Something in the Water

At home, the USB is gone. Erin tears the house apart looking for it. Dizzy from her search, she opens a box of truffles to get her blood sugar up for the baby and finds the USB “nestled on the bottom deck of the truffle box” (283).

Mark calls, and she confronts him about hiding the USB. He says he hid it to protect her and makes her promise not to look at it. Erin hangs up and plugs the USB into her computer. It’s full of encrypted files. She calls Eddie, tells him about the files, and asks if he knows anyone who can help decrypt them. Eddie tells her to forget it, that whatever’s on that drive is “bad stuff they don’t want people reading” (288). Eddie supplies Erin with a gun for protection. She learns how to use it as best she can and then sends a text with the iPhone, telling whoever’s on the other end she’s ready to trade the USB.

Erin sets up the trade location in Norfolk. She goes out a day early to scout the area and practice with the gun. When she’s as prepared as she can be, she buries the USB with the plan to release its coordinates after she gets the