Page 43 of Tango

“Do you video?” Wade asked.

“Not on the property, no. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t cameras all over the city watching license plates. But it would be some time before anyone noticed, I guess. They’re only supposed to keep that data for seven days, right?”

“Enough time for you to accept a different job or take a long vacation,” Vivian said.

“You want me to get the formula from the lab?” Jay asked.

“The serum can’t leave my lab,” Vivian said, “because I’d be immediately implicated. But there’s always been a supply at the Alabaster lab. When I’ve needed more, Piper goes over and gets some for me.”

“Alright.” Jay dragged his hand down his face. “But as you pointed out. I’d need her badge to get in there.”

“We borrow Piper’s badge and put it back, and no one knows,” Wade said. “She’s got to keep it at her place when she’s not going to Alabaster, right? Or is it at the mouse lab?”

“Has to be at her apartment. I went back to the lab after Piper left and looked around for it. Nothing. Here’s the problem. I know she lives in an apartment building that she owns, but I don’t have the apartment number. All her identification cards only have a street address. If we know the apartment, then one of you, Wade maybe, breaks in, takes the badge, hands it to Jay, Jay gets the vial, Wade puts it back. We have a while until anyone notices.”

“How are we going to figure that out?” Wade asked.

“I’ll come up with something.” Vivian stood up and walked to the kitchenette.

“Something soon,” Jay said. “Like tomorrow. That’s Plan B. Once we have the formula, we need to flesh out a buyer that might take time. But there’s no point in figuring that out until we know if we have the formula or not.”

“Agreed.” Vivian pulled a glass from the shelf and filled it with tap water.

“Tight timeline between now and Yuri,” Wade said. “I think we need a Plan C.”

“Like what?” Vivian asked.

“Have you considered that the badge might just be in her purse?” Wade asked.

“If it comes to that, Vivian, you have an accident with the formula, it goes on the floor, Piper has to go get more from Alabaster, right?” Jay asked.

“You want me to waste it?”

“I want you to break a fake vial so you can get what’s on hand. The more we have, the better, right?”

Vivian turned toward the window, her gaze softening as she thought that through. “That could work.”

“When we steal Piper’s badge,” Wade said. “How does that work on your end, Jay? Surely, she’d report it right away.”

“Only if she discovers it’s gone,” Jay said. “Eventually, yes. So getting it from her apartment is the best way. If we steal her purse, and she reports it? Yeah, that’s a problem.”

“We’re doing this?” Wade asked. “Going for a million?”

Jay looked over and locked eyes with Vivian. “We’re doing this.”

Chapter Twelve

Ethan

Wednesday

Ethan had started his morning by walking into the office to file his incident report and debrief with the owner after yesterday’s assignment at Tifton Estate.

More people were in the room than he’d expected.

“There he is, Ethan. Good man. Well done,” Mr. Pickeridge said.

“Sir.” He came to parade rest, and Tango sat to his side with her chest out and her chin tucked. That tickled a smile onto Ethan’s lips. “I have my report sent to your email.”