way to talk inside a video game chat room so that when she left at the end of the year, I’d be able to keep in touch with her.”
Sasha seemed to remember a few students during her time doing the same thing. “So you talked to Jax?”
“Yup. She left a message, all code you know . . . in case Lodovica caught wind. Anyway, long story short, Richter isn’t just placing lilies in vases, they’re planting those things. Everyone was kept out of the dining hall for the entire day, said something about a contamination. A crew came in, wrapped it up like they were going to fumigate. When it came down and the trucks left, the stairwell to the lower levels was sealed off, walls up. It’s like it isn’t even there.”
The magnitude of what Claire was telling her took the wind out of her lungs. “Something big went down.”
“I know, right? I have a few questions out to Jax and need to wait for her to sneak away to answer. They’re on early curfew.”
Sasha saw an even better reason to return to Germany.
“You still there?” Cooper asked.
“Yeah.”
“Someone went into Amelia’s condo last night. There was an obvious break in the feed the second the motion detector blipped on,” Cooper told them.
“I take it you didn’t see a face.”
“Not even a shadow. Whoever went in knew the camera was there, but they didn’t destroy it.”
Sasha looked at AJ. “Guess that means we’re going back to DC.”
“Smells like someone is flushing you out, Sasha,” Reed said.
“I smell that, too. Don’t worry about me.”
“Hey, AJ,” Reed said.
“Yeah?”
“We need you to visit Amelia’s coworkers while Sasha is at the condo.”
“Why?”
Sasha already knew the answer to that.
“You’re not going to like it, but we need you to cooperate.”
“The suspense is riveting. Spit it out.”
Sasha looked him in the eye. “To keep you safe. If you’re inside a government building while I’m at the condo, then I don’t have to worry about anyone’s ass other than my own. If someone is watching and waiting to snag you to get to me . . .”
The look on his face told her he didn’t like it.
“You could always go to the local police station and ask to talk with the detective on the case, that’s an option, too,” Cooper suggested with a laugh.
He hesitated.
“You being there can get you both killed,” Neil said. “Your sister’s office or the police station. Those are your options.”
“Amelia was hiding something, AJ. I think talking with her coworkers with that in mind might offer some kind of explanation.” Sasha wanted to give him a task.
AJ wrenched the car door open. “Fine. But I don’t like it.”
He stormed off and Sasha took the call off the speakerphone. “I have what I need. Neil, I need to talk to you privately.”
Sasha stepped out of the car, waited for Neil to indicate he was the only one on the line.
“I’m listening.”
“I sent you a package. I need DNA testing.”
“Do I need to ask who?”
Sasha looked over her shoulder, saw AJ walking toward her. “I just need to know if they match.”
“You got it.”
She hung up the phone, tucked it away. “Ready?”
AJ opened the passenger door, waved his hand for her to get in. “I’m driving.”
Walking into a police station was not an option. Not that AJ had any indication that his activities in Florida would follow him to DC, but there was no way of knowing.
A quick trip to a department store, and one thrown together suit later, AJ was exiting a taxi outside of the building where Amelia used to work. He’d called her boss, said he was only going to be in town for the day and really needed to talk.
He was a little surprised he wasn’t met with some kind of excuse.
While Sasha ditched the blonde wig and slid into Catwoman, AJ channeled his father’s diplomacy and walked into the office building and approached the security desk. After security made a phone call and handed him a temporary security badge to pin to his shirt, someone was walking him to the elevators and up to the floor where his sister spent her time when she wasn’t abroad.
He walked through the office, past divided workstations and employees of all ages and nationalities. No one paid attention to him, which was the point in wearing a suit. If he’d walked in wearing jeans and a T-shirt, chances were people would notice.
Amelia’s boss met AJ at the door. He lifted a hand. “Mr.