She dressed, padded into the kitchen, and plugged in the percolator. While the machine coughed and chugged, Nora debated her next move. She could open the thumb drive, but Bridget’s warning about a potential virus worried her. The only computer they owned was Ellie’s, a computer she needed for school. Nora couldn’t afford a costly repair, let alone a new one if things went bad. This left her with one option—find a computer expert, ideally someone who would help for free.
The coffee pot hissed and sputtered to a stop. Nora poured a cup. Then she sifted through the pile of stuff on the side table and found her cell phone.
Ellie was on the couch, books and laptop open, just like last night.
“Morning,” Nora said.
Ellie grunted, face tight, eyes on her paper. She marked up a page, flipped i
