“Because you and she are planning to sell my work, legally. You applied for the patent weeks ago,” said Kathleen bitterly. “The sale would have gone through quietly without anyone knowing, but I published too soon. I lodged an application for a patent only to find one had already been applied for. She had to hurry up the sale.”
Ted’s jaw worked. “You’ve got no proof.”
Veronica stepped forward. “We do. Metadata tags on the stolen files match your account. You renamed the files and moved them onto an external device. It’s all traceable.”
He scoffed. “You’re bluffing.”
“We’re not,” Kathleen said quietly. “And the FBI isn’t either. I gave them Darlene’s name this morning.”
Now Ted’s tone hardened. “You think they’ll care I took it? You think some junior tech stealing from a half-finished experiment is going to be headline news?”
“I know they’ll care when it involves federal research theft and an attempt to auction the results to foreign investors,” Veronica replied. “You weren’t subtle.”
Kathleen stepped closer. “You didn’t only betray me; you betrayed the science. This is going to revolutionize world energy, and you treated it like currency.”
Ted laughed, bitter and sharp. “Please. You think anyone in that building gives a damn about algae that glows in the dark? You needed someone to believe in it enough to do something. I did.”
“No,” Kathleen said, her voice flat. “You saw dollar signs and your mother gave you a way to cash in.”
His expression darkened. “You always thought you were smarter than the rest of us.”
Kathleen didn’t blink. “No. I thought I could trust you.”
Silence settled between them.
Finally, Ted reached for his bag. “Guess that’s it, then.”
Veronica watched him coldly. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going home and I won’t be back.”
“Sorry to break the news, Ted,” Veronica said. “But you’re not going anywhere but jail.”
He glanced at her once more, then turned when the door opened. Ramiraz stepped inside and Kathleen pulled the recorder out of her pocket and handed it to him. “He’s all yours, Agent.”
Ramirez didn’t say a word. He stepped forward and took the recorder from Kathleen’s hand, his gaze flicking briefly to Ted.
Ted froze mid-step, panic flitting across his face.
“Edward Alan Winters,” Ramirez said calmly. “You’re under investigation for the theft and attempted trafficking of federally protected intellectual property. You’re going to need a lawyer.”
Ted made a small sound, a breath between disbelief and fury. “You set me up, Kathleen.”
“You did it to yourself,” she replied, her voice flat.
Ramirez gestured to the door. “Let’s go.”
Ted hesitated, staring at her for a beat longer, then at Veronica. His expression twisted with something she couldn’t quite name—anger, maybe, or the shock of being truly seen.
Then the agent took his arm and led him outside.
The lab was silent again. Only the soft thrum of the filtration units and the pale light of the tanks.
Kathleen exhaled. Her shoulders ached from tension she hadn’t even noticed. Veronica stepped beside her and didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to; her presence was enough to calm Kathleen’s fractured nerves.
They left the building side by side. Kathleen didn’t ask where they were going. She walked with her, down the quiet back staircase and into the street.
Neither of them spoke until they reached the car. When they slid inside, Veronica started the engine and eased them into the traffic.
