Shift:A Virals Adventure(10)

Our next move had occurred to me in mid-flight.

“Where?” Shelton hissed, but I was already marching to the security desk.

As I’d suspected, Hudson was nowhere in sight. He’d undoubtedly gone upstairs with Kit and the others.

Another guard was sitting in the kiosk.

“Carl!” I called brightly. “How are you today?”

Carl Szuberla looked up from his magazine, expression guarded.

He’d probably been chewed out at least once today already. Hudson seemed the type to blame his subordinates if something went wrong.

“Hello, Miss Brennan.” Built like a lumpy bowling ball, Carl’s immense girth was jammed into a sky-blue uniform barely able to contain it. “Director Howard just went upstairs.”

His expression abruptly clouded. It must’ve occurred to him we’d come from inside the building, not out.

Though reliable, Carl was not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

He was perfect.

“Right. Kit sent me down with a question.” Assertively. “He wants to know whether the gates were opened at any point last night.”

Carl’s piggish face bunched into a knot. “Why didn’t he ask the chief? Hudson worked the graveyard shift, not me.”

“Kit wants the log checked. No stone unturned. That kind of thing.”

Sighing, Carl rose and waddled into the communications room. A few moments later he returned. “Neither gate was opened last night.”

“But wasn’t the electronic system down?” Shelton asked. “How can you be sure?”

“Both gates are zip-tied during any system maintenance.” Carl tapped his logbook. “Chief Hudson noted that both ties were in place this morning.”

“Excellent.” I headed for the exit. “Thanks so much.”

“Wait.” Carl gestured toward the elevator. “Aren’t you going to inform Dr. Howard?”

“I’ll text him. Thanks again!”

We hurried through the doors, down the steps, and into the courtyard.

LIRI is arranged in two lines of six buildings each, facing one another across a large central green. Flower-lined paths crisscross the courtyard, with stone benches set at intervals for those seeking fresh air.

I beelined to a grouping in the center of the quad.

“Ready to explain?” Hi dropped onto one of the benches. “Because I just exceeded a walking pace, and that’s not my thing.”

I did a quick 360 to see if anyone was within earshot, then motioned for the others to huddle close. With varying degrees of enthusiasm, they obeyed.

“I’ve got it.”

“Got what?” Ben asked. “Dementia?”

“The answer.” Hitching my thumbs into my armpits. “I’ve solved the case.”

“Inconceivable,” Shelton said. “Because I’m more lost than ever.”

I bounced on my tiptoes. Popped an eyebrow a few times for effect.

“You’re annoying me,” Hi stated. “Stop it, please.”

“Why was Lab Three the only room smashed?” I asked. “How come the rest of Building One didn’t suffer the same treatment?”

“Access,” Hi said. “The thief, or thieves, had a way into the building, but not the laboratory.”

“Very good. And how is that possible?”

No response. I was enjoying this.

“Because—” I drew out the word, “—the raid was an inside job.”

“Pssh.” Hi slumped back on the bench. “I’ve thought that from the beginning. The police will, too. How else would the crooks know exactly when the security system was down?”

“Okay, hotshot,” I challenged. “Then who did it?”

“I don’t know.” Hi crossed his arms. “You don’t either.”


“Who has access to the buildings, but not the labs?” I asked. “Yet would also know when the security system was down for maintenance?”

“A LIRI regular.” Shelton’s face lit up. “But someone not on the scientific staff! Otherwise, the robbers would’ve known the proper codes, or had keys, and wouldn’t have needed to tear up the room!”

Ben nodded. “Makes sense.”

“Okay.” Hi began gnawing his thumbnail. “So we’ve narrowed the profile to a LIRI employee without lab access. But that’s still, what, fifty people?”

“Roughly.” Then I smiled ear to ear. “But we can trim the field even more.”

Dramatic pause.

They glared. I ate it up.

“The gates, silly boys.” I tapped my temple. “They never opened, even after the equipment was swiped. Which means—” smacking my palm, “—whoever took the gear couldn’t get it out of the compound.”

Both arms, raised in triumph.

Met by puzzled looks.

“The equipment must still on the grounds!” I spun, finger outstretched. “In one of these buildings. Find the loot, we find the crook.”

“Crap balls!” Hi breathed. “That’s freaking genius.”

“You did it!” Shelton took a hop-step toward Building One. “Let’s tell Kit!”

“Or . . .” I flashed a wicked smile.