“Fine,” Bryn sighed.“But I’m bringing coffee.Gunnar got me hot chocolate on the way here and I’m already having caffeine withdrawal symptoms.”
“Already arranged.”Emmett’s efficiency was impressive.“Oh, and there’s mail for you, Bryn.”He handed over an envelope.
Bryn stared at the envelope.The precise, artistic handwriting was instantly recognizable.His stomach roiled.
Gunnar caught the change in his expression.“What is it?”
“Dr.Templeton,” Bryn said, holding up the envelope.“Seems my pen pal misses me.”
Something flickered across Gunnar’s face—too quick to identify, but enough to make Bryn pause.“What?”he asked.
“Nothing,” Gunnar replied, too quickly.“Where did it come from?”
“Emmett just gave it to me.”
“It was in Warden’s mail when I collected it this morning.I put it to one side because it was addressed to Bryn.I should have thought…”
“Not your fault, Emmett.Things around here have been hectic,” Gunnar said.
“I still should have realized.I’ve seen one of those envelopes before, after all.”Emmett nibbled on his lower lip.“I’m so dumb.”
“You’re as far from dumb as it’s possible to get.Like as far away as Pluto, or as far away as I’d like Giles to be.No, wait.That’d be in another galaxy at least.”Bryn gave him a quick hug.“I’ll open it during the debrief.Warden will want to know what our friendly neighborhood psycho has to say.”
The conference room was cool and quiet, a minor relief for the hammering in Bryn’s head.Warden sat at the head of the table, his expression as unreadable as ever.Giles had positioned himself by the window, leaning against the sill, arms crossed.Emmett busied himself setting up the coffees for everyone.
Bryn slid into a chair and reached for the mug Emmett offered him.“Thanks, Emmett.”
“We were discussing the mysterious federal agent,” Warden said.“Agent Mercer, if that’s even her name.”
“She’s not in any federal database I can access,” Emmett added.“Not under that name.”
“The question is, who is she really working for?”Warden said.“That’s our primary concern.If there’s a government faction involved in this Thanacrine operation, we need to identify it.”
“Or she could be one of Russo’s people,” Giles suggested.“A convincing federal agent would have clearance to remove evidence before we could analyze it.”
Bryn half-listened to the conversation, his attention drawn to the envelope folded in his jeans pocket.He pulled it out and placed it on the table.
“We might have a more immediate problem,” he said, interrupting whatever Warden had been saying.“I got another letter from Everard Templeton.”
The room fell silent.Warden scowled.
“When?”
“Just now.Emmett gave it to me when we arrived.”
“Open it,” Warden instructed.“We know there won’t be any trace evidence.”
Bryn slid his finger under the flap and tore it open.Inside was a single sheet of ivory paper, covered front and back with Templeton’s elegant script.Bryn took a breath and began to read aloud.
“My dear Bryn,
I trust this letter finds you well, though I suspect ‘well’ might be a relative term in your line of work.I’ve been following your recent activities with interest, as much as one can from afar.The Walmart situation was fascinating.I’m glad you survived the encounter.And Thanacrine—a drug that enhances gene expression?What wonderful potential for chaos.
I’ve been reflecting on our last encounter, particularly that moment when you were in my mind.Such an intimate connection we shared.I wonder if you still think of it, as I do.
I’m curious.Do you have nightmares about me?I imagine what you saw in my head left quite an impression.Does Detective Ericson comfort you when you wake up screaming?Your relationship with him is…intriguing.The wolf protecting his mate.How primal.
Speaking of wolves, I’ve been studying some fascinating research on lupine gene expression.Did you know there are theories about dormant genetic triggers that could exponentially increase already enhanced abilities?I wonder if your friend Mr.Russo is aware of these studies.His pharmaceutical endeavors sound rather aligned with such research.
