Deceived

by Heather Sunseri

  “Was he nervous about anything? Did you get the impression that whatever he was working on was illegal?”

  “No, but I always got the feeling with him that he knew stuff that no one else knew.”

  “When did you see him last?”

  “I was supposed to see him last week. We were gonna go shred the mountain bike trail on Surveyor’s Ridge. Twenty miles of epic awesomeness.”

  “Sounds like him,” I said with no humor.

  “But he called and bailed.”

  “Did he say why?”

  “Said he had to stay at the corporate slave shop. Some shipment for a major new lab got screwed up, so he’d be on the phone all night trying to fix it. He made a crack that he was going to make Lora—his newest office betty—stay back and keep him company.” He shook his head. “He was an asshole, but hey, we’d been friends since the freakin’ first grade.” He looked at me, pity in his eye. “Vance was a total dick for what he did to you. But I mostly blame his old man for creating the beast that Vance became.”

  I had never understood how someone as nice and down to earth as Coyote had become best friends with someone as disgusting as Vance. I couldn’t help but think Coyote was better off now that Vance had gotten what was coming to him.

  You got anything? I mindspoke to Jonas.

  He nodded; his eyes were glued to mine. Then he mindspoke to Coyote: You’re not feeling well. Go home. You never saw Briana or me today.

  We watched Coyote walk off and tell his coworker that he was sick and going home for the day. The coworker nodded as if Coyote skipping out on work wasn’t exactly an unusual occurrence.

  Jonas turned back to me with a distant but angry look. “So, windsurfing?”

  And I knew he’d discovered my darkest secret.

  ~~~~~

  It was good to give Jonas a purpose, even if that purpose was merely to try to stay standing on top of a surfboard while using nothing but the wind to navigate through the water. After Coyote had left, Jonas wouldn’t look at me. He didn’t even speak to me at first, except to say that Coyote was telling the truth about what he’d told the police. And what he hadn’t revealed to them.

  So I gave him instructions on how to hold the sail, how to position his feet, and basic tips on steering. Of course he was a natural and mastered the basic elements quickly.

  We’d been on the water for an hour when we decided to take a break. The sun had burned its way through the clouds and a beautiful day was settling over the gorge. After we’d dragged our boards and sails up on the beach, we stripped out of our wetsuits and found a dry rock outcropping on which to lounge.

  I lay on my back in a colorful, mismatched string bikini on an oversized beach towel and let the sun warm my skin, goose bumped by the cool breeze. I could feel Jonas’s eyes on me, but for the first time since knowing him, I didn’t think he was ogling my body.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked after several minutes. I shielded my eyes from the sun and looked up at the hard line of his jaw, the pained look in the squint of his eyes. His arms rested on his knees; he was now staring out over the water.

  I pushed myself up and scooted close to him. My bare leg bumped against his. “And how do you suppose I would have started such a conversation?”

  He turned his head away from me. I reached up and touched the line of his jaw, bringing his face back around and forcing him to look at me. “Jonas. You and I… We…”

  His face hardened. “If you’re going to tell me that we don’t have a serious enough relationship for that kind of discussion, don’t bother.”

  “That’s not what I was going to say.” This time, I looked away from him, found a sail in the distance, and focused on it. “You and I have been through so much this year, more baggage than most couples ever have to deal with. We were just starting to get to know each other when I found out what I am. It’s been a lot to deal with.”

  “How badly did he hurt you?” Jonas asked, his tone softer than I’d ever heard from him.

  “Enough that I had to use my special ability so that my parents didn’t see the bruising on my face and arms. The rest I could cover with clothes.”

  “Why didn’t you go to the police?”

  “I was due back at school the next week anyway. My mom was in a bad place as usual. So I packed up and headed back to school a week early. It was just easier to leave.” I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to see Jonas’s expression. “You think I ran away. That I should have stayed and been braver.”

  “What?” He turned to me and grabbed my hand, prompting me to open my eyes. “You’re nothing if not brave. I would have been fine if you’d never seen that monster again.”

  “Now I don’t have to.”

  The reality of my situation passed over Jonas’s face.

  “I didn’t kill him.” I swallowed. “But I’ve thought about it many times.”

  “Can’t blame you for that.”

  “If the police find out what happened, they’ll know I had even more of a motive.”

  “Well, then we need to find the real motive. We need to find out what Vance was working on. It could lead us to his murderer.”

  “And to the missing clones.”

  chapter twenty

  Jonas

  I pounded out a series of kicks and punches to the kickboxing dummy in the Howard mansion’s basement gym, punishing the muscles in my arms, legs, and torso. Next to the workout room, Bree swam laps in an indoor lap pool. By the way she flipped at each end of the pool, I knew she was trying to drown the memories of last summer the same way I tried to sweat out the images that Coyote had conjured up in his head of that monster attacking Bree.

  Vance was already dead, so each time I kicked and punched, it was Coyote’s head I aimed for, knowing that he’d seen enough of the crime yet had failed to do anything about it. Well… not nothing. Apparently he’d shown up before Vance had the chance to actually sexually assault Bree. Thank God for that.

  Bree climbed out of the pool and moved over to the whirlpool. She eased down into the steamy water and laid her head against the edge. She looked just as much at home in this expansive estate as she did in a sundress and flip-flops on a tropical atoll in the middle of the ocean.

  Nice swim? I mindspoke to her after a short while.

  She didn’t move or open her eyes. It was okay.

  Care if I join you?

  You are welcome to enjoy any of the amenities. But I’m already overheated. She climbed from the Jacuzzi, wrapped a large white towel around her, and headed upstairs. I’m hitting the shower and then I think I’ll turn in. We need to be rested when we arrive at BioTech tomorrow. I want to find those clones.

  I watched her go without even looking back at me. The fury for what that asshole had done to her raged through me. I turned back and whaled on the dummy until my muscles couldn’t take anymore.

  ~~~~~

  The next morning, I walked into the Howards’ dining room to find Bree already dressed and sitting with her parents. A server set orange juice and a tray of pastries in the middle of the dining table, then turned and left without speaking a word.

  “Good morning, Jonas,” Mrs. Howard said. “We are so thrilled you’ve decided to join us for the summer. I hope you found your room comfortable.” The woman sitting at one end of the table was the polar opposite of the woman I had eaten dinner with two nights ago.

  “Yes, ma’am. It was fine.”

  Dr. Howard lowered his morning paper and lifted his eyes above his glasses. “Yes, I’m thrilled as well.” He then folded the paper, set it aside, and leaned forward. “Jonas, tell me. You’re able to control, or at least influence, people’s actions, right?”

  Bree lifted her gaze. “Dad, do we have to do this now?” She glanced toward the door that led to the kitchen. “Do you really want your staff hearing you speak about your houseguest’s paranormal powers?”

  He waved her off. “They know we’re always talking about ‘weird sciency stuff,’
as they like to call it. Besides, they’ve all signed non-disclosures.” He returned his excited stare to me.

  “Sir,” I said, “I’m still trying to get used to the idea of being open about my abilities. The IIA has killed some of my friends for less.”

  “Oh, certainly. Of course, I understand. I will earn your trust, though.” He tapped his finger on the table. “Well, I’m off.” He stood and slid into his suit jacket.

  “Dad,” Bree said, “who’s taking over for Vance?”

  Dr. Howard paused. “Not sure yet, honey, why?”

  “Oh, I was just curious. Since I worked with him last summer, I was wondering whatever became of some of the projects we worked on together back then.”

  “Well, I suppose Lora could answer your questions. You should go see her today.” He started walking toward the door.

  “I’ll do that. By the way, since my face and name have been plastered all over the news, what’s to stop one of your employees from turning me in the second I show up at the lab?”

  He stopped, raised a finger in the air, and turned back to her. “About that. It would be best to keep a low profile, maybe change your outward appearance… just until the police find a more solid lead.”

  “Actually, I’ve been thinking. I want to talk to the police.”

  Dr. Howard walked back to the table. “Now, Briana, don’t be like this.” He spoke to her like she was a petulant child.

  But she didn’t back down. She looked determined, like she’d thought this through. Are you sure? I asked.

  She only nodded to me, then responded to her dad. “Either you can get me an attorney, or I can speak to them on my own. Either way, I did not kill Vance Carrington, and I’d like to speak to the police. I might be able to help. I did see him the morning he was killed, after all.”

  I stared hard at her across the table.

  Mrs. Howard’s eyes rolled as she sipped her orange juice from a champagne flute. I couldn’t help but wonder if her orange juice had a little something else in it. “Darling, maybe Briana should stay away from the labs for now. She’s absolutely right. One of your employees could see her. And she obviously doesn’t understand that the police may well lock her up if she approaches them.” She took another sip, then slid her gaze to her daughter. “I mean, you have been on the run since Vance was killed.”

  “Briana, honey,” her father said. “I’ve got my own detectives looking into Vance’s murder. Give me one more day. In the meantime, you’re safe to explore the labs if you’ll just use caution and maybe a little disguise.”

  Bree sighed. “Fine. Jonas and I will lay low for one more day. But then I’m speaking with the police.”

  “Let’s you and I talk this evening. I’ll be out of the office most of the day. Until then, explore the labs. With the exception of Building B, you have free rein.”

  “Why? What’s in Building B?”

  “We’re doing some construction and remodeling on the interior. I’ll take you on a personal tour later.” He walked over and kissed the top of Bree’s head, then turned and left.

  Mrs. Howard downed the rest of her juice, and then she too exited the room without a word.

  ~~~~~

  With Dr. Howard out of the office for the day, Bree and I took our time getting to BioTech. After a late lunch at the Howard estate, we finally made our way to the laboratories. Bree took us straight to the seventh floor.

  We had been given access to the entire building, but I was certain our ID badges were tracked, so no matter where we went, Dr. Howard and his security team would know. We wore white lab coats provided by Minerva, but Bree had disguised us as she had the night we ventured to the Howard estate. I was back to having blond hair and a scar beside my right eye, and Bree had short, dark hair. She was shorter and without her normal curves. I didn’t like the look one bit.

  Since this morning, Bree had said nothing more about her intent to talk to the police—or about much of anything else significant, really—and I was still reeling from yet another strange conversation inside the Howard home. Finally, I could take it no longer. I reached out and grabbed Bree’s arm.

  “What are we doing?” I asked. “Aren’t we going to talk? What was that this morning? Were you really going to turn yourself over to police?”

  She cocked her head. “No, but I wanted to see how Dad reacted to the suggestion that I might know something.”

  “I didn’t notice any sort of reaction, did you?”

  “No, I didn’t. But he clearly doesn’t want me talking to them. Why?”

  It must have been a rhetorical question, because she turned and pushed through a glass door and entered a lab not unlike the labs we had seen the previous day. A girl in her late twenties, if I had to guess, was the only person inside. She had short brown hair that was cut in an unflattering shaggy bob, and she wore way too much mascara, some of which was smeared below her eyes. She was sitting at a worktable, holding some sort of knife-like tool, and examining a couple of tiny devices like the ones we’d learned about on our tour yesterday.

  As Bree approached her, I realized that she had let our appearances slip back to normal. I started to protest, but the woman looked up from her work before I had the chance. When she saw Bree, she frowned, then slid off her stool and backed away, holding the sharp tool out in front of her like a weapon. “What are you doing here? I know you killed him.”

  “Hi, Lora. I see that you already know who I am. This is my friend Jonas.” Bree gestured to me, and it was apparent that she’d let our disguises go on purpose. “We’d like to ask you a couple of questions.”

  The woman’s hand shook. Her eyes darted to one side.

  Bree followed her gaze to a red phone on the wall. “Feel free to call security.” Bree reached into the pocket of her lab coat, pulled out a small velvet pouch, and emptied the contents into her palm. She thrust her open hand at Lora. There in the middle of her palm was a small clear container holding an even smaller device, much like the ones lying on the lab table. “In fact, you can explain to them, and to my dad, why you snuck this out of Howard BioTech.”

  Lora’s eyes bounced frantically from Bree to me. “Where did you get that?” She held out her hand. “That’s part of my research. Give it to me now.”

  Bree closed her fingers over the device and jerked her hand back. “Really? A part of your research?” She began walking around the room. “Isn’t this—and the ones you’re working on there”—she nodded to Lora’s worktable—“property of Howard BioTech?”

  “Yes, but… What do you want?” Her voice now carried more irritation than fear.

  “What does it do?” Bree asked, holding up the device.

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “Oh, that’s where you’re wrong. Anything created inside Howard BioTech is my business. Besides, you gave this to me the morning Vance was killed. Told me my dad would kill Vance if he discovered it missing.”

  Lora’s eyes widened. Her mind raced. I could sense the rapid beating of her heart. I began searching her thoughts for the truth.

  “What are you talking about? I didn’t give that to you.”

  Bree circled the table and approached her. Got right up in her face. Lora didn’t back away. “Don’t you remember? You pushed me against my car, asked me why I hadn’t called you. Then you handed me the black velvet pouch. Then you kissed me on the cheek.” Bree leaned in and kissed Lora on the cheek for effect, and as she did, she transformed herself into Vance.

  Lora practically fell over one of the stools, grabbing hold of it to stay upright. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying the show. Bree sure had more guts than I sometimes gave her credit.

  “So it’s true,” Lora said, standing up straighter. Her voice was surprisingly steady. “I’d heard rumors that you had some sort of incredible mental ability. That your dad had altered your DNA. But I didn’t believe it.” She regained some of her composure. Her heart rate slowed a touch. “The police will find you. The
y think you killed him.”

  “You now know I didn’t. Because I was here with you at the time Vance was murdered.”

  Lora appeared to think about that.

  “What does the device really do, Lora? I’m guessing you and Vance took the lab’s research in a different direction. Tell me, or I’ll call my dad in right now, and we can tell him how you took BioTech research out of the labs.”

  “You have no idea what you’re stirring up by threatening me. What if your dad is the one who killed Vance?” she asked.

  “Do you think he did?” I asked, speaking for the first time.

  Lora looked to me, held my gaze. Three beats passed, then her face drooped. “No, I don’t. But someone did, and it was most likely because of that.” She nodded to the device in Bree’s palm.

  “And what is this?” Bree asked, lifting the device again.

  Tell her, I commanded when Lora remained quiet.

  “That’s an oracle.”

  “An oracle,” Bree whispered, as if she was testing the sound of the word on her tongue.

  “What’s it do?” I asked, while keeping hold of her mind and forcing her to tell the truth.

  “It provides a human with information.”

  “What kind of information?” Bree asked.

  “Any kind of information you’d want a human to have.” Lora stumbled back, seemed to retreat into herself. “Why did I say that?”

  “How does it work?”

  “It’s inserted into the eye. It transfers specific knowledge and specialized skills into another human’s brain.”

  “So? That’s no different from the other devices being created in labs inside BioTech,” Bree said. I recalled the ones we saw yesterday, designed to help with dyslexia or memory issues.

  “Yes, but that particular oracle is special. No one is supposed to know about it. It holds the intelligence that you and your brother were supposed to have naturally inside your DNA.”

  “What are you saying? That it has healing abilities?” Bree asked.

  Lora nodded.

  That explains why your father would be super pissed if it left the building, I mindspoke to Bree. We’re talking about artificial intelligence on steroids.