A Touch of Murder

by Donna Raider

  “Sold to the lady with the fantastic cup of coffee.” Jennifer laughed. “I just finished my rounds. Let’s go.”

  “I hope you don’t mind riding in the limo,” Sara apologized as they left the hospital. “I rode to work with Mom so we could talk. James just drove me around while I tried to gather my thoughts. I came to see you.”

  “Believe me,” Jennifer said with a laugh, “you never have to apologize to me about a limo ride.”

  ##

  Sara was placing plates and silverware on the table when Jennifer entered the kitchen. She stood in the doorway and watched the younger woman rearrange a knife, so it was perfectly aligned with the fork. “A little anal-retentive, are we?” Jennifer grinned as she walked into the room.

  “Said one perfectionist to the other.” Sara laughed. “I think it must be the curse of all doctors.”

  “Or the blessing.” Jennifer smiled. “Where would our patients be without our biggest idiosyncrasy?”

  “It is in our genetic makeup.” Sara grinned. “Now, Dr. Jordon, you just sit down and prepare yourself for the best lasagna you have ever tasted.”

  As she’d promised, Sara had made the best lasagna Jennifer had ever eaten. “Where did you learn to cook like that?” she asked, sipping her wine.

  “Mom,” Sara grinned. “She’s the best cook in the world.”

  “Your mother cooks?” Jennifer was surprised to learn the beautiful actress ever graced a kitchen.

  “She has many talents.” Sara smiled as she thought of her beautiful mother. “Just because she is the most gorgeous creature God ever created doesn’t mean she isn’t very down-to-earth.”

  “I’m delighted to see that you are exactly like her,” Jennifer complimented shyly.

  A slow blush crept up Sara’s neck to her cheeks. “You are very kind,” she said softly. Her eyes locked with Jennifer’s. “You’re very beautiful too.” They sat silently looking at each other.

  “I can also cook,” Jennifer said, breaking the awkward silence. She stood and began collecting the dishes and taking them to the sink.

  “Just stack them in the sink,” Sara said. “I’ll load them into the dishwasher later.”

  “Nonsense.” Jennifer smiled. “You get your research diagrams and charts you want to show me. I’ll have the kitchen cleaned up and we can see what conclusions you have drawn.”

  Sara nodded and left the room. When she returned, Jennifer had refilled their wine glasses and was placing them on the table in front of the sofa. Sara watched the older woman. She was beautiful. She looked relaxed and rested. The tiredness had left her face. She looked happy. Her long blonde hair was in a high ponytail that bobbed delightfully as she moved. She was just a little taller than Sara. She had the slim, graceful body of a runner. Sara found she couldn’t pull her gaze away from the woman wearing her jeans and soft pullover. I was correct, Sara thought, my clothes do fit her perfectly.

  Jennifer turned to catch Sara openly admiring her. In three long strides, she was standing in front of the young doctor. She reached out and took some of the folders Sara was carrying. “This looks like a lot of work,” she noted.

  As Sara explained the scope of her work, and what she had achieved, Jennifer was spellbound. The young geneticist had indeed found a way to extend life by hundreds of years. When Sara finished talking, she bowed her head and said, “This is my conundrum. I believe I have made a mistake working toward extending the life of mankind.”

  “Why?” Jennifer was shocked by the young woman’s conclusion.

  “In the first chapter of the Bible, Genesis, chapter one, verse twenty-eight, it reads: ‘And God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth…’ Truth be told, that is the one command of God’s mankind has embraced diligently. Early man lived a very long time: six to nine hundred years. In the beginning, man didn’t even know what it meant to die. Can you imagine Adam and Eve’s surprise when they discovered they weren’t immortal? Until the murder of Abel, dying was an unknown concept. I’m sure Cain didn’t intend to end his brother’s life. He just wanted to hit him. He had no knowledge of the consequences.”

  Jennifer nodded, frowning. She wasn’t certain where Sara was headed.

  “As mankind began to multiply, we spread all over the world and consumed more and more of the Earth’s resources. To adjust for the fast increase of man, I believe the Lord began to shorten our lifespan. Even today, in areas where the overpopulation is a threat to the existence of man, people die younger, whether it be from disease or violence related to survival. For instance, Sierra Leone, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia and Mozambique, life expectancy is less than fifty years in all these countries. Yet they have some of the fastest-growing birth rates in the world.”

  “Wow, this really is getting deep.” Jennifer smiled slightly, trying to lighten the mood.

  “It is no secret that the greatest minds of all time have declared that the Earth’s resources will be maxed out at a population of nine to ten billion,” Sara continued explaining her dilemma. “Right now, we are at eight billion and counting. Already life as we know it is changing. There is total chaos in the Middle East. Migrants are killing each other over food. In Africa, hundreds of thousands have died from starvation. I know that government corruption and mishandling of resources are to blame for some of this, but the absolute fact remains that the population of man is beginning to outpace the resources of the Earth.”

  Jennifer frowned. “So, in our efforts to extend the lifespan of mankind, we have thrown off the natural balance of things.”

  “Sooner or later, God will put it all back into balance,” Sara said with certainty, “a world famine, a plague, or a nuclear war. Since its beginning in nineteen ninety, over thirty million people have died from Aids-related issues. I know that is nothing compared to the seventy-five million deaths caused in ten years by the Black Plague, but the number is staggering in today’s world of research, technology, and cures.”

  “You are a very deep thinker for one so young!” Jennifer exclaimed.

  “My point is,” Sara said, grimacing, “I don’t want my research to get into anyone’s hands. I am turning down all offers and grants. I am destroying my research and turning my attention to ways to help control the population explosion. In order to preserve our way of life, we have to reduce the universal birth rate.”

  “Said the girl who has eleven siblings,” Jennifer teased.

  “My parents are different.” Sara frowned.

  “I am sure everyone feels that way about their parents.” Jennifer smiled. “I know I do.”

  “You never talk about your parents,” Sara pointed out, eager to move the discussion away from her parents. “Where do they live?”

  “California,” Jennifer replied, “but we are discussing your parents. How are they different?”

  “They are absolutely tireless.” Sara smiled as she thought about how Mika had played horsey for hours with every one of her children. “We all go to public school because Mom and Mika say it’s the only way good children can have an influence on others. All of us have tested out of school in our mid-teens and entered college in our late teens. Mom and Mika supplement our education. Mom has taught all of us music and to play the piano and several other instruments. Mom’s grasp of engineering and infrastructure is astounding. She could create an entire city complete with electricity, phone service, and a highway system. She’s incredible. She always sees the big picture. Mika has taught all of us to speak foreign languages. We all speak at least seven different languages. We are incredible at mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy. You name it, if one of us sets our mind to a problem, we will find a solution.”

  “I’m impressed.” Jennifer raised her eyebrows.

  “All of us are certified child prodigies,” Sara continued. “All of my siblings have an IQ of two hundred twenty-five or above. Actually, our IQs are off the chart. My paren
ts are geniuses. They pass along their combined genetics to their offspring. I’m not bragging to you; I just need you to understand who we are. We are extremely passionate and intense about anything in which we are involved. That includes relationships.”

  Sara’s eyes held Jennifer’s for a long time. “Have you ever been in a relationship?” Jennifer asked softly, watching the younger blonde’s deep blue eyes.

  “No,” Sara said emphatically.

  “Are you trying to scare me off?” Jennifer asked.

  “No,” Sara whispered.

  “Then let’s take this nice and slow. Okay?” Jennifer said. “My relationship with Carlie ended in divorce. I want my next relationship to be my last.”

  Sara nodded. She wanted her first to be her last. Nice and slow worked for her. Infidelity was something abhorred in her family.

  “So far, I haven’t seen or heard anything I don’t like.” Jennifer smiled. “In fact, what you have shown me and told me this evening has only made me care for you more. Just to make you feel more at ease, I, too, have an IQ over two hundred twenty-five.”

  Sara laughed. “Sometimes I get so caught up in what I am doing, I fail to see the wonders around me. I guess we all have our own realities.”

  ##

  Mika appeared in the Pope’s private chambers. She and Leah always transported themselves invisibly so they wouldn’t run the risk of appearing out of nowhere before someone. After ascertaining she was alone in the room, she materialized.

  Abusir had been insisting that the Pope could only visit America during the summer months. Mika had already arranged for her family to vacation at their ranch in Texas while school was out of session. She truly couldn’t change that.

  Mika stepped into the hallway as the door opened and Abusir followed the Pope into his living quarters. “Holy Father,” Abusir whined, “Priest Mika said the summertime was the only time she would be in New York. You have to plan your trip during June, July, or August.”

  “Fine,” the Pope said wearily. “Leave the schedule on my desk. I will look over it and decide.” Abusir did as he was instructed and left the room.

  Mika knocked on the wall of the hallway she was standing in. “Your Holiness,” she said as she stepped into the room. “I apologize for this unannounced visit, but I need to discuss your planned trip to New York.”

  The Pope crossed himself as if his prayers had been answered. “Mika.” He quickly crossed the room and caught Mika’s hands in his. “It is so good to see you. I have been trying to contact you about the trip.”

  “For some reason, Abusir is insisting on scheduling your trip during the summer.” Mika frowned. “I would prefer October. The weather will be cooler, and honestly, I have planned to take my family on vacation this summer.”

  “That is ideal.” The Pope smiled. “You know how I dislike the hot weather.”

  “I fear Abusir will orchestrate an attempt on your life during your trip to New York,” Mika forecast.

  “I’m certain of it,” the Pope agreed. “I trust you will take care of it.”

  “We will, Holy Father.”

  “While I am in New York, I wish to dine with you and your wonderful family one evening.” The Pope smiled. “I have only heard the legend of your wife’s beauty and the myths of your beautiful children.”

  Mika chuckled. “I am afraid they are neither legends nor myths, Your Holiness. They are truly wonderful. They will be so thrilled to dine with the Pope.”

  “May I come casual?” The Pope laughed. “It is very tiring to wear my formal papal vestments all the time.”

  “Of course.” Mika smiled. “They will have the opportunity to see you in all your glory at the church. It will be a treat for them to see you as a person just like me.”

  “But I am not like you, am I, Mika?” The Pope held the younger priest’s gaze for a long time.

  “No, Holy Father, you are the Pope,” Mika said reverently.

  “But you are more than you appear,” the Pope insisted. “More than just a person in priest’s clothing.”

  “I am a woman of God, Your Holiness. That is all that matters.”

  The Pope nodded. “I am pleased to call you my friend, Mika.”

  “I truly must go now, Holy Father.” Mika opened the door, stepped into the hallway, and disappeared.

  The Pope quickly opened the door. He needed to tell Mika one more thing. The young priest was nowhere in sight.

  ##

  “To what do I owe this wonderful surprise?” Leah smiled happily as she hugged her oldest daughter.

  “I just thought I'd visit my beautiful mother.” Sara grinned as she returned her mother’s hug. She was always amazed at how comforting it was in her mother's arms. She always hugged her children so tightly, as if she couldn't believe they were hers.

  “Let's go to my dressing room.” Leah kept her arm around Sara's waist as she guided her to her dressing room. “I have a break while they shoot the car chase scene.”

  Leah closed her door and sat beside her daughter on the sofa. “How is the decision-making going on your job selection?”

  “Good.” Sara nodded. “I have narrowed it to two. That isn't what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  Leah sat silently, allowing her daughter to move the conversation at her own pace.

  “I know that you were with another woman before you married Mika,” Sara said finally.

  “I was,” the brunette said softly.

  “What was it like?” Sara asked

  “It was the most miserable time of my life,” Leah said drily.

  “Oh.” Sara bowed her head as she contemplated her mother's reply.

  “Not because she was a woman,” her mother explained, “but because she was a weak woman, not capable of loving as passionately as I. If Mika were a man, I would still love her just as much. I love her for the person she is. She is good and honest. She is loyal and trustworthy. I know I can depend on her. Most of all, she adores me, and she is a wonderful parent.”

  “So those things are more important to you than the gender of your mate?” Sara's eyes glistened.

  “Of course.” Her mother nodded.

  “You were married before you met Mika,” Sara recalled, “but you weren’t divorced.”

  “No. My husband died.” Leah looked away, reluctant to discuss the demise of her former husband.

  “The church doesn’t condone divorce,” Sara said.

  “Divorce is okay,” Leah explained. “It’s the copulating with a divorced person whose spouse is living that’s considered adultery. And adultery is a mortal sin.”

  “Does Mika feel that way too?”

  “You'll have to ask her.” Leah smiled.

  “She's a priest,” Sara said, as if she already knew how Mika felt.

  “She is so much more than a priest.” Her mother smiled. “She is compassionate and has a direct line to God. She might surprise you. She isn’t easily influenced by the politics of mankind.” Leah tilted her head and looked closely at her daughter that was the image of her beautiful wife. “Why all the questions on this subject.”

  “Just curious.” Sara shrugged.

  ##

  Mika was working late and trying to finish her sermon for Sunday. She couldn't get Leah out of her mind. She gave up trying to push her wife from her thoughts and opened the picture of Leah on her computer. It was the shot from the magazine cover. It was gorgeous. The photographer had caught just the right expression on Leah’s beautiful face. Her lips were in that mysterious moment just before they parted into a breathtaking smile. They were Cupid’s bow perfect. So kissable. The tiny scar that disappeared into her upper lip still fascinated Mika just as it had years ago. Perfect eyebrows arched majestically above dark brown eyes almost the same color as her raven hair. A mischievous light glinted in them. Mika could almost smell the scent of Leah’s soft, wavy hair. She wanted so badly to bury her face in the silkiness of Leah’s long tresses and inhale the pure beauty of everything that
was her wife. She ran her finger along her high cheekbone to the small dimple at the corner of her lips. She traced her face to her perfect chin. Her heart ached as she thought about how much she loved her. How wonderful Leah had made her life.

  She hesitated slightly, then moved her finger down Leah’s neck in the picture, then down her chest, coming to rest at the point where the dress she wore crisscrossed, exposing just enough of her perfect breasts to make Mika’s mouth water.

  Mika jumped when her phone signaled a call from Leah. “You are touching me, aren't you?” she said softly.

  “I... I…” Mika searched for words.

  “Come here, now,” Leah commanded.

  Mika instantly materialized in Leah’s dressing room.

  Leah was looking at Mika with that same beautiful expression the magazine photographer had captured. “I’m sorry.” Mika hung her head like a bad little girl that had been caught drawing pictures on the wall with her crayons. She looked up at Leah shyly, through long lashes. “You are just so breathtakingly beautiful. I had to touch you.”

  Leah’s lips parted into a smile. “I can't work when you are doing that. I couldn’t play my serious scene because you were making me smile like a fool. Come watch me finish this scene, then you can take me home and really touch me.”

  “No person in their right mind would argue with that command.” Mika smiled gleefully as she followed her onto the set.

  ##

  Sara burned the last of her research journals then sat down to write letters to all the universities and corporations that had offered her lucrative positions with them. She refused all the offers. At twenty-five, she was starting over. She knew she would have difficulty getting anyone to accept her seriously. She didn’t see any lucrative research offers in her future. She hadn’t been completely truthful with Jennifer about her research, but only because she, herself, had just begun to understand the truth about what she had discovered.

  In researching her mother’s genome, she discovered her mother’s genome had an abnormality Sara named the longevity gene. She had found the gene nowhere else.