She spooned the ketchup from her plate into a napkin. “So, who am I supposed to call? The number for the CIA isn’t exactly in the phone book.”
“You should call Prospero—once I’m out of the picture.”
“You don’t trust Prospero but you expect me to?”
“You’re not an agent formerly working with Tempest. Prospero has no reason not to trust you.”
“Really? Because you trusted me immediately?”
“I can’t trust anyone, Ava.”
“Maybe I can’t either.”
“You can trust me.”
“As long as you keep taking the reduced dosage of T-101 in those pills.”
He glanced up from his plate, his dark eyes narrowing to slits. “I’m glad you recognize that. Don’t forget it.”
His tone made her a little breathless. What would she do if Max turned into Simon? She’d have to be long gone before that ever happened. He’d make himself long gone before that ever happened.
She finished her omelet and put her hand over her cup when the waitress swung by to offer refills.
Max pushed his plate away and crumpled up a napkin next to it. “Do you have Arnoff’s address?”
“Yes. When are you going out there?”
“I think it’s best if I wait until night.”
“In case Mrs. Arnoff isn’t cooperative?”
His hand jerked and the water in the glass he’d been holding sloshed and the ice tinkled. “I wouldn’t hurt Dr. Arnoff’s wife.”
Her cheeks burned. “I didn’t mean that at all. I just... I mean in case you have to break in or something.”
His shallow breath deepened and he seemed to unclench his jaw. “I won’t hurt her. I won’t do that.”
She didn’t want to probe too deeply into whether or not he’d hurt civilians for Tempest. Whatever he’d done for the agency, it disturbed him profoundly.
“She must know by now her husband’s dead. Maybe she’s not even home.” She patted the newspaper on the chair between them. “I suppose there’s nothing in the paper about the mayhem at the lab.”
“No journalists even know about the lab, do they? Do the police in that area make a habit of patrolling around the lab?”
“No. We had our own security force. No police.”
“They knew it was there?”
“They knew it was a top secret government entity. The lab’s security force had given the local cops instructions to keep their distance.”
“Then maybe nothing’s been discovered yet. Did family members ever drop by?”
“I...”
“Other employees’ family members.”
She pursed her lips. She hadn’t been about to tell him she had no family again. Guess she’d already beaten that particular dead horse. “I was going to say, I never saw any family members there. A lot of the lab employees didn’t even reside in New Mexico. They lived elsewhere and had come out here for the assignment. I got the impression most left their families behind.”
“Except Dr. Arnoff.”
“He was the head of the lab, so he was a permanent fixture.”
“Did he tend to work long hours? Sleep at the lab?”
“He did.”
“Then his wife may not even know he’s dead.”
“Perhaps not. You’re not going to tell her, are you?”
He held up his hands. “Not me, and I doubt if she’d take kindly to a stranger snooping around and asking questions.”
She sat forward in her chair, hunching over the table. “That’s why I need to go with you. I’m sure she remembers me. We met a few times. I can get us into the house by telling her Dr. Arnoff sent me to collect something. Once we’re in the house, you can do your spy thing.”
“As you delicately pointed out before, I can get into the house and she’ll never know I was there.”
“But my way might be easier.”
“I think you’d be safer here at the hotel.”
Folding her arms, she sat back in her chair while Max left some money on the check tray. He didn’t plan to leave until dark, so she still had some time to work on him. “What are your plans in the meantime?”