"This always looks easier on TV," Genie grumbled.
Her mother's computer still stubbornly refused to unlock. She knew she had to take her time, think though every attempt. Too many failed passwords would lock the system entirely, and probably alert her mother. How many attempts was too many, she wondered. How long could she sit here, trying to puzzle out the right password, before her mother came home? How long until Stephens came upstairs and discovered them in here?
"On TV there's a script and we only have about forty minutes to resolve everything," Jenny pointed out. "You really don't know who this lady is? Because your mom sure has a lot of paintings of her in here..."
"Jenny, I need to think," Genie said, only half listening. "Mom's pretty savvy, but it's like Mariah said... most people reuse passwords. Mom always uses the same sequence of numbers for her PIN. It's not that simple... but I'm sure those numbers figure into it somehow. Maybe I'm just not remembering them right..."
"You'll figure it out," Jenny said brightly.
"I have to," Genie said. "We need to know what she knows..."
---------------------
"I didn't know," Bess groaned. "Knox, I swear to you, I didn't know they were going to kill anyone."
Mariah shook her head quietly. She hadn't been sure that inviting Knox to this meeting with Bess was a good idea, but Miranda had pointed out that he deserved to be there. He, more than any of them, deserved answers.
Etta and Demarco were already there, sitting in the same back room as before. The bartender, evidently an old friend of Demarco's, had agreed to rope it off for them. It wasn't like the Caboose had a huge brunch crowd anyway.
"What the hell did you think was going to happen when you brought in gangsters to strongarm people?" Knox demanded.
"OK, first, I didn't bring them in," Bess insisted. "It was Mr. Hand who brought in Mr. Grey and Grey brought in Cletus. I just thought... I thought they'd intimidate people. OK, I admit that. It occurred to me that maybe, maybe, they'd rough someone up a little... but I never thought they'd kill anyone."
"Take a seat, Bess," Demarco said firmly. "Knox, you too. Come sit down and we'll hear her out."
"Is she alone?" Etta asked, looking at Mariah.
"You guys don't think..." Bess said as she took the open chair. "I'm not trying to trick you, or trap you guys. I just..."
"One of Cletus's guys was tailing her," Mariah cut her off. "The guy who was with him the other day when they jumped Clay and Knox."
"What?!" Bess gave a startled gasp.
"Don't worry, I hexed him," Miranda said with a little smile. "He won't remember anything. I mean, he won't remember following Bess here or seeing any of us. He'll remember his name and stuff like that... eventually."
Smirking at Bess's confused look, Mariah said, "You're a little scary sometimes."
---------------------
"Genie, what do you know about your grandmother?" Jenny asked.
She'd been wandering around the office, looking at various things, while Genie struggled to think of what her mom's password might be. Out of the corner of her eye, Genie noticed that she kept pausing to look at the paintings hung on the walls.
"Jenny, what are you talking about?" Genie groaned. "Really, I need to..."
"Humor me, OK," Jenny insisted. "What do you know about your grandmother?"
"Not a lot. Mom never talks about her," Genie said, distracted.
"Well, this is a picture of that lady, Genevieve Henriette Von Windenburg, with Baron Henry and that cute Lord Karl," Jenny said. "Baron Henry is your great-grandfather, right? And Lord Karl was your great-uncle? So, Henry's daughter would be your grandmother... Genevieve Henriette Von Windenburg."
Slowly, Genie lifted her eyes from the screen and looked around the room again.
"My mom never talks about her," Genie repeated. "She never even says her name. There are no pictures of her anywhere."
"Except in here," Jenny said meaningfully. "Her picture is on every wall big enough to hold it. What if, when Gwen said you needed to understand your mom's relationship with Genevieve, she didn't mean you? She meant your grandmother. Your mom's mom.""
"Jenny, what were those dates you said before?" Genie breathed.
"January 14, 1960 and October 31, 1998," Jenny said.
"Mom's PIN number is 103198," Genie said, turning back to the computer. Fingers shaking slightly, she typed in GENEVIEVE103198.
Without fanfare, the computer unlocked.
---------------------
"What is Crossing, Bess?" Miranda asked in a soft voice. "We know it's a land development deal... a planned community around some kind of research center, but what is it really? Who is behind it and why is it so important to them?"
"I... I guess I'm not sure," Bess said. "I thought it was about money."
"It's always about money with you," Knox grumbled.
"Tell us what you know," Miranda pressed, gentle, kind and as irresistible as gravity.
Mariah knew her wife well enough to hear the magic whispering behind that voice. Bess Stirling never stood a chance.
"Crossing was supposed to be a huge opportunity. It was going to revitalize the mountain communities," Bess began.
"Drop the sales pitch," Knox scoffed. "You were buying up protected land, forcing people to sell property that had been in their families for generations. You killed Shannon. Why? Who's behind it?"
"I was approached by a representative of the Von Windenburg Bank," Bess said. "He arranged a meeting between me and one of the bank's directors, Luna Elderberry. She had a group of investors, backing a tech company that wanted to build a research and development center, with support facilities, on the mountain. They wanted to work with us, with Evergreen Development, because we were in the area and had local connections. It... it seemed like a great deal."
"But there were problems," Miranda said.
"The tech company, Gateway Technologies, insisted the facility be at a certain location that was on protected land," Bess said. "I tried to suggest another location, but the guy in charge was adamant... and Mrs. Elderberry said it wouldn't be a problem. Her husband is Representative Rohan Elderberry. He was able to... ummm... help us around some of the regulatory and legislative hurdles."
"Who is this guy in charge? Mr. Hand?" Mariah asked.
"No, Mr. Hand is... he represents the investors," Bess said. "It's a private investment group called Brighter Future. I don't know who's in charge there. I only ever dealt with Mrs. Elderberry and Mr. Hand. Then there's Gateway Technologies. The brains over there is a scientist called Dr. Key."
Mariah shared a quick look with Miranda as Bess confirmed their worst fear. The svartalf scientist behind Section 6 was also behind Crossing.
"Anyway, after Mr. Elderberry started taking care of regulatory stuff, things got... easier... for a while," Bess said. "Then we ran into the problem of people not being willing to sell the land we needed. So, Mr. Hand brought in Mr. Grey and Cletus and..."
"What about Shannon?" Knox asked.
---------------------
"I never would have thought I'd be happy about my mom's
obsessive organizing," Genie added a few minutes later. "Here's a
folder labeled Crossing. We've got spreadsheets, project plans, documents,
emails. There are even recordings of video calls."
"Jackpot," Jenny grinned.
"Wait, here's a call labeled Speak for the Trees.
That's the environmental group Knox and Shannon worked with," Genie said.
"Let's see what we have here..."
"We're here to discuss the matter of the Speak for the Trees protests," Mr. Hand said coldly. "We had dismissed them as a minor nuisance. However, our associate in Evergreen Harbor is now suggesting that they are drawing attention to the Project which could endanger success."
"We have conducted a psycho-statistical analysis of the
situation based on this additional data," another hairless man, this one
in a white turtleneck, said. "The outcomes support this conclusion. We are
currently projecting scenarios for the dissolution of the Speak of the Trees
organization."
"Even if you could do that, which I doubt, that would
take time we don’t have," Luna Elderberry said calmly.
"The timelines proposed by Researcher Book’s recent
projections support that assertion," Mr. Hand agreed. "Our associate
offers the alternative suggestion of focusing our efforts on individuals. In
this case, the leaders of this specific protest initiative - Knox Greenburg and
Shannon Charm."
"We have generated profiles of both individuals using
all available data," the man in the turtleneck, who Genie guessed to be
Researcher Book, said. "Knox Greenburg is a well-known environmental
activist and social agitator in Evergreen Harbor. Shannon Charm has only
recently become involved with the Speak for the Trees organization but has
risen to a trusted position. She is also the genetic progeny of Baron Darrel
Charm, a member of Upper House. More significantly, according to Agency files,
she is a Delta-level Psychokinetic Active."
"I’m well acquainted with the Charm family," Luna
snarled.
"We should direct one of our agents to sanction Knox
Greenburg," Mr. Hand said, suggesting murder in a tone usually used to
suggest ordering more office supplies. "Acting against Shannon Charm risks
attracting the attention we seek to avoid."
"I disagree," Luna said hotly. "Knox
Greenburg is one of countless minor agitators. He’d be replaced quickly.
Shannon Charm is the real danger. As a witch… an Active… she might recognize
the significance of Crossing and, through her family connections, she could
easily bring it to the attention of both the government and the Council.
"On the other hand, I know Darrel Charm," she
continued. "The death of his daughter would enrage him, and he’s already
predisposed to direct that rage against the Dark Court. With one move, we
remove the real threat from Speak for the Trees and increase tensions between
the Court and the Council, further distracting them from our plans."
"Sanctioning a Delta-level Active is not an easy
task," Mr. Hand said.
"You have people trained to do just that,"
Luna replied. "What about your little pet Mallory? She did an
excellent job with those activists out West a few months ago."
"Agent Mallory Errant does have the necessary
training," Mr. Hand said. "However, I have concerns about your
analysis. You have a history of animosity with the Charm family. Perhaps your
emotions are clouding your judgement."
"Mr. Hand, for someone who disdains assimilation into
our culture, you have a number of distinctly masculine biases," Luna
sneered. "My emotions regarding the Charms do not cloud my
judgement. They reinforce my resolve and my commitment to our shared
goals."
A brief silence settled over the call. Finally, the man who
had been sitting silently in the shadows the whole time spoke.
"I accept your recommendations," the shadow man
said. "Mr. Hand, you will assign Mallory Errant to sanction Shannon
Charm."
"Jenny, my mom murdered Shannon Charm," Genie said softly, a sob escaping her.
"Well... umm... I think this Mallory person did that
actual, you know, murder part," Jenny offered.
"My mom murdered Shannon Charm, Jenny," Genie said
firmly. "Why!? Why is she doing this?"
"I... I don't know," Jenny said softly.
"She murdered Shannon," Genie said, unsure if she
was trying to convince herself or deny what she had heard. "Miranda said
someone named Villareal murdered Baron Charm's father. Mr. Hand said my mom has
'a history of animosity' with the Charms. Do you think.... Did she...?"
"I don't know," Jenny said again.
"Can this get any worse?" Genie sighed.
---------------------
"They're going to WHAT?!" Demarco snarled, her voice ragged enough that Mariah thought she might be about to witness her first werewolf transformation.
"Mr. Hand is talking about bringing in people to... to deal with Rory, the Wildfangs and the Volkov and Moonrunner families," Bess stammered. At least, Mariah thought, she had the grace to manage to look ashamed about it, even if she continued to blame other people.
"Like you dealt with Shannon?" Knox grumbled.
"I didn't know," Bess insisted again. "I swear to you... I'm here, telling you about it because... because I can't, I won't be involved with... with," she took a deep breath. "Murder. I won't be responsible for any more murders."
"How long?" Etta asked. "How long until Mr. Hand's people are in place?"
"Two weeks, maybe less," Bess replied. "He's trying to hide what he's doing from... someone. I don't know who."
"OK, an attack on Moonwood Mill is bad," Mariah said. "We can assume Mr. Hand and his svartalf friends know who they're dealing with, but we still have an advantage. We know it's coming now."
"I'm calling Rory," Demarco said firmly. "She and Jake need to be warned. If I can't get through..."
"Then you go back up the mountain and tell them in person," Mariah said. "The dark elf men in black will be in a for a rude shock if they try anything."
"It might not come to that," Miranda said. "With Bess's testimony, we have proof now."
"Wait... testimony!?" Bess squeaked.
"It sounds like Genie will find more, lots and lots more, on her mom's computer," Miranda continued undeterred. "We may be able to put a stop to all of this soon."
---------------------
With a shaky breath, Genie slotted a memory stick into her
mom's computer. As the Crossing files slowly copied, she realized that she just
couldn't sit still. Rising, she found herself standing in front of one of the
portraits of a grandmother she'd never known.
"Gwen said, if I wanted to understand my mom, I needed
to understand her relationship with Genevieve," Genie said. "Mom
never talks about her mother. There are no pictures of her."
"Except her private office is full of pictures of
her," Jenny said.
"She never even says her name," Genie said.
"Except, she says it every time she talks to you,"
Jenny said. "Because she named you, her eldest daughter, after her... and
she only ever calls you by her dead mother's name."
Genie took a deep breath. "OK," she sighed.
"Murderous conspiracy and possible alien invasion first, then we figure
out my family drama."
