“Oh my God!” I squealed. “Sebastian, type ‘How did you know we were here?’”

“Type it yourself,” he said, scootching back his chair so I could get to the keyboard.

Suddenly the cursor moved. No need to type, I can hear you just fine.

I stared at the screen, then at Sebastian. “What the hell?! How can she hear us?!”

After we talk, you guys really need to deactivate the built-in camera in the monitor.

I looked at the monitor. Sure enough, there was a small pinhole lens at the top of it.

“You didn’t make sure people couldn’t hack in?!” I yelled at Sebastian.

“We’re on a secure network!” Sebastian snapped back.

Obviously not.

“Why can’t we see you on the screen, then?” Sebastian asked, annoyed. He was not happy having someone suggest he hadn’t done his job properly.

If you’re contacting me for any of the reasons I THINK you’re contacting me, I’d like to keep my location private, which is harder to do with a video feed out.

“We’re not trying to keep our location private,” Sebastian protested.

Yes, well, I’m apparently a little more concerned about my online safety than you are.

While Sebastian got more irritated, I got more concerned. “Oh my God… if Eve could get in, Miranda could have paid somebody to hack us…”

Yup.

Sebastian squinted his eyes suspiciously at the computer monitor. “How did you just happen to get online when Lily walked in?”

I didn’t. I’ve been watching you for the last 30 minutes.

Sebastian’s eyes widened. “You were spying on me?! Why didn’t you say something?!”

I don’t know you. I know Lily. So I waited to see if you’d give something away, in case you weren’t the person you said you were.

Bert waved his hands to attract our attention. “Can you verify that whoever’s on the other end is this Eve person?”

The cursor suddenly went wild with question marks.

Who’s that?????

I was confused for a second, but then I realized that she couldn’t see him. Bert was standing on the other side of the desk. Eve had just heard his voice for the first time, that was all.

“It’s – ” I started, but Bert interrupted me from the other side of the desk.

“Shhh!” he said, raising his finger to his lip. “Not until you confirm it’s the person you think it is!”

He’s actually right, the cursor typed. Here’s the proof: Grant and I broke in through your bedroom wall, through the sheetrock.

“It’s Eve,” I said. “Nobody else knows what she just wrote.”

“Fine,” Bert grumbled.

So who is he?

“Connor’s lawyer,” I answered.

What kind of lawyer?

“Defense attorney. Connor’s in jail.”

Oh my God – what happened?! Was it because of us?!

“No, no,” I said, and looked at Sebastian. “Didn’t you explain in the email?”

“I didn’t know who this ‘Eve’ person was,” he snapped. “And I didn’t feel safe broadcasting any details.”

And you asked why I didn’t announce myself to YOU?

Sebastian glowered at the screen as I quickly gave Eve the rundown.

After I had explained everything, the cursor typed, I’m so sorry. What can I do?

“A lot. But what we’re asking for isn’t going to be completely… legal.”

Then you came to the right place.

“I don’t want you to get in trouble, though.”

The screen suddenly filled with Hahahaha’s that scrolled all the way down for about 20 lines. Then –

Considering what Grant was accused of, this is nothing – and I was technically his accomplice. Plus, you DO remember what you did for me and Grant, right?

“Yeah, but – ”

No ‘buts.’ It’s the least I can do. What do you need?

“First we need to find where Mr. Templeton’s phone is. Can you do that?”

Probably. If it hasn’t been completely destroyed.

“What if it’s off?”

If the NSA can do it – which they can – then I can do it. What’s the number?

Sebastian rattled off ten digits.

“If we can prove Mr. Templeton’s cell phone is in Miranda’s possession, we could prove she’s behind the murder!” I said.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Sebastian said. “She’s far too smart for that.”

“Why can’t you just let me dream?” I said crabbily.

What else?

I thought for a minute. “Anything you can find on Miranda would be great. I mean, the underground stuff, not like ‘she just got married to Connor’s brother’ newspaper articles.”

Okay.

Sebastian looked at me with thinly veiled contempt. “Lily, the woman’s a multi, multi-millionaire, not to mention she just married into a billionaire family. She has unlimited resources. She has hundreds of shell corporations across the globe. She’s shown in the past that she covers her tracks incredibly well. There’s no way this Eve woman could – ”

I just found a document with all your research on Miranda, the cursor typed. It’s dated May 15th – is that the most recent update?

“What?!” Sebastian yelped.

It was on your hard drive. Not bad – looks like a good starting point.

“A good starting point?!” Sebastian ranted. “That report represents twelve months worth of private investigative and forensic accounting work!”

Oh. Well, I hope you didn’t pay too much for it.

“Didn’t pay too much for it – !”

“Now do you think she might be able to help?” I asked, barely able to suppress a smile.

Sebastian grumbled and settled back in the chair.

“Have we heard from Johnny yet?” I asked Sebastian.

“No.”

Is that the Johnny I met when Grant and I ‘dropped in’?

“Yeah – he’s out following up some leads,” I said. Then I turned to Sebastian. “Text him and see if he needs any information.”

“See if she can find something on the limo driver and the bodyguards in the police report,” Bert suggested.

“Oh yeah, that’s good,” I agreed. “Hey, Eve – what were their names again, Bert?”

If you have the police report number, that would be easier, Eve suggested.

A little flustered, Bert read the report ID number out loud.

Okay… hold on a second… yup, got it.

“Wow,” Bert muttered.

“Whatever, I’m sure it’s not that hard,” Sebastian said bitchily.

Ooooh, somebody’s insecure.

Sebastian made a face at the monitor.

“Sebastian, behave,” I said, then turned back to the monitor. “I think that’s it for now. Is that too much?”

Of course not. Did Johnny text back yet?

Sebastian checked his phone. “Not yet, no.”

Call back when he does, or if you need anything else from me. Otherwise I'll contact you when I find something.

“All of your phone numbers were disconnected,” Sebastian said.

I’m hacked into the phone company. I monitor the numbers through them, to see who calls.

“…oh,” Sebastian muttered.

“Do you need our phone numbers?” I asked.

Nope. Already got them.

“Mine’s unlisted,” Sebastian informed her haughtily.

The cursor typed out a 212 phone number.

“Dammit,” Sebastian groused.

Good luck, guys.

“You too. And Eve? Thanks,” I said with heartfelt gratitude.

Least I can do.

And then the black screen disappeared from the computer monitor.