Harlan tried some of the cioppino. It was amazing. He did not know whether to slurp it down or sample the fritters. He went with the fritters.

“Do Victor and Lucas know about these files?” Olivia asked.

“They do now.” The fritters were good, but the pasta was calling his name.

Olivia gave him a direct look. “Let me put this another way. Do Victor and Lucas have access to these files?”

“Not at the moment.”

“They would probably kill to get their hands on them.”

“Let’s hope not.” Harlan returned to the cioppino.

Olivia apparently decided to abandon that line of questioning.

“Forget Victor and Lucas,” she said. “What do the files contain that relates to my grandmother?”

“Her real name, for starters. Grace Goodwin.”

“Are you sure about that? Grandma’s identification was in the name of Patricia LeClair.”

“I think she assumed that identity after Vortex was shut down. The name ‘Goodwin’ is on one of those trailers in the painting, by the way.”

Olivia regarded him in silence for a moment and then evidently decided to give him the benefit of a doubt. Progress.

“Have you found any of the other people named in the picture?” she asked.

“My father and grandfather tracked down a few, but they were all dead.”

“Dead?”

Harlan ate some more pasta. “Under what you might call suspicious circumstances.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m pretty sure there was an attempt to hunt down and assassinate everyone affiliated with the Vortex lab. I think a few of the people who worked there, like your grandmother, managed to disappear, at least for a while.” Harlan paused. “Your grandfather didn’t make it. Evidently he died in the explosion that was supposed to destroy the lab.”

Olivia’s eyes widened. “He worked at Vortex, too?”

“That was my grandfather’s conclusion. He made a note in the files.”

“I don’t understand. Surely the people who worked at Vortex were evacuated before the blast was triggered.”

“Crocker Rancourt—my grandfather—was certain that the explosive device detonated before the scheduled time. He didn’t think it was an accident. He suspected the assassin struck early and fast, trying to get rid of as many Vortex personnel as possible in one blow. Your grandfather wasn’t the only one who died.”

“That is so horrible.” Olivia put down her fork. “My mother told me that her father died in a climbing accident before she was born. The body was never found.”

“I don’t think so. Do you remember your father?”

“No. Mom told me he was in military intelligence. He died on the other side of the world when I was a baby. Sniper’s bullet. After that my grandmother insisted Mom and I move to Fogg Lake.”

“But your grandmother didn’t move there with you. Do you know why?”