Convergence - The Last Science #2.1 - In Plain Sight

B2: Chapter 14 - Finding Family - III

  Hailey followed her. She and Jessica stayed a block away at all times, and she had trouble keeping the spell going to be able to hear her mother speak, but every word counted. It was a huge comfort just to hear her voice again, even if it had to be from so far away and totally unaware.

  Most of their conversation wasn't of much interest to Hailey. She'd never really shared her mother's interest in business or economics, so the finer details simply buzzed through her brain without really sticking. She did learn that her mother actually worked for Kendra's dad, although not directly in any sense. Stephanie worked for a company (Wensley Group), which was owned by another company (Metcon Capital), which was a founding member of the Laushire Enterprises international conglomerate. She looked it up on her phone while they walked, trying to trace the lines of business back to her mom somehow.

  Hailey was surprised to see how much information was available online. Her mom even had a web presence besides social media. Apparently she was a much more important woman than Hailey had ever realized. Yes, she'd known they were well-off, but she'd never paid much attention to what her mom actually did to provide for them.

  Of course, her presence these days was as much about her connection to 'the Rallsburg Incident' as it was her business acumen and connections. From the sound of it, that annoyed her mother as much as it made Hailey feel cool and mysterious.

  "...and after the Dawkins meeting, remind me to check in with Legal and see if we can get some restraining orders on all these reporters. This is getting old."

  "Uhh, ma'am..."

  She sighed. "Look, call me ma'am if you really have to, but speak your mind. I promise, I won't ever fire you for something you say in private. I'll put it in writing if you like. I hired you for your opinions."

  He nodded. "The press doesn't really respond well to restraining orders or hostility in general. The more you resist, the greater their curiosity."

  "So I should just sit here and take harassment?"

  "It'll pass with time. Most stories fade after a week or two. Rallsburg has sticking power as an unsolved crime at such a scale, but sooner or later everyone will move on. The news survives on keeping things interesting. If you react to them, ma'am, you keep it interesting."

  Hailey had to dodge out of the way to avoid getting run over by a particularly aggressive biker, and missed half of her mother's reply. "...keep thinking they've seen her."

  "Well, you watched the video. What do you think, ma'am?"

  "...I don't know." Hailey nearly stopped walking. She'd never heard her mother sound uncertain about anything. Her voice wasn't supposed to make sounds like that.

  "Have you spoken with her father about it?"

  "You can say his name, Daniel. We're getting divorced, we're not mortal enemies."

  They're getting divorced? Hailey's heart sank. What happened?

  "Mr. Partel—"

  "Chris, Daniel. Chris."

  "I wouldn't presume to be so familiar with him."

  "Chris and I talked about it. We watched it together after they sent us the original copy. Neither of us thought it looked like her, but it's a terrible video. Besides, that agent on TV said it was fake."

  "True."

  "It's been six months. They did everything I asked, I did everything they asked. Neither of us came up with squat." Stephanie's voice sounded calm and confident, despite what she was saying. "I have to assume the worst."

  "I'm sorry, ma'am."

  "I am too." Another shout sounded from across the street. A man with a phone held up, camera pointed their way. "Oh, not again."

  Stephanie quickly turned down a side street, Daniel hurrying to keep up. Hailey, one block behind them with Jessica at her side, had to rush just to keep her in sight. They weaved through several city blocks before they managed to lose the guy. Her mom was great at ducking out of sight, which was both a note of pride and a major inconvenience. At one point, Hailey lost her entirely, and had to have Jessica boost them up into the air and fly over the crowd invisibly to spot her distinct wavy blonde hair, the exact same as Hailey's had once been.

  In a small corner coffee shop, they took another short break, while Hailey hung around just outside. Every time the door opened, she had to adjust her spell to hear them as it rose and shrunk in volume.

  "They really are quite persistent," Daniel huffed, drinking down a cup of water.

  "I swear, everything is all about that stupid town," Stephanie grumbled. "She just had to go to that school."

  "Hailey chose it?"

  "You think I'd send my daughter to a tiny school like that?" Stephanie shook her head. "Hailey wanted to go. I think she wanted to prove herself. I would have let her go anywhere, but she picked the smallest, most out of the way school she could find that still had a good business program. She liked the challenge." Was that why I picked it? Hailey mused. I thought it was 'cause I wanted to get away, and because of Weston...

  "She sounds like she was quite the young woman."

  Stephanie shrugged. "Chris insisted she made the right choice, but look where she ended up."

  "That's hardly her fault."

  She finished off her own drink and stood up again. "Come on, let's get back to the office."