A Dose of Danger (Risky Research)

by Kim McMahill

  “I’m sorry. I’m not thinking very clearly at the moment. You’re right. I need to focus and make rational, intelligent decisions. How about a compromise? If we can pull the horse trailer out on these snow-packed roads, we could take all of the animals with us except for the chickens and cattle, and they can fend for themselves much better than the rest.”

  She anticipated an argument from Logan. She couldn’t expect him to share her need to take care of the ranch in Moss’s absence, and she understood Logan probably saw things differently from a law enforcement point of view. She braced for a fight, but quickly relaxed when he spoke.

  “Our best chance to tow the trailer out of here fully loaded would be with Moss’s one ton pickup chained up. I’m sure he won’t mind, and I’ll bet the chains are in the vehicle and ready to go for the winter, if I know Moss.”

  “I guess it’s settled. At first light, we’ll start preparing to leave, so when the sheriff calls with the location we can go,” Grace said as she stared at the fire.

  Logan’s arm tightened around her, and she felt him gently kiss her temple. As she listened to the steady beat of his heart, a parade of visions roared through Grace’s mind. She thought about Dr. Clark and how terrified he must be, not knowing where to go or who to trust. She mourned the loss of Kathleen and wondered if Jonah was still alive. Visions of Butch brought tears to her eyes, and the frail sound of Moss’s voice echoing in her head threatened her ability to maintain control over her emotions.

  By tomorrow, chaos would erupt. UVN would know everything. With so much at stake, there was no way the company would sit back and let the law enforcement officers do their jobs without interference. There was nothing the UVN upper management could do about Kathleen. Grace doubted Dr. Clark would surface, so with Jonah missing, they would be gunning for her, wanting answers and a scapegoat.

  Even though Janice Green had supported her and Dr. Clark on obtaining more time to monitor side effects, Grace doubted she could count on the woman’s continued backing. Janice hadn’t been with the company long, but it was obvious she was one tough, hard-edged executive. She socialized with no one, guarded her privacy vigorously, and gave no illusion a kind heart existed underneath the expensive suits, severe business cut of her black hair, rigid posture, unforgiving expression, and confident, direct management style.

  Grace had been leery of the new VP of Product Development from the start, but now Janice might be her only possible ally when the CEO and board learned the truth.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Devyn hadn’t seen Gage Harris in nearly five years, but she occasionally fantasized about the sandy-haired sheriff, who, oh so accurately depicted the tough, western lawman of romance novels. They talked on the phone every now and then when one thought the other might have a unique insight into a case, and whenever she could think of any vaguely legitimate excuse to call him.

  Their paths had crossed while she was investigating a counterfeiting case which spanned six western states, including Wyoming. Devyn didn’t know if it was just coincidence or intervention by a higher power, because Gage had just been elected county sheriff. She had received minimal cooperation from local law enforcement until Harris. She didn’t know if the locals were just distrustful of federal authorities in general, or if the male ego refused to work with a twenty-seven-year-old woman fresh out of the academy. With his help, her team busted a well-organized, thriving counterfeiting operation that had been growing for years, all the time eluding the FBI’s best. The success had catapulted her career.

  His call had come out of the blue, very early that morning. Despite the fact that his call occurred before her first cup of morning coffee, she nearly swooned at the sound of his deep voice. The inquiry intrigued her, and she had readily offered assistance.

  Devyn didn’t know if there was a connection between his situation and three other unusual cases she had been tracking unofficially for the past few years. She couldn’t discount the common denominator…a series of “accidents” with links to a number of different companies in the research and development arena of the pharmaceutical and medical fields.

  In all the occurrences she had been monitoring, the local investigating agency determined the incidents had not been the result of criminal activity, and the local FBI branches weren’t convinced of foul play when she persuaded her boss to request a local review.

  Devyn seldom accepted coincidences. Too many people were dead, and too much potentially groundbreaking research data had been destroyed.

  “What has you so deep in thought and mooning like a lovesick puppy?” Nick asked.

  The sound of Nick’s smooth voice made her look up from the pad she was scribbling notes on. She looked at him with a scathing expression in retaliation for the last part of his comment, but otherwise filed the temptation to berate him away for later.

  “Remember me mentioning the Wyoming sheriff who helped me solve a major counterfeiting case about five years ago?”

  “He called to reminisce about the good old days, huh?”

  “No. He has a situation which has a familiar ring to it. A researcher for Uinta Vitamin and Nutrition here in Salt Lake stumbles onto a potentially multi-billion dollar weight loss formula, and in the last week her uncle’s barn, located in the sheriff’s jurisdiction, has burned to the ground with the sole ranch hand inside.

  “The ranch hand and her uncle suffered similar head wounds. The former died, and the latter is still in the hospital with life-threatening injuries and a possible traumatic brain injury. Sheriff Harris admitted the injuries could have been caused by falling timbers from the burning building, but he sounded unconvinced. One of the researchers’ co-workers was killed in a questionable auto accident. Another is missing. Her direct supervisor is terrified and on the run.”

  “Oh great, here we go again. Same old story, the best and brightest in medical research and the legal drug world are just a bunch of accident-prone, bumbling oafs who experience a lot of bad luck. Devyn is going to infuriate her boss trying to prove these brilliant scientists are not stumbling through life with unrelated black clouds hanging over their heads.”

  Devyn threw her head back and laughed. “You’re such a smart aleck, but yes, we’re supposed to keep buying that a lot of highly intelligent people are doing stupid stuff, are constantly plagued with unfortunate accidents, and they all happen to be in a similar line of work.”

  “I bet you’re just giddy, seeing how we finally have a tie to a company that’s actually in our jurisdiction.”

  “Yes, my dear Nick. We do,” Devyn stated with a grin so broad it made him chuckle.

  “Any familiar players?”

  “Not that I see on the list Gage emailed me, but have a go at it and see if you can turn up anything interesting,” she stated as she typed in Nick’s e-mail address and forwarded the list to him. “I’m going to track down the investigating officer who deemed the car crash an accident and rattle his cage a little. Gage already tried, but didn’t get anywhere. He thought a personal visit from the FBI might prove more successful. Along with unlucky scientists, we have an inordinately high number of inept investigators who are overly quick to classify the incidents as accidents.”

  Nick looked at her over the rims of his glasses. “Now, Devyn, is that any way to talk about our brothers and sisters in blue?”

  “Until I find one who is willing to take a second look at a report and consider he or she could possibly be mistaken, yes. Our job isn’t to jump to conclusions or to determine the right answer is the easiest one to process, it’s to dig down until we discover the truth, and that’s exactly what I plan to do.”

  “Well in that case, go get ’em, tiger. Show those incompetent fools no mercy.”

  Devyn flipped Nick the bird as she turned and left, desperately trying not to laugh, knowing he would take too much pleasure in the fact that she found him amusing.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  By the time dawn broke over the mountains cradling the
ranch, Grace had showered, packed her bags, and finished washing the breakfast dishes. Logan’s duffle waited by the door. They were leaving together, but seeing his bag by the door reminded her she had no claim on him, and he was free to walk out of her life at any time.

  She looked around at the tidy kitchen, which had always felt so homey but now looked unused with everything put away. She felt like a cowardly captain abandoning a sinking ship, but what choice did she have? Too much tragedy had already occurred, and her instincts told her to trust Logan.

  Peeking out the window, she spotted Logan rubbing the thick winter coat on the neck of a tall sorrel mare they called Lady as he leaned against the top pole of the corral with a big black cat sitting on his shoulder. The image made her smile despite the gray skies, the barely perceptible swirling of tiny snowflakes, and the knowledge that danger and tragedy were now a regular part of her life.

  Grace dressed quickly for the cold and made her way outside. She joined Logan at the corral, and for a moment neither said a word, content to take in the peaceful solitude of the ranch and forget about the reasons which brought them to this point.

  Soon, two more cats jumped up, vying for attention, prompting Grace to tackle the tasks at hand. Together, in what was now a common routine, she and Logan tended to the animals.

  They rolled out enough hay to last the cattle for several days and spread chicken feed around to keep the hens and roosters busy ferretting out all the kernels, which were usually confined to tidy feeders and instantly devoured.

  Once the chores were finished, Grace left Logan to chain up Moss’s truck while she rounded up the cats and sequestered them to the garage with the dogs and pigs. The pets watched as she fed and examined Charlotte and her sty-mates. By Blue and Aussie’s proper sitting posture, respectful distance, and overly polite behavior, Grace had no doubt the dogs sensed her anxiety and were ensuring they couldn’t be blamed for whatever was going on.

  As she glanced at the two canines, she had to smile. She loved animals, which was why she had dedicated her career to looking for ways to make their lives healthier. She had always felt animals were much more intuitive than people, completely trustworthy, and therapeutic. Nothing could soothe her soul quicker or bring her more happiness than an amusing expression or a sympathetic nudge from a concerned dog, cat, or even pig.

  Kneeling down next to Charlotte, she rubbed the pig’s belly affectionately. “Who would have guessed the two of us could cause so much trouble? I never set out to harm anyone, and you certainly don’t deserve to be wearing a target on your back.” Grace cooed as Charlotte stopped eating for a moment, looking up as if she understood the tension but not the danger. With a shake of the head and faint squeal, the pig stuck her nose back in the warm slop and resumed eating.

  Grace continued to watch Charlotte for a moment, wondering if the slight change in her coloring was the result of the low lighting in the garage or an indicator of a much deeper problem and the subtle weight gain was starting to show.

  Something wasn’t right.

  She wished Dr. Clark were available to discuss strategy and to facilitate the tests Grace was anxious to run. If there was an issue with Charlotte, she needed to know immediately and act before any permanent damage was done to the gentle gilt.

  Turning her back on the pigs, she filled the dogs’ food dishes and set out bowls of food on the workbench for the cats to keep them happy and occupied while she waited for the call from the sheriff to vacate the ranch. Grace hated to leave the place defenseless, but she was scared and trusted Logan’s judgment. If he believed they needed to move, she’d go.

  The cows and chickens weren’t in danger from humans. She would make arrangements to ensure they didn’t go without food or care for long, but that didn’t soothe her concerns about abandoning them to the elements.

  From the garage, Grace heard the phone ringing. She raced inside, kicking off her wet and dirty boots and removing her worn leather gloves in the process. Hoping the sheriff had found a place to hide her at a small farm, she snatched up the handset, gasping for breath.

  “Collect Call from Moss Talbot. Do you accept the charges?”

  The unfamiliar voice and antiquated request caught Grace off guard. With everyone packing cell phones nowadays, collect calls were few and far between. Finding her voice she answered, “Yes, yes, please put him through.”

  “Grace, what in the heck is going on? I woke up this morning with a police officer standing outside my door. When I asked him what the devil was going on, he claimed he was ordered to allow no one in except you, my doctor, and the one nurse who has now been assigned to my exclusive care. He refused to explain further.”

  Grace squeezed her eyes shut, forcing back the tears. He was angry, confused, and he sounded so weak, she couldn’t blame him. She didn’t know how much to say or where to start, but he deserved answers.

  “Talk to me, Grace.”

  “I’m so sorry, Uncle Moss, but I inadvertently brought a load of trouble to the ranch. I wasn’t sure at first, and I desperately hoped the fire was an accident, but when I found out you had a nearly identical head wound as Butch, I knew the truth. Kathleen’s been in a fatal car crash, Dr. Clark is on the run, and my other colleague, Jonah, is missing. I can’t give you more details or you may become another target. In fact, you might already be in jeopardy if anyone thinks you know much about my work, which is why you’re under guard. It’s just a precaution at this point.”

  There was a pause as Grace listened to the labored breathing on the other end of the line, and an ache clutched at her chest.

  “It’s Charlotte, isn’t it?”

  Grace didn’t answer.

  “Never mind, it doesn’t matter. You need to get out of there. Don’t worry about me or the animals. I’ve got a uniformed babysitter, and the stock is hardy. Just protect yourself.”

  “The sheriff is trying to arrange a safe house, but it’s taking a bit of time to find somewhere to stash me and a few animals. Logan is chaining up your truck so we can attempt to get the trailer out. That way we can take the horses, pigs, cats, and dogs. We’ve given the cattle and chickens enough feed to last at least a couple of days, and we’ll make arrangements to send someone to feed them if we’re not back by then.”

  “I don’t like it one bit. I should be there for you. All I’ve ever wanted to do is protect you from all the sadness and evil in this messed-up world, and give you the happiness, stability, and love you deserve.”

  Grace nearly lost her composure. How can he feel guilty when this is all my fault? She swallowed hard to force down the lump in her throat.

  “That’s why I love you so much. I’ve brought a horrible tragedy to your doorstep, and you’re worried about me. You should be furious.”

  “You would never hurt anyone on purpose, and you can’t take responsibility for the despicable actions of others. Besides, how many times have we had this little arrangement in the past? It’s been a win, win. I didn’t complain about the large sums you billed your company for my consulting services or the top dollar they paid for the pigs. I’ve loved sharing in your work, and these projects have brought you back home once a month. You know, folks around here think I’m pretty lucky to have such a devoted niece. I just smile when someone comments, and I say, ‘Yes, I do.’”

  Grace heard the nurse enter Moss’s room and knew their time was about up. She wanted to say something to let him know how much he meant to her, but nothing was adequate. Thinking of all the preparations they had made in order to run and hide, and the potential danger, she realized this might be her last chance.

  “Thank you,” Grace uttered. “I don’t tell you enough how much I appreciate all you’ve done for me and how much you mean to me. You saved my life.”

  “Grace, don’t.” His voice sounded small.

  “It’s true. I don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t taken me in and given me a home and surrounded me with love. You’re my hero.”

&nbs
p; “I don’t deserve such admiration. I’ve made my share of mistakes in the past, which you might find hard to forgive. Promise me you’ll take care of yourself and you’ll give this old man a chance to make it right.”

  Grace was confused by his words, but this wasn’t the time to get into something that was clearly unpleasant for Moss to deal with. It was a time to say the things they might not get another chance to say.

  “Everything will be fine. Please don’t worry,” Grace pleaded, clutching the phone to her ear.

  She hadn’t heard Logan enter, but she didn’t object when he pried the handset from her fingers and put his arm around her shoulders.

  “Hey, Moss. How are you feeling today?”

  Grace could only hear one side of the conversation, but it was enough to know Moss wasn’t the only one who cared about her fate.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll keep her safe, I promise. Yes, I’ve noticed she can be a bit stubborn, but she knows when to cooperate and hasn’t given me too much trouble. No, I can’t give you any details. The less you know, the better. We’ll leave as soon as the sheriff calls back with a location.

  “You have what? Where? If we need it, thanks. If we don’t I never heard those words. Yes, I noticed the trailer lights aren’t working, and the clutch on your truck sticks a bit. I may be from Arizona, but I do know how to pull a horse trailer and operate a truck in four-wheel-drive. We better not tie up the line too long, but we’ll call as soon as we get to wherever we’re going. What? Yes, I’d be happy to do that for you. Take care.”

  By the time Logan hung up, the tears were gone. Hearing Moss treating the big, strong deputy like a child made her smile. She missed her uncle so much it hurt. Even in a hospital bed hundreds of miles away, he was still trying to take care of her.