the photo. “Does he have something to do with the ruby?”
“I think so.” Kate told him how she had visited Smirnoff after her search for Nguyen came up empty. “Apparently, the FBI was there looking for this guy, too.”
Gideon turned from the scanner where he was scanning the photo. “Really? Why would they be there?”
“That’s what I was wondering. You don’t think they know about the ruby heist at the ice hotel, do you?”
Gideon laughed. “No way. I don’t see how they could possibly know it was even stolen from there.” His face twisted into a scowl. “Unless they have someone on the inside here.”
Kate’s heart pinched, she leaned toward him, lowering her voice even though no one else was in the lab. “Do you think someone here could be spying for them? Who?” Kate asked, her thoughts immediately turning to Mercedes LaChance.
“Well, we are supposed to be sharing this information with them. We’re working together on this,” Gideon pointed out.
Kate sighed. It was true, she’d forgotten the FBI was supposed to be tracking down the ruby and Kate was actually the one who was working on it under the radar. “But still, it seems like awfully fast work for them to have visited him yesterday ,” Kate said.
“True. We barely found out about it ourselves yesterday.” Gideon made a face. “And we both know how slow they are to react to information.”
Kate felt a tingle of premonition dance up her spine. “I can’t help but feel there’s more to this than meets the eye.”
Gideon moved over to his computer and tapped on the keyboard. “I’ll put a call into Max to see if he’s heard anything more about the ice hotel incident.”
Kate’s heartbeat picked up at the mention of Max’s name and she leaped up out of her chair. “We should go up there right now.”
Gideon looked up at her. “He’s in Belgium.”
“Oh.” Kate deflated back into her seat.
“I’m texting him right now. He’ll call when he can,” Gideon said.
“Meanwhile, we just sit and wait for your program?” Kate wasn’t very good at sitting and waiting. “How long does it take?”
Gideon shrugged. “Depends on how far it has to look. We might get lucky and it will find a match early or it could take hours.”
Kate tapped her fingernail on the table. Hours? She didn’t know if she could wait hours.
“Maybe I should go to my office and finish up some paperwork.” She pushed herself up from the chair, and started toward the door just as it whooshed open, revealing Mercedes LaChance on the other side. The two women sized each other up for a few uncomfortable seconds.
Kate narrowed her eyes at Mercedes. “Have you been talking to the FBI?”
“Oh, you mean that hunky Ace Mason?” Mercedes plastered a look of wide-eyed innocence on her face.
Kate’s stomach twinged with something that felt an awful lot like jealousy. No, it couldn’t be jealousy … probably just the bean burrito she’d grabbed before she went to Smirnoff’s.
“I am the museum liaison, so I talk to him a lot. But not recently.” Mercedes returned her narrow-eyed glare. “They’re on our side, you know.”
“Right, I know that,” Kate said. “But you didn’t talk to them yesterday or tell them about the ruby?”
“You mean that you stole a fake?” Mercedes slid her gaze over to the big red crystal that sat in the middle of the table.
Kate flushed with anger—the small brunette sure did have a way of getting to her.
Mercedes looked back to Kate, her lips curled in a smile, her eyes warmed, and for a split second, Kate thought the warmth might be genuine.
“You don’t need to get touchy about it.” Mercedes laughed lightly and touched Kate on the arm in an almost friendly gesture. “There’s no way you could have known. And, no, I haven’t told the FBI yet.” She turned a quizzical eye to Gideon. “Should I hold off on telling them?”
Gideon shrugged and looked at Kate.
“I guess
“I think so.” Kate told him how she had visited Smirnoff after her search for Nguyen came up empty. “Apparently, the FBI was there looking for this guy, too.”
Gideon turned from the scanner where he was scanning the photo. “Really? Why would they be there?”
“That’s what I was wondering. You don’t think they know about the ruby heist at the ice hotel, do you?”
Gideon laughed. “No way. I don’t see how they could possibly know it was even stolen from there.” His face twisted into a scowl. “Unless they have someone on the inside here.”
Kate’s heart pinched, she leaned toward him, lowering her voice even though no one else was in the lab. “Do you think someone here could be spying for them? Who?” Kate asked, her thoughts immediately turning to Mercedes LaChance.
“Well, we are supposed to be sharing this information with them. We’re working together on this,” Gideon pointed out.
Kate sighed. It was true, she’d forgotten the FBI was supposed to be tracking down the ruby and Kate was actually the one who was working on it under the radar. “But still, it seems like awfully fast work for them to have visited him yesterday ,” Kate said.
“True. We barely found out about it ourselves yesterday.” Gideon made a face. “And we both know how slow they are to react to information.”
Kate felt a tingle of premonition dance up her spine. “I can’t help but feel there’s more to this than meets the eye.”
Gideon moved over to his computer and tapped on the keyboard. “I’ll put a call into Max to see if he’s heard anything more about the ice hotel incident.”
Kate’s heartbeat picked up at the mention of Max’s name and she leaped up out of her chair. “We should go up there right now.”
Gideon looked up at her. “He’s in Belgium.”
“Oh.” Kate deflated back into her seat.
“I’m texting him right now. He’ll call when he can,” Gideon said.
“Meanwhile, we just sit and wait for your program?” Kate wasn’t very good at sitting and waiting. “How long does it take?”
Gideon shrugged. “Depends on how far it has to look. We might get lucky and it will find a match early or it could take hours.”
Kate tapped her fingernail on the table. Hours? She didn’t know if she could wait hours.
“Maybe I should go to my office and finish up some paperwork.” She pushed herself up from the chair, and started toward the door just as it whooshed open, revealing Mercedes LaChance on the other side. The two women sized each other up for a few uncomfortable seconds.
Kate narrowed her eyes at Mercedes. “Have you been talking to the FBI?”
“Oh, you mean that hunky Ace Mason?” Mercedes plastered a look of wide-eyed innocence on her face.
Kate’s stomach twinged with something that felt an awful lot like jealousy. No, it couldn’t be jealousy … probably just the bean burrito she’d grabbed before she went to Smirnoff’s.
“I am the museum liaison, so I talk to him a lot. But not recently.” Mercedes returned her narrow-eyed glare. “They’re on our side, you know.”
“Right, I know that,” Kate said. “But you didn’t talk to them yesterday or tell them about the ruby?”
“You mean that you stole a fake?” Mercedes slid her gaze over to the big red crystal that sat in the middle of the table.
Kate flushed with anger—the small brunette sure did have a way of getting to her.
Mercedes looked back to Kate, her lips curled in a smile, her eyes warmed, and for a split second, Kate thought the warmth might be genuine.
“You don’t need to get touchy about it.” Mercedes laughed lightly and touched Kate on the arm in an almost friendly gesture. “There’s no way you could have known. And, no, I haven’t told the FBI yet.” She turned a quizzical eye to Gideon. “Should I hold off on telling them?”
Gideon shrugged and looked at Kate.
“I guess
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