“Jared… it’s Gary. Are you still using my virus program on your cell phone and computer system?”
“Yes….”
“Until I can send you another copy, stop using it.”
“Why? What’s wrong with it?”
“You remember when Donna was taken to Forrest’s penthouse apartment, at D’Netics?”
“Yes….”
“I’m fairly certain my virus program was compromised.”
“What do you mean compromised?” Jared’s voice was low with anger.
“I mean it’s not as secure… as I thought it was, Jared. I suspect that someone has been using Donna’s cell phone to spy on her.”
“Why do you suspect that someone is spying on her?”
“I don’t know for sure, Jared, but her battery keeps going flat.”
“Is Donna in any danger?”
Gary swallowed hard. “No, not where she is now. They won’t be able to use that again.”
“That’s a relief, considering Richard let her get shot.”
Gary frowned. “How did you know about that?”
“I trust she’s healed now?”
“Yes, but….”
“How is she Gary?”
“She’s… coping, Jared. There’s something you need to know. Richard promoted your latest album on the UK charts. Donna and Raging Storm are pretty popular over here.”
“She’s popular all right. What the fuck was he thinking, exposing her like that? He spent all that time preaching about how dangerous Forrest was, and then he practically hand- delivers her. I came very close to getting on a plane.”
“What were you going to do, Jared?”
“What I planned to do in the first place. Take her home with me, to Arizona, where I could make sure she was safe.”
“If you thought she would be safe with you Jared, why did you leave her behind?”
“Because I was caught in the middle, Gary. I couldn’t protect her and my family in Arizona at the same time. Walking away that night was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’d never felt so fucking helpless. For every mile I put between us, I hurt that much more. The pain became unbearable. I came back for her, but she was gone.”
“Wait a minute – you came back for Donna? When?”
“I came back to Shreveport that Saturday. The day after she was shot. When I came back and found her rings and the words she wrote, I died inside.”
“Donna left a message for you at Wisteria Hall?”
“Yes – near the back of my dream diary. She left her promise ring and her engagement ring on top of the diary, so I would see it first, and know she’d given up. I expected her to move out of Wisteria Hall, but I never expected her to leave the country, so soon. That all happened so conveniently. Two people, very much wanted Donna in the UK. Sir Richard said if he had to, he would have kidnaped her. In a round-about way, that’s what he’s done. He could have orchestrated the entire scene at the cemetery. When I talked to him about the HMV thing, he reluctantly told me about the shooting. I already knew, but I didn’t know all the details. Sir Richard said he believed whoever was responsible was not trying to kill Donna, but to drive her away. That’s why I believe he could have set the whole thing up. Neither Richard nor John had the knowledge to decide whether or not Donna could make it. She could have been treated in the emergency room in Many, but instead, they took her all the way to Shreveport – eighty miles away. Who made that decision?”
“Our doctor examined her by video phone.”
“By video phone,” Jared snorted. “So he wasted more time on a fucking video. OK let me ask you this. Why didn’t they contact Juanita, who was Donna’s doctor and knew her medical history, or even Terry Downing? Either one of them would have met you, but instead you cart her off to Barksdale where she sees someone that doesn’t know anything about her. Was he afraid Juanita or Terry might have kept her in Shreveport?”
“Jared… are you implying Sir Richard had Donna shot?”
“I don’t know, Gary, you tell me. Without a scope, from the back of the church, it would have been extremely hard to hit someone on the other side of Prewitt Chapel cemetery, especially if they were running – which Donna and Richard were. If it hadn’t been for her accelerated healing abilities, Donna might have died.”
“Jared, Donna was conscious part of the time. She knew if they examined her at Many – or anywhere else – she ran the risk of exposing your secret. Donna didn’t want to take that risk. I admit, some of the things you’ve said sound believable, but I don’t think Sir Richard would have risked Donna’s life just so he could get her to the UK.”
“What about Richard, then? Does his father have control of his actions?”
“No… not always. I just can’t believe either one of them would risk her life like that, Jared, especially Sir Richard. Although I can’t explain why, I believe Forrest could have been behind it. I can’t for the life of me think of one good reason why he would want to drive her out of the country, though. She was the one person who might have been able to save his sorry ass. It doesn’t matter now. We will keep Donna safe.”
“Gary, you’re the only person in that organisation that I halfway trust. If Donna is ever in a situation where she needs me, or she asks for me, I want your word that you will let me know. I don’t care who I have to go through, one way or the other, I will be there.”
“Jared, what about your family?”
Jared growled low in his throat, “Gary – your word!”
“OK, Jared. You have it. I will. I’m curious about something. You said Donna left her rings behind. Did she say why? I wondered what she did with them. I kind of expected her to keep them.”
“I had hoped she would keep them too, but she didn’t. Donna explained why. Because of what she’d done, Donna didn’t feel worthy to be my wife or to wear my rings. She said maybe someday I would find someone that would be. That’s the part where I wanted to die. The only reasons I exist now are for her and Beth. I live for the possibility of holding Donna in my arms again so I can explain why I walked away, and so I can tell her how wrong she was. There will never be anyone more worthy than Donna. I hope, for everything I’m worth, when I tell her that she’ll forgive me.”
Gary arched an eyebrow. “Jared… what if Donna moves on? What if she honestly believes what she said and looks for happiness with someone else?”
“If I search her mind and no longer find myself there. If I no longer live in her heart, I will set her free.”
“What do you mean, set her free?”
“Donna and I share a telepathic connection. I won’t let go of that until I know for sure. I won’t interfere with her life, but I won’t let go until she tells me to. Do not put her life in danger, Gary!”
“Jared, I am doing everything I can to make sure that does not happen. I love Donna, too. She’s like my little sister.”
“She’s my world, Gary. Every breath I take whispers her name. I meant what I said. If I get the chance, I will take back what’s mine.”
“Honestly, Jared, I don’t think she will ever be able to forget you. I hope you get the chance to talk to her – to be with her – if that’s what she wants. I’m sure when she understands the reason you left was to protect your daughter, Donna will have no trouble forgiving you. The question is can you forgive her?”
Jared laughed. “Forgive her for what? For giving you samples of her DNA to analyse? I don’t care about that Gary. I used that as an excuse. I knew if Donna thought it was her fault then she would let me go. That’s what I need her to forgive me for. I don’t know if I could take it if she doesn’t.”
“I’m sure that won’t be the case. Just do what I said, get rid of the virus program.”
“How do I do that?”
“I’ve sent a file to your cell phone that will take care of that. You should have it by now. It’s another one of my little gems. The program is called ‘Dessert’.”
“Why would you name a virus program Dessert?”
“Because it’s a worm from hell. It devours any file it comes in contact with, for dessert. Be sure you aim it at the right one. After ‘Dessert’ recovery of the file is not possible. Not even I can save it. That’s why it’s used as a last resort. Run ‘Dessert’ and when it asks, tell it to look for ‘Acid Rain’. I’ve gotta run, Donna will be back any minute.”
“Let me know what you find out about her cell phone. If Forrest is behind this, it would give me a perfectly good reason for revenge. No matter who it is, if they’re in the States, I’ll take care of them. I will be in touch.”
“OK, Jar - red.” The line was dead. “Some things don’t change,” he mused and locked his cell phone.
------------
Donna finished washing her hair and stepped out of the shower. After slipping on her bathrobe, she towel dried her hair, twisted it into a knot on top of her head and fastened it with a hairclip. She went into the bedroom and started getting dressed. As she reached for her jeans, the guest house phone rang. “Hello?”
“You are with the wrong person,” a robotic voice replied.
Donna furrowed her brow. “Pardon?”
“He has no future with you.”
She propped the phone against her shoulder and chin as she zipped up her jeans. “What do you mean? Who has no future with me?” Donna narrowed her eyes. “Is this Richard?”
“Walk away or he will suffer. You belong with another.”
Donna tightened her jaw. “I don’t belong to anyone!” she snapped, disconnected the call and reached for her wide-tooth comb. “Richard if you think because I slept with you one night that you can bully me away from Sam,” she mused. “You are sadly mistaken!”
“Donna! Sweetheart!” Sam called out from the ground floor as he skipped every other stair. “Are you up here?”
“Sam, what are you shouting about?” Donna frowned and stepped onto the landing. “Of course I’m up here. Where did you expect me to be?”
“Give me your cell phone.”
“Why do you need my cell phone?”
“Donna, please. Just give it to me,” Sam groaned.
Donna pressed her lips into a thin line and narrowed her eyes. “Here!” she huffed and thrust it at him.
Sam switched it off and took out the battery.
“Sam, what’s going on?”
Sam breathed a sigh of relief and pulled her into his arms. He pressed Gary’s speed button. “She’s fine. I’ve got the phone, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi have been turned off, and I’ve taken the battery out. We’ll be there in a couple of minutes,” he said and ended the call. He buried his face in her damp hair and slowly forced the air from his lungs. The idea that someone might have hurt her made him sick to his stomach. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to scare you. After what you said by the river, and then you didn’t answer your cell phone…” he broke off, letting out another long sigh.
Donna pulled back, staring into his worried eyes. “I was taking a shower, Sam. If you hadn’t taken my battery out. Wait a minute. Why did you take my battery out?”
“Gary thinks someone has been listening in on your phone conversations.”
Donna’s eyes widened. “If someone has been accessing my cell phone through Bluetooth that would explain why the battery keeps going flat.”
Sam grinned. “You sound as if you’ve had this problem before.”
Donna snorted. “You’d be surprised what I’ve been through. Let’s go. I need to talk to Gary about this, plus I’m itching to see what he’s found out about the cameras.”
Sam took Donna’s hand and led her to the Hall.
------------
“Good afternoon, Miss Donna,” Alan smiled. “Would you like a fresh glass of lemonade?”
Donna furrowed her brow. “Fresh glass?”
Sam groaned. “Damn – I forgot about that. I thought you were coming straight away, so I had Alan take us some drinks to the music room.”
Donna smiled. “We’re you going to play for me?”
“If we’re going professional, I’d like to get some practice in.”
“That sounds like fun. Yes, Alan. I’d love a fresh glass of lemonade.”
“Same as before?”
“Yes, please. Alan, where is Gary?”
“He’s in the library, Miss Donna. Would you like your drinks brought in there?”
“Yes, please, Alan,” Sam spoke up.
“Would you like your meals served in the formal dining room, Dr. Kaliea?”
“The morning room is fine with me,” Donna interjected. “I was actually looking forward to the rest of your salad from lunch,” she continued, turning her attention to Sam.
“What’s on the menu, Alan?” Sam asked.
“Spicy lamb steaks with coconut and broad bean rice, and apple crumble with custard for dessert.”
“Why don’t we have the salad for lunch tomorrow at the Centre? That way we won’t have to stop and go to the cafeteria.”
Donna smiled. “If the Centre’s cafeteria food is anything like what we had at D’Netics, I’d much rather have yours.”
Sam frowned. “Some things are OK. We’ll have the lamb, in the morning room, Alan.”
Donna held up her hand. “Could I ask a question?”
“Of course, you can, Miss Donna,” Alan smiled and waited.
“Does Alice know how to make coconut layer cake?”
“I’m sure she does. Do you have a specific recipe you prefer?”
“Yes, but it’s a very old American recipe,” Donna sighed.
“Not to worry, Miss Donna,” Alan said, producing a scratch pad and pencil from his pocket. “If you’ll jot down the recipe, I’ll be happy to pass it on to Alice. Would you like that as well as your apple crumble and custard?”
Sam leaned over Donna’s shoulder, reading as she quickly wrote out the recipe. “Alice probably wouldn’t have time to make it for tonight, but I wouldn’t mind having it at a later date,” Donna smiled and handed him the recipe. “I hope you can read it.”
Alan glanced at the recipe. “Cassie’s Coconut Layer Cake, is that right?”
“Yes. Cassie was my…” Donna broke off and swallowed hard. “Cassie was a dear friend of mine, from Louisiana. It was my favourite, and she made it special for me.”
“I’ll give it to Alice and tell her that it was a special request from you.”
“Thank you, Alan.”
“I’ll bring your drinks in shortly,” he said and disappeared.
Sam put his arm around her waist and led her to the library. “It sounded delicious. I’m quite fond of coconut layer cake, too, but I’ve never had it with orange filling.”
“Cassie taught me,” Donna softly smiled. “I’ll make it for you sometime.”
“So, let’s see. There’s one more thing we have in common. The list is growing,” he grinned and kissed the side of her neck.
“It does seem that way.”
“Hi D,” Gary smiled as she entered the room.
“What have you found out about the cameras?” Donna asked.
Gary held out his hand. “First, let’s see if someone is trying to use your cell phone to locate you and listen in on your phone conversations.”
Sam handed him Donna’s cell phone and battery. The first thing Gary did was remove Donna’s SIM card. Then he put the battery back in and turned it on. Once the phone rebooted, he went to the settings and waited. A few seconds later, the Bluetooth light came on and then the Wi-Fi. Gary pressed his finger to his lips, opened the cover and took the battery out again. “Well, I think that question has been answered.”
“So what now?” Sam asked.
Gary sighed. “Without the SIM and RAM chips in it, we know that the ‘nasty’ is being stored in your phone’s memory. I’ll download that, disassemble it and see what it’s doing.”
“What about Sam’s cell phone?” Donna asked.
“That’s a point,” Gary agreed. “Let’s check yours, Sam. If it’s on your cell phone that could be bad news.”
Donna’s eyes widened. “A Bluetooth virus?”
“Quite possibly,” Gary responded. “Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and then take the battery and SIM card out.”
Sam and Donna watched. As soon as Sam put the battery back in and switched his cell phone on, the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi light lit. Donna looked up at Gary and nodded. “Hmm,” he commented and switched Donna’s cell phone back on. As soon as hers rebooted, Sam’s Bluetooth and Wi-Fi light went out. Gary then took both his, Donna’s, and Sam’s batteries and SIM cards out. When he rebooted his cell phone, his Bluetooth and Wi-Fi light lit. Gary turned Sam’s phone back on, and Gary’s Bluetooth and Wi-Fi went out. Gary made a motion as if slitting his throat; Sam and Donna took their cell phones offline again. “The little shit – I’ll fix you!”
“Do you know what it is?” Donna asked.
“Oh yes! It’s called a BSV – Bluetooth Seeker Virus and you…” he said, pointing to Donna, “…appear to be its primary target. It most likely spread from your cell phone.”
“Forrest must have done it when I was at his penthouse apartment.”
“That’s one strong possibility, but I can think of two others.”
Sam pressed his lips into a tight line. “Richard,” he suggested.
“If it’s him, he knows a lot more about hacking than I thought he did.” Gary shared a knowing glance with Donna; her eyes widened. “I wouldn’t lay the blame on Richard just yet,” Gary continued with a sigh. “Let me see if I can get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, I’m afraid we’re stuck to using landlines.”
Donna frowned. “If our cell phones are infected there’s a good chance that Sir Richard’s and John’s will be infected, as well.”
Gary leaned back in his chair. “Yes there is,” he grinned.
Donna narrowed her eyes. “Why are you grinning, Gary? This is not good!”
“I’m just impressed. You’ve obviously been paying attention to my harking.”
Donna smirked. “Yes, and you’ve obviously been slipping, or your little program would have caught this before it became a major nuisance.”
Sam laughed. “Let’s go work on some songs while Captain Spock here figures this out.”
Gary waited until they were out of earshot and picked up the house phone. “Sir Richard Triplet’s room please,” he said after the general Savoy greeting by the phone receptionist.
“I’m sorry. Sir Richard is not accepting calls. Would you like to leave a message?”
------------
“No, I would not like to leave a message. Tell him it’s Dr. Gary Browne. I need to speak to him urgently.”
“Please hold,” the receptionist responded and rang Sir Richard’s room. “I have Dr. Gary Browne on hold for Sir Richard Triplet. He insists it’s urgent. Would you like me to transfer the call?”
“Yes,” John said, giving Sir Richard a wary look as he waited. “It’s Gary. He says it’s urgent.” Sir Richard took the receiver.
“John this is Gary.”
“Gary, it’s me. What’s going on?”
“Is Richard there with you?”
Sir Richard’s eyes widened. “No – he went out.”
“Damn. I wanted to test my theory.”
“Theory about what? Wait – why didn’t you ring my cell phone?”
“Because I think it’s been infected with a BSV.”
“Pardon?”
“A Bluetooth Seeker Virus, Sir Richard. I think Forrest might have put it on Donna’s cell phone when she was in his penthouse apartment. I need you to turn off your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and then take out your SIM cards and batteries. Tell John to do the same. When I tell you, put the battery back in and turn the cell phone on again, but do not put the SIM card or memory card back in it.”
“Hang on a second, Gary. I’ll give you back to John, tell him what to do,” Sir Richard responded and handed John his cell phone. Gary explained what he wanted John to do, but when John turned on Sir Richard’s cell phone, nothing happened. The Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections stayed off.
“OK,” Gary said. “This proves three things. One – you are not the next target in the line. Two – either Richard, or someone else is, and Three – there’s a possibility that Richard or someone else is behind this. If it’s Richard, we can stop it fairly easily.”
“Yeah,” Sir Richard groaned. “I’ll wring his bloody neck!”
“That might be a little drastic,” Gary sighed. “I’m more concerned if it’s someone else because then, I would have to find a way of exposing them. I don’t want to simply eradicate the ‘nasty’ until I know who sent it. The easiest and safest way to do this is send them some dessert.”
Sir Richard frowned. “Gary, that’s drastic.”
“That’s why I want to find out where it came from. If I can do that, I can alter their code to turn it back on itself. It would then bounce from infected phone to infected phone, clearing itself and ultimately destroying the computer that was collecting the data. If that should turn out to be Richard’s laptop – oh well!”
“Gary… if I find out Ricky is behind this…” Sir Richard broke off to control his anger. “Just get to the bottom of this. In the meantime, Sam and Donna stay in her room.”
“Sir Richard, Donna has already….”
“...This is not a choice,” Sir Richard interjected. “This is an order! If Sam wants to go, that’s fine, but Donna stays in the Hall!” Sir Richard ended the call and turned to John. “As soon as Ricky gets back, I want all of these cell phones replaced with Triplet International models only. I want each of them fitted with satellite options. In the meantime, we’ll have to use the landlines and my satellite phone. Gary thinks we’ve all been infected with a Bluetooth Seeker Virus. Unless he can find out where it came from, in order to get rid of it we may have to do something drastic. When we get back, after Gary gets rid of the virus – if he’s able to get rid of it - I want the guest house set up as a temporary work area for the genetics team. We can’t wait. I want the complex security system up and running yesterday. I’m fed up with these damn outside leaks. Let’s see if they can find us there.”
“Sir, what about Jared? Could he be behind this?” John asked.
“I hope to hell he’s not!”