Unveiled

by Ruth Vincent

  Then she walked over to one of the nearby booths. It was one of the ones that sold bed linens of impossibly high thread counts at impossibly low prices.

  “Do you remember when we were setting up house, when we first moved into the apartment together, and we bought a set of those things?” Eva said to me, changing the subject.

  “And we both woke up the next morning with a horrific rash, and vowed to never buy sheets off the street again?” I laughed, and she did too.

  “We really have come a long way together, Mab,” Eva said at last, and I nodded, a deep sadness in my chest. This was one of the things I would miss most if I ever moved to the Vale permanently, the comforting domesticity of my life with Eva. Dammit, I couldn’t think about that right now.

  “Ooh, look, they have funnel cakes,” Eva cried, interrupting my thoughts. She pointed towards the sign. I could smell the hot sweet grease in the air. I was glad that she seemed to be distracted from the memory of Cory.

  Eva turned to me. “I do not need a funnel cake.”

  “Eva, no one needs a funnel cake. But wants . . .”

  “You’re not helping,” said Eva, forking over a couple bucks to the vendor, and being rewarded with bomb of powdered sugar in a red-checked paper container.

  We walked in companionable silence for a while, pulling off bits of hot, sugary dough and munching on them.

  At last I wiped my fingers on a paper napkin and spoke.

  “Will you tell me about this new job that’s taking up all your time? Where have you been?”

  Eva’s eyes brightened. “I’m sorry I haven’t told you before now. It’s just . . . I wanted to wait until I knew for sure it was really happening, until I was a hundred percent certain I’d get in.”

  “Get in? What are you talking about?”

  “It’s not just a new job. Although it’s that too.” She grinned. “I’m continuing with school. I’m not going to stop with my associate’s degree in nursing. I’m going to go for my bachelor’s.”

  “Eva, that’s wonderful!” I threw my arms around her and we hugged in the middle of the street, annoyed crowds of pedestrians grumbling past.

  Eva blushed, and shrugged. “I guess I’d never really thought of it before. I never thought I’d make it this far. I mean, I know more people from my high school class who are dead than who went to college.”

  She said the words lightly, turning her attention to one of the used book vendors, but I looked at her horrified. Eva and I had grown up a hop-skip across the Hudson from each other, in the South Bronx and Grover Heights, New Jersey, respectively, and yet we might as well have been raised in different universes. And I didn’t mean the human world and Fairyland. Most of the time I forgot that, and then she’d say something like this, casually offhand, and I’d see the chasm that separated us.

  “But my new boss, Tamira,” Eva continued, running her hand along the book spines, “she’s amazing. I told her how much I loved all my science classes and she encouraged me to switch majors to bioengineering. I didn’t have all the prerequisites, but Tamira wrote some letters for me, and told the department she thought I could handle it. The last few weeks I’ve barely slept—it’s why I haven’t seen you—but even though it’s hard, it’s so fascinating. You know how I got the job with Tamira?” she asked me.

  I shook my head.

  “Remember when that guy from the NYPD wanted to interview us about that drug they found in Obadiah’s club?”

  My stomach tightened, the funnel cake I had eaten turning to lead. I remembered all too well. The NYPD had questioned us in connection to their investigation of the vials found in the club. Our participation had been voluntary, but Reggie had encouraged me to talk to them. It had been the most awkward conversation of my life. How could I tell the well-meaning investigators that the substance they thought was a new street drug was really Elixir? I told them I didn’t know anything about it, and they’d seemed satisfied with my non-answers. I’d assumed Eva hadn’t been any more forthcoming. She’d told me she had no memory of what had happened that night at Obadiah’s, because of her subsequent injury.

  “What did you tell them?” I asked.

  “Nothing important. I told them I didn’t have any memory of what happened that night, after someone put something in my drink. I was just grateful that nothing worse happened to me than my fall. But anyway, I really hit it off with the detective who interviewed me.” She smiled, her dark, long-lashed eyes beguiling. Eva could always charm the pants off whatever man she happened to talk to—often quite literally. “Anyway, he was so sweet and nerdy. I was telling him about my nursing school classes, how microbiology was my favorite subject. And he told me that the head of the lab they were going to be using in their investigation was looking for a part-time assistant. That’s how I met my boss, Tamira. I didn’t want to tell you till I was sure they were going to hire me, but now it’s official.”

  “That’s amazing,” I said, excitement and fear trilling through me. Eva was going to be working at the lab that was investigating Elixir. On the one hand it was perfect; I’d have an inside source to keep tabs on their research. But what were they going to find? This stuff must be terrifying the researchers. They had no idea what they were dealing with.

  We continued walking among the booths, but I could no longer see them. I was so caught up with the idea that Eva was going to be right there in the lab that was researching Elixir.

  “Tamira thinks I could be a real researcher if I stay in school and work at it,” Eva went on. “She’s willing to mentor me. The work itself is pretty tedious for the most part; that’s what people don’t understand about science. But the work we’re doing, it’s truly groundbreaking.”

  I bet, I thought fearfully, not saying anything. You’re studying magic. You just don’t know it.

  But judging by the wideness of Eva’s eyes as she talked, I wondered if she hadn’t begun to suspect something. Oh god, would she or her colleagues realize they were dealing with something that wasn’t from the human world at all?

  An idea was occurring to me.

  “Eva?” I asked. “Is your lab open to the public? Could I come visit?”

  “It’s not really open to the public, but I bet Tamira would let you visit me there. I’m sure some stuff would be off-limits, of course, anything that’s volatile or undergoing active research. But if you want to just take a look around the facilities, that would probably be okay.” She shrugged. “I’m not sure it’ll be very interesting for you; all there is to see is lots of racks of agar-jell and vials.”

  “Still,” I said, “I really would like to visit.” I wanted to meet the people who were working with Elixir. Glean as much knowledge about their experiments as I could. I could always ask Eva questions about it, but there was no substitute for being there, seeing their work for myself. It was a long shot, but it was worth asking.

  “Let me check with my boss,” Eva said.

  “Thanks,” I said. “But only ask if it feels comfortable. I don’t want you to do anything to jeopardize your job. You seem really happy there.”

  “Yeah,” Eva said. “I guess I feel like the work I’m doing actually matters. That’s precious.”

  It was precious. And all I could think about as she said these words was what was that type of work for me? I mean, being a P.I. was fun, and challenging, but did it matter in that ultimate way? It mattered to our clients, like Brenda and Quinn, but did it matter to the world? Like being the next Fairy Queen mattered to the Vale? No matter where my thoughts turned, my mind kept circling back to that.

  Eva got the go-ahead from her boss and set up my meeting at the lab two days later. I had never been inside a real research laboratory before, and had no idea what to expect. I met Eva in the vicinity of NYU, and she pointed me towards an unassuming brick building. There was nothing in its external appearance that screamed “lab.” We proceeded through the double doors and down a long, winding hallway of squeaky linoleum, then down the elevator to the
lower level.

  There was no natural light down here, and the fluorescent strips were a harsh, buzzing flicker. At last we came to a door. Eva swiped her badge to it, and we went inside.

  The room was large and surprisingly quiet, considering how many people were working there. They stood side by side, at their own stations along the counter-height, black, soapstone lab benches. A few goggled eyes peered curiously at us as we entered. Clearly they weren’t used to having visitors. But a moment later their heads were down again, intent on their work. I felt guilty interrupting the atmosphere of hushed concentration. They all wore white lab coats, but under that, their clothes were surprisingly casual for my mental image of a scientist; one man even wore shorts. Behind the soapstone benches were racks of vials with brightly colored lids, and racks of clear circular dishes. The only sound was a mechanical whirring coming from one corner of the room. The whole place had the sharp, citrusy scent of benzene.

  A tall, middle-aged African American woman looked up from her station and stepped out to greet us. She raised her goggles, which she’d placed over a pair of funky blue cat-eye glasses, and extended her hand.

  “Tamira, this is the friend I was telling you about, Mabily Jones,” Eva said.

  “It’s wonderful to meet you, Ms. Campbell.” Tamira’s fingers were icy cold but she gave my hand a hearty squeeze. “Thank you so much for letting me visit your lab.”

  “It’s my pleasure,” said Tamira. Her voice was soft and lilting, with the tiniest hint of an accent that said she was originally from somewhere in the Caribbean. My cheeks flushed as I felt the scrutiny of her eyes. Her quick intelligent gaze seemed to take in everything about me in an instant. I could bet whether by career or just personal inclination Tamira was much more observant than most people.

  “I’m happy to do a favor for any friend of Eva’s,” Tamira said. “She’s one of the best lab assistants we’ve ever had here.”

  Eva glowed with pride. I hoped that maybe Eva could hear it when Tamira said that she was smart and capable, since she never seemed to be able to hear it from me.

  “There are parts of the lab that are off-limits to visitors for safety reason, as I’m sure you understand,” Tamira continued. “But Eva knows where she can take you around. I’m afraid there’s not much to see. Real research isn’t very exciting.” She laughed self-deprecatingly, but there was a twinkle in her eye that belied how exciting she actually found it. I could see why Eva liked her so much.

  “Let’s take a quick break for coffee.”

  She led us into a small room off the main lab. It was sparsely furnished with a Formica table, a handful of bright plastic chairs and a little kitchenette where a coffeemaker burbled cheerfully. The strong scent of good coffee infused the room. Tamira poured for Eva and herself and offered me some but I declined. I was nervous enough as it was just being here.

  “There are obviously some aspects of our research that I can’t discuss,” she began diplomatically, warming her long, delicate fingers against the mug, “but I am happy to help wherever I can. I know your boss actually, Reggie Ruggiero.”

  “Oh, really?” I sat up, surprised by this. “He mentioned he knew someone at the NYPD’s forensics lab, but I didn’t know he knew you.”

  “Oh, he probably wasn’t talking about me. It’s been years since I worked at the forensics lab, but Reggie isn’t a person you easily forget.” She laughed. “He referred a couple of cases to me when he was a detective with the NYPD. Obscure cases that their regular lab needed some outside assistance with. I was very sorry when I heard that he was no longer with the NYPD. I’m glad he’s doing well in the private sector.”

  I smiled politely, but I couldn’t help but wonder if Tamira knew the real reason Reggie had been let go from the force. It was the one thing Reggie would never talk about, that scandal. Knowing Reggie, I couldn’t believe it was anything too bad, but I couldn’t help but be curious. If Tamira knew anything, I was sure she had far too much discretion to talk about it.

  “So what was it that you wanted to ask me?” Tamira set down her mug and peered at me through her turquoise rims.

  “Reggie and I encountered the substance you’re studying,” I began, not the whole truth, but not a lie. “One of our clients’ twenty-one-year-old daughter died in what was ruled a suicide, but we have reason to believe she might have ingested some of this substance beforehand.” I left out the part about Charlotte flying. “I know the NYPD’s forensics lab stopped their investigation when it didn’t match any known narcotic. But if you’re willing to share, I would love to learn more about what you’ve discovered about this substance.” I was trying so hard not to say the word “Elixir.” “We want to be prepared in case we have another case where this substance might be involved.”

  “I wish I could be of more help.” Tamira sighed. “I told the NYPD that there’s every reason to believe this substance might still be at large. But that aspect isn’t the focus of our research here. We’re really focused on the chemical composition.”

  “What is its chemical composition?” I asked. Truthfully, as a fairy I didn’t even know what Elixir was made of. The old stories were that Elixir was made of Feydust moistened with the fairy goddesses’ tears of joy when they created the Vale, but that wasn’t exactly helpful to a scientist. I cast a glance over at Eva, sitting quietly in her chair, and waited breathlessly for Tamira to go on.

  “Well, I suppose you could say it’s a combination of different things. One part of it is human dopamine.”

  “Dopamine? Like the chemical in your brain that makes you happy?”

  Tamira smiled, seeming amused by my cursory knowledge. “In a manner of speaking, yes. That’s what led us to initially view this substance as a narcotic. Because many known narcotics stimulate a dopamine response, I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone invented a street drug made from dopamine directly. But this is different. I’m not sure it is a narcotic at all, even though some of its victims may have used it that way. The dopamine isn’t synthetic; it’s human derived. And that’s just one component. There’s another component as well. Usually dopamine has a very short half-life, but this other component has been able to preserve it, almost indefinitely. It’s been a real boon to our research.”

  “What’s the other component?” I asked

  Tamira was quiet, frowning. The look on her face suggested that she was debating how much she should tell me. There was a long moment of silence as the clock on the wall slowly ticked seconds away. I had just about assumed that I wouldn’t get any more information out of Tamira when she spoke.

  “We don’t know,” she said at last. “We’re only in the very preliminary stages of our research, you see. A full investigation will take a long time. Science is very slow, I’m afraid. It’s not like it is in the movies.”

  She smiled, but I could tell she was distancing herself from me.

  “I’m sorry I don’t have more helpful information to share.”

  I thanked her for her time but inwardly I grimaced. She obviously had more information than she was willing to tell me about what this other, unknown component of Elixir was. Maybe I could get Eva to be more forthcoming when we were alone. Surely Eva had been privy to some of this information, working in Tamira’s lab?

  Tamira was getting up to go back to work, rinsing her used coffee mug in the sink.

  I decided to ask a different question, one she might be more likely to answer honestly. An idea was occurring to me. I didn’t want it to be true, but I feared it was.

  “Um, Tamira, if I could ask one more question? Is dopamine by any chance more prevalent in children than in adults?”

  “Why, yes, in a way. Children have many more dopamine receptors than adults do. Why do you ask?” She looked at me curiously.

  “Oh, just wondering.” I smiled at her but my heart was pounding. Was this why the Fairy Queen kidnapped kids and not grown-ups? They had more of the joyful chemicals she needed to make magic? I felt nauseo
us.

  Tamira was walking towards the door of the break room to go back into the lab.

  This was my last chance to ask her what I’d come here for.

  “Tamira?” I asked. “Do you think at any point in the near future your researchers will want to do a human trial of this substance? I know that the NYPD forensics lab did an experiment with rats. If it’s not a narcotic, maybe it has some positive use in medicine?”

  My heart was in my mouth as I said it, but I had to ask. If I could get Obadiah to come to the lab and take some Elixir, it could quell his Thirst symptoms, at least for a little while.

  He felt it was unethical to consume Elixir when it came from the Vale, but maybe he’d agree to take some again if it was in the name of science?

  Tamira shook her head, almost violently.

  “We’re years away from any experiment involving human subjects,” she said. “That would be completely unethical. I was surprised the NYPD’s lab even did an animal experiment as early as they did. Though the results were certainly extraordinary.” She didn’t elaborate, but I could tell she was thinking about the levitating lab rats Reggie had told me about. “We’re still trying to identify the chemical composition of this substance. We would never give it to a research subject, not knowing what it is.”

  I’d expected her to say as much. It had been a last vain hope.

  “I understand,” I said. “Thank you again for your time.”

  She smiled at me. “You’re welcome.”

  She disappeared through the double doors and I stood for a long time in silence with Eva, till I could no longer here the click-clack of Tamira’s heels in the hall.

  Knowing she was out of earshot, I turned to Eva.

  “I hope I didn’t sound like a complete idiot talking to your boss, asking about a human trial,” I said. “I should have known it would be far too soon. It’s just . . . Promise you won’t tell anyone about what I’m about to say,” I started, and Eva nodded.

  “I think Obadiah’s addicted to this stuff. He’s stopped drinking it since the NYPD searched his club. I think he’s scared of the repercussions,” I told the half-truth, leaving out the part about the Fairy Queen’s captives. “But without it, he’s starting to have withdrawal symptoms. His hands start shaking and he can’t stop it.”