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“Yeah, if I lacked imagination. But I don’t, which means they would be lucky.”
“What is it with the women in this lab? You’re all absolutely terrifying.” Anton gave Grace a quick look of reproach, but she only shot him a wink.
“And don’t you forget it, Kovalev,” she said, and blew him an air kiss.
Anton’s hand shot out and caught said kiss, and brought it close to his chest. His hand had moved as if on autopilot. He blinked and stared wide-eyed at the hand pressed against his heart.
“I don’t know what it says about me that I’m here for this. I’m not okay with who you’re turning me into.”
She shrugged. “What can I say? You’re a modern man who knows what he’s about. Even if you insist on fighting it. Now follow me, because I’ve got a plan to catch this thief.”
“A plan?” Anton pushed away from the table and followed behind Grace, who began walking at a speed considered respectable in professional power-walking circles.
“No, not a plan.” She stopped short, nearly causing Anton to careen into her. He leapt to the side with a yelp, but Grace didn’t notice as she whirled around, pink hair flying out around her, and gave him a serious look. “This is so much bigger than a plan. Why are you plastered to the wall?”
Anton rolled his eyes and leaned back against the wall where he had landed. “So, what is it?” he dared to ask, feeling more sure on his feet.
“A caper.”
“Pardon?”
“Acaper,” Grace repeated, putting emphasis on the key word. A well-executed caper could do wonders for even the smallest of mysteries, let alone catching the thief who had broken Lou’s heart.
Anton pushed away from the wall. “Saying it again isn’t going to make me understand,” he told her.
She gave him an incredulous look. “Were you raised by wolves, Kovalev? Everyone in the know is hip to what a caper entails.”
“I missed the memo. Enlighten me.”
“A caper. An adventure chock-full of hijinks, stakeouts, and witty banter.” She stopped and wagged a finger. “And smooching. Lots of smooching, because we deserve to live our best lives, even when we’re in pursuit of horrible people.”
Anton smiled at her and leaned forward in his seat, elbows braced on the desk in front of him. “Now, I can get behind a plan that promises smooching. But what does this caper business entail?”
Grace pulled him down the hallway. “A caper is just the thing to get our relationship off to a solid start,” she said with the air of someone in the know.
“Nothing more official than a bit of thief nabbing to really solidify a new relationship, eh?” Anton smiled at her in agreement, making Grace’s breath catch.
“I agree,” she said. “Just the thing to make it official.” She opened the door to her office, a rarely used space, as it didn’t allow her to keep an eye on restless scientists with a penchant for recklessness, and ushered him inside.
Lou was already there, hands on her hips, staring at what Grace considered one of her finer creations. After having the data stolen, Grace may have gone on a science bender of her own, compiling a list of names for the lab teams, another list of possible motives, swipe card times she had retrieved from the surveillance server, and a tentative timeline for the theft.
As a visual learner, Grace had raided their supply closet for the colored tape and created a web that would have done any primetime mystery show proud.
It was a masterpiece of detective work. A masterpiece of investigation. A veritable vision of Sherlockian skill. A marvel. It was-
“What the hell is this?” Lou asked, jerking her head at the board.
“That,” Grace said, flouncing into the room, “is how we are going to catch a thief.”
fourteen
“Be lesscurious about people and more curious about ideas.”—Marie Curie
“What...what exactly are we looking for?” Anton asked, leaning back in his chair. They had retreated to a coffee shop following a detailed explanation from Grace on the board in all its intricate details. It had been a lot. So much so that he’d suggested they leave the little room that had turned into Grace’s investigation HQ.
“We need a break,” he’d told her, dragging her out of the room.
Grace had dug her heels in. “But there’s justice to deliver.”
