What She Left Behind ✔️

chapter nine

Ella stares at the USB drive in her hand. "'Veritas', huh? You know that's Latin for 'truth', right?"

"Then it makes sense why it's written on there."

"And also why the drive is so heavily encrypted. I tried every trick I know, but I can't get into the files. Sorry, Gemma."

I shrug my shoulders. For the past week, I've been trying to crack the Raelyn code, but I can't access the files on the drive. They're password protected. I tried everything I could think of—her birthday, Evangeline's birthday, hell, even my birthday—but nothing worked.

"I'll tell you what. I can give it to my guy in the IT department. He can hack into anything," she says with a smirk. "What do you say?"

"Sure," I reply. "Just tell him to be careful with it, okay? The flash drive... it was Raelyn's."

She cringes. "Jeez, that's some dark shit. What do you think's on here?"

"Some answers, hopefully."

"Just be careful. You can't un-ring a bell."

"I know." I let out a sigh. The drive is encrypted. I pray it's not unhackable. "So... need me to fetch you a coffee or anything? Proofread your latest byline, perhaps?"

She shakes her head. "Nah, I'm good."

"Is there anything you want me to do?" I've been so focused on Raelyn and the USB drive that I'm desperate for a work-related distraction. "Anything at all, Ella?"

She shakes her head again, her lips curling into an amused grin. "How about you go home early today?"

I glance at my phone. "But it's only one o'clock."

"And it's a slow news day. We don't need you here," she says.

"If this is about Raelyn, I'm over it. She's been gone for three weeks. You don't need to pamper me anymore," I tell her.

"She rolls her brown eyes. "Gemma, if my best friend died, I'd be devastated for, like, the rest of my life." She purses her freshly glossed lips. "Of course, my best friend is also my little cousin, so maybe it's different. Either way, go home. I'll see ya bright and early tomorrow."

I grab my stuff and make my way to my car. If Ella doesn't need me, I'm not going to stay and get on her nerves.

I drive home and find Levi in our kitchen, listening to Clean Bandit's "Rather Be" on the highest volume and singing along. He's tone-deaf, but I don't have the heart to tell him, so I fake a smile as I enter the cramped room and pause his Pandora playlist.

"Oh, hey! You're home early," he says while spreading mayonnaise on a slice of bread.

"Ella sent me home. Slow news day," I reply.

"Want a sandwich? I bought some hickory smoked ham, and it is to die for."

"Thanks. That sounds great."

I take a seat at the table and open my laptop. My backscreen is a photo of me and Raelyn from the day Evangeline was born.

I should probably change it.

"So how'd it go with the flash drive? Was Ella able to unlock the files?" Levi asks.

"Unfortunately, no," I answer. "She's going to give it to some dude in the IT department. Supposedly, he's the best around."

"Maybe he can tell you why Raelyn was whoring herself out," he adds. "Like, I knew she was struggling, but that's just wild."

"Talk about desperate for cash. She really couldn't hold down a job," I say.