Elijah''s voice was tight with emotion.
"So Grandma and Grandpa left the virus in Border City?"
Elliot looked confused.
"But Border City''s our territory. If they already brought the virus and all the files back home, why didn''t they hand them over to the government?"
"Didn''t the government send a whole team to greet them back then? Why didn''t they turn over the virus and the files?"
Tarquin went quiet, deep in thought. Honestly, he didn''t know all the details. But one thing he felt sure of the stuff was still in Border City.
Right before his dad passed away, he''d whispered two words to Tarquin: "Puzzle pieces."
Back then, Tarquin was just a kid. He''d thought his dad was reminiscing about their afternoons spent piecing together those thousand-piece jigsaws, sipping cocoa and munching on chocte chip cookies.
That''s why, at the funeral, Tarquin had swallowed his pride and begged Gideon to let him slip that battered old puzzle box into the casket with his father-he thought it was just a sentimental gesture.
But over the years, as he grew older and started putting things together, suspicions crept in. He''d wanted to dig up the grave, just to get that puzzle box back.
Still, he was afraid the mysterious figure lurking in the background would catch on, so he waited. He told himself he''d grab the puzzle when his parents were finallyid to rest together.
Turns out, his instincts were right. When Kendrick mentioned "puzzle pieces" before he died, it was code for the location of the 8th generation virus.
He hadn''t told Tarquin directly-Tarquin was just a boy, too young to protect something so dangerous, and saying too much could''ve gotten them all killed. Kendrick had to keep it cryptic, just in case anyone was listening. Whether Tarquin would figure it all out when he grew up... well, that was just fate''s call.
Now, Tarquin finally understood. The torch had been passed to him. Figuring out how to solve this bio-crisis was up to him now.
Tarquin frowned, answering his son''s questions as best he could.
"Maybe someone on the government team was a mole. Your grandparents didn''t trust them, so they held onto everything."
"Or maybe they set up a diversion-handed the virus and the files off to someone trustworthy, someone who could sneak them back home. Meanwhile, your grandma and grandpa stuck around overseas to act as bait."<fnba1d> N?w ?ovel chapt?rs are published on </fnba1d>
"Only... they never got the chance to tell the authorities what really happened. Something went wrong before they could."
Elliot''s brow furrowed. "So all these years, the virus has just been sitting in Border City? And whoever brought it back never dared make a move?"
Tarquin let out a long breath.
"Maybe they were too scared to act. Or maybe... they didn''t even realize what they were carrying. Who knows at this point?"
Elliot pressed, "Border City''s huge, Dad. Are you sure about where the virus is?" Tarquin shook his head. "No. First, we need to find out who brought it back home." Both his parents had died overseas-it couldn''t have been them. There had to be someone else.
Elijah asked anxiously, "Dad, do you have any idea who it might be?"
Tarquin rummaged through his memories, a hazy but oddly familiar face surfacing in his mind.
He frowned. "Not sure. But I have a suspect."
Elijah jumped in, "Who is it? Tell me and I''ll look into him right away!"
But Tarquin shook his head. "No. Not now."
Elijah blinked. "So... you want to send someone to Border City to investigate?"
Another shake of the head from Tarquin. "We''re not doing anything. Not yet."
Elliot and Elijah stared at him, surprised. "Why not?!"
They finally had a lead—shouldn''t they be jumping into action?
Tarquin''s frown deepened. "Because someone''s watching us."
The boys fell silent, instantly catching on. If they started digging now, after opening the casket, whoever was tailing them would get suspicious.
This clue was too precious, and the consequences of mishandling the 8th generation virus were way, way too big to risk even the tiniest mistake .