Chapter 109

When they got to James’s place, Cody opened the door and helped him inside, then quickly went to pour him a glass of water. James slumped down on the couch, eyes dull, clutching the glass like he didn’t even feel it. “Cody, I think Maria has been lying to me all along.” “What?” Cody blinked. That finally snapped a bit of life into James. He turned his head, face serious. “Remember how we traced the hacker to Blooming Vista?” His mind buzzed. It lined up too well—hacker based in Blooming Vista, and Maria lived there too. Noticing he’d gone quiet, Cody asked, “Yeah? So what about the hacker being there?” James leaned forward. “That day we went there, we saw David and Ella, yeah? But I also noticed this little boy who kinda looked like me. That’s when the thought popped into my head—could Maria have had twins?” Cody tried to recall the scene but was still struggling to connect the dots. “What’s that got to do with you being out of it today?” James looked at him, starting to sound urgent.