Stolen in Paradise (A Lei Crime Companion Novel) Read Free

into her notes on her phone, but didn’t catch the rest.
    “It’s important research. It would revolutionize the time it takes for algae to grow. We have our first cell stock of what we’ve nicknamed BioGreen. It’s got the potential to be the answer to world hunger and the key to biofuels becoming a viable oil alternative.” Peter Kim fussed with his glasses again.
    “Now we’re talking,” Marcella said with a hint of her dimple as a reward. “Can you explain it in layman’s terms?”
    The Indian guy seemed to be pulling himself together. “There’s an enzyme involved in photosynthesis called RuBisCO. People have been trying for years to get it to bind faster in the photosynthesis process so that growth in plants can be accelerated. BioGreen takes just days to grow to harvestable volume.”
    “Shee-it!” Rogers said. “I grew up on a farm, so I’m trying to picture that.”
    “Here.” Cindy Moku, not to be outdone, turned to a nearby monitor and woke it up. “Check this out.”
    She activated a video icon, and Marcella watched a time-lapse video of a small patch of algae seemingly exploding in size to fill the pond area. “This is time lapse of two days.” Cindy pointed to the counter in the corner of the video. “We just developed this video before we harvested a batch of cell stock.”
    “Where is that?” Marcella asked.
    “We keep the data, the lab books, and the cell stock formula locked up, and only Ron Truman, our lead researcher, has the key besides Dr. Pettigrew.”
    “Where’s Mr. Truman?”
    “Dr. Truman. Don’t know. He was supposed to be in,” Abed said. They all glanced at one another.
    “Let’s take a look at the back room,” Marcella said.
    Kim led the way to a door in the corner of the lab, and his abrupt stop caused them to pile up.
    The door had been jimmied. Splintered wood and pry marks gave testament to an illegal entrance. Inside, papers were scattered everywhere in the small windowless space, boxes of materials upended.
    “Oh my God,” Moku breathed. “We had the results on a laptop on the desk and our lab books piled next to it with the cell stock in a sealed canister. It’s all gone!”
    Rogers took a camera out of his bag and photographed the scene as Marcella oversaw Kim making calls to all the numbers they had for Ron Truman, and he eventually answered his cell phone.
    “Come down to the lab,” Kim barked. “Dr. Pettigrew’s dead and the formula and cell stock are gone.” He closed his phone on the head researcher’s hysterical squawks. “Do you think Dr. Truman did it?”
    “We’ll proceed with our investigation and pursue every lead,” Marcella said evenly. She herded the interns out of the back room and turned to Rogers. “Impressions?”
    “Moku told me nothing else seems to be missing. This mess could be a red herring, trying to make it look like some outsider broke in,” Rogers said. “Let’s keep them here, get initial statements before they have time to figure out their stories.”
    “I’ll get some background checks in on these lab rats.” Marcella stepped outside into the hallway and called the central Bureau office for a full workup on each of the interns, starting with Dr. Ron Truman. She was still on the phone when a man approached her at a run, white coat flapping.
    The ID badge bouncing just above his crotch declared him the missing Dr. Truman. He pulled up in front of her, fisting bulky arms on his hips. Bold green eyes lit a face better suited to magazine covers than a laboratory as he flexed square jaws in a good imitation of outrage. He was definitely hot, and she felt a tingle.
    “What the hell’s going on in my lab?”
    “Dr. Pettigrew’s been murdered and your research is missing.”
    “Holy shit,” Truman replied, and punched a code into the pad by the steel door, pushing it open with Marcella close behind. “What happened?” he bellowed to the interns clustered around Rogers.
    “Someone stole the cell stock,