when he discovered exactly what I knew he would: nothing.
Jack started to open the connection while I set my cup down and flopped into a leather recliner alongside a tall shelf of books. My eyes started to get heavy.
“Mace.”
“Huh?” My mouth tasted scummy. “Did I fall asleep?”
“Duh.” Jack pointed at the clock.
I’d been asleep for two hours. “You’ve been online the whole time?”
“Took me forever. Dial-up sucks.” He held up a stack of paper and flipped a few pages around.
I rubbed my eyes. “What’s that?”
“Funny you should ask. TroDyn is very public about their research that pertains to global warming and environmental sustainability. Like, full disclosure. Their scientists publish in all the journals.”
“Yeah, I know all that.” I had to write a paper to go with my application.
“That’s not the issue,” said Jack.
“There’s an issue?”
Jack asked, “Where’s the best place to hide?”
I thought about the discovery when I was ten that Mom kept all my Christmas presents on top of the fridge in a brown paper grocery bag labeled coupons. “In plain sight?”
“Exactly.” Jack held up a printout of a newspaper clipping. “TroDyn is always on the up and up, always flooding the media with massive amounts of information, so much so that it’s more than any journals or newspapers would ever want or need to publish. TroDyn overkill. So they never have anyone knocking on their door. The media is already saturated with TroDyn.”
I stretched and yawned. “So, it’s what they’re
not
telling the public?”
Jack nodded. “Looks that way. And get this, not many scientists have left TroDyn, but some have.”
“And?”
“Dude, this is the frickin’ weird part. There are some serious similarities. Listen to this.” He took a sip of coffee before reading out loud, “Donald Andreason, scientist for seven years with TroDyn before starting his own consulting firm, had this to say about his former employer: ‘While my time with TroDyn was enriching to my career, I ultimately decided my best career options lay in another direction, and they amicably accepted my resignation, wishing me well in my new endeavor.’”
I didn’t see what was so weird about that, until Jack read from another sheet of paper. “Jessica Lee, scientist for six years with TroDyn, recently left to take an academic position at USC. Of her former employer, she had these words: ‘While my time with TroDyn was enriching to my career, I ultimately decided my best career options lay in another direction, and they amicably accepted my resignation, wishing me well in my new endeavor.’”
“It’s the same.”
“Exactly.” Jack set the papers on the desk. “Like a piece TroDyn required its former employees to memorize. And here’s another thing.” He tapped the computer screen. “In the twenty-two years TroDyn has been in Melby Falls, there has been a total of thirty-one employees who left TroDyn for various new jobs. They all had the same words for their former employer, and except for one, they all had something else in common.”
“What?”
Jack tapped the desk. “Each had their first child born within seven months of leaving TroDyn.”
I didn’t get it. “They left because they were having a baby?”
Jack said, “Or in the case of the men, their wives were.”
“This is really weird.” And if it involved the girl, the whole thing was way too weird for me and Jack to handle on our own.
He asked, “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
I said, “We need to take her back?”
Jack took a sip of his coffee. “The destiny stuff was a load of bull, wasn’t it?”
“Sorry. I just really wanted to help her.”
He nodded. “I get it.”
“I should have let you turn around and take her back.” I sighed. “First thing tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Let’s get some sleep. And maybe we can think up some great story to tell my boss that won’t get me fired or put us both
Jack started to open the connection while I set my cup down and flopped into a leather recliner alongside a tall shelf of books. My eyes started to get heavy.
“Mace.”
“Huh?” My mouth tasted scummy. “Did I fall asleep?”
“Duh.” Jack pointed at the clock.
I’d been asleep for two hours. “You’ve been online the whole time?”
“Took me forever. Dial-up sucks.” He held up a stack of paper and flipped a few pages around.
I rubbed my eyes. “What’s that?”
“Funny you should ask. TroDyn is very public about their research that pertains to global warming and environmental sustainability. Like, full disclosure. Their scientists publish in all the journals.”
“Yeah, I know all that.” I had to write a paper to go with my application.
“That’s not the issue,” said Jack.
“There’s an issue?”
Jack asked, “Where’s the best place to hide?”
I thought about the discovery when I was ten that Mom kept all my Christmas presents on top of the fridge in a brown paper grocery bag labeled coupons. “In plain sight?”
“Exactly.” Jack held up a printout of a newspaper clipping. “TroDyn is always on the up and up, always flooding the media with massive amounts of information, so much so that it’s more than any journals or newspapers would ever want or need to publish. TroDyn overkill. So they never have anyone knocking on their door. The media is already saturated with TroDyn.”
I stretched and yawned. “So, it’s what they’re
not
telling the public?”
Jack nodded. “Looks that way. And get this, not many scientists have left TroDyn, but some have.”
“And?”
“Dude, this is the frickin’ weird part. There are some serious similarities. Listen to this.” He took a sip of coffee before reading out loud, “Donald Andreason, scientist for seven years with TroDyn before starting his own consulting firm, had this to say about his former employer: ‘While my time with TroDyn was enriching to my career, I ultimately decided my best career options lay in another direction, and they amicably accepted my resignation, wishing me well in my new endeavor.’”
I didn’t see what was so weird about that, until Jack read from another sheet of paper. “Jessica Lee, scientist for six years with TroDyn, recently left to take an academic position at USC. Of her former employer, she had these words: ‘While my time with TroDyn was enriching to my career, I ultimately decided my best career options lay in another direction, and they amicably accepted my resignation, wishing me well in my new endeavor.’”
“It’s the same.”
“Exactly.” Jack set the papers on the desk. “Like a piece TroDyn required its former employees to memorize. And here’s another thing.” He tapped the computer screen. “In the twenty-two years TroDyn has been in Melby Falls, there has been a total of thirty-one employees who left TroDyn for various new jobs. They all had the same words for their former employer, and except for one, they all had something else in common.”
“What?”
Jack tapped the desk. “Each had their first child born within seven months of leaving TroDyn.”
I didn’t get it. “They left because they were having a baby?”
Jack said, “Or in the case of the men, their wives were.”
“This is really weird.” And if it involved the girl, the whole thing was way too weird for me and Jack to handle on our own.
He asked, “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
I said, “We need to take her back?”
Jack took a sip of his coffee. “The destiny stuff was a load of bull, wasn’t it?”
“Sorry. I just really wanted to help her.”
He nodded. “I get it.”
“I should have let you turn around and take her back.” I sighed. “First thing tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Let’s get some sleep. And maybe we can think up some great story to tell my boss that won’t get me fired or put us both
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