“There’s no one else she knows, to my knowledge.”

She had to have some sort of plan. “Did you check the Grid log?”

“You think maybe she tapped someone?”

“I don’t know. Has she watched you do it?”

“Yes. I’ll be right back.”

He disappeared. I sat down on a large flat rock. The mountain range stretched endlessly before me. Abby would have loved the view, I imagined.

Sabin reappeared. “She tapped for a car.”

“Any idea where it was going?”

“No.”

I thought for a moment. “I may know where she is.”

Sabin returned from the VR mountaintop. The house was quiet. Lauren was returning later that day. Chloe was probably in VR.

“Spitfire…”

“Yes, Sabin.”

“Access for me any information you have on Professor Creighton Daniels of the University of the South.”

“I can provide personal information, professional history, professional writings, and recorded presentations.”

“Just personal information, including any family history.”

Sabin scanned the information. A few minutes later he heard footsteps in the upstairs hallway. He turned to see Chloe in the doorway. “Hey. You look like you just woke up.”

“Yeah.” She sat in a chair next to him. “I just had a really strange dream.”

Three hours later Spitfire alerted him that Lauren had entered the house. He exited VR and walked to the top of the stairs. “Welcome back. How was Austin?”

Lauren glanced up at him from the living room. “Productive.”

“How’s Hutch doing since the funeral?”

“Fine.”

He walked down the stairs. “Speaking of funerals, I was thinking about Ray Caldwell.”

She looked at him cautiously. “What for?”

“I don’t know. Just thinking about him and Abby. I know she would’ve liked to meet him.”

Lauren walked toward the kitchen but didn’t respond.

“I was curious—when was the last time you heard anything from him?”

She hesitated, then reached for the refrigerator door without glancing back. “Why do you ask?”

“It just seemed gracious of him to pass along some money. You two weren’t on the best of terms.”

She took out some melon and set it on the counter. “A number of years, I imagine.”

“I never did ask—how much did Ray leave you?”

She ate a melon square. “Oh, I didn’t pay much attention. How much did he leave Abby?”

“About sixty thousand.”

“That sounds right. He must have left us all the same.” She offered Sabin some melon. He shook his head. “Speaking of Abby,” she said, “have you heard from her?”

“Why? Are you suddenly feeling guilty for kicking her out?”

She shot him a look. “No, I’m not feeling guilty. I’m just wondering what you know.”

“I haven’t heard from her.”

She finished another bite. “So what are you working on today?”

“An oceanography training hologram for the National Marine Science Center. I’d better get back to it.”