The God Organ

by Anthony J Melchiorri

  Jacqueline smirked. “Tongue tied? What about it?”

  “I knew somebody there. Friend from college.”

  “Does he still work there?”

  Matthew’s pulse slowed as he took a deep breath and jumped on Jacqueline’s assumption. “No, not anymore. He moved away a few years ago.”

  She gave him a quizzical look. “Are you sure?”

  “Of course.”

  Soon enough, they were in Preston’s office and seated at the small conference table. The room was like a greenhouse, hot sunlight flooding through the windows.

  Matthew blinked as his eyes adjusted. Despite the bright lights lining the halls, the midmorning sun shocked his retinas.

  While they waited, Preston was talking in a hushed voice on his comm card. He held his head in his hand. Jacqueline motioned to him to ask whether they should leave him be, but he urged them to stay.

  “Okay,” he said. “No, I don’t know when I’ll be home...Love you, too.” He got up from his desk and joined them. “Sorry about that. And, I’m sorry to hear about Jonathan.” He shook his head. “This hasn’t been a good month and I fear it’s only going to get worse.”

  “You’re right,” Jacqueline said. “And I want to know how all this information is becoming public. Before we even had a chance to deal with Jonathan’s passing ourselves, there were rumors about him and the company in the news streams.”

  “I agree.” Preston’s voice was calm, measured. “I’ll be honest: I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t suspected one of you three. Two, now.”

  Matthew wanted to say something, but couldn’t think of a coherent, helpful sentence.

  “Who knows?” Preston sighed. “Maybe Grieves did leak their patient records, but he would have had to know that that would get him fired. Just like either of you two. Unfortunately, I worked with Grieves much longer than I have with you both. I’ve seen you do very good work in a very short space of time, so I’ll give you this warning once: if either of you is responsible for what was leaked, you know the consequences. Please, tell me now. If I find out otherwise, I will ensure that you are not only terminated from the company but also will have no shot in hell at finding another job.”

  Matthew’s face turned pale, but Jacqueline stared fiercely back at Preston.

  “Don’t worry,” she said. “Neither of us has anything to do with these stories.”

  Matthew felt reassured by her confidence. “Yes, we want this resolved as much as you do.”

  “Well, I’m glad to see you have such confidence in each other,” Preston said. “I’m afraid I still want to launch an internal investigation into this. Understand that every employee involved in research and regulations will be subject to this examination while I find a new regulations director to take Jonathan’s place.”

  They both nodded in agreement as Preston massaged his temples.

  “Okay,” he said. “While, logically, it doesn’t make sense, I want to believe that you’re both telling me the truth. So please, don’t prove me wrong.”

  “I have no intentions of doing that,” Matthew said.

  “There are two ways we’re going to be approaching this problem. First, we find out who in the company is involved in this mess. Second, we go to this Beth Childs and try to get her off our case.” Preston opened up his comm card to review his notes. “I’ve already filled in Anil. He’ll do what he can to track those responsible for leaking this information.

  “Also, I don’t want you two to lose focus. Keep compiling those audit applications for the FDA along with your work on the Sustain upgrade packages. Once we pass the FDA audits, which I’m banking on you guys to spearhead, we can work on getting FDA approval for the Sustain update packages.”

  “What happens if the FDA finds something wrong in production, though?” Matthew said, genuinely curious. “What if there really is a problem?”

  “That won’t be the case,” Preston said, and turned to stare out the window. “I remember Jonathan saying that there might be alternative explanations for these issues.”

  “The doctors?” Matthew said, surprised. “I thought you knew that was unlikely, too.”

  “I do.” Preston’s tone turned sharp. “But tell the Board that. Tell the investors. Tell the employees who’ll be losing their jobs.”

  Matthew leaned forward, about to open his mouth again. Jacqueline touched his hand slightly, subtly shaking her head at him. He stopped.

  “I know I don’t have to tell you both to be careful. Don’t talk to anybody about what you’re working on,” Preston said. “Especially reporters. And let me know if Ms. Childs comes back to snoop around here to try to get to you guys. I want to meet with her.”

  “Oh,” Jacqueline said, furrowing her brow. “And why’s that?”

  “I want to see what I can pry out of her, for one. And second, I want to make sure we get a photo for our visual recognition security.”

  “Fair enough,” Jacqueline said. “How will we know who she is, though?”

  “Not hard to miss,” Preston said. “I met her at a press conference. About five foot five. Green eyes, red hair.”

  Matthew’s stomach twisted. Beth Childs was from The Shore and had a physical description that matched his wife’s. Fear gripped him. There was no Beth Childs.

  “That shouldn’t be too hard to spot.” Jacqueline grinned.

  Matthew racked his brain, hoping that she hadn’t seen a picture of his wife. He hadn’t unpacked his box of pictures and books after the move to his new office space with Jacqueline. In fact, being near her, he had felt uncomfortable with the idea of having a picture of his wife staring at him.

  ***

  Matthew sorted through documents between bouts of lab work. He couldn’t shake the anger out of his mind. Each time he imagined Audrey, smiling and asking him about his day, hiding what she knew about him and his job, he became more infuriated. But he had to hide it from Jacqueline.

  When he sat back down at his desk to review a lab report from one of the Sustain production labs, Jacqueline rolled her chair next to his. “What’s wrong, Matt?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Come on. I know you better than that.”

  “Really, I’ll be fine.”

  “She did it, didn’t she?”

  “What?”

  Jacqueline laughed. “Remember? You told me how she wanted you to risk your job so she could write her stupid story. Well, she went behind your back and did it, didn’t she?”

  There was no use in feigning denial. Matthew gritted his teeth and nodded. “It makes me furious.”

  “Then... how about we cool off later with a drink?”

  “You’re not going to tell Preston?”

  “No, I won’t,” she said. “You can trust me. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate it. I need someone on my side. Let’s get that drink.”

  ***

  After work, they took the L-train south, braving the crowds to a bar aptly labeled Blues. A bartender served them each a Stella Artois at Matthew’s request. On the small stage in a corner, a woman belted out an old standard with a gusto that sent chills down his spine. He recognized the twelve-bar blues progression from his own days chasing his fleeting music interests on a guitar his uncle had given him.

  The woman swayed and shook as her voice filled the narrow bar. Keeping time with a brush stroke across his cymbal, the drummer bit his lip and bobbed his head as the bass player thumped his way up and down the neck of his instrument. A saxophonist with a knitted brow and curly blond hair played, his restrained tones soothingly complementing the woman’s voice.

  “I love this place.” Matthew shifted in his seat across from Jacqueline.

  “I can tell. That smile across your face pretty much gives it away.”

  “I feel guilty, though.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Seriously? Jonathan just died. Joel is dead. Three other people. And we still haven’t figured out w
hy. We’re working on that goddamn pet project of Preston’s, and honestly, I don’t think that’s important at all right now. We need to figure out exactly what’s going on.”

  Jacqueline reached across the table and caressed his hand. “I know.”

  “Why are we here, then? We should be in the lab working until this thing is over. We need to find out why those people died.”

  “Maybe we won’t find the answer at LyfeGen.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “What if it isn’t our technology?” Jacqueline said. “I’ve worked at LyfeGen for enough time to have some faith in the product.”

  “Really?” Matthew squinted at the wrinkles forming around her eyes, subtle but telling. “Then why don’t you have a Sustain? It can’t be because you can’t afford it. I don’t mean to be offensive, but while we’re going on about how safe this technology is, and you’re a senior leader and all, why don’t you have your own?”

  Jacqueline turned away, her cheeks flushed red. “That’s for another time. And it’s not any of your business.”

  Matthew could sense something amiss. Anger, resentment, maybe. He knew better than to press her. “Okay, sorry. Really, I am. You’re right. It’s not my business. I’m just worked up and I don’t want to take it out on you.” This time he reached out and grasped her hand in his.

  “It’s okay. It’s just not something I like to talk about.”

  A round of applause broke the tense silence between them as the singer beamed at the small crowd.

  “So what do you think is going on?” Matthew said as the applause dissipated and the singer consulted with her band.

  “It might be crazy, but I have a couple of ideas.”

  “Go on.”

  “Those protesters,” Jacqueline said. “They’re awfully wound up. You’ve seen the media attention we’ve been getting. We’ve all seen them in front of our building. I think—and I know I sound like a conspiracy theorist—the church, some church, is after us.”

  “You honestly believe that?”

  “Is it truly that unbelievable?”

  “Well, you’re trying to tell me that people preaching about God’s gift of life would go out and kill random people associated with LyfeGen.”

  “Yes, I am. I find it hard to believe you’d hold them in such high esteem. You can’t forget about religion’s history of persecuting scientists and philosophers who pushed the boundaries of faith and beliefs taught by the church. What about the rash of bombings at abortion clinics a couple decades back? Or the murders of all those sex offenders five years ago? It was all because a few crazed religious zealots thought they were acting on God’s word.” These last two words dripped with contempt.

  Matthew nodded. “Fair enough. But this just seems so much more complicated. You’re talking about bombings and shootings. We’re looking at a string of deaths due to stroke. That would take some intimate knowledge of the Sustain technology, don’t you think?”

  “Are you sure?” Jacqueline said. “Remember when Primosec was pulled off the market?”

  “Oh, God, yeah. That was the drug that ended up increasing the incidence of strokes.”

  “Right. How farfetched would it be for someone to take advantage of a drug like that?”

  He rubbed his chin in thought. “I suppose you might have a point.”

  “I’m not saying that it had to be that drug, anyway. I’m just suggesting the possibilities that might be out there. It certainly would help to know someone in the biotechnology industry who might be familiar with some of the drugs and devices that failed due to complications like these.”

  Matthew’s thoughts raced to Audrey. She had an intimate working knowledge of almost every major biotech and pharma company, their flagship and failing products. That had been the key to her success.

  He didn’t want her to get involved now, though, especially not after he had unwittingly become her source for a story. He had no desire to give her another scoop when he could potentially solve the issue himself and become a hero at LyfeGen.

  If Audrey was going to selfishly pursue her career, he would do the same.

  “Well, do we know anyone like that?” Jacqueline’s mouth contorted in a wry smile.

  “Come on. You want me to get Audrey involved?”

  “Think about it. She kind of owes you.”

  Matthew huffed and shook his head.

  “Anyway, enough business talk. We can forget about it for now. We owe ourselves the distraction.”

  The singer’s voice shook with an emotional timbre. A few couples were dancing in a seductive blues style.

  Jacqueline stood up and grabbed Matthew’s arm. “Let’s dance.”

  “I’m not sure I can move like that,” he said.

  She smiled. “Fine. I’ll lead.”

  This time, he couldn’t claim that his inhibitions had vanished due to alcohol. Instead, he was drunk on Jacqueline’s confident, curving body. As they danced, her legs wrapped around his and her hand caressed the back of his head. A shudder went through him and he dismissed any thoughts of Audrey, justifying his own actions with her betrayal of him. Jacqueline, moving against him, took complete control of their movements and his desire.

  In fact, the last time he made love to Audrey, he had imagined Jacqueline. He had fantasized about her and a moment just like this. Working beside her in the lab, he found himself admiring her ingenuity, too. There was no doubt she was as intelligent as she was beautiful. In conversation, he confided in her as though she were a close friend.

  At home, he had felt unsatisfied with a lazy dog and a detached wife. Audrey had become increasingly focused on her work, and her attempts at conversation seemed more of an investigative interview into his work rather than a chat between loving spouses.

  Now, he knew why.

  For all intents and purposes, he had divorced himself emotionally from Audrey. At least, that was how he justified these feelings for Jacqueline.

  “Let’s get out of here,” she whispered, her breath warming his ear.

  “You want to head home already?”

  “As long as you’re coming with me.” Her lips parted in a seductive smile.

  For the first time, he noticed the others who had joined them on the dance floor. They pushed through the other couples, and Matthew requested a taxi through the comm card.

  They exited Blues onto State Street and ducked into the taxi that had rolled up. Jacqueline laid her head across Matthew’s lap and he brushed her hair.

  A pang of guilt rushed through him. He wondered what he was doing. He felt like a college freshman with her, discovering freedom in his sexuality for the first time. It both frightened and excited him. Yet he couldn’t shake thoughts of Audrey. She would be waiting for him at home, her face as red as her hair, furious.

  No. She had betrayed him, too.

  They were both wretches. But at least he wasn’t destroying her livelihood and compromising the reputation that was key to her career. He could be fired if Preston found out it had been through him that Audrey had discovered the names of the three dead patients, the medical records, the current research projects, and the official letter from the FDA announcing a “site visit.”

  At once, the urge to run away overtook him. He wanted to take the taxi to another city and watch the freezing rain slide past him and Jacqueline as they escaped. But that was silly and childish.

  When the taxi stopped at a building with a sandy façade, Jacqueline opened her eyes and stared up at him. They got out of the car and into the icy rain. Jacqueline slipped on a patch of ice and Matthew almost lost his footing, but managed to keep them both from falling to the sidewalk by grappling with the railing leading up the steps to the entrance. When they both straightened, Jacqueline pulled his face toward hers. The rain fell onto them in torrents and soaked into their clothes as they kissed.

  “That was lovely,” she said. “But I’m freezing now.”

  The glass door opened for her as they approached
. As they walked, puddles formed in their footsteps. A small, round floor bot scurried after them and mopped the water.

  Jacqueline kissed him again in the elevator and once more as they moved down a hallway that smelled of jasmine. Holographic projections of the flower rotated in carved nooks in the walls.

  Her apartment lit up as they fell inside, shedding wet clothes across the floor. She guided him to her bedroom, but didn’t turn on the lights. A soft glow emanated through the windows from the streetlights.

  Matthew rolled on top of her and she grasped his back. The passion that had swelled between them as they danced was released now in Jacqueline’s bed.

  When they were spent, Matthew spooned his body around hers. He pictured Audrey in his mind’s eye, his guilt returning.

  No. It was over. He would tell her.

  He kissed Jacqueline’s ear. “What would you do if I left Audrey?”

  She turned in his arms, her eyes wide. “Don’t do that.”

  “I know this is strange,” he said. “I’m not looking to run away with you.”

  “Good,” she said. “I don’t think I’d be ready for that. My life’s just too complicated.”

  “Yes, you keep telling me that, but I don’t know why.”

  “Eventually. As much as I hate to say it, you should go home to Audrey now. We need to keep her around.”

  Her words weren’t warm or comforting. He could scarcely tell that this was the same ravenous, desirous Jacqueline he’d been dancing with just a short while ago. He wished he could figure out what she was thinking.

  “You’re right.” He slipped out of bed and gathered his clothes. “Can you turn on the light?”

  “No,” she said. “I mean, the place is a mess. I wasn’t planning for you to come over. I don’t want that to be the first memory you have of my apartment.”

  There was the warmth again. Maybe. “Trust me. That wouldn’t be the first memory anyway.” He smirked.

  Jacqueline sat on the edge of the bed with the sheets around her. She touched his arm before he left. “I’m not trying to shoo you away. I hope you know that.”

  He spent the taxi ride home conjuring up explanations for his absence. His best excuse was working late. He realized how absolutely clichéd that might sound, until he remembered that Audrey had been spending late nights pumping out her Beth Childs stories.