Page 68 of Dirty Valentine
“Hello, Margot,” I said, unable to suppress a smile.“Keeping Doug company?”
“Someone has to ensure he maintains basic nutritional requirements,” she replied.“He has consumed nothing but refined carbohydrates and caffeine for the past six hours.”
Doug grabbed another handful of pretzels from the bag beside him.“What’s up?Finals week was brutal, but I survived.”
“How’d you do?”I asked, moving some of his debris to make room on the couch.
“Advanced Cryptography was a breeze,” he said, trying to sound casual but unable to hide his pride.“Professor said my approach to the Byzantine Generals Problem was unconventional but brilliant.Turned in my master’s thesis on quantum encryption this morning.I hate writing papers.Zeros and ones are so much more reliable than the English language.”
“Great job, Doug,” Jack said, though his eyes were already scanning the multiple monitors displaying what looked like genealogical databases and courthouse records.
“I’m pretty pumped,” he said.“I’ve had about five hours of sleep all week, so I’m working off adrenaline.Missed you guys, but I needed some peace and quiet to study.Y’all have too much company over here and Mom is hardly ever home.I think I cramped her style though with her new boyfriend.She kept asking when I was going back to your house.”
I tried to keep my face blank so my anger wouldn’t show, but I glanced at Jack and saw the corners of his mouth tighten subtly.Doug’s mom had never known what to do with a kid as special and unique as he was, and she’d been almost relieved when he’d gotten busted by the FBI for hacking into databases he had no business being in.Doug’s Uncle Ben, who also happened to be Jack’s best friend, had gotten the kid back on the straight and narrow.And Doug had come to live with us.I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
“Speaking of company, did you know Sheldon’s living in the room across from mine?I almost karate chopped him when I came in.He was just standing in the doorway like a weirdo.I think he ate all your food so I put in a grocery order.”
“He’s still upstairs now?”I asked, brows raised.
“Yep,” Doug said.“He’s looking paler that usual.I told him he looked like he’d seen a ghost, but he just blinked at me like he does and closed his bedroom door.”
Jack pointed at the screens and said, “Do I want to know what you’re doing?”
“Monitoring your investigation,” Doug said, his expression shifting from casual to focused.“Margot’s been helping me analyze data patterns.Someone’s been accessing sealed Colonial records through the courthouse system for months.”
“The access patterns are quite sophisticated,” Margot interjected.“Whoever is conducting these searches demonstrates advanced knowledge of database architecture and historical record-keeping.”
Jack’s expression darkened.“Doug, please tell me you’re not hacking into restricted courthouse systems.”
“I’m not hacking,” Doug said quickly.“I’m analyzing metadata patterns from legitimate access logs.Big difference.”
“The difference being what, exactly?”Jack asked.
“Hacking implies unauthorized intrusion.I’m simply observing digital footprints that are technically visible to anyone with appropriate analytical software,” Doug said.
“Your federal consulting agreement covers this?”I asked.
“Cybersecurity threat assessment,” Doug confirmed.“Which this definitely qualifies as.”His phone buzzed before Jack could respond.“Oh, and speaking of threats—Blackwood’s lawyer just got him released.Traffic cameras confirmed his alibi.”
Jack’s jaw tightened.“Well, we knew that was coming.”
“I need coffee,” I said, heading for the little bar area.“Anyone else?”
“Always,” Jack said.“But I’ll make it.I don’t want to be poisoned tonight.”
“Can you toss me another soda from the fridge?”Doug asked.“I gotta keep the neurons snapping.”
While Jack brewed coffee, he explained our timeline while Doug’s fingers never stopped moving across his keyboards.Jack handed me a cup and I saw it was tea instead of coffee.I narrowed my eyes at the deception, but decided to let it pass.This time.I’d needed the coffee.I was falling asleep standing up.
“Let’s walk through what we know,” Jack said, settling into his chair with his coffee.“Three murders, one attempted.All connected to families from the 1725 witch trials.”
“But not random descendants,” I said, curling up on the couch with my tea.“Thomas Whitman was actively researching the land fraud.Victoria Mills was asking questions about her family’s involvement.Margaret Randolph knew about Thomas’s work and tried to warn him off.”
“And Judith Hughes received those letters, was specifically targeted,” Jack added.
Doug pulled up crime-scene photos on his largest monitor.“The staging is sophisticated.Whoever’s doing this understands not just the history, but the symbolism.The positioning of Thomas’s body, the carved messages, the books arranged around Margaret—it’s theatrical.”
“Someone who thinks in scenes,” I said.“Someone who wants to tell a story.”
