This is Jen. Who are you with? She texted back.
Christy: Tammy and her cousins.
Jen: OK, talk to you tomorrow. Love you.
She gave Dave his phone back and plugged hers into the charger. “We might as well get started. I’ll take code off an old tree. Then we point it to the automated test module in the current code that responds to the API calls, sends the correct messages, but doesn’t trigger anything.”
“Good thinking. We have to make them think the code works.” Dave opened his laptop on the kitchen table and attached a portable drive. “Your wireless router still works?”
“Yes, go ahead and log in.” Jen walked to the sink. “You want any water?”
“Sure.” Dave followed her, standing too close. “Jen, are we okay?”
“I’m fine.” Jen averted his gaze.
He tipped her face toward him. “Earlier today… I didn’t mean to hurt you. I helped Vera find Emily and she invited me to have lunch with them. It was Emily… she held my hand and something happened inside me. She… she trusted me and she liked me.”
Jen closed her eyes and her lips trembled. The pain in his voice reamed a hole in her chest. She couldn’t imagine how he felt.
His hands closed around her waist. “I only imagined Emily was Abby, and when Vera started flirting with me… I wanted… wanted Jocelyn back.”
His voice broke and he sniffled softly in her hair. Jen placed her hands over his to disengage herself, but he held on tighter.
“I’m not Jocelyn,” she said, more harshly than she wanted.
“I know. I don’t want you to be. I care a lot for you.”
Jen’s throat squeezed in on itself. “This isn’t going to work.”
“Why? What are you afraid of?” His question stunned her.
The pressure in her chest built, as if her heart couldn’t pump fast enough and her bra was too tight. Jen perspired, blowing air out, but the pressure spiked until she thought she’d have an aneurysm.
You. Mr. David Jewell. You.
She extracted herself from his arms. “I’m at fault for Abby’s kidnapping. You’ll never look at me without seeing that awful nanny. Never.”
He didn’t respond. No words of reassurance, a veiled expression over his face. Jen turned and sat at the table in front of the laptop.
Her fingers danced over the keyboard, but she never looked up. She logged into the build servers and worked on the phony build. The minutes ticked by. Dave paced in her living room, his steps heavy. When she handed him the laptop and hard-drive, his shoulders sagged. The haunted look in his eyes told her more than she wanted to know. She gave him the hairbrush she collected, and he stepped toward the door, his head down.
She didn’t breathe until his footsteps faded. It had to be this way.
Chapter 34
Jen peered out the window into the dark, rainy night. The apartment was too quiet without Max’s thumping tail, the clicking of his toe-nails, and his panting breath. Her phone had finished charging, and she turned it on.
Missed calls from Christy, Dave and Mrs. Walker. Jen dialed Christy.
She answered on the first ring. “Jen, why were you worried? I didn’t want to go to church with Mrs. Walker alone. Mr. Walker was sick this weekend and there’s this guy she wants to set me up with.”
“Are you back at the house?” Jen heard traffic noises on the other side.
“On my way,” Christy answered. “Anyway, I’m fine, but I got scared when you didn’t answer the phone. I texted Dave. I hope it was okay?”
“Yes, it’s fine. I was just wondering… about Sammy.”
“What about?” Christy’s voice stiffened.
“Did he tell you where he got the ring from?” Jen twisted the edge of her jacket.
“What kind of question is that?”
“Uh… well, it’s such a unique ring. Was it a family heirloom?”
“How should I know?”
“Can you ask him? His brother’s a crook. I don’t want you caught with stolen goods.”
“Oh, I get it. You’re jealous I got an engagement ring and Crazy Man hasn’t given you one.” Her voice sounded peevish. “How dare you insinuate Sammy stole the ring?”
Jen’s fist tightened. “He might not have, but I’ve seen that ring before—”
The phone line went dead. Jen hit redial, but it went to voicemail. She closed her eyes and remembered. Rodrigo had lovingly placed that ring on her finger right before he stripped her, laid her bare and seduced her. The ring hadn’t fit perfectly, so he took it back to resize it, but the design had imprinted itself in her memory—an antique silver with finely engraved filigree and a dark-blue stone set in a square collar.
She listened to Dave’s voice messages next. The dull agony in his voice twisted her emotions. He needed more help than she could give. She’d already handed over the software and the DNA samples. Monday morning, she’d go back to work and forget about him. With luck, the police would find Abby and things would go back to normal.
After a hot shower, Jen turned into bed, but sleep eluded her as raindrops rattled in the gutters.
* * *
The rain slackened into a chilly drizzle Monday morning. Jen stepped to the parking area under the apartment building. Her ankle ached from the weekend, but she refused to go back to the crutch. There had been no more calls from Mrs. Walker, so she assumed Christy had made it home after the movie. She drove toward work, yawning from her sleepless night. Praveena pulled into the lot in front of her, and Jen parked next to her.
Praveena shut her car door with a smile as wide as the Mississippi. “I won a round trip ticket anywhere in the world last night. I recruited the largest flock on Shopahol.”
Jen locked the rental. “Wow, that’s great. January’s the time to go to India, right?”
“Yes, I hope to get time off. I’ve been working nonstop for three years.”
“You must have a ton of stock. I just started six months ago. And even the small amount I have is projected to be worth a million.”
They both giggled as they pushed the door open. The charred remains of the lab were boarded up with soaked plywood, and the crater in the parking lot attracted a pair of ducks who swam and quacked in the puddle.
“It’s nine and hardly anyone’s here,” Praveena said.
“Wow, that’s unusual. I guess with Greta gone, people are slacking off.”
“I checked the logs last night,” Praveena said. “Everything’s running great. Now it’s time to work on the update. Do you think Jewell will call the bug review meeting himself or delegate?”
Jen sighed and looked out the window for Dave’s car. Of course, he had another rental, and she couldn’t remember what it was. Only that it was not a Camry. “I can’t remember where I left my laptop.”
“You must have left it in Jewell’s office. By the way, what was all the I-don’t-know-you business?” Praveena looked concerned. “You’re not being sexually harassed, are you? I heard Greta is suing on your behalf.”
“He’s not harassing me.” Jen wiped the hair from her forehead. “It’s a long story. Let’s go find Lisa.”
They walked through the lobby. Lisa’s desk was empty, and Dave’s door was closed.
Satish and Wei came around the corner.
“Hey, girl, you’re back.” Satish opened his arms. “Put it here for a hug. You saved our asses.”
He gave Jen a warm hug, his sport-scented cologne tickling her nose. “Are we having the Monday morning bug scrub, or is Jewell still sleeping at your place?”
Jen pushed back. “What was that supposed to mean?”
Satish wiggled his eyebrows. “Everyone knows you’ve been sleeping with the boss.”
“What?” Jen raised her hands in denial. “You can’t believe everything you read on OgleNet. That’s why it’s called a gossip network.”
“We’re going to move,” Wei said. His eyes blinked nervously. “The movers left boxes outside of everyone’s cub
e.”
“Oh, yeah, all except Bruce,” Satish said. “He has nothing to move because the lab burned down. Where is he, by the way?”
Jen turned to the direction of the cubicles. Sleeping with the boss. Sexual harassment lawsuit. She wasn’t quitting until she sold her stock. She’d endure the slander, but as soon as she cashed out, she’d leave the Valley and never return. At this rate, she’d have to leave by herself. Christy would want to stay for graduation and be with Sammy.
Lester was at his cubicle, packing his stuff. He lifted his head in greeting. “Hey, Jen. That virtual server stuff is really cool. Can you show me how it’s done?”
“Sure, how was it this weekend? I didn’t think we needed any builds.”
He waved a lanky arm. “Nope. Data center burned down. Greta’s fired. CEO’s busy beating people up for you. What could be better?”
“Lester, that wasn’t funny.” Jen glared at him, and his expression became serious.
“Sorry.” He shrugged. “Can you give me your notes so I can start running builds today? They got network access back for us in the cubicles, but we have no testbeds.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Jen reminded him, her voice a bit too grumpy. “But let’s go to a conference room.”
They walked to The Terminator conference room. Jen wrote the virtual server pod identities, profile settings and passwords into a notebook and handed it to Lester. Then she explained the procedures for operating the management console, showed him the build pods, the test automation image, and source code tree location.
After they finished, Jen went to her cubicle. She unlocked the file cabinet and packed a few mementos and photos—her parents’ wedding picture and their first anniversary photo with her as a baby in their arms.
She received a text message from Dave: Come to my office. I have your laptop.
Jen’s shoulders sagged, and she took a deep breath and fortified herself. It’ll be okay. Get the laptop and greet him like he’s just the boss. Hello, Mr. Jewell. Thanks, gotta get back to work. Have a nice day.
Her heart wouldn’t cooperate. It skipped and jittered like a girl jumping two ropes. She walked toward his office without meeting anyone. Lisa was absent, so Jen knocked and peeked in. Dave rubbed his jaw and tipped her a tired smile. “I sent the samples in this morning.”
“Great.” She stepped in to retrieve her laptop. He regarded her silently, like a cat sizing up a bird. She even imagined his tail twitch.
Jen unplugged the power cord and bunched it up. The phone rang and she froze, darting a glance at Dave. He held up his hand and waited.
It went to the answering machine. A computer-altered voice said, “Lover boy, your number’s up. Soon, your stock will be worthless. Admit you stole the code and give me ten million in unmarked bills and your daughter lives.”
Dave snatched the receiver. “I never stole any code, and I need another twenty-four hours. The lab wasn’t open yesterday.”
Dave’s face grew more agitated as he listened to the kidnapper.
“Absolutely not.” He slammed the receiver and stared at his desktop.
“What happened?” Jen placed the laptop on the table and went to his side. “What did he say?”
“He wants a public statement saying I stole code.” His voice broke. “What was on the memory stick you copied for Rey the night he died?”
Jen swallowed. “I pulled some code off an old branch that won’t work with our latest version.”
Dave flung his hands in the air. “Great. Just great. If he gave the code to Pearson, he can say the code originated at BuyFriend instead of on our servers. I wrote the first version myself.”
“I-I didn’t know that.” The blood drained from Jen’s head. “But what about Abby? Did he tell you where she was?”
“He didn’t say he had her.” Dave grabbed her wrist. “He said she will live. What do you think that means? Do you know something I don’t?”
Jen quailed. She needed time. Time to investigate, time to validate her theories, and time to find the memory stick. “Let me call Vera.”
“Vera?” He let her go. “What does she have to do with this?”
Jen sat at his desk and dialed. “The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced Rodrigo would never have sold Jocelyn’s baby to a stranger. It’s either her parents, or someone he knew.” Or maybe he kept her at Patty Brown’s place so he could visit. “I saw a picture of Jocelyn with one of the brothers at a junior high dance.”
She stared at the picture of Jocelyn on Dave’s desk.
“What?” Dave’s voice pierced her eardrums.
Jen waved for Dave to be quiet. She put the phone on speaker. The phone rang and Vera picked up.
“Vera, it’s Jen. Sorry I had to leave so early. I was worried about my sister.”
“Oh, no prob. Did you find her?”
“Yes, thankfully. Hey, Vera. I know this is a lot to ask, but can I come to your house to talk to you? Like right now?”
Vera yawned. “Sure, I’m working the night shift, and I have to get some shut-eye.”
“It’ll be quick. I’ll be right over.” Jen hung up before Vera had a chance to deny her.
“Who was Jocelyn dating, which one?” Dave tugged her shoulder.
“I don’t know. It was during junior high when she wasn’t talking to me.”
He grabbed his keys. “Guess it doesn’t matter now. I have to ask Claire for the money, just in case.”
Jen tucked her laptop into her backpack and rushed out of his office without looking back. How could she compete with Claire? Rich, fashionable and sophisticated. Or Melissa: Bohemian, gorgeous and also rich. Or Vera: petite, pretty, and an awesome cook.
She bit her lip, tasting blood. Why should she care? Only one snag; she loved him.
* * *
Jen sped down the expressway and parked behind a gleaming black pickup. Hoping Vera hadn’t left for work, she rang the doorbell.
Vera invited her in. “I forgot to give you the things I found in Rey’s room. Is your sister all right?”
“She’s fine.” Jen stepped in. “I’m sorry to bother you, but can I see Emily’s birth certificate?”
“Why?”
“It may be nothing, but I need to know who Emily’s mother is. Did she always live with you?”
A male voice shouted from one of the bedrooms. “Who’s there?”
“Mama’s goddaughter coming to borrow a recipe.” Vera tied her robe and gestured for Jen to follow her to the back room.
“Okay, you don’t mind if I let myself out?” the man called back.
“No, sweetkins, we’ll be in here a while. Don’t forget to pick up Emily this afternoon.”
Once she shepherded Jen into Lola’s room, Vera tugged her arm. “What’s going on?”
Jen’s stomach churned for a lie, a plausible one. “Rey told me he was having problems with Emily’s mother. And there’s been a crazy woman emailing me saying I stole Rey from her. But I don’t know if she’s lying or not.”
Vera pulled a box out of the dusty closet. “I wasn’t around when she dropped Emily off. My mother was here. She said some white woman rang the bell. When she opened the door, she found Emily sitting in a car seat. She caught the back of the woman running away. The note said the baby was Rey’s and the birth certificate came with it. Ah… here it is.”
Vera stared at it and gave it to Jen. The father was listed as Rey Custodio and the mother Patricia Brown. A flush of cold sweat prickled Jen’s skin. Patty Brown! Alex’s mother, the woman with the little girl at her apartment. But if Emily was Rey and Patty’s baby, who would that girl be? Could she be Abby?
“Did Lola describe her?” Jen asked.
Vera shook her head. “Not well. Long, frizzy brown hair. Could be anyone, I guess. Common name, too.”
Sounded like Melissa Bowers, but that would be too crazy… unless Rey blackmailed her for sleeping with him, and she ditched the baby and put a fake name on the birth certificat
e.
“Can you make me a copy?” Jen asked.
“I’m not sure why you need it.” Vera stifled a yawn. “As far as I know, Emily’s mother is out of the picture. Rey had no contact with her.”
“I have to show it to my lawyer to get a restraining order,” Jen lied.
“Okay, whatever.” Vera took the certificate. “Put these boxes back while I scan it.”
Jen rearranged the boxes and piles of paper. A pink envelope caught her eye—addressed to Jennifer Cruz. She was about to open it when Vera approached the room, so she shoved the envelope into her jacket.
Vera handed her the Victoria’s Secret bag and a packet of photos. “Some photos of you and Rod. Oh, and Dave left a message asking me to give you the bag he left at the mall. How come you acted like you didn’t know him?”
“Don’t believe everything you read on the internet, okay? Thanks.”
They kissed on both cheeks, and Jen ran for the privacy of the rental car.
* * *
Jen pulled out a single sheet of stationery from the pink envelope. She unfolded it and traced a finger over Rodrigo’s elegant handwriting. Her eyes misted.
Dear Jennifer, I can’t explain why I had to break it off. I’m not mad at you, and I’m sorry you lost your baby. I wish I could have held your hand. Love, Rod. A sticker of two teddy bears and a heart between them sat above his signature.
Tears flooded through Jen’s fingers, and she rested her head on the steering wheel. Her baby. Like she alone was responsible. The ache in her heart expanded and contracted. No one loved or cared about her, no matter how much she gave, how hard she tried.
Her phone rang and displayed an unknown number. Jen hurriedly wiped her tears and took a stabilizing breath.
“Hi, I’m Mrs. Sanders, Christy’s homeroom and English teacher. Do you know where Christy is?”
“Uh, she’s not at school?”
“No, no one called in and when I called Mrs. Walker, there was no answer. Did you know she was scheduled to go before the student court for plagiarism?”
“What?” Alarm bells clamored in Jen’s mind. Christy was cutting school again. Great.
“I’m still doing a literature search, but I don’t believe your sister has the poetic experience to write such a dark poem. She always struck me as a popular, light-hearted girl. And this poem was written from the point of view of a man whose lover had died.”
Broken Build: Silicon Valley Romantic Suspense Page 28