Joe arrived at Professor Aliem's lab as he was unlocking the door. "Ah, good, you're here early," the professor beamed at Joe. "But where is Frank?" he inquired, looking behind Joe as if expecting him to materialize.

"He went to see Angela," Joe informed him. His brow furrowed. "You do know Frank and I don't know much about your project and as such can't really help with your research?"

"I know," Aliem acknowledged. "I have two new interns starting today."

"How are you going to explain four interns on a limited budget?" Joe inquired curiously.

"My new interns will be doing this for credit, not pay," the professor explained. "It will count toward their total credit hours."

"When will they be arriving?" Joe asked, wondering if he would have any time to go through some of the files he and Frank hadn't gotten to the previous evening. It had been his fault, he knew. He had been jumpy after going into Dr. Mayhem's lab but after a good night's sleep, he felt not only rested but also confidant.

"Not until noon," Aliem informed him. "I have to leave in a few minutes myself," he continued. "I have a meeting with the department head and then I need to talk with Dr. Anderson and see if he still has the negatives for the site we were exploring."

"Wait a minute," Joe said as the door opened and he followed Aliem inside. "Exactly how many people are involved in your research?"

"Angela and Craig were my assistants," Aliem said. "They knew everything."

"But how many people only knew a little?" Joe inquired. "We need to know about everyone who knew of your research and how far it's come."

"That does complicate matters a bit," Aliem said, frowning thoughtfully. "Better grab a pen and sheet of paper," he added, waving his hand at his desk.

Joe sat down on the corner of the desk and plucked a pen from the cup on the corner. Pulling the notepad close to him, he looked at the professor expectantly.

"Roger Anderson," Aliem began. "He's in charge of the photographic department. Victor Tristram. He's the head of the geography department. Elie Whitlock. She's our photographer. Then there are the students who helped with carrying our equipment and the actual fieldwork. Isaac Ansley, Blayne Moore, Walt Eberhard, Seymour Smedley, Laurel Lamont, and Teddy Roark."

Joe counted the names. Nine. "You're right," Joe agreed. "This does complicate things. Are all the students geography majors?" he asked.

"No," admitted Aliem. "Most of them are on loan from other departments. Students who wanted a break from their regular classes but still got counted as being present."

Joe sighed. It was going to be a long day. "Okay," he said. "I'll start with the students."

"Lock up before you leave," Aliem instructed, opening one of the file cabinets and removing a folder. "I'll be back by noon."

***

"Wait a minute," Frank begged, holding his hands up, palms side showing. "I don't think you're guilty. That's not why I'm here."

"Then why have you come?" Angela demanded.

"I came to ask you some questions," he replied honestly. "If I had thought you were guilty, I would have told you I was Aliem's new assistant and made up some excuse to get you to talk to me."

"Why didn't you?" Angela demanded, tilting her head and looking at him through thick dark lashes.

"I've been taught to trust my instincts," Frank answered, feeling no need to lie. "And my gut's telling me you can be trusted."

One of the men laughed loudly and clamped a hand on Frank's shoulder. "This one, I like," he told Angela.

"Much better than that other one," the other man agreed.

"Other one?" Frank asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Craig," Angela said, sighing. "All right," she relented. "You can come inside."

"We'll see you later, Sis," one of the men said as Frank started inside.

Frank paused and turned around. "Before you leave, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What was your opinion of Craig?" Frank wanted to know.

"We only met him the one time," one of the Thompson brothers hedged.

"First impressions can be revealing," Frank said.

"He struck me as a lazy good for nothing," the other brother said. "He kept trying to get Angela to do his work for him."

"It's not as bad as it sounds," Angela said as her brothers left. "He only wanted me to cover for him for one day while he went out with Elie."

"Elie?"

"One of the students who has been helping out in the field," Angela told him.

"Wait a minute," Frank said, scowling. "I thought you, Craig and the Dean were the only ones who knew about Professor Aliem's work."

"Good Heavens, no," Angela laughed. "There are quite a few of us. Craig and I, however, were the only ones privy to all the information the professor gathered."

"The professor mentioned finding a pocket of natural gas," Frank said. "Were there any other significant discoveries?"

"The research itself is important," Angela told him. "If the professor's theory pans out, as all our research to date indicated it will, the info could be used to estimate, with a fair amount of accuracy, when and where a major quake will occur on the east coast."

"Could any of the research be used to make a profit?" Frank inquired.

"Not all research is for monetary gain," Angela told him stiffly.

"I know," Frank said. "I'm just trying to find a motive for stealing the research."

"I suppose some of it could be used to determine areas where there might be oil," she said.

"Like the natural gas pocket you found," Frank said.

"No," she denied. "Oh, we hit natural gas, but it wasn't natural. That is, it was a pipe we busted."

Frank went still. Why had Aliem made it seem like the pocket of natural gas had been the reason behind the stolen research?