Blind Faith

by Sharon Sala

  A high-tech television mounted on the wall had obviously been Merlin’s newest toy, and there was a wet bar with a mini fridge where he stashed his midnight snacks. More than once, he was reminded that his entire apartment would fit inside this den with space left over. There was a half bath for the sake of convenience, but he used one of the bathrooms upstairs to shower and shave.

  He knew Wyrick was in a holding pattern. She had to get over the shock of what happened, as well as the healing. But he also knew she was priming herself for the first public appearance she would have to make.

  Being dubbed the Genesis baby was like being a human hybrid—a sideshow freak. He was angry on her behalf with no way to help other than keep her safe.

  When she went to the office after breakfast, he went up to the third floor. Part of it was attic storage, but there were small empty rooms that Wyrick told him had once been the living quarters of house servants. There were no fireplaces up here to warm the area, and only one small window per room for cooling in the summer. It would have been a very uncomfortable place to sleep and a hard life to live.

  He was poking through old boxes when he heard her calling him. He ran out of the attic to the head of the stairs and looked down through the stairwell.

  “I’m up here! I’ll be right down,” he said.

  She was waiting at the foot of the stairs, holding her coat.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “I want to go get my car.”

  “You’re sure you’re up to it?” he asked.

  “Yes. Will you take me?”

  “Yes, but since your right shoulder and right leg were the main injuries you suffered, you have to promise to drive the speed limit.”

  She didn’t hesitate. “Agreed.”

  “Was your driver’s license in the crash?” Charlie asked.

  “I left it in the Mercedes.”

  “Then you’re good to go. Give me a second to get my coat and car keys,” he said, and took off running at a lope. He came back wearing a flannel-lined jean jacket and his Stetson.

  He helped her on with her coat, then walked her to the back door.

  “Wait here,” he said, and went out back to the detached four-car garage to get the Jeep.

  The wind was sharp, but the sky was clear. It felt good to be outside. When he drove back to pick her up, she was also outside waiting, wrapped up in her white faux fur coat with the hood pulled up over her head. There was a look of expectation on her face as she got in and buckled up.

  Charlie glanced over to make sure she was settled and then drove away, closing the main gates behind them as they went. They hadn’t gone far when Wyrick started talking. Casual conversation was not her chosen form of communication, so he knew what she had to say was important.

  “Has anyone from the federal justice level contacted you about wanting to talk to me?” she asked.

  “Yes. I told them you were still healing, but would make yourself available when you were physically able.”

  “Who was it?”

  “Someone from the Department of Justice,” Charlie said.

  “Then when we get back, tell them I’m ready.”

  “Okay,” Charlie said. “Do you want to talk to them at your home?”

  “No. I think I need to have a lawyer present. Merlin’s lawyer, Rodney Gordon, offered his services, but he’s mainly an estate lawyer. I don’t know who to ask.”

  “I do. Will you trust me to get one?” Charlie asked.

  She nodded. “Yes. And there’s something else. I have over four thousand emails I haven’t looked at, but I’m going to have to allow some kind of televised interview to get the pressure off people trying to hunt me down for one.”

  “I agree,” Charlie said. “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m not going to do it at just one news outlet and then have to appear at each one separately, telling the same story, answering the same questions over and over. But I will pick a venue for all media only and, after a brief statement, answer all of their questions. But it has to be live. I’m not giving anyone the chance to manipulate my words later.”

  “You’ve thought this through, haven’t you?” Charlie said.

  She answered abruptly, but with no emotion.

  “I have handed my personal privacy to the world on a fucking plate, so, yes, I thought it through long and hard before I did it.”

  He knew detachment was part of her wall, and it was obviously back up.

  “Then we’ll make it happen,” he said.

  Satisfied, she focused on the freeway traffic as they headed for the private airport. But arriving at the hangar and seeing the crime scene tape set her in a mood again. Then going inside and seeing the chaos in the office was a brutal reminder of what had happened to Benny.

  Charlie heard her mumble something about “the bastard” beneath her breath and knew she was talking about Parks.

  “Benny is home and healing, just like you,” Charlie said. “I checked on him the other day. He’s over the moon about what he called ‘your generosity.’ What did you do?”

  “Nothing he didn’t deserve. Will you please shut the hangar doors after I back out?”

  “Yes, and I’m following you home, so don’t speed. I’m not going to consider you safe until all of this has passed and the guilty are permanently behind bars.”

  She got in the car, retrieved her key from a hidden compartment in the console, and when she started the engine and buckled herself in, she sighed.

  She was mobile again.

  She backed out, then sat with it idling, waiting for Charlie to shut the hangar doors and get back in the Jeep before leaving. A promise was a promise.

  And when they got back to the mansion, she parked in one garage stall, and Charlie pulled into the one beside her.

  They walked inside in mutual silence, then paused in the kitchen.

  “Are you ready?” Charlie said.

  Wyrick nodded. “I’m starting with email and looking up a public venue here in Dallas to hold the press conference.”

  “And I have to call a Fed about your deposition, and call a friend to get you a lawyer. So let’s do this.”

  They went their separate ways with purpose—Wyrick to the office, and Charlie to the den, and at 2:00 p.m. Charlie knocked on the office door and walked in.

  There was an empty Pepsi bottle on her desk and a candy wrapper near it, and her dark eyes looked haunted. He had a momentary urge to put his arms around her and just hold her, and then the thought startled the hell out of him, so he frowned instead.

  “Quit what you’re doing and come to the kitchen. I have pizza.”

  She stood, picked up her trash and followed him. She tossed the trash, then sat down at the kitchen table where she’d sat with Merlin, planning his earthly exit. She wiped her hands across her face.

  “Don’t talk yet. Just eat,” Charlie said, and so she did.

  She downed two pieces of the hamburger-and-mushroom pizza and drank the glass of sweet tea he had waiting, then got a chocolate chip cookie from the plate between them.

  At that point, Charlie started talking.

  “Your lawyer’s name is Judd Perry. He’s a shark and a friend. He’ll protect you. Is that okay?”

  She nodded.

  “Then I’ll let him know later. The DOJ is hedging about setting a day and time to talk to you, which leads me to believe they may be working on plea agreements in lieu of trials.”

  She nodded. Whatever happened, she had to deal with it. She crumbled the cookie she was holding onto her plate and then put her hands in her lap.

  “I have received, at last count, eighty-five death threats. Proposals of marriage from twenty-two men and three women. I have hundreds upon hundreds of requests for winning lottery numbers. A good number of churches tell me I’m a child of t
he devil. A few others offered to save my soul for a generous donation. Every major newspaper wants an interview. I have invitations to appear on every major talk show, from all of the big networks. If circus sideshows still existed, I would be the freak show’s main attraction. Some people have given statements to the press saying they’ve known me since birth and that I’m from another planet.”

  She picked up a piece of the cookie she’d crumbled and put it in her mouth. She was crying as she chewed and didn’t know it.

  “It was harder than I expected to find the right venue for the press conference, but I’ve reserved the Innovation Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency DFW International for eight days from now. They had an event cancellation, or I wouldn’t have been able to get it. I hired the media company they work with to set it up. It will be by invitation only, so no media will be allowed in without a pass. There will be facial recognition software at the main entrance, and guards between the main entrance and the one into the ballroom stopping anyone who doesn’t pass inspection. If I’m assassinated, it’s on my own terms.”

  Charlie came out of his chair, circled the table and pulled her up, wrapping his arms around her so fast and so tight that she didn’t have time to resist.

  “Don’t! Just don’t fucking say that. You might feel like you’re alone in this shit storm, but you’re not! Understood? I’ve got your back. You have friends in the FBI who have your back. You just got a dose of the nutcases, but there are way more people who will think you’re God’s gift to the world, and see you as a victim of what UT did, not as a part of it.”

  Wyrick was in shock that she was in his arms, but everything he was saying was burying the panic.

  Charlie rocked her where they stood, holding her close. He couldn’t stand by and let her think she had to hurt alone. She was Wyrick. She was his friend and his partner. And she was breaking his heart.

  For the longest time, neither spoke, and when he finally turned her loose, she looked up at him.

  “In the movies, this is where the hero runs his fingers through the heroine’s hair and tells her it’s going to be okay, but we’re shit out of luck here. I’m bald, and you’re my boss, and so I’m just going to say thank you once, and trust you to remember that still stands, even if I never say it again.”

  Charlie blinked, and then he grinned.

  “Lady, I cannot wait to witness the ass-kicking you’re going to unleash on the world. Give me the dates and times, and I’ll let Special Agent Raines know that his offer of bodyguard services has been accepted.” Then he glanced back at the last piece of pizza in the box. “Are you going to eat that?”

  “Nope. It’s got your name all over it,” she said, and went to refill her tea.

  * * *

  Cyrus Parks did not get bail, nor did he get a judge who would even consider a plea agreement for less than life in prison. It had to do with all the collateral damage of using humans for guinea pigs and the ensuing deaths of failed testing. And they hadn’t even gotten to the charges involving him with human trafficking, kidnapping and a list of medical malpractice charges as long as his arm. His choice was a guilty plea and life in a federal prison with no possibility of parole—or a court trial and the revelation of Jade Wyrick’s testimony. It was his own damn fault. He should have left well enough alone.

  He’d heard through his lawyer that more than thirty people in five different facilities had been arrested with charges similar to his, and more were pending. Employees of all of the facilities were making deals to lessen their sentences, and their testimonies were adding to what Jade had unleashed.

  He was afraid of the future. But there was a light at the end of this tunnel. There was always the chance he wouldn’t be alive to suffer it.

  * * *

  The past seven days were a nightmare of logistics. Just when Wyrick thought everything was settled and in place for the press conference, another problem would arise. But she dealt with it, using the same skill and concentration she gave to Charlie’s agency. The press conference was tomorrow. But today, a prosecutor for the federal attorney general’s office was coming to Dodge Investigations to take her deposition.

  She’d dressed down on purpose, wearing a black leather jacket and pants, with a white satin vest beneath. The red dragon’s head was visible above the V-neck of the vest, and the silver eye shadow below her brow ridge drew attention to her dark eyes. With no other color, not even lipstick, she was a monochromatic version of the feminine mystic. A Picasso portrait-in-waiting for a long-dead master.

  She drove herself to work with Charlie on her tail. It was how they rolled these days, and when she pulled into the drive-through bakery to get the sweet rolls for their coffee bar, he was in the parking lot waiting. They got to the office building in unison and went in together in silence.

  Charlie knew she was dreading the interview and he dreaded it for her, but the lawyer she had yet to meet was going to be there an hour early so they could talk.

  They arrived at eight, and by the time she’d gone through the motions, she was at ease. The only difference between what had been and what was now was the video camera above the door, and the buzzer they’d had added with the sign above it.

  Ring to be admitted.

  There would be no surprise visits from unexpected visitors, whether they were clients or not.

  * * *

  Judd Perry arrived on time, but when he reached for the doorknob and then saw the sign, then the video camera, he was taken aback. The whole concept of Jade Wyrick’s safety was brought home in those moments. So he pressed the buzzer and looked up, knowing they would be looking to identify him.

  “Judd Perry to see Ms. Wyrick,” he said.

  “I’ll get it,” Charlie said, and let him in. “Hey, buddy. Thanks for this.”

  “I’m happy to help,” Judd said, and then saw Wyrick, and came toward her with an outstretched hand. “Ms. Wyrick, Judd Perry at your service. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

  Wyrick liked his vibe, and immediately tuned in to his bulldog nature, which was exactly what she was going to need. Someone who wasn’t afraid to bite. Someone who wouldn’t let go of a truth.

  “Thank you for coming,” Wyrick said.

  Charlie pointed to his office. “We have an hour before the lawyer from the DOJ arrives. Why don’t the two of you come into my office and do whatever you need to do to prepare.”

  He got them seated at the small conference table at the far end of the room.

  “Can I get anyone a coffee...or a Pepsi?”

  Judd smiled. “I’ll take coffee.”

  Wyrick shook her head. “What do I need to know?”

  They were getting set up when Charlie got a call. He walked out of the room to take it, and when he came back, he was grinning.

  “The deposition has been canceled. Cyrus Parks isn’t going to trial. He took the plea agreement. Life without parole in a federal prison. So no opposing counsel is needing testimony.”

  “What a pity. I was prepared for my close-ups,” Wyrick said, and strode out of the room.

  Judd’s first impulse was to laugh, but the line was delivered with such a straight face, he wasn’t sure. Then he saw Charlie grinning and smiled.

  “Is she always like that?”

  “You mean, the cut-your-throat wit where you bleed out before you know it? Yeah, she’s always like that.”

  Judd nodded. “I like that. Is she seeing anybody?”

  The question took Charlie off guard.

  “Uh...no.”

  “Do you think she—?”

  “Right now, I wouldn’t give any man on earth a snowball’s chance in hell of even getting a smile out of her. She’s in a fight for her life, Judd.”

  Judd flushed.

  “You’re right. Hell, I’m sorry. But she’s such a unique woman, I couldn’t help but—”

  “Yo
u go do you, but I warned you.”

  Judd nodded. “Got it,” he said, and packed up his briefcase and followed her to the outer office. “It was a pleasure to meet you. If you’re ever in the—”

  It was the look she gave him that sucked up the last part of what he was going to say, and saved him from a humiliating turndown.

  “...as I was going to say...if you ever have need of a lawyer again, you have my number.”

  “Yes, I do,” she said, and then pressed the button at her desk to let him out.

  “So, that’s the end of that for today. Wanna go home?”

  She nodded.

  “Then grab those sweet rolls. I’ll get the lights,” he said.

  Within minutes, they were back in their respective vehicles, with Charlie bringing up the rear to make sure she wasn’t being tailed.

  Charlie stayed out of her way the rest of the day, doing some research work for a client, while Wyrick did a follow-up on all of the details for tomorrow. The media company sent her video of the setup, including the big screens behind the podium and the rows of seats out in the ballroom.

  They had the cameras set up for facial recognition, so Wyrick went in and linked her own FR program to their systems. There would be no crowd swarming in for seating. Instead, entering one by one, presenting the passes they’d received.

  Hank Raines was all about the security for her, and had a team set up to man it all and verify the passes, and then other agents who would stand guard both on the stage behind her and down on the floor at either ends of the stage.

  Charlie already knew his place. Beside her and two steps to her right—within her peripheral vision so she’d know he was there. The security level was presidential.

  The rest of it was up to her.

  Once he stopped by her office and set a Pepsi and a Snickers bar on her desk and left. The next time he saw her, she was in the kitchen, digging through the refrigerator.