The Defender (The Carrier Series Book 2) (24 page)

“Yes, boss!” He saluted me, and then texted another message. I
swiveled in my chair, and got back to reading books. I could tell Drew was
still texting Darcy, however, since I heard him typing and snickering. “Oh
wait, here’s an article about Dr. Myers’s research. Apparently he won a county
science award for his advances in genetic medicine.”

“Does it say anything specifically about the research?”

“Listen to this:

Dr. Myers was honored today for his unique discovery related to
details concerning a rare DNA disorder. Certain strands of the DNA molecule in
his patients were deteriorating and this led Dr. Myers to infer that the cure
for this disease lies within the infected.”

He turned on to
face me. “That part Myers
ganked from his father, as we know. Then it goes on to describe the details of
the ceremony and the address of the doctor’s practice.”

I let out a loud sigh. “Well, that wasn’t very helpful.” I went
back to work scanning the books.

Drew continued scanning films for several minutes. “Wait, here’s
something else in the
Lena Review
.”

March 29th, 1966

Longtime community board member, upstanding citizen, and respected
town physician Clennan Myers and his wife, Myra, were tragically killed
Thursday night in their home. The doctor and his wife were in bed when an
intruder broke the window on the back door, unlocked the handle, and entered
the house. The intruder was apparently seeking a specific antidote Dr. Myers
was cultivating in his office, and when Dr. and Mrs. Myers confronted the
intruder, a gun was pulled and they were shot. When emergency personnel arrived
on the scene, both citizens were dead already. The couple’s six-year-old son,
Ethan, was asleep upstairs during the incident. The boy has been taken to the
Stephenson County Children’s Home as no relatives are in the area. The identity
of the intruder is not being released at this time by local authorities as they
are continuing their investigation.”

Drew turned from the screen and faced me. “I thought Myers’s
parents were killed in a car accident.”

“I bet that’s what the orphanage told Myers, not wanting a
little kid to know his own parents were murdered. I wonder when he found out
the truth.” I thought about that for a moment. I would not be happy to find out
my parents were murdered when I had thought all my life they died innocently in
a car accident.

Drew scanned the article again. “So Dr. Myers actually created a
cure, and Ethan Myers’s parents were murdered for that cure. If I put two and
two together, that means the intruder must have been suffering from
Caducuspetra
.”

I tapped my pencil on the countertop, thinking. “If his father
had already created the cure, why doesn’t Ethan Myers have it now? Why has he
been trying to re-create it?”

“Maybe the intruder stole the only sample Dr. Myers had made…
and
…maybe
he stole the formula as well!” Drew took out his tablet and made a note.

“That could be entirely possible, I guess.” I thought for a
moment. “We need to find out who the intruder was. Maybe they still have the
plans and we could, uh, borrow them.”  

“Sure, boss.” Drew snickered and went back to surfing through
the scanned newspapers. “Wait, wait, here’s another article a couple days
later.” He read through it in his head and then summarized. “It looks like a
few days after the doctor was killed they arrested a suspect. Let’s see, blah
blah—” he scanned a bit more, “—a woman named, let's see here…June Gardner.”

“What? Let me see that! June Gardner?” I pushed Drew’s rolling
chair out of the way, and he crashed into the wall to his left, laughing. I
slid mine over.

It said June Gardner.

“Ava’s last name is Gardner. Do you think this person was
related to Ava?” My jaw was slack in awe.

“Nah, it’s just a coincidence, right?” Drew and I stared with
disbelief at the article on the screen, deep in thought. My heart rate began to
rise, and I felt beads of sweat gathering on my hairline.

“It can’t be…. It can’t be.” My head was clouding over and my
stomach was quickly turning sour.

“Hold on, here’s another article from the following week.” Drew
scrolled over to catch the article. “It says June Gardner, from Platteville,
Wisconsin, was tried for unintentional double homicide and breaking and
entering.”

“Ava’s grandparents lived in Platteville. It’s Ava’s
grandmother. It’s gotta be.” I said it slowly, letting it sink in. “Ava’s
grandmother murdered Ethan Myers’s parents.” I looked down at the floor when my
heart realized what my mind didn’t want to admit. “He wants revenge.”

“Wait, there’s more, and this is odd. It says Mrs. Gardner was
sentenced to twenty years in the Galena County State Prison, but was released
after two days for reasons unknown.”

“ ‘Reasons unknown’ ? That makes no sense. Why would a state
prison release a sentenced murderer after two days?” I suddenly wanted more
than ever to call Ava, but there was a possibility she had no idea about any of
this—before or after the memory wipe.

“What is the date on the article?”

“1966,” Drew said as he searched the machine for more
information.

Suddenly our phones buzzed in tandem. Bowman had sent us urgent
texts—
Intel suggests you’ll soon have company at the library. Evacuate ASAP.

Drew and I exchanged surprised looks, and then he quickly pulled
the film out of the machine while I shoved the books back on the shelf.
Upstairs we heard the librarian scream, and then a rather large thud. Several
footsteps scattered around the top floor.

“There’s more than one,” Drew whispered.

“The only exits are upstairs. What are we going to do?” I pulled
the Glock from my belt. We only had seconds before Myers’s men figured out we
were downstairs.

Drew looked around the room. A small rectangular window near the
top of the wall had a pane of glass that opened outward. Drew pushed a table up
against the wall, climbed on top of it, and pulled out the screen as I poked my
head out the door. No one was coming down the stairs yet. When I looked back I
could only see Drew’s feet sneaking through the open window.

With my heart beating quickly, I hopped up onto the table and hoisted
myself through the window with little effort. How did he get through there with
his shoulder injured? Mine was miserable with pain.

Once out of the tiny window, Drew closed it quickly and then we
ran our way around the side of the building toward the parking lot. When we got
to the corner, Drew looked around the brick wall for sign of the intruders.

He turned back toward me and whispered, “I don’t see anyone, but
there’s probably someone staking out the front door. Do you want to run for
it?”

“I don’t see what else we can do. The other guy’ll be coming
through the window any minute.”

We ran through the back lawn toward the side parking lot where
ours was still the only car present. About three feet out from the door I heard
that familiar spitting sound and a bullet ricocheted off the hubcap. I lunged
for the car and dove in just as another bullet hit the open door.

Drew started the car and threw it in reverse as a few more
bullets rang out around us. Gravel spewed from the tires as Drew’s car sped away
from the library and out of town. I pulled my cell from my pocket and called
Agent Bowman immediately to tell him we made it out safely.

“Great. Sorry my team didn’t pick up any movement before they
did. Were you able to find anything before Myers’s men arrived?”

I told him what we had discovered and he sounded pleased.
“Perfect. Just as I suspected. Good work, Agent Hill. Now you and Drew get up
here quickly. My scientists have made a breakthrough in the case of the cure.
I’ll call Agent Greene and fill him in while you’re heading back to Milwaukee.”

Drew and I arrived back at headquarters late in the evening and
were immediately rushed to the conference room on the second floor near Agent
Bowman’s office. There were several suited people sitting around a dark-grey
oval table, waiting our arrival. Many agents had tablets in front of them, and
a few were engaging in quiet conversation.

We took a seat in the only two empty office chairs pushed up to
the table. Agent Bowman shut the door and then stood next to us, clearing his
throat to gather everyone’s attention. “Agents Hill and Smith, I applaud your
dedication to this mission. Your discoveries have been instrumental in our
advances toward the arrest of Ethan Myers. Before we can pull the trigger on
this operation, we need to compile our information to create a plan of attack.
Agent Gibson, please report first.”

A small man with an alarmingly bushy and unkempt beard spoke up
rather excitedly. He had a ponytail and oversized front teeth that reminded me
of those on a small rodent. “The genetics department has discovered the key to
the cure for
Caducuspetra
Morbus
. We are certain Ethan Myers is
ravenously searching for the Desirable Eight—a term he’s coined for eight
citizens who fit a very explicit set of genetic requirements. Up until now we
haven’t been cognizant of the precise formula, but recently we have concocted a
plausible hypothesis based on the latest and most respected genetic research
around the world.”

He paused for a big breath and Agent Bowman cut in. “Wonderful
work, Agent Gibson. What are these specific requirements?”

“We are certain on three counts: the victim must be female,
brown haired, and must be of Great British descent.” Some of the agents took
notes on their tablets. “We know the other qualities are harmonious with
exposure to meteoric radiation as well as an unknown certain level of
disintegration within gene pairs.

“But?” Agent Bowman sensed Gibson had something else to say.

Agent Gibson smiled. “But, without a manifestation Myers calls
‘The Schematics,’ we are somewhat bewildered as to what the rest of the recipe
could entail.”

“And does Mr. Myers have the Schematics in his possession at
this time?”

“We believe he does not.” Agent Gibson cleared his throat and
pushed his glasses up his nose a bit. “These young ladies we are finding
dead…well, sir, we believe Myers is killing them somewhat unintentionally.
Autopsies suggest Myers is looking for something within their brains and, of
course, he is not a brain surgeon.”

“Hmmm…” Bowman walked the perimeter of the room. “Any other
pertinent information to report at this time?”

“Yes, it should also be noted that although evidence suggests
Ava Gardner fits what we know of the profile for one of the Desirable Eight, we
are certain she will be useless in contributing to the cure.”

A small murmur came over the group.

“Why so?”

“Because Miss Gardner underwent gene therapy last August. Agent
Greene strengthened her already weakened genes. The suspected formula requires
genes that have been weakened to a certain degree and Miss Gardner no longer
possesses such genes.”

“I see. Thank you for the update, Agent Gibson.” Then he turned
to another man sitting to his right. “Agent Richardson, please report.”

“Recent discoveries from Agent Hill and Agent Smith have
indicated that although Miss Gardner might not precisely fit the profile for
one of the Desirable Eight, Ethan Myers will most likely pursue her as revenge
for her grandmother murdering his parents. Through our source of informants, we
can roughly track Mr. Myers’s activity, but we do not know his exact location
at this point in time. Although we believe Miss Gardner’s well-being is
possibly in danger, we are unsure if Myers is currently focused on locating the
Desirable Eight, or more interested in pursuing Miss Gardner.”

“Thank you. Recommendations?” Agent Bowman clicked the pen in
his hand.

“We recommend securing the identity of the Desirable Eight
before extracting Miss Gardner. Agent Greene will ostensibly be able to protect
Miss Gardner, and we’ll most likely know when Mr. Myers migrates north to
Stevens Point.”

Most likely? I did not like the sound of that. I felt a strong
need to head up to Ava and help Adam keep guard.

“Very well, then. This meeting is adjourned. Back to work,
agents. Let’s uncover the identity of these people before Myers does.”

Drew and I slowly stood up from the table, not exactly knowing
what to do next when Agent Bowman said, “Not you two. Stay here for a moment.”
Agent Bowman continued once the room cleared. “I’m not sure I agree with my
advisors completely. I think it’s best if you two travel to Stevens Point in
the morning and stay on the lookout for Myers or his men. Our mole is stellar,
but then again, can you ever completely trust a mole?” He stared at us as if he
expected us to answer, but we knew the question was rhetorical.

With fluttery excitement in my heart, I left the conference
room. I knew Ava still didn’t know who I was, but it was entirely possible I
could see her beautiful face from afar every day until we could capture Myers
and take Ava back to the operating room.

Things were looking up.

*     *
    *     *    *

Friday, October 31st

I actually got a better night’s rest than I had in quite some
time. The prospect of being in the same town as Ava calmed my heart. Even so,
the morning came quickly and Drew and I were ready to leave around nine.

I hadn’t remembered it was Halloween until we pulled into a gas
station in Plover and a slutty pirate was pumping gas into the Buick next to
us.

“What’d ya say we hit a costume party tonight?” Drew’s eyes got
wide. “College girls!” he mouthed to me with his back to the pirate. “I bet we
could muster up some costumes lickety-split.”

“Oh really, grandpa from 1950?” I smiled at his vocabulary choices.
“Let’s just get to Stevens Point and settle in before we make plans for the
evening. I told Adam we’d meet him at the coffee shop around two.”

“Oh golly gee mister, that sure is swell!”

I had no idea what had gotten into Drew, but it was entertaining.
He hopped in the car and drove us the last few miles north to Stevens Point,
all the way spewing out his favorite catchphrases from half a century ago.

Agent Greene was waiting at a small table in the back when we
arrived at the cozy little coffee shop near the riverfront. He had ordered
three small coffees and was sipping on one of them. There were several patrons,
mostly college-aged, listening to their iPods and reading out of textbooks. A
couple played checkers pulled from the shelf of games nearby.

Adam appeared suspiciously nervous, but greeted us with smiles
and handshakes. “Welcome back to American soil, boys.” It sounded a bit odd
coming from a man with a British accent.

“So how’s my girl?” Adam winced slightly when I asked. “Is she
alright?”

“Well…yes…I assume.”

“What the hell do you mean, ‘I assume’? Haven’t you been
following her around all day every day for the last few weeks?”

Adam picked at the napkin under his coffee mug. “Sort of.
Something happened and Ava is a tad grumpy towards me at the moment. She hasn’t
spoken to me in a few days.”

Drew laughed out loud, but I was not amused. He better not have
tried to hurt her.

“What’d ya do? Try to put the moves on her?” Drew tipped backward
onto two legs of
his chair
and laughed loudly.

I didn’t see what was so funny.

“No, no….There was just some rubbish prank the frat kids played.
It was mean and…well, anyway…it’s no matter, she’s fine. I’ve been keeping tabs
on her without her knowing. But I need to get her back on my side, or I may not
be able to continue to monitor her as closely as I would like to. You know,
from a medical standpoint.”

“Just tell her the truth. She’s a smart woman.” I couldn’t
believe some frat prank would have angered her too much.

“I would, mate, but she won’t listen to me right now.” His
eyebrows lowered in frustration.

Drew leaned forward and poked a finger in the air in Adam’s
direction. “Here’s a genius idea—just figure out where she’s going tonight,
corner her with your debonair charm and wit, and she’s putty in your hands.
I’ve done it a million times.”

I believed that about Drew.

“Going tonight?” Adam asked, perplexed.

“Yeah!” Drew said obnoxiously. “It’s Halloween! All college
girls go out to party on Halloween night!” Drew’s phone buzzed and he swiped
the screen. Smiling, he sent a text message.

“Right…right. Halloween night. Brilliant…I can do that.” Adam
looked out the window in deep thought.

“Anyway, what else can you tell us about Ava? Is she still
blacking out?”

“Yes, but the episodes are becoming shorter and occurring less
often. I am able to pull her out of them quickly, and minimize the danger to
her brain.”

“That’s good at least.”

Drew’s phone vibrated a continuous buzz. “It’s Bowman,” he said
before answering. He had a quick conversation and then put down the phone and
took a long drink from his coffee, holding our curiosity over our heads before
filling us in. “Intel indicates Myers is on the move again. They’re pretty sure
he’s headed for Stevens Point. Myers is planning his revenge on Ava tonight.”

I jumped up, heart pumping, ready to swing into action.

Drew grabbed my arm and pulled me back down into the wooden
chair. “Hold on there, buckaroo. Intel has confirmed Myers is halfway across
the country right now. Even with the fastest jet, he won’t arrive until the
Halloween moon is high in the sky. Sit down and enjoy your brew.” And then he
closed his eyes and took a deep drink from his cup.

I, however, would not be able to enjoy myself at all. I turned
to Adam, “Where is she right now? We need to be with her.”

Adam took out his phone. “The GPS indicates she’s at home. I’ll
go park my car a few blocks down from her house and watch her door for the rest
of the afternoon.”

“I’ll come with you.” I put my phone in my pocket in preparation
of leaving.

“No, no. I’ll have a go at it alone. I have more research
documents to read anyway.” Adam drained the last sip from his mug, and then
stood up from the table. “Keep me posted on the plan for tonight. I’ll see you
two later.”

“See ya, British Buddy! Have fun on lookout duty!” Drew smiled
as Adam left the shop, but once he left Drew leaned over toward me with a
completely serious expression, “There’s something fishy about that dude.”

“I told you that a month ago!” I stared at Drew for a few
seconds. “I can’t wait to get this night over with and get Ava back in my
arms.”

“Don’t jump the gun, my friend. You have a long road ahead of
you when it comes to getting back with your woman.”

“I know, but one day closer is one day closer.”

“Ooh! That’s a good one.” Then he sang to me with a smile, “One
day closer is one day closer.”

I laughed. “I’ll take a twenty-percent cut if that one hits the
charts!”

“Deal, dude!”

*     *
    *     *

That evening Drew and I were eating take-out pizza in my hotel
room when I got a call from Agent Bowman informing us that Myers should be
arriving in Point around eleven that night. Bowman gave explicit instructions
to find Ava and get her out of town sooner than later. If we were still around
when Myers arrived, we should take out his men but bring Myers into custody.

I called Adam right away to relay the news.

“No problem, Nolan. I know exactly where the girls are going.
I’ll have her trusting me again and back to you straight away.”

“Fine, but hurry. I don’t want any surprises from Myers.”

This needs to be pulled off without any complications
, my heart warned.

“Remember, Nolan, if you end up on campus for some reason, it’s
imperative to Ava’s health for you to stay out of her sight until we get back
to headquarters where we can put her under anesthesia. Ava’s brain still isn’t
ready to see you yet.”

“Look Adam, it’s been twenty-one long and excruciating days
without her. I don’t think I can—”

But he cut me off, raising his voice above mine. “Trust me,
Agent Hill. You could do irremediable damage to her brain by allowing her to
interact with you. If you truly want what’s best for her, you’ll stay away.”

I begrudgingly replied, “Fine, I’ll try.” But I yearned for Ava so
badly at that point I couldn’t in good conscience whole-heartedly agree to such
terms.

I hung up the phone just as Drew’s buzzed on the table. He
picked it up, swiping the screen. “Bowman says he’s sending a tactical team up
here by jet. They’ll land near the Plover rendezvous point in about an hour.
We’re to meet with them at the safe house there.”