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“I know where you’re going with this. Yes, Iona Bryant is very, very good with tech. Yes, it’s possible she hacked into my computer and manipulated my search results when I went looking for a virtual assistant, and yes, it’s possible she invaded my brother’s computer and manipulated the results when he went looking for a sleep clinic.”
“We need to find her,” Pallas said. “Do you know anything about her that is personal?”
“Not much. We communicated by text and email. She was always friendly but professional. At one point when I complained that my family wouldn’t stop bothering me she said she understood what it was like to deal with family. I got the impression she had a brother and a sister but that they weren’t close. I think she mentioned her father once, but she didn’t say much about him.”
“Maybe your pal Calvin the Magnificent could help us locate her.”
“There’s no time to bring in Calvin,” Ambrose said. He was suddenly on his feet, heading for the door. “We need to move fast if we’re going to find her before she leaves town.”
“What makes you think she’s in town? You said she’s very goodwith tech. She probably ran the whole project with a laptop and a phone.”
Ambrose paused at the door. “You are the one who insists that Fenner was murdered.”
“I’m sure of it.”
“And I agree with you. If we’re right, he wasn’t killed from a distance, and afterward the killer definitely did not search the Institute by remote control. Both of those were hands-on jobs, and they were done on very short notice. The project manager had to be in position to move fast once the decision was made to shut down the project.”
“Good point.”
“There’s something else that indicates whoever was responsible for the operation is local,” Ambrose said. “The goal was to conduct illegal experiments with a very unique drug. That must have involved special protocols for handling and delivery. It’s not the kind of thing you entrust to the post office. Someone had to provide the meds to Fenner, and that same individual would have wanted to monitor results personally. You don’t run off-the-books drug trials without a lot of supervision and control.”
Pallas took a breath. “Agreed.”
“She had to be here in town. She knew her way around. I think she’s been here all along.”
“Jodi Luckhurst? The receptionist?”
“No, the timing doesn’t fit. They’ve lived here for years. We’re looking for a newcomer to the community. I think we need to talk to someone at the local tech shop.”
“Why?”
“Because I just remembered one bit of personal information that she let slip in her emails. She’s obsessed with video games.”
—
His name wasJason. He worked at Tech Magic on Main Street. He was plugged into the local gaming community and he knew exactly who fit the profile Ambrose had created.
“She moved into town about a year ago,” Jason said. “Rented the Atherton place out on Bridge Road. I helped her get set up. Fiber optics. Gigabit speed. Badass gaming computer. I remember thinking it was a lot of juice just to sell crystals and candles online.”
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Are you sureSerenity is gone for good?” Ralph Atherton frowned. “I know her car is gone but I figured she went to see friends or maybe take a couple of days off. She’s been real busy with that store in town and her online shop. She probably needed a little vacation. Retail is a tough business.”
Ralph had answered the door a short time ago when Pallas and Ambrose had arrived. He was in his seventies and had the enthusiastically friendly air of a man who had retired too soon and was now bored and eager to chat with strangers, even if they did show up on his doorstep asking personal questions about his tenant.
“We’re sure she’s gone for good,” Ambrose said. “She’s not answering her phone or responding to email. The shop is closed.”
That was the truth, Pallas thought. What Ambrose had not clarified was that the woman who had called herself Iona Bryant had also vanished. There had been no response to the texts and emails he had sent.
Ralph squinted at him, alarm sparking in his eyes. “You’re the podcast crew, aren’t you? Seems like you’re lighting a real fire underthis town. Haven’t had this much action since the big landslide a few years back. Why do you want to find Serenity?”
“Follow-up interview,” Pallas said, going for smooth and professional. “She was kind enough to answer some questions when we first arrived, and now that the drug ring has been exposed we’d like to thank her for her help and maybe get a little closure for the series.”
It wasn’t a complete lie, she thought. The part about trying to get some closure was certainly true.
“Huh.” Ralph looked as if he wasn’t sure what to make of that. “Well, I can’t help you.” He angled his chin at the small house across the street. “You can see for yourself she’s not here.”
Ambrose got a deeply troubled expression. “To tell you the truth, we’re more than a little worried about her.”
