“Amazing what actual sleep can do,” Bryn replied.
“Are you two friends again, because I can’t bear it when the team isn’t…teamy.You know what I mean.”Emmett ducked his head.
Bryn sighed.“Yeah.I was an asshole, as usual.I still think I shouldn’t have been kept in the dark but I understand the motivation came from a good place.What’s this about Mercer?”
“Facial recognition picked her up at a hotel in Philadelphia last night,” Emmett said.“She checked in under the name Claire Hammond.”
Gunnar grunted.“Hammond, Hammer…coincidence?”
“There’s more,” Emmett continued as they went into the conference room.“Warden got the local FBI team to send in an agent to observe.Hammond met with someone from Helix Solutions.”
“So, sheisworking for Russo,” Bryn said, exchanging a glance with Gunnar.
“That’s the thing,” Emmett replied, a hint of excitement in his voice.“She didn’t meet Russo himself, or any of his known associates.She had a late dinner with a Dr.Peregrine Frost, a geneticist specializing in lupine DNA.He only joined Helix three months ago.”
“And the plot thickens,” Bryn commented.
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it,” Emmett said with a grin.“Warden’s got a plan.”
Bryn groaned.Thatwas rarely a good sign.He took a seat and Gunnar settled beside him.Giles raised his coffee mug in greeting.Bryn gave him the finger.
“Now that we’re all here,” Warden began without preamble, “let’s get started.”He nodded to Emmett, who connected his tablet to the room’s display system.
“We’ve locatedAgentMercer, or as she’s calling herself now, Claire Hammond.She checked in to the Hyatt in central Philadelphia last night and met with this man, Dr.Peregrine Frost.”
The display lit up with a photograph of a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair and wire-rimmed glasses.He had the distracted look of someone more comfortable with test tubes than people.
“Frost is a geneticist who worked at Cornell University,” Warden explained.“His specialty is lupine physiology and DNA research.Three months ago, Helix offered him triple his university salary to head up a new research division.”
“Thanacrine,” Bryn said.
“Almost certainly,” Warden agreed.“What’s interesting is that Hammond, or Mercer, doesn’t seem to want Russo knowing she’s talking to Frost.”
“How do you know that?”
“We don’t for certain, but it’s odd that he met her alone.Russo doesn’t tend to let his senior people wander around without a minder.”
“So, she’snotworking for Russo?”Gunnar asked.“Then who?”
“That’s what we need to find out,” Warden said.“Tomorrow is Saturday.Frost has a lunch reservation at a steakhouse called Double Eagle on Pine Street, for noon.Mercer’s booking at the hotel runs ’til Sunday.”
“You think they’re meeting up again?”Bryn asked.
“Unknown, but it gives us an opportunity.Local FBI is mobilizing to intercept Mercer at the hotel while we focus on Frost.”Warden’s gaze swept the room.“Bryn, Gunnar, you’ll approach Frost at the restaurant.I want to know what Mercer wants from him and she may well be his strongest memory.Bryn needs to get a read.”
Emmett cleared his throat.“Intel suggests Frost is obsessive about his work but socially awkward.Likes his whiskey neat and talks too much after his second drink.He goes to this same steakhouse every week and always orders the same thing.”
“Perfect,” Gunnar said.“We can buy him a few, loosen him up.What’s our cover?”
“You’re grad students interested in his work as part of your PhD thesis,” Warden replied.“We’ll set up some background today in case you need it and make sure Frost gets a call to set up the lunch meeting so you won’t be going in cold.”
“And what about Mercer?”Gunnar asked.
“Not our concern for now,” Warden said.“Agent Bell is coordinating with his colleagues in Philly.They’ll move on Mercer while you’re with Frost.”
“What’s Giles doing?”Bryn asked.
“He’ll be here with me, doing some research.Now get moving, your flight is at six.”
