The Seventh Seed

by Allison Maruska

  Upon returning to the emergency department, with nowhere else to go, she reclaimed her chair.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  With an hour left in the bus ride to Richmond, Charlie leaned against the window while pressing Damien’s phone against his ear, listening to the rings and imagining his sister digging through her purse. If he wasn’t dreading the conversation, he would have smiled at the thought.

  It had taken some digging to find Annie’s number, but not as much as it took to locate Mattson. Charlie had figured that if Mattson had been close to the blast, he would have needed medical care. So he Googled New York hospitals and urgent care clinics and worked down the list until one said Mattson was there. The receptionist couldn’t release any information about his condition, however.

  The call went to voicemail. Annie was likely screening her calls. The bus was leaving Fredericksburg, and the phone was already down a bar on its reception. Charlie pressed “Send” again.

  His imagination wandered as he waited for her to answer. What could have happened to his nephew? Broken bones? Burns? Something related to his gunshot wound? Or worse?

  “Hello?”

  “Hey. It’s me.”

  “Charlie? What number is this?”

  “I’m borrowing a phone. And I may lose reception soon so I have to be quick.” He cleared his throat. “Um . . . have you been watching the news at all?”

  “A little. Why?”

  “See anything about riots in D.C.? Or about a building blowing up in New York?”

  “No, nothing like that. Is Mattson there? I want to talk to him.”

  “He’s not here.” Charlie watched trees race by. “I’m on my way to Richmond. He’s in New York. The LifeFarm building exploded and he was near it.” A lump in his throat threatened to steal his words. He cleared it again. “He’s in a hospital there.”

  “What! He’s in a hospital in New York?”

  Grimacing, Charlie pulled the phone away. He could hear her yells just fine from a distance.

  “And why the hell aren’t you there? What’s wrong with him?”

  “We got separated.” The details of how that happened could wait until everyone was back in the same state. “And I don’t know his condition. I’m not his guardian so I couldn’t get his medical info. You’ll have to do that. I’ll text the number to you. But right now, I need you to send me some money so I can get to him. I can probably do that by the end of the day or early tomorrow.”

  “What for? Why don’t you have money?”

  “My wallet is in a jail in Phoenix.”

  “Jesus.” She sounded exasperated. “Okay. Tell me what to do. And call me the second you get to him.”

  ****

  “Ma’am?”

  Liz’s eyes opened. The grumpy emergency room receptionist was shaking her shoulder. Sunlight spilled through the dirty windows—she squinted in the brightness. “What time is it?”

  “Little after nine. And you have to leave.” Grumpy stood tall and crossed his arms, waiting for her to comply.

  “Why? I’m not bothering anyone. I want to see K—Travis again.”

  “The guard upstairs said not to let you. We can’t just let people squat here. Should I call you a cab?”

  “No.” She stood. “I’ll walk.”

  Trudging to the door, she wished she had money for a cab. A ride would have been a welcome relief.

  She had to get her purse, then a phone. And a way to get the number to Kyle.

  As she walked, she picked up rocks, trading small ones for bigger ones. She needed one that would break a window on the first try.

  Her feet dragged across the last mile to the parking garage, but she eventually made it to Kyle’s car. A parking ticket rested under the wiper. She laughed. Good luck getting that paid.

  Holding a softball-sized rock she’d plucked from an office building’s landscaping, she braced herself next to the passenger side window. She had no idea how easily the glass would break, so she assumed it would take a lot of effort. Better to overdo it than to strike repeatedly and draw attention to herself.

  She heaved the rock at the window as hard as she could. With a bang that echoed through the space, the rock bounced onto the pavement, leaving a cracked window behind.

  Grumbling, she picked up the rock. This time, she kept it in hand, hitting in against the window like a hammer. The glass shattered into hundreds of tiny bits, leaving no shards behind.

  Liz examined the debris, impressed with the efficiency of the damage.

  She reached through the window, unlocked and opened the door, and grabbed her purse from under the seat.

  “Hey!” A male voice from across the garage echoed.

  Without thinking, Liz spun around—an older man was rushing towards her.

  Shit. Slinging her purse onto her shoulder, she raced for the garage exit.

  “Someone call the police!” The old man called out behind her.

  Without looking back, she desperately scanned the street for a busy place to hide. So much for being inconspicuous. She ducked down an alleyway that led her back to a familiar street—the LifeFarm building had been here yesterday.

  Today, a dirt lot with a faded real estate sign occupied the space. There was no sign of the building. Even the busted sidewalk had been repaired—yellow caution tape surrounded the wet cement.

  “What the hell?” Frozen in place, Liz forced herself to believe her eyes. Was she on the right street? She looked the other way. The gym and the restaurant that had teemed with curious onlookers were there. How had all that debris been cleared so quickly?

  She peeked down the alley—the old man hadn’t followed, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t pointed a cop in her direction. Heading for the restaurant, she pulled her wallet from her purse. Best to look casual. If the police did show up, she could show who she was with her ID and suggest the old man had been seeing things.

  After the hostess seated her, Liz pointed out the window. “What happened to that building that blew up yesterday?”

  The hostess tilted her head. “I’m sorry?”

  “You know, down the street.” She pointed at the dirt lot. “The LifeFarm building. There was twenty feet of debris there yesterday.”

  “Um . . .” The girl peered out the window. “I think you must have the wrong street. That lot has been there for months.” She handed Liz a menu and headed for the kitchen, maybe a little quicker than was necessary.

  What? Liz stood and leaned over the table as she scrutinized the buildings out the window—the store she and the other Grays had waited in was there. The café with the TV in it was down a few spots.

  Lowering back into her chair, Liz studied the other patrons. All looked normal, as if nothing had happened yesterday besides some chilly weather.

  What the hell is going on?

  ****

  Once they reached Richmond, Javier left the bus with Charlie and waited in the terminal. They would both be heading to New York in about an hour. The swelling in Charlie’s nose had decreased, and though he still seemed uncomfortable from the broken ribs, he’d said getting treated wouldn’t be worth the time. So they waited, Javier with this man who had obviously had the crap beat out of him.

  “Are you sure you want to do this? I can find Liz, too, while I’m there,” Charlie said.

  “I’m sure. I need to make sure she’s okay.” Javier figured it was the least he could do. Liz could have been injured in the blast right along with Mattson, and what if no one was looking for her? How would she get back to the cabin? Jonah had given him more than enough money to get there and spend a couple of days.

  The men were silent for most of the journey. Charlie shifted in his seat periodically, and Javier tried to sleep as much as possible. Once they arrived, he’d search for Liz and not stop until he found her.

  ****

  Desperate for answers, Liz headed across the street to the grocery store she’d waited in yesterday. The best she could figure was LifeFarm pa
id off everyone on the block to pass the story that they never existed. But why? And more importantly, if the LifeFarm headquarters no longer existed, could they still have Kyle arrested for shooting inside it?

  She examined the store’s interior. Someone with a lower level position would have likely been ordered by a paid-off manager to pretend the building never existed. Maybe a direct payoff would convince such an employee to tell her the truth. Was that a cashier? Or someone stocking shelves?

  A teenage boy wearing a green apron was mopping in the produce section. He looked like he could use a little extra cash.

  Approaching him, Liz pulled forty bucks from her purse, hoping it was enough to get the job done. “Excuse me?”

  He stopped mopping and looked up.

  After it was apparent he wasn’t planning to speak, she stepped closer. “I was wondering if you could tell me something that happened around here yesterday.” Palming the money, she held out her hand. “About a building that used to be across the street.”

  He tensed and looked around. He snatched the cash and put it in his apron pocket. “They told us not to say anything.”

  “Who’s they? And why?”

  “You know.” He tilted his head towards the door. “Them. My boss threatened to fire anyone who talked.”

  “Did they say why?”

  “No.” He dropped the mop into the bucket hard enough that water splashed her shoes. “I have to get back to work.” He hustled to the back of the store.

  She headed to the front window, glancing at the street outside. It had been an hour since the old man chased her this way, and there had been no sign of a cop. Confident she’d eluded the authorities, she walked towards the busy street leading back to the hospital.

  ****

  Charlie arched his back in the seat. Sitting this long was murder on his hip wound. Though they’d been riding all day and were now approaching the bus terminal, he hadn’t been able to sleep. Javier had, though. Charlie may have to depend on the kid to get them where they needed to go. His mind was foggy enough they could accidentally end up back in D.C.

  The bus pulled into the terminal, and with a hiss, the door opened. Charlie hobbled outside, and once out of the station, accessed a map on Damien’s phone.

  “Okay.” Keeping his eyes on the screen, he pointed. “The hospital is about four miles that way.”

  “Let’s take a cab.” Javier went to the street and held up his arm until one of the iconic yellow cabs pulled over.

  Charlie input the address into the GPS, which sent a map to the monitor on the dash. Without speaking, the driver pulled back onto the road.

  Javier bounced his legs while he looked out the window.

  “Nervous?” Charlie asked.

  “Oh.” Javier looked out the windshield. “I guess a little. I just hope Liz is easy to find.”

  Charlie clenched his jaw. “Yeah. Me too.” In truth, he had given Liz little thought, other than she could lead him to Mattson, if they found her first. What if she was also injured? And what about the other Grays?

  The cab stopped in front of the emergency room’s doors, and Javier paid the driver. Charlie and Javier walked around the building to the main entrance. Once the receptionist verified Charlie’s identity and gave them both badges, she directed them to Mattson’s room.

  As they headed upstairs, Charlie held his breath. What condition was his nephew in? What would he have to tell his sister?

  Once they reached the correct floor, he followed the room numbers. He glanced towards the nurse’s station and stopped in his tracks. “Liz?”

  Javier ran to the woman asleep in the chair. She clutched her purse like a running back holding a football.

  Shaking her shoulder, Javier woke Liz. Her eyes widened, and she stood, giving Javier a hug.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “Mattson’s here. Come on.” Charlie took the lead, heading for the back corner of the wing. “Why are you here?”

  “Kyle was hurt in the blast. He’s in that room.” She pointed to a guard standing outside one of the rooms. “That bastard won’t let me in to see him. Told me I could wait and see if I would be cleared. So I’ve been in that chair all day.”

  “What happened to him?” Charlie checked the room numbers—there was Mattson’s. The door was closed.

  “His legs were crushed in the explosion. They say he’ll be arrested. But here’s the crazy part. The LifeFarm building site was wiped clean. Anyone around there has been paid off to say it was never there.”

  “What? Why would they do that?” Javier asked. “And what about people putting it online?”

  “They’ll say videos were fabricated. I guess they think blowing up their building makes them look weak.”

  “It doesn’t make sense.” Javier shook his head.

  While Liz and Javier debated LifeFarm’s motivations, Charlie crept to Mattson’s room and tapped on the door. When no response came, he eased it open and peeked inside.

  Mattson was asleep on the bed. Aside from a bandage circling his shoulder and upper arm, there was no indication he was injured. The contents of an IV bag dripped into his arm.

  “Do you know what happened to him?” Charlie asked Liz as he rushed to Mattson’s bedside.

  A knot formed in Charlie’s stomach. He shouldn’t have neglected to treat his nephew when he first realized what was wrong. “Mattson?”

  He stirred but didn’t wake.

  “Mattson. It’s Uncle Chuck.”

  The boy’s eyes flitted open, and he grinned. “Hey. I get to call you that now?”

  “No.” Charlie swallowed to keep his emotions in check.

  Javier and Liz joined them as Mattson closed his eyes. “How did you find me?”

  “Same way anyone would. The yellow pages.”

  “Huh?” Mattson’s eyes narrowed.

  Liz laughed.

  They told Mattson what had happened with the building and about Kyle being in the same hospital. With a little prodding, Mattson was able to convince the nurse to let Javier and Liz see Kyle, leaving uncle and nephew alone.

  “Mattson . . .” Charlie cleared his throat. “I’m sorry you ended up here. I should have taken better care of you.”

  “Nah.” Mattson waved a hand. “I wanted to do this, remember?”

  Charlie put a hand on the kid’s forehead. It was warm, but not burning up. “Yeah, I remember. When did you get to be so grown up?”

  “While you were protecting LifeFarm.” Mattson shoved Charlie’s shoulder.

  Smiling, Charlie pulled the phone from his pocket. “Before we do anything else, we have to call your mother.” As he found the recent contact and handed Mattson the phone, he buried the lingering guilt. He’d ruined his marriage and missed out on Mattson growing up because of his devotion to a company that had killed thousands and manipulated millions to stay in control.

  Mattson talked into the phone, and Annie’s voice rang out so clearly Charlie could hear it without the speaker on. She was crying and asking Mattson how he was, when he would get out, and complaining about the exorbitant airfare keeping her from rushing to him.

  Charlie lowered himself into a nearby chair, listening to the conversation. When Mattson was able to get a word in, he cryptically told his mother about his role in the plan to cripple LifeFarm, his excitement growing as he did so. Annie might have been upset that Charlie had let Mattson get involved, but she wouldn’t be able to deny that her son’s gifts had been invaluable.

  What would happen after this? Mattson was an activist, and he had the skills to work with Kyle or Robert long-term. Though Charlie wanted to make up for lost time with his nephew before finding another job, he’d likely missed his chance.

  Then it occurred to him: his relationship with Mattson wasn’t the only one that had suffered. His ex-wife had been right all those years ago. She’d deserved much more than Charlie was willing to give.

  Maybe she’d like to hear him say so.

&nbs
p; Chapter Thirty

  Liz placed the last ornament and stepped back, analyzing her handiwork. The tree set in the corner of the living room was the skinniest she’d ever decorated, but the modest apartment she’d found for her, Kyle and Mattson didn’t have space for anything larger. That was okay with her. She decorated more out of tradition than for personal enjoyment.

  A key clicked in the lock, and Mattson opened the door, pushing a wheelchair-bound Kyle inside.

  “Hey!” Kyle took control of his chair and reached Liz. “Looks great.”

  She kissed him. “Thanks. How did it go?”

  “We didn’t do it.” Mattson went to the kitchen and grabbed a soda from the fridge. “The hearing and vote for Holleran’s bill was today. We didn’t want to interrupt coverage of that.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know it would happen so soon.” Liz switched off the lamp, allowing only the colorful tree lights to illuminate the room.

  “Holleran was pretty fired up about her bill.” Mattson plopped onto the couch and sipped his drink. “Plus, our little broadcast interruptions didn’t hurt.”

  Mattson and Kyle had hijacked the signal of various news networks during the month since the LifeFarm explosion, never hacking from the same location and once allowing Kyle to send a message almost five minutes long before it was shut down. In that one, he’d told how he was nearly arrested for shooting inside a LifeFarm building that supposedly never existed. Turns out charges don’t stick when the victim makes the evidence disappear.

  Liz figured LifeFarm would be searching like hell for Kyle and Mattson. Tonight’s broadcast was supposed to be the last one for a while—long enough for LifeFarm to relax again.

  “Any word from Javier?” Kyle asked.

  “Not for a few days.” Liz moved one of the ornaments to a different branch. “He said Damien was almost ready to test the vaccine.”

  “Wow, that was quick.”

  “I guess.” Liz smiled, admiring the lights reflecting off the glass bulbs. The only thing that would make the moment better was if Travis were here. They’d decided to settle close to the city, partly because it would be easier for Mattson to hijack the news signals, but also because if Travis was nearby, he would be more likely to find them here. The hope felt hollow at times, but Kyle’s was contagious. They’d spent more than a few long nights reminiscing about their son, and having Mattson staying with them was like a balm.