“Not yet. Why?”
Tell her. Quick. Like ripping off a Band-Aid. Then she can get back—
“Oh no.” She’d figured it out before he could tell her. “She knows my computer system, and she can hack into anything. Do you think she’s in danger?”
“I think the risk is small, but if it were me, I’d want a heads-up.”
“You said you had a thought and you’d acted on it. What did you do?”
“I called her husband and told him what happened. I didn’t go into a lot of detail, but I did want him to know that someone is desperate to get into your computer systems.”
“Do you think he can keep her safe?” There was a definite edge of panic in her words.
“I don’t think. I know.” Gil poured all his certainty into his words in an effort to lower Ivy’s anxiety. “He has a lot of experience. She had some drama a few years ago, and when it was over, he put a ring on her finger.”
“Then I guess it worked out.”
“You could say that. Adam won’t share anything with Sabrina that you don’t want him to share, but I think it’s only fair that she knows what’s going on. Mostly because she’s your friend, and she’ll want to know. But also because she’s brilliant, and if she’s aware of what’s going on, she can be on her guard.”
And she might solve the entire case in her head and hand it to them with a color-coded PowerPoint presentation by morning, but Gil didn’t mention that.
“I don’t mind her knowing, Gil, but I’m not sure I can tell—” Her voice broke.
“You don’t have to.” He hurried to reassure her. “I didn’t go into detail, but I gave Adam enough that he can share with Sabrina, and she’ll know what she needs to know. Then, whenever you’re ready, you can talk to her about it. If she needs more detail than you’re ready to share, you can have her call me, Faith, or Tessa.”
“That’s a good plan.”
“I’m sorry to have messed up your girls’-night-in fun.”
“I wouldn’t put that above Sabrina’s safety.”
“I know you wouldn’t, and that’s why I messed it up, even though I didn’t want to.”
“I don’t want anyone else hurt. Should I contact my employees?”
“No. Not tonight.” He said what he had to say as gently as he could. “Right now, your employees are suspects. I hate that, but it’s true.”
“I don’t want to believe any of them could have been behind this.”
“I know you don’t. And they probably aren’t. For now, I’d say the best policy is to hold the information close and think carefully before sharing it.”
“I like that plan too.”
“Good.”
“Gil Dixon!” Emily’s teasing angry voice pierced through their quiet conversation. She wasn’t standing right beside Ivy, but she couldn’t have been too far away. “I’m going to use your fancy-pants knives on the hard plastic cutting boards if you don’t leave Ivy alone.”
“You tell her if she touches my knives, I’ll tell Mom and Dad about the time she lied about spending the night with a friend and was pulled over by the police for TP’ing her teacher’s house.”
Ivy laughed.
“What did he say?” Emily growled. Ivy told her.
“You don’t want to go there, Gil.” This time, Emily’s voice was right at the phone. She must have been standing close. And there was a hint of devilry in her tone. “You start telling tales, and I’ll be forced to respond in kind. But I won’t tell Mom and Dad. I’ll tell Ivy. Maybe I should start with that away game where you—”
“I’m hanging up. Back to girls’ night.”
Ivy told him bye, and she was laughing when she did it.
