Dr. Ray shot a nce at Swanson, who was predictably bristling with aggression, before picking up the documents that had been carelessly tossed onto the desk. As he flipped through the first few pages, a subtle shift crossed his face.


    Swanson leaned casually against the office desk, stealing asional nces at Spencer. Despite feeling a bit shaky inside, he kept up a front of confidence. "Nick''s known Adler for quite some time and has done a lot for our department. This R-strain project is pretty unique and at a crucial stage. We''ve got confidentiality agreements with international research institutes, so when you sent him to the conference, I specifically asked him to handle some coordination, which led to a four-day dy."


    Swanson paused, his tone taking on a tinge of guilt. "I didn''t foresee those four days would cause him so much trouble. Spencer, let''s be straight here. If you doubt me, you can call overseas and check right now."


    Sticking to his professional ethics, Spencer stopped going through the documents. He had a vague idea about the R-strain project, knowing it was indeed a hush-hush matter concerning public welfare. But he couldn''t help asking, "Does Mirabe''s field really tie in with your virology institute?"


    He''d been itching to ask since Adler first dropped by to borrow staff, but each time, the opportunity slipped away. Swanson had prepped his answers, "How could it not be rted? The virus and neurons are..."


    Before he could finish, the doorbell interrupted. Swanson mmed up as the head of security rushed in. "Dr. Ray, we''ve recovered some surveince footage from that night."


    At this, Dr. Ray shot up from his chair, eyes locking onto the security chief with a sharp gaze. "Any new leads?"


    The chief nodded, pulling out his phone and opening the video he''d just copied from the surveince


    room, handing it over to Dr. Ray


    Swanson''s eyes flickered with


    interest, and he sidled over to stand next to Spencer, peering at the screen.


    As they watched the footage, Swanson''s previously jittery nerves settled. When Adler''s partner approached him yesterday, the offer had been tempting. After mulling it


    over half the night, he fived.


    Operating in secrecy wasn''t so


    tough; it was all about what was in it for you.


    A few minutester, after watching the video again, Dr. Ray, now with a grave expression, handed the phone back to the security chief. "Ben? I never saw thating."


    This was a shoeker. Just yesterday, the security agency folks had involved him in their meeting. If Ben was the culprit, it was a real twist. "Get on Ben''s background again," Spencer instructed, his eyeso narrowing as he directed the security chief.


    "Right," the chief replied, pausing to ask, "Should we loop in the security agency?"


    Spencer pondered for a moment, wanting to avoid any more mix-ups. He shook his head, "Let''s hold off a..."


    Before he could finish, Brack''s voice rang out from the half-open office door, "No need to wait. We can''t let anyone suspicious slip through."


    Dr. Ray looked up, momentarily stunned. Brack strode in, his presence strong andmanding.