by Simon Rose
Chapter Three
Curiouser and Curiouser
ALEX INITIALLY TOOK things easy once he got home, as his mother insisted. He spent most of his time on the couch watching TV or playing games on his laptop. Stephanie visited him much more often than usual. They never talked much about Andrew’s disappearance but Stephanie’s presence had somehow helped Alex to cope more easily with what had happened.
Andrew remained missing. As far as the police were concerned, there still hadn’t been any further clues and no ransom demands from potential kidnappers had been received. It was as if Andrew Mitchell had disappeared off the face of the Earth. The situation had been especially hard on Angela, although she attempted to hide her feelings from Alex whenever they were alone together. Yet he could tell that she was suffering, not knowing one way or the other about Andrew’s fate. Alex didn’t really know what to think, except that he couldn’t bring himself to believe that his dad was dead. It was just too painful to contemplate.
A week after the accident, Alex and Stephanie resumed working in the basement on their many different projects. Alex had been able to remove the dressing from his wound. It had more or less healed but had still left a nasty scar on the right side of his forehead.
“So how are you feeling?” asked Stephanie.
“Not bad,” Alex replied, gently touching the scar. “There’s been some weird stuff going on here though. I figured it might be because of all the thunderstorms we’ve been having.”
“What do you mean?”
“Power fluctuations, Internet not connecting, weird blips, you know. I’m sure you’ve noticed them.”
“No, not really. What kinds of things do you mean?”
“The TV switching channels on its own then the remote not responding. It fixed itself but sometimes it would go to channels I didn’t even know existed.”
Stephanie shook her head.
“I’ve not seen anything like that.”
Alex frowned.
“Really? It happened a few times every day when I was relaxing on the couch when I first got back from the hospital.”
“No, everything’s been fine at our house.”
“Well, that’s weird. It’s probably something to do with our connection with the cable company or something like that.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“Have you had any power outages?” Alex asked. “When it’s really hot and everybody’s using their air conditioning I’ve heard that it can affect the local power supply.”
“We’ve had nothing like that at our house either. What’s been happening here?”
“Only little things,” Alex replied. “I’ve had to reset the microwave clock because the power went out for a short time. Same with the landline, and my mom had to re-record the voice mail and then reset the date, that kind of thing. We’ve had a lot of spam phone calls too, and there usually haven’t been any of the callers’ numbers displayed on the phone.”
“Well, everyone gets those,” said Stephanie. “At our house we usually don’t answer if we don’t recognize the number.”
“Same with us, but I answered one when my mom was at work. My cell was dead and the battery needed charging. I figured she might be trying to call me on the landline. I answered the call but there was only crackling and what almost sounded like someone’s voice. When it stopped though it didn’t sound like someone hanging up.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” said Stephanie, smiling.
“I’ve noticed a few odd things down here in the basement too, like some of the computers turning on.”
“Well, some of them are plugged in, Alex.”
“Yeah, but they were turned off at the computer and the monitor.”
“So? We could have just forgot. There’s so much stuff down here, after all. Could your mom have done something?”
“I doubt it. She hardly ever comes down here. A couple of nights ago, I was working on that old gaming console and the computer over there switched on.”
He pointed at an older desktop model that was standing on top of one of the workbenches.
“Could it be caused by something that was left on at your mom’s work?”
“That crossed my mind,” Alex replied. “Even though they wipe those clean before they let them leave the office, there could be something they missed.”
They went over to the computer, and Stephanie turned it on. They waited for the screen to open and both noticed a video file on the desktop.
“I’m pretty sure that wasn’t there the last time we had this computer working,” said Alex. “Do we open it?”
“It could be a virus or something.”
“Well, if it is, we’re just trashing this computer anyway, and it’s not connected to anything else here at the house.”
They opened the file and immediately had to mute the volume on the computer as the screen filled with static. The video only lasted for fourteen seconds then stopped.
“What was that?”
“No idea. Like you said, it must be something that was left on there from mom’s office that they forgot to remove.”
“Shall I delete it?”
“Yeah, just send it to the bin.”
Stephanie moved the file to the trash then emptied the bin completely to be on the safe side.
“Where’s your laptop?”
“Upstairs in the kitchen. Why?”
“Just curious,” Stephanie replied. “We could check the news to see if this kind of thing has been happening anywhere else locally. With the TV, I mean. The computer thing’s pretty weird but that’s probably just something the people at your mom’s work forgot to erase.”
THEY WENT UPSTAIRS into the kitchen, where Alex’s laptop was on the table.
“Mind if I take a look?” asked Stephanie.
“Sure. Want a drink of something?”
“Thanks, iced tea if you have any.”
Alex went over to the fridge and took out a jug containing the iced tea. He took two glasses from the cabinet and then grabbed some ice from the freezer. He added the ice to each glass, poured the drinks, and took them over to the kitchen table.
“Are you having online issues too?” asked Stephanie.
“No, why?”
“It says there’s no connection to the Internet.”
“It was okay this morning.”
Suddenly the desktop opened, and the laptop displayed Alex’s preferred home page.
“Okay, it’s working now.”
Stephanie typed in “power outages in San Jose” and hit the search button. However, the screen abruptly became blank again. The home page then briefly reappeared before the screen began flickering between different websites at a bewildering speed. There was also static coming over the speakers, similar to that which they’d heard in the basement on the older computer. Then as quickly as it began, the online connection crashed again.
“This isn’t that old a laptop, is it?”
“No, a couple of years, that’s all.”
They were both startled when the TV suddenly came on in the sitting room.
“That’s what it did once before,” said Alex.
He and Stephanie went into the sitting room. The channels were changing rapidly, completely at random.
“What’s wrong with the TV? Is it an old one?”
“No,” said Alex, pressing all the buttons on the remote to no avail. “We only got it last fall, around my dad’s birthday.”
Although the images flickered across the screen very quickly, they were from channels neither Alex nor Stephanie recognized. They moved at an ever-increasing pace before the TV shut off and the screen went blank.
“What happened?”
“The power’s out,” said Alex. “Look at the microwave.”
As Stephanie glanced over into the kitchen, the microwave clock came back on, although the flashing display numbers indicated the wrong time. The landline by the couch also had flashing zeroes on its display. Alex presse
d the remote to turn on the TV. It showed one of the local cable stations, and when he checked a few other channels, they all appeared to be fine.
“This is really weird, Alex. Your mom should get someone from the cable company to come over and check it out.”
“Yeah, I’ll tell her tonight.”
Chapter Four
The Visitors
THE NEXT DAY Alex and Stephanie were watching TV in the sitting room when the front doorbell rang.
“Alex, can you get that?” Angela called from upstairs.
Alex stood up from the couch and went over to answer the door. He opened it and saw Robert Castlewood standing on the doorstep with a blonde woman who appeared to be in her early thirties. Robert had thinning grey hair and wore thick-framed glasses. He looked as if he’d just come straight from the golf course. His short-sleeved shirt displayed the small crest of one of the city’s most exclusive golf clubs. The woman, however, was impeccably dressed in business attire. She wore a navy blue jacket and skirt and a white blouse. Her hair was swept back from her face and fastened in a tight bun.
“Alex,” said Robert, smiling. “How are you? Why, you’re looking more like your dad every day. How are you feeling? Your mom said you were hurt in the accident.”
“Not bad, thanks,” said Alex, touching his forehead. “It’s a little better now.”
“And who’s this?”
Alex turned to see that Stephanie was standing just behind him.
“This is my friend, Stephanie,” Alex replied. “She lives in the neighbourhood.”
“Oh, you must be the girl who was in the accident too. I’m Robert Castlewood.”
He extended his hand and Stephanie took it gingerly.
“Are you okay now?” Robert asked. “I heard that you were in the hospital as well.”
“Yes, thank you,” Stephanie replied, smiling.
“Robert,” said Angela, as she arrived at the foot of the staircase. “I thought I heard your voice. Please, won’t you come in?”
“Thanks, Angela,” said Robert.
He and the young woman stepped inside and closed the door.
“This is Veronica, my niece,” said Robert.
“Pleased to meet you,” said Angela, stepping forward and shaking Veronica’s hand.
Veronica’s oval face barely moved as she produced a thin smile.
“I’m sorry to hear about what happened,” said Veronica. “I don’t know Andrew that well. I’ve only just started working at the company offices here in California. I’ve heard a lot about Andrew and his work though. He’ll certainly be missed.”
Angela gasped, and her face almost turned white.
“I mean, we miss him at the company,” Veronica continued. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply that . . .”
“That’s fine,” said Angela, recovering her composure. “Really. None of us know what’s happened yet.”
“It must be so hard for you,” said Robert.
“Yes,” said Angela, “but we’re coping with everything. The police have been very good and have given me regular updates, even if there’s nothing new to report. Won’t you come and sit down?”
For a fleeting second, Alex thought that Veronica’s voice sounded familiar but he couldn’t place it. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the thought was gone.
THEY ALL WENT through to the sitting room. Stephanie grabbed the remote from the coffee table and turned off the TV. Robert and Veronica sat beside Angela on the couch. Robert occasionally held Angela’s hand to comfort her as she spoke. Alex and Stephanie sat in the armchairs opposite the couch.
“Did you know that Andrew and I were going to do the charity half-marathon?” said Robert.
“Yes, he’d mentioned that,” Angela replied. “He was really looking forward to it. As you know, he just turned forty-five. He figured it was time he started looking after himself a little more. He’d talked about becoming a member of my gym too.”
“Some people have said I shouldn’t do a half-marathon at my age,” said Robert, “but it’s for such a worthy cause. As a sixty-year-old man, I’ll have to take it a bit easier soon, but my doctors have told me that I’m in good enough shape. They said I have the heart of a teenager.”
“You’ll probably live forever, Uncle,” said Veronica, smiling.
Robert laughed.
“Well, perhaps so, but I’ll eventually retire. That’s actually why Veronica’s here, Angela. I’m grooming her to take over at Castlewood Dynamics.”
“Really? Andrew never mentioned anything.”
“Well, it’s nothing official. Veronica hasn’t even said yet if she’d want the job, have you, Veronica? But at least this will help her to ease into things, get a good idea of about how the place works, as well as learning all about our company philosophies and business practices. As you know, I’ve always been a firm believer in Castlewood Dynamics trying to give something back. I’ve been very lucky to be so successful and think it’s my duty to try and help others in the community.”
“Yes, as long as the company’s affairs are attended too, that seems like a very reasonable goal,” added Veronica, with another thin smile.
She was very cold and businesslike, in marked contrast to her uncle, who Alex knew quite well. He’d come to regard Robert as a kind, grandfatherly figure.
“Typical Veronica,” said Robert, with a grin. “Always thinking about business.”
“So you’re going to retire?” Angela asked.
“Not yet, but I’m thinking about it. I’ll probably just take more of a back seat in the coming years and let Veronica do more of the work. We’ll see.”
ROBERT AND VERONICA chatted with Angela about Andrew for the next ten minutes or so. Alex and Stephanie didn’t say much. Each of them merely answered questions whenever the others felt the need to bring them into the conversation.
“Anyway,” said Robert, eventually, “we should get going. You can come with us to the office and get those things of Andrew’s from the lab. The police didn’t want to take anything away and said you could come and collect them. They’re not saying that Andrew might be dead, of course. They’d just rather that you have everything for safekeeping at the moment. Veronica can drive you home, if you like.”
“Actually, I do have a few errands to run,” Angela replied. “I can follow you in my car.”
“Well, if you’re sure,” said Robert.
They all stood up from the couch and walked over to the front door.
“Oh, by the way,” said Veronica, as they stood in the doorway. “Do you mind if we take Andrew’s laptop, the one he used for work? Do you have it?”
“Yes, it’s in his office upstairs,” Angela replied.
“Thank you,” said Veronica. “There are just a few things that he was working on that we need to shut down. We just need to make sure it’s all secure.”
“We’ve done most of it at the office,” Robert added. “Very sensitive stuff, some of it with all these pending government contracts. There’s probably nothing important on the laptop but we still need to be certain.”
“Okay,” said Angela. “I’ll be right back.”
She hurried upstairs to Andrew’s home office.
“Now, Alex,” said Robert, once Angela was out of earshot. “You make sure that you let me know if there’s anything that you need. You too, Stephanie. We’re still looking forward to having you visit us at company headquarters once things have quieted down a little. And you need to be strong for your mom too. I’m sure the police are doing all they can, but she needs you to lean on now. Make sure you’re always there for her.”
“I will, thanks,” Alex replied.
“Here it is,” said Angela, as she returned to the front door.
She handed Andrew’s laptop to Veronica.
“Thank you,” she said. “I’ll have a look at the files and anything else that’s relevant as soon as we get back to the office. I’ll be sure to let you have this back by tomorrow at the late
st.”
“That’s fine,” said Angela. “Whatever you need to do.”
“Now don’t forget what I said, Alex,” said Robert. “Anything you need, give me a call. You too, Stephanie.”
He gave them a broad smile before he and Veronica walked over to their Mercedes parked in the driveway. Angela quickly grabbed her car keys from the kitchen counter before returning to where Alex and Stephanie were standing in the doorway.
“Okay, you two,” she said. “I won’t be too long.”
She hurried to her car and Alex gently closed the front door.
“WELL, THAT WAS good of them to come around,” said Stephanie.
“Yeah, Robert really likes my dad. He thinks he’s got a lot to offer the company. Robert phoned right away to see if we were doing okay. I think this is the first time he’s had the chance to come here in person. He’s a pretty busy guy.”
“His niece seems a bit cold though.”
“Yeah, I’ve never met her before. I didn’t even know he had any family other than his wife that died a few years ago.”
“Well, she must know what she’s doing if he’s going to let her run the company for him.”
“I guess.”
“Anyway, I’d better go home,” said Stephanie. “My mom texted me to say supper’s nearly ready.”
“Okay. I’ll text you later,” said Alex. “Which reminds me, I’d better charge my phone.”
Stephanie went over to the front door to put on her shoes. Alex went into the kitchen. When he connected the charger to the outlet, the phone screen lit up as usual. Alex was about to walk away when he noticed an unusual icon on the screen. It was in the bottom right hand corner, and he’d never seen it before. He’d heard about things being downloaded to phones automatically when new software was developed. But for some reason the icon really grabbed his attention. It was nothing out of the ordinary, merely a simple, thin circle with the letters AM in the centre.
Stephanie called him from the doorway.
“Okay, I’m going.”
