Ten minutes later, Nancy was getting back in the car and pulling out of the drive. She had packed enough clothes for a few days and grabbed the cell phone. What else do you need?

Nancy was making good time thanks to a lack of accidents and no major CalTrans road projects to work around. She made the necessary phone calls right away: a message for her boss at work, a quick update to Spike, and arrangements with a neighbor to feed the cat and watch the apartment. Missing work the next day was going to be the biggest problem. She would have some serious smoothing over to do with the boss.

But Nancy wasn't worrying about that yet. She could save the drive back for coming up with some creative ideas to use in the board of directors presentation. Now her mind was wandering to thoughts of her sister. Nancy wished she felt closer to Molly. They had always been there for each other's birthdays, the family holiday events at Christmas, and special occasions like graduations and award dinners. Suddenly that wasn't feeling like very much. Molly had become an independent adult over the past two years and Nancy realized for the first time how much distance had grown between them. She silently committed to herself that this trip would be the beginning of a change.

As the miles clicked by, Nancy imagined the future trips she would be making down that very highway to spend time with Molly. The two would visit Molly's friends around the UCSC campus. They would bike between stops on the wooded grounds of the university. Hike together on some of the school's trails and maybe even camp out together for a night at one of the nearby state parks. The many options were beginning to sound like fun to Nancy. She couldn't wait to see Molly and start planning some of these adventures.

Nancy had been to Santa Cruz often enough to generally know her way around. She easily found the motel Tom had mentioned. He greeted her at the registration desk as planned. The clerk quickly got Nancy checked into her room and Tom suggested they go for a walk while they talked. Nancy had no objection and they began walking toward the wharf by cutting through the parking lot of the hotel next door. Nancy was ready to get down to business, but allowed a couple minutes for pleasantries and general catching up. As they began walking out over the water, Nancy pushed Tom toward the matters at hand.

Nancy: Tom, I can tell you're a little nervous and it's starting to worry me. Molly is okay, isn't she?

Tom: Yeah, she's okay. She's probably more okay than I think. That's what's bothering me. I'm hoping I didn't drag you down here for no good reason. It's just...

Nancy: Just start at the beginning. You told me you talked to Molly at the hospital?

Tom: Okay, yeah, I talked to her at the hospital. She was there with some friends. She introduced me to them. Seemed like okay kids. Molly told me they were members of the same club or something. They call it The Ethernaut Club. She said it's sort of a computer hobby group.

Nancy: A geek club. UCSC has had geek house groups for years. This just sounds a little more popular than a group all under one roof.

Tom: Yeah, this club has become very popular here. I talked to a friend about it. He's a professor here. When I asked him about the Ethernauts, he gave me the rundown. It's the current rage. Everybody wants to be a member. They're so popular, it has the school's administration a little worried. My friend said some of the faculty are starting to call it a cult. They're afraid to go public against the Ethernaut Club because they know that will push their popularity even higher.

Nancy: Is there some reason other than the group's popularity to be against them?

Tom: One of the faculty members sent a letter to the provost stating his opinion that the Ethernauts' president, Jeremy Jones, is a psychotic. It claims he's an ego-maniac on a power trip with this cult following of his. The letter is forcing administration to go on record one way or the other. It's coming to a head.

Nancy: What did Molly say about these claims?

Tom: I didn't ask her and here's why. When I was at the hospital one of the friends she introduced me to was Jeremy Jones. She introduced him as her boyfriend.

Nancy: Her boyfriend? She's... well if Molly's dating him then I doubt he's a dangerous psychopath. Molly wouldn't get involved...

Tom: Nancy, before you decide how you feel about him, you should meet this Jeremy. I'll tell you right now, in my opinion, he's a strange character. I've never met anyone with as much presence as this guy projects. I know it sounds goofy, but you know me; I don't normally describe people's presence. With him, I can hardly remember anything else. I'm not even sure I can tell you what he looks like, that's how much effect it had on me.

Nancy: It does sound scary, Tom. No offense, but if he gets through your hard-boiled personality, there must be something about him.

Tom: No offense taken. That's exactly how I'm looking at it.

Nancy: Let's head back. I want to get up early so I can talk to Molly before she goes to class.

Tom: I hope we're wrong, Nancy, but if we're not, it's going to be harder to help Molly than you think. My advice is that you take your time with her. Don't force her to classify you as the enemy, no matter what you do.

Nancy: Thanks, Tom, I'll remember that.



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