by E. E. Borton
“Ryan,” said Derek in a disarming tone, “You know he’s right. I have to answer for what I did, in spite of the reasons. There’s no way around the fact that I murdered them. When I walked in here with you, I was ready to tear these walls down if they tried to take me into custody. But the truth is, it’s the only way.”
“No, it’s not, Derek,” said Ryan, standing. “I won’t let them do this.”
“Hold on, Ryan,” said Donaldson. “We’re not going to take him to jail. He’s going to walk out of here a free man, but we do have to process him into the system. If you’ll agree, I’ll release him into your custody. You’ll stay with him while we take care of our legal obligations to the victims and their families. I’m going to handle it personally. But first, we need to get him well. How long before the urges take over, Derek?”
“It’ll probably start tomorrow, sir. I need to be sedated and locked up for at least three days.”
“How would you feel about it happening back at the lab in Maine?” asked Donaldson. “We’ll send the scientists with you to start the reversal therapy immediately. I don’t think they’ll have a problem with getting back to work for our side. Actually, they don’t have a choice.”
“I don’t care where it happens,” said Derek, “I just want this out of me.”
“As of now, I’m reinstating the Didache Project for one purpose,” said Donaldson, “To get your life back. When it’s complete, those doors will never open again. I’ll put the locks on myself.”
“We shot up the lab pretty good,” said Ryan. “I don’t know how long it will take to repair the damage.”
“From what I saw, most of the equipment we’ll need is still intact,” said Stewart, sitting at a table in the conference room with the other two scientists. “I won’t sleep until I make this right. I swear to all of you, I’ll work non-stop until he’s better. All of this is my fault.”
“Thank you,” said Derek. “I know you didn’t do this on purpose.” With a smile he added, “If I did, you’d be with the Colonel right now.”
“He’ll have to answer to the murder charges, Ryan,” continued Donaldson, “But the U.S. Attorney has already agreed to speak to each family and explain the circumstances. They feel strongly most will be satisfied with the actions already taken against the men responsible. And I’ll be with him every step of the way. But first things first, let’s get both of you back to Maine.”
The technicians shut down the recording equipment, and nearly everyone in the room grabbed a phone to begin making all the necessary arrangements. Ryan and Derek sat quietly at the table as most of the occupants left the room.
“Well, that turned out a little better than I expected,” said Derek, finally breaking the silence.
“I’d have to agree,” said Ryan. “I also have to tell you I didn’t think we’d be walking out of here free men. Shit, I actually think I still have a job.”
“Looks like it, buddy.”
“I have a plane waiting to take you to back to Maine,” said Donaldson. “I won’t be joining you just yet. I need to get back to Washington to start moving the mountain of paper. Are you two going to be okay?”
“Yes, sir,” said Ryan. “We’re going to be fine. Just one more thing.”
“Whatever you need.”
“I’m sorry I thought you betrayed us,” said Ryan. “I’m glad you proved me wrong.”
“I’m the one who’s glad, son. Judging from what happened to the people who did betray you, I’m very glad,” said Donaldson, leaving Ryan and Derek alone in the room.
“Well, you ready for your nap?” asked Ryan, slapping Derek on the back.
“I really am.”
“Listen, I may not be there when you wake up.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have promises to keep.”
28
Benefits
Derek and the scientists boarded their plane and headed back to the lab. Ryan walked up to the ticket counter, and for the first time in over five years, bought his own seat. His plane landed at Shenandoah Regional Airport where he rented a car and headed for Harrisonburg, Virginia. He arranged to meet Sheriff Bill Parker the following morning.
Ryan slept hard for nearly seven hours before the alarm jolted him awake. Shortly after, a knock on his hotel door signaled the beginning of another long day. He opened it to see Sheriff Parker standing with a smile and two large cups of coffee.
“It’s not moonshine, but it’s not far from it,” greeted the Sheriff, handing Ryan a cup.
“You’re a life saver, Bill,” replied Ryan, taking a sip. “How have you been?”
“I’ve aged about ten years in the past couple of months, but other than that I’m good. The real question is, how are you holding up?”
“How far is the drive to the first house?”
“About forty-five minutes.”
“That’s not nearly enough time for me to answer your question, but I’ll try.”
“Unfortunately, we have three other homes to visit today,” said Bill. “We’ll have plenty of time to catch up. But I want to make sure I tell you now how much I appreciate you keeping your word. You didn’t have to come back here and do this. That says a lot about your character.”
“I can’t take all the credit for being here,” said Ryan. “You can be somewhat persuasive yourself.”
“Let’s get out of here before we start hugging,” said Bill.
Both men sat in the car for a moment after they pulled into the driveway of the first house. They mentally prepared to face the parents of Laura Ackerman. She was Peter Arrington’s first victim in Virginia. The job didn’t get any easier when they visited the second, third, and fourth families. Ryan didn’t return solely to try to give closure to the families of the victims. He needed to find it as well.
He didn’t immediately leave Harrisonburg after he finished the somber task of explaining to the parents how and why they lost their daughters. It was more emotionally exhausting than he anticipated. The Sheriff graciously offered his isolated hunting cabin amidst the serenity of the Shenandoah Valley. Ryan spent two days alone with his thoughts for the first time since he had accepted the assignment. When he finally answered his phone, he quickly closed up the cabin and drove directly to the airport.
With each connecting flight, the aircraft grew smaller and smaller until he was sitting behind the pilot, occupying one of only four seats. Nearly ten hours had passed since he had left Virginia. The car waiting for him at Belize City Airport carried him to a large marina where he boarded a thirty-eight-foot speed boat. At seventy mile per hour, the driver took him to his final island destination in less than two hours.
They docked alongside a small pier and took a stone path to a large two-story Spanish villa overlooking the water. Ryan noticed two men in Hawaiian shirts walking along a sundeck on the roof of the house. Each was scanning the property with high powered binoculars with higher powered rifles slung across their backs. He identified two more armed men patrolling through the expansive manicured backyard among the palm trees and tropical plants. The stone path ended at the edge of a large pool deck with a cascading waterfall at one end and a Tiki bar on the other. He approached a laughing group of people sitting at the bar while a blender mixed another round of pina coladas.
“This is a bit nicer than any FBI safe house I could’ve put you in,” said Ryan as Jennifer jumped to her feet and greeted him with an excited hug.
“Steve doesn’t know it yet, but we’re never leaving,” said Jennifer, tightening her squeeze.
“When you told me you were going to lock her away somewhere safe, I imagined a dark dank hotel room somewhere in Jersey,” said Derek, shaking his hand after Jennifer loosened her grip.
“Believe me, I had no idea either,” said Ryan. “I’m not sure how you were able to leave the country, Derek. But Steve doesn’t seem to play by anyone’s rules but his.”
“No, my handlers actually know I’m here. But if they ask
, I came down with you,” said Derek with a smirk.
“I take it everything went well at the lab?”
“I woke up feeling great. I have to head back in a few days for more reverse therapy, but all indications to this point are very good. I can’t voluntarily force the mutations to happen anymore.”
“I couldn’t be happier for you. The both of you.”
“How could I possibly thank you enough?” asked Jennifer, making no attempt to hold back her tears. “You made our dreams come true. I wasn’t too thrilled about Derek kissing Michelle on my deck, but I know it had to look real for Joshua to believe it was me.”
“You’re very welcome,” said Ryan. As Michelle and Tom joined them at the bar, he added, “Glad to see you guys decided to take a break.”
“We’re not going back either,” said Tom. “This place is fantastic. The island is practically deserted.”
“Did Dallas come with you?”
“Yeah, he’s inside having an interesting conversation with Steve. You probably need to check in on them.”
“I heard you’re both going back to Behavioral Sciences at Quantico. Is that true?”
“More than likely,” said Michelle, “But I agree with Tom. I may never leave this place.”
“Nobody would blame you,” said Ryan, heading for the house and leaving them to their next round of pina coladas. Dallas met him as he was walking up to the back door.
“Hey, Boss, perfect timing. Steve’s up those stairs,” pointed Dallas, wearing a ridiculously loud tropical shirt.
“Nice threads.”
“There’s a closet full of them upstairs. When you finish, put one on and join me at the Tiki. You and I are going to get hammered tonight. Don’t even try to say no.”
“Deal,” said Ryan, taking the stairs to meet Steve.
“You have no idea what you’ve done,” said Ryan, joining his friend on the second-story balcony overlooking the pool.
“What’s that?”
“I really think they’re staying.”
“They could,” said Steve, “And so could you.”
“I wish that were true. We all needed this little getaway and thank you for offering this place, but I have a little explaining to do back on the mainland.”
“You have a lot of explaining to do if you plan on trying to keep your job. But if you decided to resign, I don’t think anyone in Washington would try to stop you. In fact, I’m sure they’d prefer it. You’re about to blow the lid off a project they’ve sunk almost a billion taxpayer dollars into. You may even win a few favors with some powerful Congressmen if you just quietly went away. Favors which would come in handy for a guy like, oh, I don’t know, me.”
“After everything that’s happened, you want me to keep my mouth shut about Didache?” asked Ryan.
“Easy, rejuvenated lawman,” said Steve, handing Ryan a cocktail. “It wasn’t too long ago you turned your back on the system and kicked in a few doors. And I must say you’re pretty good at it.
“Listen, you and I both know Didache is finished. But we also know another program just like it will sprout wings in a matter of weeks or less,” continued Steve. “You close that ugly door behind you, and a bunch of other ones are going open. And I’m one of those doors.”
“You really do want me to come work for you, don’t you?” asked Ryan.
“I really do. And now so does Dallas.”
“Dallas?”
“Yeah, he’s looking forward to having you as his boss again.”
“And you’re looking forward to being mine?”
“I wouldn’t be your boss. We’d be more like partners.”
“I had a funny feeling you’d pull something like this. I mean, getting me and my team down here to taste the good life. Giving Derek and Jennifer their dream vacation, proving to me we did the right thing by crossing the line. You’re very predictable and very diabolical, my friend.”
“Did I mention we have a great dental plan?”
“When can I start?”
The End