by Ann Pino
Doc turned around. “Thanks, but I don’t think it’ll do any good. He says I’m not expendable.”
“A lot of the people on the mission aren’t expendable.”
“That’s what I said. Plus, I’m the only one who knows where my dad’s office is and what his stuff looks like. What if they’ve moved things around? Julilla will never find what we’re after.”
Cassie nodded in sympathy.
“It’s all about Nisha and her stupid baby. If it wasn’t for her, Mundo would be just as happy to take a literate three-year old, a copy of the Merck manual and a box of band-aids and call it medical support.”
“And you don’t even know about babies,” Rochelle piped up.
“Damn right I don’t.” Doc stomped out the door, making sure to slam it as he left.
* * *
Because of the mission to infiltrate the lab, there was no training scheduled for that afternoon. With time on her hands, Cassie went to check on her garden. She had turned much of the daily maintenance over to Alaina’s older students, but she missed the lazy afternoons of digging in the soil. With a polite nod to Truong, the guard, she gathered her tools and set to work.
She worked steadily for nearly an hour and was checking a potato plant for signs of insect infestation when someone said her name. She looked up to see Paul ambling toward her. He didn’t have his Bible, which was a good sign, but Leila had been increasingly rude and elusive with him while his own behavior became more erratic. Being alone with him was the last thing Cassie wanted, but it was too late now. She stood up, still holding the fork she had been using to loosen a patch of soil. “Pretty day,” she said.
“If we’re victorious against those sinners at the lab, it will be.”
Cassie suppressed a sigh. Was there nothing one could say any more that he wouldn’t turn into a talk about God? “I like to think every day God makes is a good one. God doesn’t make mistakes.”
“Yes, but people do. I want to talk to you about a rumor I heard.”
Cassie felt her stomach clench. “There’s lots of rumors around this place. Sometimes I think all anyone does is think up new things to say, most of them only half-true, when there’s any truth to them at all.”
Paul wasn’t fooled. “So is it true that Leila is involved with David?”
How could he not have noticed what had been in front of his eyes all this time? He must’ve been blinded by the light of his own righteousness. “We all spend a lot of time together. That doesn’t mean—”
“But does she spend whole nights with him? That’s what they’re saying. That she doesn’t go back to her room until morning.” When Cassie hesitated, he flailed his arms in disgust. “Why didn’t anyone tell me? She said she was only nice to him because she didn’t want to make a Kevork mad. She acted like maybe she would like to hang out with me, read the Bible, maybe go to church on Sundays.” He jerked his body in agitation. “She lied to me while playing the harlot with that—”
He took a step toward her and Cassie backed away.
“You know David is the devil, right? He likes to kill people and destroy things. He’s the one who fed Jay drugs and liquor and made him do things, until I had to save him. You know that, don’t you? You know David is evil and tempts good, honest people into sin?”
Cassie took another step back and darted her eyes toward Truong, who was distracted by a pigeon building a nest in an eave. Dammit, why didn’t he look this way and rescue her? Nervously, she gripped the fork she had been digging with earlier, hoping she wouldn’t have to use it as a weapon. “I’m sure David doesn’t mean to be evil and Leila can look out for herself.”
“No, she wanted to join him in sin, or else why—”
Now Truong saw. He hurried over, his hand on the gun at his hip. “What’s the matter, Jesus freak? God grows potatoes on his schedule, not yours.”
Paul wheeled on him. “Don’t blaspheme the name of God!”
“I don’t think he did,” Cassie offered.
Paul ignored her, focused now on Truong. “This is none of your business, Chinese infidel!”
“Vietnamese,” Truong said. “And I’m a Presbyterian.”
“All of you are sinners!” He lunged forward and Truong drew his weapon in alarm. “Don’t think God doesn’t see into your heart of darkness! He sees the sparrow fall—”
“And I’m going to see you fall right off this balcony if you don’t get out of here,” Truong said. “If you’re that worried about my sinful soul, go pray for me.”
“Better do it,” Cassie said. “You can pray for Leila while you’re at it.”
Paul looked at them both. “I won’t forget this. God won’t forget it, either.”
After he stormed away, Truong put his gun back in the holster and gave Cassie a grin. “You should come around more often. This is the most excitement I’ve had since being put on potato patrol.”
* * *
Cassie needed to warn Leila of Paul’s behavior. When she couldn’t find her, she paced the lobby, unsure what to do next. If Leila had gone to May’s or on some other errand, she was likely safe. As safe as she would be at the hotel with Paul in his current state, at least. But she had to make Paul see reason and calm down. On an inspiration, Cassie went to the clinic.
“I’m not a psychiatrist,” Doc said after she had explained what she was after. “You want a shrink, try taking him to the Thespians. Maybe some of that method acting will do him good. Live out his repressed fantasy selves or whatever.”
“You’re not being helpful.”
Doc took off his glasses and cleaned them with the tail of his lab coat. “I’m sorry.” He shoved the glasses on his nose, then gestured toward the medicine cabinet. “Look in there. If you see anything you think will help, go on and take it. Just be sure to sign the clipboard. We have to keep things professional.”
Cassie scanned the contents of the cabinet with skepticism. She knew what was on these shelves better than she knew what was on the shelves of her own closet, mainly because she had made most of these herbal tinctures herself. But these were astringents and vitamins; she needed a sedative, something like valium.
“I think there’s an old Seroquel sample in there,” Doc said. “Might be out of date, but it’s probably the best we can do without hunting down some Pharms.”
Cassie rummaged in a box of drug sample packets. “What is it?”
“Anti-psychotic, if I remember right. Check the PDR.”
Cassie went to the table where Doc kept his medical books and flipped through the pages of the Physician’s Desk Reference. “Sounds powerful,” she said, after reading the entry. “I don’t know if—”
By now Doc was peering down the throat of a boy who had wandered in complaining of an earache and scratchy throat. “You’re the one who came in here saying the guy might be a threat. Seems like the risk to us all outweighs the risk to him of giving him a pill that’s probably expired and won’t help anyway.”
“Maybe we should just tie him up and gag him.”
“Cheaper than cutting a deal with the Pharms.”
It crossed Cassie’s mind to ask why he was so cynical today, but he was just anxious about the mission, angry that he hadn’t been able to go. He probably wished he could have a sedative himself so he wouldn’t jump every time he thought he heard the van pull up outside. Cassie pocketed the Seroquel.
* * *
Now she needed for Paul to take the drug. That would be tricky and would almost certainly require Galahad’s help. Glumly, Cassie sat on an ottoman in the lobby. Galahad and David had gone foraging with the Thespians, since they had been forced to give Alex the use of their shuttle for the lab mission. One could never tell how long a forage might take, but being teamed with the Thespians meant it could turn into any kind of crazy affair. Thespians were unpredictable, known for egging each other on to acquire their goods in the most dramatic and story-worthy way possible. A simple tossing of goods out an office window might turn into an elab
orate scheme involving uniforms, secret codes, and window-washing machines. Such antics must then be re-enacted at the theater, preferably with vodka or tequila to add a little glory to the bad theatrics.
Cassie would be lucky if Galahad was back by suppertime. She needed to see him and it wasn’t just because of Paul. He had kissed her last night in the garden and the memory of his tongue probing her mouth and the heat of his hands on her skin made her dizzy. He had wanted her—she felt it when he ground his hips into hers, but in the end it had been his caution, not hers, that kept her from taking off her clothes and giving herself to him then and there. When he took her to her room, he kissed her chastely at the door with a look that was oddly sad. The memory of last night and the promise of what must surely come next made Cassie weak in the knees, by turns anxious and giddy.
She stood and looked around for something to do. She couldn’t sit here like a fool all afternoon. At least if Galahad wasn’t back, that meant David wasn’t, either, and maybe that would be enough to keep Paul, wherever he was, from getting weird again. In fact, maybe by the time the foragers returned Paul would be back to normal and her worries would be for nothing.
She was about to look for Sid to see if he wanted help making trip wires, when the roar of an engine in the breezeway made her look up in a rush of Pavlovian excitement, but it wasn’t the foragers but Alex’s team returning from their mission.
Others heard the van and filed out to the breezeway. Cassie pushed her way through the crowd as Julilla stepped down from the shuttle, composed as always and deep in thought. By comparison, Alex and the others appeared dejected. Alex refused to answer questions, waving off eager voices with a wave of his hand. “I need to give my report first. We’re back safe, and that’s all you need to know. Mundo will make any relevant announcements after dinner.”
As the crowd parted to let him pass, Cassie caught Julilla’s eye. To her questioning look, Julilla shook her head, then hurried to catch up with Alex. Cassie looked around, wondering if anyone else had caught the look. From the way they were gathering around the van, trying to peer inside, she suspected not. But to Cassie, Julilla’s look had been all too clear. They had found nothing.
* * *
The foragers returned just before supper and Cassie ran to greet them, not caring that Galahad looked ridiculous pushing the cart the Thespians had loaned them. When they rolled the inconvenient contraption to a stop, he stood up straight and pushed his hair out of his face, leaving a dirt mark on his forehead that to Cassie’s besotted eyes only made him more attractive, but when she went to his side, he dropped his gaze and pretended great interest in the contents of the cart.
“How’d it go?” Cassie asked.
“Good.” Galahad handed her a box of coffee creamer.
She waited for him to elaborate and when he didn’t, she pressed for details. “Looks like you hit the office towers today.”
“We did.” He hoisted a case of pretzel packets onto his shoulder and motioned with his head that they should go inside.
Cassie tried to conceal her bewilderment and a sudden urge to cry. Galahad was often distant the day after a particularly cozy evening, but she had hoped today would be different. In the storeroom, she touched his hand and searched his face for clues, but he pulled away and said there was more to be brought in from the cart.
They took several loads of goods to the storeroom before Galahad slipped away, saying something about going back to the cart while she was busy with a box of paper napkins. When she went looking for him afterward, he was nowhere to be found.
How could he treat her this way? Cassie resolved to sit with him at dinner and force the issue. If he had changed his mind about her, he’d have to speak up. No way was he getting off easy!
Getting a seat beside him in the dining room wasn’t hard. He even acted like he had expected her, adjusting her chair and helping her reach the bowl of overcooked rice. Then he ignored her. He didn’t do it in an obvious way—there was so much talk about the lab mission that it was only Cassie who could tell he was being cool to her. What hurt was the lack of response when she touched his foot with hers under the table and the way he gave perfunctory acknowledgments of her words while asking questions of the others at the table and engaging in lengthy speculation about the Pharms, the lab, and the computer that everyone had by now guessed hadn’t been found.
David and Leila sat with them, acting uninterested in each other and not fooling anyone. Cassie looked around the dining room wondering where Paul was, glad he still hadn’t returned from wherever he had disappeared to. She would need to warn Galahad. It was just a matter of convincing him to quit being so cold and listen.
But first they must suffer through the evening announcements.
When they finished eating, Mundo stood to give the news of the day, then turned things over to Alex. With the studied reserve of a soldier, Alex got to his feet and looked out over the room. “As you know,” he said, “I took a team to the Three Rivers Allied Health Labs today. Our plan was to infiltrate the Corcoran Building and retrieve items related to the research of Doc’s father, Dr. Jonathon Winston Brody.”
The fidgets and whispers of the group quieted and Alex had everyone’s full attention.
“Entry was at fourteen-hundred hours and went for the most part as planned. We successfully gained access to Brody’s office and work areas.” Alex straightened and his eyes narrowed, daring anyone to challenge his next words. “The area had been ransacked. We found no files or equipment that matched the description given us.” He darted a glance at Doc. “We searched other areas as time permitted, but found nothing of interest. Then, so as to avoid encountering any Pharms and risking future trade, we called off the search at sixteen-hundred hours and returned to base. There were no casualties.” He turned to Mundo, gave a salute and returned to his seat.
The room erupted in whispers.
Mundo stood up and motioned for silence. “Alex and I will continue to discuss this matter and I’ll be forming a committee to consider next steps. For the time being, I expect everyone to resume their normal duties and refrain from spreading gossip.” He waved off a few questions and went on to give other announcements, then turned the floor over to an assistant who read off the next day’s assignments.
“That’s a shame,” Galahad said to no one in particular.
David stretched his arms overhead. “I’m just glad we’ve got the shuttle back so we can forage. There’s nothing on some old lab computer that’s going to save us from the Telo.”
“That wasn’t the point,” Cassie said. “We were trying to find out if there was a reason to think human growth hormone had something to do with Telo or why there are kids who believe it does.”
“Same reason there’s still people who believe in some distant sky fairy who hands out rewards and punishments based on who follows the Bible best.”
“Better not let Paul hear you say that,” Leila said. “He’s been on a total Jesus rant lately.”
Seeing an opportunity, Cassie leaned in close to Galahad and spoke softly in his ear. “Speaking of Paul, we need to talk.”
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Why? Where is he, anyway?”
“I don’t know.” She pushed back her chair and stood up. “I want to talk to you alone.”
With a show of annoyance and an apology to their friends at the table, Galahad followed her out of the dining room, into a nook near the concierge desk. “Okay, what’s so important about Paul that you can’t tell me in front of everyone?”
Cassie sighed. Why was he being this way? Had he met a pretty girl among the Thespians today? “Are you mad at me or something?”
“Why would you think that? You said you had something to tell me about Paul, so go on and quit being weird.”
Resisting the temptation to argue over who was “being weird,” she told him what happened in the garden. “Something’s not right in Paul’s head,” she said. “I don’t mean like forever-cra
zy, but he’s in a bad spot and I’m worried he might do something.”
“Like what? Like off himself because your friend’s not into him? Not likely.”
How could she explain? It was more of a feeling she had, a sense that there was something dangerous behind Paul’s crazy behavior. “Something’s really not right.” She fumbled in her pocket. “Doc gave me this.” She tried to hand him the sedative. “It’ll maybe calm him down so we can talk to him and find out how we can help.”
Galahad refused to take the offered pill. “I don’t need to give him a drug to talk to him. He’s my cousin and my friend.” He gave her a cold look. “Thanks for your concern, but let me deal with this.”
“Fine, but—” she searched his face earnestly. “Please don’t be mad at me.”
“Why do you keep saying I’m mad?”
“Because you act like it.” Cassie waved a hand in exasperation. “You acted last night like you liked me and now today it’s like I’m getting on your nerves.”
“You are getting on my nerves, trying to tell me my cousin, the guy who saved my life, is crazy.”
“You were acting like this before I said a word about Paul. From the time you came back from foraging.”
Galahad ran a hand through is hair. “It’s been a long day and I’ve had a lot on my mind. Be patient with me, okay?”
“I’m not a toy.”
“I know that.”
“If you want a girl just for…well, you know…there’s plenty out there.”
“I know that, too.” He drew her into his arms and rested his chin on her head. “I wouldn’t be hanging around if I thought you were that kind of girl. It’s just there’s things I need to sort out okay? It’s got nothing to do with how I feel about you.”
Cassie leaned deeper into his arms. “How do you feel about me?” she asked, longing to hear the words.
He pulled her closer and didn’t speak for a long time. Finally he said, “Let me take you back to your room. I need to find Paul.”
* * *
Leila was already in their room, or Cassie didn’t know how she would’ve coped. She threw herself onto her bed in tears and after a few minutes, she felt the shift in the mattress as Leila sat beside her.