Perfectly Toxic

by Kristine Mason

  “Yeah, I see the guys coming up on my left.” He let go over her hand. “One guy is on her. I’m heading over before I get shut out. Did you memorize the plates?”

  Harrison was right. The man, who looked to be in his thirties, must have been sitting along the abandoned storefront. “Already done.”

  “Good. See you in thirty-six hours,” he said without a backward glance, and walked toward the car.

  Nervous, her stomach sick with worry, she hugged herself and moved toward where she and Harrison had planned to set up camp for the day. Before she reached the brick wall, the man who’d first approached the car was climbing into the back seat. Now she wished she could have brought her cell phone. She wanted to call Lola and let her know what was happening. But she’d left it with Cash, just as Harrison had left his with Lola, both of them deciding they hadn’t wanted to carry anything worth being robbed for.

  While five men gathered near the car, Harrison bent toward the opened, passenger side window. Hoping to appear inconspicuous, she took a seat against the wall and watched, waited. When Harrison glanced over his shoulder at her with narrowed eyes, she tensed. He looked back to the driver—a woman with long, bleached-blonde hair—stepped away from the Buick, then turned and walked toward her.

  Crap, Madeline didn’t pick him. At least they had the woman’s plate number. Unless those were stolen, they could try and track her down that way.

  As soon as Harrison neared her, she said, “Once she drives off—”

  “She’s leaving in one minute. With or without us.”

  Mel stood. “What? I don’t understand.”

  “Her name is Madeline,” he began. “She needs people to work on her house.”

  “It’s the same story Bobby gave us.”

  “She saw me with you and asked who you were. I told her you were my wife and that I could use the money to help get us on our feet. She agreed to hire me, but only if you come along.” The car horn honked. He gripped her hand. “We don’t have to do this. We have her license plate number.”

  “Which could be stolen.”

  “Cash will kill me.”

  He’d be furious with her, too. But she’d promised him this would be the last case she’d work for ATL, she hadn’t promised how much she would involve herself with it. Then she pictured Noah, the way he’d mutilated his face. Pictured Bobby, grief-stricken over the loss of his friend. She glanced around, her gaze touching on the dozens of people near the shelter. There was no laughter or hope in their eyes, only despair. And this woman preyed on their misery.

  Grabbing her backpack, she pushed off the ground. “Cash is a pussycat. I don’t want to miss the opportunity to stop this woman.” She took his hand. “We need to try and stay together as much as possible,” she said as they approached the car.

  “Madeline promised us a room together, plus meals and seventy-five dollars a day—each.”

  “I’ll be sure to act excited about it. How long have we been married?”

  “Two years. We went bankrupt three months ago and we’re from the Orlando area, trying to make it up north to my brother’s place.”

  Dang, Harrison had done a great job selling his story to Madeline. “Easy enough to remember,” she said. When they reached the car, she gave Madeline what she hoped was a shy smile.

  “Joining us?” the woman asked.

  “Yes, ma’am. Thank you so much for hiring us,” Mel said.

  “Please call me Madeline. Harry said your name is Melanie?”

  “Yes.”

  “Glad to meet you. Why don’t you sit up front with me? We’ll let the boys have the backseat.”

  Her fingers trembled as she reached for the door handle. She told herself not to worry. They only had to endure this woman and whatever she had in store for them for a day and a half. If Cash had his say, maybe less. She and Harrison would have each other’s back. They were both survivors and would come out of this unscathed.

  Once she and Harrison were both seated, and the passenger window was closed, Madeline cranked up the AC, then shifted the sedan into DRIVE. “Melanie and Harrison, meet your other co-worker, Eliot.”

  Mel clicked her seatbelt in place and nodded to the man, who looked as if he’d been saved from a gator attack. If only Eliot knew the truth. Madeline wasn’t his savior, she was Satan in a blonde wig.

  “Eliot,” Madeline began, “there’s a small cooler at your feet. Open it up and hand Melanie and Harry a water bottle. I’ll take one, too.”

  As Eliot did as she’d instructed, it took everything in Mel’s power to not look back at Harrison. Not trusting Madeline, she didn’t want to drink the water, even if it was clearly store bought, and her nerves had her mouth and throat dry.

  “What’s your house like?” Harrison asked.

  Mel took the opportunity to look at him, but her gaze immediately dropped to the half empty bottle he held. She glanced to Eliot, who had drunk all of his water. She tested the cap of her bottle. Properly sealed. Still looking into the backseat, she scanned the cars behind them, looking for Cash’s truck or Lola’s rental car. Nothing.

  “It’s incredibly old,” Madeline said, as she made a turn. “It was built over two hundred years ago.” She grinned. “If the walls could talk, I’m sure they’d have tales to tell. Anyway, I inherited the plantation a few months ago. At first I was going to sell it, but I hated to let it out of the family. So, I decided to fix it and try to bring her back to what she used to be.”

  “I’m not a carpenter,” Eliot said. “But I’m handy. My dad used to have a remodeling business and taught me how to frame in a wall, windows, closets.”

  “Excellent. I’ve recently discovered that the wooden beams in the attic rooms have dry rot and need to be replaced.” She glanced to Mel. “Harry says you two have been married for two years? It’s a shame about the bankruptcy. Fortunately, I haven’t had to file, but there’d been plenty of lean years. It’s why I came to Hope House. If someone hadn’t taken a chance on me, I could have wound up homeless.”

  “It’s terrible,” Mel said.

  “It sucks,” Eliot added.

  Madeline frowned. “I have no doubt. Since you were the first to come to my car, does that mean you’ve heard about me?”

  Eliot nodded. “Yeah, I was jealous that you picked Noah and Troy. There were so many people standing around your car that day, you probably don’t remember seeing me.”

  “I’m sorry, I don’t. Should I assume Noah and Troy had good things to say about their boss?” Madeline asked with a grin.

  Eliot shook his head. “They never came back to the shelter. I figured they were still working for you.”

  Her grin widened into a big smile. “Then that must mean they’d made enough money to keep from having to go back to living on the streets.”

  Eliot smiled, too. “I like the sound of that.”

  “Same here,” Mel said, looking back to Harrison. “When we’re done working for Madeline, we could have enough money to take a bus to your brother’s.”

  “Your brother couldn’t send you money?” Madeline asked as she drove past a small sign indicating they’d just entered Georgia.

  “Mickey lives check to check,” Harrison said, and Mel was glad he’d used his dead brother’s name as part of their story. If they could stay close to the truth, there would be less of a chance at being caught in a lie. “But he has an extra room in his apartment and a job lined up for me.”

  “Well, I’m glad I can help all three of you,” Madeline said. “We have another twenty minutes before we arrive. Since I plan on putting you to work right away, you might want to close your eyes and rest.”

  Eliot yawned, and did as Madeline had instructed. “I got shut out from the shelter the past few nights, I wouldn’t complain if you had me sleeping in the car instead of a bed.”

  “Don’t worry about that happening. I have plenty of room for you. You’re going to think you’re in a hotel. Comfy beds, and each bedroom even has a TV.”
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  “I’ve missed TV,” Eliot said, his head lulling to the side.

  As he finished his water, Harrison looked at the man. “Eliot’s got the right idea. The heat is draining,” he said, resting his head back. Within seconds, his eyes were closed and he was snoring.

  “I swear, Harry can zonk out just about anywhere,” Mel said, concerned that both men had fallen asleep so quickly. Could Madeline have drugged the water? Her cap had been properly sealed and even Madeline had asked for a bottle. She hadn’t opened it, though.

  “I wish I could be like Harry,” Madeline said. “But I’m a creature of habit and need my favorite pillow. I’m sorry. That sounded terrible, especially since you and your husband have been forced from your home.” She glanced at Mel. “If you’d prefer something other than water, I have a couple of cans of soda in the cooler.”

  “That’s okay. I’m not thirsty right now. I’ll save the water for later.”

  “Don’t worry about me putting you to work the moment we arrive. I’m sure you’d all like something to eat.” Madeline turned down an unpaved road. “I’ll make us sandwiches while I divvy up everyone’s jobs.”

  Mel hid her panic. She’d grown up in the swamps and was familiar with many parts of the Glades. But now she was entering unfamiliar territory and terrified Madeline had somehow spiked their waters. “Are we close to your house?”

  Madeline nodded. “You’re going to love how peaceful it is in the country. Later, after you’re done with your jobs, you and your husband should take a walk on the property. There’re a few spots that I think are very romantic.”

  Mel studied Madeline’s profile. The wig was horrible. If the woman had been going for unassuming, she’d failed. People would remember the big bleach-blonde curls. Plus, the hair color didn’t match Madeline’s olive complexion and dark eyebrows. With plump lips, a pretty smile and intriguing green eyes, Mel would bet that once Madeline’s natural hair was showing, she would be a very beautiful woman.

  “It has been a long time since Harry and I have been able to be alone,” Mel said, keeping up with the charade Madeline was playing. “It’d be nice to take a long walk with him and not have to worry about stepping over a homeless man, or being afraid of running into some of the thugs we’ve seen in Frenchtown.”

  “I know there are bad seeds throughout that area. With as pretty as you are, I can only imagine how worried Harry must’ve been for your safety.”

  “I think I’ll feel better about myself after a long shower,” Mel said, staring out the windshield. “Is that your house?”

  Madeline slowed the car to a stop. “Grand, isn’t it? From here, it’s stately and beautiful. You can’t see the cracks in its foundation, the rotting front porch, the missing shingles. Sometimes I’ll walk to around this point and stare at the house for long hours, imagining what it had once been, and what it could be again.”

  Mel had never seen a house as big as Madeline’s. The gigantic white columns dominated the front porch and commanded respect. She loved the Juliet balcony off the second floor, and could picture a Southern Belle, dressed for her cotillion ball, gazing down as horse-drawn carriages made their way along the winding drive. While Mel couldn’t see anything wrong with the house, other than a yard that needed tending, she knew what the woman had meant. In her gut, she knew that the house’s grand beauty hid something disturbing. Something that had compelled Noah to claw at his face. She looked to Madeline…someone who was using humans for experimentation.

  She could suspect and speculate all she wanted, but without proof, Madeline would not be stopped. Now she and Harrison had less than thirty-six hours to obtain that proof.

  “Regardless of the repairs your house needs, I still think it’s beautiful.” Mel turned, then reached in the back and gave Harrison’s knee a shake. “Honey, wake up. We’re here.” Harrison’s head fell forward, before he slumped against the window. Alarmed, she shook his knee again. “Harry, wake up. I need you to see the house,” she said when she really needed him alert and ready to take on whatever Madeline had in store for them.

  Madeline let out a wistful sigh. “If only you drank the goddamn water.”

  Mel stiffened. To hell with thirty-six hours, she had the water bottle as proof. She fisted the hand she’d used to try and wake Harrison, then swung it toward Madeline. She connected with the woman’s chin, just as Madeline stabbed a needle into Mel’s arm.

  The puncture mark burned. Mel pulled the syringe from her upper arm. Before she could turn it on Madeline or reach for the small switchblade hidden in her sock, the woman opened the car door and stumbled onto the ground. She tore the wig from her head, revealing a mass of dark hair, then rubbed her chin with her knuckle. “I’m going to enjoy breaking you and your husband,” she said, her voice becoming tinny as vertigo set in, making Mel’s head spin.

  “What did you give us?” Mel asked, her arms and legs becoming heavy, her neck too weak to hold her head straight.

  “The boys got your run-of-the-mill sleeping potion. You, my dear, were lucky enough to get a taste of one of my own creations. It’s a little something I like to call A-Line. This first dose is going to knock your pretty ass out for a while and give you freakishly entertaining nightmares. But the next dose is when the fun stuff starts happening.” She climbed back into the car, then grabbed Mel by the hair and forced her head back. “So much fun,” she said, cupping Mel’s breast.

  Unable to work her muscles and push Madeline’s hand away, Mel endured her touch. “I’m going to kill you,” she managed, her words slow, slurred.

  Madeline grinned. “That’s what they all say. Now take a nap. We have a long night ahead of us,” she said, then slammed Mel’s head against the passenger window.

  As the world faded to black, Melanie prayed to God Cash had forced Lola to take immediate action. Otherwise, they’d end up like Noah…dead.

  Lola’s Hotel Room, Tallahassee, Florida

  Monday, 2:43 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time

  “I don’t care about what your boss wants,” Cash said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans to keep from plowing his fists into the wall. “My wife is now in danger.”

  Lola looked up from the laptop. “We’ve already been over this. We have a lock on Harrison’s GPS signal. Once we can verify where they are, we’ll leave.”

  “If they get split up, that won’t do us any good.”

  The Russian punched his hand with his fist. “Vlad say storm building.”

  “I’m with Vlad. You didn’t see what Noah looked like. I don’t want them giving Mel whatever they gave him. The man clawed his face. Are you hearing me?”

  “Oh, I’m hearing you loud and clear. And for the record, Harrison is like a brother to me. I care about both him and Mel.” She let out a breath and looked away. “I don’t know why Mel got in the car, but she did. So we need to put our emotions and concerns aside, and focus on finding out who we’re dealing with before we take action.”

  “Vlad still say storm building.”

  “Heard you the first time,” Lola said, glancing back to the computer screen. “First we need to know where this building is.”

  With Noah’s face still seared on his brain, Cash turned away. He didn’t want to sit in Lola’s room and investigate. He wanted to take action and worry about the danger later. He wanted his wife home. And once she was safe, he planned to give her all kinds of hell. She’d seen Noah, knew how the man had died, and had been well aware that they were dealing with people who were possibly running experiments on humans. Why would she purposefully place herself in danger? Was this her way of having the last word again? Another one of her tit for tat moments? She’d promised to leave ATL. Promised her involvement with this case would be minimal. He sure as hell never made a promise he couldn’t keep. Now he wondered if she’d go back on her word and do other jobs for the agency.

  “Okay,” Lola began, “Harrison hasn’t moved for at least ten minutes. We know they’re in Bower, Georgia. L
et’s pull the exact location up on satellite.” Her fingers moved across the keyboard. “I might be doing something wrong. Hang tight, I’m going to make a call.” She picked up her cell phone. Within seconds, she was asking a woman named Rachel for advice. “Hang on, I’m going to put you on speaker.” Lola set the phone on the table she’d been using as a desk. “Rachel Davis is on the line. She’s CORE’s computer forensic analyst. She’s more familiar with this program than I’ll ever be.” She pressed on the phone screen. “Rachel, I have Cash, who’s Mel’s husband and Vlad with me.”

  “Ouch,” Rachel said. “I bet Mel jumping in the car with Harrison isn’t going over well with hubby.”

  “Uh, no. And you’re on speaker,” Lola reminded the woman.

  “Right. Sorry. Okay, what you’re looking at is the roof of a big ass house. If you go under file preferences, you can change your settings and be able to get the address.”

  Lola drummed her fingers on the table. “Can’t you do that for us?”

  “It’d probably be easier, huh?” Rachel’s tapping echoed in the small hotel room. “I’ve got the address as 1113 Archer Lane, Bower, Georgia.”

  Cash pulled the truck keys from his pocket. “Good enough, let’s go.”

  Lola glared at him. “We need to know who we’re dealing with first.”

  “You might want to listen to Lola on this,” Rachel said. “The recent report from the lab even had a couple of our agents here saying they wouldn’t have gone undercover.”

  Unease crawled under his skin. He stared at Lola. “What recent report?”

  “Oh, geez.” Rachel sighed. “Sorry, Lola. I thought your people knew.”

  “How could they when I got the report the same time Madeline showed?” She smoothed a hand over her hair, then tightened her ponytail. She looked between him and Vlad. “Rachel was able to get the PET scan they did on Noah before he died. Whatever drug he’d been given damaged his brain—mainly the anterior insular cortex.”

  “Vlad no brain surgeon. Explain.”