Girl Missing by Tess Gerritsen Page A

surprise, he abruptly broke off his conversation and began to move toward her, across the room. She caught a glimpse of Isabel’s frown, of faces turning to look at Adam as his broad shoulders pushed past. And then all she could seem to focus on was him .
    He was smiling at her, the relaxed greeting of an old friend. The bruise on his cheek was almost lost in the laugh lines around his eyes. “Kat,” he said, “I didn’t know you were coming.” He reached out to her, and her hand felt lost in the warmth of his grip.
    “ I didn’t know I was coming,” she said.
    The sound of a throat being cleared caught her attention. She glanced sideways at Ed. “I guess I should introduce you two,” she said. “Ed, this is Adam Quantrell. Adam, this is Ed Novak. Our acting DA.”
    “Novak?” said Adam as the two men automatically shook hands.
    “I’m her ex-husband,” said Ed, grinning. “We’re still very close.”
    “Speak for yourself,” said Kat.
    “So you’re both campaigning for Sampson?” asked Adam.
    “Ed is,” said Kat. “I’m not.”
    Ed laughed. “And I’m going to change her mind.”
    “I came for the free meal,” said Kat. She took a sip of wine, then she looked directly at Adam, a cool, hard gaze that no one could mistake as flirtatious. “And to see you.”
    “Well,” said Ed. “She always did favor the direct approach.”
    “I’d like to say I’m flattered,” said Adam, frowning as he studied her face. “But I get the feeling this isn’t a social chat we’re about to have.”
    “It’s not,” said Kat. “It’s about Nicos Biagi.”
    “I see.” Suddenly he seemed stiff and guarded—as well he should be. “Then perhaps we should talk in private. If you’ll excuse us, Mr. Novak.” He placed a hand on Kat’s shoulder.
    “Adam!” called Isabel, moving swiftly toward them. “I want you to meet someone. Oh, hello, Dr. Novak! Have you recovered from last night?”
    Kat nodded. “A few sore muscles, that’s all.”
    “You’re amazingly resilient. I would have been terrified, having my life threatened that way.”
    “Oh, I was terrified all right,” admitted Kat.
    “And then to have your car stolen. How fortunate it was only a Subaru—”
    “Will you excuse us?” said Adam, continuing to guide Kat toward the exit. “I’ll join you later, Isabel.”
    “How much later?”
    “Just later.” With a firm hand, he hustled Kat out to the lobby, where it was every bit as crowded. “Let’s go outside,” he suggested. “At least we can get out of this madhouse.”
    They found a spot near the hotel fountain, its trickling waters aglow in a rainbow of colored lights. The sounds of the gathering spilled outeven here, in the darkness. From the ballroom came the faint strumming of balalaikas.
    He turned to face her, his hair glittering in the reflected lights of the fountain. “What’s going on?” he asked.
    “I could ask you the same question.”
    “Are you angry at me for some reason?”
    “Zestron-L,” she said, looking at him intently. “You have heard of it, haven’t you?”
    She could see at once that he had. She caught a glimpse of shock in his eyes, and then his expression smoothed into unreadability. So he knew. All this time he’d known which drug might be killing these people.
    “Let me refresh your memory, in case you’ve forgotten,” she went on. “Zestron-L is a long-acting narcotic, new generation, of the class levo-N-cyclobutyl—”
    “I know what it is.”
    “Then you also know Cygnus holds the patent.”
    “Yes.”
    “Did you also know your drug was out on the streets?”
    “It’s not possible. We’re still in the research stage—primate trials. It hasn’t gone to human trials yet.”
    “I’m afraid human trials have already started. The lab is South Lexington. And the results aren’t too encouraging. Bad side effects. Mainly, death.”
    “But it hasn’t been released yet!”
    “Nicos Biagi got his hands on it.”
    “How do you