“Toby? Are you talking about the kid who was known as the Archaeologist? I remember that. I guess I was a freshman in college when it all happened.”
“Wait ... Are you telling me you know something about this case?” I ask incredulously. “Let me get some paper and a pen.”
I take off my fluffy blanket and set my tea on the coffee table. I run to the kitchen table where I left my tablet. I’m not really sure how I feel about my little brother being the one to provide information on Toby’s case. Still, I’ve been in this business long enough to know that any information is better than none — even if the source make me uncomfortable.
“I’m back. So, what are you talking about?”
I hear my brother sigh, and I can almost see him running his fingers through his long hair as he always does when he collects his thoughts.
“You remember that I was big into multi-player role-playing games when I was younger?
“Yeah, mom about had a cow over the cost.”
“Hey! I earned that money washing cars,” he protests. “Anyway, I was a member of a lot of gaming groups online. Most of them had chat groups. There was this player that suddenly showed up in all the chat rooms. He seemed to be able to conquer every video game as soon as it came out. He would shred the levels faster than anyone I’ve ever seen. There was a lot of speculation about who he was. He went by the screen name The Archaeologist of Pain. Although it seemed like he could play almost any game out there, he preferred the war ones. He said he had inside information about how military battles are actually fought. Whoever he was, he wasn’t just talking smack. He could beat all of us.”
“So, no one knew him personally? No one played with him from his school or something like that?”
“No. A lot of people believed he was a gaming insider who got the games before they were released. Other people thought he was probably a weird pedophile. Some established gamers who lost to the Archaeologist weren’t happy he was around.”
“Did he get kicked out of the gaming groups because he was a kid?”
“No, in the beginning, people didn’t even realize he was a kid. My roommate in college, Galen, worked for the Badlands National Park in South Dakota as a park ranger at the dinosaur exhibit. Apparently, this kid is a huge fan of dinosaurs. So, he made arrangements with his teacher for Galen to remote into his classroom and do a lecture on fossils. Toby turned out to be a kid getting ready to go into the seventh grade. Galen didn’t bust him on the gaming boards because Toby was actually making friends and being helpful to other players. A lot of people wanted to hate him, but he was just so darn nice people started looking up to him.”
“Did Galen know that Toby wasn’t even supposed to be playing video games?”
“I don’t think so. Most people assumed the Archaeologist of Pain was a homeless person because his time online was so limited. Some members of the board researched his IP address because some people thought he was up to no good. Almost always, they came back to the public library. A bunch of us had a discussion about raising money for him and his family to get a place to live.”
“Oh, wow! So, what happened with that?” I ask.
“He announced online that he was going to get to do something cool with his family that most people dream about and he had a countdown clock in his signature. I don’t know exactly when he disappeared, but it was a few weeks before he was supposed to do whatever exciting thing he had planned, and no one heard from the Archaeologist of Pain again.”
“Did anybody alert the police?”
“And tell them what? That a kid who was really good at video games suddenly stopped playing? Most people didn’t have any idea who he was — or that he was a child. Galen tried to contact the school, but they told him that state and federal laws prevented them from disclosing any information about their students, and he wasn’t able to get anywhere.”
“Did Galen have any contact information for Toby’s mother?”
“He did. But he was never able to reach anyone.”
“I guess I need to speak to Galen. He probably has more details about the situation, and it’s better for me to talk to him than to have you relay the story to me secondhand.”
“I’m sorry. That won’t be possible, Sis.”
“Why? H didn’t want to be part of an investigation?”
“No. That’s not it. If Galen were around, he would want to be right in the middle of the effort to find Toby. Unfortunately, he was killed serving overseas.”
“I’m sorry you lost your friend Will. That’s awful.”
“Yeah, I am too. He was so excited about being in the military too. He tried to get me to enlist.”
“Epilepsy and military service don’t usually go together.”
“I know that, but he was convinced I could get a waiver. Seriously, Kendall, can you see me as a soldier?”
“It would’ve been an interesting exercise at least. I don’t know if it would’ve been more frustrating for you or the drill Sergeant. You don’t conform well.”
“That’s the understatement of the year. I’ve been trying to convince you for years a little nonconformity would be good for you. It looks like Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome was the one to convince you to spread your wings.”
“Oh yeah. Jameson is pretty good at that. He pushes my buttons and pisses me off and then in the next heartbeat, he does something so generous and selfless I wonder why I was so pissed. It’s kind of cool though because he doesn’t mind arguing a point with me and it never seems to bother him if I’m right.”
“That is worth its weight in gold right there because you, Kendall Kordes, like to argue. You need the right kind of guy to get a handle on your sass.”
“I’m not all that sassy!” I protest.
“Uh-huh,” he responds. “If it wasn’t you, then who was it who argued with me for forty-five minutes about the proper way to sort recycling?”
“Hey now! Oregonians are serious about our trash.”
“I noticed. But the fate of the planet isn’t going to be decided on one wrongly sorted yogurt container, I promise.”
“Okay, I concede that I’m a little anal-retentive when it comes to all that stuff.”
“I hate to remind you that you are fastidious and picky about everything. It’s part of your charm. It’s also why you’re really good at your job.”
“Speaking of my job, would you be willing to come out to see me in Oregon? I think you should speak to the investigators working on Jameson’s case. It sounds like you have more first-hand knowledge than anyone else we’ve spoken to — even if it is only through the Internet. That’s more than we had before.”
“I don’t see any reason why I can’t,” my brother says. “I’m between projects right now. This is a pretty good time. I just have to let Mom know I won’t be around to check on her.”
“There’s one snag in the plan though. I can’t send you an airline ticket. I just let go of my part-time job and things are tight because I won’t get a pay raise until the new grant cycle. I’m so sorry.”
“I’m not fifteen Kendall. I’ve got my own means. I promise.”
“How could you possibly? Mom says you still don’t have a job.”
“I don’t have a job she recognizes as work, but I have a stellar job.”
“Oh, please tell me it’s not posting ads to Facebook and Instagram or something like that.”
“Now it’s my turn to ask who do you think I am?”
“Sadly, I don’t even know. I’ve been gone from home for so long. I probably won’t even recognize you. These days, clearly, I don’t even know what you do for a living.”
“I do the same thing I used to do when we were kids. It’s just on a bigger scale. I find a problem, and I fix it. I’m an inventor.”
I’m glad my brother can’t see me roll my eyes. I think they just landed on next Wednesday.
“I was hoping to have you here in person, but maybe it would be better to hold the meeting over video confe
rence call instead.”
“Kendall, listen to me. When I tell you I don’t have to worry about it, I really don’t have to worry about it. Did you see the Kickstarter campaign I sent you for power coil? The Power Coil — The Charger That Makes All Other Chargers Obsolete”.
“Yeah, I saw that. It reminds me of what you used to do when you were messing around in class. Didn’t Mom have to go to the principal’s office because you were tearing apart pens? It’s too bad you didn’t get a patent on it back then.”
“I did.” Will answers.
“You got a patent?” I ask, thinking I must’ve misunderstood him.
“Yeah, I was sitting in my college class listening to a professor who didn’t know anything about technology or the emerging-market of accessories telling me about ad models that were so old they could’ve come from a 1960s textbook. I decided I could do better than that on my own.”
“That’s why you dropped out of college? Mom thought it had to do with Dad’s disappearance.”
“It did — and it didn’t. I dropped out of college for me. I was so bored that I wasn’t learning anything, and my grades sucked. I’m sure it works for some people. For me, it just wasn’t my thing. I figured if I could put all the energy I was wasting at college into my inventions, I could come up with a way to pay for private investigators to look for Dad.”
“Wow! That was a risky strategy. From the outside, it didn’t look like you had a strategy at all. It’s funny. I spent all this time trying to stay in college and get scholarships to try to complete my degree. I patched together one class after another while I worked while you were trying to avoid college altogether. I don’t know — I just think there’s something ironic about that.”
“I tried to explain, but you were busy trying to cope with Quinn’s death. I didn’t want to get in the way. I figured at some point I’d probably have the opportunity to explain why I made the choices I did. So, I guess this is it. Samsung, Apple, and Nokia started a bidding war for my patent and my prototype. It’s fair to say we’ll be able to send our great, great, great grandkids to college on what I earned from the sale of the patent.”
“Are you serious?” I gasp.
“I swear on my signed copy of Goosebumps,” he replies.
“I have one question for you — why in the heck is Mom still working? Her back and her knees are killing her.”
“Right now, she doesn’t believe the money is real. She thinks the bank made a mistake. Dad spent time making furniture before he went missing. That’s what mom thinks people buy and sell. She doesn’t understand intellectual property, and she has no idea how much my invention was worth.”
“In her defense, I have no idea either. If you told me, it would probably scare me half to death.”
“Let’s just say I hope Locate My Heart has a fundraiser soon because it would make me so proud to be able to hand over a big old check.”
“You don’t have to do that, Will. I loved you when you were poor, and I’ll love you if you’re rich or anywhere in between.”
“I know that. That’s why I want to do it. Trust me, my friends who showed up because I’ve got money now have received nothing. You remember how they treated me in high school. It’s amazing how popular I’ve become.”
“I’m sorry, Will. It shouldn’t be that way. My friend Tristan, who runs Identity Bank, knows about that. Maybe you should talk to him.”
“I don’t know if I’d be able to do that. The guy is revered in the gaming community. I’d probably sound like a shrieking teenage girl at a rock concert.”
“From what I understand about Tristan, he’d probably be very confused but very gracious about that. I think you need to talk to him. Come to think of it, you two should discuss a few things. He’s got an initiative within his company to make technology more accessible.”
“That’s cool,” William responds. “Some games cause me real issues.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. He’s looking at making his games more user-friendly for people who have migraines and seizure disorders. However, the reason he started his company was to look for his sister. Identity Bank is renowned for its ability to find lost people. If you want the best to look for Dad, Identity Bank is who you need”
“I’ll look into it, but I don’t think you know what you’re asking. Meeting Tristan and the people who work for him is like meeting royalty.”
“Did you ever consider that he might think the same thing of you? Tristan is an inventor too. It’s not often he’ll run into someone who started a three-way bidding war over something they dreamed up in the middle of social studies. Seriously, I’m so proud of you. Not everyone would’ve had the foresight to apply for a patent. That was flat-out brilliant.”
My brother clears his throat before he says, “Well, I guess I have my moments.”
“You do. Now, I need some of your brilliance to rub off on me. I have to figure out how to do one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do.”
“What’s that?”
“I have to break up with a guy I’m falling in love with to preserve the integrity of the investigation into his little brother. I don’t know that there’s any way on the planet to make that an easier process.”
CHAPTER 14
JAMESON
HEATHER TRIES TO DISTRACT TYLER from his pool shot by unbuttoning the top button of her blouse. He sinks two balls anyway.
“Am I supposed to congratulate you for that?” she teases. “I thought chivalry was alive and well. You’re supposed to let me win.”
Heather looks up at me and asks, “When is Kendall coming? The women need more players on our team.”
“I don’t know. When I talked to her yesterday, she said she was really looking forward to it. It is not like Kendall to run late.”
“You might want to look at your phone,” Tara instructs.
“I didn’t hear it ring.”
“Check it anyway,” she replies. “Don’t respond right away. Think about it for a while. You know Kendall well enough to know that she wouldn’t do anything to hurt you,” Tara says mysteriously.
Knowing Tara’s reputation, my heart sinks to my toes as I dig my phone out of my pocket. Sure enough, there is a voicemail from Kendall. I plug my earbud in and walk outside so I can hear it.
Kendall’s voice sounds clogged with tears as I listen to the recording. “Shoot! I was hoping to be able to talk to you about this, but maybe it’s easier I don’t. For now, I think it would be better if I don’t see you. I need to talk to Tyler about this first before we make any radical moves ... but for now we need to stay apart.”
I stuff the phone back in my pocket and try to make sense of it all. I come up with nothing. I thought things were getting better between us since we started climbing at Aidan’s place. Our relationship seemed to be moving in the right direction and she acted like things were getting back to where they were before we talked about her ex-fiancé and Quinn. I know I blew that conversation. I’ve apologized to Kendall several times. I thought we’d put that behind us. I don’t know what this is about. I guess there’s only one way to find out. I stride back into the pub and tap Tyler on the shoulder. “I need to talk to you.”
“Right now? I’m kind of in the middle of something,” Ty responds.
I mess with my baseball cap and bounce my weight from foot to foot. “I know — but this is important.”
He looks at Heather, Tara and Aidan. “I guess I’ll be right back. Order me some cheesy fries, will you?”
“Sure thing. If you’re not back, we’ll just eat without you,” Aidan replies with a shrug.
Tyler and I walk out to my rental car. “You’ve been here long enough that it might be cheaper for you just to buy a car,” he says as he observes my tags.
“Yeah, I know. I’ve decided I like this car so much that I’m going to buy one just like it from their fleet sale. I’ll just give it to my parents when I go home.”
“I figured you might want
to stick around. I thought you and Kendall were a done deal.”
“We were until we weren’t. When I met Kendall, all my priorities changed. Or, at least I thought they did, and then I got this message. Do you know anything about this?”
Tyler takes my phone and puts it up to his ear as he listens to Kendall’s voicemail. “I swear, I have no idea what she’s talking about. It sounds like she and I need to have a conversation ASAP.”
“I appreciate that. If I’m going to be screwed over, I’d kinda like to know why.”
“I’d wait to jump to that conclusion,” he cautions.
“I’ve always had a hunch Kendall and Locate My Heart were simply too good to be true. This may turn out to be my confirmation.”
“I hope not. I like seeing the two of you happy together.” Tyler comments.
“Are you enjoying your visit home?” Tristan asks me as he spins a fidget toy.
I pull away from the camera on my iPad. “Most of the time it’s been great — right now I think I’d rather be in another state.”
“What’s going on?”
“Oh, just personal stuff — nothing you need to be worried about.”
“Related to the search for your brother?” Tristan presses.
“Honestly, I wish I knew.”
“Oh... one of those situations. Hopefully, it will resolve itself soon.”
“I hope so too. Being in limbo is the pits.”
“Hey, I wanted to run something by you. I met with my accountant yesterday. It’s been a banner year for Identity Bank. The new software division John Ashford is leading is taking off like gangbusters.”
“That’s great! Doing the right thing isn’t always the same as doing the profitable thing. It’s cool when it is.”
“You’re right about that. I’m glad we were able to pull it off. That division means a lot to me. Identity Bank has grown so much that I’m thinking about opening a West Coast branch. I already work with Logan Anthony and Katie Ashford to protect Aidan and Mindy. We’ve expanded that coverage to include Jude and Tasha. It’s a lot to handle remotely. I think Identity Bank would work more efficiently if we had a presence on both coasts.”
Heart Wish (A Hidden Beauty Novel Book 9) Page 14
