The Love Algorithm - Vol. III

【61】Insane Idea

With a sigh of defeat, I leaned back into my chair, then changed my mind when the metal bent in a way that didn't feel like it should. "She won't do it," I told Lex. "I don't think money will be an incentive good enough if the alternative is losing her family."

"Maybe she still has some information that could be of value. Ask her if she knows where Becker keeps that computer."

"Good idea." I took my phone out of my pocket and went to my recent images to do just that.

After learning about a secret computer we hadn't thought existed, we'd scrupulously examined all the footage we had from Becker's security system, to see if the device had ever been captured. There were only three instances of it, where Becker brought it upstairs for a few hours, and then back downstairs. We'd spent hours looking for the exact model, with only the poor quality images to help us. We were pretty sure we'd found it.

"[Do you know where he keeps this laptop?]" I asked her, showing her the picture on my phone. She studied the image for a moment, coming closer to the screen, and eventually shook her head.

"[No, I've never seen this one before. Are you sure the information you have is right?]" Well, I wasn't telling her we'd seen it with our own eyes thanks to our access to the video surveillance, but I nodded with assurance. "[Well, sorry. I'm not sure where this one could be.]"

A few minutes of silence followed as we reflected on things, slowly finishing our cooled-down beverages. So, after everything, this was a bust. Ana-Lucía wouldn't be our solution to get to the laptop, but I wasn't blaming her for it. Some things were more important than money, and I sympathized with her worries. There was indeed a risk of her getting caught, and I would feel terrible if she was sent back to Colombia, away from her family.

We could try to reach out to another of the maids, but wouldn't their answer be the same? It was our understanding that nearly all of them had a family to take care of, so they would have the same reaction as Ana-Lucía. And regardless of that, we couldn't go to too many people with this. At some point, one of them might tell Becker about what we were trying to do, and from then, we'd lose.

Which reminded me we had to make sure Ana-Lucía wouldn't speak of this.

"[I'm sorry we bothered you for nothing,]" I apologized with a wince. "[Becker is being smart, and we are trying to take him down ourselves because the justice system won't. They don't care about a few abused women, but we do. I know you owe us nothing, but will you please not speak of this to him or anyone?]"

"[I have always had a bad feeling about that man,]" she confessed. "[When I started working there, eight months ago, there was this really stunning girl working there as well. She was from Colombia too, so we sympathized. She was much younger than me, barely older than my daughter, but we still became friends. One day, she told me she was uncomfortable with the way Mr. Becker looked at her – like he wanted something from her. And I started noticing it too, the way his eyes would linger on her. I even remember witnessing him touching her chest. I did nothing because I didn't want any problem, but she was growing more and more uncomfortable.]"

Ana-Lucía checked on her coffee to give herself composure, only to remember the cup was empty. "[And then one day, a month after I'd started, she stopped coming. I haven't heard from her since. Do you think he could have done something to her and sent her back to Colombia?]"

Unsure what to say at first, I remained silent, wondering just how many women could Becker have hurt in the course of his life? When Lex elbowed me slightly, I remember to translate what she'd just told me, so he could understand the gravity of it.

"[I'm not sure, Ana-Lucía... Maybe we'll have answers for you if we get our hands on the laptop. Maybe there will be something in it about your friend.]"