“Let’s assume you’re right. Who were they, and what were they doing out there?”
“Those are good questions,” Zane replied. “The honest answer is that I don’t know.” He paused. “I do have a theory, though. I think they might have something to do with whatever Brehmer is doing out there.”
“You think Brehmer is using human subjects?”
“Why not? He’s a genetic engineer. Remember, there’s a good chance he’s connected to the group that held Danielle Holland and me in France, and there’s no doubt she was a subject.”
“I thought we never conclusively determined what had happened to her,” Amanda said.
“Not conclusively, but I saw firsthand what happened at the safe house. She manhandled men that outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds. Tossed them around like loaves of bread.”
“Wasn’t the house filled with smoke? I also seem to remember you were under the influence of some powerful sedatives.”
“Amanda, I know what I saw. Danielle remembers it too.”
“I’m sorry. I do believe you.” Amanda turned back to the eggs. “I just know how my brain gets foggy even after taking some prescription medication.”
“Trust me, I’ve spent countless hours going over what I saw that night. It’s like some recurring dream that won’t go away.” He took another sip of coffee. “And if Danielle hadn’t confirmed my version of the events, I might have questioned it myself.”
“I’m just thankful you both got out of there alive.”
Over the next half hour, Pratt, Mortensen, and Skinner all woke up and ate breakfast. Shortly after they finished, Brett returned from his jog on the beach and gave the all clear. Other than a few local women who offered to braid his hair, the neighborhood was quiet.
“What now?” Skinner asked as they all gathered in the living room.
“First, we’re going to check in with Ross.” Zane pulled out his phone. “He wants to be in on our strategic planning.”
Brett took a seat on the couch. “I got a text from him while I was out on the beach. Said he has something important to pass along.”
Zane frowned. “What is it?”
“Don’t know. He just said to make sure you linked him in when we got started.”
Zane shook his head as he opened his contacts list. “Not sure why he couldn’t have copied me.”
“He probably assumed you needed your beauty sleep.”
Pratt laughed. “In that case, he may need to keep hitting snooze for the rest of the month.”
“Says the man who was treed by a team of amorous apes,” Zane retorted.
“Now, gentlemen,” Amanda said.
Zane dialed the Oracle then placed the phone in speaker mode.
“You’re late.” Ross’s voice was unusually gruff.
Zane propped the phone on a coffee table so all could hear. “We never gave you a time.”
“I told Brett we needed to get started by ten.”
Zane looked at Brett, who mouthed, “Oops.”
“The Oracle is in rare form,” Pratt whispered from his place on the couch.
Normally, Ross was a man of calm, even in the midst of a storm. But in this case, Zane knew the reason for his irritation. Like the rest of them, the Oracle was sick that Carmen was still out there somewhere. He felt helpless, and there was also the fact that her life was in danger.
But Zane knew that something else was troubling his boss. When they had spoken the night before, Ross confessed he was deeply troubled over the decision not to involve law enforcement. There was little doubt the French authorities would have sent a team out to Brehmer’s island retreat if they were presented with enough evidence. But what would happen if they found no sign of foul play? If Carmen wasn’t there and there was no sign of illegal activity, Brehmer might feel backed into a corner. And if he felt threatened, he might decide to make Carmen disappear. She clearly wasn’t as valuable to him as Noah Lind.
Taking all of that into account, Zane completely supported Ross’s decision. It was the best way to ensure the safety of both captives. It also gave them the opportunity to find out why the two had been taken there in the first place.
“Brett said you had something important to pass along,” Zane said in an effort to get things back on track.
“I do. A couple of things, actually.” He cleared his throat then continued. “First of all, I had Keiko and some members of our team take a deep dive into Brehmer’s work. We already knew that he was a bioengineer who specialized in genetic engineering. But what we didn’t know is that he’s now focused almost exclusively on CRISPR technology.”
“CRISPR?” Pratt said. “Sounds like a new line of snacks.”
“It’s an acronym for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats,” Brett said.
Mortensen’s eyes widened. “Wow, I’m impressed. That’s some major geekage right there.”
“I’ve heard of it before,” Skinner said. “Doesn’t it have something to do with the study of DNA?”
“It’s actually the editing of genes,” Brett answered. “CRISPR is a specialized type of gene that’s used to cut, or edit, strands of DNA.”
“There are a number of practical applications,” Ross said. “Scientists often use CRISPR technology to edit the DNA of a living organism to make it healthier. For example, some scientists here in the US have altered the genes of livestock to make them resistant to disease.”
“So why is that significant in regards to Brehmer?” Amanda asked.
“It’s significant because he’s doing something that’s extremely controversial. He’s researching the use of CRISPR on human beings.”
Amanda looked at Pratt. “Maybe that explains what you saw last night.”
Pratt nodded.
“That may also explain why Brehmer needed Dr. Lind so badly,” Ross continued. “CRISPR is one of Lind’s specialties, which means he may possess knowledge Brehmer needs.”
“Which in turn suggests there is some dark purpose to his work,” Skinner said. “If it was all on the up-and-up, then presumably Lind would have willingly helped.”
“Good point,” Amanda said.
“The president wants an update in person an hour from now,” Ross said. “That means I only have a few minutes left, and I need to pass along something else before I go.”
“This sounds important,” Zane said.
“It is. While looking into Brehmer’s work, Keiko discovered something interesting. He’s having a fundraising gala tomorrow night.”
“Where?”
“On the island,” Ross answered. “There are going to be approximately sixty guests.”
“Sixty?” Zane asked. “Who are they?”
“Shareholders, investors. According to the invitations that were sent out, the guests are going to be ferried over from Terre-de-Haut. With Brehmer and his people tied up, it’s just the perfect time to conduct a rescue operation.”
“We’ll get working on a plan right away,” Zane said.
“I already have one piece figured out. We need someone on the inside, so you’re going to attend that gala as one of the guests.”
It took Zane a while to digest what he had just heard. Finally, he asked, “And just how are we going to pull that off?”
“The same way we always do. Brett is going to put you on that list.” Ross paused for a moment. “But that’s not all. I’m sending someone down to go with you. In fact, she’s on her way to Terre-de-Haut right now.”
Zane’s eyes narrowed. He couldn’t imagine who that might be. “Who is it?”
“Danielle Holland.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO