The following morning, after hitting the continental buffet, where they load up on pastries and coffee, Abigail and Genevieve station themselves back in their room and start plotting out how they’ll spend their time.
“When should I drop in on Bio-Mom?” Genevieve asks.
“I think you should go by Vital Records first. Pull the info on her parents. While you’re doing that, I’ll scope out the office. We don’t want to risk her seeing you until you drop in on her.”
“She’s going to freak.”
“I don’t know. She doesn’t strike me as the sort to freak.”
“How often do you see someone who looks like your dead mother?”
“Good point. I’ll try to get in the office, but it might be difficult to just drop by since she’s on an upper floor.”
“No it isn’t,” Genevieve says. “Just go in and say you’re picking up a package and this is the suite number you were given. I’ll see if I can find another company in the building with a similar number but on a different floor.”
“What about the company name?”
“Doesn’t matter. Just say they gave you a suite number but no name. If you need a person’s name, use Shawn Cutler.”
“Who’s that?”
“No one, as far as I know. It’s just an offbeat name that’s not too offbeat, so it sounds more realistic.”
“Who’s the receptionist?”
“Tina. She’s pretty friendly but somewhat tight lipped. Which isn’t surprising given who her employer is.”
“Yeah, Tina. Alyssa said she’s getting married in a few weeks.”
“You’ve been pretty chatty with Alyssa lately.”
“I like her. It’s easy to chat with her.”
“Just don’t forget, you’re Zelda.”
“I won’t. I just hope I get a chance to meet her, while I’m here,” Abigail says.
“I thought I was the one here looking for family.”
“You are, but it’s not easy being in contact with someone genuinely nice without developing an admiration for her.”
“Just don’t let your admiration cause you to lose focus.”
“Nothing to worry about.”
“Oh, listen, I downloaded a password cracker I’m going to try out later.”
“What are you going to do with that?”
“I’m going to try to hack into Leah’s system.”
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea. She’s a security expert. It’s not like you’re trying to trick a librarian at the Seattle public library into giving you access to their library database.”
“Which is why I downloaded the program. She’s likely to be on guard for a social engineering attack.”
“We’ll see.”
“It’s a last resort, okay? Let’s see how our explorations go first,” Genevieve says.
“Good plan.”
Finished with their planning, they spend the rest of the evening checking out their surroundings and having dinner. Next morning, Genevieve sets out for Vital Records while Abigail heads to Colony Square, where Leah’s office is located.
