“No. This is a personal trip for Dr. Hanson. Something to do with her father, who recently passed. We didn’t even know she was leaving the country until we asked her to step in for Dr. Diana Edwards to teach the class on base.”
“It seems impossible anyone could have known Dr. Hanson would be tapped for that assignment,” the captain said.
“Absolutely. Dr. Edwards was taken ill Sunday night. That evening, Lieutenant Chris Flyte”—Morgan tipped her head toward her computer camera, indicating she saw Chris sitting next to Rand—“took Diana to the hospital. The following morning, she was in surgery. No one could have predicted her sudden illness or that Dr. Hanson would be the only one available to step in. When she told us about her vacation, we told her we’d find someone else to teach, but she insisted.” She smiled grimly. “Kira is quite thankful to Diana.”
Morgan had switched to informal first names, a sign her relationship with both women was more than that of employer. He’d realized that when he saw Kira’s car at her baby shower, but he was fairly certain the shift had occurred in the last few months. He’d known Freya and Morgan and their husbands for years and had regularly visited them when he was in DC to see his sister. Until the baby shower, Kira hadn’t been at any of the formal or informal gatherings either couple had hosted.
“Given that there was no way for the shooter to know in advance Dr. Hanson would be there, is it possible Dr. Edwards was the original target?”
This was old ground, covered in the middle of the night, but new people were being read in. “The gunman called out Kira by name,” Rand said.
“How did he know she was there?”
Rand replied. “It was all over Signal and the other informal base chats. That’s how I learned she was there.”
“We have on our list to check Kinder’s computer to see if he was in any of the base chats. Even though he was a civilian, he was IT and worked on base. He’d know how to get in.”
As far as Rand was concerned, the guy’s computer or cell phone would be their best bet. Maybe he’d written a manifesto. But they’d only just located the guy’s apartment. They were hours, even days, from having real information.
It was just before 0800 when the call came in. Rand had actually gotten a full night’s sleep after missing an entire night and was raring to go when his commander told him to return to base for another briefing.
He quickly dressed in his officer’s Navy Working Uniform Type III, but didn’t bother shaving. As a special operator, he was granted leeway on grooming and was short on time to make the meeting.
Thirty minutes after receiving the call, he was back in a seat that should be molded to his ass by now. This time, the video feed had Morgan, Freya, and their spouses. Only Morgan showed signs of sleepiness, but she’d given birth to her second child just a few months ago. He suspected she and Pax had barely slept at all, and it had nothing to do with the shooting on base.
Captain Huang launched right in. “Dr. Adler, we find it curious that you denied Friday Morning Valkyries has anything to do with Dr. Hanson’s trip.”
Morgan bristled, looking more alert. “And I find it curious that you would phrase that question accusingly when I spoke the truth.”
Rand smiled. Oh, to not be part of the military hierarchy and get to speak your mind.
“We’ve learned Dr. Hanson is searching for artwork stolen by the Nazis during World War II.”
“So?”
“This isn’t work for FMV?”
“No. We occasionally consult with the Monuments Men and Women Foundation, and we work with the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab in Virginia, but we don’t do our own research tracking down lost art. We’re in the business of stopping artifact traffickers and shutting down supply lines. The stolen items we track were looted from the Baghdad Museum at the start of the second Iraq war, or stolen from other countries during and after the Arab Spring, not by Nazis during World War II.” She paused for a moment, then asked, “How do you know what Kira’s looking for in Malta? She didn’t share any details with us. Are you digging into the shooter’s life or Kira’s? She’s a victim here. You don’t have the right to spy on her.”
“We aren’t. We found the information about her search for stolen art in Malta on Ben Kinder’s laptop.”
Chapter Nine
“If the shooter has a connection to Kira’s contact in Malta—” Rand was on his feet as he said the words. He didn’t even remember standing; it had just happened upon hearing the words.
“Sit down, Lieutenant Commander.” Huang’s voice was firm. “We don’t know what the connection is. All we know is the shooter received copies of her credentials and inquiries on his computer. It’s possible he hacked Dr. Hanson.”
“If he wasn’t some psycho stalker, then she’s still in danger. Is there any evidence he was stalking her?” Rand asked the captain after he resumed his seat.
“All we have are the preliminary findings. Investigators have had the computer for less than sixteen hours.”
“Send me to Malta.” He tempered his tone. Not pleading. Commanding.
“NSWC cannot send an operator to Malta—” This came from Commander Gleeson, Rand’s commanding officer.
“He attacked our base. On US soil.”
“And he’s now dead. There is no rationale for military action.”
“Grant me leave, then. Sign off on a foreign trip.” Rand faced Captain Huang with this plea. As an operator with Top Secret clearance, Rand couldn’t even take a weekend jaunt to Canada without a commander signing off on foreign travel. His every move had to be authorized. Right now, it appeared Huang was a better bet than Gleeson.
The captain turned to the screen and addressed Freya and Morgan. “Do you have anyone on your payroll who could provide bodyguard services to Dr. Hanson in Malta?”
Rand stared at the camera, hoping the women would help him out here.
“One moment,” Morgan said.
They turned off their cameras and muted their microphones. Several long minutes ticked by before they returned. It was Freya who spoke. “We checked our roster, and the soonest we can get an operative in place would be five days, possibly longer. I also checked with our associates at Raptor, and they’re assisting in a conflict in Eastern Europe and have no operatives to spare.”
Rand wondered if Raptor was really doing covert work for Ukraine. Whatever they did would be sanctioned, but buried so deep, it would take NSWC days to untangle truth from lies.
Thank you, Freya.
Rand leaned forward, meeting Captain Huang’s gaze. “Last December, I accompanied Kira into an auction house acting as an art buyer. My role in the later takedown of Makram Rafiq was never revealed to protect Lieutenant Flyte and me from being identified as Navy SEALs. My cover as an art buyer is intact. I even bought art from the auction house later to ensure Gillibrand didn’t learn Dr. Hanson had been working for FMV.” That had been Freya’s idea, and Rand had been happy to do it.
