Lorrie noticed his reaction. Just like a man, she thought. Now, seemingly calm after her initial reaction to being struck, Lorrie strolled over to Scott and kissed him casually on the cheek.
"Of course, whatever you say, Scott." She planted a strong knee kick to his groin and walked away with a smirk on her face.
Scott doubled over in pain. He thought he probably deserved that, but he was definitely going to have to keep a closer eye on her.
Lorrie returned from a room down the hall about an hour later to find Scott sitting on the living room sofa watching the midday news and drinking a beer. The hotel fire was one of the big stories, along with updates regarding the tropical storm that remained over the island. There was mention of the venue change for the medical conference, but for security purposes, they did not disclose the new location. Lorrie held several pieces of paper in her hand, but waited for a commercial break before she spoke.
"I found something very interesting. I think you'll want to see these," Lorrie handed the pages to Scott.
"What are they?"
"Faxes from the equipment I keep at my brother's place. I use it for clinic services from time to time. It is set up to send a copy of all the issued reports to my home email in case my files over there are ever destroyed. It seems someone has been using my equipment recently," Lorrie explained.
Scott glanced through the pages, but there was no patient name listed. He only read Apela's name and the hotel address. He could tell that the patient was female, that her blood contained some odd chemicals, and that she was pregnant.
"I don't understand. What's so unusual about a pregnant lady at the clinic?" Scott asked puzzled.
"The clinic is closed this week, as is Apela's hotel. However, my brother was sitting with Dr. Erickson's husband and Vin at the seminar; and Caeli was conspicuously absent." Lorrie had figured this out right away, but only now found the information useful.
"Vin? Do you mean Eyvindr?"
"Yes, of course. Who do you think I meant? Anyway, don't you get it? Do I have to spell it out for you?" Lorrie tried to quickly cover her slip of the tongue. Scott had never called Vin by his nickname, so she should not have known it. Lorrie rapidly got Scott thinking about something else.
"You think they are staying with your brother?"
"Yes, and you should be able to confirm it with your tracking device."
"No, it hasn't worked since Uncle Neal's lighthouse incident. I suspect they located it and destroyed it."
"Well, I'm fairly certain they are there. And, not only that, but I think the pregnant patient is Eyvindr’s wife." She intentionally neglected to mention what the other chemicals in Caeli's system were doing to her chances of staying alive, much less her chances of keeping her child. Lorrie tried to imagine the pain that kept Caeli away from the seminar. She should be feeling pretty miserable by now, according to the chemical levels reported on the printout.
"Yes! If there was ever a powerful blood to be harvested, a child of both bloodlines would be the place to get it. Imagine what power such a combination could produce. Then again, I would have to wait up to nine months. But, it could be worth it. Oh, this keeps getting better and better. We need to figure out a way to get those two ladies away from the protection of their husbands. Do you have any idea how we might do that?" Scott asked conspiratorially.
"As a matter of fact, I do. Since we know where they are staying, we can spring a little leak to the protestors. We could even select a couple of them for a test run. We could tell them that capturing Dr. Erickson and forcing her to make a public apology for her work would give them a great media bite. Everybody wants their fifteen minutes of fame. It's a ploy similar to the one your uncle tried at the lighthouse. Of course, they will probably get caught, but it would let us test the security assigned to Dr. Erickson, if any. We can see how tough it's going to be and plan appropriately. If we hit them the next day, they won't have time to bring new security measures into play. They won't be expecting another attempt so soon after the first one fails. What do you say?" Lorrie gave him a wicked grin.
Scott liked the idea. They spent the next few hours sorting out the details and making the necessary arrangements. Lorrie kept to herself the additional information she received. Apparently, Apela and Max also gave blood samples, though for what purpose Lorrie couldn't guess. Lorrie had been told she would receive this information and that she should use it to disprove paternity. She was not ready to do that yet. Since none of that would affect Scott's plans, Lorrie said nothing about those details.
From his place of concealment beneath the open living room window, a man sat listening to the exchange between the rowdy couple, occasionally glancing inside to keep an eye on the situation. Knowing Scott's temperament, he was not surprised at the way he mistreated the woman who was his accomplice.
It was the woman who surprised him. She had spunk and gave Scott several opportunities to appreciate the value of their partnership. Scott, however, was not picking up on the clues she carelessly dropped. Sam, seasoned by a career of observing people and deciphering truth from lie by careful listening, clearly noticed that the woman was keeping something important to herself. He didn't even need to see her remove several pages before passing the report to Scott to know there was more information to be gleaned. Lorrie was much smarter than Scott realized. What was most apparent to Sam was the fact that she was allowing herself to be used while pursuing an agenda of her own, and Scott was merely a tool to help her accomplish it. Scott seemed completely clueless to that fact and still didn't realize the woman's full motivation.
When the couple left the house, Sam crept inside to read through the papers left on the table. He helped himself to a shower and then raided the refrigerator to scrounge up something for dinner. Sam was long gone before the couple returned.
CHAPTER 39
Vin poked his head out of the door as Salma walked into the lounge. He caught her eye and silently waved her over. She walked up to the door, and he moved out in the hall to talk to her, keeping the door cracked so that he could still see Caeli out of the corner of his eye.
"How are you, Vin?"
"I'm ok. Thank you, Salma, for taking care of Caeli and me through all of this."
"How is she?"
"She's sleeping," Vin replied.
"Still? I don't like that. When did she fall asleep?"
"She hardly slept at all last night. She has been up for a while this morning, but now she is finally resting. Caeli is all right for now. Are you busy, Salma? I was wondering if I might impose on you to sit with Caeli for a little while. I don't want to leave her alone."
"To be honest, I'm in the middle of some blood work with Pete, but I could set it aside and finish it later. I do want to check on Caeli, but I was waiting until you were ready to come out. I didn't want to intrude on your privacy."
"Thank you. You don't know how glad I am to have you with us. We would be completely lost without you, Salma." Vin reached over and hugged her tightly, kissed her on the cheek, and then stepped back again. He even managed a small smile.
"Just don't tell Ben I did that. Seriously though, I don't want to take you away from your work. I can wait."
"Don't tell Ben what? How are you holding up, Lad?" The voice came strolling up behind Salma along with its owner.
"I'm all right, Ben. I was just asking Salma if she was free to sit with Caeli for a few minutes, but she's busy."
"Well, it's a good thing I came along then. If you need to step out for a while, I would be happy to visit with her. One question before I go inside; what does Caeli think about being kept under surveillance? I would like to know what kind of reception to expect."
"I believe Caeli would be happy to spend some time with her favorite uncle if she was awake. She's exhausted and still in a good deal of pain. We talked for a while, and then she wanted to rest again. She has been out for about an hour. I realized I hadn't eaten anything since her pancakes yesterday, so I thought I would grab a qu
ick bite while she's sleeping."
"Oh for goodness' sake, Vin! Come with me. I will fix you something. Ben, go on in and sit with Caeli," Salma ordered, grabbing hold of Vin's arm and pulling him along behind her. She turned and headed toward the kitchen. Vin looked back at Ben and shrugged helplessly. Ben chuckled and ducked quietly into the room.
Max watched as Salma tugged Vin down the hall. It reminded him of times when he was in trouble with his Mama. He set aside the tools he was holding for Maku and crept out of the room to follow. Vin noticed the boy sneaking along behind them, but didn't say anything. He was curious to find out what Max was doing. The boy poked his head around the corner of the kitchen door when Salma wasn't looking and motioned silently for Vin to come with him.
Vin slipped out of the kitchen and trailed after Max, who led him further down the hall, into his own room, and closed the door behind them.
"What's going on, Max?" Vin asked conspiratorially.
"I saw that you were in trouble with pretty Dr. Salma, so I rescued you. You can hide in here."
Vin laughed lightly as he explained the situation to Max.
"I wasn't in trouble, Max. Dr. Salma is going to cook me breakfast because I forgot to eat this morning. In fact, I haven't had a bite since Caeli's pancake breakfast yesterday."
"Forgot to eat? Is that why pretty Dr. Salma looked mad?" Max couldn't quite grasp the concept of forgetting about food.
"Yes, but she wasn't mad; not really. Thank you for rescuing me though. That was brave of you. I better get back now or she really will get mad." Vin turned to leave.
"Mr. Vin, is pretty Caeli still hurt? Nobody will tell me."
Vin stopped. He turned around to glance down at Max, sitting on his bed, looking hopefully up at him with his bright, green eyes. Vin walked over and sat down next to the boy.
"Max, Caeli was hurt very badly. She is trying to get better, but it might take a while," Vin answered honestly.
"I know the bad man hurt her, but pretty Caeli can be tough when she needs to be, right Mr. Vin?" Max quoted Vin's previous assertion of Caeli's ability to call up an inner strength when needed.
"Yes, she certainly can. I'm sure Caeli will eventually be fine." Vin tried to reassure him. He didn't want Max to be overly concerned.
"What about pretty Caeli's baby? Papa and Mr. Ben were out in the grass where my Mama and my sister are resting. There is a new cross out there now. Is her baby resting there, too?"
Vin was not surprised by Max's question. The boy was perceptive. He picked up on a lot of things that others thought he was too young to understand.
"Yes, Max." Vin had not known they buried the baby's remains and was deeply touched by the sentiment.
"What about your baby, Mr. Vin?"
This question, Vin did not understand. Max must be confused about the finer details of pregnancy, and Vin was not about to tackle that topic. That was a discussion Max should have with his father. Instead, Vin tried to give Max a simple explanation that he believed the boy would understand.
"Max, Caeli's baby was my baby, too."
It was all Vin could do to speak those words without letting the crushing sadness crack his voice. He stood up to leave again and noticed a framed photo on the table beside Max's bed. Vin reached down and picked it up for a closer look. It was an image of a woman perhaps a few years younger than Apela. Her hair was a shoulder length, light brown that matched her brown eyes. Max bore a bit of a resemblance to this woman, which made him look even less like Apela by comparison. In the photo, the woman carried a younger Max along the shore and waved at the person taking the photo. There were large waves rolling in the waters behind them and an odd, white streak off to the side of the photo. It must have been overexposed during the developing.
"Is this your Mom?" Vin asked as he handed the picture frame to Max.
"Yes. Papa said this was on my third birthday. Mama had to keep pulling me out of the water. Papa said every time they turned around, I ran down and jumped in the water. He said Mama called me a water bug," Max grinned.
"I'll bet she did. Well, I better get back to the kitchen. Do you want to join me for a very late breakfast?" Vin asked and watched Max's face light up at the prospect of food. Vin didn't think the boy ever turned down a meal. As Apela had commented, Vin had no idea where the skinny child put it all.
"Do you think we can take my picture to pretty Caeli? Maybe if she sees it beside her bed, it will make her smile, like it does for me. Papa says I can't visit her yet. Will you take it to her for me, Mr. Vin?" Max asked seriously.
"No, Max. This is your photo. You should keep it here in your room."
"But pretty Caeli won't keep it. I will let her borrow it until she feels better. Please?"
Vin was touched by the gesture. He could not refuse the sincerity of Max's offer. Vin was amazed that Max was willing to share his most treasured photo to help Caeli.
"Ok, Max. I will take the photo to Caeli and let her know that you want her to feel better. If she is feeling well enough, maybe you can stop by and talk to her for a few minutes later. We'll have to wait and see." Vin picked up the picture frame and carried it with him as Max clasped his other hand and walked out of the room with him. By the time they got to the kitchen, Salma was finished making toast, heating up a few pieces of bacon leftover from earlier, and scrambling some eggs. Vin thanked her and insisted that he would clean up when he and Max were finished. Salma left the two to enjoy their meal. Vin ate to fill his stomach, but the food was flavorless.
Salma spent a good deal of time reading through the lab results of the blood she drew from Pete, as well as his previous medical records. He brought them along thinking to use them to help convince Salma to get him into the drug trials. She compared her new tests with the older records. The effects of the contaminated blood were devastating the man's body. It was tearing him apart. The part Salma found to be odd was the specific chemicals that contaminated his blood. Salma had seen the unusual combination before; quite recently, in fact. It was identical to the poison that Caeli had endured. Salma did not believe that to be a coincidence.
Borrowing Vin's computer, Salma used her credentials to gain access to the incident report that the hospital filed with the medical review board. She carefully read the details as outlined and the subsequent findings. By the time she finished her review of the file, Salma had more questions than answers. However, now she had the names of a few people who might be willing to talk to her about the incident. Salma made some phone calls. The first two were unsuccessful, but the third call put her in touch with the head nurse, Ella Marlata, who worked the emergency room the night of Pete's accident. When Salma explained that she was trying to help Pete, the veteran nurse was more than willing to answer her questions.
Apparently, nurse Marlata developed a theory of her own about what happened, but was unable to officially report it without supporting evidence. Nurse Marlata explained that only one nurse handled the blood that evening. Prior to that, the units were clean, and no units tested afterward were contaminated. The only units affected were the ones this young nurse touched.
"You believe this nurse intentionally contaminated the blood? Why would she do something like that?" Salma could hardly believe what she was hearing.
"The poor lady is troubled. She suffered a terrible assault when she was a teenager and has never been the same since. It turned out that two of the accident victims were the same men who assaulted her. I believe that when she was confronted with both of them that night, it caused her to do something drastic. I think she injected something into the blood bags, but I could not find proof of it. She hid her tracks well. However, she had to do it before the blood bags were hung, so she could not know which bags those two men would receive. Therefore, the young lady ended up poisoning the blood given to all of the accident victims," the nurse offered her theory for Salma's consideration.
"Can you tell me this lady's name? If I can convince her to talk to me without fear of prosecu
tion, maybe there is still a chance that I can help Pete."
"I will tell you that her first name is Lorrie, but that is all I will tell you. I think it best to let you figure out the rest on your own. I could get into trouble for telling you as much as I have, but I would really like to see at least one of those victims saved, if at all possible. I am aware that Pete is the only one left."
"Thank you for your help, Ella."
"You're welcome. I hope the information is useful."
Salma hung up the phone. One mystery was solved only to have another take its place. She already knew that Caeli's friend Lara recommended the energy bars. Salma had also seen the school yearbook photo that Ben shared with Vin earlier. Only it wasn't Lara. It was the lady she saw with Scott at the arena and again at the seminar. Ben said it was Apela's sister, Lorrie. It took Salma a bit more research and a short while to put the pieces together, but it finally made sense. If Lorrie is actually Lara, then it is a safe bet that Lorrie was the anonymous female who sent Salma the threatening letters after Pete's father died. He would have been the sheriff who helped her after the assault. Lorrie would have thought highly of the man.
Naturally, Lorrie would have known him well enough to be upset by his death, even if she caused it herself by poisoning him along with the other victims. And Lara/Lorrie knew Caeli, too. It was not a stretch for her to find out that Salma and Caeli were related, which explained why she would want to hurt Caeli. Salma understood that because she did not respond to Maku's letters or help his father, Lorrie now blamed her for the death of Maku's father. That was why Caeli was made to suffer the exact same poison. It was Salma's fault. If only she had written a letter, picked up a phone, or done anything at all, perhaps all of this could have been avoided. Knowing the answer did not help lessen Salma's guilt.
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