Cal laughed. “I mean that if you’d stared any harder, your eyes would have fallen out of your head.”
“I’m telling you, something is off about her. And that other doctor, there’s something about him that bothers me. It’s like something I can’t quite remember. Just enough of something to put me on edge.”
His brother’s words worried him. Juston might not be the smartest man on Vartik, but his instincts were keen. If he thought something was off, the likelihood was that he was correct. “Do you think Dr. Dunkel could be the missing Guardian? Mayra did say she was female.”
Juston’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not sure, but there’s something she’s hiding, and I will figure it out.”
Cal entered the ship, concerned about his brother’s tone of voice. Juston could be like a var-dog with a bone. It would be impossible to pull his attention away from the female now.
While Juston packed, Cal headed to the ship’s console. Logging into his ultra-secure network, he searched for any mention of Grimm and Dunkel.
“There’s nothing here,” he muttered, not being able to locate either in the databases he had access to. Neither did the names Dr. Sansha and Dr. Beyhard. They weren’t listed in Territh’s medical registry, nor as alumni of any of the major medical schools in this galaxy or the neighboring ones.
His brother entered the bridge, dropping his bag of gear and slouching into the seat beside him. “What have you got?”
“A whole lot of nothing,” Cal replied. “None of the doctors are present in any of the databases I’ve accessed.”
“Could there be a logical reason for their absence?”
Cal shook his head. “None that I can figure.”
“We should be on our guard.” Juston grimaced.
“We always are, brother. But it makes sense that a Guardian might want to hide her identity. And Guardians are good guys, remember?”
Juston gave his head a slow shake. “There’s something going on here, something that doesn’t feel like the good guys are running the show.”
Cal weighed his brother’s words. He was right. They should be on their guard. “I’m going to send the names to Nojan and see if he can find them in any of his sources. And before you return to RPS, I want to make sure your implant is fully functional.”
Juston nodded, flicking his tongue against the recessed button implanted within one of his molars. “Do you read me?”
Cal checked his own implant to make sure it was functioning. In his ear, he heard his brother’s tinny voice. “Loud and clear.”
Juston nodded, confirming that had heard the message through his implant. This would allow them to communicate without arousing suspicion. It was likely the staff would go through Juston’s things, so a method of contact that couldn’t be detected was necessary.
His brother stood to leave. “Will you be returning to the sanitarium tonight? You don’t want to miss the five-star dinner.”
Cal laughed. “I certainly don’t. Let me just check in with our brothers and I’ll be along in a bit.” If he was always tagging along behind his brother, it wouldn’t give Juston a chance to embed himself in with the residents and hopefully gather information on the medical staff.
The hatch sealed behind Juston and Cal leaned back in his seat. The Red Planet Sanitarium wasn’t what he’d expected. Nevertheless, there was nothing yet to indicate where the Guardian was hidden.
The weirdest thing that happened involved the pretty young lady who called me beautiful. I could have said the same to her.
Ruminating on the color of her eyes, he dialed up Vartik through a secure channel. It took a few moments, but Nojan answered, his face covered in sweat.
“Am I interrupting something?” Cal asked.
“Matter of fact, you are,” Nojan said with a grimace.
“Apologies. I need you to look up a few names in your comprehensive networks.”
Rolling his eyes, Nojan grabbed a pen to jot down the names. When Cal had given them, he grunted, “Anything else?”
From off screen, he heard a female voice. “Nojan, come back to bed. I can’t wait much longer.”
Cal had a wide smile on his face. Nojan muttered a curse. “I’ll call you back when I have something for you.” Then he cut the transmission.
Lucky bastard. A beautiful wife beckoning from the bed you share. Not a bad way to spend one’s life.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t on the agenda for Cal. There was no room for a wife when you were a spymaster. His position intrinsically forced him to keep secrets, and wives weren’t known for their flexibility in the keeping secrets department.
It was easier to have one-night stands with females and then move on. No attachment, no worries, just a meeting of mutual needs and nothing more.
That didn’t mean he hadn’t thought about what it might be like, married to a woman who inspired him. Not that such a marriage was likely. His parents would arrange a profitable match with a Vartik female and they’d get down to the business of producing heirs. No matter which angle he viewed it from, marriage still seemed like a trap.
Females were better appreciated for a short time, admired, cherished, and then released. He’d usually go for someone of the Dr. Dunkel variety: pretty, sexual, and in the end, utterly forgettable.
Unlike a certain pair of blue eyes he couldn’t get out of his mind. Gemmaline had been dragged away by the staff for talking too much, but he wished now that she’d said more. It bothered him, the way they’d reined her in. Then again, she had been talking gibberish mostly, until she’d hit on his name.
Vowing to find out more about the little resident, Cal waited for Nojan’s response.
