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mentioned?”
    â€œDavid Kahana. He’s American. From Honolulu.” She chose her words carefully. “I think he’s the one who was supposed to meet your great uncle.”
    â€œWhat makes you think so?” asked T’ai.
    â€œBecause someone tried to kill him last night.”
    â€œWhat?” Lila’s jaw dropped.
    â€œHe was stabbed.”
    â€œOh, wow,” muttered T’ai. “I’m sorry.”
    â€œHe’s going to recover.” Nicki bit her bottom lip. “He has to.”
    â€œIs this Kahana person a CIA agent?” asked Lila.
    â€œOr involved in intelligence?” added T’ai.
    Nicki was about to answer when Mac got up to leave.
    Abruptly.
    â€œI’m not feeling so good, T’ai. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll catch up with you tomorrow night instead.”
    â€œWhat’s up with you, mate? Are you okay?”
    â€œI’m tired, that’s all.” The two young men headed to the door. “T’ai,” Nicki heard Mac whisper, “can you loan me a few bucks?”
    â€œAgain?” T’ai pulled out his wallet.
    â€œI’ll pay you back in a couple days. Please, man. I’m desperate.”
    T’ai handed him a twenty-dollar bill.
    â€œThat’s forty bucks he owes,” Lila shouted from the back room. “The twenty you just gave him, and another twenty for what he took out of the register.”

    Nicki listened as the clock on the wall beside her ticked away. A half hour had passed since Mac had left and she still hadn’t gotten anywhere with the Soongs.
    â€œLook,” said Nicki, “I’ve told you what I know.” She leaned back in the chair. “If you don’t want to discuss it, I understand. But why are you two so fixated on espionage?”
    â€œMy great uncle worked for years at MIT. His research has led to great advances in nuclear technology.”
    â€œThat’s right,” said Lila.
    â€œMy uncle’s an honest man; a hardworking man. He believes that his work belongs to the country that has supported his research. Others find it more lucrative to sell technological secrets to foreign governments. Like Russia and China.”
    â€œI see,” said Nicki.
    â€œIt was dangerous for him, but my uncle did what was right. He didn’t stand for anything underhanded going on with his students or fellow researchers. And the CIA appreciated it. Both the CIA and the FBI knew of people out there who wanted him dead.” T’ai fidgeted with his watchband. “And it looks like they may have succeeded.”
    â€œI think Mr. Kahana was here on behalf of the US government,” said Nicki. “The Secret Service.”
    â€œI don’t know anything about him. My uncle didn’t tell us much, probably for our own safety.”
    â€œObviously the wrong person found out that David Kahana was in Toronto, and now he’s fighting for his life, and your uncle is—”
    â€œKidnapped,” said T’ai.
    Lila shuddered.
    â€œOr dead,” he said.
    â€œLet’s hope you’re wrong. Have you contacted the police in Massachusetts?”
    â€œOf course,” said T’ai. “And the local police won’t treat this as a missing-person case because they say my uncle left willingly and there was no sign of a struggle.”
    â€œWillingly…” Nicki thought about it. “So someone convinced him to go someplace other than Toronto.”
    â€œRight.”
    â€œAnd to travel under an assumed name.”
    â€œProbably.”
    â€œWhat about the FBI?”
    T’ai let out a sarcastic laugh. “Yeah, right. Like they’re going to let me in the loop.”
    Nicki picked up her jacket. “I’ve got to go,” she said. “I work at the Haddon Heights hotel, so you can always find me there.
    â€œBy the way,” she added, “what does A-G stand for?”
    T’ai looked