He hung up and stared at the phone for another few minutes, willing it to ring.Silence.
Unbeknownst to Gray, Dr.Mark Cameron was lounging comfortably in Dr.Terry's office, the Arctic team's absence giving him the perfect opportunity to meddle unnoticed.His fingers hovered over the phone's keypad as he listened to Gray's voicemail from the day before, his lips curling into a self-satisfied smile.
With a deliberate motion, Mark tapped the button to delete the message.He paused for a moment, considering the blank screen, then nodded to himself, pleased.
When the next voicemail notification came through minutes later, he hit play and listened again, chuckling softly at Gray's mounting desperation."Persistent, aren't we?"he said to the empty room.
"Oh, Gray, what a shame all your precious data is gone."
Mark's finger hovered over the delete button once more."Not that it matters," he added with a smirk, pressing delete without hesitation.
Satisfied, he leaned back in Dr.Terry's chair, folding his hands behind his head.The Arctic research team wouldn't return for a few more weeks, and by that time, they would have nothing to find.
Chapter 78
Electronic mail
Feelingdefeated,GrayandCam headed back to the Lagoon, no closer to any answers.The weight of the missing videos and the constant dead-end calls to Dr.Terry hung heavy in the air.
As the boat eased into the dock, Cici stood waiting, her arms crossed but a warm smile on her face.
"Hey, Cici, what're you doing here on your day off?"Cam asked, tossing her the bow line.
Gray hopped out of the boat and began tying up the stern.
"Well, look at you, Dr.Gray!"Cici's voice was playful, her tone cutting through the tension."I remember when you first got here, you couldn't even stand in a moving boat.Now you've got your sea legs!"She tied off the bow and walked over to hug him.
"Marta told me what happened.Gray, I'm so sorry," she said, giving him a comforting pat on the back before stepping back to look him in the eye."We'll figure this out.And if we have to, we'll redo all the research.Shiloh will be happy to help you out."
Gray gave her a faint smile, grateful for her support.
Cici's expression turned serious."Now, listen.I was up all night because something was niggling at me.At lunch today, I stopped to visit Greta, and wouldn't you know, the thought came rushing back to me.Yesterday, Shelley said something odd, and when I tried to ask her about it, that's when she disappeared out of the restaurant."
Cam and Gray immediately leaned in, their full attention on her.
"She said, 'The lab is empty,' and then tried to cover it up with some lame excuse for them being 'busy with projects.'But I think it was more than that.Your coworkers do a lot of off-site research trips, don't they?"
Gray froze, her words hitting him like a wave.
"Cam!"he shouted, grabbing his friend's arm.
"Gray!"Cam echoed, unsure where this was going but instinctively grabbing Gray's arm back.
Gray paced a few steps."Okay, okay, let me think," he muttered, more to himself than to them.
Cici and Cam exchanged a look, silently agreeing to let him work through whatever was brewing in his mind.
Finally, Gray exhaled and faced them both."Cici, you're right.The only reason the lab would be empty is if the teams were out on projects.Before I left, there were two big proposals in the works: Dr.Terry was planning a massive Arctic expedition.And Dr.Mark Cameron, whom I cannot stand, was organizing a trip to South America.If she's not answering, then there's a good chance one, or both trips went ahead."
He started pacing again, the gears in his head visibly turning.
Cam stepped in."Gray, is there anyone who wouldn't be on the trip that you could call?Or..."He hesitated, then added, "What about that new thing, the, uh, electronic mail?You said your boss started using it.Could she be checking that?"
Gray's eyes widened, and he grabbed Cam's arm again."That's it!"he exclaimed, bolting up the dock toward the trainer's office before abruptly skidding to a stop and running back to them.
"Katie!"he said, bouncing on his toes."Katie is Shelley's roommate, and there's no way she'd go on a research trip.She works from home because they set her up with email… email, Cam!And if Dr.Terry's in the Arctic, they'll absolutely have a way for her to check messages there."
Cam threw up his hands in mock surrender."Fine, email it is!Let's go."
