Virtual Reality (Sue Thomas FBEye / Murdoch Mysteries)

Virtual Reality - Chapter Eight

A tear fell down Sue's cheek. He gently swiped it with the back of his index finger. "You're amazing."

"But I waited, and the restaurant—"

He placed the finger over her lips to stop her objections. She didn't feel guilty about not intervening sooner, did she?

"Sue, you found the clues before anyone of us. By itself, each post could have been seen as a coincidence. By reading, you gave us a chance to catch whoever is behind those bombings before he strikes again."

"Amazing?" It didn't sound like she believed him. "But the Holiday Inn?" she insisted. "You saw the connection right away."

Why did she have to be so stubborn?

"Only because I remembered my alarm clock, and you'd already pointed me in the right direction." He placed a tender kiss on her parted lips. "You're not responsible for those attacks. So, no more guilt trip, you hear me?"

Her head shook sideways as a delicious pout curved her lips.

He rolled his eyes. What was he going to do with her? "I'm calling Tara. And once I'm done explaining your incredible discovery, I'll be kissing you senseless until you forget all about that Murdoch Mysteries story."

The crimson red on her face contrasted nicely with his blue shirt.

~ * ~

"Jack? Stop!"

Jack pulled the handset a few inches from his ear. What got into Tara to yell at him while he updated her? It wasn't like he'd never woken her up in the middle of the night before. They were on a case, therefore susceptible to be called anytime.

"What's wrong?" Only able to follow his side of the conversation, the blond woman in his arms frowned at his statement.

"Wrong?" Tara giggled— for no reason he could understand. "Jack, you talk so fast I can't keep up. My brain isn't a computer chip, you know."

Chastised, he mouthed 'talk too fast' for Sue's eyes. Her chest shook with quiet laughter as she snuggled closer to him.

"Sorry, Tara. Want me to start again?"

"Actually, I get the idea. I need the website address so I can look at it. Is Sue still logged on?"

The laptop sat on his knees.

"Yes." He read the website address to her.

"Good. I just need to create an account to— Come to think of it, it might raise suspicion if a new reader joins midway through a story. What's Sue's username?"

"Username?" Tara should have that conversation with Sue, not him. "What's a username?"

Sue stroked his forearm. "Usernames are like Murdochfan, Forensic101, Blackwire. Which one does Tara want?"

"Yours, so she can log on without attracting attention." The new blush creeping up her face baffled him— until she shyly pointed at the left top corner of her screen. How had he missed it? "Gorgeousbrowneyes?"

Flustered, Sue buried her nose in the crook of his shoulder. "Levi has brown eyes."

On the phone, Tara chuckled. "All in lower cases, Jack?"

"Yes, Tara, and one word. No hyphen or space."

Once alone with Sue, he'd pursue the signification of her username.

"Okay. Now, log out, please, and ask Sue for her password."

First, he clicked on the logout icon.