Covert Coffee (The Serena Wilcox Dystopian Trilogy Book 2)

Covert Coffee Chapter 6

6

Serena could get used to working in the secret Superman computer lab. She had coffee, yogurt, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Bugles for breakfast; enjoyed a two-hour-long video chat with Tom and the kids after Nicholas got them connected (while Estep was away and unaware); and sank herself into a deep leather chair behind the luxury metallic-blue computer model of the future.

Serena laughed, a sound that Nicholas responded to by rotating his chair a few degrees via the wireless digital controls on his computer screen.

“Are these Town Hall messages always this nutty?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I didn’t read them,” said Nicholas, disappointed that Serena’s laugh wasn’t a response from a joke, funny video, or anything else that might interest him. He rotated his chair back to its position in front of his own machine.

Serena was nearly finished reading through the hundreds of Town Hall messages. While President Kinji only received a cross section of messages, Serena had been given every message that had been submitted during the 24 hour period in question. Highlighted were the messages that Kinji had seen, and Serena suspected that those were the ones she should be focusing on. Because, whatever was going on, wouldn’t the person or persons involved have found a way to get their message through? After all, they had become a serious threat of some kind. If their message, or messages, had hit the slush pile, never seen by Ann or her core people, would Serena be here right now? She thought not. She puzzled it out now, talking to herself. Nicholas glanced her way a few times, frowned, and looked away. Apparently Serena was throwing off his mojo.

“Nicholas? How do I use this bug reader scanner thing again?” Serena smiled sweetly. She rummaged in her purse for a pack of watermelon flavored gum that she had been saving for an emergency Tooth Fairy present for Rosie. She found the gum and kept it hidden inside her hand, her hand still in her purse.

Nicholas demonstrated the scanner again. As he turned back to his own work Serena tapped him on the shoulder and presented him with the pack of gum. Nicholas grinned. “Thanks!”

Yes, Serena could get used to working in this lab. Kids were so much easier to work with than adults. Just think; she could come to work with her purse loaded for bear: yo-yos, harmonicas, candy, and gag toys. Co-worker problems solved instantly. Nicholas was in a mellow mood now, smacking away at his new bubble gum. He had an entire pack of gum to himself; big smile, sunny attitude, problem solved.

Serena wished a pack of gum would work on Estep and grinned at the thought. She didn’t smile for long though, what she heard on the fingernail bug was disturbing. She knew this voice to be Lora’s – the woman who had planted the bug and was then promptly murdered.

Listening to Lora’s voice nagged at Serena’s conscience. Isn’t this a violation of privacy, a disrespect of the dead? And yet, if I can help find her killer the end justifies the means.

Serena prepared herself for a heavy session of investigation by visualizing her ears hard-wired to her brain so that she could have total recall of the information later. But since that memory trick didn’t always work, she also took notes via computer keyboard. She increased the volume, pulled the file back to the starting position, and listened to the recording from the beginning:

First was the sound of a chair scraping across the floor and then a male voice said, “Do you know why you are here?”

A female voice that Serena knew belonged to Lora said, full of sarcasm: “The President wants to have me to dinner?”

The male voice, sounding flat and unemotional, said: “Is that your final answer?”

Serena stopped the recording. “Nicholas, who is the agent questioning Lora?”