That morning, the city looked normal.
A pale blue sky stretched above the tall buildings, then traffic began to move as usual. People walked toward their offices, vehicles filled the main roads, and life seemed to proceed without interruption.
But for Ethan Sterling, that morning felt far from normal.
He stood in his office, staring at the computer screen with a tense face.
On the screen was a city map with several red dots.
Each dot represented a possible location of Dr. Victor Hale.
Daniel stood near the desk with his arms crossed over his chest.
"These are all places that could be used as safe houses," he said.
Ethan nodded slowly.
"And all of them are linked to shell companies."
Daniel pointed to one of the dots on the outskirts of the city.
"This one only appeared two weeks ago."
Ethan stared at the dot a little longer.
"Marcus?"
Daniel shook his head.
"Not necessarily."
He pressed a key on the keyboard, then opened another file.
