sheaf of papers he’d been reading onto the coffee table. “There’s nothing here. Well, nothing untoward.” He’d taken folders from the office filing cabinets and had spent the morning poring over them. “Nothing about the drug. Or any indication who that man is. Just what I’d expect to find, related to the company.” He glanced in the direction of the office. “I gave Hashtag some space. I know he works best when it’s quiet.”
Horvan had taken him some coffee. “He was fairly disgusted how quickly he cracked the password. Made noises about how lax Anson was when it came to security.” He chuckled. “He went quiet when he hit the encrypted files, though.”
“Does he think he can get into them?”
Horvan laughed. “To quote him, ‘This might take a while.’”
“What was the password, by the way?”
Horvan stilled. “Your name. And I find that intriguing.”
“Halle-fucking-lujah!”
They both gave a start at the loud cry. Horvan ran to the office, Dellan behind him.
Hashtag was staring at the monitor and grinning. “You ain’t better than me, you piece of shit.” He looked up at them, his eyes shining. “I’m in. And you’d better believe there are a ton of files in here.” He started tapping the keys, his gaze locked on the screen. “How about we start with this one?” Hashtag glanced at Dellan, then dragged a chair across. He patted its seat. “I could use you here. You might know what to look for.”
Dellan sat beside him. Horvan stood behind Hashtag’s chair, peering at the screen.
Rael came in, carrying plates of sandwiches. “If Mohammed won’t come to the mountain… I figured getting you away from work was a nonstarter.” He put them on the desk. “Have you made headway?”
Hashtag groaned. “For Christ’s sake, I just got in. Gimme a sec, all right?”
Dellan pointed to the screen. “Open that one.” Hashtag clicked on it, revealing a spreadsheet. Dellan peered closely at it, his lips moving as he read silently.
“What is it?” Horvan’s scalp was prickling, and that was never a good sign.
“Shipments,” Dellan murmured. “A lot of shipments.”
“Of what?” Rael demanded.
Dellan sagged back into his chair. “A product I don’t recognize. There’s only a code for it, which is strange in itself. And another thing. There are figures dating back a year but only relating to the size of the shipment. No sales figures.” He shook his head. “It’s like… whatever this is, it’s either being shipped free of charge or he simply hasn’t recorded the figures.” Dellan looked up at Horvan. “Like it’s a secret.”
“Any idea where these shipments are going?” Hashtag asked.
Dellan shook his head. “The destinations aren’t in here. Just codes.”
“And what are you thinking?” Horvan had a feeling he already knew the answer.
Dellan sighed. “That this is the drug they used on me. Anson was producing it and sending it out. But to whom? And why in such numbers?”
“If you’re correct, there’ll be evidence in the labs, won’t there?” Hashtag asked. “I mean, if that’s where they made this stuff. Someone had to make it, right? And there might be more files in here that relate to it. I’ll do a search for that code.”
“Any clues in those files as to who our friend is?” Horvan badly wanted a name for that guy.
“I don’t think I’m gonna find a photo labeled Bad Guy,” Hashtag remarked with a wry chuckle. “But you never know. Anson doesn’t appear to have been some great criminal mastermind.” He pointed at the screen. “There are several images in here. Let’s see if one of them is of our friend.” Hashtag snorted. “Friend. Yeah, right.” He clicked the first one, then rotated through to the end. “Nope. It’s not him. They all seem to be of one guy, though. Anyone have any idea who he is?”
Horvan was instantly aware of the change in Dellan. You’re so cold. It was as if he could feel the ice that crawled over Dellan’s skin. Rael shivered violently.
Dellan didn’t say a word but stared numbly at the screen.
“Dellan?”
Slowly, Dellan turned to look at him. “I… I don’t understand.”
Rael knelt at his side, his hand on Dellan’s knee. “I’m only reading profound shock. What’s wrong?”
Dellan swallowed and pointed to one of the images. Horvan leaned in to take a closer look. It was a photo of a man who appeared to be in his sixties, but he wasn’t posing for the picture. It was like someone had taken a quick snap of him. Behind him was a fence with barbed wire along