“It seems likely that someone probably would have stumbled across the remains of an abandoned government lab located on an island in the San Juans by now—unless the lab was never actually abandoned. What if the island wasn’t owned by the government? What if someone has been living there all these years? A private island. Maybe a home to some eccentric billionaire who is obsessed with privacy?”

Harlan and Harmony both focused on her, expectation in their vibes.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she said. “It wasn’t an oracle prophecy. Just a passing thought.”

“A very interesting one,” Harlan said. “There are some private islands in the San Juans. Pine is looking for a government property, but if the one we’re searching for has been in private hands or a trust from the very beginning, it might have been possible to keep the lab hidden indefinitely, especially if someone has been there all along, guarding it.”

“Did Victor and Lucas have any information about the recorder player?” Olivia asked.

Harlan glanced at his notes. “Lucas said that back in the day when he was in the CIA there were rumors of an off-the-books contractor who used the code name Piper. No one knew how he worked, but his kills were always attributed to natural causes. Heart attacks and strokes. It was assumed he used poison but no one knew how he managed to get so close to his victims.”

“He used the recorder,” Olivia said. “Maybe it does more than lure the target. Maybe it can be used to stop the heart.”

Harmony looked thoughtful. “That particular talent rings a bell. I’ll start the research right away.”

“Did Lucas indicate the Piper is still doing off-the-books work?” Olivia asked.

“Pine says the Piper was already a legend when he was a young agent. If the assassin is still alive, he’d be very old. Hard to imagine he’s still in the same line of work.”

“Even contract killers can have children,” Harmony said.

Harlan and Olivia looked at her.

“Who might have the talent required to inherit the family business,” she concluded. She got to her feet. “I’ll see what I can find in the ancestry files.”

“I’ll help you,” Olivia said. “I can take notes.”

“I have some research of my own to do,” Harlan said. He pulled the notebook out of his pack. “I’m going to spend the afternoon with Alexander Winston’s logbook.”

CHAPTER 31

Gwendolyn Swan wrapped a leather-gloved hand around each of the dead man’s ankles. “I’ve got the legs. You take the arms.”

Eloisa grimaced but she leaned down and got a grip on the raider’s wrists.

“On the count of three,” Gwendolyn said. “One, two, three.”

They hoisted the body and half dragged, half carried it to the open door of the vault.

“This part of the business must get old after a while,” Eloisa said.