He just wished he knew what they thought about that message on the wall. Neither man had given much away, and though he believed Lloyd’s comment that he had no idea why that particular message had been left with Douglass’s body, Blaine had made no such comment. And Gabriel had a feeling that Blaine not only knew the reason behind it, but supported it. Which was an odd thing to think when Blaine was supposedly the man who’d been in charge of the project.
But he could admit to none of this aloud. Not to Sam, anyway. She had enough to worry about already.
“What I think,” he said eventually, “is that someone is still trying to protect you. Whether that person is this unseen brother of yours, or whether it’s the man you’re psychically connected to, is something only you can answer.”
“Why would my brother—the man you’ve suggested could be Sethanon—want to stop Penumbra when that very project could give him the army he needs to win his war?”
“I don’t know. But I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the feather was found in Douglass’s apartment.” He hesitated, then added, “But I do think it’s time you started asking some hard questions.”
Anger flashed in her eyes, reminding him briefly of a burst of lightning. “You think I haven’t been?”
“I think you’ve been delaying certain issues because you’re afraid to uncover the truth.”
That streak of lightning seemed brighter in her eyes, and this time it was accompanied by a stirring in the air that was vaguely reminiscent of the crackle of energy that raced just before a thunderstorm.
But before he could comment on it, his wristcom rang. He tapped it and said impatiently, “Assistant Director Stern.”
“Hey, partner, got some news you might not want to hear.”
“Spit it out, Illie. I don’t have time for games right now.”
“We found another body in Kathryn Douglass’s apartment. It was cut into pieces and shoved into an upright freezer.”
“How did the State boys manage to miss that?”
“Well, the body parts were covered by standard-issue meat trays and weren’t immediately recognizable.”
“I would have thought a severed human head would be immediately recognizable.”
“A human head?” Sam asked, eyebrow raised in query. Gabriel noted with interest that the electricity in the air seemed to fade away once her attention was diverted.
“Well, that was at the bottom of the freezer, and it was only after undoing the black plastic around the body parts that we realized what we had.”
“So why did you think to look in the freezer in the first place?”
“Well, rules say we have to do a thorough search of the premises, but it was primarily curiosity that had me looking deeper into the freezer. Douglass was apparently a vegetarian, so what was she doing with a freezer full of meat?”
“Have you sent the remains to the labs for analysis?”
“Yeah, Finley’s checking it out as we speak. I thought you might want to be there for his initial report.”
Gabriel frowned. “And why would I want to do that?”
“Because if the head was anything to go by, the dead woman is an exact replica of Douglass herself, only a little younger.”
Surprise rippled through him. “Did she have a sister?”
“No immediate living family. There are two cousins and an aunt now living in the United States, but that’s about it.”
“I’ll head over to headquarters now. Anything else?”
“Not offhand. I’m still digging into her past.”
“What about Blaine?”
“That’s a big, fat zero. The military has not been forthcoming with information, either.”
No surprise there. “Well, then, continue both investigations and let me know if you find anything.” He hit the end button and met Sam’s curious gaze. “They found another body at Douglass’s apartment. One that looks identical to the murdered woman.”