by Cassie Miles
"How long have you been ill?" Rafe asked. He was thinking of the forty-eight hours, counting backwards. Two days ago, he and Jenna had been here, and Frank had seemed perfectly healthy.
"It just started this morning," Frank said. "First, I get chilly, then really hot. It's just a flu bug, I'm sure."
Jenna's eyes were worried as she gazed at Rafe. "I hope that's all it is."
Rafe had one more question as they drove toward the front entry way of the sprawling stucco mansion. "Have you ever met Alex Hill?"
"I know his brother real well. Sean Hill. We're supposed to get together tonight." He gasped. "I met Sean on that movie where Eddy Benson was the stunt coordinator. Sean got injured."
"Tell me about Sean."
"He's a great guy. Lost the use of his legs, but it hasn't slowed him down a bit. He has a beautiful girlfriend, used to be a model."
At the front door, Rafe helped Frank from the car. The young man was so weak that he could barely walk.
Jenna hurried ahead of them. She rang the bell and knocked at the same time.
When Nick appeared and saw his brother, he ran to him. "Frank, what's wrong? What happened?"
"I'm really okay. Just need some rest."
Together, Nick and Rafe carried the ailing Frank into the house and up a staircase to a bedroom. As soon as they had him lying down on the bed, Nick excused himself, "I think I know what he needs. I'll find Dr. Montclair."
Frank's breathing was labored. His forehead glistened with sweat. He reached weakly for the zipper on his leather jacket. "Hot," he said, "I'm so hot."
Rafe unfastened the zipper and eased him out of the jacket. Only a moment ago, Frank had been shivering. Now, he was on fire, sweating.
Hugh strode into the room with Nick, took one look at Frank and opened a black doctor's bag that he had brought with him. "I think I know what he has. We've had an outbreak of flu around here. One of the stable-hands had it last week."
"Sir," Nick said, "let me handle this."
"Of course."
Nick peeled off his suit jacket. He took a hypodermic from the case and filled it with a blue liquid from a small vial.
"What is that?" Rafe asked.
"The antidote," Hugh said.
Expertly, Nick found the vein in his brother's arm, inserted the needle and depressed the plunger. "Frankie, you'll be all right. You have to be all right."
Hugh stepped toward the door. "Make him comfortable and keep an eye on him. If he gets worse, call me."
Nick Vincenzo fired a tense glare in the direction of his employer. "I'll take care of my brother."
Hugh ushered Rafe from the room toward the stairs. "It's a good thing that you found him before he was too ill to move. The Vincenzo men think of themselves as being indestructible. Foolish machismo. That's what killed their father."
"I thought it was ADDS."
Hugh's eyes narrowed. "He went untreated too long. If I'd known earlier about his disease, I might have been able to cure him."
Rafe didn't argue, but he thought Hugh's claim was exceedingly strange. How could this part-time chemist expect to find a cure? Brilliant scientists all around the world had been working night and day on the virus. They had not yet succeeded. Hugh's ego was as inflated as a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.
He greeted Jenna in the living room and reassured her about Frank's condition. "To what do I owe the honor of this surprise visit?"
"I thought you'd be expecting us," Jenna said. "Taylor Wannamaker said he'd arranged with you to test blood samples from my animals."
"Oh, yes." Hugh went toward the kitchen, motioning for them to follow. "Can I offer you something to eat or drink?"
Remembering the disaster with the wine, Rafe refused, but Jenna accepted bottled water from the refrigerator.
Nonchalant, Hugh said, "I'm not quite clear about why I'm doing these blood samples. Taylor had said he would explain when he got here. There was something about the coroner's office."
Rafe had the sense that Hugh was baiting him, playing a game of cat and mouse. To win, Rafe had to throw him off guard. But how? "Of course you know that Eddy Benson was poisoned."
"Yes," Hugh said. "I know."
"The coroner's office suspects that this poison is viral in nature. When they were performing the autopsy, they discovered a bite mark from an animal, probably a pig, on Eddy's hand."
"I knew that, too. Eddy was with me when the accident occurred."
"What happened?" Jenna asked.
"Eddy brought over your pig from the soundstage. He said the animal looked sick to him, and I agreed to examine it. Eddy was assisting me, getting a saliva sample with a swab, when he was bitten."
"It was my pig?" Jenna asked. "The one he'd picked up at the studio?"
"Yes."
"Oh, dear," Jenna said softly. Her eyes downcast, she appeared to be on the verge of tears.
Rafe almost applauded. Her sadness was exactly the sort of diversion that might confuse Hugh. As Rafe observed, the smug expression slid from the older man's face. Nervously, he touched his thick, white mustache.
"I don't understand," Hugh murmured. "What's wrong, Jenna?"
She crossed the room and sank into a chair at the kitchen table. "My pig killed Eddy."
"Now, Jenna, I'm sure that's not what happened."
"What else could it be? And if my pig is sick with this terrible illness, he could infect other people. My other animals could be dying. They might have to be put down, all of them."
"Why don't you wait until I've done the testing?" Hugh offered. "I'm sure we won't find this disease among your animals."
"Why not? What else could it be?" Rafe asked, deliberately repeating her question.
"Let's not make rash assumptions." Hugh frowned at both of them. "We should proceed scientifically."
"Identification and containment," Rafe said. "Isn't that the rule with a virus?"
"Indeed, and we'll start with the pigs."
Why not with the virus? With the antidote? "Is it possible for a pig to pass an illness to a man?"
"Oh, yes. The metabolisms of pigs and humans are very similar. That's why pigs are often used for experimental testing."
"Is that what you did?" Rafe inquired with mock innocence. "When you were working to find an AIDS cure, did you use the pigs for experimentation?"
"Of course not," Hugh said. "That's illegal. The SPCA would close down my barns. I'd find myself in the courts with some bleeding-heart animal-rights activist telling me that animal experiments are inhumane."
"Such experimentation is inhumane," Rafe said.
"What do you know about it?" Hugh puffed out his chest. His mustache was twitching. "Listen here, young man, I've spent my whole life studying animal behavior. I've lived in the rain forests and the outback and the African veldt, and I can tell you one thing. Animals were put here on this earth to serve mankind. That's their function, their only function. They have no higher purpose. They have no emotions."
Rafe glanced toward Jenna. Her sadness quickly turned into a hard, angry glare. In the first few moments after he met her, she'd told him that she believed her monkeys were capable of mischief and emotion.
Now, however, was not the time for her to launch this opinion at Hugh Montclair. He was off guard, on the verge of divulging an even more damaging confession.
"Following that logic," Rafe said, "there might also be humans not worthy of saving. A lower breed of humanity that was put on this earth to serve."
"Let me pose the question," Hugh said. "If humanity could be spared from a devastating disease, wouldn't the solution be worth the death of a few others?"
Had he used Eddy Benson for experimentation?
Hugh Montclair's logic chilled Rafe to the bone. When a man began to believe that he had the power to decide who should live and who should die, the consequence was unnatural disaster.
Though Rafe was unable to see the cold, skeletal fist of evil, he sensed the presence of dar
k angels who counselled Hugh Montclair. More than ever, he was convinced that the death of Eddy Benson was only the beginning of the terror that Hugh Montclair might release on the world.
"When Paolo died," Hugh said, "it changed my thinking about so many things."
Rafe stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue.
"The world seemed chaotic, unfair." His jaw clenched. His eyes blazed like hot coals, silently expressing the powerful emotions that churned within him. "It wasn't right for Paolo to die."
Rafe could see the fierce strength of his obsession, but could only guess at the form it had taken. Why had Hugh infected Eddy Benson with the virus?
Hugh clapped his hands together, shattering the mood. "Well, now. Let's get those samples from your car, and I'll start my lab work. The sooner I'm done, the sooner your worries will be alleviated, Jenna."
Energetically, he strode away from the kitchen. At the front entry, he paused. "I'll run upstairs quickly and check on Frank. Wait for me."
When Hugh was at the top of the stairs, Rafe whispered to Jenna, "Acting like you were upset was brilliant. You really got him talking."
"I wasn't pretending." She slung her purse over her shoulder and took a sip from her water bottle. "I'm scared, Rafe. What if my animals are sick?"
"It's not your pig. This is some weird virus that Hugh concocted. How could your pig have caught the illness?"
"Eddy was bitten by my pig. What else could it be?"
"The injection," he whispered.
Hugh was coming down the stairs. "Frank is resting more comfortably. Nick says he'll be fine."
"That's some wonder drug you used on him," Rafe said. "What was it?"
"An anti-infection serum. Like penicillin." He opened the front door. "Shall we?"
Rafe carried the refrigerated case that was about the size of a picnic cooler into the house. Following Hugh, they climbed the stairs again and proceeded all the way down the hallway, turning once into the west wing of the house.
The laboratory was a corner room, lined with windows on two sides. White floors, walls and countertops contrasted with a black desk and file cabinets. Lab equipment, ranging from simple microscopes to a four-foot-tall robotic-looking machine, was neatly arrayed. A bank of computers sat near the window, flashing colorful screen-saver designs.
Hugh opened a shiny black door. "This is the refrigerator. Put the blood samples in here, so they'll be safe."
Inside, the room was cool, but not freezing. A long counter stretched along one wall. On the wall opposite, there were two stainless steel doors, both fitted with elaborate locking systems.
Rafe placed the cooler on the countertop. "You're the only one who uses this lab, right?"
"Only Nick and myself."
"Is Nick a chemist?"
"He developed an interest while we were working on a cure for his father. Nick is untrained, but actually quite brilliant."
"Why do you need so much security?"
"It's a safety precaution," he said. "I have a regular staff of twelve people, some of whom might think my laboratory refrigerator was a good place to store their lunch. I wouldn't want anyone locked in here by accident."
Jenna shivered, "Let's get out of here."
Rafe suspected that the virus was stored in one of these walk-in refrigerators, behind the steel doors. He wanted a look inside but seriously doubted that Hugh would comply. And even if he did, he wouldn't have rows of vials labelled Deadly Virus—Do Not Touch.
"This is fascinating," Rafe said, returning to the main lab.
"Are you familiar with chemistry?"
"A little."
"Unusual for a stuntman," Hugh commented.
"But my real fascination is this," Rafe said as he strode toward the computers.
Over the years in dealing with international crime, Rafe had become skilled at computer work. Given ten minutes, he might be able to locate and download a file that proved Hugh was using animals in experimentation. If he notified the SPCA, they could stop Hugh from further experimentation. But that didn't solve the question of Eddy Benson's murder.
Rafe gazed longingly at the computers. "What do you use these for?"
"Everything ranging from genetics research to medical records for my employees. When I first studied chemistry, my tools were pencil and paper. Now, the most difficult computations are accomplished at the touch of a button. With no possibility of human error. This is the future."
"And what does the future hold?"
"Precision," he said.
Lightly, Hugh touched Jenna's shoulder and directed her away from the lab. "If you two will leave me alone, I'll get started on those samples. I might be able to give Jenna's animals a clean bill of health by tomorrow morning."
Rafe was reluctant to leave. The laboratory was Hugh's innermost cave of secrets. If Rafe had been an angel, surveillance would have been simple. He could turn invisible and explore. His best chance as a human was to download computer files so he could study them later.
On their way through the house, Jenna asked, "Could we check on Frank before we go? I'm still worried about him."
"He's probably sleeping," Hugh said, "but we can look in."
Quietly, Hugh opened the door to the bedroom. Frank was sitting up in the bed. Though he was still wan, his breathing was steady and he seemed comfortable.
Across the room from him, Nick leaned against the dresser. His arms folded across his chest and his eyebrows were drawn into a scowl. Rafe had the impression that the two brothers had been arguing.
"What do you want?" Nick snapped.
Jenna answered, "We came to see how Frank was doing." She sat on the bed beside him. "How are you feeling now?"
"I'm okay."
"I can take care of my brother," Nick said. "I've taken care of Frank and Danny and my brother, who runs the winery up the coast, since they were children and our mother died."
"Are you the oldest?" she asked.
Nick adjusted his necktie, as if pulling his clothing together made him more responsible. "This isn't your business. I want you both to leave so my brother can rest."
"Knock it off," Frank said. "I'm not a kid anymore."
"'That's how you behave. Like a careless child." Nick turned on his heel and left the room. "Don't you get out of bed. Not for a minute."
The door slammed behind him, and Frank smiled weakly. "He means well. Nick has worked hard to keep the family together, especially after Papa died."
And Nick must know all about Hugh Montclair's virus, Rafe thought. So how could Frank have been infected? He was the botanical expert; he worked with plants, not animals. The likelihood of his being bitten was remote. Nor would Hugh purposely infect the son of his dearest friend.
How was the virus passed from one person to another? Was it airborne? If that were the case, it would spread like lightning. But Jenna had been exposed to Eddy when he was dying, and she didn't seem to be suffering from any ill effects.
She patted Frank on the hand. "Is there anything we can do for you?"
"As a matter of fact," he said, "I was supposed to get together with Sean Hill tonight, but I'm not going to make it. Would you pass that message along to his girlfriend?"
"Sure," Jenna said. "What's her name and phone number?"
"You'll be seeing her later. She's the star of Alien Age. Dinah Aaron."
Chapter Nine
On the drive back toward the R.I.P. movie lot, Jenna tried to make sense of the clues they'd discovered at the Montclair estate. The interconnections among the people involved seemed like a spiderweb radiating outward, with Eddy Benson at the center.
She mused aloud, "Dinah Aaron, the star of Alien Age, is dating Sean Hill, the stuntman who was injured while Eddy Benson was in charge. And Hugh Montclair connects to Sean Hill through Frank Vincenzo and, of course, through Alex Hill, who is also connected to Dinah."
Rafe nodded. "Your point?"
"Motives," she said. "People who might have wanted to kill Eddy to ave
nge what had happened to Sean are Dinah, Alex, Frank and Sean himself."
"But the virus that killed Eddy belongs to Hugh. His death couldn't have occurred without Hugh."
"He talks like a murderer," Jenna said. "Did you hear his disgusting philosophy about animals? Not to mention lesser humans. I really don't care for Hugh Montclair."
Which brought up another whole other set of problems. What if her mother was interested in Hugh? What if she was—heaven forbid!—falling in love with him? After three years of seeing her mother's spirit suppressed by grief, Jenna didn't want to thwart Kate's chance for happiness.
"I don't know what to do, Rafe. What if Hugh killed Eddy? I can't let my mother associate with that man."
Paused at a stoplight, he glanced toward her. "Give your mother some credit. If she was wise enough to find perfect love with your father, I doubt that she'll fall for a murderer."
"If he's a murderer."
"For the present," he said, "let's not worry too much about who killed Eddy. Let's think about how it was done."
"Pig bite or injection," she said.
"Then how was Frank Vincenzo infected?"
Jenna went silent as she considered the question that loomed at the forefront of his mind. How was the virus spread? And how could it be destroyed before anyone else died?
Rafe began to formulate a plan. If the virus was stored in the walk-in refrigerators beside Hugh's lab, it might be destroyed by heat. If the electrical power to Hugh's estate was disrupted, the death serum could be ruined.
"I'm taking you to the safe house," he said.
"But I need to be back on set," she objected. "It's not fair to leave my mother with all the work. Besides, I'm worried about her. I know she appears to be okay to everyone around her, but she's still fragile."
"You're in greater danger, Jenna. You saw Eddy die. You came with me to talk with Hugh, and the man is no fool. He knows we suspect something."
"Hugh would never hurt me. Not while he's so infatuated with my mother."
Rafe smiled. Because Jenna was a good person, nefarious motives did not occur to her. She didn't realize that Hugh might be delighted to have her out of the way. Without Jenna, her mother would be bereft, and Hugh Montclair could step in to fill the void.