do with duplicate entries. This seemed straightforward. I couldn’t understand why it was in our safe.

  Puzzling over what this app was about and why Paul had written it reminded me of Professor Haynesworth’s stories. Paul had sold a couple of apps before, so I wondered if this was something he was going to try to sell also.

  Other than what I had learned already, I wasn’t sure what to do with the program in front of me. I decided to return it to the safe from which it had come until I could gain more of an understanding of what it was all about.

  As I gathered up Paul’s computer, I caught a glimpse of the night outside my window. It was pitch dark outside. So many things had taken place in the middle of the night lately. I looked out the window and shivered. Darkness engulfed my heart. Why couldn’t we see things in the dark? I wished I could just be a nocturnal animal for a moment so I could see into the night. Even if I could be assured of the dawn it would free my heart from the hold the night had upon it.

  As these thoughts swirled in my head, I saw a light go on upstairs and heard the pad of my father’s footsteps. I would welcome his company.

  “Dad, what are you doing up?”

  “Looking after you. Are you going to stay up much longer? I thought you might like a blanket or a cup of tea.”

  “Thanks, Dad. I’m going to call it a night. I’ve figured out all I can for now.”

  “Then I will be your shining knight and see you safely upstairs.”

  “Thank you, Sir Knight. I would appreciate that.”

  Once again he waited while I got ready for bed, which tonight included returning the thumb drive to the safe along with the print outs and moving shirts in front of the safe to hide it. I was relieved to put it all away, even if just for the evening.

  “Good night, Dad, and thanks for everything.”

  “Good night, Brea. I love you,” were the last words I heard before falling fast asleep.

  WEEKEND PLANS

  I awoke Sunday morning to the sound of a myriad of voices downstairs. I lay in bed listening, but I couldn’t make out the words, only that the sounds were happy. I looked at my clock and was surprised to see it was almost noon. Hastily throwing on some clothes, I descended the stairs.

  What greeted me was a happy Noah surrounded by both grandparents, Martha, and Amy. They all heard my approach and turned to look at me. Their expressions all bore the same message in one form or another, “This is life as it should be.” I had to smile in agreement. I didn’t know exactly who had convened this group or if it had happened all on its own, but it was definitely “as it should be.”

  I slipped in
to the kitchen to grab a banana while I watched my parents and friends dote on my son. Maybe I really couldn’t do this on my own, but thankfully, it was becoming clear that I didn’t have to, nor should I.

  Eventually Dad joined me in the kitchen, scrounging for some lunch for the crowd in the adjacent room, or at least that was his excuse. “So what did you learn last night? You were at it for quite some time.”

  “I’m not sure. That seems to be the problem with all of this; it doesn’t make sense. I looked over Paul’s program last night, and while I understand the basics of what it does, I don’t know the point of the whole thing. I wonder if it’s part of an app he was getting ready to sell. It isn’t a complete program by itself, but it looks like it will fit in with something else. Although I don’t know what that other part is either.”

  “So, where do you go from here?”

  “I was thinking about trying to track down more information about the apps Paul sold when he was in school. Maybe that will help explain what I found.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “I hope so. I thought I would start by calling Professor Haynesworth to see if he knows anything.”

  “Okay. Go ahead and do it. Noah is fine. If anything we’re fighting over him, so no worries there, okay,” he said with a smile.

  “Thanks, Dad.” Then without any words of protest, I retreated to my office to make a phone call.

  . . .

  Alaina answered the phone on the first ring. “Haynesworth House,” she answered, as if it were a great English manor house.

  “Hi, Alaina. This is Brea. Is the Professor home?”

  “Yes, he is. I’ll get him for you.”

  It was only a moment later when I heard the cheerful sound of Haynesworth’s voice. “Brea, dear, what can I do for you?”

  “I’ve found a program Paul wrote, and I’m wondering if it’s part of an app he was getting ready to sell. Do you know any more about the apps he sold before, like who he sold them to?”

  “I don’t, but give me a couple of hours and I’ll see what I can learn. If you haven’t heard from me by dinner time, give me a call.” He often made comments like that, as if he really were an absent-minded professor, but I had yet to have him disappoint me or see him lose his focus. I think he just liked the image of being an eccentric old man, so we all humored him.

  “I will definitely do that. Thank you for your help.”

  “No trouble at all, especially not for you, child.”

  . . .

  I sat at my desk after hanging up wondering what was next. I began to write out my thoughts on the pad of paper in front of me. I wrote the name, “Alex,” in big bold letters across the top. What did he have to do with any of this, if anything? Was he more than simply a friend of Paul’s? Was something odd going on in his life or were my anxieties playing tricks on me? Either way, I didn’t feel like I had learned all I could about that angle yet. For all I knew, it wasn’t relevant to what Paul was doing instead of going to work, but it was one of the few avenues I had open to explore.

  I was surprised to notice that I had jotted further, “Paul – app?” My brain was having a hard time adjusting to the slow nature of investigating and learning. Just like me, it craved answers that appeared elusive.

  While I was waiting to hear back from Professor Haynesworth, maybe I could learn something more about Alex. Since I knew where he worked, I picked up my phone again and called the hotel.

  When the phone was answered, I asked for either Anna or George. Before long, Anna was on the other end. “Brea, it’s good to hear from you again. What can I help you with?”

  “Anna, I was wondering if you could tell me anything about Alex Roberts?”

  “Um, sure,” she hesitated. Clearly, she wasn’t expecting that question. “What do you want to know?”

  “I’m not sure. Is he a good employee? Was he friends with my husband? How does he strike you as a person?”

  “Well, he was a fine employee. As an employer I’m not allowed by law to go into detail, but I’ll just say I had no complaints.”

  “Was? He doesn’t work there anymore?”

  “No, he quit about six months ago or so. He had been gone a few months when Paul took his leave.”

  “Can you tell me why he quit?”

  “Legally, I can’t, but I couldn’t anyway. He never gave a reason.”

  I wasn’t sure what to make of that. The bottom line is it didn’t mean anything, which just disappointed me.

  Anna broke into my thoughts. “And to answer your other question, Paul and Alex got along fine. They often grabbed lunch together. I seem to remember that they could easily get lost in conversation. Other than that, I’m sorry, I can’t tell you much.”

  “No, that’s okay. What did he do at the hotel? I understood he was a maintenance man?”

  “Yes, that’s what he did. It meant he had his finger in everything. He had a basic working knowledge of most things in the hotel but not expertise particularly in any of it. You always have to know when to fix something yourself and when to call in an expert. He was pretty good at that.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Does that help?” Anna asked.

  I wondered if there was a note in her voice of fishing for what I was looking for exactly. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t tell her. I was fishing for it myself. “I’m not sure if it does or not, to be honest, but I appreciate your help all the same.”

  I hung up the phone and realized with a sigh that I was back in the position of waiting to hear from the professor. Once this quest had begun, patience had not been my strong suit. I figured I was going to have to keep myself busy to stay sane. At least I had the perfect crew in the next room to help me do that.

  . . .

  A few hours later found the adults gathered around a movie while Noah napped upstairs. Before it was over, I had started snoring, sprawled out on the floor. I couldn’t say how the movie ended, and I’m not sure if anyone else could either gauging by the glazed looks in their eyes when I finally awoke, but it had served its purpose.

  My phone rang a few minutes later. It was Haynesworth.

  “What did you learn?” I eagerly asked.

  “Well, the contest was organized by Dr. Jon Howard. He arranged the business contacts who were willing to consider the winning app for possible purchase. Also, you’re in luck, because he said that one of them, the one who eventually bought Paul’s winning app and another app later, will be on campus tomorrow for a recruiting visit. Would you like to meet him?”

  “Yes! That would be fantastic.”

  “I thought that’s what you’d say, so I set up a time for you to meet him. Can you do three o’clock on Monday afternoon?”

  “Sure. Just tell me where, and I’ll be there.” I got the details from him before hanging up and returning to my family and other friends.

  Once I told them of my plans, Amy was the first to speak. “I’m taking tomorrow afternoon off work, and I’m going with you to the university.”

  I smiled, admitting to myself that I had known all along she would go with me. It was pointless to refuse, and additionally, I knew that I didn’t want to.

  The rest of the day passed quickly as everyone sensed my impatience and took turns keeping me occupied. Even Noah looked at me with imploring eyes, as if to say, “Everything will be okay.”

  NIGHTMARES COME TRUE

  I awoke Monday morning with a sudden start. It felt like that fateful night when I couldn’t breathe. Only now, my breathing was fast and irregular. Had I been dreaming or were there actual dangers lurking nearby? I sat up at once, still breathing errati
cally, but aware of every sound around me. I could hear nothing but the sound of my own breathing panting in my ears.

  What had awakened me? I hadn’t been roused from sleep when someone broke into my house, why now? Still no other sound was evident. I consciously worked to calm my breathing, if for no other reason than to be able to hear sounds beyond myself.

  Noah’s baby monitor sat near my bed. Sounds of his soft breathing were just audible, but that was a comforting sound, not disturbing in the least. I eased myself out of bed to explore my surroundings, listening for any noise that was out of place as I did so.

  Fifteen minutes later, I had completed a very thorough walk-through of the house. Nothing was amiss. Was I going crazy? I collapsed onto the sofa in the great room. Exhaustion overtook me, and I slumped over and fell back asleep.

  . . .

  I awoke at dawn when my mother came down from upstairs. The sight of me caught her off guard. “Brea, I didn’t know you were here. I’m sorry I woke you. Did you sleep here all night?”

  “No, Mom. I woke up in the middle of the night and came down here. You didn’t by chance hear anything in the night, did you?”

  “No, I didn’t. Why? Did you?”

  “I don’t know if I did, but something seemed to wake me.” I wasn’t sure how to describe exactly what woke me, because I wasn’t sure myself. Maybe it really was just a bad dream. “Oh well, I’m fine now. Would you like some breakfast since we’re both up? I’ll cook.”

  Mom started to protest and then thought better of it. “Sure, that would be great. Who knows how soon Noah will be up? We might as well enjoy some time to ourselves while we can.”