Page 32 of Radar

“If it’s his heart and nothing else,” Long said, “that would be one thing. If it’s the neurotoxins, there’s zero the doctors can do. Palytoxins are a survival coin toss. I’m not giving up hope that this is a good old-fashioned blocked artery.”

Xander leaned his head against the wall and stared at the metal structure that held the ceiling tiles. He stood there in suspension without a thought beyond the gray cloud that filled his mind.

A knock sounded tentatively, then a head poked in. “Sir?”

“Hey, come on in.” Long stood and picked up the bags. “You have a partner?”

“In the hall.”

“These go to the labs, Code Orange. Do you understand me?” He tapped a bag with his index finger. “You protect this one with your life. You get to the lab straight as an arrow. Special Agent Steve Finley, terror—do you hear me?—Steve Finley,terror,will be waiting for you.”

The guy audibly gulped as he bobbed his head.

“Finley will take charge of the clothing,” Long said. “The contents of the phone and laptop are priority one. I need a full duplicate, and a printout will be on my desk by evening. You will stand there and glare at the investigation team and make it happen.”

“Yes, sir.” The man blanched as York signed the chain of custody paperwork. Tucking that away, he took control of the bags, then he turned on his heels and hightailed it out of the room.

“Everything?” Xander asked.

“That computer is new and only has information about York’s Orest mission. I’m looking for clues beyond the Zorics are swarming out of the nest.”

“Anna Senko said they’re heading to Singapore,” Xander said, shoving his hands into his pockets and pressing a shoulder into the wall.

“York said island. That’s not an island. Why are they moving?”

“Medved’ Zoric took over William Davidson’s island, Davidson Realm, and now has a fallout shelter for three hundred over the long term, read that as years to decades. Singapore is close enough to ferry the family to the private island in the Indian Ocean.” Xander took a moment to explain the importance of William Davidson’s setup on Davidson Realm and how Medved’ took it over.

“Goddammed Zorics.” Long swiped his hand over his face. “Did Anna have any other insights?”

“She received an invitation to Survival Island. They’re supposed to get there this week.”

“Like rats jumping the ship before Armageddon.” Long blinked and brought his attention back to Xander. “We only have a handful of people working across the agencies on the Zoric problem. We’re going to be running on all cylinders. What’s your next move?”

“Me? I’m getting my dog, Radar, from Cerberus and packing our snow boots. Friday morning, I guess I’m heading to Alaska to see what Orest Kalinsky is up to.”

Chapter Ten

Elyssa

Friday morning

Newark, NJ

Elyssa looked over at Eddie as he slid his phone out of airplane mode and accessed his airline app. She lifted her brows and waited.

“It’s still on the ground boarding.”

“Possible then?” Her face brightened.

“Possible, I guess. I mean it should be in the air. But if one flight is off schedule, it’s reasonable for others to be off theirs, too. I’m just looking here, it’s asking me if I want to change my tickets, and the next one out is tomorrow afternoon, getting in the next morning.”

“We’d miss everything. Well, I would. I need to fly back Wednesday, so I’d basically be landing, running down to the park to see Uncle Orest, pet his dogs, and driving back to Fairbanks for my flight home.” She reached under her seat and grabbed her backpack, setting it on her lap, ready to stand when it was her turn to disembark. First class was the first to deplane. That might just make the difference in making it to their connecting flight.

“Short window for a cross-country trip,” Eddie said as he leaned over her lap so he could reach his own bag.

“Yeah, but you saw how cute Uncle Orest was when he was talking about his puppies and how much he wanted us to see them. Food, science, and his sled team—and at the top of that list is his devotion to family. You can’t say that’s a bad way to live or that he’s got his priorities messed up.” Elyssa stood and took astep back to protect Eddie as he clambered out of their row and reached up to the overhead bin for his roller bag and their coats. “How could anyone say no to that little pout of his?”

“Adorbs,” Eddie agreed. “But also, he was feeding you chocolate.”

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