by M. G Scott
“Yes,” the nurse replied flatly.
“Good.”
But Sabrina had no intention of waiting around. After double-checking the door was locked, she peered at Blair to make sure she hadn’t witnessed any of this. She slipped the gun and lab coat into her bag and then cautiously peered into the hall. The nurse she had met ten minutes earlier was sitting at the station, buried in paperwork. Sabrina closed the door behind her and quietly headed toward the elevator. When the doors opened, she stepped inside, thankful she was alone. She tapped the skyway button. As the car glided upward she pulled the lab coat from her bag and slipped it on.
From now on, she would be on her own—guided only by her instinct.
Chapter 51
The skyway was aptly named: The walls and ceilings were made of large—maybe six feet across—V-shaped glass panels, causing natural light to flood the walkway from every direction. The black marble floor—polished to a high gloss—added the perfect complement to the bright ambience.
For some reason the moment struck Sabrina as humorous. She was standing in a glitzy Acapulco building—alone. Everywhere she turned, she was in danger. Yet she was as calm as her days as a culinary instructor. Maybe it was because she was so focused on finding the connection between BioHumanity and the murders that she had completely blocked out the danger she was in.
Or maybe she just didn’t give a damn what happened to her.
Sabrina pulled the security card from her coat and waved it near a set of glass doors that blocked entrance to the Donor Center. After a second, a small LED light flashed green. She was in. Trying not to look like a clumsy visitor, she quickly took in the Center’s seventh floor. To her left and right, sets of doors blocked access to the rest of the floor while an elevator stood straight ahead, much like the one in the Heart Center.
Now what?
According to Blair, a woman named Helen Mesona had befriended Gina. If anybody knew where Gina was, Helen would be a good place to start. She took the elevator down one floor, hoping to fine someone to ask which room she was in. When the doors opened, she eyed a small placard that read Donor EV. Ahead, a few nurses were gathered around a station.
Just what she was looking for. Keep it simple, she thought. Act like an employee.
Sabrina walked up to a dark curly haired woman parked behind the high counter. “Hola,” Sabrina said with a fake accent. “I’m looking for Helen Mesona’s room.” She gritted her teeth, realizing it would be easy to notice her badge picture didn’t match the face.
The nurse, dressed in navy-colored scrubs, scanned her for a moment then replied, “You must be new. You here for patient vitals?”
Sabrina paused, wondering if this would lead her down a path she didn’t want to go. Folding her arms, she nodded. “I’ve got a list of donors I’m just trying to orient myself to.”
After another once-over, the woman smiled and said, “Welcome to the Center. I’m glad you joined us.” She placed a tablet on the counter. “Let’s see what we have here.” She tapped the screen a few times and then flicked through a set of pages. “Ah, there she is. She’s in wing SV, on floor five.”
“S … V?” Sabrina responded, as if confused. She wondered what the letters meant.
“Yes,” the nurse replied. She tapped the tablet a few more times and spun it around so Sabrina could see. “See, we’re in EV, which stands for East View. She’s in SV, or South View.”
“So four wings to each floor?”
“Actually, eight.” She pointed to the tablet. “I’m showing you only half the floor—the side that faces the water—which is why it’s called V for View.” She moved her finger. “See this … this is the I side, which stands for Inland.”
Sabrina nodded. She was getting it. “So there’s an east, west, south, north wing on each side.”
The woman nodded. “Since you’re on the V side, all you need to do is take the elevator down one floor to five and head over to the south wing. She’s in room SV-565.”
Sabrina smiled. “Thank you so much.”
“Of course. That’s what we do here: Help the new staff so they can do the same for others.”
Sabrina retraced her steps back to the elevator. As she opened the glass door, the nurse called out, “I look forward to seeing you around!” Sabrina waved a thank you. When she was out of sight, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. If only the woman knew how much she had truly helped her.
When the elevator opened on the fifth floor, she pushed through a set of glass doors and veered right. Her mom had always complained she was directionally challenged. But today she needed to be right. Walking through the wing, she met another set of doors. She was right—a small placard announced she was entering South View. Now she needed to find room 565.
Staying close to the outside wall, she found the room near the back of the wing. The door was closed, as they all were in this part of the Center. She straightened her lab coat and put on as pure a smile as she could muster. Taking a deep breath, she thought about what she would say. And then knocked twice.
A woman—maybe in her mid-thirties with wavy, brownish hair held back by a headband—answered the door. She was dressed in trendy athletic wear—a plum tank matched with black bottoms. “Yes?” she asked simply.
“Hi,” Sabrina began. “I’m from the Heart Center.” She pointed behind her, as if that mattered. “I was hoping I could come in and let you know how much your generosity is helping the patients extend their life.”
Helen’s smile quickly faded. “Um … not sure this is a good time.”
“Oh? I’m sorry … I didn’t introduce myself.” She stuck her hand out. “Theresa Carlos.”
She eyed Sabrina carefully then replied, “Ms. Carlos … thanks for coming but I’m leaving this afternoon and I’d really like to finish packing.” She edged the door shut, as if confirming her words.
“I do understand. But look … I think it’s really important you take some time for this,” Sabrina replied. “I really do.”
Helen sighed, as if she didn’t have the strength to argue. “Okay, but just for a few minutes.” She pulled open the door.
Sabrina’s eyes bulged at the room’s decor. This was definitely not a hospital room; rather a lavishly decorated condo on the Mexican shoreline. The room basked in shades of brown and tan, accented by blues. “How beautiful.”
“Yes, it’s going to be hard to leave. You should see the bedroom.”
“Do you mind?”
“Not at all.”
Two beds shared the room—one with the sheets tucked nicely in place, the other cluttered with clothes and a suitcase. Banks of windows covered two of the walls, streaming sunlight into the room. “Great view,” Sabrina said as she stepped up to a window. She looked at the glistening bay and the pier she had been on only an hour before.
Helen laughed a bit. “You must be new … or don’t get out very much.”
“A little of both,” Sabrina replied, realizing she should act a little less naïve. She turned and pointed to the made bed. “Where’s your roommate?”
“Really?” Helen shot back, her voice clearly agitated. “You should know.”
Sabrina looked surprised. “I’m sorry. I’m new,” she confessed.
“The Center … you guys … took her.”
“Why would we—”
“Don’t give me that. I was here.”
“Where would we have taken her?”
“You really have no idea, Ms Carlos?” She stepped forward and eyed her badge.
Sabrina pulled away.
Helen pulled her eyes up to Sabrina’s face. “That’s not you, is it?”
“You don’t understand.” Sabrina replied, stepping back further.
“Now I get it.” Helen’s eyes were wide but there wasn’t a hint of terror showing. “That’s why you don’t know a thing about this place.”
Take control, she thought. Be strong. Be forceful—just like I did with the nurse. She took a deep br
eath. The anxiety went away, replaced by confidence she knew was always there. Whipping out the gun, she replied, “You’re right.” She aimed it at Helen’s chest. “I don’t.”
Helen threw her hands up. Fear washed across her face. “Look … I’m sorry.” She eyed the barrel of the gun. “Then who are you?”
Sabrina moved toward her until she could feel Helen’s breathing. “I’m here investigating the murders of four people, one of them being Gina’s ex-boyfriend Gregory. And the only way to find the truth is to impersonate a nurse’s aide.”
“What does that have to do with the Center?” Helen asked as her eyes moved between the gun and Sabrina’s face.
“Maybe everything, it turns out.”
Helen looked confused.
“BioHumanity is behind these murders, and I’m trying to find out why, and how.”
“No way,” Helen replied as if not believing.
“When I find out what they’re up to, this whole place is going to go down, along with everybody behind it.” She lowered the gun, hoping that might reduce the tension. “But I need your help.”
Helen seemed to ponder what she was telling her. “Why should I help? I mean … who do you work for? The FBI? The CIA?”
Sabrina grinned. “No … nothing like that. I’m just a rookie reporter who happened to stumble into something I never should’ve. And the least I can do is make them regret killing all those innocent people.”
Helen frowned. “Are you kidding me? A reporter? I’m sorry, but—”
Sabrina didn’t have time for this nonsense. Jamming the gun into her chest, she said, “It’s pretty simple. You help me find out why BioHumanity is killing people and the murders will stop. That alone is a reason to help. Look what they’ve already done to your roommate. I mean, who knows where she is. She could be dead, for all we know. But I’m running out of time. And I need you to help me.”
“But I don’t know how to help,” Helen pleaded.
“Help me find Gina.”
“But how’s that going to—”
Sabrina interrupted her. “Because she knows something. I’m sure of it.”
Helen shoulders slumped and gave a resigned sigh. “After seeing what they did to Gina, I’ve been waiting to spill what I know—someone I could trust.” She pointed at the gun. “But you need to put that thing away and tell me your real name.”
“Okay.” She slipped it back into her backpack. “Now we’re getting somewhere. It’s Sabrina. And I won’t hurt you, I promise.”
The smile returned. “Then let’s sit and talk.”
Sabrina sat on the only clean area of her bed and started digging for answers. “What did they say when Gina disappeared?”
Helen shrugged. “Just that she had an emergency medical situation and they needed to take her to the hospital.”
“But you don’t believe them?”
“No. They didn’t see me witness what happened. I mean … one of the staff came in, said a few words, and then the next thing I knew, they were taking her unconscious from our room.”
“And no word since?”
She shook her head. “They say they don’t have any updated information. It just doesn’t make sense. She never mentioned anything to me about being ill.” Helen looked toward the ocean. “We were outside sitting on the deck. She just went in to get a pair of sunglasses … and now it’s like she’s gone.”
“How long does a donor normally stay here?”
“A week … sometimes two.”
“That must’ve been weeks ago. Why are you still around?”
“Because I’ve been a basket case over the whole thing. And they’ve been very nice to me … told me I could take as much time as I needed.”
Of course they did, Sabrina thought. “So you finally decided to go home?”
A nod. “It’s time. But I still don’t know where she is. I haven’t heard a peep. I’m just hoping she’s okay and back home.”
“Can you think of anything that might lead to her?”
Helen shook her head. “Nothing.”
Sabrina picked her words carefully. “I can tell you she’s not home.”
Helen’s eyes widened. “How do you know that?”
“Because her ex, Gregory, went there. Nobody’s there.”
A sigh. “I didn’t need to hear that.”
Sabrina put a hand on her. “I didn’t mean to make you more anxious.”
“What about you? Is there anything you’ve learned that could help?”
Sabrina pondered what she asked. All she had were the interviews and what she remembered from the journal. A thought struck her: What about the notes? She grabbed the notebook from her bag—thankfully she had copied parts of Sanchez’s journal while she still had it.
“What’s that?” Helen asked, sitting beside her.
“Notes I took from a journal … a journal from a man who knew BioHumanity very well.”
“Who?”
“Eric Sanchez. He was a research scientist with them. He became so disturbed by what he saw going on at the company, he created a daily journal.”
“Anything worthwhile?”
“I’d say plenty. I just haven’t figured it all out. But I can tell you one thing: BioHumanity desperately wanted the journal back.”
“Oh? Where is it now?”
“If my assumptions are right, I’d say they do. A hit man they sent recovered it.”
“From you?” Helen guessed.
Sabrina sighed. She didn’t want to relive that right now. It was still too traumatic. “Yes,” she simply replied.
“How did you end up with it?”
“While I was investigating Sanchez’s company, I met his assistant Mona. She gave it to me but then they killed her … probably over the journal.”
Helen covered her mouth. “Oh my God.”
Sabrina looked at her hard. “They must’ve known she gave it to me because they’ve been trying to kill me since.”
“How?”
“Car accident.” And then she added, “The second one I’ve been in the last month.”
“What do you think it all means?”
“What do I think it all means?” Sabrina repeated. She paused, thinking about an answer. “It means they’re hiding something sensitive—so sensitive they’re willing to do whatever it takes to keep it that way.”
“Like what?”
“I know it starts with stem cells and ends with organ harvesting. I just haven’t been able to make the connection.”
“Where did you come up with organ harvesting?”
“Sanchez talks about it in his journal.” Sabrina eyed her notes. “He says BioHumanity needs to cease harvesting. That’s why finding Gina is so critical. If she mysteriously disappeared off the face of the earth as everybody seems to think, then there may be a reason. She may know something … assuming she isn’t dead … that ties everything together.”
Helen sighed. “I wish I could help you. I really do.”
Sabrina flipped though her notes. What was the connection? Her eyes were drawn to the last page where she had underlined three numbers and two letters.
SI-790.
It was the last thing Eric had written in his journal.
Something occurred to her. “Helen, is the skyway the top floor?”
A nod.
“Is there a wing called South Inland?”
“Yes, you’ll run into it … once you walk through the elevator lobby that splits the two wings.”
“Really.”
“Yes, absolutely.”
“Makes me wonder,” Sabrina said as she circled the number. Could it be a room number here at the Center that was important to Eric Sanchez, important enough to write in his journal?
“Wonder what?”
Sabrina put away her notes. “I don’t know. Just a hunch. I doubt it’s anything.” She couldn’t risk Helen knowing where she was going with this, no matter how much she trusted her.
“What now?”
Sabrina stood. “I don’t want to waste any more of your time. You’ve been a huge help.” She gave Helen a quick hug.
“But I didn’t tell you anything.”
“You’ve helped me more than you can imagine.”
“Where you off to?”
“To find Gina.”
Sabrina walked out of the bedroom and then paused. “Congratulations on leaving today. I hope we’ll get a chance to meet again on better terms.”
“With Gina,” Helen replied.
“Yes, with Gina,” Sabrina repeated.
Chapter 52
The cellphone buzzed. Vua turned away from his seventh floor penthouse window and glared at the phone, squinting at the number blinking through. “What the …” he mouthed. He snatched the phone. “Yes?”
“It’s Rico. We’ve got an intruder in the donor building.”
“I see. Who is it?”
Silence and then, “It’s unbelievable to say this, sir, but we believe it’s the reporter … Sabrina Katz.”
Vua’s heart jumped. If it were true, then something went wrong with Mannheim … something devastatingly wrong. “Are you sure it’s that damn bitch?” he replied, trying to contain himself. “She should be hours dead by now.”
“I understand that but it appears to be true. I triple-checked the security feed coming in … from multiple cameras … it’s definitely her. I’m a hundred percent sure of it.”
“Then how’d she get in?”
“I … don’t know. I’m backtracking the feed now to see when she walked in. I can tell you she picked up security clearance by stealing a nurse’s lab coat and badge.”
“From whom?”
“Theresa Carlos. We found her locked in the bathroom of one of our patients.”
“So she was in the Heart Center too?”
“Yes.”
He tapped his desk. “Which patient?”
“Blair Archer.”
“Blair Archer?” That bitch. After hearing about Sabrina’s friendship with Gregory Archer, he wasn’t surprised. He made a mental note to pay Blair a special visit once the Center was secure.
“That’s right. I’m going to cut off her clearance so she doesn’t burrow in any further.”
