“I’m good at reading people. Ever since my accident, I could always tell when someone was silently judging me. Teachers. Friends. Employers.”
“My guess is you don’t feel judged at Secure Watch?”
“Nope,” she agreed. “But I still struggle with eye contact there. It’s easier, but not like with you.”
“Are you worried that your TBI might affect your employment?”
“It’s always a worry. Sometimes, I feel like a burden to Mina and Cal, so I try not to make waves. That was the only reason I planned to come here when Mina asked. Until I saw you on the screen for the first time. You were so beautiful, and when you spoke, your voice calmed my racing heart and helped it beat normally again. Ugh. Why am I like this? I’m going to stop talking now.”
Bec chuckled and patted her shoulder. “Never feel like you can’t be honest with me, Iris. I’m grateful you’re here, no matter how that decision happened. It’s nice knowing Declan and Zac have my back with security, but knowing I’m not alone inside the lab is everything right now. I’m terrified and exhausted, but you’re making it easier by being here.”
Iris smiled but didn’t say anything more as she typed.Before she replied, she wanted to think about what Bec said to decide how it made her feel. She’d learned to take time to think over interactions with new people before she said something she couldn’t take back. Especially in high-stress situations like they were in tonight. They’d been working for hours, and it was late, but she couldn’t rest until she had some control over the lab.
“Do you know of anyone with a grudge against you, Dr. Hoerman or the center?” Iris asked instead.
“Other than past scientists, no. I wouldn’t know if they had issues with the center since I never met them.”
“Other scientists had grudges against him?” Iris asked, surprise in her tone.
“It’s possible,” Bec said with a shoulder shrug. “None of them lasted long, but I don’t know the circumstances. I was simply saying that I only know the names of the last few scientists who worked here. Anything else was information I didn’t need.”
“Would Dr. Hoerman have information on former employees in his office?”
“I’m sure the names of the past scientists would be in a file somewhere, sure,” Bec answered. “Without him here, I wouldn’t know if they had any issues with the center, though.”
“If you can find their names, Mina could look into them, if nothing else,” Iris said just as her tablet started to ring. “Speaking of Mina.” She tore her hands from the keypad and grabbed the tablet, hitting the answer button.
“Secure Watch, India.”
“Secure Watch, Whiskey,” Mina replied before the camera flipped on. Mina sat at her desk in her private office. “Iris. How are you holding up?”
“Tired, but still working,” she answered, glancing at Bec and motioning her closer. “Have you guys found anything regarding Ace or Dr. Hoerman?”
“Nothing so far,” Mina said. “But Cal just got to a motel at Sinlis Park to set up an outpost station for us about an hour ago.”
“More likely the only motel,” Bec said, and Mina laughed.
“You’re not kidding, but it’s the closest we could get without being obvious. Have you heard anything more from Ace?”
“I would have called you instantly if he’d contacted us,” Iris said. “But Bec did think of something you might be able to help us with.”
“Hit me,” Mina said, grabbing her pen and notebook, so Iris motioned for Bec to fill her in.
“The last scientist to work here before me only lasted a few months. I don’t know why that is, but Iris thought it might be important.”
“That’s absolutely worth a little investigating on my end. What was his name?”
“Samuel Gill. I don’t know anything more than that about him, but he was a cell, molecular and disease biologist like me, so there can’t be many of those in the country with the same name.”
“That should narrow it down,” Mina agreed. “Anyone else?”
“We were just talking about that,” Iris said. “I suggested that she go through Dr. Hoerman’s files and see if anyone else left after such a short period of working here.”
“I wasn’t sure it would apply,” Bec jumped in. “I don’tknow any of them or their circumstances for leaving, so it could be a wild-goose chase.”
“Could be,” Mina agreed. “But Iris is correct. It’s important to run a background check on everyone who used to work there just like we did on you and Walter.”
“You ran a background on me?”
