The door swished open with barely a whisper, and she stepped out onto the thick, navy-blue carpet of a reception area that led in several directions, depending upon which part of the organization one wanted to visit. A bright spray of orchids sat on a credenza beneath a stunning oil painting of an Arizona sunset; the waiting area was vacant.

The receptionist looked up from behind her rounded mahogany desk, sliding a professional smile into place. What was her name? Nari had never really paid attention. The woman was in her early thirties with blond hair perfectly twisted into a professional bun. “Dr. Zhang. Do you have an appointment?”

“No.” Nari matched the smile perfectly. “However, I have a matter of urgency. Would you mind seeing if the deputy administrator has a few minutes to spare?”

“Not at all,” the woman said. She lifted a phone to her ear.

“Thank you.” Nari turned and strode to the reception area to remove her wet raincoat and hang it up on the polished coat-tree. Had that been catlike glee in the woman’s eyes, or had Nari imagined it? Man, she hated this office. If she couldn’t save the team, maybe she’d finally go into private practice and give up this quest with the HDD.

“Dr. Zhang? The deputy administrator can fit you in right now. Please go back to his office.” She hung up the phone and returned to the notes on her desk.

“Thank you.” Nari strode to the right and down the long hallway to knock on the imposing wooden door of the corner office.

“Enter,” came from inside.

Nari took a deep breath and opened the door to a spacious office with a spectacular view of the Potomac River. The sprawling desk in front of her was vacant, so she turned to the conference area with its gleaming table, where her biological father usually worked. She stopped short when she found him there with his boss, the administrator of the HDD. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

He gestured her to an empty chair at the table. “Not at all. You said it was urgent, and Administrator Clemonte and I have a few minutes right now.”

Nari swallowed and moved forward, taking the administrator’s hand in a brisk shake. “It’s good to see you, Administrator.”

Opal Clemonte had a firm handshake and a tight jaw. The woman was in her early sixties but looked fifty, tops. Her blue suit was Chanel, her shoes Louboutin, and her eyes intelligent. Very. “It’s nice to see you, Nari. I hope things are going better for you this year.”