“They did this after...?”
He nodded. “Maybe last night. A neighbor thought she saw something, a flash of lights. She contacted the local police. When they arrived, things were silent. No sign of lights or intruders. We didn’t find this wreckage until this morning after the police discovered June’s body. We came back here looking for clues and found this.” He gestured to the demolished room. “It appears they were trying to open a safe. The police scared them off before they could finish. Our people just got it cracked open. These documents were inside. We’d like you to take a look, Ms. Nilsson. Maybe it’s the professor’s formula for the pathogen.”
Sassa took the papers and looked around for a place to sit. Obviously, she couldn’t hold her daughter and shift the papers. Finding no available spot, she handed Keri to Jared.
Surprised, he shifted the baby in his arms. First thing she did was reach for his badge.
Good thing to know. Babies like bright, shiny objects.
He moved her again. She weighed less than his workout bag, but she was wiggly and made him nervous. He placed his hand on her back to keep her from toppling. The action pulled her closer and a sweet, powdery scent drifted upward. Nice. Clean.
Sassa shuffled the papers. “It is some kind of formula for sure. Give me a moment.” She read silently. Jared picked his way through the debris to the safe behind the picture. Not a very discreet hiding place. Sam had been so cautious about everything else. Why would he put the formula in such a low-grade safety receptacle with an obvious location?
He studied the front of the small safe. The lock buttons were in a straight row instead of a square. Unusual. Sam must’ve paid a pretty penny for that unique setup.
Ten square blocks, zero to nine. Something about them tickled his memory. The ID bracelet! The one Sam had been so determined to give to Sassa. Did it mean something?
At that moment Keri lost interest in his badge and reached up, determined to stick her fingers in his mouth. He grasped her little hand, held it down and turned to the men in the room. “Sassa, do you have the bracelet? I think the numbers on it might be the combination.”
All the men in the room paused and stared. Kopack shook his head. “What does it matter? The safe is open.”
“Sam insisted Sassa take the bracelet with his last breath. She already knew he wanted her to have it. So why was it so important?” He shook his head. “Sam was purposeful. That bracelet meant more to him than just a keepsake. I want to know what.”
Kopack nodded. “Good idea, De Luca. Looks like you might carry your weight around here, after all.”
The comment struck deep but Jared refused to react. Everywhere he went he had to prove himself. Did he wear a sign on his forehead that read Lost Cause Who Doesn’t Even Know His Own Father? His past seemed to be something other men could smell—and it followed him everywhere he went. All he’d ever wanted was to prove his grandfather’s faith in him, to be worthy of the kindness the officer of his youth had showed him. If he could do that, maybe he’d finally earn his wife’s respect. Maybe...
He pushed the thought away. He’d refused to respond to Kopack’s remark, but he didn’t miss the slight frown that creased Sassa’s brow. Apparently, she didn’t like Kopack’s dig, either.
Was Sassy Sassa about to defend Jared? The thought made him smile. That big chip on her shoulder might come in handy sometimes.
The smile faded when Kopack turned to Sassa. “Do you know the number, Miss Nilsson?”
“No, but I have the bracelet.” Reaching into the pocket of her jeans, she pulled out the large, man’s bracelet. Her hand looked delicate and fragile against the heavy, bulky links. She handed the object to Kopack. He carried it to the technician who had opened the safe. The drilled-out lock sat inside the open door. The man reconnected the wires from the loose lock to the back of the safe door then punched in the numbers.
No sound. No click. Nothing.
He punched the numbers one more time then shook his head. “It’s not the code for this safe.”
“You’re sure it’s not just damaged?” Kopack asked.
“Definitely. Something would have registered if it was the right code.”
Hope faded in Jared. Well, it was a good idea.
Sassa lifted the papers. “I’m afraid this destruction was all for nothing. These files are research for Xylella, but it’s our initial work. We were trying to find a cure for X when we created the new pathogen. I don’t know why Sam felt the need to lock these papers up. They’re public knowledge. They’ve already been published.”
Kopack nodded. “It seems he put all of his important papers in the safe. We found these, too.” He handed her a manila envelope.
“What’s this?”
“It’s Dr. Kruger’s will. On the envelope is the name and number of his attorney and...the executor of his estate. You.”
Sassa frowned and her voice dropped a notch. “Sam had everything in order. Do you think he expected to die?”
Kopack agreed. “It seems he was prepared for all possibilities...except how far the Knights were willing to go to obtain the information. None of us imagined they’d make such a public move and murder him in front of witnesses.”
Jared clamped down on the words I believed it and I warned you. Instead he said, “The important thing to remember is they have gone public. They’ll never be able to go back underground. This is their last gambit, a suicidal bid for their group. We can’t underestimate them again. They won’t stop until they’ve introduced that pathogen into the world.”
And Sassa Nilsson is our only hope for stopping it.
He didn’t say the words out loud, but it was apparent that same thought was on the mind of everyone in the room...except Sassa. She seemed focused elsewhere. He could almost see the wheels churning behind her unfocused gaze.
Keri chose that moment to reach for his mouth again. Jared grabbed her tiny hand and looked down into big, beautiful, blue eyes, just like her mother’s. The beginnings of a smile tickled the corners of her baby-doll lips, also like Sassa’s. He couldn’t imagine Nikolai Chekhov getting his hands on the helpless little bundle in his arms...or her mother. Sassa might have some prickly edges but she didn’t deserve what that madman would dish out.
Jared halted the scenarios his imagination created before they could take shape. But a new and fierce determination to stop Chekhov and his organization took root within him.
“Wait a minute!” Sassa glanced around, a hopeful glint in her gaze. “If Sam had sent these documents to his lawyer, is it possible he sent him the formula, too?”
“We thought of that and we’ve contacted his lawyer. He’s en route to his office now. In the meantime, we need to double your guard.”
“My guard? Why?”
Jared took a deep breath. “It’s been a crazy week for you, Sassa. You haven’t really had time to put two and two together.”
“Two and two about what?”
He glanced at Kopack then back to the intense question in Sassa’s blue eyes. “You heard what he said. The Kruger residence was in perfect condition when they searched it at the beginning of the week. Last night someone trashed it. Think about it, Sassa. The Black Knights already had Sam’s computer. So what were they looking for when they trashed the house?”
Her blue eyes widened. “The formula wasn’t on his computer.”
“Exactly.”
She gave a brief shake of her head. “I knew that. If