Tarnished image, p.21
Tarnished Image, page 21
Perhaps, he thought, I should wait until the tape gets here. That way she can hear the recorded conversation herself. It took only a moment for him to change his mind. If he did that, she would question his delay. No, it was best to tell her immediately and just deal with whatever emotions she decided to throw his way.
Jack rose from his desk chair and stepped into the hall. His office was on the same floor as his boss. Although smaller, it offered the same view of the Pacific Ocean. The plaque on the door read, JACK LABOHM, VICE PRESIDENT, but he was more than an administrator. Dr. Elaine Aberdene may be the most famous drug researcher in the Western world, but she got that way by skirting, bending, and at times breaking the law. It was his job to take care of those matters that might prove embarrassing to Aberdene Pharmaceuticals or its founder. It was a job he had held for eleven years and one at which he demonstrated great skill. He always had the right connection and knew people who owed him suitable favors. Aberdene never had reason to complain about his service, and he was going to make sure that she had no reason now.
He looked at his watch as he started down the wide, carpeted hall—3:15. She would be in the lab. Aberdene had a personal laboratory in which she ran her own experiments. In addition to being the most beautiful woman he had ever known, she was also a brilliant scientist. She was also the most quick-tempered.
The laboratory separated his office from hers, so it took only a few steps for him to arrive at his destination. He paused at the door. Her image filled his mind as it did a hundred times a day and a thousand times each night. Her thick mahogany hair shining in the light, her brown eyes, and her supple lips. Well, he assumed they were supple. He had never touched them. Jack would marry her in a minute even if it meant a life of total servitude to her volcanic emotions and self-serving plans. She, however, had shown no interest in him or, to the best of his knowledge, anyone else.
Jack knocked on the door and entered. He found her just as he had expected—hunched over a microscope.
“What is it, Jack? I’m busy.”
“My apologies, but I thought you would like to know as soon as possible. O’Neal is changing the game.”
“Oh?” she said without looking up.
“He just had a heart-to-heart with his attorney. He’s going to call our bluff.”
“Call our bluff? Don’t be obtuse, Jack. Get to the point. How is he going to call our bluff?”
“He says that he can prove that the video is a fake. He plans to use the photos we sent him as further evidence that he’s being framed.”
“Not likely,” she replied calmly. Her placidity made Jack nervous.
“He also said he knows who it is that’s framing him and that he plans to make it public soon.”
Aberdene raised her head, then turned toward Jack. Her eyes narrowed. “How can that be? Everything is perfect. The video and pictures are free of any evidence that could incriminate us.”
“Maybe he made the Belize connection,” Jack offered.
“Don’t be stupid. There’s no way that he could have connected our work in Belize to his firm.”
“I’m sure you’re right, but how can we know that for sure?”
“What we did there was done nine years ago.”
“But the whole reason we’re doing this is Barringston Relief’s research on the dengue hemorrhagic fever that is being conducted there.”
“I know why we started this, Jack,” she snapped. Picking up a thin pair of tweezers from the worktable, she turned back to the microscope and picked up a small insect from the slide. It was immobile. Jack had seen Aberdene anesthetize the insects with a small amount of ether before. “This is why we’re framing, O’Neal,” she said. “This mosquito and millions like it are making us rich, Jack. O’Neal can ruin that if he can connect the new DHF to us. It’s not likely, but if our clients get wind that that’s even a remote possibility, we could lose them. I’ve worked too long on this to let it slip away.” She walked over to an aquarium-shaped container, opened a small port, and dropped the insect in.
“I’m aware of that,” Jack said.
“Arbovirology, Jack. That’s the future of medicine and warfare. Do you remember what I taught you about arboviruses?”
Jack nodded nervously. “Uh, yes. Arbovirus is short for arthropod-borne virus. A mosquito is an arthropod.”
“Very good, Jack,” Aberdene said. She leaned over and put her face close to the glass container. “There are five hundred mosquitoes in here, Jack, give or take a bug or two. Each one carries a virus—a virus I engineered. That makes them special. There are no others like them in all the world.”
“Except Belize.”
Aberdene stiffened, stood erect, and turned her attention to Jack. “Except Belize,” she agreed. “Accidents happen. That virus was designed to respond to a special antiviral. It mutated. That happens a lot in the world of microbiology. It’s not all that unusual to get one to two thousand mutations per million viruses per site per year. That’s not a lot, but when you’re dealing with millions of viruses that become billions of viruses … well, let’s just say it adds up. Belize got away from me. That’s all.”
“But you do have a cure,” Jack said. “Couldn’t we just provide that? Aberdene Pharmaceuticals would be heralded as the lifesaving corporation, and you would win more awards. You’d become even more famous.”
“No,” she replied quickly. “Scientists are a curious bunch. That’s why they’re scientists. Sooner or later some nosy researcher or clever graduate student would start asking how it is that we came up with a cure so soon after a specialized, never-before-seen strain of DHF virus appeared. Too risky. Besides, I don’t care about the awards or the fame. I care about the work and the money.”
“Someone may find out all that anyway,” Jack said.
“Not likely. Right now the only people close to doing that are Barringston Relief doctors in Belize. That’s why David O’Neal and Barringston Relief must be discredited.”
“If what he says is true, then he might be ready to blow the cover off all of this.”
“So we step things up.”
“Step things up?” Jack thought for a moment. “I suppose we could release the new video earlier than planned, but we won’t get the full publicity value out of it if it comes in on the coattails of the first video.”
“Forget the new video.”
“Forget the video?”
“That’s what I said.” Aberdene went back to her stool and sat down.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Jack replied. “We’ve worked so hard to fabricate that footage that it seems a waste—”
“Come on, think, Jack. We can’t be concerned about cost and time. I don’t think they can prove it’s a fake, but suppose they can. Suppose that whiny little Archer Matthews made a mistake or even planted a clue, then we could be in real trouble. We lose everything. The people who want these mosquitoes would be more than a little upset. In fact, we could find ourselves floating facedown somewhere.”
“I thought you said the U.S. military wanted the virus.”
“They do, and so do a few other countries. Military is military. Just think of the advantage an army would have if it had only to fight soldiers who were stricken with DHF: Mosquitoes are the perfect weapon. Release them from a plane or plant them in some country near military institutions. They reproduce very quickly, and my little guys live far longer than the normal sixty-five days of the typical mosquito. My little friends are insecticide resistant. Nature provided that for me; I just encouraged it.”
“If we’re not going to use the video, what are we going to do?”
“Release the hounds, Jack. Release the hounds.”
Jack rubbed his chin. This was the backup plan. It was the reason Aldo Goldoni had been hired. “I understand. I’ll get in contact with Aldo as soon as possible.”
“Sooner,” Aberdene said firmly. She stood and crossed the floor to where Jack was standing. She was the same height as he. She looked deeply into his eyes. A smile slowly crossed her face. “I’ve always liked you, Jack. You know that.”
He could smell the sweetness of her hair and skin. Her lips parted seductively. Jack felt electrified. His skin tingled with excitement.
“You’ve been the best possible employee,” she said softly. “I never would have made it this far without you. And I know that I can be difficult to work for. I’m just a little strong willed and opinionated, that’s all.” Her smile widened, revealing brilliant white teeth. She raised a hand and stroked his cheek. He felt flushed, dizzy over the attention he had desired for so long.
He was about to speak words of his love and admiration when she touched his lips with one beautifully manicured finger. “Shh,” she mewed. Leaning forward she kissed him on the forehead.
She does know, Jack thought. She does know of my feelings for her.
“And Jack,” she said, her voice silky with whisper.
“Yes.”
“If this goes bad, you’re mosquito bait. Understand?”
Impulsively Jack took a step back. Aberdene raised an eyebrow. She had been playing with him.
“I understand completely,” he said tersely. “I’ll make sure it’s taken care of immediately.”
“See that you do,” she commanded. “Now leave me alone. I have work to do.”
Without another word, Jack turned and stormed from the laboratory. As he closed the door, he was sure he heard her laugh.
“Thanks,” David said, distracted by the file folder he held in his hand. He took the cup of Earl Grey tea from Kristen and set it on the coffee table in front of the sofa. She sat next to him.
“It’s that bad, huh?” Kristen sipped her flavored herb tea.
“Huh?” David looked up from the folder and eyed her with confusion.
“Something’s bothering you. Not that you don’t have enough to think about.”
David chortled. “Kristen the Amazing, mind reader to the stars.”
She smiled. “More like absent-minded reader. The truth is, you narrow your eyes when you read bad news. Personally, I think it’s endearing.”
“You know me that well?” he asked playfully.
“I know all about you, Dr. David O’Neal. It’s a power women in love possess. We women know the thoughts of our men, no matter where in the world they are.”
“That explains why so many men are in trouble.”
“Exactly.”
David smiled, leaned back on the couch, and put his arm around her. He drew her close to him. The casual embrace felt good. Kristen fit David. Each time they would hug, he was amazed at just how right she felt. It was as if they had been designed to match, like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. Each time he was forced to spend a day without seeing her was a day he felt incomplete. “I’m glad you could join me for dinner. Sorry you had to cook it.”
“I thought that was a clever ploy on your part,” Kristen said. “Invite me up to your place for dinner and have me slave over a hot stove.” She laid her head on his shoulder.
“It could have been worse. I could have played chef, but you would have been duty bound to eat it.”
“So my cooking was really self-defense?”
“Any court of law would see it as such.” David leaned over and gently kissed her on the lips. It was not a sensual kiss filled with passion, but an expression of profound love. “I’ve missed you these last few days.”
“I’ve seen you every day of the last week.”
“Only in passing or when others were present. What I miss is just being with you. The two of us alone, basking in each other’s presence.”
“We’re alone together now,” she said softly. “Timmy is in your room watching television or, should I say, sleeping through television. He’s fast asleep on your bed.”
“This hasn’t been easy on him,” David said wearily. “He’s sensitive. My arrest frightened him a great deal.”
“He’s afraid that he is going to lose you. I have the same fear.”
David held her tighter. “That’s not going to happen. Not if I can do anything about it.” David felt his resolve tighten within him like a well-wound watch spring. He had spent the afternoon and much of the evening wondering whether to tell Kristen of the latest photo and his plan to flush out his tormentors. The mental picture of him handing the fabricated photo to her and watching as she took in the image of her car in flames with her still behind the wheel had made his decision for him. He saw no reason to inflict such pain on her. He felt enough fear for them both.
There was a silence of words between them, but not an absence of communication. With Kristen nestled under his arm, her warmth pressed against him, they shared thoughts and emotions that were beyond the powers of language. The bond between them grew with each gentle breath taken, with each blink of a moist eye. Second after second ticked by with neither noticing their passing. Enveloped in a cocoon of love, time held no meaning.
“Do you remember the first time we did anything together?” David asked.
“Our first date?” Kristen said.
“No, before we were dating. It was soon after A.J. hired me.”
Kristen nodded. “Coffee. Horton Plaza. We had cappuccinos.”
“I had a turkey on rye with an iced cappuccino and you—oh, forgetful one—had a blueberry muffin and a mocha. I thought it was the woman’s job to chronicle all those details.”
“That’s what we want you to think. What about that day?”
“I wish we could go there right now,” David answered. “I wish we could sit in the summer evening drinking tall lattes and watching the window shoppers stroll the outdoor mall.”
“Why don’t we?” Kristen asked. “I’ve been cooped up in this building for too long. I could use some outside time.”
“You know we can’t do that,” David said sourly. “It’s not safe. Every time someone walked by, I would wonder if he was one of them.”
“Or she,” Kristen corrected.
“Or she,” David agreed. “I would be constantly wondering if that person over there was taking pictures of me, or if the woman over there had a gun. I’m becoming paranoid.”
“Paranoia is an irrational fear. You have a real reason to be afraid.”
“That’s just it, Kristen, I’m not afraid for myself. I haven’t given that a moment’s thought. All my fears are for you, Timmy, and Barringston Relief. My mind is constantly filled with pictures of something going wrong. Of Barringston being forced to go out of existence or of … of something happening to you.”
“Nothing is going to happen to me,” Kristen said, sitting up straight so that she could turn to face David. “Everything is going to be fine.”
“How do you know that?” David said. “There are so many variables and so little time before the asset freeze begins to affect our work overseas.”
“Faith, David. We are a people of faith. You know better than I do that it is our faith in our Lord that keeps us going in bad times.”
“I don’t want to be the spiritual wet blanket here, but bad things do happen to good people.”
“True,” Kristen agreed, “but not to us. Not this time.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Actually I do, I just don’t know how I know it.”
“Gut feeling?”
“Spirit feeling,” she corrected. “That’s more tangible than some innocuous gut feeling. I’m not saying that I’m not concerned. Just the opposite. But I have an overall peace that we’ll be able to do whatever we need to do.”
“You’re a remarkable woman.”
“Not really. This peace is recent, just today. When I first saw that video—” she broke off. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so angry or so hurt. I wanted to lash out at anything that moved.”
“Kristen—”
“I know it’s not you in the video, but I didn’t at first. In some ways I’m thankful that I saw it.”
“Thankful?” David was puzzled.
“I know it sounds odd, even ridiculous, but the emotions that surfaced showed me how much I’ve come to love you. The sight of you—the video you—with that other woman infuriated me. It also wounded me deeply. That wouldn’t have happened if I weren’t in love with you. Now I know just how hard I’ve fallen.”
David took her in his arms and kissed her. He held her tight. “There is no doubt in my mind that you love me, and there should be no doubt in yours that I love you. That’s why we must be careful. We must keep you safe.”
“That’s one of the things that puzzles me,” Kristen said, leaning back in the sofa again. “Why threaten Timmy and me?”
“To influence me, of course.” David took his cup of tea and stood. He paced in front of the couch. “They want me to confess to something I didn’t do. Clearly I pose some kind of a threat.”
“Do you?”
“What else could it be?”
“Maybe it’s not you that poses the threat. Maybe it’s Barringston Relief, and as the chief executive officer of the organization you are the obvious target.”
David thought for a moment. “What kind of threat would prompt such an elaborate ruse? Who could be harmed by our activities? We’ve had out share of run-ins with rebel groups in Africa and Central America, but I doubt that any of them would attempt this.”
“I agree, but we can’t rule them out.”
“We can’t rule anyone out,” David agreed.
“Still, none of it makes sense, does it? I keep coming back to one question: What do they want? They haven’t attempted to extort money, have they?”
“No,” David answered.
“Barringston Relief deals with a great deal of money. Why haven’t they asked for any? Because they don’t need it. This isn’t about extortion. So what is it about?”
David thought for a moment. “It’s about controlling my actions. It’s about painting me and Barringston Relief in the worst possible light. But I’m not sure what that tells us.”
“Stay with me on this,” Kristen said. “If we can figure out what they don’t want, we might get closer to what they do want.”
