The Source (33 page)

Silent tears
rolling down my face, I say, “I know, mama. It’s just so hard to wrap my mind
and heart around it.”

“No one said it
was easy. People’s true values are tested when times are rough, not when
they’re easy. If it were easy, everyone would be a saint.”

“Well, I’m
definitely not a saint.”

“You know what I
mean, Emma Jean. Don’t be sassy. Like what happened with my dog, just try to
accept that the hurt you feel now may be the life you save tomorrow.”

Tears streaming
down my face I whisper, “Thanks, mama.”

“You’re welcome,
baby. Now, I gotta get off here ‘cause my pinto beans are about to boil over. I
love you.”

“Love you, too,
mama.”

I set the phone
down and lay back on the couch. Mom is right, as always. I know that the things
we did will save lives in the future. There are no prisons that are equipped to
deal with murderous vampires. At this point, the only way to deal with the
threat to human safety is through execution. I actually fully agree with that
premise. It’s just that I don’t like being the person pulling the trigger. I’ll
even make the bullets as long as someone else is taking aim. I know that
shouldn’t make a difference as far as my guilty conscience goes, but it is a thought
that makes me feel better.

Deciding not to
think about these things any further, I decide to busy myself with fixing
something to eat, then cleaning up the apartment. As I’m dumping a basket full
of laundry into the washer, I hear sounds of stumbling in the living room. I
peak around the corner to see a very mornings-can-die look on Rick’s face, or
whatever the vampire equivalent is.

“Didn’t sleep
well?” I ask.

He actually jerks
as if I startled him. “I slept fine. Just wish I could sleep a few more hours.”

I look at the
clock on the wall, “Unfortunately we have to get ready to leave soon. I assume
that we will need to be there early so you can eat.”

He plops down on
the couch, “Your assumption would be correct.”

I take the empty
basket back to the bedroom. When I return, he’s leaning forward with his elbows
on his knees, watching me. I glance at him then walk back to the kitchen. “Is
it safe for me to assume that you’re in a better mood?” he asks.

I walk back to
look at him. “Not particularly. I’m just choosing not to think about things
right now, so please don’t bring it up.” I return to the kitchen.

I feel slightly
bad for being so short with him, but the last thing I need right now is a
clingy vampire who happens to be a
man
that wants to solve all my
problems. Let me deal in my own way.

“Okay,” he says
loud enough for me to hear. “I’m going to take a shower and get ready.”

Now there’s a
distraction – more thoughts of a hot, naked vampire in my shower. Ugh, doesn’t
seem appropriate to divert my thoughts of guilt over killing a vampire to
thoughts of ravishing one for my own carnal satisfaction, but if it works I’ll
go with it. Inappropriate thoughts of having a peephole in my bathroom are
quickly quashed with the realization that someone could peep on me, and I
already have one too many stalkers.

Hmph. I do wonder
where Tucker is. Maybe he went back to New York. As long as he leaves me alone,
it doesn’t really matter. Should just say good riddance and forget about it. My
gut tells me it’s not going to be that simple, though. I guess I won’t know
anything until
he
decides to show himself. That’s part of the
aggravation. Even at a distance he’s still controlling the situation.

I quickly get
ready for the evening while Rick is finishing in the shower. Once he’s done, I
step into the bathroom for a few moments to apply some mascara and lip gloss. Once
I’m happy that my looks won’t scare anyone, we head out the door on our way
back to the research facility.

I decide to go to
the cafeteria and have a snack and Coke while Rick is taking care of his own
dining needs. As I’m picking at my cheese quesadilla, Abe walks across the
room, raising his hand in greeting. “Good evening, Emma.”

“Oh, hi, Abe.
What are you doing here?”

“Well, that’s
rather out of character for such a sweet person as you,” he responds.

“I’m sorry. I
just thought everyone had gathered their things and left since it was announced
that work on the project would stop.”

“Do you mind if I
sit?” he motions to an empty chair.

“On, no, go
ahead.”

Sitting down he
says, “Most of the researchers had. But for whatever reason Bree and I were
asked to return for a meeting with Mr. Caulfield.”

Cocking my head
to the side, “Did they say what the meeting was about?”

“Just told us to
further discuss our contribution to the project.”

Suspicion begins
to entwine itself around the base of my spine and snake its way up my back. We
used part of their solution in our demonstration. Sure we had been unknowingly
working on the same thing, but we didn’t tell anyone that. What if Mr.
Caulfield is suggesting that we split the bonus money with them? Certainly they
could tell from the observation notes and videos that our projects were going
in the same direction. Rick is not going to be happy about this.

“That’s
interesting,” I choose my words carefully. “Maybe there’s another project
possibility?”

“Maybe. We’ll
just have to wait and see what Mr. Caulfield has to say. When are you meeting
with him?”

“At 8:00.”

“Curious. That’s
the same time as our meeting with him.”

I look at him
while trying to force my eyes from widening any more than they already had. I
set my quesadilla aside and take a long drink of Coke. When you don’t have
anything to say, put something in your mouth so that it’s obvious that you
can’t talk. Well, put something
reasonable
in your mouth. Wouldn’t be
sane to go around shoving squirrels in there.

As if on cue,
Bree and Rick walk through the cafeteria door together. They appear to be deep
in conversation, about the meeting no doubt. Or comparing who had a better
dinner.

I set my Coke
bottle down as my inner panic attack continues. What if we DO have to split the
money? I won’t be able to pay off my student loan bills. All of this work and
emotional torment, and I’ll still be struggling to make ends meet. Regardless
of how brilliant I can be, the looming cloud of debt prevents me from really
starting my life. This sucks. Even worse, my moral uprightness has been
thwarted yet again. Thirty minutes ago I was worried about how the things I had
done would change me. Now I’m back to worrying about the money. I guess
self-preservation really is the most important instinct, even when that
fight-instinct is really all about grabbing as much green as possible.

“Hi, Abe,” Rick
begins as he looks to me. “I guess you already know that Bree and Abe will be
joining us for the meeting.”

“So I’m told. Any
ideas why?”

“Well, you all
did use part of our project in your demonstration,” Bree scathingly replies as
she narrows her eyes at me.

I smile tightly
at her. “As I’m sure Rick has explained, we were actually working on the same
thing and the archivist records can attest to that.”

Bree shifts her
shoulders, “We’ll see. Abe, shall we?”

Abe smiles at me
with a slightly embarrassed look on his face. He gets up and walks with Bree toward
the exit door. Throwing any attempt to be proper out the window, I roll my eyes
in a very exaggerated way before standing up and walking around the table to
Rick’s side.

“She really has
no concept that someone else may do something better than her, does she?”

He tilts his head
down to me, “She’s an older vampire of a type that is convinced that vampires
are superior to humans.”

“How old is she?”
I ask.

“That I do not
know. But she is older than me, and I’ve met the type before. Don’t take it
personally. It’s not that she thinks you’re stupid. It’s just that she thinks
of all humans are for the sustenance and pleasure of vampires.”

“Oh, joy,” I
respond, “that makes me feel even more comfortable around her.”

Rick laughs as he
puts his arm around me, gently urging me toward the exit. “Don’t let it bother
you. I also happen to know that with those types of vampires, their
supernatural bravado makes up for their lack of success with seducing humans.”

I pull a little
out of his arm, not wanting anyone to get the wrong idea about us. Or for Rick
to realize just how much I like his arms around me. Either way, it’s attention
that neither one of us needs right now.

We finally arrive
at Mr. Caulfield’s office. Bree and Abe are already sitting at a large round
table with Caulfield’s assistant, Allison. Mr. Caulfield himself walks around
his desk and holds his hand out to Rick then me. “Dr. Allstedt. Dr. Burcham. Congratulations
again on your success. Please, have a seat.” He motions to the large table
before taking his own seat beside Allison.

I shift
uncomfortably in my seat as I glance at Bree, who has given her full attention
to Mr. Caulfield. I notice that Abe is watching Bree more than anything else,
which makes me wonder if maybe his interest in her is more than a common love
for science. I guess I’m not one to speak as I too have learned the rather
bewitching effects of working closely with the fanged sort. The thrall is just
too tempting sometimes, so I hope he’s careful. And I hope someone is wishing
the same for me.

“I’m sure you all
are wondering why I have asked for this meeting,” Mr. Caulfield begins. “First,
Drs. Allstedt and Burcham, given the agreement we had at the beginning of the
project and the fact that you provided the first successful demonstration, you
will both receive a fifty thousand dollar bonus in addition to your regular
salary. After the meeting, please confirm your payment details with Allison.
The final payment will be deposited into your bank account within 2 business
days.”

I bite my lower
lip as casually as possible to keep the huge smile from breaking through my
professional façade. Rick seems to pick up on my overexcited vibe and lightly
squeezes my knee under the table. I take a couple of deep breaths and promise
to thank the universe later for giving me what I need to pay my bills.

I glance at Bree
and see a very hard line protruding from her jaw, as if she’s gritting her
teeth with so much force that the muscles in her face are doubling over into a
rope-like form. She’s obviously not happy with this news.

“However,” Mr.
Caulfield continues, “Drs. Vinh and Krishnamurthy did contribute to the final
outcome. In the very least their teamwork did bring them to the brink of
success, even when the last step was not the great leap that they had hoped it
would be.”

Ouch. I’m sure
those words stabbed Bree right in the chest, especially coming from a human, if
what Rick said about her is true.

“Nevertheless,
FOHVA needs this type of brilliance on our team.” Mr. Caulfield motions to a
stack of folders resting on the table. Allison rises and gives a folder to each
of us. The front cover has the FOHVA emblem embossed along the top.

“FOHVA is
expanding into the realm of paranormal investigations. Just like this project,
the investigations team will focus on crime committed against humans by various
supernatural entities.”

Wait. Huh?
Various? “Excuse me?” I interrupt. “Various? We have provided a viable solution
for crimes committed by vampires. What else are we dealing with?”

His lips quirk as
he regards me with the look of a father addressing his naïve daughter. “Dr.
Burcham, humans have to worry about more than just vampires. The human
community at large is not fully aware of all that goes bump in the night, and
there’s no need to cause a widespread panic. FOHVA intends to address incidents
that seemingly have a supernatural element with our new investigations team.
The U.S. government seeks to begin dealing with these issues before the reality
of the existence of more than just vampires grabs the public’s attention.”

I quickly glance
at Rick, who is resting back against his chair with a blank look on his face. I
guess he’s not surprised by any of this, and I’ve just proven yet again just
how unsophisticated my knowledge really is when it comes to anything other than
human.

“That’s why I
have asked all of you here. Given your performances on this project and your
specific areas of expertise, we feel that FOHVA would greatly benefit from each
one you joining our investigations team.”

I begin to ask
another question and he holds a hand up, seemingly anticipating my confusion.
“I know you all are scientists. Researchers. Not investigators, per se.
However, your analytical skills and ability to problem-solve and find answers
to difficult problems make each of you perfect candidates to lead the team to
great success.”

He pauses as he
watches each of us, allowing us to momentarily digest everything he has just
said. “All of the information you need to make an informed decision is in your
folder. I will also add that the confidentiality agreement that you signed when
you were hired for the project still applies. Given the timeline commitment
FOHVA has agreed to, we will need your answer by the end of the week.” He looks
at each one of us before saying, “That is all.”