“First off, there is something we can do. Second, I backed Absolom Two because I had to.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s futile to fight the future.”
Those words gave Adeline pause. “What do you mean by that?”
“You’ll see. In time. For now, we need to talk about how we get your father back.”
“I’m all ears.”
“When are you going back to college?”
“I’m not. I already emailed my advisor and told her I couldn’t make up the classes I’ve missed. Or take final exams. They expect me in the fall, but I’m not going.”
Daniele nodded.
“Are you going to talk me out of it?”
“No. You being here will make our work easier.”
That surprised Adeline.
“What work?”
“There are places you can go that I can’t. Questions you can ask that I can’t. And now is the time.”
“Time to do what?”
“First, I’m going to get you an internship at Absolom Sciences. But it’s the other part of the plan that’s more important now.”
When Daniele had detailed what she wanted Adeline to do, the younger woman sat there, stunned. It was brilliant. And it might work.
“One last thing,” Daniele said.
Adeline raised an eyebrow.
“Your father trusted me. I’m asking you to trust me. If you don’t, our chances of getting him back are zero. I know how lonely you feel right now. How betrayed you feel, like the world isn’t fair. You feel helpless and angry and determined all at the same time. If you give me time, I’ll show you a way to set all this right.”
*
Upstairs, in her bedroom, Adeline considered what Daniele had said. She wanted to trust the woman. She needed someone to trust, to talk with, to be there in case she was caught doing what she was about to do.
But deep down, Adeline sensed that there was something off about Daniele. Try as she might, Adeline couldn’t put her finger on it.
She had to admit, however, that Daniele’s plan was good. It might actually work.
She took out her laptop and composed an email.
Dear Constance, I’m doing therapy to help me deal with my father’s departure.
I don’t know if you’d be open to it, but my therapist suggested I spend time with the people who knew him best, to talk about him and get to know the side of him I never saw. She thinks it will help.
I understand if you don’t want to participate, but I know you were important to him.
- Adeline The next morning, a response was waiting in Adeline’s inbox.
My dear girl, of course. Anything you need is yours.
Where and when?
—— Connie Adeline typed out a quick response:
Thank you!
Today if possible. If not, I can make any time work.
I really want to get out of Daniele’s house. I can’t go back to mine for… reasons.
Can we meet at your place?
Adeline chewed a nail as she hit send.
At breakfast, she told Daniele the news.
“Good.”
“What if she doesn’t want to meet at her place?” Adeline asked.
“She will. Trust me.”
Daniele led Adeline to the basement, into a room with a hard rubber floor and a stack of free weights gathering dust in the corner. It had been designed as a home gym, but it seemed Daniele had never filled it with equipment. Or used it much.
It was, however, full of boxes. Daniele opened the closest one and drew out several bubble-wrapped items: picture frames, soap dishes, a small decorative plate, and a painted porcelain figurine of Adeline’s father. Seeing the physical likeness of him sent a sharp stab of sadness through Adeline, as if she had been walking around the basement in the dark and stepped on a nail with her bare feet.
Daniele drew a laptop out of a carrying case, booted it, and opened the surveillance software. One by one, she activated the frames and figurine and soap dishes and tested them to make sure the audio and video came through clearly.
“When did you order all this?” Adeline asked.
“The day he told me he was going to confess.”
Adeline picked up the items and studied them, looking for the tiny cameras and microphones. It took her a while to find them, but she did. She wondered if Constance would realize she had made the swap.
“So we’re really doing this?” Adeline said, still studying the surveillance items.
“We really are. The frames match the ones in Connie’s house exactly, but you’ll have to switch the pictures out. You’ll have to do it quickly.”