responsibility for someone so young, genius or not.”
“Exactly.” Victoria shook her head. “And, if I had my guess, emotionally and socially she’s far younger than twenty-two. I’m relatively certain she hasn’t led a typical lifestyle in any sense of the word.”
Something Victoria had said nagged at Ethan. “You said senior vice president, is there more than one?”
“Yes,” Victoria hastened to explain. “I ran a brief check on the company’s current status this morning. Dr. David Crane is the second vice president. As Austin’s daughter, Jennifer outranks him, of course.”
David Crane. Ethan knew a moment of disbelief. The kind a guy felt when he thought he’d seen a ghost. Crane was a ghost, all right. One straight from Ethan’s past.
“What does Crane say about all this?” he asked hesitantly. Flashes of memory slashed through his brain. Gunfire erupting, running, death hot on their heels. He blinked the images away.
Victoria eyed him curiously, noting his brief distraction. She never missed a thing. “I haven’t spoken with Dr. Crane. I promised Jennifer that I would not contact anyone at the company or the local authorities until we’d looked into her accusations. Which, of course, we can’t actually do until she gives us more details and Jennifer won’t do that until she’s met with you face-to-face.” Victoria inclined her head and studied Ethan for another moment. “Do you know Dr. Crane?”
Ethan considered saying no, but he wouldn’t lie to his boss. Avoiding the truth was something he only did when absolutely necessary. “I knew him. In another lifetime.”
“Should we be suspicious of him?”
Ethan shook his head. “I don’t think so. He saved my life in Iraq. He seemed a pretty straight arrow.”
“I see. He was in the military at the same time as you?”
“No,” Ethan said, still distracted by this unexpected development. “He was a scientist being held hostage. I went in to retrieve him. On the way out, he watched my back, kept me from taking a bullet.”
“Perhaps I should ask someone else to look into this case then,” she offered. “I don’t want anything getting in the way of objectivity. If there’s any chance Jennifer is right in her claims, Crane may come under suspicion.”
Ethan put up his hands, stop-sign fashion. “Don’t sweat it. Crane and I haven’t seen each other in nearly a decade. Besides, we don’t even know that Miss Ballard thinks he’s involved. But, even if he is, ancient history won’t color my judgment, I can assure you.”
Several tense seconds ticked by while Victoria weighed his words. Caution was her first line of defense. “All right,” she said, finally relenting. “But if your past with Crane gets in the way, I expect you to bow out gracefully.”
“That’s reasonable,” he allowed. “What do you want me to do?” The girl sounded like she needed help, and things could definitely get sticky whether Crane was involved or not. Ethan would have to evaluate the situation closely before coming to any kind of conclusions. The reputation of a pharmaceuticals company was fragile. One wrong move and years of research, not to mention millions of dollars, could end up down the drain. New, badly needed drugs could be delayed in reaching those who needed them now.
“She’s given me the name of a motel in Kankakee, a small town about fifty miles south of Chicago. I want you to talk to her. Determine if there’s any possibility that her claims are valid.”
“And if they aren’t?” Ethan had to know what was expected of him if the girl had gone around the bend.
“Check out her story and if it’s clear to you that she’s unstable, then somehow we’ll have Dr. Melbourne take a look at her before we do anything else. I don’t want to risk bad press unnecessarily. With Austin’s illness already a matter of public knowledge, this sort of thing could ruin all that he’s worked for.”
“What if she doesn’t want to see Melbourne?” Ethan remembered the doc well from his prehiring interviews. The guy was a genius himself. If there was anything even slightly off-kilter, he’d find it. Melbourne was good—the best.
“Well, then we’ll just have to find a way to convince her.” Victoria looked him straight in the eye. “Discounting what you’ve just told me about your past with Crane, I chose you for this mission for two reasons, Ethan.”
He held that all-knowing gaze and waited for her to continue.
“If there is any truth to her accusations, I want her protected at all costs. I won’t take any chances with Austin’s daughter. Secondly, your powers of persuasion where the ladies are concerned have not gone unnoticed. I’m certain you can convince Miss Ballard to see things your way.”
Ethan grinned. “I’ll do my best.”
“I’m sure you will.” Victoria leaned forward and handed him a folded piece of paper. “That’s the location. I’m to call her at the number she left and let her know whom to expect. She would like to meet with you at one o’clock this afternoon. Does that give you time to prepare?”
“I can handle it.” It was nine a.m. He’d have plenty of time to go by his apartment and pick up a few things just in case this assignment took more than twenty-four hours. He tucked the note into his pocket. “I’ll call you the moment I have anything to report.”
“Very good.”
Ethan headed to the door, mentally making a list of what he would need.
“Just one more thing,” Victoria called behind him.
He paused at the door and looked back. “Yeah?”
“Since I don’t know Jennifer personally, there’s always the chance that this young woman is an impostor attempting to cause trouble for BalPhar. Maybe a disgruntled ex-employee seeking revenge. She could be a threat to security.”
“That’s possible,” Ethan agreed.
“Whatever you discover, do not let this woman out of your sight. If she’s Jennifer Ballard, I want her protected. If she’s not, I want to ensure she represents no threat to the real Jennifer. We’ll need to inform BalPhar security as soon as there are any firm facts.”
“I won’t let anything happen to her either way.”
Ethan left Victoria’s office with uneasiness twisting in his gut. Something about this whole thing didn’t feel right. Victoria felt it, too, that was the reason for the extra precautions. A dread, at once familiar and disconcerting, filtered through him. He’d been in this kind of situation where there were far too many variables once before. That situation had ended badly and almost cost him his life.
He wouldn’t let his guard down this time. No matter how sweet or innocent Jennifer Ballard appeared, she was not to be trusted until he was absolutely certain it was safe to do so.
She would have to prove to him beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was telling the truth.
BY TWELVE-THIRTY Ethan parked in front of the office at the Blue Moon Motel on the outskirts of Kankakee. It was a quaint joint to say the least. It reminded him of the kind of place hookers took their
