The Body Shifters (Book 1 Body Shifters Trilogy): A Novel (The Body Shifters Trilogy)

by Leslie O'Kane

  They both stared at her as if she were a freak. Which was precisely how she felt.

  Chapter 21

  After school the following afternoon, Elizabeth watched for Natalie outside the building. Someone suddenly shouted: “Head’s up, Elizabeth.”

  She turned toward the voice. The baby-faced boy who’d talked to her at her locker on Monday—her first day at Mason High—threw a basketball at her chin. She had just enough reaction time to catch the ball, but was flustered and annoyed. He chuckled and headed toward her. “So it’s true. You’re a closet jock.”

  “As opposed to what?” She shoved the basketball into his stomach. “A closet jerk like you?”

  He lost his smile and gripped the ball under one arm. “I didn’t throw it all that hard. I guess I don’t know my own strength. I just thought we could, you know, play a little one-on-one. I could show you some moves. I’m really good at dribbling . . . behind my back, between my legs.”

  A girl laughed and Ellie glanced back. It was Natalie. “Oh, geez, Brad,” Natalie said, “I can’t believe you just told Elizabeth you were good at dribbling between your legs.”

  His cheeks flamed crimson and he glared at Natalie. “Shut up, Stein! Or should I say, ‘Holstein,’ because you’re such a cow!”

  “Brad,” Ellie said firmly, “take your ball and go home. Natalie’s a friend of mine, and you’ve made an ass of yourself.”

  Rendered speechless, he stared at Ellie with his mouth agape. He turned and walked away. “You’re not that hot, you know,” he said over his shoulder as if deeply offended.

  Ellie turned toward Natalie, embarrassed on her behalf. Natalie was making a good show of putting a ‘whatever’ expression on her face. She weighed the notion of hugging Natalie, but decided against it. Natalie was struggling for composure as it was.

  “Well, drat,” Ellie said, trying to sound nonchalant. “Thus endeth the greatest romance since Romeo and Cleopatra.” She started walking as she spoke, and Natalie fell into step beside her. “My heart breaketh.”

  “Meh,” Natalie said with a shrug. “I don’t blame him for making a crack at me. It was a low blow to tease him about incontinence while he was trying to hit on you.”

  Ellie grinned as she spotted Daniel’s silver BMW waiting for them at the corner. “So, I wanted to offer you a ride to work.” Ellie pointed with her chin at Daniel.

  Natalie followed Ellie’s gaze and gave a little happy gasp. “Wow, Elizabeth! You just made my day! This so makes up for Dribblin’ Brad!”

  “You can sit in the front,” Ellie said, now having to trot to keep up with Natalie.

  “If you insist,” Natalie said, already opening the door to the passenger seat. She shrugged her backpack off her shoulder. “Hi. I’m Natalie Stein,” she said as she slid into the front seat beside him.

  Ellie chucked her own backpack onto the backseat, shoved his textbook and leather jacket aside, and sat down behind Natalie. He was wearing his Georgetown University T-shirt again.

  “Nice to meet you, Natalie. I’m Daniel, Elizabeth’s brother.” He waited a second or two as they fastened their seatbelts, then pulled away from the curb. “Elizabeth tells me you work with her at ATBC.”

  “Yeah. But getting a ride there today in a nice car is the most exciting work-related thing that’s ever happened to me. So, are you a student at GU?” She patted the dashboard. “Any you scored wheels like these?”

  “I’m part-time . . . a class or two a semester. Otherwise, I’m a software consultant. Security software, mostly.”

  “Ooh. That sounds interesting.”

  “Not really. Giving you girls a ride to your workplace is pretty much the highlight of this past month for me.”

  Natalie laughed. Ellie chuckled a little as well, but she worried that Natalie was going to feel guilty for laughing once she remembered that, supposedly, “Elizabeth’s” and Daniel’s father had died recently.

  Daniel glanced at her in the rearview mirror. He was probably disappointed that Natalie had shied from the subject of ABTC so quickly. Last night both he and Jake decided that humoring Natalie’s crush was an opportunity to get information from her; it felt unethical to Ellie but paled in comparison to the crimes the McGavins were committing.

  “For the time-being, I’ve got all the clients I can handle,” Daniel began, “but next spring or so, I’ll probably try to talk to someone at ABTC about using my services. Off the record, what can you tell me about the company?”

  “Not much. The bosses are kind of creepy, but, I mean, my mom had only just gotten her nursing certification, so she’s really glad they gave her the opportunity.”

  Ellie kept her face still in case Natalie glanced back. She was not surprised to learn that Natalie’s mom had been hired just after graduating. The McGavins would want to hire inexperienced people for their medical staff—who wouldn’t necessarily know to question the chief’s overuse of drugs on coma patients such as Jane Doe.

  They waited in silence for a light to change. “From what I can see, they have a lot of turnover,” Daniel prompted. “That’s often a sign of bad management.”

  “Yeah. My mom doesn’t like working for the McGavins, but she needs a regular paycheck.”

  “Has she ever said anything about the overall operation at ABTC?” Ellie asked. “Like, does she wonder if the McGavins are overcharging their patients or ignoring DNRs in order to maintain revenue?”

  Daniel glared at her in the mirror. She realized she’d been far too direct with her two-part question, but Ellie figured she couldn’t waste any time. She already hated herself for pumping Natalie for information like this. “I’m not so sure that everything that goes on in the Brain Trauma Center side of things is above board,” Ellie added.

  “Mom doesn’t talk much about their policies or patient care. She says she works her fifty hours a week, then leaves. She just complains that they don’t care about their employees. They seem to fire people at the drop of a hat.”

  Because they want to keep everyone in the dark. “Jennifer McGavin strikes me as being a phony,” Ellie said, hoping to egg Natalie on.

  Natalie nodded. “That’s because she is. She’s always trying to be nice. But she wouldn’t be caught dead with any of the nurses. She’s all about money and status. My mom says she’s more of a fundraiser for the center than an actual doctor. But rumor has it, she’s quite the player.” Natalie studied Daniel in profile. “From what I hear, she’d hire you in a second just as eye-candy.”

  Daniel’s killer smile illuminated his handsome face. “Now there’s some good news. Thanks!”

  “But to be fair, they do some charity work that’s admirable.” Natalie pointed. “Hang a left at the next intersection.” They were almost there. “It’s interesting, really. With all the stuff the Center does for seniors, they seem to be more into people our age.”

  Not that Natalie and Daniel were the same age, Ellie mused to herself; Daniel was four or five years older than Natalie.

  “What do you mean?” Daniel asked.

  “ABTC funds and operates a really good outreach program for runaways. They get free medical care plus room and board, while ABTC tries to establish contact with their family members.”

  Ellie had to temper her reaction and was certain that Daniel was sharing the same thought: This was the source of their drug-induced comatose Jane and John Does. “I didn’t realize that,” Ellie said, shuddering in spite of herself.

  “Yeah,” Natalie replied. “You’d think they’d publicize it more. I mean, that always seems to be what companies do, right? Sponsor big charity events and programs, in order to present themselves as the Good Guys? Yet my mom says she didn’t even know about the outreach stuff they do for teens till a clerk in the Center’s billing office happened to mention it.”

  #

  Half an hour later, Natalie was interviewing a patient, and Ellie was seated at the computer. She’d managed to quickly compile a list of Alzheimer’s patients’ names who’d u
ndergone Jake’s procedure. She wanted to talk to each of them; with their restored cognitive abilities, they might prove to be helpful in Ellie’s search for incriminating behavior on the McGavins’ part. She’d become so engrossed in her efforts, she didn’t hear the footsteps behind her till Ethan’s voice rang out: “What are you reading?”

  Ellie jumped.

  “The patient records of Roger Culpepper. They’re remarkable. And five or six other patients show the same kind of results. It’s like their Alzheimer’s has been reversed.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “Not reversed, unfortunately, just somewhat abated.”

  “Their cognitive and recall abilities have reverted to the levels—” Ellie stopped, horrified to realize she sounded like a potential pre-med college student, not a sophomore in high school. “The new test results are identical to eighteen months ago, when they first entered the trial study.”

  “Yes, but the trial study is still in its infancy. We won’t know for another year if there’s too much physical deterioration of the brain to maintain those results,” Ethan countered. “The patients only underwent the medical procedure two weeks ago, right after New Year’s. For all we know, tomorrow, all seven of them could have complete memory loss.”

  “Or they might have permanently regained their memory.”

  Ethan smiled. “That’s possible, but highly unlikely.” He gave her a visual once-over. “You’re not wearing your badge.”

  “I’m not on the clock. I just wanted to use the computer.”

  Ethan crossed his arms and glowered at her. “I like you, Elizabeth. You have the inquisitiveness and intellectual curiosity that could take you far.”

  “Thank you,” she said hesitantly, noting that his body language did not match his words.

  He shifted her keyboard so that he could use it and promptly signed her out of the records. “But you need to walk before you can run. Do your job, precisely as it’s been described to you. When you’ve earned the academic and professional credentials that are required to analyze medical research results, you can examine all the research studies you want.”

  “Until then, I should just enter the data but not look at it?”

  “Precisely. I don’t mean to be a hard ass. It’s just that major research studies have to measure up to strict guidelines and can be destroyed by the mere illusion of tampering.”

  “I understand.” At this rate, she would be unable to collect any evidence whatsoever. Her loading spyware onto this computer yesterday had been a longshot. She, Jake, and Daniel had hoped that, given this computer’s easy access, a doctor or nurse would choose to use this computer rather than one that could be easily traced back to them.

  Ellie decided she needed to step up her access to proprietary information. She also realized she was chewing on her lower lip. She assured herself that Ethan didn’t know her well enough to recognize that she was anxious.

  Ethan turned to leave.

  “I’d like to add a few more hours,” Ellie said. “Could you use an extra hand in the brain-trauma center?”

  “No, but my wife complains that her assistant could use an assistant herself sometimes.” He lifted his hand a little in what was either a wave or a dismissive gesture, then left.

  Ellie took a few moments to steel herself, then headed to Jennifer’s office and knocked on her door. She heard a voice, but it sounded more like a groan than a word.

  Worried and unsure of herself, Ellie hesitated but then entered. Jennifer was curled in the fetal position on the floor next to her desk.

  In obvious agony, Jennifer looked up at Ellie. “Help me,” she whispered.

  Chapter 22

  Ellie rushed to Jennifer’s side. Ellie had never seen anyone look quite this pale. “Oh, my God,” Ellie cried. As she started to kneel beside Jennifer she remembered she was in a medical-research hospital. She turned to call for help. “Let me get a doc—”

  “Stop!” Jennifer shouted. The effort left her gasping for breath. “Go get my husband,” Jennifer said in a raspy voice. “Don’t tell anyone else. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes. I’ll get him right away.”

  “No one else. Speak to him in private.”

  “Of course.” Ellie hesitated. She shouldn’t leave a person in this state of agony alone like this. She should get her a pillow, some water, something.

  Ignoring her instincts, Ellie scurried out the door. A pair of young doctors in lab coats were walking side by side toward her. Not wanting to draw their attention, Ellie resisted the urge to break into a run.

  Maybe Jennifer is addicted to Percocet or something and is going through withdrawal. That would explain her symptoms and why she wants to keep this a secret.

  She rapped twice on Ethan’s office door and opened it without awaiting reply. He was sitting at his desk and peered over his reading glasses at her with obvious annoyance. She shut the door behind her.

  “What is it, Elizabeth?”

  “Your wife is sick. She’s in her office . . . doubled-over with pain.”

  Alarm flashed across his features. Ellie could see him actively managing his reaction—resisting the urge to jump to his feet. He put on a mask of calculated indifference. “It’s probably just cramps. I’ll handle it.”

  Despite being aware that his statement was a ploy to downplay the situation, Ellie couldn’t hold her tongue. “It’s worse than cramps, Dr. McGavin. She looks massively ill, and she’s in agony.”

  “Probably food poisoning then,” he said through a tight jaw. “I’m a doctor. I’ll take care of this.”

  “I’m sure.” You’ll shoot her up with whatever drug she needs to keep herself together. Maybe a serious drug addiction could explain some of the impaired judgment that led Jennifer to conclude that other people’s lives were expendable.

  Ethan brushed past her and grabbed the doorknob. “This needs to be kept under wraps.” He stared into her eyes as if his intensity could cow her into obedience. “We don’t want to panic anyone. Patients and visitors might leap to the conclusion that one of their doctors has a contagious disease.”

  “I’m not going to tell anyone,” Ellie lied. If Ethan truly knows about the listening devices in their offices, he knows someone’s picking up our every word right now.

  #

  Several minutes later, Ellie had the opportunity to chat freely with Natalie as she was washing her hands in an otherwise-empty restroom. “Something’s seriously wrong with Jennifer McGavin’s health,” Ellie told her quietly.

  “Because she looks like she’s anorexic, you mean?”

  “She was in obvious pain today.”

  Natalie grimaced. “My mom kind of told me about that a while ago.”

  “About what?”

  “She’s got ovarian cancer.”

  Jennifer has an often-fatal disease! No wonder they wanted to run a test on me—a female. “The McGavins ordered me not to tell anyone about finding her in acute pain. They’re trying to keep her cancer a secret.”

  “Sure they are,” Natalie replied. “This joint’s being run by an old geezer and his deathly ill wife. Investors won’t fork over the money if they realize that.” She shut off the tap and grabbed a paper towel.

  “ABTC could go under,” Ellie muttered to herself. While the McGavins walk out of here scot-free in the guise of former twenty-year-old coma patients.

  “Yeah. It might. And it doesn’t seem like they’ve got anyone who can grab the reins. Jennifer had a young research assistant when I first started who my mom thought was being groomed to take over for them. He got killed in an accident, though.” She dropped the paper towel into the trash.

  “What was his name?” Ellie asked, pretending she didn’t already know the answer.

  “Jake Greyland. He was a nerd, but kind of nice.”

  “Did your mom know him well?”

  Natalie shook her head. “Hardly at all. He worked on the Alzheimer’s wing. She works exclusively with coma patients. They keep the two divis
ions really separate . . . Fogies and Veggies. Sounds like a British meal . . . ‘fish and chips.’” Natalie grinned and jabbed Ellie’s arm. “Don’t repeat that.”

  “I won’t.”

  Natalie leaned back against the marble countertop. “You know the really weird thing, though? Jennifer refused to have chemo treatments.”

  “She did?” Ellie asked, covering for her lack of surprise. Chemotherapy was exhausting and painful, so Jennifer was banking on being able to transfer herself into a healthy body before the cancer became too advanced.

  “The oncologist screwed up and left a message for Ethan that my mom overheard. You’d think a medical doctor like Dr. McGavin would know that chemo’s her only real shot at surviving ovarian cancer.”

  Short of stealing someone else’s body.

  “That’s when all the troubles started for my mom at work,” Natalie continued. “McGeezer has been hounding my mom ever since. My hunch is: he’s afraid to fire her for fear she’ll spread the word, so he’s making her life miserable till she quits. Which she won’t do till she lines up another job. But if I’m right, he’ll fire her just for spite as soon as Jennifer’s illness is too obvious to hide.”

  Ellie’s thoughts raced. The timeline for stopping the McGavins just got shorter. Jane Doe must be in a drug-induced coma and was probably a runaway who’d come here for help.

  But how were the McGavins getting away with kidnapping? Ellie wondered. Eventually someone would file Jane Doe’s missing-person report, including a recent photograph, and that photograph would be matched to the “unidentified-person” photograph that ABTC was legally required to file for the patient that they had kidnapped. Otherwise, alert employees would realize that ABTC was not functioning as a legitimate, law-abiding hospital.

  In silence, Natalie and Ellie headed toward their lockers. “With my mom’s days numbered, so are mine.” Natalie shrugged. “That’s okay by me. You’re the only person I’m going to miss seeing.”