by Phil Wheeler
She cupped his face in her warm hands and drew him toward her. Gently, she kissed him, then brushed his cheek with hers. “It will be OK, I promise.”
The sound of her voice was soothing; he placed his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.
Chapter 32
It was just over 3 hours before Dylan felt well enough to return the detective's phone call. He'd showered and shaved, dressed, and had a cup of tea. Tomiko sat on the bed as he made the call. He was very glad that she'd stayed; he needed her support right now. “This is Dylan Teague for detective Robinson.”
“Yes sir, let me put you on hold for a minute.”, said the voice on the phone.
The detective came on the line, “Are you feeling better, Dr. Teague?
“Yes, much better. Have you found out anything new since we talked?”
“No, the bodies have been removed. We are working on the assumption that one victim was a security guard, and one was your assistant. I won't know for sure until I get a Forensics report.”
“What do I need to do?”, he asked the detective.
“Let's start with the names of the victims. You said that your assistant drove the Malibu, can you tell me his name, please”
“It was David Sellingar.”
“How long had he worked for you?”
“Almost three years.”
“Do you know his address?”
“Yes, 22051 Wilmont Avenue. That's in Euclid. He lived with his brother.”
“Phone number?”
“Let me think” – Dylan gave the detective the phone number.
“What about the guard?”
“That should have been Ralph Wheeler. He worked for Alpha Securities in Cleveland. I didn't know him outside of the lab, so I don't have any other information on him.”
Do you have a number for Alpha Securities?”
“I'm sorry, but I didn't keep that number in my phone. It was in my address book, and was probably destroyed in the explosion.”
“That's alright, I'll look it up.”
“Is there anything else I can do?”, asked Dylan.
One last question for now Doctor, did you work with chemicals or any type of explosive device?”
“No, not really, Why?”
“Because the blast was inordinately large for a gas line explosion. Are you sure that there wasn't something else in you lab that could account for it?”
Dylan wasn't sure how to answer the detective. He knew that the potential was there for cold fusion to be a devastating weapon, but his power supply was not a ticking time bomb. He had installed safe guards to prevent just such an incident, and it would have been a difficult process change his devise to create an explosion. “Honestly, detective, I can't think of anything. I suppose you need me to come back to Cleveland?”
“Not right now. I will keep you updated. Is this the number I can reach you at?”, the detective asked.
“Yes.”, said Dylan, “I will be staying here for the time being.”
He hung up the phone and looked at Tomiko. She asked him, “Are you all right?”
“I think so. At the very least, I'll need to go back to the states for the funeral, though.”
“Of course.”, she said, “As soon as we know more. For now, why don't we get some breakfast?”
Chapter 33
Sitting in the restaurant Dylan was trying very hard to make sense of all this. “I don't understand.”, he said to Tomiko, “It's like everyone and everything I know has been taken away.”
Tomiko looked at him, “Not everything.”
“No. You're right. Not everything.” He looked at her and smiled. Despite the tragedy of the recent events, he couldn’t help but think about last night. They had made love a second time, and it had been just as sweet as the first. He still couldn't believe it.
“We will just have to wait and find out what is going on.”
“Yes, but I am going to have to return to the states for the funerals.” He was adamant.
“But, you won't be able to get a plane out until at least tomorrow. I understand how you must feel, but there is no use getting yourself so worked up. Why don't we take it easy today, maybe spend the day at the pool?”
“OK, that sounds good.”
They paid the check and left for the pool, after changing into swim suits they headed down to poolside. Walking down the hallway Tomiko slipped her hand into his. They found a couple of lounge chairs away from the crowd, and sat down. His mind was still thousands of miles away, but her presence was having a calming effect on him. They stayed at the pool for most of the afternoon, rubbing sun block on each other, laughing, forgetting about the latest tragedy for a while. It was late, and the sun was going down as they returned to his room. Tomiko stripped off her suit, then removed his, and led him to the shower. They made love as the water cascaded over their bodies, and Dylan never wanted the feeling to end. Later, as they lay on the bed entwined in each others arms he looked into her eyes and realized that he was in love with her.
Chapter 34
The room was Spartan, the only furniture in it were a simple metal desk and three chairs. Two men sat in front of the desk and one sat behind it. A single table sat in the corner covered with neat stacks of files. The man in the chair, a tall man, spoke, “I assume that the power supply has been brought here?”
“Yes, sir.”, it was the smaller of the two men who spoke. Both men were dressed similarly, in black slacks, shirt and shoes. The man on the left had answered.
“And all lose ends have been tied up?”
“Yes, sir. The explosion was made to look like an accident and it will not look as if anything is missing or out of place.” He smiled, “There isn't enough left to be able to tell.”
The tall man was quiet for a moment before he said, “And you are sure that Teague's assistant was not hiding any information?”
“Yes, if he knew anything he would have talked before he died. We were not gentle.” This time, it was the man on the right who spoke.
“Very good. I believe that we can go forward with our plans. It is time that Dr. Teague was brought here. Please be very careful, I don't want him damaged.”
“Yes, sir.” The two man got up, and let them themselves out. They had a job to do.
Chapter 35
“You need to get your mind off of this for tonight.” Her driver, Koji, had come by an hour ago with a suitcase, and she was changing into a pair of slacks. Tomiko had talked Dylan into going out for dinner.
Looking at Tomiko's slacks he said, “Those used to be called clam diggers.” The pants were white and form fitting, but only reached midway down her calves. Dylan didn't have much fashion sense, but he did recognize the style from a TV ad. In the 50's, they were called Capri shorts, not claim diggers and they were very fashionable right now, although he suspected that he would have found her attractive in a potato bag. She had on a white, short sleeve shirt with two blue diagonal stripes on the front and she wore a white sports bra underneath. On her feet where white ankle socks to go with her green tennis shoes. Her long brown legs were lovely, their time in the sun had given them a healthy glow, and they contrasted wonderfully with her white outfit.
“Are you ready to go, or do you want to stare at my legs some more?”. Her smile was infectious, and he laughed at her.
“I can do that all day.”, he answered, not feeling at all embarrassed by the comment. She was always doing that to him, catching him looking at her, but she obviously didn't seem to mind it and he was getting used to the way she teased him as he became more and more relaxed around her.
She walked over to him, put her arms around his neck, and drew him down to her. She kissed him, and before he could garb her, she skipped away laughing. “Let's go.”, she said, and started for the door.
They walked down the hallway, hit the elevator button, and stood chatting as they waited. Taking the elevator down to the
lobby, they exited and walked to the hotel entrance. Koji stood just outside, and he hurried to meet them.
“Ms. Samuelson, good evening.”, he said, and added quickly, “Good evening, Dr. Teague.”
“Good evening, Koji. Did you have a good day?”, Tomiko asked.
“Yes, miss. I trust that yours was pleasant.”, came the response. Dylan couldn't be sure, but he seemed to detect a slight smirk, and his face turned red.
“We would like to go to Gourmet-dori, please.”, she said, and walked toward the limousine. They had gone there on the first night, and Dylan looked forward to going back.
“Koji quickly moved to the passenger door, and opened it to allow Tomiko, then Dylan, to enter. Closing the door, he moved around to the driver’s door, and took his place behind the steering wheel. Koji started the car and headed down the hotel exit and into the street. He drove them to a small restaurant off the beaten path where Tomiko and Dylan had a traditional Japanese meal. Dylan was getting the hang of chopsticks, and she commented that he was going native.
“I do believe that I could live here.”, he said, “it is beautiful, and I am really beginning to enjoying the food.”
“Even the raw chicken?”, she tease him.
He blanched a little at that, but said, “Even the raw chicken.” Tomiko had explained to him about their meal the other night. The chickens were raised under very strict regulations, humanely killed, and cleaned in a very specific way, and served within hours of their demise. Even knowing all that he was a little queasy about it, but he was learning to trust her. Sitting and talking with her he could forget about the sadness that seemed to be following him lately. First Robert had died, then his house had been burglarized, and now his lab had blown up, killing David and the guard. He didn't believe in Tao or Karma, but he did feel a little snakebite. If it hadn't been for Tomiko he was not sure if he could have handled it. He looked at her across the candlelit table and couldn’t believe how lucky he was. Never before had he felt anything approaching what he felt for her, and she seemed to feel the same way. She looked at him and smiled. “A yen for your thoughts.”
“A yen? Oh, a penny for your thoughts. Sorry, I'm a little slow, tonight.”
“That's OK.”, she said, “You've been through a lot, so you're allowed.”
“This was nice, and you were right. It was just had I needed.”
Another half hour sped by, Tomiko was silent for a moment, but finally looked at him, saying “Dylan, we should probably get going. I think you need to get some sleep, and I have some things I need to attend to. I promise I will see you first thing tomorrow.”
He was inwardly disappointed, he knew that she couldn't stay with him forever, it was just that he was hoping that she would stay with him that night. “I understand.”, he said, not believing it himself. “I am tired.” He hoped that his true feelings were disguised by his fatigue.
They walked out of the front door to the restaurant, and towards the waiting car. It'd grown dark while they were inside and the neon lights were blinking their message above the store fronts. The street had been very crowded when they arrived, but it was now beginning to empty. Koji waited, and opened the car door to let them enter. He closed their door and walked around to the driver’s side of the car and got in. He was about to put the key into the ignition when the passenger door was pulled open. Dylan had time to see a face, then a round object was thrown into the vehicle. It bounced once on the floor, and came to rest between him and Tomiko. He had time for only one word to form in his head – grenade. There was a blinding light, and then – nothing.
Chapter 36
Dylan opened his eyes, and looked at his surroundings. He was laying on some kind of bed, covered in a blanket. His shoes were removed, but other than that he was just as he was before the grenade went off. The grenade. It started coming back to him. They had been in the back seat of the car, the door had opened and some kind of grenade had been thrown on the floor between them. Tomiko. He sat up quickly, but his head started spinning, threatening to throw him off the bed. He lay back down and looked around. She was lying on a bed across the room from him. He could see her chest moving in and out in rhythmic breathing – she seemed alright. He sat up, again, this time more slowly. Looking around the room he saw that it was small, no more than twelve feet by twelve feet and there were two doors. One was next to his bed, and one was along a wall with the beds on either side. A small table with two chairs completed the furniture. He stood up slowly, steadying himself, and walked over to where Tomiko lay. Bending over, he saw that she appeared to be sleeping, so he left her there and walked over to what he assumed was the entry door. It was stainless steel, and there was no handle to open it; it looked like it slid back into the wall. He looked along the edges, and felt along the door frame. Looking at the wall surrounding the door he saw no sign of an opening system and he could see no way to open it from the inside, so he walked over to the other door. It had a regular door handle, and he turned it. The door swung open with a push and a light came on. It was a bathroom. Inside was a toilet, a shelf with bath products and towels, and a shower. Neither room had a window.
“Dylan.” He heard Tomiko's voice calling him. Walking back into the first room, he crossed to where she was laying, and sat down on the bed.
“How are you feeling?”
“I'm OK. I have a huge headache, though.” She smiled at him, and tried to sit up. As Dylan had, she immediately lay back down on the bed.
“It passes quickly.”, he said, “A touch of vertigo.”
She looked at him, asking, “Do you know where we are?”
“No. The entrance door is locked, so we aren't going any place, either.” He smiled at her to bolster her feelings, but he wasn't feeling that great himself.
She sat up on the edge of the bed, this time more slowly, and looked around. Seeing the open door, she asked. “Is that a bathroom?”
“Yes.”
“Good, excuse me.” She got up and walked on unsteady legs into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Minutes later, she came out, and looked at him. “Much better. Now, do you have any idea what's going on?”
“No, I woke up just a few minutes before you did. He shrugged his shoulders, looking over the small confined space they found themselves in.
“Well, if they wanted to kill us, they probably have done so by now. I guess that we don't really have a choice than, we wait.”
About an hour went by, and the door slid back into the wall, replaced by a diminutive Japanese woman in a white kimono. She looked very much the geisha, and her appearance was incongruous with the situation that they found themselves in. Entering the room, she bowed deeply to Dylan and Tomiko. She turned to Dylan, and said, “Dr. Teague, would you be so kind as to follow me?”
“Where are we going?”, he asked. He was not trying to be helpful. His anger at their abduction was palpable, and he resented her.
“Please, Dr. Teague. Follow me.”, she repeated.
Tomiko, standing next to him, put her hand on his arm, and simply said, “We should do as she asks.
He looked at her, starting to protest, but something told him that she was right. “OK, let's go.”
“Dr. Teague. I have been ordered to bring only you. Ms. Samuelson must remain here.”
“No. She goes, or I stay.” He looked at her, indignant and jaw set.
“Please, only you.”
He started to argue, but Tomiko said, “I will be fine. They haven't hurt us, so go and find out what's going on.”
He looked at her again. She was handling this much better than he. Finally, he gave in, returned to his bed, and pulled on his shoes. He followed the girl out of the door, and down a wide hall. The walls were a pale gray and the drop tile ceiling had fluorescent lights every ten feet, there were no windows. As they walked they passed by other doors looking like the one to Dy
lan's room, and he could see that they were key-less, needing a card to open them. Each door was numbered - D401, D402, D403, and he took that to mean that this was probably the 4th floor. They walked to the end of the hall, and his guide stopped before a door with D412 on it. She slid her key-card through the lock, and it opened. She bowed, then said, “Please sir, go in.”
He entered the room, and the door closed behind him. Looking around, he saw that the room was comfortably appointed. A plush rug covered the floor, and the wall covering looked like wood. At one end of the room sat a large desk and roll chair. Next to it was a wood table with four chairs spaced around it. Shelves lined one wall, and contained various pieces of Japanese art. A beautiful bonsai tree graced a stand next to the shelves. Books filled another set of shelves, and a waterfall using bamboo to carry the water sat in a corner. As he stood there, the door behind him opened, and he turned to face whoever entered. Dylan stood mute, not believing his eyes.
“Hello, Dylan, and welcome.”, said Donald Mason.
