Page 90 of Radar

“He said that he wanted me to go, and he paid my way. He also asked me to hang out with him for the ten days before, as he did a bit of food touring, which we did. He was buying cider for the year for his family, and we were doing a little game for the children.”

“Were the children with you? Any other family members?” White asked.

“No. Specifically, Orest wanted to go around Normandy sampling the ciders and ordering them for the family. I thought the family must adore cider because he was basically tasting and then ordering everything they had. I was worried that he was wiping out supplies for others.”

“Where did he send the cider?” Hiro asked.

“That I don’t know. Orest handed them a piece of paper. He was speaking in French, and my French is wobbly at best. I did what I had to get through my basic requirements in high school.”

“These are all taken around Normandy?” Hiro asked.

“He met me in London. Orest was in London, and I had never been there before, so I flew there for a couple of days first. Then, we took the ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre, France, and worked our way back to Paris for the conference. One day, he invited Eddie to have dinner with us after we visited Versailles. I had been telling Orest about Eddie’s discoveries in meat production, and Orest wondered if I could add that to the vertical farms. Orest invited Eddie to work with him, and I assumed that meant work with me on the Feed the World project, but Eddie had just signed a contract with NASA.” She reached out and kneaded her fingers into Radar’s scruff.

“Meat for the Mars astronauts,” Xander explained.

“How did your uncle respond to Eddie declining the job offer?”

“He invited Eddie to Alaska. And he really sold it. I thought it was just my kindly great-uncle being overly enthusiastic.” Elyssa leaned down and kissed the top of Radar’s head and left her cheek resting there on his warm velvet fur, taking what comfort she could.

There was a knock at the door. Finley went to answer it and was handed a note. He read it and walked back to the table. He sat in a chair and leaned his forearms onto his thighs so he hovered near Elyssa. “Elyssa, do you know someone named Dr. Klara Westergren?”

Elyssa looked at the floor as she searched her memory, then shook her head.

“Dr. Westergren works in a lab that developed lab-grown butter and—”

“Cheese?” Elyssa lifted her head, sitting upright. “This is out of Seattle?”

Xander whispered, “No sudden moves, please,” then eased her back into his arms.

“Yes,” Finley said. “You know Dr. Westergren?”

“No. But Eddie was talking to Orest in Paris about cheese, and Orest asked Eddie to give him the name and contact information of the person Eddie knew who was developing the process. Oh shit.” She clamped her hands over her mouth, muffling her, “Why?”

“She went missing two days ago. Her partner said that she went out to walk the dog. When the dog came home unaccompanied, a search was conducted. There is no sign of her anywhere.”

“Seattle isn’t far from Alaska,” Elyssa whispered.

“Box number four?” White asked cryptically.

Finley’s phone buzzed, and he quietly answered.

“Elyssa, drink.” Xander touched her hand. “Do you need a break?”

“Yes, if I could have a minute.” She’d gone clammy, and exhaustion weighed heavily over her body.

“Just before you take that break,” Finely said, stretching out his arm to hand her his phone, “I have your roommate on the line. Tell her where your passport is and that she’s to hand it to the FBI special agent at the door.”

“My passport?”Why in the world?Maybe to check my country stamps?Elyssa accepted the phone. “Jen?”

“Elyssa, what’s happening?” Jen’s voice quivered.

“I’m sorry for the disturbance. My passport is in the center drawer on my desk, right in front. Can you give it to whoever is there?” Elyssa asked.

“Are you okay?” Jen whispered.

“Yeah, well, do I have a story for you. Just not now. I’ll talk to you when I can. Okay?”

Chapter Thirty