by S. R. Booth
Billy finally pulled back so he could see her face but kept ahold of her hands. “Are you okay?”
She shrugged but nodded.
“What about you?” She looked him over, noting the dark circles under his eyes and the torn sleeve of his filthy dress shirt. “Why are you at a hospital?”
“I need you to meet someone,” he answered cryptically. “Sarah,” he led her into the room and stopped before a large, comfortable-looking bed that didn’t look at all like it belonged in a hospital, “this is Mr. Berkley.”
Sarah looked at the elderly man who seemed dwarfed by the huge bed. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Berkley,” she said politely, clearly confused about why she had just flown hours in the middle of the night to meet a stranger at the hospital.
“Sarah,” Billy said, his eyes shining with excitement, a secretive smile hovering around his lips, “he is also my Uncle Bill. Do you remember me telling you about Uncle Bill who always came to my baseball games when I was little?”
Sarah looked at Billy, her confusion full blown. “You met your uncle when you came here for your meeting with the Tops?”
Billy laughed at her expression. “Yes, I did actually. He is the ‘Top’ I met with.” He wanted to tell her the rest of the connection but decided the hospital wasn’t the best place for that.
“What a nice surprise!” Sarah exclaimed. “I do remember Billy speaking fondly of you.”
The older man gave her a weak smile, obviously pleased that Billy had talked about him.
“Tell her the rest,” the man’s faint voice commanded.
Billy looked at him in concern. “Are you sure it’s okay to tell her? Here?”
His uncle dipped his head slightly.
“The rest of the story is that not only is he the Top I came to meet with, and my ‘Uncle Bill’, he is also my great-grandfather.”
Sarah looked at Billy in confusion. “How can he be both your uncle and great-grandfather?”
“The ‘uncle’ part is only an honorary title. The great-grandfather part is a longer story. I’ll tell you later, all right?”
Sarah nodded then grabbed Billy’s arm and tugged him away from the bed.
“We really need to talk,” she whispered. “Can we go somewhere for a while?”
He bent his head close to her and whispered into her ear. “Someone tried to kill him. I don’t think we should leave him alone.”
Sarah’s eyes jerked back to the frail man in the bed. How had she and Billy become wrapped up in murder and attempted murder?
“We can sit over there and talk some,” Billy indicated a couple of plush chairs and a sofa in an alcove near the room’s only window. “I’d really like to change into something more comfortable first. Were you able to fit any clothes for me into that little bag?”
Sarah dug through the bag of clothes she’d thrown together and pulled out a pair of jeans, a golf shirt, and casual shoes, and handed them to Billy.
He gave her a grateful smile, glanced at his uncle to make sure he was still resting comfortably, then went into the restroom to change out of what remained of his suit.
Chapter 21
“Where to even start?” Billy asked, feeling much more comfortable in the casual clothes Sarah had brought for him. He eyed Sarah sadly before he joined her by the window where she stood looking out. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his cheek against the top of her head. “Want to tell me about last night first?”
Sarah soaked in the warmth of his arms before turning to give him a pain-filled look and a shrug. “Some of it, I guess.” She did a quick mental filter of her story and decided it would probably be best to leave Ritchie’s connection out of it for now. If someone was listening, the rest of what she told Billy would have already been released to the press and would be common knowledge.
She filled him in as best she could, and tried to indicate that there were a few holes in her story, which he seemed to understand.
“I’m so sorry you had to see that. Farmer Dan and all of those people killed for no reason.” He shook his head in a mixture of sorrow and anger. “It’s just awful. Unbelievable. I’m so thankful you weren’t in their group. To think how easily you could have been in that greenhouse when that whacko started shooting!” he exclaimed, anger overcoming his sorrow at the thought. He tamped down that anger and pulled her close, whispering into her hair, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
Fighting back tears, she snuggled close to Billy before pulling back with a sniff.
“It’s okay. I just don’t know how Linda was able to hold herself together as well as she did.” She closed her eyes, picturing the bodies scattered on the greenhouse floor, and shuddered. “It was just so awful. So surreal.”
She opened her eyes to look up at him. “Tell me what has happened since you’ve been here.”
His laugh was without mirth. “Where should I begin? The whole trip happened like a whirlwind. You know I had no clue I was being sent to Seattle yesterday. I received a call from the front desk to grab some stuff out of my closet for a trip.”
He gave a snort of laughter. “Remind me to tell you about my magic closet at work that just happens to be stocked with everything I need for travel, right down to my underwear! Anyway, Mr. Bryant drove me to the airport, and I flew here in the nicest airplane I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“The one I flew on was nice, too,” Sarah interrupted, and Billy smiled slightly.
“When we landed I was taken straight to my meeting, and that’s when it really got interesting. You can’t begin to imagine how shocked I was when I saw Uncle Bill. I’m thinking I probably haven’t seen him since I was about twelve, but I recognized him right away. It took me a few minutes to realize that he was the Top I was meeting, though. He told me he has kept an eye on me over the years, and for good reason.”
Billy wasn’t willing to take a chance that the rest of what he wanted to say might be overheard, so he got the red folder he’d brought with him from his uncle’s office and motioned for Sarah to join him on the couch and read the papers inside.
He sat nervously waiting for her to finish, tapping his foot restlessly, and alternated between watching the top of Sarah’s blond head moving slightly back and forth as she read and staring out the window. He wondered if maybe he should have waited to tell her about this. He drummed his fingers on the arm of the couch and glanced over at his uncle who seemed to be resting peacefully.
Sarah looked up from the folder, all the questions she couldn’t ask swimming in her eyes. Billy just shrugged and shook his head. He didn’t know half the answers himself.
The door burst open and a regal-looking older man stormed in, demanding in his British accent to know who was in charge. He had a mane of silver hair wore a three-piece suit and carried a walking stick. A well-dressed nurse scurried in on his heels, requesting that he keep his voice down as patients were trying to rest.
He ignored her completely, strode directly to the bedside, then abruptly stopped and seemed to deflate as he stared at the man lying there.
“Oh, William,” he said softly. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. Whatever have they done to you?”
He turned to the nurse and in a more subdued voice asked, “What happened to him? Is he going to be all right?”
“Sir, as I said, the doctors believe he had a heart attack. He is in good hands and has an excellent chance of recovery, but he must get his rest.”
“I’ll let him rest,” he consented before his gaze settled on Billy and Sarah. He brushed by the nurse and stopped in front of them, his large presence filling the room. “Who are you two, and what business do you have being here?” he asked as he eyed them angrily.
Billy rose to greet the blustering man. With a split-second decision he introduced himself and Sarah. “I am William Berkley Roth, and this is my wife, Sarah.”
The man froze at his name. “William Berkley?” He cocked his head to the side studying Billy. “You are a,
um, relative, of William’s?” he asked tentatively.
“I’m his great-grandson.”
The man plopped down in the nearest chair in apparent shock, mulling over this news. He looked up at Billy and a huge smile slowly covered his face. “You are a blood relative of William’s?”
“Yes, sir,” Billy said, trying to sound confident while hoping everything Uncle Bill told him was true.
The man stood back up and grabbed Billy’s hand, pumping it with exuberance.
“I had no idea! He never let on. Where have you been? I don’t remember ever meeting you,” the man gushed with a slight frown, trying to place the young couple in front of him.
Billy looked at Sarah out of the corner of his eye and could tell she was hiding a grin behind her hand at the man’s extreme mood swings.
“Before I answer anything else, may I ask who you are?”
“Me?” the man asked as though surprised someone would not know him.
“I am Oliver Radcliffe.” He looked at Billy and Sarah trying to decide how much they might know. “I, um,” he cleared his throat, “work for the same company as William. I got here just as quickly as I could when I heard the news. I would have been here sooner, but when I arrived in town I went straight to William’s building and nobody seemed to know where he was, so I had to start calling hospitals.”
“Nobody knew where he was because nobody was there last night when the ambulance came. I wanted to let someone know what was going on, but I couldn’t find anyone, and the ambulance was waiting for me, so I just left.” Billy’s brow creased. “How did you know something happened to my uncle?”
“Your uncle? I thought you said he was your great-grandfather?” the man accused suspiciously.
“Long story. He is my great-grandfather, but I’ve always called him Uncle Bill. Your turn.” Billy insisted. “How did you know he was here?”
“I already told you how I knew he was here. I called every hospital in the region!”
“Let me rephrase that. How did you know anything happened to him?”
Mr. Radcliffe looked from Billy to Sarah with a perplexed expression and answered Billy’s question with one of his own. “Do you work at the same company your great-grandfather does?”
Billy nodded.
“But you do not know how I knew something was wrong with him?” Billy shook his head, wondering where these questions were going.
Contemplating that he finally asked, “Are you fairly new to the company?”
“Yes, I’ve worked there less than a year.”
Mr. Radcliffe’s face brightened. “That explains it!” he declared happily.
“Explains what?” Billy asked in frustration.
“You must know I cannot say much at this time,” he stated hoping Billy knew the risk of the room being bugged. “Perhaps you and your wife would care to join me for a coffee and a bit of breakfast somewhere.”
Billy looked at him and then at his Uncle Bill lying helplessly in the bed and shook his head decisively. “He can’t be left alone.”
A look of concern filled Mr. Radcliffe’s eyes, and he whipped a small notepad and pencil from his pocket and filled the page quickly.
He handed it to Billy. Keep the page covered. Cameras. Are you fearful for William’s well-being if he is left alone, or do you just want to stay with him?
Billy kept the paper covered and wrote back. He said someone gave him a shot last night that would make it look like he had a heart attack. Someone is trying to kill him, and I don’t know who can be trusted.
You have no reason to believe this yet, Mr. Radcliffe wrote, but I can be trusted with William’s safety. I will get someone here who can protect him. Then we will go talk.
Billy gave Mr. Radcliffe a long look before nodding, and the notepad and pencil were slipped back into Mr. Radcliffe’s jacket pocket.
Mr. Radcliffe made a phone call, and then joined Billy and Sarah. “Someone will be here shortly.”
They sat in an awkward silence while Mr. Radcliffe looked around the room. “This is a pleasant facility. I’m glad it was nearby.”
Sarah seconded his observation. “It’s very nice. I’ve never seen a hospital anything like this before. Did you see how the doctors and nurses are dressed? Wow!”
Mr. Radcliffe looked her over and then smiled kindly. “I think if you were to choose any other floor in this building, it would be like other hospitals. Doctors and nurses in green scrubs and white jackets, and that awful hospital smell permeating everything.” He actually shuddered. “This floor is reserved for special patients.”
“Does your company own this hospital?” Sarah asked with discretion having noticed that he hadn’t mentioned the name Scinegue.
“No, we do not own it. We did have some say in the design, though, and provided some funding. We believed a floor like this would be appreciated by certain people who might need added protection or confidentiality.” His eyebrows lifted with the last word.
“Some hospitals we spoke with were very accommodating, others fought the idea tooth and nail, proclaiming that what was good enough for one patient should be good enough for the next.” He shrugged. “Such is life I suppose. It is hard to ever get people to agree it seems.”
Billy noticed a movement from the bed and went to check on his uncle. He found him with his eyes open, staring at Mr. Radcliffe. Billy leaned down close to him. “Mr. Radcliffe is here,” he whispered. “Is he okay?”
The old man’s eyes seemed to light, and he gave a nod of confirmation.
“My uncle is awake if you would like to speak to him, Mr. Radcliffe.” Billy returned to the alcove to give the two men at least a bit of privacy.
Sarah leaned close to him and whispered, “What do you think about this Mr. Radcliffe? Do you think we can trust him?”
“I think we have to. We need a little help.” Billy’s understatement made Sarah chuckle, and then the chuckle became a laugh, and pretty soon her whole body was shaking with uncontrollable laughter as she covered her mouth with both hands trying to muffle the sound.
“A little help,” she repeated and chortled unwillingly, the stress of the last several days finding a release.
Billy smiled at her blandly and found a tissue for her to wipe the tears streaming from her eyes. Almost as abruptly as the laughter overcame her, it left, and she sat drained. Only emptiness and fatigue remained.
“What do we know about any of this? Remember the TV show I told you I got the idea of hidden codes from?” Billy nodded. “They make everything look so easy. They find the clues, they solve a crime and they wrap it all up in under sixty minutes. But Billy, they have a script. They know what they are supposed to do next because someone has written it down for them.”
She straightened the damp tissue she still held, then wadded it back up. “We don’t have a script, and I don’t know what our next move should be. I would like to just call the police and turn it over to them to handle, but you know that would be worthless.” She stopped speaking and looked at Billy wide-eyed. She’d forgotten that he didn’t know anything about Ritchie’s encounter with the police, and she knew it was possible this room was being monitored. Had she said too much? She sighed. She was just so worn out.
Billy squeezed her hand reassuringly.
There was a knock at the door and Mr. Radcliffe went to open it. He spoke with someone briefly, and then two well-dressed young men came in and stood at either side of Uncle Bill’s bed.
“William, Sarah,” Mr. Radcliffe called over to where they still sat, “these are very good friends of mine. They have offered to stay with William while we have breakfast.”
The men looked like well-dressed bodyguards standing on either side of the large bed with their arms crossed in front of them. Billy went to speak to his uncle, asking if he minded if they left for a while to talk with Mr. Radcliffe. His uncle faintly assured him that he would be in good hands with the two men. Then he motioned Billy to come closer.
“Keep
those papers with you at all times until we’re able to finalize things. There are some who would do almost anything to have my place filled by someone of their choosing.”
Billy pulled a corner of the folder out from under his arm to show his uncle that he had the papers with him. His uncle gave a sigh of relief, then lay back with his eyes closed.
Chapter 22
With Sarah’s hand secure in his, Billy followed Mr. Radcliffe from the hospital. Mr. Radcliffe suggested taking a cab in case the company cars were being followed, and he was busy giving the driver instructions to take them someplace that served breakfast this early. They were soon dropped off at a fast-food chain.
“Not exactly what I had in mind,” Mr. Radcliffe said blandly as he smoothed his suit and tapped the walking stick that he didn’t appear to need. Billy and Sarah shared a smile at how out of place Mr. Radcliffe looked in a place like this, dressed as he was, and Billy appreciated the casual clothing Sarah had brought for him.
They found a table in the back and ate quietly for a few minutes before Billy broke the silence. “Mr. Radcliffe, you said we can trust you, and my uncle seems to trust you. We’ve had a lot happen to us the last couple of days that all appears to be related to the company. If we tell you what we know, do you think you will be able to help us?”
“Yes.” Mr. Radcliffe’s confident answer surprised Billy.
“Sir, you don’t have any idea what we’re going to tell you. How can you be so sure you can help?”
“Young man, you are new to Scinegue, as you admitted earlier, so you probably have no concept of the scope of my resources. William and the other Tops have the same resources at their disposal. But, of course, William is in no position to undertake any problems at the moment.”
So he was a Top too, Billy realized.
“Please share with me what you know, and I will give you all the information I can. You are not a Top at this point, even though William told me you have signed the papers. Unanimous consent from all the Tops is required for you to take that position, and if William makes a full recovery and is able to maintain his position, the transfer will become void completely. There are some things we have learned that must be kept strictly amongst ourselves. What I can tell you, I will.”
