“Embrace your cover.”
She felt herself roll her eyes.
He laughed, a deep, rich chuckle that took her off guard. “How one thinks about the mission affects how one performs the mission.” He dropped the professor voice and handed her the lanyard that had a red Christmas bell attached. “You’re supposed to love Christmas. You might even start to believe it.” Joe winked and lifted the tray of gingerbread cookies. “Allow me. Lead the way.”
They reached the engineering lab building and walked down an empty hallway until they reached a biohazard caution sign outside a nondescript door, just as Audrey had described. A loud click sounded, followed by a short beep. Joe reached across and opened the door with his free hand. The microchip in the security badges attached to their lanyards granted them access without having to touch anything or prove themselves to security guards.
Inside, the automatic lights flickered on and Kendra felt like she was back in school, fulfilling a general-education requirement. Several freestanding counters stood in the center of the room with stools waiting for lab techs. Beyond that, the setting looked nothing like her memories of science courses.
“There should be a log of everyone that entered and exited using the RFID microchip system,” Joe said. “We should take a look at it sometime today and look for anomalies.” He crossed the room to two units attached to the wall that resembled industrial-sized incubation units, like you’d see for newborns, except there were giant oven fan hoods attached to the top. “To catch fumes,” Joe said. He nodded toward the cabinets. “Flammable and chemical cabinet storage below it.”
His analyst brain had latched onto the host of procedures, regulations, processing standards and statues demanded of a proper research lab. While she’d initially resented it, Kendra was relieved Beverly had planned for him to help. He had understood everything Audrey had explained.
Kendra strode to the door labeled Principal Investigator. The title seemed appropriate for her role undercover, but Audrey had explained it was actually the given title for a person in charge of the research.
Joe strode ahead of her and held up his lanyard to the office door. Nothing happened. “Just checking to see if she was right about her desk and hard drive being secure.”
Kendra held up Audrey’s lanyard and it opened right away. In the corner, a small, fake Christmas tree was set up. Even at work! Joe set down the cookies on the only clear spot on the wraparound countertop that served as one giant desk. Stacks of academic journals and file folders threatened to topple at the slightest movement, and sticky notes were plastered on every other surface, including the laptop. A black box, likely the external hard drive, was free of dust and paper, as if it was the only object in the office treated with respect. She fingered the cable that connected the external hard drive to a bolt in the wall. A similar cable secured the computer that could only be freed by the keys she held in her pocket.
Audrey had promised she could secure and move the data stored in the school’s server location to a new virtual location, but Kendra would have to be responsible for securing the physical data. As soon as the tour was done, she would secure the research, wipe the computers and give all the techs the unusual gift of the lab being closed for the holidays.
“Let’s get the lay of the land before people start arriving,” Joe said.
She made sure the office door clicked behind them. The lab wasn’t just one room but several. Each door opened to a new section, many filled with massive equipment. “They look like giant deconstructed microscopes and sets of electronic drums.”
Joe laughed. “I feel pretty certain they’re not drums.”
“Is this Lee?” a chipper voice asked from behind them.
Kendra spun around to find a petite woman with a brown-haired pixie cut, the tips frosted, already in a lab coat with safety glasses in her hand. “Shannon,” Kendra said aloud. It had to be Audrey’s right-hand tech, unless there was more than one worker with spiky hair as her sister had described. When the woman smiled, Kendra figured she’d guessed right. “I’d like you to meet my fiancé.”
Joe offered a hearty handshake with his right hand. “Good to meet you,” he said. Kendra flinched, though, when he put his left hand around her shoulders. “Audrey here—” he squeezed her shoulder again and Kendra fought back a laugh “—talks about you all the time.”
Shannon beamed. “Well, I would hope so since we eat, sleep and breathe most of our life away in here. Though, to be fair, I’ve heard a lot about you, too.”
“All good, I hope.”
“No one’s perfect, Lee.” She blinked hard, without any hint of humor.
Kendra snorted. She couldn’t help it. Audrey had mentioned that some of her staff had quirks. Blatant honesty was supposed to be Shannon’s claim to fame. She wondered what Audrey had said that indicated Lee wasn’t perfect? And even though Audrey claimed Shannon couldn’t possibly be susceptible to a recruiter like the Pirate, the extreme honesty could be faked easily enough. Some might even call the trait endearing and use the technique to build trust.
“That’s true,” Joe answered, a good-natured smile on his face. “I know I have faults.”
“There’s a guy waiting outside the lab.” Shannon hitched a finger over her shoulder. “He says you’re expecting him. Your ex-boyfriend.”
Joe’s eyebrows hopped an inch. “Is that so?”
Kendra fought to keep the surprise from her face. “I don’t recall anything about an ex-boyfriend due to arrive today.” Did Audrey have many ex-boyfriends?
Shannon’s nose wrinkled. “You said he was coming in two weeks. I assumed if Lee came early, he would, too.”
“On the same day as the tour review, though? Not ideal.” Kendra glanced at the digital clock mounted on the far-side wall.
“Do you want me to get the security pass from your office? It was approved last week, I think.”
She exchanged a glance with Joe. So Shannon had access to Audrey’s office? If the tech had any hacking skills, that meant the data wasn’t as safe as Audrey had insinuated. “That’s okay. I have a quick phone call to make, anyway. Shannon, would you mind taking Lee around the rest of the lab and giving him the full tour? Consider it a practice round. I’d like you to give the DARPA team the tour, as well.”
Her eyes widened. “You want me to give the tour? Is that really a good idea?”
After the proof-of-honesty bit, Kendra wasn’t so sure, but Audrey had seemed to think it a better solution than practicing for several more hours until Kendra sounded more convincing. “Yes. I’m sure. I’ll be standing by.”
Shannon nodded and turned to Joe. “So before I start, how much do you know about shadow-sphere lithography and nanoscale patterns?”
Joe’s lips pressed together and his eyebrows jumped, but he didn’t object as Kendra made her way back to the office. Once the door was closed, she flipped open the burner phone and reached Audrey in five seconds flat.
“What happened to no phone calls unless it’s an emergency? I was just starting to fall asleep. I got no sleep on the plane thanks to a cute but very loud baby.”
“This constitutes an emergency. I need information. The military research review team is due to arrive in fifteen minutes. Explain to me why your ex-boyfriend is here.”
“Wyatt?” Disbelief coated Audrey’s voice. “Why is everyone showing up so early?”
“So it’s true he was expected?”
An exaggerated sigh came across the line. “Yes. He requested a visit about a month ago. Don’t worry, though. He has clearance. They sent me his badge like, a week ago. It’s in my top drawer. And before you object, Lee knew all about Wyatt coming. I even asked to make sure he would be there when Wyatt visited so there wouldn’t be any need for jealousy. Though, I had no idea he would just show up early without warning.”
“Is that what this is about? Is this Wy
att guy here to lure you back?”
“No, of course not. Well, I mean I don’t think so. He knows I’m engaged.”
“Then what do I need to know about him?” Kendra asked. “My understanding is he’s waiting in the hallway.”
“His full name is Wyatt Nardelli, and you can cross him off your suspect list because he can’t be your guy. He’s a bit older than me, but the most brilliant man you’ll meet. He’s already had a few successful government research grants. He also served as my sounding board when I first had the idea years ago. Oh, and you need to be extra careful pretending to be me when you’re around him.”
“Because he’s the most brilliant man I’ll meet. Got it.” She wondered if Lee was the jealous type. Her former partner didn’t seem to be, but she’d never seen him in love, either.
“No, because he’s my ex-boyfriend. Five years ago, he knew me very well. If he calls you out on anything maybe you can tell him that people change.”
Ah. Right.
“Let’s see what do you need to know? His favorite movie is The Princess Bride, but who doesn’t love that? He listens to country music, which in my opinion was reason enough to break up.” She laughed.
“What was the real reason you broke up?” Kendra asked.
“Moved away. Lab work makes it hard enough to keep a relationship going. Especially when I was still in postdoctoral research at Duke. Some compare it to indentured servitude. Add in distance, and it became impossible. I never took any time off, so I could never visit him, and video chats never felt natural. Though, I’m totally willing to do that for Lee, so I probably just didn’t like him enough.” She yawned and Kendra fought against its contagiousness. “Just be friendly and get Shannon to give him the tour so you don’t have to worry about interacting much.”
Shannon to the rescue yet again. There were too many people arriving weeks earlier than expected, trying to gain access in the lab at the same time. The sudden review from DARPA was suspicious enough, but add the ex-boyfriend and the fact that Beverly said rumors had already been flying around—it all added up to a conclusion that made Kendra antsy. “Audrey, I’m starting to wonder if you’ve been straight with me. You’re not simply near a discovery, are you? Have you already had a significant breakthrough?”
Audrey’s momentary silence hit the mark. “If this all goes south I still need to prove that I did my best to keep the research classified. I really wish you wouldn’t ask me specifics.”
Kendra groaned, but at least she had her answer. “Okay, fine. But tell me this. Does your staff know you already have? They’ve helped you all along, right?”
“They have suspicions. I told them to expect big news this week. That was the other reason for bringing cookies, but like I said, just tell them the big news is we’re shutting down the lab for the holidays. If the DARPA team is there, I’ll leave the data up for thirty minutes, then I’ll move it from the cloud. You’ll take care of the hard copy.”
Kendra knew the plan because they’d gone over it until they’d been blue in the face. She said goodbye and opened the door to find the lab had filled with people, all Audrey’s age or younger. She tried to smile, but as she flashed her teeth, it felt like more of a grimace.
The hired postdocs in the room were just as Audrey described. There was a male in his late twenties with curly hair, a tall redhead with a curved back stooping over a tool that resembled a microscope and a blonde with black glasses—the only one that resembled most stock photos of scientists. Others trickled in, watching her, maybe waiting for the announcement.
Kendra used her best teacher voice to speak loud enough so that everyone could hear her. “As you know, I said I had some news.”
One lab tech pumped a fist, as if he already knew what she was going to say. That could be problematic. Maybe Audrey wasn’t as tight-lipped as she’d indicated. “After this tour, the lab will be closing for the holidays for a security upgrade. You will still be paid.”
Eyebrows raised, mouths dropped open. This definitely wasn’t the news they expected. The fist pumper recovered his initial surprise and shouted, “Merry Christmas to me!”
The blonde frowned. “Are you okay with that? Won’t that slow things down?”
Shannon held up a cell phone, effectively providing Kendra with an excuse not to answer. “Bradley is waiting outside the door to let everyone in. He says all the DARPA people are here. Shall I tell him to bring them in?”
“I will. Thank you.” Kendra crossed the lab and opened the door to a well-dressed group in professional clothing, a stark difference to her ridiculous Christmas blazer. Her cheeks flushed at the thought as a smoldering smile and deep brown eyes, filled with awareness, flashed in her direction. “Wyatt,” she said.
He beamed and leaned a little too close for comfort. “I’ll just join the tour until we can get a moment alone,” he said conspiratorially.
Kendra really should’ve insisted that Audrey hand over her engagement ring. Now would be a good time to casually touch her face and show off the diamond’s sparkle as a reminder for the guy to keep his distance. Instead, she straightened and addressed the eager group, knowing full well that one of the people she was about to let in could be the Pirate.
* * *
From a corner of the room, Joe watched the group file into the lab. He intended to stay out of the way to properly analyze. It was hard to focus, though, as a man placed his hand on Kendra’s lower back and stepped to her side. Joe didn’t need any baseline behaviors to gather the man was the ex-boyfriend. His eyes drifted to Kendra. If anything she looked annoyed, but Joe hadn’t been given the task of analyzing her.
Shannon began speaking passionately about the new strides in metamaterials. While she seemed slightly socially awkward, her wide arm movements conveyed emotional expression. He focused on the DARPA review team to look for subtle, unconscious behavior. Thus far, all the reviewers seemed equally interested but with a cynical hesitation, evident by the way they narrowed their eyes as Shannon waved them on to the next room.
Kendra held back and practically ran to Joe. “Wyatt, I’d like you to meet my fiancé, Lee Benson.”
Wyatt’s eyes flicked to Joe’s as he shook his hand once, then the man turned back to Kendra. “I brought you a gift.” He pulled out a jewelry box.
Joe almost laughed. The man didn’t bother with common niceties. In fact, there was no room for Joe to even say “nice to meet you.” He might as well have worn a sign that read I Am Here to Win Audrey Clark Back.
Kendra paled and stared at the jewelry box. “Wyatt, I’m engaged now.”
“Yes, you told me.” Wyatt held out the box, clearly unoffended. “It’s to thank you for allowing me to visit and see your lab.”
The interchange managed to silence the rest of the working staff in the room. Many of them flashed side-glances to see what would happen next. “I’m sure you don’t want to miss any of the tour,” Joe offered, trying to change the subject.
“I’d rather have a tour from the principal investigator herself,” Wyatt answered, not looking away from Kendra. “Aren’t you going to open it?”
Kendra had never looked so uncomfortable. She flipped open the top of the velvet box to reveal two bumpy metallic objects, one in the shape of a microscope and another the shape of a wheel. “Oh, thank you.”
“Aren’t you going to try them on?” His eyes sparkled.
“Maybe another time. I already have earrings on.”
Wyatt reared back. “You know they aren’t really earrings, right?”
Her eyes widened. “No? I’ve seen the nonmatching thing as a style lately.”
He frowned. “You still have the tree, right? The one you add to every year?”
Joe’s senses heightened. “She has so many trees, who can keep up? You’ll never meet a scientist who loves Christmas as much as Audrey. Shall we join the tour? If we go now I’
m sure we won’t have missed much.” Now the staff was openly listening.
“You know what these ornaments are made of, right?” Wyatt persisted, his eyes narrowing.
“Of course,” Kendra answered. “But I am thinking of changing some of my traditions, now that I’m getting married.”
Smooth answer.
Wyatt tilted his head. “Humor me, will you?”
She shook her head and laughed. “It’s obviously part of a computer.”
He raised his eyebrows and straightened. “They’re made from circuit boards. I can see through the window you still have the circuit-board tree in your office. You love that thing. You brag about having specially made ornaments every year.” He shook his head. “Are you feeling yourself?”
The tour group had stepped back inside and overheard Wyatt’s last words. The tension in the room increased tenfold.
Kendra leaned forward. “If you must know, I hardly slept a wink preparing for today, Wyatt.”
“An all-nighter. You’ve done a thousand of those.” He crossed his arms. “Remind me. Where did we meet?”
Kendra pursed her lips and leaned forward. “You are here as a guest. As you can see, I have more important matters to deal with today. So either join the tour group or see yourself out.”
He raised his hands in surrender. “Fair enough. I think I’ll come back another day when I can talk to the Audrey Clark I remember.” Wyatt looked around and nodded at lab techs and the review team, who were crossing to the other side room for the second portion of the tour.
Kendra handed the box to Joe. “Well, that could’ve gone better.”
He wasn’t about to disagree. Everyone in the room now had reason to suspect something was off about Audrey Clark. They followed the tour group into the next room. One of the scientists from the team ignored Shannon’s dialogue and turned to face them. “If it’s possible, I would like to stay on a little longer than my colleagues and observe the day-to-day workings of your lab.”
To Kendra’s credit, she remained impassive. “I’ll see if I can work something out, but it might take a few days to get back to you. If you don’t have that kind of flexibility, I’m afraid it won’t be possible.”
Covert Christmas Twin Page 6
