Peggy watched Waffle with unmasked joy. Joey could think whatever he wanted, but Peggy’s affinity for Waffle certainly made her less likely to be a criminal in Stefanie’s mind. She brought Waffle back to her office where Joey was waiting. Waffle tapped his nose into Joey’s hand, a doggy version of hello, then worked his way around Stefanie’s office. When he didn’t alert, she brought him out to the lab area where Nash stopped to give him a pat and Stefanie kept walking him, telling Nash that she was giving Waffle a chance to smell everything so he could settle down.
Stefanie returned to her office with Joey close behind. She shut the door and praised Waffle until Peggy’s voice came through on her intercom. “Stefanie, your customers are here.”
She pressed a button. “Be right out.”
Stefanie looked Joey up and down. “You’re armed, right?” Joey nodded and Waffle wagged his tail. Stefanie held him by his leash. “I’m going to go out and work him around the new visitors, then I’ll bring him back to you.”
At the sound of the word “work,” Waffle looked back at her and gave her what she could only assume was the dog version of a wide smile. He lowered his nose to the ground and stayed close while they went back to the lobby. Waffle didn’t alert on his way out and also didn’t tug the leash. There were three strangers in the lobby, looking a bit bored and somewhat impatient, but not particularly suspicious.
Stefanie greeted them all and they eyed the dog curiously. She introduced herself and Waffle, who trotted around the lobby in his Bay Area Barks vest. Fredrick’s English was impeccable and German accent quite subtle compared to her expectations. He was probably in his late forties and wore well-tailored jeans and a button-down shirt. Oliver had a thick Australian accent and an affable nature. He was dressed a little more formally than Fredrick. Tony was middle-aged and friendly, with an accent that indicated he was from somewhere in the Midwest. Tony carried a large briefcase and the others held laptop bags. They all seemed personable, although a little stiff around each other. Maybe they were a new team?
Waffle sniffed around each person like any dog might, but when he reached Tony’s briefcase, he lay down. Laying down could only mean one thing. Stefanie pushed back the fear in her stomach and pulled Waffle’s red reward toy out of the bag as if trying to coax him up off the floor. He jumped up and grabbed it from her hand. He stayed close to her, somehow sensing her fear. She gestured for the new crew to follow her, panic filling her lungs. “Silly dog, just laying down in the middle of the lobby. Let me pick up one of my coworkers and we’ll regroup in the meeting room.”
The three men who had arrived nodded agreeably, and the lack of reaction in the face of Waffle’s conclusion left her confused. She’d half expected her FBI counterparts to storm the lobby or the consultants to panic, but instead, everything proceeded as if nothing unusual had happened.
Alexis’s voice buzzed in her ear. “Waffle smelled Dmitri on Tony’s suitcase. Watch your backs, it’s hard to tell what they have in their bags, but we know it’s not explosive.”
Stefanie tried to act normal, then heard Joey. “I’ll meet you in the hallway. Stay calm. Just say ‘give me a second’ if you want to back out. Otherwise, tell me to come with you if you are still good to go. We can both try to figure out why one of them smells like Dmitri.”
“Right this way, gentlemen.” Stefanie remained carefully cheerful. She’d come this far, and if they played their cards right, it could all be over by the end of the day.
Joey met her on her way down the hallway and she stopped, introducing him to her three new friends. “Everyone, this is Joey. He’s a new intern at the OEG and we’re trying to get him as much experience as possible this week. He might even be able to help your team if he understands what you need. Do you mind if he joins us?”
Tony answered, “Sure, if these guys are good with it.”
The men agreed and introduced themselves to Joey. Soon, they were all seated around the conference table. She told Waffle to lay down and he settled on the floor next to her. Joey sat on her other side. Waffle’s toy lay at his front paws and his nose remained in the air, still smelling. Joey’s tension was not obvious, but after their time together, the alertness in his eyes betrayed his easygoing posture. Stefanie opened her laptop, hoping they would attribute her finger shaking to jangly new-employee nerves, not to secretly-working-for-the-CIA nerves. She displayed her presentation and described in great detail their company’s capabilities and goals for future research. She finished her presentation and asked if they had any questions. It was a quiet, contemplative crew. However, their eyes were bright and interested, and she was careful to keep up her act.
Tony crossed his arms, showing the elbow patches on his jacket. “How deep can your submarine go?”
Stefanie gave her practiced answer. “Our workhorse ROV can go down to about three thousand feet. We have connections with companies that can take us deeper, but most of our customers don’t need the additional expense that comes with that technology. Our communications solution and cost structure are certainly
