announced Grace’s presence.
The man in a similar uniform who stood behind a much larger desk was broad and barrel-chested. He gestured impatiently for Grace to enter, as if he had ordered her appearance and she was late. “Have a seat, lieutenant.” As Grace complied, he continued, “Colonel Otis at the hospital asked that I cooperate with you, so tell me what you need from me.” His tone suggested that the last thing he wanted was to do anything for her, but he watched her expectantly, hazel eyes frowning beneath thick glasses.
Grace wasn’t about to play his game. She took a moment to look around his small, neat office, her gaze lighting on his desktop computer and files stacked nearby. There was nothing unusual or especially enlightening about the room or its contents, but she took her time before returning her gaze to Dryson’s.
“As the colonel may have told you, I’m here on a special assignment to find out who is stealing biohazard specimens at Charles Carder and help to apprehend them. I assume that’s your intention, too, so I believe it’s in our best interests to pool any information we have.”
“Then do you have any information to share with me, lieutenant?”
“Probably nothing you don’t already know, since your unit is conducting the official investigation into the incident that occurred the other night. You’ve probably investigated some of the earlier thefts as well.”
“I assume you thought you could just buzz in here,” he said scornfully, “figure out what was going on and take credit for capturing our thieves. Was that why you hadn’t come to talk to me before this?”
In a way, that was true. Whatever their mission, the local security forces had been ineffective in stopping the thefts and arresting the perpetrators, so their value was already suspect.
Even more, keeping Alpha Force and its presence here low-key was paramount to its effectiveness—and to ensuring that its covert nature remained secret.
“Sorry, sir, but I only arrived a few days ago, and I needed to establish my cover at the hospital facility. I actually am a medical doctor, specializing in infectious diseases. That was one reason why I was chosen for this particular assignment.”
“And your unit—Alpha Force, isn’t it? That’s what the colonel said.” The colonel should have been more discreet, not even giving out the name of her unit. “It has some better plan for catching our tangos?”
“Although it’s a good possibility, we’re not sure our targets are terrorists, sir. In any event, we knew this assignment wasn’t going to be a slam-dunk, but our team members work separately from other units with the same goal as we have.”
“Why is that?” He had stood, and his expression was even more belligerent, as if he intended to attack Grace for not buckling under his command.
“As Colonel Otis may have told you, sir, our unit is covert, and so is how we conduct our operations. As much as we want to achieve the objective of fixing this potentially critical situation, we have to handle it our way, just as you have to handle it your way. We don’t currently have any genuine suspects, but if that changes we’ll let you know. How about you? Are there any suspects currently on your radar that we should know about?”
His sudden grin was as disconcerting as his scowl had been. “We’re checking into the viability of several people seen near the storage building that night as suspects. You’re one of them, lieutenant. So is Sgt. Norwood, and I understand she’s part of your team. A couple of others, too—a few doctors, some hospital visitors, a delivery guy…but so far no one sticks out as being more than just a person of interest.”
A few doctors. Did that include Simon? Had anyone else seen him in wolf form—or changing? Unlikely. Grace hadn’t seen or otherwise sensed anyone else nearby then. But he could have been seen before or afterward in human form.
Maybe she should warn him. That might only cause another argument between them—if she told him she wasn’t the only one who needed to clear him. But candor in this, at least, was possible and could help him. This major might not only glom on to Simon as his main suspect, but might also ignore better ones if he could more easily pin the theft on Simon.
She had intended to talk to Simon later anyway. Set up a time to bring Tilly back to the hospital to visit with his young patient as well as act as