بخش 05 - فصل 14

14 Holly steps in, sniffs, and says, “Oough. Is that Deborah Hartsfield?” “Yes. Try not to think about it. Come downstairs, you guys. I want you to look at something.” In the basement, Jerome runs a hand over the

worktable. “Whatever else he is, he’s Mr. Awesomely Neat.” “Are you going to call the police, Mr. Hodges?” Holly is biting her lips again. “You probably are and I can’t stop you, but my mother is going to be so mad at me. Also, it doesn’t seem fair, since we’re the ones who found out who he is.”

“I haven’t decided what I’m going to do,” Hodges says, although she’s right; it doesn’t seem fair at all. “But I’d sure like to know what’s on those computers. That might help me make up my mind.” “He won’t be like Olivia,” Holly says. “He’ll have a good password.” Jerome picks one of the computers at random (it

happens to be Brady’s Number Six; not much on that one) and pushes the recessed button on the back of the monitor. It’s a Mac, but there’s no chime. Brady hates that cheery chime, and has turned it off on all his computers. Number Six flashes gray, and the boot-up worry-circle starts going round and round. After five seconds or so, gray

turns to blue. This should be the password screen, even Hodges knows that, but instead a large 20 appears on the screen. Then 19, 18, and 17. He and Jerome stare at it in perplexity. “No, no!” Holly nearly screams it. “Turn it off!” When neither of them moves immediately, she darts

forward and pushes the power button behind the monitor again, holding it down until the screen goes dark. Then she lets out a breath and actually smiles. “Jeepers! That was a close one!” “What are you thinking?” Hodges asks. “That they’re wired up to explode, or something?”

“Maybe they only lock up,” Holly says, “but I bet it’s a suicide program. If the countdown gets to zero, that kind of program scrubs the data. All the data. Maybe just in the one that’s on, but in all of them if they’re wired together. Which they probably are.” “So how do you stop it?” Jerome asks. “Keyboard

command?” “Maybe that. Maybe voice- ac.” “Voice-what?” Hodges asks. “Voice-activated command,” Jerome tells him. “Brady says Milk Duds or underwear and the countdown stops.” Holly giggles through her fingers, then gives Jerome a

timid push on the shoulder. “You’re silly,” she says.