On the Hunt

“Thanks, Edward. I never feel better than I do when I’m on Summer Island. It’s a magical place.”

As they flew over the island, Kira smiled as she saw some of the site’s oldest residents, a group of dogs in their late twenties and early thirties who ran and played on an obstacle course as if they were puppies. A moment later, the jet swooped over a tall suspension bridge spanning a wide river that nearly cleaved the island in two. For all its majesty, the bridge melded with its surroundings, fitting in with the simple architecture and lush vegetation that characterized Summer Island.

Soon they touched down on the airstrip near the main research lab. Edward tapped his headset. “I’ve just been told Sarah is greeting us today. She’s finishing up an evaluation in the lab and will be out in a minute or two.”

“No problem. I’ll play with Mack for a while. He always gets excited when he comes here.”

They jumped out of the jet and started running in the large field next to the airstrip.

Mack dashed one way, then another, as Kira tried to grab him in a spirited game of tag. She finally cornered him against the communications shack.

“Got you, Mack. It’s about time,” she grumbled. “You could have remembered that I don’t have four legs like you. You ran me ragged.” She ran the rest of the way to where the dog was crouching and tagged him on the neck, which was the official victory signal in this particular game. “I win! My game. But you were particularly determined today.” She put her arms around him and gave him a hug. “I was actually very proud of you. You were exceptionally clever.”

He nodded solemnly.

She laughed. “Don’t be arrogant. You almost missed that last turn at the bottom of the hill.”

But Mack was no longer listening to her. His head rose, and suddenly he was howling with joy and running down the hill toward the lake.

“Mack!” She jumped to her feet. Then she saw who was coming out of the research lab and sighed in resignation. Of course Mack wasn’t paying any attention to her. She waved and started down the hill herself. “Hi, Sarah. There’s no way Mack is going to be able to concentrate with you and Monty here. He’ll think it’s playtime.” She watched Mack jumping around Sarah’s dog Monty like a young puppy. She hadn’t seen him so happy since the last time Sarah had brought him to the island. Monty was Mack’s sire, and they had been together for the first two years of Mack’s life as well as during his early training. “But it’s not time for Monty’s shots. I told you we should stagger them.”

“I’m not jumping the gun.” Sarah was climbing the hill toward her, but she was forced to leap around the two dogs. “I wasn’t going to miss bringing them together, though, since I was coming here anyway.” She was looking at the two romping dogs with affection. “I love to see them together. Admit it, so do you.” She held up a picnic basket. “So I brought lunch for all of us.” Her eyes were twinkling. “I’ll have to see if Monty can keep his son in line at the chow line. It’s the ultimate test of obedience.”

Kira’s eyes narrowed. “But that’s not the reason you showed up today,” she said. “Are you worried about Monty?”

“No,” Sarah said quickly. “I have faith in your latest versions of our serum. I couldn’t be more grateful to you. He has the health and energy of a five-year-old pup. It’s a miracle.”

“It’s only the first stages. I’m working on an advanced blend if this one shows signs of weakening.”

“No sign yet.” Sarah opened the basket. “Wine? You may need it.” She made a face. “I brought more than Monty tucked away in my bag of tricks.”

Kira stiffened. She went over possibilities with lightning speed and came up with the most recent. “The Paris bomber. Taylor. Is that what you’re talking about?”

Sarah nodded. “How did you know?”

“I heard from Carl Belson last week. He said he worked for Jack Harlan and wanted to know if I’d be interested in working on a retainer with the idea that I’d help them track down someone who’s been on international most-wanted lists for a few years. I had the impression that it was a personal grudge of Harlan’s, and I passed.” She made a face. “This was before Taylor became Public Enemy Number One after the Paris bombing. I knew Harlan must have really wanted him after that. The great man must have been furious that Taylor destroyed the Paris museum whose shiny new building had his own name on it. And everyone knows that Harlan was already obsessed with finding his younger brother’s killer.”

“One can hardly blame him,” Sarah said quietly. “It was a brutal murder, and the word was that Harlan always took care of Colin. But I think you should consider that Jack Harlan has also donated millions to the survivors of those killed in Paris. There’s more than one side to him. Still, the murder of his brother probably had a defining effect on his character.”

“You’re being very defensive.” Kira’s gaze narrowed on Sarah’s face. “Why?”

“Because I might detect a hint of resentment toward Jack Harlan and his employees. True?”

“Maybe. I think I’m just tired of being pressured by all the rich and powerful who want to get their way and sometimes seem to leave the peasants behind. Belson was polite enough, but he really annoyed me when all I wanted was to get back to work.” She scowled. “Actually, I don’t know that much about Jack Harlan. Other than he’s rumored to be some kind of genius.” Kira wrinkled her nose. “Okay, maybe I’m not being fair. Why are you laughing?”

“Because John and I have worked hard and managed to acquire a good amount of money over the years. I don’t believe you’d say we were completely ungenerous. And there’s nary a suffering peasant in sight.”

“Of course not. You’re the most generous people I know. You’re absolutely exceptional.” Kira was laughing, too. “Okay, your point is that Harlan could also be exceptional? I’m listening. Convince me. How did the killing of Colin Harlan happen?”

“Colin worked at Harvard University and ran across Taylor when they had a computer lab together. Taylor was an assistant professor and usually managed to be charming if he made the effort. He must have made the effort with Colin, who said that Taylor was impressed when he learned what a celebrity his big brother, Jack Harlan, was, so he invited him home to the castle at the end of the quarter. He even persuaded Harlan to give Taylor some minor work to do on one of his latest projects. The two of them were supposed to be working on it together.” Her lips twisted. “But Taylor abused that generosity and stole Harlan’s algorithm for a new encryption program he had developed for online purchases. It was potentially worth billions. Taylor murdered Colin to cover up his crime and blew up the lab in an attempt to make Colin’s death look like an accident. We know Taylor stole the technology because he licensed it to companies in scores of other countries and pocketed almost a hundred million dollars before Harlan uncovered the crime himself and exposed him for the thief and murderer he was. That was the start of Taylor’s criminal activities, but far from the end. The museum bombing may be the most horrific thing Taylor has done, but it’s only the latest in a long line of horrible attacks against Harlan and his interests.”

Kira nodded. “I can see why Jack Harlan would want to put the bastard away. But tell him to talk to the FBI or the CIA. I gave in when Interpol asked me to look over that bombed museum, and it horrified me. So all I want to do now is go back to working with Mack and refining that serum. I don’t have the time to deal with Harlan’s personal problems. I’m busy doing something worthwhile that has to do with life, not death.”

“And I applaud it,” Sarah said. “I wouldn’t have asked if John didn’t want you to consider the possibilities. Harlan has done him a lot of favors, and he says he’s a great guy. They’re on several charity boards together.”

“I don’t have time,” Kira repeated. “I don’t want to do this, Sarah.”

“Then don’t do it,” Sarah said. “But explore it and have a good reason to refuse. This Joseph Taylor is obviously a terrible man. Not only is he a master thief and murderer, but he has his own private criminal organization in a number of countries that rivals the mafia in effectiveness. Which makes it difficult for the Harlans to use the law to bring him to justice and keeps even the governor of Colorado from having him arrested for killing his daughter.”