Sam pursed her lips. “Brenda, Hector’s legit. We talked for hours last night. If he were LifeFarm, he’d have more than enough to turn me in.” She glanced at Javier, connecting with his eyes. “I can just tell. I don’t know how to explain it.”
As he gazed into her dark eyes, he recalled their conversation that lasted until Jonah kicked them out so he could close the diner. They’d talked about family, childhood memories, pets, school . . . anything to keep the night going. His fear of awkward silences had quickly melted away—talking to Sam was shockingly easy. When she used his fake name, his stomach twisted. Even after learning so much about each other, she still didn’t know his real name.
The translator’s voice interrupted his trance. “Well, he doesn’t look like LifeFarm. Those bastards all look the same.” She held out her hand. “Let’s see.”
He lifted the case onto her desk and opened it.
Brenda picked up a cube with each hand and rotated them. “Developing a vaccine is usually a long process. There is a new methodology we can use as long as we don’t tell anyone. It hasn’t been approved but the vaccine is produced in a fraction of the time.” She put the cubes back and scratched a plumeria tattoo on her wrist. “We can’t do it here. There are LifeFarm sympathizers. I just finished fighting with one.”
“We know; we saw her. I’ve been dodging her too,” Sam said. “Do you have an idea where else we can go?”
Brenda nodded. “There’s a lab in Hayes.”
“The same one that threw me out yesterday?” Javier asked.
“Did they?” She stood and walked to the door. “Let me call. Come back this afternoon. I have to work now.” She opened the door.
Sam took off her translator and gave it to Brenda. Javier picked up his case and followed her example.
On their way down the hall, Brenda’s voice stopped them. “Lämna portfölj.”
He turned around and pointed to his ear. “I don’t understand.”
She huffed, stomped to him, and gave him back the translator. “Leave the case.”
Javier leaned away from her. “I can’t do that. If something happens to it–”
“You came here for help, no? I can get started in here.”
Javier glanced at Sam, who shrugged. “It’s probably okay.”
He couldn’t stomach the thought of leaving it. “If it stays, I stay.”
Brenda huffed again and grabbed the set off Javier’s head, scratching his ear, then stormed back to her office. “Dumhuvud.” She slammed the door.
“What did she say?” he asked.
Sam started back towards the stairs. “I don’t know, but it didn’t sound nice.”
****
Charlie set the full plate of food on the placemat in front of him, ready to dig in to the gravy-covered pot roast, potatoes, and carrots. His mouth had been watering since he arrived at Annie’s aroma-filled house an hour earlier.
He took his first bite at the same time Mattson entered the kitchen. “Hey, Chuck.” Mattson grabbed a plate from the cabinet and piled food onto it from the slow cooker.
“I told you to quit calling me that.”
Mattson laughed, apparently pleased with himself that he’d found one of Charlie’s goats. He settled in the seat across the table.
“How’s school going?” Charlie asked.
“Not bad. When they don’t lie to us.” Mattson stabbed a chunk of meat with his fork and shoved it into his mouth. “They’re giving us all sorts of garbage about LifeFarm feeding the poor in Africa.” He rolled his eyes.
“How can you be so sure that’s not true?”
“Because it’s not. I follow a couple bloggers who’ve taken video of starving kids in Kenya.” After a bite of potatoes, he shook his fork at Charlie. “Think about it: the company has complete control of the media, and they want to make sure they look good to everyone. What better way to do that than to claim to feed the world?”
Charlie shook his head. “Those conspiracy types just want the attention. It’s entirely possible that a company like LifeFarm could produce enough food to feed the world’s population. It’s easy, actually.”
“Ha.”
“Can you two please stop?” Annie joined them from the family room and filled a plate. “This argument isn’t helping anything. It’s just noise.”
Mattson sipped his soda. “It’s not just noise. We’re lied to every day. And no one gives a crap.”
Charlie slammed his fork on the table. “All that talk will get you is blacklisted. You think any college will want your brilliant mind then, smart guy? You’ll be lucky if you can get a job at Taco Bell.”
“I do like burritos.” He smirked as he chewed.
“Mattson, stop it.” Annie looked from her son to Charlie. “Be the adult here, okay?”
They spent the next few minutes eating in silence, until Charlie’s phone rang from his pocket. He checked the ID. “It’s Sylvia. I have to take this.” He left the table, glancing at Annie’s holo-dock on her desk, and answered the old-fashioned way when he reached the living room. The fewer eavesdroppers, the better. “Yeah.”
“One of our bugs picked up something in Hayes, Iowa. It was in the lobby of a homeless shelter. A couple employees were making jokes about the young Latino guy hanging out with an older lady.”
“Seems a little thin. Could be a kid and his grandma. Is there anything else?” After three weeks of silence, this news was better than nothing, but barely.
“No. I thought it seemed promising. Want me to send some guys?”
Charlie stared at the wall, playing out scenarios in his head. After the attempt to nab Mendez at the shelter in Colorado and again at the old man’s farm, he couldn’t risk another failure—especially based on a theory as thin as this. It only meant more embarrassment for his department. Better to keep those in the know at a minimum. “No. I’ll head there myself in the morning. What was the town again? Hayes?”
“Yeah, Hayes. I’ll text you the name of the shelter.”
Chapter Nine
Javier stared at the black screen, waiting for Boss and his giant forehead to appear. Brenda stood behind him, but it was Javier’s job to speak. Brenda didn’t like to speak English, after all, and she couldn’t hand Boss a translator through the screen.
Javier twisted around. “Can’t you just do this? He’s gonna toss me out again.”
She shook her head and pointed to the screen. Boss was glaring at them.
Brenda had tried to call the lab yesterday after Javier and Sam left her office, but she hadn’t been able to talk to anyone. She’d suggested appearing in person, saying the boss knew her and would probably let them in because of that.
Javier shifted his feet. “Uh, hi again. I still need to talk to you, and I brought someone to back me up.”
“I see that. Good morning, Dr. Hagen.”
“God morgon.”
Javier had to consciously not roll his eyes. Just speak English.
“I’ll be there in a minute.” The screen went black.
Javier faced Brenda. “How do you know this guy?”
She held up a finger and fished earpieces from her bag. When Boss arrived, she handed them out and put one on herself.
“Funny to see you here,” Boss said to Brenda. “I’m surprised your enormous ego could fit through the door.” He pressed his thumb on a small panel and opened the interior door, leading Javier and Brenda into the lab. “We’ll talk in here.”
As they entered the space filled with work stations and half a dozen employees toiling away with various instruments, unease settled on Javier. Boss and Brenda obviously had a contentious history between them, and neither of them seemed to like Javier. How would they get anything done?
“Are you sure there are no bugs?” Brenda asked.
Boss glared at her. “I don’t let anyone in here. If there are bugs, they’re in the front room.” He addressed Javier. “I’m Trent, by the way. You were right to think she could get you in here, but
she’s difficult to work with.”
Javier wanted to agree but offered an awkward grin instead. Crap.
Brenda pointed to Javier. “He has specimens. He wouldn’t let me start anything yesterday, so I couldn’t verify if they all have the same virus–”
“They do. I wouldn’t have brought them all if they didn’t.” Javier scowled.
She scolded him with her eyes. “We need to determine the type of vaccine to develop and create a prototype.” She looked at Trent. “That’s simple enough for your lab to handle, right?”
Trent pointed at her. “Look, Hagen. I don’t have to allow you in here.”
“Yes, you do.” Javier stepped between them. “How many around here have died? In Iowa?”
They were silent, so Javier answered for them. “Forty-four, last time I checked. And that’s just in Iowa. Multiply that by the number of states in the Midwest, add a few more for the other states, then increase it exponentially in the spring when mosquitoes become more prolific, and maybe you’ll have some grasp of the problem.” He looked from Brenda to Trent, then back to Brenda. “Do you think we can stop acting like children for five minutes and do something about it?”
Brenda huffed, grabbed the case from Javier, and stomped towards an empty workbench on the side of the lab. The lab workers had frozen in place, still holding their various instruments, jars, and trays, watching the argument unfold. The only sound came from a cracked iPhone connected to an antique Bluetooth speaker cranking a Justin Timberlake song that was older than Javier.
Trent waved a hand at them. “Show’s over, guys. Get back to it.” He leaned towards Javier and lowered his voice. “I don’t appreciate being scolded in front of my staff. But you’re right. Dr. Hagen is a pain in the ass, but she’s the best at what she does, and she’s majorly anti-corporation. She looks for LifeFarm everywhere. We worked together at the university before I came here. Probably why she thought this would be a good place to operate.” He glanced at the place Brenda had claimed. She had opened the case and was removing bees from their cubes. “Our positions on LifeFarm are the only thing we agree on.”
Javier hurried to her. No one had touched the bees since he put them into the cubes, and seeing them out sent his pulse through the roof.
They’d have to come out eventually if he and Brenda were to develop a vaccine. Maybe he was confusing anxiety with the excitement that came from finally getting started.
Brenda pulled some equipment from her bag and gathered other supplies from the lab, helping herself to whatever she could find in the cabinets and drawers.
“What do you need me to do?” Javier asked. “And how long do you think this will take?”
“Do nothing right now. Hopefully it won’t take too long. I need to work.” She took off her ear piece and put it into her bag.
Great. How was he supposed to work with someone who refused to talk to him?
****
After activating his car’s self-driving mode, Charlie shifted in his seat, trying to ease the pain in his lower back. He hadn’t had to sit still for so long in ages, but driving from California to Iowa—even though the car was doing most of the driving—was a necessary burden if he wanted to get Mendez himself. He was only in Utah and wished he had sprung for a plane ticket despite air travel having become a mostly inaccessible luxury, a side-effect of air traffic control being privatized when he was in high school. The government wouldn’t even cover their own employees’ airfare unless they had to go over an ocean. Charlie hadn’t stepped foot on a plane since he was fourteen.
Charlie imagined arresting Mendez—or shooting him, if the need arose—and he smiled. It would be extra sweet after his security team had failed to get the job done.
His phone rang, and he pushed a button on his stereo receiver, bringing the holo-dock on his dash to life. “Yeah.”
A small, projected version of Annie appeared above the steering wheel, complete with her tear-streaked face. “Did you talk to Mattson before you left?”
“A little. Why? What’s wrong?”
“I can’t find him. He went to a friend’s house last night and I haven’t been able to reach him.”
“Does he normally take off?”
“No. If he’s gone for a while, he checks in. His friend said he left early this morning.” New tears filled her eyes. “I’m freaking out here, Charlie. Should I call the cops?”
“Not yet. They won’t do anything for twenty-four hours after he disappeared.” Charlie racked his mind for any clues Mattson might have left. Last night, his nephew had left the table by the time Charlie had finished talking to Sylvia. Where had he been during the call?
“Annie, Mattson might have heard my phone call last night.”
“So?”
Charlie pursed his lips, regretting his decision to not take the last night’s call outside. “Well, if he was listening, he knows about Mendez and that I’m going to Iowa. I’m not sure why he’d care, though.” He shook his head—she needed to hear something more reassuring. “He probably just went for a joy ride, being a dumb kid. We were there once. Remember when you spent a whole school day at the beach? Dad wanted to kill you.”
She wiped her face with her sleeve, apparently unaffected by his attempt at nostalgia. “He’s been talking funny. You know that. Stuff about the government suppressing infor–”
“Stop talking. We can address that later.” If his phone was monitored—and he had no reason to doubt it was—just her saying those words could endanger Mattson. And possibly herself. “Call the cops in the morning if he doesn’t turn up. Keep me posted.”
****
Liz looked up when the bells on the diner’s door jangled, then went back to filling the napkin holders. “Hi there. Welcome to Sam’s.”
Jonah had given her the job the day before, after she dropped off Javier at the lab for the umpteenth time. With no way to fill the hours and her money running out, she’d gone back to the diner and off-handedly asked Jonah if he was looking for any part-time help. He must have sensed she needed cash, because he said she would “unofficially” work for him and he’d pay her under the table.
“Hey.” The lanky teen parked on a stool at the bar and took off his cap. He ran his hand over his short, black hair. “Can I get a burger?”
“Sure thing. Fries?”
He nodded. “A Coke too.”
She hollered the order into the kitchen window, a bit of old-diner charm Jonah had insisted on, then returned to her customer. “Haven’t seen you around here. You passing through?” Her whole three weeks in town weren’t much, but she’d started to recognize the regulars.
“Kind of. I’ve been driving since last night. I’m meeting my uncle.”
The bells on the door jangled again, and Jonah walked in. “Hey, Marie.” He joined Liz behind the bar. After putting on an apron, he approached the teen and held out a hand. “Hi. I’m Jonah.”
The kid leaned back at first but shook Jonah’s hand. “Mattson.”
“Cool name. Have you ordered?”
“Yeah.”
“Good deal.” Jonah patted Liz on the shoulder and walked into the kitchen.
“He’s friendly,” Mattson said.
“Yeah. Makes him good at what he does.” She resumed refilling napkin holders. “The university is in the next town, if that’s what you’re looking for.”
“It’s not.” He leaned over the counter and lowered his voice. “You’re a local, right?”
“Sort of.”
“You know anything about a virus going around? Something the news won’t talk about?”
Liz stepped back, surprised both by his question and by his forwardness. He had no idea who she was or what side she was on. Plus, someone could have planted a bug in the place at any time, which Liz had learned was the reason Jonah introduced himself and chatted up anyone who came into the diner. A stranger was a potential bug planter.
She looked from side to side, as if checking the place, then put a finge
r to her lips. She nodded.
Mattson smiled and sat back. “I knew it.”
****
Charlie rolled into Hayes after sunset. A few businesses were open, including a small grocery and a diner. He tried to focus on the task at hand, but worry about his nephew consumed his mind. Annie had called the police that morning. All they determined was Mattson and his car were missing. They’d discovered no new leads.
Part of him hoped Mattson had come to Iowa after hearing the call, but it seemed silly. Why would a seventeen-year-old kid want to get involved with this? Mattson only knew the authorities were looking for Mendez. He didn’t know why. So why would he care?
Of course, all those sites Mattson looked at might have sent him on a crazy mission.
Charlie told himself there was nothing he could do about his nephew at the moment, so he’d need to find Mendez quickly. The shelter was in the next town. If Charlie’s theory worked out, Mendez would spend the night in the shelter and work in a lab during the day. All he had to do was figure out which lab—one in town or at the university—and time it out.
His stomach rumbled, and he winced at the memory of the gas station hot dog he’d had for lunch. Not knowing where Mendez would be in the evening hours, he decided he could take time for supper. The diner looked inviting. He parked and headed inside.
A few patrons sat at the bar and a family sat in a booth. A government-planted bug might be here as well, so he’d have to watch his mouth.
One of the customers sitting at the bar with his back to the door caught his attention.
Mattson?
He shook his head and headed towards the bar.
Mattson was shoving fries into his mouth, oblivious to his surroundings.
“You’d better call your mom. She’s worried sick.”
Mattson jerked up.
Charlie put his hand on the bar. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Mattson glanced at the lady behind the bar, then to Charlie. “I heard you on the phone. I decided to check it out.”
“You’re a fool. Things could get ugly.”
“Yeah? Well, maybe I want to see for myself.”
The Seventh Seed Page 8