“I understand you had an unpleasant morning,” he said. “We’re going to have to do something about Cameron. He isn’t going to let you go until he gets the documents.”
“He already has them,” I said. “How do you know about the documents?”
“Earlier I mentioned I had an employee working for the Crussetts,” he replied.
“Yes. I remember.”
“I thought you might leave after you knew about their family business. Fred kept track of you. One night when you stayed late at the office, he watched you copying some pages out of a journal. The next day you left Houston.”
“I didn’t see him.”
“Of course you didn’t. He’s good.”
“Then he knows I didn’t tear out any pages.”
“Yes. Given the reason he knows that, he can’t tell Cameron. The Crussetts have enemies. It appears that at least one of their other employees actually works for someone else. When that employee heard you had left, it gave him the perfect opportunity to take some documents, assuming you’d be blamed.” He paused. I saw a malicious twinkle in his dark eyes as they met mine. “What do you think we should do about Cameron?”
“Whatever you want. It doesn’t matter to me. He isn’t one of my favorite people.”
“I’m going to let the spiders take care of him. We just need to find a time and place.” He took my right hand, pulled off the glove, and felt inside it. “Just like I thought—your glove is moist. You must have secreted some venom this morning. Had you stayed calm, you wouldn’t have needed any venotrolia until late tonight or tomorrow morning. You’re going to need more than venotrolia soon. I can’t provide you with anything else in the hospital.” He slipped the glove back on my hand. “I’d like to take you to Bismarck. Would you be willing to go there?”
“Can I take what else I’ll need to my home in San Diego?”
“No. It’s only available in North Dakota.”
“Why Bismarck?”
“The Tegen Cave is there.”
“But I haven’t decided yet.”
“I know. However you decide I can make you more comfortable at my clinic. When the venotrolia doesn’t work anymore, I have equipment I can use on your hands and feet that will eliminate the pain. There aren’t any apparatuses like that here or in San Diego.” He paused and gazed at me. “Is there anything I can say or any questions I can answer that might help you decide?”
As I looked at his face, all I felt was indifference toward him. My father, the one who loved and took care of me all my life, died four years ago. Genetics or not, this man sitting next to me was a stranger—a stranger who would have willing killed me if the needles hadn’t appeared on my hands and feet. “Let me see what I find out about being adopted. Maybe I’ll have some questions then.”
He stroked my arm. “No matter what you decide, I’d like to take you to my clinic. It’ll be the best place for you since you can’t avoid the pain, regardless of your decision. I’ll be back later.” He stood. I didn’t say anything as he headed out the door.
Leaning on my pillow, I raised my gloved hands and stared at them as I thought about the pain I had experienced since I arrived in this hospital bed. Suddenly, the door squeaked open, and I dropped my hands to my lap.
“I’ve been here waiting for Dr. Alston to leave,” Conner said, entering the room. “Has he told you when you can go home?” He sat down in the chair next to the bed and held my arm.
“No. He wants me to go to his clinic in North Dakota, since they don’t have the right equipment here to treat my hands and feet.”
“He can’t just give you medicine to take care of it?”
“No. He told me that after the treatment, my hands and feet will completely clear up and look the same way they did before I had a reaction to the venom. There won’t be any lasting problems.”
“That’s good,” Conner said, smiling as his fingers drifting down my bare arm. “How long does he think you have to stay at his clinic?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “He didn’t say. I’m still trying to decide if I want to go.”
Conner squinted. “Do you have an alternative?”
“Not according to him. I was really looking forward to going home.”
“You can go home after your feet and hands have been cured. You shouldn’t put it off. No matter how long you have to stay at his clinic, the sooner you go, the sooner you can go home.” His fingers wrapped around my forearm right above the glove. “Can I fly you to North Dakota?”
“I don’t think so. He’ll probably want me to go with him in case I have any pain along the way.”
“When you’re better, can I take you home to San Diego?”
Looking at his handsome face and his sad, soft brown eyes, as much as I tried to suppress my feelings, part of me still loved him. “Yes,” I said, though I wasn’t sure if I would ever be leaving Bismarck.
His eyes lit up. “How are you feeling right now?”
“Earlier I had some pain. Now I feel okay.”
He leaned over and kissed me.
“Did you find out anything about my biological parents?” I asked, hoping to redirect the conversation.
“Not much. I did discover you weren’t born in California. Your biological mother died from childbirth complications. That’s all. Your adoption record is well sealed. I can’t even get any kind of a court order to obtain the information.” He touched my cheek. “I’m sorry. It appears your biological father doesn’t want you to be able to locate him.”
“Thanks for trying.” Nothing he had said contradicted what Lindsey had already told me.
“I met with Cameron this morning. He still believes you have some documents, but he promised he’d leave you alone.”
So much for Cameron’s promises. “I don’t have any.” I had the urge to tell him what happened this morning. I kept quiet about it, believing the consequences could be too great.
“That’s what I told him. We have enemies. An employee might not be loyal to us. It wouldn’t be the first time. Whoever took them didn’t plan on turning them over to the authorities, or we would’ve already heard something. The documents were probably taken as a bargaining chip for something. They just don’t realize we don’t bargain. I’m surprised nothing has surfaced since they took them over two months ago.” He kissed my arm. “You don’t need to be concerned about that. Just concentrate on getting well. Is there anything you want me to bring you?”
“I might need some clothes. I’m not sure yet if I can wear my own clothes at the clinic.”
“Let me know after you talk to Dr. Alston. We’ll have to celebrate your birthday later.” He gently brushed my hair away from my face. “I’d like to take you to a secluded island. How does that sound?”
“Let me think about it.” I needed to get him out of my life completely. Spending more time with him would only make it harder. I wondered how I would feel if I agreed to be transformed. On the other hand, if I didn’t take that path and what Lindsey said was the truth, then I wouldn’t be celebrating anymore.
He kissed my cheek. “Don’t look so worried. You don’t need to decide right now. You can think about it when you’re at the clinic.”
“I will,” I said, uncertain. Maybe I should go with him. Regardless of how Conner felt about Cameron, he would mourn his death, and that time was coming soon.
“I better go, since your visitations are restricted. Your nurse told me I couldn’t stay very long. I don’t want to be crossed off your approved visitor list.” His lips touched mine. “I will always love you,” he whispered. As he stood up, he smiled. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning. Bye, Sara.”
“Bye,” I said as he left.
22
The Morgue
As I finished breakfast, Nurse Mabel stepped into my room. “Dr. Alston wants you to have a CAT scan,” she said. “He’ll meet you there.”
“Are you going to be the one taking me to him?” I asked, wondering if this was another Cameron
attempt.
“Yes. You received a phone call early this morning. The nurse on duty forgot to give you this message.” She handed me a blue slip of paper.
The message was from Conner. It read: “Sara, something has come up. I have to go to Dallas. I should be back this evening. I’ll call you then.”
“Let’s get you in the wheelchair.” Mabel held onto my arm as I got out of bed and moved into the seat. She wheeled me to the elevator.
Brett and Lindsey were sitting on a bench next to it talking. Lindsey saw me and stood up. “I was on my way to see you,” she said, going into the elevator with us.
“I’m getting a CAT scan,” I said and turned to Mabel. “Is there anywhere close to the lab my friend can wait?”
“Yes, there’s a waiting room.”
“That’s where I’ll stay,” Lindsey said.
The elevator stopped on the third floor. Mabel pushed me down the hall with Lindsey right behind us. As we turned into another hallway, I saw Lance standing by the lab entrance.
“Dr. Alston, would you like me to wait for Miss Jones?” Mabel asked.
“No. That won’t be necessary. I’ll call when she’s finished.”
Mabel nodded and walked away. Lance pushed my wheelchair into the office next to the lab, and Lindsey followed.
She closed the door and looked at me. “A Tegen who’s been watching the hospital from the parking lot spotted Cameron entering with five people: two women dressed like nurses, one man in a white lab coat, like a doctor, and two men had on blue hospital scrubs.”
“Who is this Tegen?”
“Her name is Janice,” Lindsey said. “You’ve never met her.”
I wondered if Conner mentioned to Cameron that I’d be going to North Dakota soon.
“I wanted you out of your room for a while,” Lance said. “You’re not going to have a CAT scan. I am curious about Cameron’s current plan. By now he knows his first plan wasn’t successful. He’s probably trying to figure out what went wrong.”
“I’m going to help Brett,” Lindsey interjected. “I’ll be back when it’s over.”
“When what’s over?” I asked.
“You better get back upstairs,” Lance said to Lindsey as he avoided my question.
Lindsey hurried out of the room and shut the door behind her.
“Cameron won’t stop going after you until you’re dead. Our only option is to kill him first,” Lance said.
“Wasn’t that already your plan?”
“Yes, but not in the hospital.”
“But that’s where Cameron and his men are. Are you going to deal with them in the hospital now?”
“Yes. It’ll be handled discreetly.”
“Discreetly? How? There are so many people here.”
“Cameron will be told you’re in the lab on the second floor having some tests done. The lab on that floor is being renovated. No one works there on weekends.”
“How will you get their bodies out of the hospital?”
“Brett and Lindsey will wear hospital scrubs and take them on gurneys to the morgue in the basement. It won’t be a problem getting them out from there.” He paused and gazed at me for a minute. “Did Conner verify you were adopted?”
“Yes. He wasn’t able to find very much about my biological parents.”
“Did he find something?” Lance asked with squinted eyes.
“Just that I wasn’t born in California, and my mother died from childbirth complications.”
“I’m surprised he was able to obtain that much information. Those records were sealed.” He picked up his medical bag, took out an envelope, and handed it to me. “Your mother wanted me to give you this letter right before your twenty-fifth birthday.”
The envelope was addressed to My Daughter. As I opened it, the smell of lilacs filled the room. I pulled out the letter, written on fancy stationery. Centered at the top were their names – Dr. Lawrence and Mrs. Jennifer Alston. Under that was an address in Bismarck, North Dakota. Deeply inhaling the lilac fragrance, I began to read.
My dearest daughter,
The first time I looked at your sweet little face, I knew you could be a Tegen. When you were born, your little fingertips were all rough. Your father said that was a good sign. Within a few hours, your fingertips were baby soft. I would have loved to have seen you grow up. Tegens don’t raise their own children, so I knew you’d be placed in a loving home. I’m sure their lives have centered on you. It’s going to be hard for you, someday, when you won’t be able to see them anymore.
I had lived with your father for a year when he told me he was a Tegen. It was the most bizarre tale I had ever heard. I thought he was trying to break up with me. But after he told me about himself, he asked me to marry him. I thought he might have been having a hallucination problem. I still loved him, so I agreed to marry him. In fact, I fell in love with him the first time he smiled at me. It took some time, but he was finally able to prove he was a Tegen.
I knew if I bore him a child, I would not survive. I saw myself getting older and Lawrence looked just like the man I married. He was still twenty-five. He kept trying to duplicate the formula that Sir Randolph had discovered. He wanted us to be together forever. I would have done anything to become a Tegen, but it wasn’t possible.
My sweet girl, you can be with your father forever. All kinds of opportunities can unfold for you. If you want to change your career, it’s easy. Time is on your side. Most Tegens change what they do, along with their names, about every twenty years.
I’ve been in love with your father for almost nineteen years. He’s taken me all over the world. I’ve worked by his side. My life could not have been more perfect. Since I could not be a Tegen, I wanted to leave part of our love behind. You, my sweet girl, have been loved by your father since you were born. As long as you live, part of me will also survive. Don’t be afraid of the transformation. Your father will stay by your side. Remember he loves you and so do I.
Love Always,
Mother
I had a hard time holding back tears as I looked up and saw Lance staring at me. “How did you prove to Jennifer that you were a Tegen?”
“You can refer to me however you want,” he said in an angry tone with narrowed eyes. “When you talk about Jennifer, you will call her ‘Mother’.”
Tears ran down my cheeks. “I didn’t mean any disrespect,” I sniffled. “I just found out I was adopted. I had a mother who raised me. It’s going to take time for me to understand this.”
He patted my shoulder. “Your mother would be mad if she knew I snapped at you.” He handed me a tissue. “When I told her I was a Tegen and what that meant, she thought I needed some psychological help. To prove it to her, I cut my arm. She watched as it healed. I climbed up the side of my house without a ladder. Then she knew I was different, but that didn’t convince her I was a Tegen and over one hundred years old. I showed her pictures of the man I referred to as my father. I put on the wig, mustache, and eyebrows I wore when it was taken. She still doubted it. It took time for her to see the truth, but eventually, she came to believe it.”
“I can understand the way she felt. It isn’t an easy concept to absorb. It goes against everything we’ve been taught about life expectancy.”
“You look just like your mother,” he said, getting his wallet out of his pocket. He opened it and gave it to me, showing me her picture.
The woman in the photo had hair a little lighter than mine and blue eyes. Other than that, I did look like her. She had a warm smile. I could feel my eyes getting moist again as I gazed at the picture. She died so I could live, and now, I didn’t know what to do. Could I kill people to survive?
“Do you have any questions I can answer?” he asked, putting away his wallet.
“Yes,” I said. “I just don’t know where to begin.”
He pulled a locket out of his breast pocket. “This was your mother’s. She wanted you to have it.” He opened it. “That’s your mother holding yo
u,” he said, pointing to one side of the locket.
A few tears trickled down my cheeks as I stared at it. She looked so happy. I recognized myself from a picture that hung in my San Diego home. On the other side was a picture of Lance and Jennifer. He put the locket around my neck. “Why did you have the adoption papers sealed?” I asked.
“I’m sure you now understand why we don’t raise our own children. Because of that, we have the adoption papers sealed and direct the adoptive parents never to tell their children that they are not their own offspring. If they knew, they might come looking for their biological parents. We can’t have that.”
“I still haven’t made my decision, but I will go with you to Bismarck. I’ve already told Conner I need to go there, since you have special equipment that will help my hands and feet heal.”
He gave me a half smile. “I’m glad you’ve made that decision. We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
“If I do decide to become a Tegen, how long will it take?”
“The transformation will take somewhere between twenty-four and forty-eight hours. It all depends on the subject.”
I wanted to know what happened during the process. Before I could ask another question, the door flew open, interrupting us. Brett and Lindsey walked in.
“They never went to Sara’s room,” Brett said. “We’ve been searching the hospital for them.” A crooked smile briefly crossed his face. “I even had your nurse keeping an eye out while we looked on the other floors. I told her you were expecting a visitor and asked her if she could tell the person you’d be back soon. On our way here we checked with her. No one has stopped by your room.”
“I should have headed to the foyer after Janice called about Cameron and his people,” Lindsey said. “I just assumed they’d go to Sara’s room.”
“So did I,” Lance said. “Have you checked with Janice in case they left?”
“Yes,” Brett said. “They’re still in the hospital.”
“We’ll get Sara back to her room and maybe they’ll surface,” Lance said. “One of them could have walked past her room and noticed she wasn’t there. They might be waiting someplace for her to return. We need to take care of Cameron before we leave for North Dakota. I don’t want him following us there.”
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