Page 22 of Cold Silence
She reached into the field kit she’d carried into the room and took out a small zipped case. She drew out a device a bit larger than a cell phone but much thicker. She tapped the screen a few times and then turned it around to face Travis. “We’ll do a full set, so press all four fingers of your right hand on the screen.”
Travis complied, and the screen came alive to record them.
“Now your other four fingers,” Sierra said.
Travis switched.
“Finally your thumbs.”
He pressed his thumbs on the reader.
After the light disappeared, Sierra looked up. “That’s it. “
“A whole lot easier than the ink and paper process,” he said.
“And cleaner.” Sierra chuckled. “Thanks for doing this and making my job easier.”
Travis gave a sharp nod. “Anything else I can do?”
Sierra nibbled on her lip for a moment. “Since you asked, there are two blue bins in our van that I need.”
“Give me your keys, and I’ll grab them.”
She dug the keys from her pocket. “Van’s parked in the loading area out front.”
She stood and stretched her back. “You can set the bins on the floor in the hallway outside this door. Don’t want to contaminate the scene in here more than it’s been with all the foot traffic today.”
Claire’s gut tightened. “If I’d known to cordon it off, I could have come up with some reason to keep people out.”
“Would’ve been good, but what’s done is done.” Sierra flashed another one of her ready smiles.
Claire didn’t buy this one though. What was done was done was the truth. Claire’s software and the device had been stolen, and it was beginning to look like if she’d paid more attention to security that wouldn’t have happened.
If that wasn’t bad enough, because of the security issues, her life was also on the line, and the only way she could stay safe was to listen to the one man she’d never planned to see again.
6
Nearing four a.m., Travis met Gage at the institute’s front door. Gage had traveled for over five hours, but didn’t look any the worse for wear. He hadn’t changed much since Travis had seen him last either.
Over six feet tall, wearing a black performance T-shirt and black tactical pants, he had dark hair he kept short. Still fit. Maybe more so. Perhaps from hours of PT for his arm or him bulking up elsewhere to compensate for the weakness in that arm.
Any way Travis looked at it, his buddy was a sight for sore eyes as Travis clapped him on the back. “Thanks for coming, man.”
He waved a hand in front of his face. “I always forget the brutal humidity here in the summer.”
“You’ll want to drink lots of water.”
“Thanks, Mom.” He laughed. “You sound like I haven’t been in worse weather than this and survived.”
“Sorry. I haven’t been able to do anything to help here so took the opportunity, I guess.”
“Bad?”
Travis brought his buddy up to speed, including telling him about the Veritas partners and the security issues.
“You’re lucky to get them on short notice,” Gage said. “And to get them to fly across the country. Big score.”
“All my colonel’s doing. He can be very persuasive.” One of the white-suited techs came out carrying evidence, and Travis stepped closer to Gage. “You have an IT person on your team, right?”
