“We both know online profiles can be faked.” Slater looked toward the food table, but Michel Bergeron was no longer in view. “There is something about that man. I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.”
“Maybe it was at another Pallas event,” Ulrich said. “Look, if you’re that worried, then why don’t we just grab them? We can take them back to a quiet room and give them the hard press.” Ulrich nodded at Sophie Bergeron, who was sitting alone now. “I guarantee you I can make her break.”
“No… at least not yet,” Slater said. “We both know what would happen if I’m wrong and they’re legit. The boss will throw me in a cage with DH10.” He rubbed his chin. “No, I need solid proof before I do anything drastic.”
There was a moment of silence as the two watched Sophie Bergeron sip her champagne.
“Tell me again what happened at the dock,” Ulrich said.
“We couldn’t find their names on the list. As it turns out, they were on some sort of supplemental list.”
Ulrich frowned. “Supplemental list?”
“They were both late adds. Hector told me that happens from time to time, although it was our understanding the final list was confirmed two weeks ago.”
“Did you check with Laila?”
“What good would that do? She’s the one who entered everything into the system.”
Ulrich shrugged. “She’s responsible for the list, so she might know if she added someone late.” He looked over at Slater. “It couldn’t hurt.”
He was right. It might be a good idea to give her a quick call to see if she knew anything about the couple. It would certainly be better than roughing up a legitimate donor and bringing on the wrath of Jonas Brehmer.
Slater removed his phone, tapped on her number, then held the phone to his ear.
The call was answered after two rings. “This is Laila.”
“Hey, it’s Martin. I need your help with something.”
“Can it wait? Mr. Brehmer wants—”
“No, it can’t. It’s a security issue, and I need some information right away.”
Laila sighed on the other end. The woman always seemed to be in a foul mood. Slater guessed it was from working under Brehmer all those years.
“Okay, what is it?” she asked in a sour tone.
“I need you to verify that a couple is on our guest list.”
“What are their names?”
“Michel and Sophie Bergeron. Do you recognize them?”
“Not right off the bat, but let me check,” she said.
Slater heard the tapping of keys on the other end.
“FYI, they’re on the supplemental list,” he added.
The tapping sound stopped. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“I said they’re on the supplemental list.”
“What supplemental list?”
“The one you put together. It’s in the system. We checked.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. There is no supplemental list.” She started tapping on the keys once again. “Wait a minute… I see it now.” There was a long pause before she continued. “Martin, I didn’t create that. I don’t know where it came from.”
“You’re sure?”
“Of course I am. Wait, hold on a sec.”
Slater could hear papers being shuffled on the other end.
“I keep a printed copy of our master list with me at all times. If we added anyone, it would be on here.” There was a long pause. “Just what I thought. There is no couple by that name on our list.”
Slater’s eyes narrowed. “Thank you. That’s all I needed.”
“Is there something—”
Slater disconnected the call before she could finish.
Turning to Ulrich, he said, “You’re going to get your wish. It’s time to have a little chat with the Bergerons.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
AFTER CLIMBING DOWN from the roof, Jia hiked through the jungle to the main building. She wasn’t sure why they had transported DH10 at this hour, but she guessed it had something to do with the event taking place there. Maybe he was going to be put on display.
Chinese intelligence had learned about DH10 through a number of communication intercepts. The gene-altered creature was supposedly the culmination of Jonas Brehmer’s work and was one of the reasons Jia had come to the research facility. If possible, she was going to take DH10 from the facility. She would first locate the target then assess the security that was in place. If security was light, she would call in a special forces team that was waiting on a nearby ship. The team would travel to the island by helicopter then take him by force. Once DH10 was in their control, he would be transported to China, where the Red Army would study him and duplicate the results.
When she arrived at the rear entrance, it was clear they had already taken DH10 inside. That probably meant her goal of taking him to China wasn’t possible, but she had always known it was a long shot, anyway. At least she could accomplish her primary goal, which was to connect to Brehmer’s server and download all of the research information necessary to create another DH10. The Chinese military would have preferred a human subject to test and observe, but the scientific information behind the creature was the most important piece of all.
To complete her mission, Jia needed to find a server room and download the data. Since the rear entrance was heavily guarded, she slipped around the side of the building. About fifty yards away, a lighted doorway was guarded by a single man. He was leaning back against the wall, smoking a cigarette while scrolling through something on his phone. Idiot. Lifting her pistol, she walked straight toward him. When she entered the cone of light, the man looked up and saw her. He tried to lift his rifle, but he was too late. She shot him twice in the face then watched as he crumpled to the ground.
As Jia stopped to examine the body, she realized how fortunate she was. It was clear that a large percentage of Brehmer’s guards were low-level goons. Lots of muscle and very little brain. The few who had skill were probably the ones she had seen transporting DH10, which was another reason it would be foolish to attempt a heist.
Acting quickly, Jia dragged the body behind a nearby dumpster and rummaged through the man’s clothing. The quick search yielded an entry card and a radio. Perfect. The card would get her into the building, and the radio would allow her to monitor all communications.
Satisfied there was nothing else of value, she stepped to the corner of the dumpster and peered out. As far as she could tell, no one had heard the cough of the suppressed shot. Tucking her pistol away, she sprinted over to the door, removed the entry card, and swiped it across the sensor. The door’s locking mechanism clicked in response.
Opening the door, Jia slipped inside and raised her pistol. Fortunately, the hall was deserted, so she lowered her weapon and began her search. It took her almost fifteen minutes to locate one of the server rooms. No one was inside, so she entered and shut the door behind her. Several tall servers were stacked along the far wall. Next to the towers was a small table with a screen and keyboard. Having been trained in what to do, she went straight to the keyboard and cleared the screen saver.
Jia had just reached for the thumb drive in her pocket when the door groaned open behind her.
“Get those hands up where I can see them,” a female voice said.
Jia’s gun was tucked behind her belt, so she had no choice but to comply. Lifting her hands slowly, she turned and faced the speaker. A female guard stood just inside the room, a radio clutched in one hand and a pistol in the other. Jia cursed under her breath. The corridor outside the room was dark, and she had failed to clear it all the way down when she entered. In all likelihood, the woman had been watching from the far end.