Dawn in Eclipse Bay

“Now that we know for sure that we’re on to something, we’ve got to get inside.”
    That sounded ominous, Lillian thought.
    “Inside?” she repeated cautiously. “Inside what?”
    “The new wing, of course. Listen up here.” Arizona’s voice lowered. “Got no choice now. We need to get a firsthand look at whatever is going on in there. My guess is they’ve made the big move.”
    Dread settled on Lillian. “Oh, I really don’t think they’ve had time—”
    “Probably brought ’em in with the HVAC equipment,” Arizona said.
    “If that’s the case,” Photon murmured, “whoever goes inside will have to search for a large freezer compartment somewhere in the new wing.”
    “Right.” Arizona adjusted her position on the pillows, checked the door and then lowered her voice again, this time to a raspy whisper. She motioned with one hand. “Move in as close as you can. The institute probably has spies out there in the hall. Be easy enough to disguise them as orderlies or janitors.”
    Lillian suppressed a sigh and obediently leaned over the bed. Gabe and Photon followed suit.
    “We all know that they’ll never let me or one of the Heralds step foot inside the institute.” Arizona gave Lillian and Gabe a meaningful look. “That leaves you two.”
    Lillian gripped the bed rails. “Wait a second here, A.Z. We’re not, uh, trained in this kind of work.”
    “Don’t worry, I’ll give you a few pointers before you go in.”
    “How do you plan to get us inside?” Gabe asked, looking interested.
    Lillian frantically tried to get his attention but he pretended not to see her.
    “I figure the Leaders of Tomorrow open-house event will give you both the perfect opportunity,” Arizona said. “Easy for you to get invites because one of you is a Harte and the other is a Madison. Perry Decatur and the folks who run the institute will fall all over themselves to get you there. You’re both potential donors.”
    Phonton nodded somberly. “An excellent plan.”
    “Just might work, A.Z.,” Gabe said.
    “But the new wing won’t be open yet.” Lillian struggled to bring some common sense to the situation. “We won’t be able to get in there.”
    “Shouldn’t be too hard,” Gabe said. “Everyone will be busy with the reception. Don’t see why we can’t slip out at some point and take a look at the area under construction.”
    “It’s settled then.” Arizona gave them a thumbs-up. “You two will go in the night of the open house.”
    “What about a camera?” Lillian said quickly. “I don’t have one and I doubt if Gabe has one either.”
    “Could always get one of those little throwaway cameras they sell at the pier,” Gabe said helpfully.
    “One of those gadgets won’t do it,” Arizona said. “I’ll give you my old VPX 4000. Fine piece of equipment. Lacks a few of the features of the 5000 but it’ll get the job done. Remember, we need hard proof that they’ve stashed those frozen extraterrestrials in that new wing.”

chapter 19
    Gabe gave up trying to work, closed the laptop, grabbed a jacket and went down to the beach. He walked for a long time, trying to make sense of the screwy dream that had awakened him in the middle of the night. It had featured broken locks and the grinning faces of the Willis brothers. Not quite a nightmare but close enough.
    He stopped at the edge of the water and watched a gull angle into the offshore breeze. Normally he didn’t pay much attention to dreams. He didn’t believe in intuition, premonitions, or the like.
    But he had a healthy respect for his own hunches. They had served him well in business.
    Something J. Anderson Flint had said the other night at the restaurant was running through his brain again and again this morning.
    “Disgruntled employees can be dangerous.”
    When he added it to the dream he got a very uneasy feeling.
    What if Lillian’s first intuitive suspicion had been correct? What if the break-in at her cottage had nothing to do with what had happened to Arizona but was, instead, linked to her fear that someone had intruded into her Portland apartment?

    The knock on her front door interrupted her just as she was about to mix some paint. She put down the palette knife with a sense of deep resignation. What had ever made her think she would get some work done today?
    She opened the door warily.
    Gabe stood there, one hand braced on the door frame. There was no sign of his car. He was dressed in a black-and-tan