Meanwhile, Daniel was packing his bags and checking his presentation materials to attend the Bio-Europe 2004 conference in Cologne, Germany.
"Daniel! Is that the only suitcase you have?" Adele, who had tossed and turned all night and overslept, approached him and asked.
Daniel looked at Adele with a warm gaze and replied, "It's just for a week, so it's fine. If I need anything, I'll get it there. Don't worry, Adele."
"By the way, when will your lab reopen?" Daniel asked. "It's unfortunate that I have a business trip at a time like this…"
Adele lightly held Daniel's hand as she answered, "Don't worry about me, just have a good trip. I'm planning to meet Carol today to see if there's any new information."
The two looked into each other's eyes affectionately and shared a warm hug. Daniel gave Adele a soft kiss and left the house, unaware that it would be the last time he would see her.
After Daniel left for the airport, Adele set out to meet Carol. The street where she lived, Cornelius Way, was so small that the Ford Taurus driven by federal agents watching her was easily noticeable.
As she passed Cornelius Way and turned onto Broadway, the cold November wind brushed against her nose. The once vibrant, colorful leaves had all disappeared, leaving only bare branches, making the street feel as cold as her heart.
Every time she spotted a federal vehicle on her way to the meeting place, Adele's heart raced. Thoughts like, "How long are they going to watch me? What on earth is happening...?" swirled in her mind.
Normally, she would have walked that path with a light heart, but now, tension and fear weighed heavily on her steps.
The Starbucks where Adele and Carol were supposed to meet was close to the research institute, a place they often visited to chat and unwind. The patio outside the building was especially a great spot for them to relieve the pressure from their experiments.
"Hi, Carol! How have you been?" Adele greeted warmly upon spotting Carol, who had arrived first.
"Good to see you, Adele! How have you been?" Carol replied.
Even though they had only met two days ago, their faces lit up with smiles as if they hadn't seen each other in a long time.
"Adele, did you see FB?" Carol whispered with an unreadable expression.
"FB...? What's that?" Adele blinked in confusion at the unfamiliar term.
Carol set her coffee cup down on the table and began to explain. "FB is short for Facebook, a social media platform used by Harvard students, but I haven't tried it yet." "A friend from Harvard told me there are rumors about Dr. Campbell and our research institute posted there…"
Adele's eyes widened with curiosity as she asked, "Really? What does it say?"
"They say Dr. Campbell has gone missing and is trying to smuggle our project to Russia, but I can't believe it," Carol replied with a serious expression.
"That can't be true...? The Dr. Campbell we know would never do something like that," Adele responded, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Instead of just talking about it, let's check it out ourselves, Carol! Dr. Campbell is from Harvard, so we might find some clues on FB," Adele said, her expression slightly excited.
"That could be possible!" Carol agreed. "Since the lab is closed, let's go to the Hayden Library on campus. They have public computers with internet access there."
The two hurried to the Hayden Library located along the Charles River. Next to the library stacks were octagonal maple-colored desks lined up with four monitors.
They chose a spot by the window overlooking the Charles River to avoid drawing attention from others.
As Adele had expected, there was an account for Dr. Campbell on FB. However, contrary to their hopes, there was nothing but basic personal information. Moreover, they couldn't find any information related to the rumors Carol had mentioned.
However, there was one puzzling word on Dr. Campbell's profile: "Cricket."
"Dr. Campbell, who usually stays away from sports, has 'Cricket' listed...? And while there's a baseball field on campus, I've never seen a cricket field…" Carol said, tilting her head in confusion as she looked at Adele.
"Could it be that 'Cricket' refers to Professor Christine? Her nickname is Cricket," Adele said, her eyes lighting up as if she had just thought of something.
Carol nodded in agreement, "That's right, Professor Christine's nickname is Cricket."