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Inselhotel Potsdam 
Potsdam, Germany

 

“Wait! Look!”

Mai pointed at the screen and Tommy tapped a key, halting the footage racing forward as they tried to track the two trucks involved in the professors’ kidnapping. They had quickly found them once they knew where and what to look for, but they were hours behind, and now had to perform the painstaking task of following them past each traffic camera. Skipping ahead could have them missing a turn-off, or misjudging the speed and assuming they had turned off when they hadn’t.

Slow and steady would win this, and they were quickly gaining back the time lost.

Like now.

Mai had been correct, the two trucks, beer logos emblazoned on their sides, had entered a tunnel about three hours ago.

“Check out that black SUV behind them. Can you zoom in on the driver’s side rear window?”

Tommy dragged the mouse pointer, the image zooming in, his software smoothing it out somewhat. “Holy crap! That’s Professor Acton!”

Mai tossed her head back. “Thank God, he’s alive! Can you see Professor Palmer?”

Tommy ran the zoomed image forward and back, but they could see no one except the two men in the front seats, and the brief moment where Acton had leaned against the window. “I think he did that on purpose.”

Mai nodded. “He’s a very smart man.” She leaned in. “Can you get the license plate?”

“Should be able to.” Moments later, he had it.

“We should get that and this image of the two in the front seat to Agent Reading.”

Tommy agreed, already sending the info as he called the agent.

“Reading.”

“Hello, sir, it’s Tommy. I’ve found him, or at least where he was a few hours ago.”

“I thought we already knew that?”

Tommy gulped, the man gruffer than he was used to, and his British accent intimidating. “Well, we did, but I mean, I have an image showing Professor Acton in the back of an SUV.”

“What?” This excited the man. “They’re not in the trucks?”

“No. Well, I don’t know about Professor Palmer, but—” His eyes narrowed as he noticed something on his laptop, the footage continuing forward on the camera at the tunnel exit. “Wait, something’s wrong.”

“Are you okay?” Reading sounded concerned for their safety.

“No, I mean, yeah, just a sec.” He backed up the footage, and he spotted the SUV following the two transport trucks, two trucks that had beer logos on their sides when they entered. “Holy shit!”

“What?”

“The trucks! They’ve changed their side panels!”