"I believe you," I told Natasha who lay on her bed, reading a book. The old-fashioned kind with pages and a spine. The kind you could actually hold in your hands. I noticed that it was Holmes and Watson, a Sherlock Holmes' novel, that held Natasha's attention. "I believe you that you didn't kill Ben. You may have tried to lure my husband away from me, fooled me and Ben into thinking you were on the Freedom Alliance's side, but you are no murderer."

Natasha peered at me over the book. "But I did steal your husband away, Jessa. Just for one night–May 8, 2150. It was a wonderful night. He was the most gentle..."

He couldn't have. There was no way. Not on that date.

As I glanced at my ring, May 8–that was Ben and my anniversary. That was the week that Ben surprised me by taking me to his father's cabin in Northern Arizona. Yavapai County had a late unexpected snow storm that trapped us inside the cabin the entire week. Not that we minded. Somehow we found activities to keep us occupied. I smiled to myself, briefly reliving the events of that trip in my mind. That was the week we conceived Joshua. "Do you know what Ben's last assignment was, Natasha?" I paced back and forth in front of the cell. Not out of nervousness but to annoy Natasha.

"Jessa, our last assignment was–"

I shook my head, stopping in front of the cell. "Ben's last assignment was to investigate his partner. General Graham suspected that she was a double agent," I informed Natasha, whose face turned hot and pinched with resentment.

Before Natasha could say anything, I added, "You see, Ben started investigating you. When it was evident that you were working for the Crimson Fleet, Ben called me home. One well-placed call from me confirmed you were taking money from the enemy."

"You're lying," she thundered, putting down the book. Her eyes blazed murderously.

"The way I see it, you didn't kill Ben, but you know who did," I speculated, pacing again. For some reason, I thought better when I paced.

"But I didn't kill Benji," Natasha shrieked, moving to the edge of the bed. "I swear I didn't. You have to believe me, Jessa."

When she realized we weren't buying her Lieutenant Colonel Polk act any longer, she referred to me as Jessa instead of Colonel. Although I found her shift in attitude quite intriguing, I knew I still couldn't trust her to tell us the truth.

"Then, my husband was murdered," I concluded; my breath became raw in my throat. I bunched my fists tightly. I wanted to do Natasha bodily harm. Again, I took a deep breath and resumed, "I have a source who says you have been exchanging our information for Crimson Fleet money."

Natasha steepled her fingers, staring at them. "Maybe I have. Maybe I haven't."

"You had the motive and the means to kill my brother," Nate ground out his words between clenched teeth. "Now if you don't tell us who killed Ben and why, you will be going to prison for his murder."

"CHIP, play disk," I instructed the computer.

When I saw Ben's face, I unconsciously ripped my hand away from Nate.

"Agent Benjamin Masters' Log, January 8, 2150...Agent Austin and I have infiltrated Bravo Ait without incident. We are in search of the crew of the Washington. So far we haven't been able to locate them. We, however, have happened upon a compound. It was pretty easy to make it past the guards. We entered the TravelTram, but before we pressed any buttons, the TravelTram plummeted ten or more floors," Ben told his computer, sitting in a large chair in the landing craft again.

Each log we viewed took place in that vessel. I deduced that Austin and Ben must have set it up as a Command Post.

Ben continued, "When we exited the TravelTram, we found ourselves in what appeared to be a deserted basement. Two men approached us. Austin pulled me into a nearby closet. From there, we watched the men enter what looked like a laboratory. It had test tubes, bunts and burners and a locked cabinet. Labeled bottles with a different colored solution in each filled the shelves upon shelves that lined the lab. After we were sure they were in the laboratory, we peeked through the window and eavesdropped on their conversation. They hovered over a set of plans."

Ben looked around as if he thought someone might be listening to his log. He had black circles under his red eyes. What had been keeping him up nights? The plans for the biological weapon? Or something else?

"'Once we finish this weapon, we will fill it with RY-987. We will put one of our agents on every Freedom Alliance StarVessel. Then poof! Every member aboard will be dead,' one of them–a fair-skinned, white-haired man with a British accent– told the two men we saw going in the room. Austin and I will continue to search for the missing Washington officers. Masters out."

Nate and I looked at each other.

"Now we know how Ben stumbled upon–" Something on the computer screen caught my attention.

"Benji," a dark-haired woman purred, draping herself on the arm of the chair Ben was sitting in. The date across the bottom of the screen read September 2, 2150.

"CHIP, stop disk," Nate charged the computer, grasping my hand again.