They shared a laugh, falling in step like they’d never been apart.
“Do you two need a moment?” Steven asked wryly.
“Sorry,” Andrew said. “We ran into each other the other day, and it’s been nice catching up.”
“Don’t worry, Detective,” Dalton added. “I know we need to take this seriously. That’s why I’m glad to have Andrew here. My research was at the turning point of some very important discoveries on absolute zero. Not only does this set me back months,” he gestured at the material carnage around what was obviously his workspace, with a taller table for equipment, and a separate smaller desk for his computer, “but what was stolen could be dangerous in the wrong hands.”
“Sounds like only your area was ransacked,” Steven said. “No one else reported anything missing. Which means the perp knew what they were looking for and where to find it.”
“I know you’ll have to check for an inside job, Detective, me as a suspect included, but I’ve worked with everyone here for months. There’s just no way that’s what happened.”
“Sometimes you think you know someone, and they surprise you.”
Andrew felt his lip curl but didn’t comment.
“But I’ll take that into account,” Steven continued. “And you’re not a suspect, Mr. Wellesley. Not yet.”
“Call me Dalton. Please.” His bright expression countered Steven’s cold impassiveness, so open and honest—nothing like Ford.
Andrew needed to stop comparing them or thinking about Ford in general, but it was difficult when he kept looking at Dalton’s dazzling blue eyes that matched his father’s.
Attentive to every detail, Dalton went on to explain what was missing from his research station, including files from his computer that had been copied.
“Was your computer locked?” Andrew asked.
“Always. Automatic if I’m idle for more than five minutes. Someone hacked the system, which is not an easy feat here, but even though they had access to pretty much everything, they only took a few files.”
“And all related to your research on absolute zero?”
“Exclusively, but they didn’t get everything. If I had to guess, I’d say they only had an idea of what to take, but they don’t know the tech that well themselves. The last thing they stole was my cyclotron, but that's what I’ve been experimenting with, so some of the crucial components were in another lab. The thief didn’t notice, and those pieces are still here.”
Andrew startled at the mention of that final piece of equipment, not that it was surprising given the sort of funds available at Avalon. “You’re using a cyclotron?”
“Which is what?” Steven glanced between them.
“It’s basically a mini particle accelerator,” Andrew said. He'd dabbled in physics and chemistry in college but couldn't get into the coursework. “Well, they can be all sizes, but I assume mini?”
Dalton formed a shape with his arms small enough to carry but larger than a house cat.
Andrew nodded. “They use them for nuclear medicine and—”
“Nuclear?” Steven broke in. “Does this perp have a bomb out there?”
Pausing to consider the specs, Andrew shared a calculating look with Dalton.
“Not in its current state,” Dalton said, “but they could make one.”
“Some hacker thief none of the cameras caught any footage of has a potential bomb in the city they don’t know how to control?”
“The cameras didn’t catch anything?” Andrew asked in surprise. “Is this the same—”
Steven turned to him sharply. The mystery thief wasn’t meant to be common knowledge.
“Do you think it’s related to any other cases?” Andrew corrected.
“Maybe. I’ll get a closer look of the footage back at the station, but it’s not promising. Listen,” he pointed between them with an authoritative finger wave, “I’ll handle the investigation. You two worry about telling me the second you learn anything useful. Got it?” His final command was directed at Andrew.
“Of course,” he said, holding a thin smile until his brother nodded and walked away.
