Set Me Free (A Fugitive #2)(51)

"We're just going through it now." Zach slipped back into his chair while Alex went to stand behind Elliot.

"What's Carrots doing here?"

"Hey! I—" Her offended reply was cut short by one of Alex's sexy smiles, he added extra punch to it with a quick wink that had Jaeda's cheeks blooming with color. She went back to studying the necklace, running her thumb over the gem.

Everything dropped to a quiet murmur as Alex and Elliot fiddled with the laptop, Zach studied the files and Jaeda admired the stone. Lucy remained stiff and awkward, her curiosity obviously not quite strong enough to rifle through other random papers they had haphazardly shoved in the bag.

"So, why was this in the lock box?" Jaeda asked.

"I'm not sure," Lucy murmured. "It was my mother's. Dad gave it to her for her birthday...about two weeks before they died. She loved it and wore it everyday."

"Hmm," Jaeda raised it up to the light, unable to take her eyes off it. "My grandparents used to own a jewelry store. I used to love sitting with my grandpa as he assessed these gorgeous gems and told me all about them. He used to..." She frowned, squinting at the stone. "Is this a real emerald?"

Lucy's brows puckered. "Yes. My dad wasn't cheap."

Zach's head popped up at her sharp tone.

"I didn't mean it like that." Jaeda shook her head. "There's just something slightly weird about this stone." She stood up and walked towards the sunny window, pressing the green gem against the glass."

Lucy and Zach stood at the same time, following her.

"See." She pointed at the gem. "There's a tiny black square, which I guess could be a flaw, but it just looks wrong to me, it's too straight. It doesn't look natural."

Zach saw where she meant and reached for the stone, flipping it over and picking at the gold casing around the gem.

"What are you doing?" Lucy sounded panicked as she tried to reach for it.

He stopped and looked at her. "You have to trust me."

After a hesitant pause, she pressed her lips together, stepped back, and let him do his thing. Taking it into the kitchen, he pulled out a small tool kit from the drawer beneath the telephone.

"Here, let me." Jaeda took the tiny flathead screwdriver from his hand and gently began to pry at the tongs of the setting.

"Damn, your dad knew what he was doing." Elliot drew Lucy's attention away from Jaeda's dismantling project.

She slid up beside Alex and looked over the computer whiz's shoulder.

"Woah, the encryption used here is something new, something awesome. Not sure if I can break this thing without some serious firepower. May need to grab some time on Tianhe-2. Chinese are going to love me again." Elliot bent his head low over the screen and went to work.

"Do you think that's why Tenner kept the computer? Do you think he's spent all this time trying to hack into her dad's stuff?" Zach asked while keeping his eye on Jaeda's movements.

"It's a good theory." Alex stood back, crossing his arms. "I mean it's not like he could take it to anyone. He can't risk anyone seeing what might be revealed."

Elliot grunted, a deep frown marking his features. "It's not working. Maybe I could try—"

"Hey is that a memory stick?" Alex interrupted, reaching over Elliot and pushing some files aside. Lifting up the little black device, he studied it with a growing frown. "Maybe not."

"Let me look." Elliot practically snatched it from him, running his fingers over the hard plastic casing and spinning it in his hands. "It's not like any flash drive I've seen before." He squinted at it then grinned. "Ah-ha." Elliot slid his finger up the side and one click later, a flash of silver popped from the end.

Elliot slotted it into the computer and stared at the screen. After a moment his expectant stare became a confused frown. "Where is it?" He pressed a few more keys and flicked the mouse around. "There's no icon. It's not in the main..."

"What are you talking about?" Lucy leaned against the table, frustrated.

"The computer's not reading the flash drive...like it's dead or something." He pulled it out of the machine, blowing on the end before trying again.

Nothing.

"That's just weird." Elliot tapped the end of the memory stick. "I mean, I get not being able to open the files, but for the computer not to register the presence of an external device at all seems odd."

"Got it!"

Jaeda's triumphant call made them all turn back to the kitchen. Her eyes were practically glowing as she gently placed the casing on the counter and walked towards them with the jewel.

Lucy's breath hitched.

Within the back of the emerald was a perfectly cut indentation and within that lay a green square that looked a little like a SIM card, except it wasn't.

"Is that a computer chip?" Zach held out his hand so Jaeda could tip it into his palm.

Elliot lurched from his seat and peered over Lucy's shoulder. "No, that's a micro board." He nudged Lucy aside to get a better look. "At least I think it is."

It was ridiculously tiny. Elliot pressed his finger onto it and picked it up, holding it close to his nose.

"Look at the circuitry pattern. I've never seen anything like it." Elliot's words were breathy, his eyes glimmering with awe. "This is...I've never seen...This is incredible technology...I..."