Page 26 of Guarding Truth
“No worries,” Noelle said. “We’ll make it happen. It sounds like Caleb needs someone to watch his back.”
“Whether he thinks he does or not.” But based on this last conversation with the FBI, Caleb knew the dangers were real, and he probably wouldn’t fight her if the Elite Guardians were also watching Ivy.
Juliette disconnected the phone when she spotted Ivy bounding up the stairs. The girl raced toward her and flung herself into Juliette’s arms. “I’m so glad you stayed,” Ivy whispered, her voice choked with emotion.
Juliette looked up and discovered a familiar face standing next to Ivy. “Abby, it’s nice to see you again,” Juliette said.
Abby smiled. Her salt-and-pepper hair gave off grandmother vibes even though the woman probably wasn’t even sixty yet. “I try to help out when I can. I was already at the school picking up my grandson. What’s going on here?” Abby motioned toward Caleb’s apartment as a myriad of voices carried into the hallway.
“Where’s Uncle Caleb?” Ivy pushed the door open and ran inside. Abby tried to peer around the doorway, but Juliette moved into the doorframe and blocked her view.
Juliette wasn’t sure how to answer without upsetting Abby. “The police had some more questions about the break-in.” Which was true in a roundabout way.
Abby nodded. “I heard the commotion last night and opened my door a crack. Saw a man dressed in all black run by. But I gave my testimony to the police already.” She continued to try and stick her head through the entryway.
“I’m glad you were safe last night. I’ll let the police know you stopped by, and they can contact you if they have any more questions.”
Abby nodded and Juliette eased the door shut just in time to hear Ivy’s outburst. “Something else bad happened. I just know it. Don’t lie to me. Why are the police here?”
Juliette walked into the living room and found Caleb sitting on the couch with Ivy glued to his side. “Someone sent a threatening note to work,” he said.
Matt and Decia wrapped up their questioning, and Juliette ushered them out of the apartment. Agent McGregor said he’d be in touch and left, trailing the officers while barking orders to someone on his phone.
Soon it was just the three of them. Juliette sat in a chair across from the couch, and Ivy turned to Juliette with tears in her eyes. “You can’t leave. You have to protect Uncle Caleb. What if the bad guys come back?” She faced her uncle. “Promise me you won’t go to work tomorrow.”
Caleb stared at Ivy. “Why, Ivy? What is the reason for so much fear?”
Ivy crossed her arms. “I can’t go to school if you go to work. I’ll worry too much.”
“Ivy, why are you so sure something will happen if your uncle returns to the office?” Juliette asked. The girl’s insistence seemed to point to something specific.
Ivy shrugged. “I just have a bad feeling about his office. Like the bad guys might be there and try to hurt Uncle Caleb.”
Caleb shook his head. “Not buying it. Just tell me what you found out when you were poking around on the internet in places you aren’t supposed to be.”
Her eyes widened, but Juliette caught a hint of relief. “You’re right. I was going to tell you tonight.” She got up and trudged to her room, returning with the missing laptop. She handed it to Caleb.
She sat on the couch and stared at her sneakers. “I stole it from the pile on the table. I saw a strange program on it and thought maybe it was one of the puzzles you used to create for me. But as I dug deeper, I knew it was bad. And there was an email account with some people talking about targeting your office. And then someone broke in, so I knew it was for real and not something you set up to challenge me.”
Juliette could see the internal stress cracking through Caleb’s exterior defenses. He opened the laptop and typed a few things. “This is why someone broke in,” he said. “They installed malware on this computer. It’s not online, so no one could trace them. But if someone received this laptop and connected it to the internet, the criminals would have access to the bank’s system.”
Ivy shook her head, her auburn curls bouncing across her forehead. “Promise me you’ll stay away from your office. It’s not a safe place.”
He poked around in the laptop and uncovered another file. “I assume you figured out the key to this?”
She nodded. “It’s a personal email account.” She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and read the cipher. He pulled up the website, but the entire inbox was empty.
“What did it say, Ivy?”
She blew out a breath. “A conversation in the draft folder. About a new target. And then GPS coordinates of your office.”
Caleb’s chair creaked when he sat back. “Why didn’t you come to me? We could have gone to the police, and maybe these bad guys would have been caught.”
Ivy’s eyes pooled with tears. “I knew you wouldn’t like me hacking, and I thought I’d uncover more information to give better leads to the police. I should have said something right away. I’d never do anything that might hurt you. I’m so sorry.”
“Your uncle and I will talk about a security plan to keep him safe,” Juliette said. “You hired me, remember? You don’t need to be in charge of your uncle’s security by tracking down leads.”
Ivy pleaded with Juliette. “You can’t leave his side. Are you staying here tonight? You can sleep in my room. I’ve got a trundle bed and everything.” Ivy bounded off to her bedroom as if it was a done deal that Juliette would have a sleepover.