Killer Dreams (15 page)

“What?”

“It’s not my formula, but it’s been used as a base.”

“You knew that had happened.”

“But not like this.” Her gaze was fixed on the screen. “This is different.”

“How different?”

“I don’t know yet.” She arrowed down to the next page. “But I don’t like it. Go away. This is going to take some time.”

“Anything I can do?”

“Go away,” she repeated. She arrowed down again. Nothing but formulas. Intricate, complex formulas. Whoever had done this work was brilliant.

“How long will it take you?”

She shook her head.

“Okay, I’ll come back in a couple hours.”

He said something else but she didn’t hear him. She was too absorbed in the equations. She was beginning to see a pattern….

MacDuff called Jane MacGuire late in the afternoon.

She picked up the phone on the second ring. “What are you up to, MacDuff? It’s not like you to have Jock call me and run interference.”

“I had to make sure that you’d be available. I have something to discuss.”

She was silent a moment. “Bull. My guess is that you wanted me to talk to Jock and reminisce a bit about old times.”

“I could do that with you,” he said softly. “We share those memories.”

“But there’s no edge in my relationship with Jock.”

“I’ve given you more than a long time to dull that edge. I’ve only called you twice during that entire time. And I was sore tempted, Jane.”

“What do you want, MacDuff?”

“How is your wonderful Eve Duncan?”

“No sarcasm. She
is
wonderful.”

“I wasn’t being sarcastic. I admire her. How is she?”

“Working herself to exhaustion, as usual. She was called to Washington to teach a class at a medical school.”

“And Joe? Is Joe with her?”

“No, he’s here.” She paused and then repeated, “What do you want, MacDuff?”

“A wee favor. A bit of your time.”

“I’m very busy. I have an art show in a month.”

“Ah, but I’m sure you have time for kin.”

“I’m not your kin.”

“We won’t argue about it. Kin or not, I know you have a great heart and won’t want anything to happen to an innocent child.”

“MacDuff.”

“I need you, Jane. Will you listen?”

“I won’t be used by you.”

“A child, Jane.”

Silence. “Damn you.” She sighed resignedly. “Talk to me.”

Sophie’s palms were sweating. Take deep breaths. It was the third time she’d gone over the formulas to make sure she was correct. She’d hoped against hope that she was wrong. She wasn’t wrong. The few terse lines at the end of the disk spelled it out, but she hadn’t wanted to believe it.

She took the disk out of the computer and put it back in its case. It was growing dim in the room. It was almost sundown.

Get up. Go tell Royd. He’d come back three times during the day and she’d ignored him. Now she wanted to share this nightmare with someone.

She went to the bathroom and splashed water in her face. That was better.

“Towel?” Royd was standing in the open doorway, holding a towel out to her.

“Thanks.” She dabbed at her face.

He handed her a steaming cup of coffee. “You let the carafe I brought you get cold. I think you’re ready for this now.”

“Yes.” The coffee was hot and strong going down her throat. “Where’s Michael?”

“I just left him. Jock and I have taken turns keeping him company. They’re at the Run now.”

“I’ve got to go explain why I couldn’t be with him.”

“After you explain a few things to me,” Royd said. “And the first thing is why you’re pale and shaking like a malaria victim.”

“I’m not shaking.” Yes, she was, she found. She couldn’t go to Michael like this. And she wanted to talk to Royd. “I’m upset.” She went into the bedroom and dropped down on the bed. “I checked it three times, Royd. It’s true.”

“What’s true?”

“Sanborne went a step farther after Garwood. He hired a scientist to expand REM-4 capabilities.”

“Expand?”

“REM-4 could only be created in small amounts. That was one of the problems I was working on. It was going to be very expensive to mass-produce for the general public.”

“And Sanborne’s scientist managed to solve the problem?”

“He increased the potency tremendously so that it could be dissolved in water and still retain its properties.”

“Water?” His gaze was fastened on her face. “A glass of water?”

She shook her head. “Or a vat. Remember that truck driver mentioning that vats were being loaded on the ship?”

He nodded. “Go on.”

“There were a few lines at the end of the formula. Though there were serious problems, the initial tests are promising. Gorshank promises that the island experiment will prove a success.”

“Island? We’re looking for an island.”

“Presumably.”

“Do we have a first name for Gorshank?”

She shook her head. “He must be one of Sanborne’s scientists, but I’ve never heard of him.”

“And the experiment?”

“Why would Sanborne need all those vats of REM-4?” She moistened her lips. “We’re not talking about a controlled, limited experiment.”

“And you’re guessing?”

“He’s going to dump those vats in some water source on the island and watch what happens.”

He nodded. “Makes sense.”

“How can you be so calm? He wants to see if he can make zombies of those people.”

“And then sell the new formula to the highest bidder to drop in our water-processing plants,” Royd said. “Very ugly.”

“I hadn’t gotten that far,” Sophie said. “I didn’t want to get past the disaster on the island.” But the thought had been in the back of her mind, she realized. “It’s experimental. It could kill people.”

“Or make them docile to the point of letting any terrorist group run over them.”

“We’ve got to stop it.”

“Yes.” Royd started for the door. “But we have a start. Gorshank. We’ll find it hard to get Boch and Sanborne, but we might get to Gorshank.”

“If we knew who or where he is.” She followed him as he went out into the hall. “You have contacts. Can’t you find out?”

“I can try. But we need to move fast. We have to have all the help we can get.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. “I’m bringing in MacDuff. I can’t help it if you’re still on the fence about him. I talked to Jock and he says MacDuff is able to tap sources that I can’t. He has contacts everywhere from the British Parliament to U.S. police.”

“I’m not arguing.” She grimaced. “Though I don’t believe the police are going to listen to anyone if it concerns me. I’ll let MacDuff do whatever he can to stop Sanborne. It’s Michael that we may disagree about.”

“That’s between the two of you.” He started down the stairs. “I’ll let you battle it out.”

“Thank you,” she said with irony. “You’re too kind.”

“That’s what you want from me, isn’t it?” he said roughly. “You don’t want me to step in and get in your way. You preach a lot about the good of people helping each other but you’re as bad as I am. You’ve been hurt so much that you’re afraid I’ll do it too. Well, I might hurt you. But not if I can help it. And I’ll kill anyone else who tries to do it. Hell, yes, I’d kill for you. Whether you like it or not.”

She stopped to stare at him, shocked at the outburst.

“Too harsh for you?” He looked away from her and continued down the stairs. “Too bad. Suck it up. I had to say it. I’ve been damn diplomatic for me, and it was sticking in my throat.”

“Diplomatic? You?”

“Hell, yes.” He scowled. “Now, if you’re going to go and see MacDuff with me, I suggest you get your ass down here.” He started down the hall toward the library.

She slowly continued down the steps. Bossy roughneck. She should be angry. He’d been rude and judgmental and even threatening.

But the threat hadn’t been to her. My God, he’d offered to kill for her.

And he’d meant it.

“Hurry up,” he tossed over his shoulder.

Her pace instinctively quickened. He was right. They had to lay this latest disaster before MacDuff and see if he could help them. This was not the time to start puzzling out the enigma that was Matt Royd.

“Gorshank,” MacDuff repeated. “No initials? No first name?”

“Only the last name,” Sophie said. “This afternoon I tried to access a Gorshank on the Internet at various universities and scientific organizations. Nothing.”

“Possibly not an American scientist?”

She nodded. “Possibly. But I checked the international organizations too. No Gorshank.”

“There are a good many East European scientists who worked in the Soviet Bloc on some very nasty projects. They weren’t encouraged to make themselves or their work known,” Royd said. “After the collapse they drifted to all parts of the world.”

“If he’s part of that group, he’ll be on somebody’s list,” MacDuff said. “Probably the State Department or CIA. I know a few people. I’ll see what I can do.”

“How long will it take?”

He shrugged. “I wish I knew. Even if they identify him, they may not be able to find him. He may have already gone to this island.”

“We’ve got to hope that Sanborne won’t want him there before they arrive,” Sophie said. “They’re very careful about the REM-4 formula and they won’t want to take a chance with a scientist who knows that formula being picked up by any of their clients.”

“‘Hope’ is the word,” MacDuff said. “I’ll get on it right away. I don’t—”

Royd’s telephone rang. “Excuse me.” He punched the button. “Royd.” He listened. “Shit. No, I know you couldn’t help it. You’re breaking up. Call me back when you reach port.” He hung up. “Kelly lost the
Constanza
.”

“No,” Sophie whispered.

“He was caught in a squall. He’s lucky to have made it out alive. But there was no way he could keep sight of the
Constanza
. By the time he fought his way through it, they were gone.”

She sank back in her chair. “Isn’t there some way he can track them?”

“If he had all the latest radar equipment he might have a chance. But when he hired the launch there wasn’t time to specify anything but fast. He had to move or lose them.” He turned to MacDuff. “So you’d better get hopping and find us another lead.” He got to his feet. “And I’m out of here. I’m not going to be on the wrong side of the Atlantic if you call me and tell me where I can find either Gorshank or this island.” He strode out of the library.

“You want to go with him.” MacDuff was studying her face.

“I have to go with him.” Sophie’s hands clenched. “I opened this can of worms. I have to close it.”

MacDuff nodded slowly. “Michael?”

“Of course it’s Michael. I won’t leave him without you and Jock being here. Unless you’ve changed your mind?”

“No, I’m on my way as soon as I finish the work you’ve assigned me.” He paused. “But I may have a solution.”

“Solution?”

“I have a friend who’s on her way here. She should be arriving within the next few hours.”

“She?”

“Jane MacGuire. She’s bringing her adoptive father and they’ll stay as long as necessary.”

“Why should I trust her?”

“Because I do.” He smiled. “And because her father is a detective with the Atlanta Police Department and one of the smartest and toughest men you could wish for.”

“The police? Are you crazy? They’ll take Michael into custody. They think I’m a homicidal maniac.”

“I’ve explained the situation. Joe Quinn thinks outside the box and recognizes that things aren’t always as they appear. He also loves and trusts Jane. If he commits, he’ll stay to the end. I’ll leave Campbell and several of the men here with instructions to obey Quinn implicitly. There won’t be a problem.”

She was still uncertain. A policeman whom MacDuff trusted. It sounded safe for Michael. “I don’t know….”

“Jane MacGuire is very strong, very smart, and has a good heart,” MacDuff said. “She reminds me a little of you. That’s why I thought of her. Besides being a tough cookie, she grew up in a dozen foster homes before she was adopted. She knows what it’s like to be alone and abused. She also knows how to fight back. Michael will like her, and I can’t think of anyone who could deal with his psychological problems better than Jane.” He smiled. “Though I don’t know if she plays soccer. That might be a deal breaker.”

“You’re sure that Michael will—”

“He’ll be safe,” MacDuff said. “I swear it. He’ll be safe and cared for. Jane will see to that. It’s the right thing to do. You can leave with a clear conscience. I mean it.”

She believed him. “I want to talk to her and her father.”

“It had better be by phone,” MacDuff said. “I don’t think that Royd is going to wait.”

“He’ll wait,” she said grimly. “If I have to lasso and tie him up. I have to talk to Michael and then phone your Jane MacGuire. I may want to talk to Joe Quinn too. I’m not letting him run off without me.”

“You have your work cut out for you. I believe he’s looking for an excuse to cut you out of the picture.”

“Why do you think that?”

He shrugged. “Intuition? Royd may be finding himself in the peculiar position of being between a rock and a hard place. It must be very disconcerting for one as single-minded as he apparently is. He doesn’t want you hurt, but there’s a possibility you could help get him Sanborne.”

“Believe me, Royd’s not soft enough to let emotion sway logic.”

I’d kill for you
.

“You’ve thought of something.” MacDuff was studying her expression. “I’m not intimating that Royd is soft. But I’d judge he’s responding to a stimulus not connected with the revenge that’s been driving him. It might tend to make him unpredictable.”

“He’s been unpredictable from the moment I met him.” She started for the door. “Will you arrange a phone call to Jane MacGuire for me? I’ll be back within the hour.”

He nodded. “I’ll do my best. She’s over the Atlantic now. It may take a little time.”

She had a sudden thought. “She came without even checking with me? You must be very close.”

He smiled. “You might say we’re soul mates. But she didn’t come for me. When I told her about your boy, she couldn’t resist.” He picked up the phone. “Now you’d best get to tracking down Royd and let me track down Jane. You didn’t give me much time.”