MONDAY
10:11 A.M. — CROFT ESTATE
While Aaron Mercer sat in a federal technical facility staring at a folder named NORTHSTAR, Clara was staring at a blueberry pancake.
The pancake was winning.
Gabriel noticed.
"You've stabbed it six times."
Clara looked down.
Her fork was, in fact, buried in the center.
"Maybe it knows what it did."
Gabriel drank his coffee.
Across the breakfast room, Allison looked up from her laptop.
Lucian sat beside her with a stack of documents he had brought downstairs despite promising he was not working through breakfast.
He was absolutely working through breakfast.
Allison glanced at Clara.
"Should we be concerned about the pancake?"
"No."
"Should the pancake?"
"Yes."
Lucian turned a page.
"Reasonable."
Clara smiled despite herself.
That was when Gabriel's phone buzzed.
He checked it.
The smile disappeared from Clara's face before he said anything.
Gabriel noticed that too.
He set the phone down.
"Daniel Mercer."
