pen that had belonged to F DR . There was a picture of the twin towers on 9/11 in a silver frame. A reminder.
Stephanie Willits sat between Nick and Selena. She had a wide, attractive face and dark eyes. This morning she'd chosen a red dress and white blouse and dangly gold earrings. There were three gold bracelets on her left wrist. Steph was responsible for all computer resources at the Project. She talked to her computers as if they were her family and could make the big Crays on the floor below do things no one else thought possible.
Nick couldn't put his finger on it, but she seemed different. She'd done something to her hair, but that wasn't it. She'd lightened up since Elizabeth had returned, but that wasn't it either. She seemed more alive. Even happy.
Harker played with her pen. "Selena, do you think McCullough was murdered because of the message from his friend?"
"It seems like too much of a coincidence."
"I wonder if the bomb was meant for you and Nick?"
Nick rubbed the scar on his left ear. A Chinese bullet had taken off the earlobe the first day he'd met Selena. Sometimes it burned like fire when everything was about to go bad. This time it was only an itch.
"It wasn't for us. No one knew we were going there. Besides, there are easier ways to take us out than blowing up a university. That bomb was Semtex, someone with serious resources like a terrorist group."
"You're sure it was Semtex."
"I'm sure."
"Steph, see if you can find out what the police in New Hampshire know about the murder up there."
"I'll do it now." She got up and left.
"I wouldn't bet on the local cops finding much," Nick said. "Whoever sent that bomb knew what they were doing. If they killed Campbell they won't have left clues."
"Why would someone target these men? Selena, I'd like a full translation on those notes McCullough gave you."
"I'll have it done later today."
Harker toyed with her pen and set it down. Picked it up again. Began tapping. Thinking. Carter watched her.
"The Bureau will be on it because of the bombing," she said.
"Do we want to get involved with them?"
"Not if we can help it. You know what it's like, they try to control everything. They're good at what they do, I'll give them that. If they get a lead, I'll take it. They don't know about you and Selena being on the scene. They won't have any reason to think it's more than a routine inquiry."
Stephanie came back into the room.
"That was quick. What have you got?"
"I talked with the chief up there. It's a small department. They don't have much. McCullough's friend worked for CDC down in Atlanta. The killer cut off an ear before he cut Campbell's throat."
"Only one reason to do that." Carter absently felt his ear. It was still attached to his head. "Torture. They wanted something from him."
"Cash and credit cards still in his wallet." Stephanie sat down. "His laptop is missing. No phone, either. Someone broke into the library where Campbell was working and got into the restricted archives. No one knows if anything is missing yet."
"No night watchman?"
"He drinks. He was asleep."
"Lucky for him, or he'd probably be dead. I think we can guess what's missing."
"The tablets." Harker thought for a moment. "Stephanie, bring up Campbell's phone logs. Let's see if he called anyone else. Maybe he sent that message to more than one person."
Steph went to a computer console off to the side of Harker's desk. The console fed into the big Crays downstairs. The Crays linked to the NSA database. Most messages sent over a cell phone or digital line were somewhere in that database. For sure all domestic messages. Campbell's calls would be there. Steph entered a string of commands.
"Got him. Several calls to Atlanta in the days before he was killed. Two a day to his home number. One long call to someone named Arnold Weinstein at CDC the day before he was killed. On the night of his murder, two calls. One to Kevin McCullough. Another to Weinstein. Those calls are back
Stephanie Willits sat between Nick and Selena. She had a wide, attractive face and dark eyes. This morning she'd chosen a red dress and white blouse and dangly gold earrings. There were three gold bracelets on her left wrist. Steph was responsible for all computer resources at the Project. She talked to her computers as if they were her family and could make the big Crays on the floor below do things no one else thought possible.
Nick couldn't put his finger on it, but she seemed different. She'd done something to her hair, but that wasn't it. She'd lightened up since Elizabeth had returned, but that wasn't it either. She seemed more alive. Even happy.
Harker played with her pen. "Selena, do you think McCullough was murdered because of the message from his friend?"
"It seems like too much of a coincidence."
"I wonder if the bomb was meant for you and Nick?"
Nick rubbed the scar on his left ear. A Chinese bullet had taken off the earlobe the first day he'd met Selena. Sometimes it burned like fire when everything was about to go bad. This time it was only an itch.
"It wasn't for us. No one knew we were going there. Besides, there are easier ways to take us out than blowing up a university. That bomb was Semtex, someone with serious resources like a terrorist group."
"You're sure it was Semtex."
"I'm sure."
"Steph, see if you can find out what the police in New Hampshire know about the murder up there."
"I'll do it now." She got up and left.
"I wouldn't bet on the local cops finding much," Nick said. "Whoever sent that bomb knew what they were doing. If they killed Campbell they won't have left clues."
"Why would someone target these men? Selena, I'd like a full translation on those notes McCullough gave you."
"I'll have it done later today."
Harker toyed with her pen and set it down. Picked it up again. Began tapping. Thinking. Carter watched her.
"The Bureau will be on it because of the bombing," she said.
"Do we want to get involved with them?"
"Not if we can help it. You know what it's like, they try to control everything. They're good at what they do, I'll give them that. If they get a lead, I'll take it. They don't know about you and Selena being on the scene. They won't have any reason to think it's more than a routine inquiry."
Stephanie came back into the room.
"That was quick. What have you got?"
"I talked with the chief up there. It's a small department. They don't have much. McCullough's friend worked for CDC down in Atlanta. The killer cut off an ear before he cut Campbell's throat."
"Only one reason to do that." Carter absently felt his ear. It was still attached to his head. "Torture. They wanted something from him."
"Cash and credit cards still in his wallet." Stephanie sat down. "His laptop is missing. No phone, either. Someone broke into the library where Campbell was working and got into the restricted archives. No one knows if anything is missing yet."
"No night watchman?"
"He drinks. He was asleep."
"Lucky for him, or he'd probably be dead. I think we can guess what's missing."
"The tablets." Harker thought for a moment. "Stephanie, bring up Campbell's phone logs. Let's see if he called anyone else. Maybe he sent that message to more than one person."
Steph went to a computer console off to the side of Harker's desk. The console fed into the big Crays downstairs. The Crays linked to the NSA database. Most messages sent over a cell phone or digital line were somewhere in that database. For sure all domestic messages. Campbell's calls would be there. Steph entered a string of commands.
"Got him. Several calls to Atlanta in the days before he was killed. Two a day to his home number. One long call to someone named Arnold Weinstein at CDC the day before he was killed. On the night of his murder, two calls. One to Kevin McCullough. Another to Weinstein. Those calls are back
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