But the fainting? Even the youngest ones could take the lowest setting of the shock wand. They howled and squealed but they didn’t pass out. For all he knew, Isabelle had a congenital heart complication.
Plus the gloves? What was the reason for those? She hadn’t wanted to reveal her hands. He wasn’t aware of any disease that might make someone’s hands more susceptible to shock or electricity or even pain.
And the way Mac had acted about the punishment. It was as if he’d known it would be a problem. He’d done a good job of catching her–unless he’d already known she was going to faint.
“Just wait for the lab results,” Geoffrey whined. “Why else do them?”
His brother was insufferable. He had every woman in the commune to choose from, most of which he had had, and still he wanted this Isabelle.
That reminded him.
“Go make your rounds,” Maurice ordered.
“What, now?”
“Now,” Maurice repeated. “One of the mothers is overdue and her blood pressure is high. Go see her.”
Geoffrey grimaced.
“Just get over there,” Maurice said.
“What about Isabelle?”
Dammit!
“If she’d shown up by herself,” Maurice said. “I’d have said fine. If she’d come here alone instead of with someone’s mother, I’d have said have it your way.” Geoffrey started to protest and Maurice held up a hand to stop him. “If she’d come here without a boyfriend who makes himself at home by breaking rules and snooping around, I’d say do it.” Maurice threw his hands in the air. “But none of that happened. Instead, there’s probably something wrong with her and there’s definitely more than meets the eye with the two of them.”
“A background check,” Geoffrey blurted out. He was not going to let this alone! “It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve done one.” Maurice went to the bar and Geoffrey followed him. “Do both of them if it makes you feel better–not that he’ll stay for long.” Geoffrey grabbed Maurice’s arm and yanked him around. “Are you even listening to me?”
Maurice jerked his arm free but it sailed across the bar, knocking over two cocktail glasses. One shattered against the backsplash and other toppled into the sink before the stem broke.
Geoffrey backed away and held up his hands.
Maurice glowered at him and pointed at the door.
“Go,” he said.
“Do your lab tests,” Geoffrey said, backing toward the door. “I’ll run a background check on them. Ten years.” He paused. “She’ll be back. You know she will. She submitted to the punishment. She’ll be back!”
Maurice put his hands on his hips and gritted his teeth. Nothing stopped Geoffrey when he was like this. There would be no end to the badgering.
“Ten years,” Geoffrey repeated.
Maurice drew in a long breath.
“Fine,” he finally said. “Fine.” Then he jabbed his finger at the door again. “Now, go!”
• • • • •
Geoffrey had disappeared and a single guard had followed them back to the main house. But now, as they passed it and headed toward the parking lot, Mac heard the man’s footsteps fall behind them. With his arm around Isabelle’s waist, he glanced back. The guard was gone. Maybe back inside the house.
“Is it okay to talk?” Isabelle whispered.
She hadn’t said a word since they’d left the infirmary.
“We’re alone,” Mac said, nodding and looked down at her. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired,” she said. “But otherwise fine.”
“Did you see anything in your reading?”
“Pain,” she said. “Mostly…well, mostly pain.”
He hugged her close.
“How about you?” she said.
“It’s not so much what I saw,” he said. “It’s what I didn’t see.” She glanced up at him. “First, there had to be security cameras but they’re hidden. I’d bet everyone here is being spied on.” Isabelle’s eyebrows shot up. “Second, there has to be another medical facility somewhere. There weren’t enough records there for a quarter of the population here.” He looked over toward the dormitories, the lights already out. “We saw the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “Where did that doctor come from? Where do they do blood tests? Where are the medical records?” He thought back to the computer room. “A dozen computers, some probably servers, some for backup, and yet no one there.” He looked down at Isabelle’s face as they slowly strolled to the parking lot. “Where are the people actually using them? They’re here somewhere. Probably under surveillance. Somewhere on the property, which is off the grid except for, what, internet satellite? And where are those dishes?”
“This whole village behind us,” Isabelle said. “It’s hardly real.”
“A front,” he agreed. “But the problem is, how do we find the real operation?”
“And Kayla,” Isabelle said.
“And Kayla,” he said, nodding.
The car was about a hundred feet away. Mac glanced up at the sky, clear and full of stars–much brighter than what you’d see in L.A.
“We need better eyes,” he said, still looking skyward, as their stroll gradually came to a stop. Isabelle followed his gaze upward. “Satellite imagery. That’s what we need.”
Unless the Green Earth Commune had gone to the trouble of camouflaging their buildings, a satellite would reveal everything on the property. Even people. Topanga Canyon might not be on a routinely flown satellite path but there had to be something in the last six months, maybe even more recently. Cyber Division might even have something on file. Mac took out his phone and texted Tim a brief message ending in ASAP.
“Mac, look,” Isabelle whispered. “We might have eyes right here.”
• • • • •
Lurking behind one of the posts of the arching gate, there was a small figure near Mac’s car. Isabelle recognized him and now she knew his name.
“Darren?” Isabelle called out. The little red-haired boy stood up. “Is that you?”
“Yes?” came a small voice.
“You know him?” Mac asked as they approached.
“He’s been following me,” Isabelle replied. “Ever since I came with Susan. And…” she paused. “I saw him when I read the shock wand. He’s been punished…several times recently.”
“That ought to be illegal,” Mac said.
Darren backed up a couple of steps as they neared.
“Wait here,” Isabelle whispered.
Mac stopped several feet away, his grasp lingering on her hand before he let her go. Though at least a yard away from Darren, Isabelle crouched down, steadying herself against the post. His miniature jeans and Spider Man t-shirt were dirty and his hair was a mess. He wrung his little hands in front of his stomach.
“What are you doing out here, Darren? Are you lost?”
“I’m looking for you,” he said.
Isabelle inclined her head toward him though not altogether surprised.
“For me?” she asked.
“I saw the man carry you,” he said. “You were sick.”
Darren must be small for his age because his speech was better than Isabelle had anticipated. He looked like he might be five or six but now Isabelle had to reconsider.
“Shouldn’t you be inside?” she asked. “With your mother?”
His face screwed up terribly and Isabelle saw dark circles under his eyes. Though his face was grimy, his cheeks were streaked with the clean tracks of tears.
“They won’t let me see my mother.”
“Won’t let you?” she asked.
“They took her away,” he whined.
He danced from one foot to the other and the wringing of the hands sped up.
“What do you mean they took her away?” Mac said softly, squatting next to her.
Darren backed up.
“He’s my friend, Darren,” Isabelle said quickly. “I’m Isabelle and this is Mac.” Darren hesitated. “You can trust
me, Darren. I think you know that.” Big tears brimmed in his dark eyes. Darren wanted to trust her–wanted to trust somebody. She held out a gloved hand for him to take. “It’s okay,” she said quietly and waited.
She didn’t have to wait long as he ran to her, arms outstretched. She barely had time to get ready as they collided. Mac steadied her from behind and as Darren put his head on her shoulder, she hugged him. The tears started immediately and Darren cried uncontrollably, like–like a boy who’d lost his mother. For several minutes, she just rubbed his little back and let him cry. In the reading of the wand, she’d felt his pain and, as she held him, the punishment came back to her. Over and over he’d been disciplined for going places he wasn’t supposed to. He’d been looking for his mother.
“Darren?” Isabelle said but the crying didn’t stop. “Darren, can you answer Mac? What do you mean they took your mother away?”
Great loud sniffs and the heaving of his narrow shoulders replaced the sobbing but he didn’t let go.
“When the baby pain came,” he said between sniffs. “She was hanging clothes when the baby pain came. Then they took her away.”
His mother was or had been pregnant.
“When?” Mac said. “When did they take her away?”
“The day before you came here,” Darren said over her shoulder, hugging her tightly.
“Three days ago,” Mac said. “But you say they won’t let you see her, Darren. Did you try to see her?”
Darren nodded.
Isabelle and Mac exchanged looks.
“Do you know where she is?” Isabelle asked.
Darren nodded again.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
It occurred to Mac that they were placing a good deal of trust in a child they’d just met. But as the boy tugged Isabelle along after him, with Mac following, Darren seemed very sure of his direction.
Though Darren had been nearly giddy to have help, Mac had insisted they move the car first. Maurice would expect that. As far as anyone at the Green Earth Commune knew, he and Isabelle were gone. While they’d parked off the narrow dirt road that led to the parking area, Mac had asked Isabelle to call for ‘backup.’ Without any hard evidence, having agents on the property was out of the question.
“It’s not far!” Darren yelled, as they skirted the edge of the trees. Even the light of a half-moon didn’t penetrate into the thick trunks and dense branches more than a few feet.
“Keep your voice down,” Mac whispered.
“Remember what it’s like getting caught,” Isabelle whispered. “We don’t want that again, do we?” Darren missed a step as he shook his head hard but quickly recovered. “Good boy,” Isabelle said.
Darren ran as fast as Isabelle could follow. By Mac’s estimate, they’d gone about a mile, maybe less, in about thirty minutes.
“There,” Darren began too loudly. He ducked his head. “Sorry,” he whispered, pointing as he came to a stop. “There it is.” Through a sparse stand of oak trees, Mac could see lights. “My mom is there!”
It was a large building, built in the same style as the others of the commune. To look at it, there was nothing to say it would be any different. A white building with a dark roof, two stories tall, like the main house but long like a dormitory.
“You’re sure?” Mac asked, crouching down behind Darren. “You’re sure that’s where your mom is?”
“Yes!” he said nodding. He pointed emphatically. “That’s the window. One. Two. Then her window.”
Apparently she was on the ground floor. Darren started forward.
“Hold on,” Mac said and put a hand on his shoulder. “We need a plan.” Isabelle crouched down as well, still holding Darren’s hand. “There have to be security cameras,” Mac said to her. “Just walking in is going to trigger the alarm. We need to be more careful than that.” He turned to Darren. “Do you know who’s inside? Are there guards?”
Darren nodded vigorously.
“That’s who caught me,” he said.
“Right,” said Mac.
“How can we avoid them?” Isabelle said. “We didn’t manage it at the main house.”
“I’ve got an idea,” Mac said.
• • • • •
When Darren was in position, Mac pounded on the front door.
From her vantage point at the edge of the clearing, she could clearly see both of them. Mac had told the little boy he’d have to be brave but courage didn’t seem to be something Darren lacked.
He stood some ten feet in front of the door, waiting.
Mac pounded on the door again.
He’d circumnavigated the building looking for security cameras and seen four, one at each corner. But reasoning that the middle of the long sides were uncovered, he and Darren had approached from there. When it was her turn, Isabelle would do the same. Mac must have been right. If security had seen them, he wouldn’t need to knock.
The door opened and Isabelle cowered lower though she was already hidden behind a tree.
Darren stood his ground and waved at the security guard as he emerged.
No sooner had the guard taken a step toward him, though, than Mac stepped from behind the open door and punched him squarely in the back of the head.
“Oh my god,” Isabelle muttered.
She clamped a hand down over her mouth as the security guard pitched forward. His baseball cap tumbled to the ground as Mac caught him around the shoulders and drug him sideways. Darren picked up the hat and Mac motioned to the door with his head. Darren quickly closed it and, in moments, they were gone, around the far corner of the building.
Though Isabelle shivered in her hiding spot, she knew it wasn’t cold.
Were more guards going to come pouring out of that door? Had any of that been seen?
Based on where the cameras were located, Mac had decided their field of view didn’t include what was right under them or too far to the left or right. If they stayed close to the building, under the cameras, they were in blind spots. Plus, they probably didn’t expect visitors in a building that most people didn’t know existed.
Suddenly, the security guard dashed around the corner of the house and Isabelle nearly screamed. But he waved to her and Isabelle realized that it wasn’t the guard. It was Mac. He waved again.
As Mac and Darren had done, she moved sideways, just behind the trees, down the long side of the building. Then, trying to retrace their footsteps, she ran into the moonlit clearing toward the building. She ran as fast as she could and only realized too late she was going to have trouble stopping as her hands met the wall. But she didn’t pause. Instead, as Mac had told her, she ran along the side of the building. At the corner, she stopped, breathing hard. Just as she was about to poke her head around it, Darren appeared.
A tiny yelp escaped her as one hand flew to her chest.
“Come on,” he said, taking her other hand.
Staying near the wall, they dashed to the open front door and came to a stop.
“Where’s Mac?” she whispered.
A metallic rattling came from inside and she jerked her gaze up. Suddenly, the end of a gurney poked out.
“Hurry,” she heard Mac whisper.
Even as Darren scrambled underneath, balancing on the metal spans for the wheels, Isabelle tossed herself on top of the black, vinyl pad. A giant white sheet wafted over her and had hardly settled down before the table was moving and she heard the door close.
They were in.
• • • • •
The t-shirt had to be two sizes too small but at least Mac had been able to get it on. The baseball cap was adjustable. But the pants and boots–there was just no way. But, to an unsuspecting eye and a view that looked down from above, he was a security guard pushing a gurney.
As Mac had suspected, this was a hospital: linoleum floors; charts outside the rooms to their right; an empty nurse’s station on the left; wheelchairs lined up next to empty gurneys in branching corridors. Whether it was lightly staffed at night o
r the nurse was in a patient’s room Mac didn’t know but he wasn’t pausing to find out.
“Are we there yet?” Darren said from under the gurney.
“Almost,” Mac answered.
As he passed each chart, Mac quickly read the names.
‘Massen, Kayla,’ read one.
That’s her.
Mac took a quick look into the window as they passed. Most of what he could see was the large bulge of her stomach. Although it was Kayla they’d really come for, they could hardly deny Darren help. Without him, they wouldn’t have come this far. No doubt the nurse’s station would hold records that could be invaluable as well but now wasn’t the time.
Third door from the end. This is it.
“Warren, Melissa,” Mac whispered.
In answer, Darren started to get out from the gurney.
“No!” Mac said under his breath.
But the sheet moved sideways and it was all that Mac could do to keep Isabelle covered as the balloon of Darren under his cover met the door and opened it. As the door began to close, Mac kept it open with one hand and pulled the gurney in after him.
“Mom?” Darren said.
Mac quickly checked the ceiling and walls. They were barren. At the end of the room was the window they’d seen from outside.
“We’re clear,” Mac said as he removed the sheet from over Isabelle’s face.
Her eyes snapped open and she took in a huge breath as though she’d been holding it.
“Mom?” Darren said again. Mac felt a tug at the back of his pants. “What’s wrong with her?” Darren asked. “She won’t wake up.”
Mac turned to him as Isabelle got off the gurney.
“She’s had the baby,” Isabelle said.
“Safe to tranquilize her now,” Mac said.
“No more baby?” Darren asked.
“No,” Isabelle said, putting an arm around his shoulder as he reached through the railing and took his mother’s hand, the one without the IV. “She had the baby. But now she’s sleeping.”
Chosen (Second Sight) Page 10
