“They’re at a Neuticles demo.”
“What’s that?” A small charge of excitement buzzed through her body. She hadn’t had much sleep last night-just a short nap on Miranda’s sofa and another quick nap on the plane. She was exhausted and looking forward to climbing into the white silk bed, but hearing about advances in veterinary medicine interested her.
“Testicular implants.”
“No way!”
“I’m not kidding,” the receptionist assured her. “Lots of people want their dogs-you know-unable to reproduce, but they don’t like the look.”
“Oh my gosh. It sounds painful and totally unnecessary.”
The woman giggled. “I doubt if Dr. Robinson will be doing them, but she went to see what all the fuss was about.”
Whitney changed Lexi’s contact information to reflect the new address where Whitney was house-sitting and gave that phone number in addition to her cell. Lexi hadn’t wandered off, but why take chances?
While she was at it she checked to be sure Adam had updated Jasper’s information after his uncle’s death. The pets were listed under the owner’s name but nothing came up for Calvin Hunter. Pet Locate was the main chip database, but Whitney knew at least one other company was now providing the service.
“Isn’t there another chip service?” she asked.
“Sure. PetFinders.com. It’s bookmarked at the top of the screen.”
Whitney quickly located the database. Calvin Hunter’s name did not appear. “That’s strange,” she said, thinking out loud.
“Don’t you remember what service you used?” asked the receptionist.
“I’ve updated my dog’s information, but I wanted to change Jasper’s.” She pointed to her feet, where Jasper was wagging his tail at the sound of his name. “His owner died, so the info has to be changed. He’s an international champion but I can’t find his late owner’s name in either chip database.”
“A champion? Really?” The woman smiled at Jasper but shook her head.
“Yep. Best in show at Frankfurt.”
“The breeder probably listed him. That’s what usually happens.”
“You’re right. I’ll have to check his file and get the breeder’s name.” Secretly she was thrilled to have another reason to talk to Adam. There was no excuse for what he’d done but something in her longed to forgive him.
“Good night,” she told the receptionist. “I’ll be starting next week, but if I’m needed sooner, I can come in. Would you tell-”
“Could you work for me?” The woman almost shouted the question. “My husband’s company’s sending him on a trip to Hawaii. I can’t go unless I can find someone to work-”
“I’ll do it.”
“Oh, great. I owe you one. Come in tomorrow for an hour or so and I’ll show you what to do.” Whitney happily agreed and was halfway back to the minivan when it hit her.
The Chip.
Calvin Hunter had used dog shows as a cover for his arms deals. Could he have somehow transferred the information from a regular computer disc to a microchip? She knew the technology was there. Adam’s uncle had once been in naval intelligence. Surely he knew how to do it. That would account for the skin irritation that appeared on Jasper’s neck after he won at Frankfurt.
She rushed back inside. “Let me use the wand for a moment.”
The receptionist was turning off lights, but she cheerily replied, “Go ahead. It’s in the drawer in room two. Do you know how to use it?”
“Yes.” With both dogs in tow, Whitney dashed into the room and found the wand. She had no idea why they called the electronic device the size of a pack of cigarettes a wand, but everyone did. It was a simple mechanism with an on/off switch and an LCD display where the number on the chip inserted behind the pet’s ear came up.
She hoisted Jasper onto the examining table. Lexi wagged her tail as if expecting to be lifted up, too. Whitney switched on the wand and brushed it across the small bump on the back of Jasper’s neck.
Letters flashed across the LCD screen. A name-not a number. The chip was supposed to show a number. That number, when put into the chip center’s database, should yield owner information like the pet owner’s address and phone number. She stared at the screen, not quite believing what she was seeing, although she’d suspected she might discover something like this.
She switched off the wand, replaced it in the drawer. Her insides jangled with excitement. She carefully lifted Jasper off the table. How cruel, she thought. Chipping a dog didn’t hurt the pet, but imagining Jasper needlessly being jabbed with a needle upset her.
“You’re not just worth thousands,” she told Jasper. “You’re worth millions.”
The little dog licked her nose.
ADAM SAT ACROSS THE DESK from Quinten Foley in the older man’s home. It had taken Adam the better part of the afternoon to locate Foley. He’d been on the golf course with his cell phone off. He’d told Foley that he had Calvin Hunter’s laptop and software discs.
Foley leaned back in his chair and studied Adam. “So, Miranda Marshall is in Cancún. She had the computer all along.”
Adam didn’t respond, but he gave Foley credit. He must have had them followed. “She’s long gone now,” Adam said to protect Miranda. “She gave me his computer. It’s going to take an expert to find the information.”
“You tried?”
“Yes, but I’m just your average guy. No expert. I figure it’s embedded somewhere. In Iraq the guys showed me how to access porn sites. Go to a seemingly innocent site and click on some part of the picture that comes up. Bam! A screen concealed behind the picture appears. Give your password-and if you’ve paid your money, you’re into an orgy of porn.”
“Exactly. Kiddie porn is often accessed by clicking on a chicken in a barnyard scene. Chicken-hawkers love the irony.” Foley leaned forward and put both elbows on his desk. “You think Cal hid information like that?”
“Must be. I can’t find any sign of it. Maybe if your guys-”
“I’ll see if I can locate someone to-”
Adam shoved the laptop in the case with the software programs across the desk. “Don’t bother to bullshit me. We haven’t got the time. I know you work at the Pentagon. CIA?”
“No,” Foley replied after an emotion-charged silence. “I’m with a special unit of Homeland Security.”
Adam didn’t have a whole lot of faith in Homeland Security but hey, maybe it was just him. Right now, he didn’t have anyone else to turn to but Foley. Adam didn’t even know if the terrorists had a phony disc and would return-mad as hell-for the real one. He assumed that was what would happen-but who knew.
“Operatives are expecting to pick up the disc with the info on it next week,” he informed Foley. “We’re not sure if they realize my uncle is dead or not. Even if they do, they’re planning to wire transfer a shitload of money. I’m betting they’ll show, expecting Miranda to deliver the disc.”
“Why would they think she-”
“Miranda met them at my uncle’s home. He convinced them that she was his partner.”
Foley unzipped the computer case and ran his hand lovingly over the lid of the laptop. “This is a chance to catch them.”
“Absolutely. But we’d better have something to give them. These aren’t just couriers. They’re high-ranking terrorists. I’m sure they’ll have a laptop with them to scan the disc to make certain they have what they paid for.”
“You’re right. We’re going to need Miranda here. Can you-”
A thunderous banging on the front door interrupted Foley. Adam instinctively grabbed the computer case, zipped it shut and hid it between the desk and the wall.
“I’ll get rid of whoever it is. Probably Jehovah’s Witnesses. They’ve been working the neighborhood.”
Adam heard the front door open followed by the sound of Tyler’s voice. “What’s Adam doing here?” Tyler asked in a belligerent tone.