Acceptable Risks (29 page)

“Okay.” Nils came back on the line. “Keep them all there. Madrassa and Templeton are in the soundproof conference room?”

“Yes.”

“How long?”

“It’s only been about ten minutes. I expect it to be a while longer.”

“Isaac and I will be right there. Let us in. We’ll make Berwell take us to the lab and get the data we need.”

Caitlyn agreed and hung up. Lark waited until the receiver was down before hanging up herself. Panic fluttered around disbelief in the pit of her stomach. Caitlyn had worked for her father for years. She’d been so wonderful at the funeral. How could she do this?

“What do we do?” Gabby looked stricken, but shifted so Caitlyn couldn’t see her face if she turned around again. “We should tell Matthew and Jason.”

“No.” Lark forced herself not to stand up and pace, alerting Caitlyn. She tried to think like Jason and her father. Isaac was actually coming here, himself. They could catch him in the act, the most effective way to stop him from achieving what he wanted to do. “We can’t do anything to let Caitlyn and Isaac know we know,” she said. “The phone lines are probably compromised, so we can’t call into the conference room.”

“Use your cell phone,” Gabby said.

She tried, but her father’s line didn’t even ring. She didn’t know if the soundproofing interfered with his signal, if he’d turned off the phone, or if someone—like maybe Kolanko—was jamming it.

Gabby pulled the handheld unit Jason had given her out of her lab coat pocket. “We can just do this.”

Lark chewed her lip. She was getting nauseous with the desperation to act and trying hard to appear normal. “They’ll come running, and it could ruin everything with Kolanko.” She checked her watch. “Maybe they’ll be done before Isaac and Nils get here. We’ll save that as a last res—put it away,” she hissed in a whisper as Caitlyn rose from her desk and crossed on her fancy high heels to the office door, the glossy drape of her dress swaying gracefully. Lark hated everything about her. She couldn’t even see the efficient, caring assistant anymore.

“Can I get you girls anything?” she asked, leaning through the doorway. “Something to drink or eat?”

You’d probably poison it
. “No, thanks,” Lark told her. “We ate.”

“Okay. Holler if you need anything. Oh, I have today’s paper out here if you want to read it.”

“Sure.”

Lark waited impatiently while the assistant returned to her desk, gathered the loose sections of the
Washington Post
, and came back to the office. Gabby accepted the paper and carried it to the sitting area where she’d been before. Lark checked her watch, her heart sinking.

They were running out of time.

* * *

Matthew watched Jason’s eyes close for a three-second count. It was at least the fourth time that had happened, and he’d gotten a second water bottle for himself though Kolanko hadn’t finished half his first.

“When did Isaac first contact you, sir?” Jason asked, sounding mostly normal except for a slight rasp no one else would notice.

“A month ago. He claimed to be working for Hummingbird, and told me about your amazing recovery. He said you were seeking a buyer for the RT-24 regenerative compound.”

“Did he say why we wanted a buyer?” Matthew didn’t get it. Kolanko was a smart man. He should have been suspicious of such a sale.

“He said FDA requirements were too much of a hindrance and it would be unprofitable for you to develop it in this country.”

“Did he tell you it could be used to hurt people?” Jason asked.

“No!” Kolanko looked surprised, then thoughtful. “Of course, it makes sense. There are complications, no?” He didn’t wait for confirmation. “If the formula could be intensified to increase those complications, make them the intended outcome…yes, now I understand.”

“Understand what?” Matthew’s spine stiffened.

“Mr. Kemmerling has at least four other potential buyers. He would not reveal their names, or who they represented, but I like to know against whom I am bidding. I learned two of the identities, but they were not who I would have guessed. Now I understand why.”

Matthew folded his hands together and pressed them to his mouth. Isaac had no intention of selling to Kolanko, he was pretty certain of that. His inclusion in the buyer list was just another bit of explosive being primed to take down Hummingbird. Kolanko had been the company’s biggest supporter after the incident. If he was revealed to be a potential buyer for something that could be used in acts against the United States, his credibility would be toast, and Hummingbird would crumble a little more.

Jason laid out their requests, for Kolanko to go to the FBI and tell them about Isaac’s plan, and to testify if need be, but the man shook his head.

“I cannot see a good end for any of us, my friends. Going to the FBI will only incriminate myself, and thus far I have an unblemished relationship with your government. Why do you not go to them yourselves?”

“We have no solid evidence,” Matthew admitted. “Not to mention the questionable circumstances of Jason’s survival.”

“This isn’t just about us.” Jason’s rasp had deepened, and he cleared his throat. “Lark and Dr. Berwell have a lot to lose, as well. If Matthew is found guilty—”

“I understand, Mr. Templeton. But your daughter,” he addressed Matthew, “is a grown woman who has suffered tragedy in the past. She has, how is it described, coping skills? I have my Adrina to consider. She is a small child, who has suffered much at the hands of her own mother. I could not allow her to face the trials of a father under suspicion.” He stood and squared his shoulders.

“I’m sorry, my friends. I wish you well. But my answer must be no.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Is there a way to get out of here without Caitlyn knowing?” Gabby flipped a page of the Local section of the
Post
while Lark paced in the three square feet that were out of Caitlyn’s sight.

“Not directly.”

Gabby waited, but Lark didn’t say anything else. With a deep breath, Gabby finished the pep talk she’d been giving herself for the last five minutes.
You’ve been growing a spine for days. Now is the time to use it
.

“Okay, here’s the plan.”

Lark stopped on the spot. “Shoot.”

The younger woman’s eager acceptance took Gabby aback, but she rallied. “We pretend we have to use the bathroom. You’re going to show me where it is because I’ve never used the one up here. That will get us by Caitlyn. We’ll sneak to the conference room and tell them you’re sick, so one of them will come out. Then we can tell them what’s going on.”

“What if we can’t get in?” Lark asked.

Gabby was ready. “Then we go down to the lab to get rid of all the data before Isaac gets here.”

Lark winced. “Destroy it? All of it?”

“All but Jason’s most crucial medical file. He’ll need that, especially because of the immunity issues.”

Lark gasped. Gabby stopped speaking.

“Oh, no,” Lark moaned. “I can’t believe— I wasn’t paying attention.”

“What?” Gabby’s heart leaped into her throat. Had he lied to her the night before? Or just been unaware, maybe. But he
knew
the risks. The danger. “What is it?”

“Nothing.” Lark dropped her hand from her head to her hip and shook her head hard, a classic posture of denial. “He drank a lot of juice this morning, but I’m sure that’s nothing. Now, what about destroying the records?”

Gabby wavered, but she couldn’t get to Jason right this second. He’d be okay for a short while longer. They’d get through the next hour, then she’d treat him. She had everything she needed downstairs.

“If the data is all gone there’s nothing to sell and nothing for the prosecution to use as evidence,” she explained.

“What about continuing the research?”

For a moment Gabby hesitated, mourning the potential loss of everything they’d gained. But it wasn’t the end. They would just have to start over, and if they did it once, they could do it again, this time following proper procedure. But Lark looked heartbroken. Gabby moved to her side. “I’m sorry. I know how important it is to you, finding these treatments. But—”

“I know.” Lark patted her hand where it rested on her shoulder. “Destroying lives isn’t worth those it might save.” She didn’t appear to completely believe that, but she took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. One problem. We don’t have a key to the lab.”

Gabby held up her ID card. Lark raised her eyebrows.

“I keep it in a buttoned pocket when I’m not in the building. Nils took my purse when they accosted me at the station, obviously assuming that’s where I kept my card. They didn’t search me well, I guess. Isaac demanded the card, but didn’t argue when I told him it had been in my purse. I’ve kept it with me since we got away.”

“Incompetents,” Lark snorted. “Let’s go.”

They headed out into the reception area, breezing by Caitlyn’s desk.

“Where are you going?” the woman asked, jumping up.

“Bathroom,” Lark said. “Gabby needs it, I’m showing her where it is.”

“Too much coffee this morning.” Gabby gave the frazzled, nervous grin-and-dip that was part of her usual demeanor, and Caitlyn bought it. She sank back down onto her chair.

They moved at a normal pace down the hall, though Gabby wanted to run. She jerked the lapels of her lab coat, feeling better when it settled into place.

“How did you know how to do the phone thing, anyway?” she asked Lark.

“Figured it out somehow, years ago. Hi, Ted,” she greeted an agent they passed. Gabby smiled at another, a woman she’d never met. Every person they encountered was a possible threat, a potential obstacle, even a non-Isaac one. Isaac had gotten to Matthew’s most trusted staff person, Caitlyn. That meant he could have gotten to anyone.

“I used to listen when I knew Dad was talking to a teacher or something. He had a hard time getting to conferences at school, so he did them over the phone.”

“Thank God he did,” Gabby said, slowing her pace. She’d started to hurry too much.

They passed a large room full of cubicles, all the visible agents with their heads bent over paperwork or talking on the phone. It was weird that normal work continued, that most of these employees had no idea what had been happening over the last few days.

They made it to the bathroom and Lark sagged against the door in relief. “Step one done. Now the conference room.”

“Wait.” Gabby swung all the stall doors inward, making sure they were empty. “I’d better go to the bathroom for real. I did have too much coffee.”

“Hurry. I’ll keep watch.” Lark cracked the door to peer out into the hallway. Gabby took thirty seconds, plus a few more to wash her hands, and hurried to the door. Lark flung it open.

And found Caitlyn blocking their way.

* * *

Matthew argued with Kolanko for several minutes, Jason backing him up. They told him he’d be a good role model for his beloved daughter, doing the right thing and standing up for his principles. That Adrina would be well taken care of, because he was a smart man with contingency plans. That he was an ethical man and couldn’t live with himself if Matthew got the death penalty and he could have prevented it.

Nothing changed his mind.

“You know,” he said peevishly, “when your assistant contacted me to arrange that first meeting with Isaac—”

“What?” Matthew and Jason said together.

“My assistant?” Matthew added, the sting of betrayal overpowering even his growing desperation.

“Yes. She called my secretary.”

“What was her name?” Matthew wouldn’t jump to conclusions. Someone could have pretended to be his assistant.

But Kolanko dashed that hope immediately. “Caitlyn. I recognized her voice—she has a lovely, smooth voice, not easily mimicked,” he said, obviously understanding what Matthew was looking for. “And my software identified the number as a direct call from Hummingbird, your office. We track these things as carefully as you do.”

“Caitlyn’s the missing plus one,” Matthew said to Jason as he surged to his feet. “The one on the list. The girls are with her.”

“Don’t let them hear you call them girls.” But he already had the door open. They raced down the hall, Kolanko huffing behind them. Matthew, lighter than Jason, passed him on a curve and knocked into an agent coming the other way.

“Sorry!” he yelled back. He had no idea who the person was. All his focus was on the reception area ahead of him. The empty reception area. Caitlyn wasn’t there. He didn’t stop, wrenching open the door to his office even though he could clearly see it was empty. Jason came in behind him, and Matthew turned in a circle, his hands thrusting into his hair as if to hold his head on. He locked on to Jason, who was as wild-eyed and frantic-looking as Matthew felt.

“We lost them.”

* * *

“Ow. Stop it.” Gabby tried to wrench her arm out of Caitlyn’s grip, but the woman only pinched tighter. She dragged Gabby out of the elevator, not looking back to see if Lark followed. Of course, Lark did. Gabby didn’t have to look, either, to know it. The detonator in Caitlyn’s hand, the one with the button mashed down by her thumb, ensured it. She’d told them there was a small block of plastic explosive molded to the conference room table, just enough to blow the entire room to smithereens. All three men would also be in bits and pieces, and maybe a couple of innocent agents on the other side of the wall, the bitch had told them with glee.

“My father would have checked,” Lark had said, trying to call her bluff, but Caitlyn only grinned.

“I did it after he cleared the room, when I stocked the fridge. He has no reason to doubt me.”

So here they were, in the hallway outside the deserted lab. Gabby lamented giving everyone the day off so they wouldn’t be around when she came to destroy the data. If there had been techs down here as normal, that would have put a crimp in Caitlyn and Isaac’s plans. But, she immediately reconsidered, at least now there weren’t more people in danger.

“Stay right there.” Caitlyn swung Gabby around to slam her back against the wall. Gabby let her, trying to act the way she would have acted a week ago when confronted by this situation. It was her one advantage.

While she acted meek and frightened, Lark lunged and backhanded Caitlyn on the cheek. The woman staggered, then flung up the hand holding the detonator.

“Are you crazy?” she screeched. “Do you want your father blown up?”

“You’re out of range,” Lark scoffed, advancing on the taller woman. “That kind of detonator has to be within a hundred yards of the receiver.”

“Unless you boost the signal with this, you stupid bitch.” Caitlyn turned the detonator to show a small box on the back. Lark froze. “Now stand over there next to your smart friend while I make a call.” She sidestepped to the in-house phone on the wall next to the lab door. She didn’t take her eyes off the two women while she dialed a three-digit extension.

“Hi, sweetie, it’s me. How are you?” She simpered and giggled while exchanging endearments and promises with whoever was on the other line. It was a marked contrast to the glittering malice in her eyes and her threatening posture. “Listen, baby, Isaac Kemmerling and Nils Fredlund are on their way. Let them in, would you? I’ll take the west elevator up to meet them. Oh, and baby? Tonight, I’ll let you do that thing you’ve been wanting to do to me.” She laughed far back in her throat, and Gabby had no doubt what it was doing to the guy on the other end of the line.

She sighed and leaned against the wall, disgusted that her fate was in the hands of a horny moron.

* * *

Jason pretended he didn’t notice that Matt was at a complete loss, uselessly turning in the center of his office. He clamped down on his own fear. One of them had to keep his head. He grabbed the phone on Matt’s desk and started to dial security downstairs, but hesitated, then hit the button for the call log. His eyebrows lifted when he saw the code for conferencing in to Caitlyn’s extension.

The line downstairs buzzed twice.

“Front desk,” an unfamiliar voice answered the phone.

“This is Jason Templeton. Have you seen Lark Madrassa or Dr. Berwell in the last half hour?”

“Yes, sir, they just left.”

“Did they sign out? Were they alone?”

“It was just the two of them, yes sir, and they did sign out.” But there was a catch in the guy’s voice. Jason didn’t believe him. He motioned for Matt to check Caitlyn’s phone. “They didn’t say where they were going, sir.”

Jason hit the mouse to turn off the screensaver on Matt’s computer. The officer had offered information he wasn’t asked for, and his voice had gone high. “Has anyone else come in?” He opened the security program and found the log for the front door.

“No, sir, just employees.”

The guard’s voice was still high, and the system showed the front door had been opened from inside. The electronic sign-out register showed no one leaving, least of all Lark or Gabby. The guard must have let someone in. Dammit.

Jason thanked him and hung up. He went out to Caitlyn’s desk.

“She made a call to an unregistered number,” Matt told him. “I dialed it. Nils.”