She draws a breath. “So you’ve really given up on finding out who killed my father?”
The defeat in Jodie’s voice pains me more than her threats and accusations. I turn around and my chest aches at the sight of her with her head bowed down and her shoulders drooping. I know exactly how she feels.
“No,” I tell her.
I know how hard it is to lose someone you love and not know who did it and why. Just today, I’ve been given fresh hope for a resolution. I’m not going to take that hope away from Jodie.
“I’ve asked someone to look into the footage from the cameras around the warehouse. It’s been deleted, but he’s going to try and recover it.”
At once, Jodie lifts her head.
“Also, the other day, at the warehouse, I found a pen that has the name of the company I work for,” I confess.
I might as well come clean.
Jodie’s eyebrows arch. “So someone who works in your company killed my father?”
I shrug. “Maybe. Or the pen could mean nothing.”
“We can have it checked for DNA. Do you still have it?”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry, but no. I must have left it at the mansion. I showed it to my father.”
“And?”
“He’ll look into it… I think.”
Jodie sighs. “You should have given me the pen.”
“Like I said, it could mean nothing. The camera footage is more important.”
Jodie nods. “You’re right.”
She takes my hand and looks into my eyes.
“Thank you, Leo.”
“Don’t thank me,” I tell her. “Like you said, your father meant a lot to me. I want to find out who killed him, too. Plus I know just how frustrating it feels to make sense of the loss of a loved one.”
Jodie squeezes my hand. “I’m so sorry about your mother. I didn’t know she was… killed. I thought she got sick.”
“That’s what we told everyone. It was tragic enough that she died.”
Jodie nods. “I’m sorry. She was good to me, you know. I really did like her.”
“I know. She liked you, too.”
I don’t know if Jodie remembers, but my mom used to call her “bambola”, which is Italian for “doll”. When I asked her why, she said it was because Jodie reminded her of a doll she once owned that she wished would come to life. She added that she would love to have a daughter just like her and asked if I wanted a little sister. I said no and she laughed.
Jodie pulls her hand away and places it on her shoulder as she falls silent. I have an urge to wrap my arms around her to comfort her but decide not to waste any more time. I sit in front of the desk as I take the package I got from the zoo out of my pocket. I empty it into my hand and plug the drive into my laptop.
“I’m sorry,” Jodie says behind me. “For stealing your password and your files.”
“Files?” I give her a puzzled look.
“I copied some, too, while you were sleeping.”
It’s a good thing my important files are in a secret location hidden behind a firewall Dino put up.
“It’s fine.”
I scan the drive.
“I thought I’d find something helpful, but they’re all pretty boring, except for the ones from women.”
“Yeah. Some women will do anything to get attention.”
“I have one question.”
“Go on,” I tell her.
The drive is still being scanned anyway.
“You’re doing business with the same Yuzuriha Corp that accused your company of sabotage?”
She read about that?
“Because it’s good for the company.”
“And when did you make this deal? Before or after you tried to find out if Nico Yuzuriha murdered my father?”
“After I found out he was innocent,” I answer.
She says nothing.
The drive finally finishes being scanned. I open it and find just one big file in it. The filename is YoureWelcome.
“So someone suddenly emailed you, saying they have information on your mother’s murder?” Jodie asks.
“They called first.”
“Did they say who they were?”
I shake my head.
“So you don’t know who gave you this but you’ve decided to trust them?”
“I’m not trusting anyone,” I tell her. “I’m just making sure I try everything.”
Jodie nods. “I understand.”
I draw a deep breath and open the file. To my dismay, it’s just a bunch of letters and numbers.
“It’s encrypted,” Jodie says.
I can see that. Unfortunately, it means I need Dino’s help.
“I’ll have someone decrypt it.”
“Okay.” Jodie sits on the edge of the bed. “I’ll wait.”
“What?”
“You’re helping me find who killed my father. I want to stick around and help you find out who killed your mother.”
“Jodie…”
“Didn’t you say that we make a great team?”
I don’t answer. I don’t know what to say to her. I do know this – once she’s made up her mind, it’s made.
I sigh. “My father is going to kill us both.”
“Why? We’re not investigating my father’s death. He should thank me for helping you find out who killed his wife.”