Generation 18 (Spook Squad 2)

clan yet. Anger, and the need to find Miranda’s killer, were uppermost in everyone’s mind.

Which was why they were here. Though the Federation’s headquarters was supposedly on Collins Street, this small bomb shelter was its true heart—one of a dozen built within the city during the new millennium, when the Race Wars were at a peak. The shelter was a two-story-deep complex that housed the Federation’s information-gathering center. The SIU might pride itself on having an extensive network system, but the Federation had operatives in every government, every union, and every rebellious group currently on record. Though officially the Federation was not terribly active these days, it kept its finger on the pulse and was ready to intervene whenever and wherever needed.

Right now, those resources were concentrated on finding his sister’s killer.

The door behind them opened. Gabriel glanced around. Stephan walked to the table and dropped a sheaf of papers on the glass-topped desk.

“That’s everything we could find on Hopeworth and its projects.” He collapsed into a chair and rubbed his eyes. Though family members currently manned the center, the image Stephan retained as the head of the Federation was the image the world knew—black hair with green eyes rather than blue. This was the Stephan who was the image of their father rather than his true self, Gabriel’s nonidentical twin. Even here, in the true heart of the Federation, they had to be careful. “Our contact in Hopeworth wasn’t able to help. Security has been tightened since these murders began.”

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “Since they began? Did he say why?”

“A security breach the day before the murders started, apparently.”

“Someone got into their system,” he mused. “That’s how the killer found out about the Generation 18 adoptees.”

“And probably why the general was so anxious to meet with you. He wanted to know how much SIU knew.”

Gabriel nodded, and glanced at his watch. “I’ll call Sam at seven and see how the meeting went.”

Stephan’s gaze narrowed. “Why not call her now?”

“Because it’s four in the morning, and she deserves to get a few hours’ sleep before I start hounding her again.”

“Miranda is dead. Doesn’t finding her killer take precedence?” There was an almost accusatory note in Stephan’s rich tone.

Gabriel clenched his fist and somehow restrained the urge to launch across the table and slug his brother. “I know Miranda is dead. I found her, remember?”

“Enough, both of you.” Charles slapped a palm down on the table. The sound ricocheted through the abrupt silence, as sharp as a gunshot. “Fighting among ourselves is not the answer. And as much as I want to find this murderous bitch, I agree with Gabriel. What young Samantha has discovered can wait until morning. I have a feeling that we have all the clues we need right here.”

He nudged the case reports with a finger. Gabriel stared at his twin for several seconds and saw the anguish and guilt in his eyes, which was no doubt a mirror of his own. Like him, Stephan felt he should have done more to prevent Miranda’s murder. He sighed and reached for the top folder. “We’ve been through these. There’s nothing here.”

Charles pulled a chair out and sat down. “How is the killer getting in and out of the murder scenes?”

“I think she’s a hybrid; one we haven’t got on record.”

Stephan raised an eyebrow. “The tests are pretty intensive. It’s doubtful that we missed one.”

“But it’s only in the last ten years or so that our tests have become so precise. Before that, it was hit-or-miss, with most hybrids being allocated shifter or changer status, depending on which was their stronger trait. Emma Pierce was fifty-six. So was her sister. There’s no record of Emma coming in for tests since puberty.”

Stephan frowned. “If she was part of Hopeworth, that’s not surprising. As for the sister, we haven’t been able to find anything on her yet.”

“A little too convenient, don’t you think?”

“Erasing records is not something an everyday hacker can achieve—not without setting off alarms.”

“If they got into Hopeworth, we’re dealing with someone a little more skilled than your average hacker.”

“True.” Stephan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “You know, it might also indicate someone who has regular access to records. How else would they get into the system without raising alarms?”

“A government employee?” It was certainly a distinct possibility. As Stephan said, anyone without clearance hacking into the file system would have raised alarms. It was doubtful such a person could have erased data so completely without getting caught.

“You might even be looking for a cop,” Charles said, his deep voice somber. “They have access to all manner of records, and who would have a better understanding of how to avoid detection at a crime scene?”

Gabriel frowned. “If our killer was a cop, her hybrid status would have been picked up in the six-month checkups. As you said yourself, the tests are pretty extensive.”

“They never picked up Sam’s extra chromosome,” Stephan said, “so it might just be possible they’d miss this. Race is not something that is checked every six months, unless the officer has noted his or her desire to become a vampire.”

“True, but still…” Gabriel hesitated as the door opened.