by Ciana Stone
What was strange was that Harper had suddenly dropped out of school and moved back to Kentucky. Ryan found that odd. Harper was in school on an athletic scholarship. Ryan could not imagine why Harper would have given it up. After all, Senna had not pressed charges, so it was doubtful that he stood any risk of being called to task by the university for what he had done.
A noise drew his attention to the door. Ryan stood as a beautiful woman in a wheelchair appeared. Minora Laserian was not at all what he had expected. He had pictured an elderly, grey-haired woman, very stereotypically grandmotherish.
She was definitely not that. Her blond hair glistened in the light like strands of pale gold. Her eyes were large and slightly almond, and were without a doubt the most remarkable shade of blue he had ever seen. She was slim and he could see that she had a spectacular figure, even seated in the wheelchair. She didn’t appear a day over forty, and was by any standard exceedingly beautiful.
“Detective Dalton.” Her voice was slightly low in pitch, yet melodious. She wheeled over and extended her hand. “What can I do for you?”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He took her hand, feeling for the world as if he should drop to one knee and kiss her hand rather than stand and shake it. “I’m sorry it has to be under such unpleasant circumstances.”
Minora’s eyes darkened and her mouth tightened for an instant. He got the impression that she didn’t want him to see how upset she was about Senna’s disappearance.
“Please, do be seated,” she gestured gracefully. “Can I offer you refreshments?”
“No, thank you,” he declined as he sat. “First, I’d like to take the opportunity to tell you that I feel like I already know you—through Senna, that is. It’s obvious that the two of you are very close and she loves you like a mother.”
Tears appeared in Minora’s eyes and she blinked them away. “That is very kind of you, Detective Dalton.”
“Please, call me Ryan.”
“Very well, Ryan. But I hardly think you’ve come just to pay me compliments. Do you have news of my niece?”
“Actually, I was hoping you might have heard something. Or might have some idea where I could look for her.”
She shook her head, and he noticed the way she clasped both hands together in her lap. “Believe me, had I any idea where she might be, I would be on my way there now. Unfortunately, I haven’t a clue. I’ve spoken with everyone I can think of and no one seems to have seen or spoken with her. Frankly, I’m beginning to experience the onset of panic, something I’ve tried to hold at bay. Senna is the last of my family. Should something happen to her…”
Ryan reached over and put his hand on top of her clasped ones. “I don’t think there’s any need to jump to conclusions, Ms. Laserian. I’m sure she’s okay. Maybe she just needed to get away. She has been through a lot recently.”
“Indeed she has.” Minora looked pointedly at him. “And I find myself wondering how much you contributed to that.”
Ryan was taken aback by the steel beneath the silk. Senna had told him that Minora was protective of her but he had not expected to be called to task.
“I…” He was at a loss for words. “I’m not sure what you mean, Ms. Laserian. Senna and I dated for some time and—”
“But no longer,” she interrupted. When he looked at her in surprise, her tone softened. “Let me be frank, Ryan. I know that whatever relationship you and Senna once had, is over. The fact that she chose to stay with Mr. Chase rather than here with me after that horrible incident with the men in the van is evidence of that. My niece is not a woman to carry on indiscriminately, therefore, I must conclude that she has chosen to end whatever relationship she had with you in favor of the one she now enjoys with Mr. Chase.”
“You’ve met Konnor?” He was surprised. He and Senna had dated a long time, almost a year, and in all that time, not only had she never offered to introduce him to Minora, she had declined whenever he suggested it.
“Yes, I have.”
“And what did you think of him?”
Minora’s eyes took on a glint. “Do I detect a note of jealousy?”
“Just curiosity.” He glanced away as he lied.
“I found him to be very charming gentleman, very gallant and courteous.” She turned her wheelchair slightly, so that she angled toward the window and away from him.
Ryan got the impression she didn’t want to discuss Konnor and understood. She was Senna’s aunt and would stand by whatever choice Senna made, even if it was the wrong one.
“I understand that you and Dr. Pierce-Warner were very close,” he said, changing the subject.
“Yes.” Her hands moved to her lap again and she looked down at them as she answered. “Poor, dear, Harlan.”
“Can you think of anyone who would wish him ill? Anyone who would have a reason to want to see him dead?”
“None whatsoever,” she sighed and raised one hand to fondle the gem that hung from a gold chair around her neck. “He was a very dear, gentle man who didn’t have an enemy that I am aware of.”
Ryan could hear the grief in her voice and could see the slump of her posture. She must have cared for Pierce-Warner a great deal. He wanted to speak with her more, but could think of nothing else to ask. “I appreciate you taking the time to see me, Ms. Laserian,” he said as he stood. “I know this is a difficult time for you.”
“I will do anything to bring my niece home safely.” She turned to face him, seeming to be in control of her emotions again. “Thank you for your concern.”
“I want you to know that it’s not just for professional reasons I came here,” he volunteered. “I care about Senna and I’m going to go everything I can to find her and get her home safe.”
“Thank you.” Minora extended her hand. “Good evening, Detective—pardon me—Ryan. Drive safely. Mrs. Mueller will show you out.”
She pressed a call button located on the wall beside the door. Only a moment passed before the housekeeper appeared. “Detective Dalton is leaving,” Minora announced.
“This way, sir,” the housekeeper said.
Ryan gave Minora one last smile then followed the heavy-set housekeeper to the door. She didn’t bother to speak as she opened the door for him. He stepped out and turned to say goodbye only to be met with the door closing in his face.
“What now?” he asked aloud as he turned and walked to his car. He could think of nowhere else to turn for leads and that made him edgy. Every hour that passed was sixty minutes in which Senna could end up like her scientist friends, stone cold on a slab in the morgue. The image brought a shudder. He had to find her.
The sun had almost reached its apex by the time Senna woke. She kept her eyes closed, watching as the newly discovered memories passed through her mind. She found it difficult to accept that what she remembered had really happened to her, that she had experienced such things. Was the disbelief nothing more than an attempt to deny the truth? Now that she remembered, she realized she might have lived a happier life never knowing.
But it was too late to undo what had been done. She had no choice but to accept the truth and go on. The question uppermost in her mind was whether she had the nerve to play the role she had been forced into.
Finally she could not lie still another minute. After showering and dressing, she went downstairs. Marcus was sitting at the kitchen table with the newspaper spread out in front of him. She saw that a fresh pot of coffee was brewed and fixed herself a cup.
“Did you rest well?” Marcus asked when she took a seat across from him.
“Ummm,” she murmured, in the process of sipping her coffee.
“And the memories?”
“There’s so much to assimilate. And I still find it…amazing,” she groped for the words to describe it. “I never imagined that something like this was possible, much less that I would play a part in it. To suddenly realize that the impossible is actually possible is enough of a surprise. To find out that the knowledge of the impossi
ble has been locked up inside my mind all these years is…well, it’s like waking up and finding out you’re living some kind of…”
“Science fiction dream?” he asked.
“That’s as good a description as any,” she admitted and glanced down at the paper on the table. Coffee suddenly sloshed over the rim of her cup as a name jumped off the page at her. “What’s that?”
“I was going to tell you.” Marcus knew what she was referring to. “But…here, read for yourself.”
He turned the paper around and she read the article as he mopped up the spilled coffee. “Oh, my god,” she said as she looked at him. “Do you know what this means?”
“It is a tragedy. Did you have any idea he was so troubled?”
“That’s just it! The only thing troubling Ian was Slater and his crony, Dr. Kinski. Marcus, Ian didn’t kill himself.”
“The article said it was an apparent suicide,” he pointed out. “A message was found on the screen of his computer for his wife, according to the police.”
Senna shook her head. “No, I don’t believe it. Ian wouldn’t have killed himself. He had no reason.”
“That you know of,” he said quietly and when she looked at him in irritation, he added,” While he may have been your psychiatrist and even a friend, can you honestly say that you knew him well enough to say, without a doubt, that there was nothing in his life that was troubling him? That he had no problems?”
“I know he wouldn’t kill himself!” she insisted and jumped up from the table. She paced across the room and suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. “Slater! It had to be Slater. He made it look like a suicide.”
“What motive would he have?” Marcus asked. “Now, don’t look at me that way. I’m merely playing devil’s advocate. If, as you have told me, Dr. Drake was cooperating with Slater and providing him a cover for Dr. Kinski’s sessions with you, then why kill him?”
It came to her in a flash. “The disc! Slater knows about the DVD. That means Kon…” Realizing her mistake she changed in mid-sentence. “Ian came to see me and had a DVD with him. He said he had recorded the session with Kinski and a conversation he had later with Slater and Kinski. He said it was insurance against them. He was afraid to keep it at his office and wanted me to hide it.”
Marcus went to the counter to freshen his coffee. “Senna, I can understand how that might seem like the perfect motive to you, but let me give you a reality check. It would not matter if Dr. Drake had a recording of Slater murdering someone. Slater has too much power.”
Senna plopped down in a chair. She had to think. Maybe Slater would not have been threatened by the disc, she considered. But if that wasn’t the reason then why did he kill Ian? She could not consider the possibility that Ian killed himself. She might not have known everything about him, but one thing she did know was that he was an ambitious and driven man, determined to get to the top of his profession. He would not have given up on those dreams.
She felt a sick lump form in her stomach. If Slater found the DVD then he knew Konnor had been helping Ian. And that was enough for him to have Konnor killed.
“I have to go!” She jumped up. “Can I borrow your car?”
“Go where?”
“Home.”
“Why?”
“Why?” She looked at him like he had lost his senses then realized he didn’t understand her urgency. And would not unless she told him about Konnor. She wasn’t ready to do that. Even though there was still the chance that Konnor was loyal to Slater and didn’t return her feelings, she could not betray him.
Marcus had made it clear that Slater was the enemy, or at least one of them, and that made Konnor the enemy as well, in his book. She might be making a terrible mistake, but she had to try and protect Konnor. And he wasn’t the only one, she realized with a stab of fear.
“Minora!” she blurted. “Don’t you see? If Slater killed Ian then what’s to stop him from going after Minora? I have to make sure she’s okay, get her to leave town or something.”
“Why not just call her?”
“For god’s sake, Marcus, this is your sister we’re talking about!” Her voice rose in accord with her panic.
Marcus crossed his arms over his chest. “I know who she is, my dear. And I do not doubt that you are concerned. But Minora has always been adept at taking care of herself, and I am sure that has not changed. I think that perhaps you are anxious for another reason. One you have not admitted.”
Senna wondered how he could know she was hiding something. Was she that transparent? “That’s absurd!” She tried to mislead him by feigning offense.
“It is?” He appeared unruffled by her tone.
“Of course!” She looked away.
There was complete silence for a bit. When Senna felt she had her emotions in check, she turned to face him again.
“Why don’t you trust me, Senna?” He sounded hurt.
That blew a hole in her defenses better than any amount of conflict. “I do trust you.”
“Then tell me the truth.”
She looked down for a moment. “Okay, I wasn’t completely honest. I am concerned for Min. That part is true. But there’s someone else I’m afraid for. Someone I have to warn before Slater gets to him.”
“Are you referring to Ryan Dalton or Konnor Chase?”
“Ryan Dalton,” she lied. “As you obviously know, he’s a police detective who’s been investigating the murders. If Slater’s so intent on killing everyone I might have told something to, then Ryan could be a target. We dated for almost a year.”
As she spoke what she had intended to be a lie, she realized that what she said was true. Slater might consider Ryan a threat if he thought Ryan knew anything. That posed another problem, namely, how to warn Ryan.
“Just as he might consider Mr. Chase a potential threat,” Marcus added, then smiled when her eyes widened. “Don’t look so surprised, my dear. I may be old, but I’m not deaf, dumb and blind. Anyone could tell just by the expression on your face, or tone of your voice that you’re in love with Konnor Chase. The question is, is he in love with you, or merely pretending in order to get what Slater wants?”
“Slater doesn’t control Konnor,” she replied. “I’d bet my life on that.”
“That is exactly what you’re doing. Senna, I ask you to reconsider. We have much to do and time is running short. The longer we wait the more risk there is of being discovered.”
“I have to do this.” She walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. “Marc— Father, please. I’m asking you to trust me. I understand how critical the situation is, and I’m not trying to pretend as if the danger doesn’t exist. But I do love Konnor and I have to warn him. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t and something happened to him. Please, don’t fight me on this because you can’t win. This is something I’m going to do, with or without your help or approval.”
After a moment Marcus smiled. “My, you have grown into a remarkable woman, haven’t you, my child?”
She smiled gratefully and hugged him. “Now,” she said as she pulled back. “Can you give me a ride?”
“I suppose I can manage that. But I must stress that time is of the essence. We must turn our full attention to locating the Gate. I have Lucas’ notes and will go over them again to see if there is something I missed.”
“I might be able to help you on that,” she said as she headed for the door.
“Oh?” He hurried to keep up with her. “How is that?”
“I’ll have to ask you to trust me on that as well. I may be wrong, but then again, I may know how to locate the Gate. If I can then we’ll be one step ahead of them.”
Marcus nodded and got in the car. “I’ve made arrangements,” he said as he backed out of the garage. “We must be in Glendale within 120 hours.”
“Where’s Glendale?” she asked. “And why 120 hours?
“Glendale is in Nevada and in 121 hours, the Air Force will be running war simulations at Nellis
Air Force Range. We must be in place before the games begin.”
“Hold on!” she protested. “What do war games at Nellis have to do with us and whatever’s in Glendale?”
“There is someone I must see in Glendale, someone we need in order to get inside the military perimeter.”
“So, you’re telling me that we’re going to Nellis?”
“In a manner of speaking. Our destination is Groom Lake.”
“Groom Lake? Isn’t that where scientists supposedly worked on an alien aircraft?”
“There are a number of fascinating things going on there. However, we are interested in only one. A project known as Sumer.”
“Sumer?” She looked at him in surprise. “You mean there’s another prototype?”
He nodded and she fell back against the seat in shock. She considered it for a few minutes. “How did they manage to reconstruct it? I thought the original was completely destroyed?”
“The government can do amazing things when they put their collective mind to it.”
“But it can’t work! We both know that. Without the chip and…hey, hold on! If what they have is no good, then why go there? What if we get caught? Have you considered what would happen if they got their hands on—”
“We’re going to destroy it,” he interrupted and slowed to pull off the road into the parking lot of a supermarket. “Senna, listen to me. Everything they have, the prototype, the data, everything is in one location. Nothing is allowed off site. If we can destroy it, nothing will be left. Most of the scientists who were hired to perform the work have been eliminated. They would have to start fresh because they’ve killed almost everyone who could reconstruct the data. Now is the only chance we have—before they bring in a new team and start again.”
The impact of what he said took a minute to sink in. “I understand,” she said. “But there’s one thing you haven’t mentioned. There’s still what’s up here.” She tapped her head with her index finger.
