“Did he turn twenty-five?”
Her eyes became cloudy. “Yes. We waited for signs until there was no hope left. His violent behavior continued to accelerate. The handler tried to keep a close watch over him so he wouldn’t hurt anyone else. One evening he got away from her. He ended up throwing an elderly couple down a steep flight of stairs. The woman died, the man was hospitalized, and Simon laughed. No one knew he was responsible. He bought five rifles and three pistols. We have no idea what he had planned.” She paused and tapped her fingers together. “Anything else?”
“Why all the lies? You pretended you were meeting a boyfriend, unemployed, and you didn’t know Lance or Brett?”
“Each of us had a role to play. You would have suspected something wasn’t right if we all knew each other. You might have thought we were connected to the Crussett family. You never would have learned the truth about any of us if you hadn’t progressed through the phases.”
Gazing at her face, I knew she had no other choice than to lie in order to gain my friendship. “Since you have the ability to poison someone, do Tegens ever abuse that?”
“There have been some problems. We’re only to use that ability if we need to feed, or if we’re in danger, or protecting someone. You’re the first potential Tegen I’ve ever heard about that needed to be protected.” She shuffled through her notepad again. “That pretty well covers it.”
“What happens during the transformation?”
She hesitated. “I think you should ask your father about that.”
Mulling over everything she had told me, I asked, “If I decide I don’t want to be a Tegen, do you know how long it will take my hands and feet to clear up?”
She glared at me. “They won’t. There’s no easy way to say this. If you don’t go through the transformation, you’ll die.”
“I don’t have a choice?”
“You don’t have a choice if you want to live. If it is too hard for you to think about killing anyone to survive, you can choose to die. You can be given drugs to help speed up the process when the pain becomes unbearable.”
“Am I hearing you right? Either I join your cult and become a killer, or I die?”
“Yes. And it’s not a cult.” She sounded exasperated.
“Right, it’s a species,” I groaned, feeling as frustrated as her regarding semantics.
“To stay a healthy Tegen, you have to drink venotrolia at least twice a week. Most of us drink it every day. You only have to attend a gathering bi-monthly. That’s where we eat a spider victim. You can go to more gatherings if you want to. Also, once every three to five years, we spend some time in the Tegen Cave. It helps rejuvenate our bodies and minds.”
“Tell me about this Tegen Cave.”
“Besides going there for transformations and to be rejuvenated, it’s a place where Tegens find comfort. After your mother died, and your father had made arrangements for you, he went to the cave for a month. Hattie stayed with your adoptive parents until they had the routine down of caring for a newborn. Then she joined him.”
“How long do I have to decide if I want to join or die?” I asked, even if I didn’t believe those were my only two options.
“If you’re going to become a Tegen, you’ll want to do it on your birthday. The pain in your hands and feet will soar, and the venotrolia will stop helping. You have to be able to walk by yourself into the cave. No one can help you.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. That’s how it’s always been done. Maybe it’s to show that you’re doing it out of your own free will. No one is forcing you.”
If she was telling the truth, then it wasn’t my free will. I was being forced. So walking into the cave must be symbolic.
She continued, “That’s why your father was so worried you were going through the phases too fast. If you can’t walk into the cave, you can’t join us. Last year a Tegen daughter was lost because her pain became so excruciating. Her father knew she wouldn’t be able to walk on her birthday, so he took her to the cave before she turned twenty-five.”
“She died?”
“Yes.”
The door opened and a nurse entered. “Miss Jones needs her sleep,” she said to Lindsey. “It’s after ten.”
“I’ll leave now,” Lindsey said. Then she looked at me. “Give Brett a call if you have any questions.”
“I will.”
“See you tomorrow.” She hugged me before walking out of the room.
20
Verification
When Lindsey was out of sight, I used the pencil to punch in Conner’s number on the phone.
“Hello, Sara,” he answered. “I tried to come and see you. Dr. Alston has restricted your visitors again and your room phone is blocked. I left your suitcase with a nurse named Mabel. She mentioned you had to be sedated yesterday. How are you feeling?”
“Better. I’m going to have to stay in the hospital a few more days.”
“Will you be out in time for your birthday?”
“Don’t know. Did Cameron tell you he came to visit me?”
“No,” Conner replied, sounding irritated. “Why was he there?”
“He believes I still have some documents.”
“I’ve already told him you don’t. I’ll talk to him tomorrow morning. Did he upset you?”
“I’m not sure. My hands and feet started hurting when he was here. Dr. Alston believes it happened because I was upset.”
“Sara, I’m so sorry,” he said in a slow, heavy voice. “I’ll check with Dr. Alston and see if he can prevent Cameron from seeing you when you can have visitors again. Is there anything you need that I can get you?”
“Yesterday, you said you had me investigated when we started dating.”
He hesitated. “Yes.”
“Did the investigation indicate I was adopted?”
“What’s this all about?”
“Due to my reaction to the spider bite, I gave the hospital permission to complete a family history,” I lied. I didn’t want him to know any more than necessary. “They received my parents’ records today electronically. After that, they asked me if I was adopted, so blood types or something must not match.”
“I thought you knew. You were only a few days old when you were adopted.”
I wondered what other parts of Lindsey’s story were true. “Did it say who my birth parents were?”
“The report is down in the den. Do you want to hold on while I find it or should I call you back tomorrow?”
“All these years, and I never knew.”
“Sara, I don’t want you getting upset. From everything you’ve told me about your parents, I know they loved you.”
“Don’t worry about that. I know they did. I’m just surprised they never told me. Maybe that was part of the adoption agreement. I’ll hold on while you look for the report.”
“I’m going down the stairs right now. I’ll put on the speakerphone in case you get tired of waiting.”
I stayed patiently on the line and heard file drawers opening and closing.
“Okay, I’ve got it,” Conner said, and I heard the shuffling of papers.
“How big is the file?”
“It’s not all that big since you only lived in San Diego. That’s also where you went to college. Here it is.” He paused. “Records concerning your biological parents were sealed. There is a note stating that all the adoption papers were signed by your biological father. Your biological mother might be dead.”
“If a record has been sealed, is there any way you can find the information?”
“Is this that important to you?” he asked in a serious and quiet tone.
I couldn’t tell him why I wanted to know. “I’m just curious since my parents never told me I was adopted. That’s all.”
“Let me see what I can find out tomorrow morning. Do you think Dr. Alston will allow you to have visitors in the afternoon?”
I didn’t feel up to seeing him again. At the same t
ime, I wanted to know more about the adoption. “I can’t have any more visitors because of Cameron. I’ll still try to convince Dr. Alston to let me see you.”
“Your phone might still be blocked. Can you give me a call if you’re successful?”
“Yes.”
“It’s late. I want you to get to sleep. I’ll wait for your call before I come tomorrow.”
“Thanks for the information.”
“I love you, Sara.”
“I love you, too. Goodnight.”
I pushed the call button.
“Is there something you need?” the nurse asked, standing in the doorway.
“I’m tired. I don’t want the phone to ring. Is there anything you can do about it?”
“After ten o’clock, all phone calls in this wing are blocked. You don’t need to worry about it waking you up.”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling relieved. Before I talked to Brett, I wanted more information. I was sure Lindsey had told him and Lance that I doubted her story. Closing my eyes, I felt an overwhelming sadness that everything I had been brought up to believe about my childhood was a lie. Someone should have told me sooner that I was adopted. My heart began pounding in my chest and chills surged through my body as I feared my future. My emotions were colliding, leaving me with an empty sensation. Tears streamed down my cheeks and I sobbed, afraid there was no way I could escape this nightmare. I wished I were a child again so I could climb on a parent’s lap and feel comforting arms around me.
The clanging sound of carts being pushed along the hallway woke me. A nurse came into my room carrying a food tray. It wasn’t Mabel. I liked her gentle touch. She seemed so motherly.
“Good morning, Miss Jones,” the nurse said, putting down the tray on a table. She pushed it in front of me.
“Good morning. I haven’t seen Nurse Mabel for a while. Am I still one of her patients?”
“Yes. She’ll be in later this morning. We can all help you if you need anything.”
“I know. I just wanted to know about Nurse Mabel.”
Lance walked in as I was eating. He closed the door and sat in the chair next to the bed. “I understand from Lindsey that you questioned everything she said. Now that you’ve had a chance to think about it, do you believe anything at all?”
I wasn’t prepared to talk to him about it yet. I first wanted to know if Conner could get the adoption record. “If you needed to, how were you planning to kill me?” I said, calmly between bites.
He stared at me with raised brows and didn’t immediately respond. “Since that won’t be necessary, I don’t think that’s anything we need to discuss.”
“How have you killed your other children? Given how old Lindsey said you were, I’m sure you’ve had to eliminate some along the way.”
His eyes became glossy. “Was that all you heard Lindsey say? Or was that the only part you want to remember?”
Maybe he was my father. He had been kind to me since I came to the hospital. “Sorry,” I said. “I’ve always thought the Joneses were my biological parents, and now I don’t know what to believe.”
He scanned my face. “I know. Your whole world has changed over the past few months. Now you know the truth about the Crussett family, and you’ve been told the truth about yourself. I can understand why you want to cling to what you’ve been raised to believe. It’s hard letting go.”
“How do you know about the Crussett family?” I asked as I felt my jaw tighten.
“When you moved to Houston, I attempted to have Conner Crussett investigated.”
Was everyone having everyone investigated?
He continued, “When the first investigator I hired was found dead in his Houston office, I thought he must have been investigating the wrong people. I didn’t suspect it was the Crussetts. When the second investigator was also found dead, I knew it couldn’t be a coincidence. There had to be more to the Crussett family than owners of an investment company. I didn’t know their business until I engaged a man to work for them.”
“Someone on the Crussett payroll is actually your employee?”
“Yes.”
“Do I know him?”
“Yes. It’s Fred, the guy who cleans the swimming pool. He works for Emmanuel.”
“I worked for Emmanuel for three hours.”
“I heard,” he said with an amazed expression on his face.
“Is Fred part of the group that Lindsey told me about?”
“No. He was hired to keep track of you. He’s skilled in using weapons and knows how to find out information. He also knows how to blend in. I had him stay on with the Crussetts even after you left in case they found you. After your picture appeared on the national news, I knew Conner was on his way to Billings before he arrived.”
“I saw you at his limo in front of my office building. Why didn’t you do anything when you saw me talking to him?”
“Because I knew you cared about him.” He glanced at his watch. “I’m giving a lecture to some of the hospital interns this morning. Brett should be here with Lindsey soon. Maybe he can help convince you that Lindsey told you the truth.”
“Brett’s well enough to see me?”
“Yes. He’s anxious.”
“I can have visitors now?”
“I’m still restricting them. Brett and Lindsey are on the approved list.”
“Can Conner visit me this afternoon?”
“Do you want to see him?”
“Yes. I guess.”
“Are you planning on having him check to see if you’re adopted?”
“Yes,” I smiled.
“Okay. I’ll put him on the list.”
“Thank you.”
He stood. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”
I dialed Conner’s number and told him he could visit me.
“I’ve got someone checking on your adoption,” he said. “The information should be on my desk sometime this morning. I stepped out of a meeting when you called. I need to get back.”
“What time do you think you’ll be here?”
“Between one and two.”
“See you then.”
“Bye, Sara,” he said and hung up.
21
The Documents
A tall nurse with short, curly, auburn hair entered my room followed by two muscular men dressed in blue hospital scrubs who were pushing a gurney. One man had a groomed goatee and a tattoo on his lower arm. The other man was shorter and had a broad face with a thick head of unruly hair.
“How are you feeling today, Miss Jones?” the nurse asked, giving me a warm smile.
“Fine,” I replied, suspicious of her intentions. “Why?”
“Dr. Alston wants your feet x-rayed,” she said, glancing at the clipboard in her hand. “The lab is ready for you now.”
“Dr. Alston never mentioned anything about an x-ray.”
“Here’s his order.” The nurse held up the clipboard. “Would you like to see it?” she asked with a cheerful, pleasant smile.
“Yes, I would.”
She handed it to me. The top sheet was a hospital form with my name on it. Underneath that it stated my feet were to be x-rayed and gave the various angles along with a comment specifying that my feet were to be kept elevated. It was signed. I couldn’t make out the name. Even if I could, I wasn’t familiar with Lance’s signature.
“Would you like me to explain any of the symbols to you?” she asked.
“No. That won’t be necessary.” I handed back the clipboard.
“Any other questions?”
I shook my head, leery as I wondered about the tattoo. I had never seen one on any hospital employees before. “Will this take very long?”
“No. We’ll have you back within the hour.”
Since I wouldn’t be gone very long, Lance knew I’d be back in my room before Brett and Lindsey arrived. I still felt uneasy as they moved me to the gurney.
“Make sure she’s strapped in securely,” the tattooed man said, a
s he tightened down a cord. “Yesterday, we had a patient fall off a gurney.”
A strap was being moved over my shoulders, forcing my elbows next to my body. “I don’t think my arms need to be fastened in.”
“This is so your arms won’t accidentally get bumped,” the short man responded. “We’ll remove it as soon as we reach the lab.”
Lying flat on my back, I was wheeled down the hall and into the elevator. Besides the nurse who was with us, two other nurses stepped in. One had bright red hair. Her eyes dropped to the tattooed arm and remained there until she got off on the second floor. I wondered if she was admiring the design or if there was another reason she was checking it out.
When we reached the first floor, the nurse with the short, curly hair raised her arm and pointed. “Take her that way. I’ll meet you in the lab,” she said, and then walked the opposite direction.
The tattooed man pulled the gurney and the short man pushed as we went down a narrow hall with offices on each side. The hallway became wider. I noticed a sign stating X-Ray Lab with a red arrow underneath indicating the direction. That wasn’t the way we were going.
“Isn’t the x-ray lab the other way?” I asked.
The gurney stopped. The tattooed man moved so he was between me and anyone who might walk down the hallway. “Sara,” he said, softly. “You’re not going to the lab. Mr. Crussett wants to see you. He hasn’t been allowed to visit since your theatrical performance when he was here.”
I shuddered. “Cameron Crussett?”
“Yes. We’re taking you to him.” He raised the top part of his uniform, revealing a gun attached to his belt. “You can lie there and let us do our job, or you can make a fuss and some innocent people will get hurt. How do you want to handle this?”
“Does Conner know?” I asked, gasping for air.
“You’re going to make this difficult,” he said through clenched teeth.
I swallowed hard. “I don’t want anyone getting hurt.” So much for Conner being able to control his brother. A dreadful anguish rolled over me, knowing it was my fault I was in this predicament. I should have followed my instinct and not left the room without insisting on talking to Dr. Alston first. I licked my dry lips as my hospital gown became damp from perspiration. I heard my heart hammering and the chattering of people. I couldn’t yell for help or escape without having innocent bystanders harmed. I wondered how Cameron planned to explain my disappearance to Conner. Maybe he’d blame it on the spider people.
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