by Robin Cook
“Perhaps you have a point,” Bertram said.
“I’m glad you agree,” Siegfried said. “So I’d like you to get them. How many are there?”
“I don’t recall exactly,” Bertram said. “Four or five. Something like that.”
“I want them here,” Siegfried said.
“Fine,” Bertram said agreeably. “I don’t have a problem with that.”
“Good,” Siegfried said. He let his legs drop from the desk and stood up. “Let’s go. I’ll come with you.”
“You want to go now?” Bertram asked with disbelief.
“Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today?” Siegfried said. “Isn’t that an expression you Americans espouse? With the keys in the safe, I know I’ll sleep a lot better tonight.”
“Would you want me to come along as well?” Cameron asked.
“It’s not necessary,” Siegfried said. “I’m sure Bertram and I can handle it.”
Kevin looked at himself in the full-length mirror at the end of the banks of lockers in the men’s room. The trouble with the coveralls was that the small was too small and the medium was a little too big. He had to roll up the sleeves and the pant legs.
“What the hell are you doing in there?” Melanie’s voice called out. She’d pushed open the door from the hall.
“I’m coming,” Kevin said. He closed the locker where he’d stored his own clothes and hurried out into the hall.
“I thought women were supposed to take a long time dressing,” Melanie complained.
“I couldn’t decide which size was best,” Kevin said.
“Did anybody come in while you were in there?” Melanie asked.
“Not a soul,” Kevin said.
“Good,” Melanie said. “Same for us in the ladies’ room. Let’s go!”
Melanie motioned for the others to follow her as she started up the stairs. “To get to the administration area from here, we have to pass through part of the veterinary hospital. I think it’s best to avoid the main floor, which has the emergency room and the acute-care unit. There’s always a lot of activity there. So let’s go up to the second floor and go through the fertility unit. I can even say I’m checking on patients if someone asks.”
“Cool,” Candace said.
They passed the first floor and climbed to the second. Entering the main corridor, they encountered their first animal-center employee. If the man thought that there was anything abnormal about Kevin and Candace’s presence in the middle of the night, he didn’t give any evidence. He passed by with merely a nod.
“That was easy,” Candace whispered.
“It’s the coveralls,” Melanie said.
They turned left through a set of double doors and entered a brightly lit, narrow hallway lined with a number of blank doors. Melanie cracked one of them and stuck her head inside. Quietly, she closed the door. “It’s one of my patients. She’s a low-land gorilla who’s almost ready for egg retrieval. They can get a little rambunctious with the hormone level we have to achieve, but she’s sleeping soundly.”
“Can I see?” Candace asked.
“I suppose,” Melanie said. “But be quiet and don’t make any sudden movements.”
Candace nodded. Melanie opened the door and slipped inside. Candace followed. Kevin stayed by the door, holding it open.
“Shouldn’t we be doing what we came here for?” Kevin whispered.
Melanie put her finger to her lips.
There were four large cages in the room, only one of which was occupied. A large gorilla was sleeping on a bed of straw. The illumination came from overhead recessed lighting that was dimmed down to a point of being almost off.
Gently touching the bars of the cage, Candace leaned forward to get a better look. She’d never been so close to a gorilla. If she’d been inclined, she could have touched the huge animal.
With speed that defied belief, the female gorilla awoke and then bounced off the front of the cage. In the next instant, she was pounding the floor with her fists like kettle drums and shrieking.
Candace let out a scream of her own as she leapt back out of harm’s way. Melanie grabbed her.
“It’s okay,” Melanie said.
The gorilla then made another lunge for the front of the cage. She also hurled a handful of fresh feces in the process, which splattered against the far wall.
Melanie directed Candace out the door and Kevin let it shut.
“I’m terribly sorry,” Melanie said to Candace. Candace’s Nordic complexion was even paler than usual. “Are you all right?”
“I guess,” Candace said. She checked the front of her coveralls.
“A little PMS, I’m afraid,” Melanie said. “She didn’t hit you with any of her poop, did she?”
“I don’t think so,” Candace said. She ran a hand through her hair and then examined it.
“Let’s get the keys,” Kevin said. “We’re pushing our luck.”
They walked the length of the fertility unit and pushed through a second pair of swinging doors to enter a large room divided into bays. Each bay had several cages, and most of the cages were occupied by youthful primates of different species.
“This is the pediatric unit,” Melanie whispered. “Just act natural.”
There were four people working in the unit. They were all dressed in surgical scrubs with stethoscopes draped around their necks. Everyone was friendly but busy and preoccupied, and the trio passed through, garnering nothing more than a couple of smiles and nods.
After another set of double doors and a short corridor, they came to a heavy, locked fire door. Melanie had to use her card to open it.
“Here we are!” Melanie whispered, as she let the fire door close quietly behind them. After the bustle they’d just witnessed, the silence and darkness seemed absolute. “This is the administration area. The stairwell is down the hall to the left. So hold on.”
There was groping in the dark until Candace got her hand on Melanie’s shoulder and Kevin got his on Candace’s.
“Come on!” Melanie encouraged. She began to inch her way along the corridor, while running her hand against the wall. The others allowed themselves to be pulled along. Gradually, their eyes adjusted and by the time the group neared the door to the stairwell, they could appreciate the small amount of moonlight that seeped through the cracks.
Inside the stairwell, it was comparatively bright. Large windows on each landing flooded the stairs with moonlight.
The first-floor hall was much easier to walk in than the second-floor hall because of the windows in the main-entrance doors.
Melanie led them to a position just outside Bertram’s office.
“Now comes the acid test,” Kevin said, as Melanie tried her card in the lock.
There was an immediate, reassuring click. The door opened.
“No problem,” Melanie said buoyantly.
The three stepped inside the room and were again thrust into almost complete darkness. The only light was a meager glow that filtered through the open door into the inner office.
“What now?” Kevin questioned. “We’re not going to find anything in the dark.”
“I agree,” Melanie said. She felt along the wall for the switch. As soon as her finger touched it, she switched it on.
For a moment, they blinked at each other. “Whoa, seems awfully bright,” Melanie said.
“I hope it doesn’t wake up those Moroccan guards across the street,” Kevin said.
“Don’t even joke about it,” Melanie said. She walked into the inner office and turned on the light. Kevin and Candace joined her.
“I think we should be methodical about this,” Melanie said. “I’ll take the desk. Candace, you take the file cabinet, and, Kevin, why don’t you take the outer office and, while you’re at it, keep an eye on the hall. Give a yell if anybody appears.”
“Now that’s a happy thought,” Kevin said.
Siegfreid turned left at the motor pool and accelerated his new Toyota LandCruiser toward the
animal center. The vehicle had been modified for his disability so that he could shift with his left hand.
“Does Cameron have any idea why we are so concerned about the security of Isla Francesca?” Bertram asked.
“No, not at all,” Siegfried said.
“Has he asked?”
“No, he’s not that kind of person. He takes orders. He doesn’t question them.”
“What about telling him and cutting him in on a small percentage?” Bertram suggested. “He could be very helpful.”
“I’m not diluting our percentages!” Siegfried said. “Don’t even suggest it. Besides, Cameron is already helpful. He does whatever I tell him to do.”
“What worries me the most about this episode with Kevin Marshall is that he must have said something to those women,” Bertram said. “The last thing I want is for them to start thinking the bonobos on the island are using fire. If that gets out, it’s just a matter of time before we have animal-rights zealots coming out of the woodwork. GenSys will shut the program down faster than you can blink your eye.”
“What do you think we should do?” Siegfried asked. “I could arrange to have the three of them just disappear.”
Bertram glanced at Siegfried and shivered. He knew the man was not joking.
“No, that could be worse,” Bertram said. He looked back out through the windshield. “That might stimulate a major State-side investigation. I’m telling you, I think we should dart the bonobos, put them in the cages I brought out there, and bring them in. Sure as hell, they won’t be using fire in the animal center.”
“No, goddamn it!” Siegfried snapped. “The animals stay on the island. If they’re brought in, you won’t be able to keep it a secret. Even if they don’t use fire, we know they’re cunning little bastards from the problems we’ve had during retrievals, and maybe they’ll start doing something else equally as weird. If they do, handlers will start talking. We’ll be in worse shape.”
Bertram sighed and ran a nervous hand through his white hair. Reluctantly, he admitted to himself that Siegfried had a point. Still, he thought it best to bring the animals in, mainly to keep them isolated from each other.
“I’ll be talking to Raymond Lyons tomorrow,” Siegfried said. “I tried to call him earlier. I figured that since Kevin Marshall had already talked to him, we might as well get his opinion about what to do. After all, this whole operation is his creation. He doesn’t want trouble any more than we do.”
“True,” Bertram said.
“Tell me something,” Siegfried said. “If the animals are using fire, how do you think they got it? You still think it was lightning?”
“I’m not sure,” Bertram said. “It could have been lightning. But, then again, they managed to steal a bunch of tools, rope, and other stuff when we had the crew out there constructing the island side of the bridge mechanism. No one even thought about the possibility of theft. I mean, everything was secured in toolboxes. Anyway, they might have gotten matches. Of course, I have no idea how they could have figured out how to use them.”
“You just gave me an idea,” Siegfried said. “Why don’t we tell Kevin and the women there’s been a crew going out to the island over the past week to do some kind of work like cutting trails. We can say that we’ve just found out that they have been starting the fires.”
“Now that’s a damn good idea!” Bertram said. “It makes perfect sense. We’ve even considered putting a bridge over the Rio Diviso.”
“Why the hell didn’t we think of it earlier?” Siegfried questioned. “It’s so obvious.”
Ahead the LandCruiser’s headlights illuminated the first of the animal-center’s buildings.
“Where do you want me to park?” Siegfried asked.
“Pull right up to the front,” Bertram said. “You can wait in the car. It will only take me a second.”
Siegfried took his foot off the accelerator and began to brake.
“What the hell!” Bertram said.
“What’s the matter?”
“There’s a light on in my office,” Bertram answered.
• • •
“This looks promising,” Candace called out as she pulled a large folder from the top drawer of the file cabinet. The folder was dark blue and closed with an attached elastic. In the upper right-hand corner it said: ISLA FRANCESCA.
Melanie pushed in the drawer of the desk she’d been searching and walked over to Candace. Kevin appeared from the outer office and joined them.
Candace snapped off the elastic and opened the folder. She slid the contents out onto a library table. There were wiring diagrams of electronic equipment, computer printouts, and numerous maps. There was also a large and lumpy manila envelope that had the words STEVENSON BRIDGE written across its top.
“Now we’re cooking,” Candace said. She opened the envelope, reached in, and pulled out a ring with five identical keys.
“Voila`,” Melanie said. She took the ring and began to remove one of the keys.
Kevin peeked at the maps and picked up a detailed contour map. He had it partially unfolded when he became aware of a flickering light out of the corner of his eye. Glancing at the window, he saw the reflections of headlight beams dancing along the slats of the half open blinds. Stepping over to the window, he peeked out.
“Uh-oh!” Kevin croaked. “It’s Siegfried’s car.”
“Quick!” Melanie said. “Get this all back into the file cabinet.”
Melanie and Candace hastily crammed everything back into the folder, got the folder into the file cabinet, and closed the drawer. No sooner was it closed than they heard the rattle of the front door of the building as it was opened.
“This way!” Melanie whispered frantically. She motioned toward a door behind Bertram’s desk. Quickly, the three went through the door. As Kevin closed it, he could hear the door to the outer office being pulled open.
They had entered one of Bertram’s examining rooms. It was constructed of white tile and had a central stainless-steel examining table. Like Bertram’s inner office it had windows covered with blinds. Enough light filtered in to allow them to rush over to the door to the hall. Unfortunately, en route Kevin kicked a stainless-steel pail standing on the floor next to the examining table.
The pail clanged up against the table leg. In the stillness, it sounded like a gong at an amusement park. Melanie reacted by throwing open the door to the hall and racing toward the stairwell. Candace followed. As Kevin dashed into the hall, he heard the door to Bertram’s office slam open. He had no idea if he’d been seen or not.
In the stairwell, Melanie descended as fast as the moonlight would allow. She could hear Candace and Kevin behind her. She slowed at the foot of the stairs to grope for the door to the basement level. She got it open none too soon. Above they heard the first-floor stairwell door open, followed by heavy footfalls on the metal stairs.
The basement was utterly black save for a dim rectangular outline of light in the distance. Holding on to each other, they made their way toward the light. It wasn’t until they had reached it that Kevin and Candace realized it was a fire door with light seeping around its periphery. Melanie had it open with her magnetic card once she’d located the slot.
Beyond the fire door was a brightly lit hallway which allowed them to run full tilt. Melanie pulled them to an abrupt halt halfway down the narrow passageway. There she opened a door marked PATHOLOGY.
“Inside,” Melanie barked. Wordlessly, everyone complied.
Closing the door, Melanie locked it with a throw bolt.
They were standing in an anteroom for two autopsy theaters. There were scrub sinks, several desks, and a large insulated door leading to a refrigerated room.
“Why did we come in here?” Kevin said with panic in his voice. “We’re trapped.”
“Not quite,” Melanie said breathlessly. “This way.” She motioned for them to follow her around the corner. To Kevin’s surprise there was an elevator. Melanie pounded the call-button, wh
ich brought forth an immediate whine of its machinery. At the same time, the floor indicator illuminated to show the elevator cab was on the third floor.
“Come on!” Melanie pleaded as if her urging could speed up the apparatus. Since it was a freight elevator, it was agonizingly slow. It was just passing the second floor when the door to the hallway rattled on its hinges followed by a muffled expletive.
The three exchanged panicky glances. “They’ll be in here in the next few seconds,” Kevin said. “Is there another way out?”
Melanie shook her head. “Only the elevator.”
“We have to hide,” Kevin said.
“What about the refrigerator?” Candace offered.
With no time to argue, the three darted to the refrigerator. Kevin got the door open. A cool mist flowed out to layer itself along the floor. Candace went in first, followed by Melanie and then Kevin. Kevin pulled the door shut. Its hardware clicked soundly.
The room was twenty feet square, with stainless-steel shelving from floor to ceiling that lined the periphery as well as forming a central island. The hulks of a number of dead primates lay on the shelves. The most impressive was the body of a huge silver-back male gorilla on the middle shelf of the central island. The illumination in the room came from bare light bulbs within wire cages attached to the ceiling at intervals along the walkways.
Instinctively, the three rushed around to the back of the central island and squatted down. Their heavy breathing formed fleeting spheres of mist in the frigid temperature. The smell was not pleasant with a hint of ammonia, but it was tolerable.
Surrounded by heavy insulation, Kevin and the others could not hear a sound inside the refrigerator, not even the whine of the elevator. At least not until they heard the unmistakable click of the refrigerator door’s latch.
Kevin felt his heart skip a beat as the door was pulled open. Preparing himself to see the sneering face of Siegfried, Kevin slowly raised his head to look over the bulk of the dead gorilla. To his surprise it wasn’t Siegfried. It was two men in scrub suits carrying in the body of a chimpanzee.
Wordlessly, the men placed the remains of the dead ape on a shelf to the right just inside the door and then left. Once the door was closed, Kevin looked down at Melanie and sighed. “This has to have been the worst day of my life.”