Chapter 9: Curiouser and Curiouser

Erika and Rosa continued chatting in the front seat on the way to see Alice, while Naomi sat in the back, mentally counting boujee cars on the freeway. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought there weren’t as many as usual. Maybe Robert Mitchell wasn’t the only executive locked out by his in-car computer.

She was mulling over the implications of this when they pulled into the parking lot of a senior care community and Erika cheerfully declared, “We're here!”

“Alice lives in an old person home?” asked Naomi incredulously. Alice was so capable. Naomi couldn’t imagine that she needed any assistance.

“She’s got a bad hip,” said Erika. “You know that. Her mind is as sharp as ever. She just needs someone around in case she falls.”

“Oh,” said Naomi. “That makes sense.”

It seemed like a nice enough place. As they walked in, light was streaming in the windows. The residents were playing games and deep in conversations. And it didn’t have that antiseptic smell she expected from retirement homes. Maybe she had judged too fast.

Naomi scanned the room until she found Alice, who was sitting on a plush couch. She sat with a cup of tea next to her as she read a thick old book. The book was clearly gas, because Alice was engrossed. When Erika strode up to her and said, "Hello!" Alice jumped. 

“Erika, what are you doing here? Do we have a lunch date?”

“No, no. I should have told you I was coming. I came to introduce you to a friend and ask for a little help.”

Alice nodded her head and responded, “No bother.” Then tipped her head towards Rosa, “This must be your friend?” and slowly started getting up to shake Rosa’s hand.

“Don’t get up,” said Erika. “I know your hip bothers you. Yes, this is Naomi’s former boss, Rosa.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Rosa. She reached out to shake Alice’s hand.

“Pleased to meet you,” said Alice. Then, she looked over Rosa’s shoulder and said, “Good to see you too, Naomi. It’s been a while.”

Naomi smiled and gave a little a wave.

“Still a woman of few words, I see. Fair enough,” said Alice. “Well, I’m intrigued. How can I help you?”

“Rosa and Naomi both got fired yesterday because they couldn’t solve a computer problem,” said Erika. “We thought you might have some answers.”

“Me?” asked Alice, “I’m just a doddering old lady who loves to read her novels. What could I possibly know about computers that a smart young girl like Naomi couldn’t figure out?”

“You don’t need to play dumb with us, Alice.” said Erika. “Naomi and I know better. As for Rosa, she stuck up for Naomi when nobody else would. You don’t need to hide things from her.”

Alice gave Rosa a long hard look, nodded, and changed to a brisk, down-to-business tone.  “Fine. What type of problem are we talking about?”

Naomi and Rosa briefly explained what they knew — that animal viruses had been blocking business transactions on their phones and computers and that Rosa’s mom got a mysterious cash injection right after Rosa was fired.

“Interesting,” said Alice. “What types of animals have you seen so far?”

“Sloths, squirrels, and chickens,” said Rosa.

“And of course, the white rabbit,” added Naomi.

“Of course?” asked Alice.

“The white rabbit seems special,” explained Naomi. “The other animals block access. The white rabbit seems to lead people to things it wants you to see.”

“Like the big deposit in my mother’s account,” said Rosa.

“I see,” said Alice. “Have you heard of any other money transfers?”

Rosa shook her head. “Just the one.”

“Have you seen any reporting about these occurrences? Online videos or articles? Social media mentions?”

“No, but my mother heard some rumors,” said Rosa.

“What rumors?”

“She said there are rumors that American businesses are closings because of computer problems.”

“American businesses? Where does your mother live?” asked Alice.

“Mexico.”

“Interesting,” said Alice. “Have you been able to verify any of the rumors?”

“We do know of a few tech companies that have basically shut down. The virus seemed to have caused some collateral damage along the way as well.”

Alice nodded, taking it in.

“I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining,” said Erika “but we had hoped you might answer some questions for us, Alice. Not the other way around.”

“Oh, yes. It looks like you’ve just seen the tip of the iceberg ladies. I’ve got some things to show you. Come with me.”

Erika gestured to Naomi to help Alice up. Alice accepted the help but gruffly waved Naomi away when she offered an arm to lean on for the walk, “I’m old, not feeble.”

Naomi rolled her eyes for the second time that day but said nothing as Alice slowly marched towards her room. Naomi and the other women trailed behind. When they reached her room, Alice sat at an old oak desk and motioned to the women, indicating that they should gather around behind her.

Alice flipped open a laptop, entered her password, and the screen came to life with hundreds of monarch butterflies fluttering across the screen.

Naomi was high-key mesmerized.

She soon realized, however, that it was more than a beautiful screen saver. Alice was tracking her mouse across the screen muttering to herself, “Where is she?” for at least a minute until she finally declared, “Ha! Gotcha!” and clicked a butterfly near the back of the screen.

After Alice clicked the butterfly, it continued flying, dissolving into a sea of pixels. By the time it fully dissipated, the screen had fully transformed to a standard display full of folders and icons.

“What was that?” asked Erika.

“Just a little extra security,” said Alice. “Passwords are so easy to hack. Picking out the right butterfly in a field full of nearly identical butterflies? That’s a little harder. Or at least a little more unexpected.”

Erika laughed, “Show off.”

“You never let me get away with anything, do you Erika?” chuckled Alice.

“No,” said Erika. “I suppose I don’t.”

“Well, that’s not what I wanted to show you anyway. Let’s do a little thought experiment, shall we?”