When Shadows Rise | I

Ch. 26 | Connections

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"Are you sure this is a good idea, April? What if your father finds out?"

The girls were now in the 'O' Neil apartment after April explained her miraculously genius plan to crack Genesis's code. Talia did not know what to expect, but she definitely did not think her friend's plan involved illegally accessing Captain 'O' Neil's work laptop. What if he found out two teenage girls had been snooping through it? He was a cop, so of course he would find out sooner or later!

"I don't think this is a good idea," Talia admitted as April set the laptop on her bed.

"Figuring out that code is important," April reminded. "It's not like we can take it to Donnie; he'll probably hide the true meaning behind it and keep you in the dark."

Talia frowned. She still found it hard to believe that the Sato siblings would lie to her about not finding anything on the flash drive. What motive could they possible have to lie? Didn't they want to solve this mystery as badly as she did?

"Right," was all Talia could say. "But using your father's laptop? How are you going to get in if you don't know his passcode?"

"Relax, Taly," April assured, smiling like she had everything figured out. "My dad might not think so, but I know where he hides his password."

"You've seen where?"

April nodded. "I checked the most obvious place of all— under his mattress, and there it was. Duh." She held up a folded piece of paper. "I should've known his password is the same as our internet one. I never struck him as the 'same-password-for-everything' kind of guy."

The redhead entered the circled letters and numbers into the laptop. April smiled when she saw it worked. Her father once said he didn't want to bring his job home because he worked so many hours, something that April despised as a child (and even now as a teenager) because she knew there was always a chance he might not come in through that door. Kirby only checked his laptop if and when he felt the need to revisit something, but those moments only happened rarely.

While April was clicking away, Talia twisted her necklace around her finger, cutting her eyes between April and her bedroom door. What if Mr. 'O' Neil arrived home when the girls least expect it and caught them red-handed going through privileged files and evidence? What would he do then? How much trouble would she and April be in?

"My dad isn't going to be home until later on in the evening," April said, like she had read her best friend's thoughts. "He picked up another shift at the last minute— said it was real urgent."

"Oh. I see." Talia could feel herself ease up with that statement. However, it never failed to slightly concern her knowing that Mr. 'O' Neil left his soon-to-be sixteen year-old daughter alone in the apartment for so many hours at a day. She understood that his job as captain of the Homicide Bureau meant completing 16-hour shifts and sometimes doing overtime, but was this the routine when April was younger? Who took care of her if Kirby was away at work and there was no mother in the picture?

Talia's mind reverted to all the times when April had expressed frustration at her father's job. Talia always remembered feeling so grateful that her father's job was not nearly as dangerous as Mr. 'O' Neil's. She never had to worry because she knew that her father would always be there.