“I don’t... understand,” she said, her voice constricting.”This is what you wanted, isn’t it? These are the notebooks, aren’t they?”
“There might be something of use in the blue book,” he said, placing them in the neat stack.”There might be something I’d be able to resurrect someday. But the green one is the charm.” He paused.”Yes, Trisha, these are the books. I’ll trade.”
“Thank God.”
“Thank God,” Smite repeated.
“And what is your concern in all of this?” the doctor asked.
“I’m just here protecting my interests. You have something Miss Trishabelle wants, and I also have something she wants. Trish, on the other hand, has something you want, and there’s also something I’d like to obtain from her sweet little treasure chest. We take care of each other and we all go on our merry ways, just like in the movies.”
“I saw a movie once,” Camden replied.”There was a man who had something and when he decided to give it back, he got himself in a lot of trouble. Ended up in jail.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I doubt anyone wants to tell the newspapers about this little transaction. Nobody wants to look bad. That’s why we have the door closed. This is a backroom deal. Isn’t that right, Trish?”
“What’s your point, Doctor?” she asked absently.
“I’d like some assurance that this matter will remain closed after its completion. I’d like assurances that there’ll will be no retaliation, legal or otherwise, if we affect this exchange.”
“Fine with me,” Smite said.
“Doug, keep out of this.” She paused.”Doctor, what do you want? Five lawyers from Legal to come up here and draft a 26 page release form?”
“Your word as the head of Pharmaceuticals will suffice.”
“You’ve got it. Are we agreed then?”
“I’ll have my attorney prepare a short document for your signature. Nothing elaborate,” Camden continued.”Uh…possession of my notebooks and…utensils did you call them? And confidentiality, along with hold harmless language.”
“Hey, pretty good, Doc. You a lawyer, too?”
“No.” He looked to Stonetree.”I’ve been accused of that before, though. Maybe it could be a second profession for me. One doesn’t have to be too smart to handle it, I guess.”
“They’re all bloody fucking leeches. Pardon my French, Artie.” He paused.”Wait! You need that consideration stuff. Add for ten dollars received in hand.”
“Why?”
“They do it all the time.”
“I can’t believe this,” she moaned, crossing her legs and holding her face in her hands.”So now that you have the specifics of your memorandum, can we get on with this? I’ve got an important meeting later in the day with Mr. Picard about my reorganization plan.”
“Who are you eliminating now?”
“Let’s stay on the subject. Do you have the distillate with you?”
“No. Let me make a proposition.”
“Please do.”
“Some of it or all of it might be here on the premises. Some of it might not. I’d like to check on it first. Then we could meet later and we can make our exchanges.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Smite hooted.
“What’s your idea?”
“I’d like to go down to R & D for a few minutes, unmolested.”
“Alone? Never. You just can’t do that.”
“All right. You can send Mr. Stonetree with me. Would that help?”
“Maybe. What happens then?”
“I’d like everyone cleared out of Exec. I’ll then turn out the lights so the cameras won’t be able to monitor me. I’d like to check something, that’s all. I’ve got a flashlight, a small one, in my briefcase. Then I’ll leave the Plaza to see if my progress will be interrupted along the way.”
“This is insane.”
“And then maybe I’ll walk back in and do it again, maybe a third time, and soon I’ll be satisfied that I can go on my way. Then we can meet later and exchange our goods. Would that be acceptable?”
“If it’s got to be that way. I suppose we don’t have a choice, do we?”
“No choice, Trisha.”
“So where do we all meet?” Smite asked.”I’ve got to get my stuff too. How about at my hotel?”
“Forget it, Doug,” Lane said.”Try again.”
“Then how about the Doc’s place,” he retorted, “or your little love nest, Trishapoo?”
“What I’d suggest, if I may,” Camden said, “would be a place that’s public in the sense that other people would be around us, but private enough where we’d have some control over our conversation.”
“I know,” Smite volunteered.”I hang out with the guys who run a nice club here in town called Sirius.”
“That whorehouse,” she spat.”I’d prefer the Hyatt.”
“It weren’t no whorehouse when I was there, Trish. Don’t worry. You won’t be propositioned. The boys can set us up a table away from everyone where we can talk. Maybe even have a bottle of champagne to celebrate.”
“It sounds acceptable to me,” Camden said.
“All right. This is getting more tedious by the minute. What time? I can be free at 5:00. Is that acceptable to everyone?”
They nodded.
“Arthur, you’ll bring the CY6A4. Doug, you’re responsible for the master tapes. I’ll bring the notebooks and…” She looked to the knives.”And those.”
“And my little Care package, Trish. And nothing cute…’cept you,” Smite added.
“Nothing cute. Let’s just get this concluded. That’s all I want.” She stepped to her desk, made two quick phone calls then returned.
“Arthur, the lab will be empty and the lights out when you get there. There will be one security guard at the door with instructions to allow you and Mr. Stonetree in.”
“No guards.”
“We have to have at least one.”
“No guards.”
“All right, no guards. I’ll call. Are we done?” The men nodded.”Then we’ll meet at the whorehouse at 5:00. See you there, gentlemen.”
Stonetree and Camden left, taking the elevator down to the Exec Lab. Aside from a few people walking in the halls, it was the usual lunchtime lag period. None of them that he could tell were from Security. They walked to the main door and opened it, the space dark except for a soft glow from lights on various instruments.
Camden switched on all the overhead lights and looked around. Apparently satisfied, he flicked them off again and told Stonetree to stand at the door. He disappeared for a few minutes then returned, motioning to leave. They caught the elevator down to the first floor and walked to the street.
“Now we go back in?”
“Is your car here?” Camden replied.
“No. Walked today.”
“All right. Then here’s the rest of the plan. I’d like you to get your car and meet me back at the hotel before 5:00. I’ll get in one of those cabs over there,” he continued, pointing to a line of three, “and drive around awhile, make a few stops, go in and out of a few suspicious-looking places. Eventually I won’t get back in the cab and I’ll be gone.”
“Where?”
“Back to the hotel. Robin’s going to meet me there. We want to discuss a few things, make sure we’ve covered all the possibilities. Then you meet us and we can chat and then go to this…what’s it called?”
“Sirius.
“Sirius, yes. We’ll go there and make the exchange. What’s this place like anyway? What types of people go there?”
“If Smite knows the Brown brothers, it’s not the best of signs. Some pretty sleazy stuff can go on there but it meets your requirements.”
“Good. I’ll see you later, then. Keep the faith. We’re almost there.”
They shook hands and Camden left in a lim, his briefcase held tight under his arm. Stonetree went back into the building and up to 25 to report. Everyone was gone. Moving to hi
s office, he called Sharon at the store but was told she’d gone home sick. He called McReynolds and Tyler but received no answers. He stood there a few moments, wondering if he’d ever see it again. He was nervous and scared, but knew in a few hours it would all be over, for better or worse.
CHAPTER 15
Stonetree wasn’t certain why Camden suggested a car for later in the day but was grateful for the chance to return home to unwind from the events of the morning. On the way there he thought about reading or possibly taking a nap but neither seemed appropriate once he was inside the condo. It looked a bit strange to him, like a place he visited rather than lived in. He decided to take another shower.
He shaved again, washed his hair again, brushed his teeth again. He stood for an extended period with a warm spray beating on his face. Then for an even longer period, with the temperature up, he let the water pound on his back. It felt so good to be able to stand there, breathing in the steam and allowing his muscles to unknot beneath the heat.
After five minutes he’d had enough. Drying off and throwing on his robe, he made his way to the living room simply to sit in the silence and drink a glass of orange juice. He was just placing the bottle back into the refrigerator when the doorbell rang. Sharon was holding a pair of brown bags.”Hi!” she greeted him.”Surprise! It’s only me!”
“This is a surprise,” he replied, trying to figure out why she was there.”I called you at work. They said you went home sick.”
“I am sick,” she nodded, kissing him.”Lovesick, that is. I just had to get out of there. I’ve been working too hard.”
“I know.”
“Soooo, I decided that seeing you said we’d be able to get together tonight, I’d sneak over here, lower the lights, chill some wine, put on some music, create some delightful snacks and then after all of that, make mad, passionate love to you five or six times. How does that sound?”
“It sounds great. That last part has a ring of science fiction to it, though.”
“Science fiction?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.”Science fiction? Not in my book. I call it desire. Sometimes lust, but usually desire.”
“Is it quality or quantity you’re after?”
“Both. Like I told you the other day, I’m going to run my life like a life.” She paused then laughed.”But I’ll meet you halfway. Four times,” she said, holding up the same number of fingers on her free hand.
“Two,” he replied.”Maybe.”
“We’ll see. You’ll regret your doubts.”
“I do appreciate your confidence in me. I’m always excited to have somebody drop by to tempt me.”
“And what are you doing here?” she asked, looking around.”You’re okay, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Remember I told you about a possible exchange of something between Lane and Camden?”
“You didn’t say what was being exchanged.”
“They had a meeting this morning and later on they’re going to make the switch. It’s pretty bizarre.”
“Why bizarre?”
“Now Wexford’s manager is in on it too. It’s really weird. Tapes, drugs, secret plans, everything.”
“So when does this all happen?”
“Later on. I’ll really be happy to get this over with. It’s getting too confusing.”
She placed the two bags on the coffee table and flopped onto one of the loveseats, Stonetree flopping next to her.
“So is this still a top secret mission or are you going to cut me in on it?”
He regarded her a moment, weighing whether the time had finally arrived in his life to step over the border. Trisha, and everything that came with her, was just an illusion. In fact, if he didn’t know better, Wednesday night was nothing but the memory of a dream.
Sharon was real. Her affection was real, her problems were real. Maybe he could do better, he mused, but he could also do much worse. Lane had told him he was now part of the future. Perhaps she was correct, but he realized that there was also a present. And it was right now.
Sharon was who he wanted; she was always who he really wanted since that first time he saw her at the shop. Since their first kiss. Since the Tower of London. She was the one and there would never be another one like her.
“I guess you can be trusted. I’ll cut you in.”
He related everything he knew up to that point. Everything except the attempt to retrieve the distillate the previous Friday and his visit to Lane’s for dinner. She was enthralled.
“A bit more exciting than unpacking cupcake ingredients.”
She kissed him lightly and he kissed her back with passion. In a few hours he’d be a hero to everyone. Maybe Lane would give him his own unit or Camden would want him to move to Atlanta. The weekend was supposed to be partly cloudy with highs in the 60’s. A perfect time to take a ride in the country or even get engaged.
“And I have a little surprise to show you down in the garage.”
Her eyes widened.”Oh David, you didn’t, did you? Did you? You did!”
“For a few days at least.”
And she loved it. She’d never cared one way or another about cars but this one, she said, was an exception, fawning over it like a mother would a bride. He finally had to tug on her arm a few times to extract her.
Back in the living room she kept switching back and forth between the deal and her enthusiasm about the Mustang. He thought he’d really enjoy having her with him all the time. Even forever. As he went to the bedroom to get dressed she followed, sitting down on a low chest of drawers to watch.
“Can I go with you to meet Dr. Camden?”
Ordinarily he would have dismissed her suggestion out of hand but now he thought otherwise.”Maybe. But he’s a little leery about the whole situation.”
“I just want to meet him, that’s all. The way you tell it, he might be the man who finds the cure for CYD. And if he does and he wrote his autobiography, I could say I was with him that day.” She went to him and put her arms around his chest, watching their reflections in the mirror.”And then maybe he’d remember me when I’d ask him to autograph his book.” She paused.”What do you say?”
“I don’t know how long it’ll take. It could be hours.”
“Okay, I’ll tell you what. Let me come to meet the doctor and then I’ll limcab back to get dinner started. You can call me when you’re getting close to finishing and if worse comes to worst, you’ll get home late and have me greet you at the door with a glass of wine and…maybe my black teddy? Not a bad deal to start the weekend, if I do say so.”
He liked the idea. He could probably be back by 6:00.
“Okay you’re on, but just to say hello. Then you’ve got to let us finish the business part.”
As they drove through the city, he told her about Smite, then detailed the story about the Mustang, his conversation with Hendricks and the man’s plan for the money.
“I think that’s just wonderful,” she said after he finished.”What a touching, wonderful thing to do. Certainly a tribute to the memory of his uncle.” She thought for a moment.”Do you ever think you could do something like that? Take time off to care for others?”
“Couldn’t afford it.”
“What if you could?”
“Afford it? No, still wouldn’t do it.”
“Why not?”
“It’d be depressing, being around sick kids all day. Why? Would you?”
“Maybe not for months, but I could see doing it part-time if business at the shop ever calms down. Pure satisfaction. Just knowing that I was doing something for someone else, giving instead of taking.”
“You give a lot to me.”
“I try. But there has to be something more to it. I’ve got the store, I’ve got you... sort of. Which reminds me,” she smiled, “what’s the story on tomorrow night? Are we going to take the little step toward the big step or am I going to have to come up with a new set of excuses?”
“I told you I’d make the reservations.”
“And I’m sure you did. It’s just that I’ve gotten anxious about everything.” She paused.”I just want us to be happy. I want there to be more of a reason for the things I do.”
“Is that you talking?” he asked, reaching over to take her hand, “or is it the CYD talking?”
She sighed in exasperation but he continued before she could reply.”Now, don’t take that the wrong way. This hasn’t been a picnic for me, either. But that’s not the point.”
“What is the point?”
“The point,” he replied, squeezing her hand, “is that I love you and everything’s going to work out fine.”
She turned and stared out the window. In a moment she released his hand to reach into her purse for a tissue. He waited until she dabbed her eyes before taking her hand again, and the damp tissue, back in his.
“Now what’s wrong?”
She slid sideways.
“Nothing’s wrong,” she answered, half sobbing and half chuckling.”I’ve just realized in the past few days that a lot of things are right.” She took a deep breath.”And I want them to stay right.”
“Stick with me, kid,” he replied in a Bogart voice he’d yet to master.
When they entered the lobby of the hotel he saw Camden walking away from the registration desk and approached, Sharon trailing behind.
“David, you brought a friend. And a pretty one at that.”
“Dr. Camden, this is Sharon Neville. Sharon, this is Arthur Camden.”
“Please don’t be mad at David. I made him bring me along so I could meet you. I’ve never met anyone famous. I’ll leave now if you want.”
Camden smiled and shook her hand.”It’s very nice to meet you, Sharon. You must be the young lady I’ve heard David talk about. I’m charmed.”
“Oh, so am I. I even use your competitor’s drugs.”
“Ahem. Well it’s always nice to meet a satisfied customer. Perhaps we could go up to the room for a few minutes and talk. But then I’m afraid David and I will have to be on our way to our engagement.”
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