“And somebody killed her.”
“They did.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know that either.”
“What happens now?”
“Frankly, I’m not sure. Whoever killed Nora is one step ahead of us—and you’re obviously their other target.”
“They’re trying to frame me.”
“It would seem so.”
“Why?”
“I have no idea.”
Adeline studied her father’s face and seemed to decide something. “I don’t believe you, Dad.”
When Sam didn’t say anything, Adeline scoffed. “I thought we were done with secrets. Please tell me what you know. That’s all I’m asking.”
Sam scratched the side of his head. “My best theory is that this is somehow related to my work.”
“As in…”
“Absolom.”
“What about it?”
“We’ve made a discovery. Elliott and Hiro did. A breakthrough. A… new version of Absolom. Nora was opposed to it. My best guess is that maybe that’s why she was killed.”
SEVEN
Shortly after Adeline left, the door to the holding cell opened again and Elliott walked in. Two of the other founders and inventors of Absolom were with him: Hiroshi Sato and Daniele Danneros.
Daniele marched to Sam and hugged him tightly. “My God, Sam,” she said, shaking her head.
When she released him, Hiro nodded solemnly. Sam couldn’t help but notice the deep bags under his eyes. The man looked like he had been up all night.
Elliott held up a take-out bag from a sushi restaurant. “Dani brought food. If you’re ready to eat.”
“I am.”
They moved to the dining table and began laying out the trays.
“Connie is on her way,” Elliott said. “It turns out she spent the night at a medical clinic in San Francisco. She left for there on a private plane right after our meeting yesterday.”
Daniele furrowed her brows. “Is she all right?”
“I think so,” Elliott said. “I think it was a scheduled treatment.”
Hiro set his chopsticks down. “Then let us state the obvious: if she was not present in the city, she could not have committed the murder.”
Hiro had always been the most blunt of the group. Some mistook his directness for aggression, but Sam had always appreciated his approach—both in the lab and now here.
“And even if she was,” Sam said, “I don’t think she’s physically capable of overpowering Nora.”
“I will go first,” Hiro said, taking a deep breath. “After our meeting last night, I stayed in the lab to work on Absolom Two.”
“What time did you get home?” Sam asked.
“I didn’t. I spent the night there. I showered in my office, and I came directly here when Elliott informed me of what had happened. The video surveillance cameras on campus will confirm my movements.”
Daniele screwed the top back on her water bottle and set it down. “I went directly home after our meeting last night. I ate leftovers, ran a bath, and read.” She glanced at the others. “My home video surveillance will also verify that.”
No one looked at Elliott, but he shifted in his chair. “I went home after the meeting. Had a few drinks and went to sleep. But I did call Nora last night.”
The room was silent and still.
“Before or after Adeline and I visited?” Sam asked.
“Before.”
“Why?” Hiro asked.
“The obvious,” Elliott replied. “I wanted to finish Absolom Two. She didn’t. She wanted to destroy it.”
“What was said?” Sam asked.
“I asked if I could come over to talk. Nora said no.” Elliott glanced at Sam. “She said she was having guests.”
Sam stared at the table. “How did it go? The discussion about Absolom Two?”
“How do you think it went, Sam?”
When no one said anything, Elliott added, “She was absolutely adamant that we destroy the prototype and cease any further research. It didn’t matter what I said.”
A knock at the door drew the group’s attention. Sam stood and opened it and found Constance standing there, a scarf wrapped around her head, brown eyes peering up at him, already filled with tears. She reached out and hugged him. In his arms, she felt small and fragile, and Sam didn’t dare hug her tight.
Her voice sounded as fragile as her body felt. “I’m so sorry, Sam. How are you holding up?”