Page 42 of Shattering Dawn
Amelia smiled at him. “You found something, didn’t you?”
“Maybe,” he said.
“My room.” She turned and led the way to the small table near the window.
He followed and sat down across from her. She put the phone on the table.
“Okay,” she said. “We’re listening.”
“Dr. S. Davis checked into room ten two nights before the day that you and your friends were kidnapped,” Gideon said. “There is no question that Davis is Fulbrook.”
“Iknewthere was a connection,” Amelia said. A thrill of satisfaction snapped through her. The scorched key, like the photo of the pharmaceutical box, was an important clue. Her intuition had not betrayed her.
“You’re sure that Dr. S. Davis is S. Fulbrook?” Phoebe asked.
“I checked the handwriting on the registration form,” Gideon said. “Davis and Fulbrook are one and the same. He paid cash up front, so there’s no credit card trail. I’m sure the address on the form will turn out to be a fake, but the manager made an interesting note—Davis lost his room key. He was issued a second key.”
“Yes,” Amelia said softly.
Amusement flashed briefly in Gideon’s eyes. She ignored him.
“Here’s what I’ve got so far,” Phoebe said. “There was a Dr. Scott Fulbrook who was the director of research at a small startup pharmaceutical company in Silicon Valley. The startup got bought out by one of the big pharma companies but it looks like Fulbrook was not part of the deal. In fact, he was fired.”
“The acquiring company did not keep the startup’s director of research?” Gideon asked. “That’s unusual.”
“I think I’ve found an explanation for why they dumped Fulbrook,” Phoebe said. “There’s a reference to a government investigation into his research results. He was suspected of fraud.”
“Was?” Amelia asked. “Past tense?”
“He seems to have dropped out of sight about a year ago,” Phoebe concluded.
“Anything yet on Aurora Islands Pharmaceutical Laboratory?” Gideon asked.
“No,” Phoebe said. “Pretty sure it’s not a U.S.-based company, as you suspected, but that’s all I can tell you. I need more time.”
“Call as soon as you have any information,” Amelia said.
“Will do,” Phoebe said.
“Can you update the others for me?” Amelia asked. “I’m sure Talia and Luke and Pallas and Ambrose must be wondering what’s going on.”
“I’ll bring them up to speed when they check in. At the moment they are all still off the grid. No cell phone service for any of them.”
“All right,” Amelia said. “Thanks, Phoebe.”
She ended the call and looked at Gideon. “What aren’t you telling me?”
He cranked back in the chair and stretched out his injured leg with some caution. “What makes you think I’m not telling you everything?”
“Maybe I’m getting to know you.”
“Huh. Maybe you are. Okay, here’s what I didn’t tell Phoebe. I’m pretty sure someone is watching us.”
Amelia went cold. “The gang that tried to kidnap me?”
“That’s definitely a possibility. But there are others.”
“Such as?”