Their voices faded as they went into the house. Lisa got up and closed the window. If Agnes started investigating, it wouldn’t take her long to discover the truth, especially if she questioned Sabrina. After a while, Lisa heard Richard and Agnes talking again. They had come upstairs to inspect the sickroom.
“I like everything except the curtains,” said Agnes. Lisa imagined her standing there with her arms bent at the elbows and her fists resting on her chubby hips. “They’re too flimsy for my liking. If Peterson’s still keeping tabs on your family, we need to do everything in our power to prevent him from spying on us. I’m surprised you’re not taking more precautions. Don’t you realize we’re playing with fire?”
“Literally, perhaps,” said Richard.
“I’d hate to see this place reduced to a pile of rubble,” said Agnes. “I’m not convinced Peterson’s really out for the count. I’d feel a lot better if I could get my hands on a copy of his brain scan. Apparently, the doctor who arranged his compassionate release is currently being investigated for malpractice. That’s suspicious if you ask me.”
“I agree,” said Richard. “The whole thing is too convenient. I tried to find out where Peterson went, but the information was confidential, for obvious reasons. He doesn’t have a family. His wife died years ago, and his daughter disowned him. He’s probably in a nursing home somewhere, but that wouldn’t necessarily stop him from causing mischief if he were so inclined.”
Lisa heard them walking downstairs. Until Agnes’ arrival, she had been able to dismiss Richard’s cynical remarks as paranoia. Now, she wasn’t so sure. She hoped Agnes wouldn’t agree to stay.
∞∞∞
Richard and Lisa’s father went to the hospital the next morning to discuss the protocol for synthesizing the drug. Richard found himself anticipating everything that could go wrong. He didn’t reveal his concerns to Lisa’s father, but he was in a miserable state of anxiety by the time they arrived at the laboratory, which was located in a narrow rectangular building behind the main tower of the hospital. Richard kept a sharp lookout for anything suspicious and breathed a sigh of relief when they were finally inside.
Although Lisa’s father had once been one of the most prestigious researchers at the hospital, his administrative responsibilities had taken a toll on his productivity, and his research space had been downsized on several occasions until it consisted of a single room the size of a large closet. It was crowded with a wide variety of equipment, including a centrifuge, a cryogenic storage tank, and a biological safety cabinet. Several other machines that Richard didn’t recognize stood against the far wall. He examined them one by one.
“It’s amazing how much everything has changed,” he said. “When I was doing this sort of thing forty years ago, we didn’t have all this fancy equipment. We just had our brains, our training, and our creativity. It’s tragic. Kids these days don’t know how to think for themselves. What’s this ungodly thing?” He patted an enormous contraption wedged into a corner.
“It’s a copy machine,” said Lisa’s father.
“Oh,” said Richard. “Why is it here?”
“Because I didn’t have anywhere else to put it after the dean of medicine decided he liked my office better than his and kicked me out,” said Lisa’s father, who had been more gloomy than usual since Agnes’ arrival. To prevent Richard from asking more questions, he went to the whiteboard and picked up a marker.
“What’s the protocol?” he said.
Richard stared off into the distance.
“Peterson was fanatical about mythology,” he said. “He thought the ancient stories contained scientific secrets, and he was obsessed with the concept of immortality. He started studying the gods to figure out what made them special. It wasn’t long before he decided the combination of nectar and ambrosia was a magical substance that could prolong life. Supposedly, it was the color of gold.”
“Blood plasma?” said Lisa’s father.
“Guess again,” said Richard.
“Bone marrow?” said Lisa’s father.
“Correct,” said Richard. “It was a bit of a stretch, but he thought he had stumbled on something important, so he started experimenting on animals—extracting bone marrow, isolating the different components, and changing them in various ways to see if he could get them to recognize and eliminate cancer cells. It was a splendid idea, but the field was relatively new, and that was the start of his problems. He was just too impatient to figure it out step by step.”
“So he was basically performing a modified autologous bone marrow transplant,” said Lisa’s father. He began writing on the whiteboard. “That doesn’t sound particularly special, although I admit it must have been revolutionary at the time. What did he do to the bone marrow after he extracted it?”
“I don’t remember,” said Richard.
He waited to see what sort of reaction this revelation would provoke. The expression on the face of Lisa’s father changed from irritation to incredulity to dismay. Richard thought he sensed a hint of panic. He was surprised, and even though he didn’t want to believe Lisa’s father was capable of anything sinister, he wondered if his motives weren’t as altruistic as he had previously thought.
“You don’t remember?” said Lisa’s father.
“It was a long time ago,” said Richard. “Besides, I was traumatized. It’s bad enough to be accused of unspeakable things, but it’s even worse to fear for the safety of your family. Peterson did everything in his power to hurt me after I betrayed him, and he knew the best strategy was to target the people I loved.”
“That’s tragic, but if you can’t remember what he did, we’re in trouble,” said Lisa’s father. “You of all people should appreciate how difficult it is to modify the normal functions of the human body to achieve something unnatural. The concept is simple enough, but without the details, it’s all theoretical. What are we going to do? This isn’t the sort of thing we can make up as we go along.”
“I was hoping you would say that,” said Richard. “I’m glad you’re able to recognize your own limitations. Fortunately for the two of us, I kept a personal notebook while I was working with Peterson. It has all the information we need. I never told anyone about it. I wanted to have one more card up my sleeve in case Peterson wasn’t found guilty. It was the only piece of evidence that never went to trial. It sounds foolish now, but it made sense to me at the time.”
“Where is it?” said Lisa’s father.
“I would rather not tell you,” said Richard. “For all we know, someone could be listening to this conversation right now, and I don’t want to take any chances. I hid it in a safe place. I’ll go and get it tomorrow. In the meantime, you can collect a sample of Sabrina’s bone marrow so we have something to work with. I suggest you get as much as you can. We’re going to need enough to make multiple doses of the drug, and the fewer times we have to stick her with needles, the better.”
While Lisa’s father inventoried the supplies, Richard assured himself the laboratory was secure enough to thwart Peterson if he tried to break in. He began to feel better, but his relief was temporary. As they went out, he stumbled over a box lying outside the door. He regained his balance with an expletive while Lisa’s father picked up the box and examined the label.
“Are you expecting something?” said Richard.
“No,” said Lisa’s father. “Not that I remember. It was probably delivered to the wrong room by mistake. I’m sure someone will come looking for it eventually. I need to see if it’s perishable.”
“Don’t do it, Andrew,” said Richard. “It might be a trap.”
Lisa’s father ignored him and opened the box. It contained a bottle of wine and a business card bearing Graham’s name. Richard examined the business card.
“Who is Graham?” he said.
“A headhunter,” said Lisa’s father. “He’s dating that crazy woman Molly who lives down the beach. I had dinner with him last week, and he offered me a job, but I told
him I was too busy with other things. Believe it or not, he’s recruiting a group of researchers to work on the same thing we’re working on.”
“What?” said Richard.
“I was surprised, too,” said Lisa’s father.
Richard couldn’t understand why he hadn’t mentioned the situation sooner. He returned the business card to Lisa’s father, although he was inclined to toss it into the nearest biohazard container.
“Who’s his employer?” he said.
“I don’t know,” said Lisa’s father. “He said it was confidential. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I can’t understand why you’re so bent out of shape about the whole thing. It’s not important.”
Richard peered into the box as if he expected something to jump out at him. The bottle of wine lay in a lavish nest of packing material. Richard held it up to the light to make sure nothing was hidden inside, and then he took a knife out of his pocket and demolished the box. He tore the cardboard apart layer by layer until there was nothing left except a pile of brown scraps scattered across the floor.
“What are you doing?” said Lisa’s father.
“I’m taking precautions, Andrew,” said Richard. “Nothing is as innocent as it seems.” He put the knife back into his pocket. “I would throw away the wine if I were you. It might be poisoned.”
“Are you crazy?” said Lisa’s father. “He’s just trying to bribe me into accepting his offer. He’s pushy and annoying, but he’s not dangerous. He doesn’t know Sabrina has cancer, and he certainly doesn’t know we’re treating her with Peterson’s drug, so calm down. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Richard carried the bottle to the sink and cracked it against the side. The wine rushed down the drain. A pungent odor filled the room. The neck of the bottle remained in Richard’s hand, the jagged edges poking out from below his clenched fist. He walked over to Lisa’s father, who was too flabbergasted to speak.
“Let me tell you a little story,” said Richard. “Once upon a time, many years ago, when my wife was still alive, she was selected to represent her company at a conference. She was excited because it was an opportunity for her to advance her career. Her company put her up at a luxury hotel, and on the night she arrived, a bottle of wine was delivered to her room with my compliments. She thought it was from me, but it wasn’t. She drank some of it. When she didn’t show up for the conference the next morning, a member of the hotel staff went to check on her. She was dead.”
He cleaned up the mess he had made.
“You think she was murdered?” said Lisa’s father.
“It isn’t a matter of opinion,” said Richard. “The official report said it was suicide, but she wouldn’t have done something like that.”
“Sometimes it’s hard to tell,” said Lisa’s father.
“No,” said Richard. “She was killed because she was my wife. It was revenge. Peterson said he would take everything away from me, and he wasn’t joking. It’s funny what fear will do to a person. When I realized I had four grandchildren, my heart shattered into a million pieces. They’re not safe, and it’s my fault. How can I even live with that knowledge? It would have been better for them if I’d never come back.”
Lisa’s father shrugged.
“It won’t make any difference in the end,” he said. “The final outcome is the same for everyone. Life itself is a death sentence. We’re all just waiting for the clock to run out.”
“Then let’s get to work, before it does,” said Richard.
∞∞∞
Back at the house, Lisa sat beside her mother in the living room while Molly prattled on about the wedding. She had brought Graham along without asking for permission, and Lisa’s mother hadn’t turned him away. He seemed to be enjoying the conversation, but Lisa noticed his eyes wandering around the room and got the impression that his primary interest lay elsewhere in the house.
It wasn’t long before Sabrina and Agnes came in to say hello. After Lisa’s mother introduced them, Molly leaped up and flung her arms around them, but Graham’s reaction was infinitely more intriguing. He acknowledged them with a ghastly smile and began sweating so profusely that he had to remove a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the perspiration off his face.
“Congratulations,” said Agnes to Molly. “Nora told us about your engagement. When is the wedding?”
“Oh, as soon as possible,” said Molly, gazing into Graham’s eyes. “We haven’t chosen a date yet. Graham isn’t particular about the timing. He said it’s the beginning of forever, so we might as well not wait. He’s a hopeless romantic.” She giggled. “Do you know what he said about the honeymoon?”
“Maybe you shouldn’t tell us,” said Lisa’s mother.
“He said he didn’t even want to go on a trip,” said Molly. “He thinks this is the most wonderful place in the world because he met me here.”
“That’s right, my dear,” said Graham. “I never intend to leave.”
Yvonne began crying from the other room. Lisa assumed Josh was taking care of her again and wondered if he needed any help. She thought about investigating, but that could be interpreted as an act of commiseration, so she decided against it and tried to ignore the shrill sound. Sabrina eventually grew restless and began to get up, but Agnes stopped her.
“Your husband is perfectly capable of taking care of her,” she said. “He needs to have something to do so he doesn’t worry about you too much. It’s good for him.”
Sabrina sunk back down onto her chair. She picked up one of the wedding catalogs Molly had brought and went through the motions of looking at it, but her vacant expression revealed her mind was preoccupied with other things. She finally jumped up before Agnes could stop her, and almost immediately, her legs buckled, and she collapsed. Molly screamed and clung to Lisa’s mother. Graham scrambled to his feet, his eyes wide with alarm. Lisa thought Sabrina was dead, but Agnes knelt down beside her and shook her rather roughly. She raised her head and looked around in confusion.
“What happened?” she said.
“You’re fine,” said Agnes. “Don’t move.”
Molly became hysterical and refused to let go of Lisa’s mother. The commotion she made was so loud that Arthur hurried in with Yvonne to see what was wrong. Everyone else was busy, so he gave Yvonne to Lisa and rushed to Sabrina’s side. Yvonne was inconsolable. The chaos in the room made Lisa feel dizzy. Yvonne struggled and screamed, and Lisa tried to comfort her with no success. Molly increased the volume of her shrieks to compete with Yvonne.
“Get Molly out of here,” said Agnes to Lisa’s mother.
“No!” wailed Molly. “It’s not my fault! I didn’t do anything! What’s wrong with her? I thought she wanted to talk about the wedding! It’s not fair! This wasn’t supposed to happen. Oh, where is Graham?”
Lisa’s mother dragged Molly out the door.
“Go take care of your fiancée,” said Agnes to Graham.
“Molly will be fine,” said Graham. “I would rather stay here.”
Agnes stood up and put her hands on her hips. The top of her head barely came up to Graham’s shoulder.
“Sabrina needs privacy,” she said in an icy voice. “I’m trying to take care of her, and you’re getting in the way.”
Graham slunk out the door, and Lisa saw him following her mother and Molly down the beach toward Molly’s house. He kept looking over his shoulder as if he couldn’t bear to tear himself away.
“I’m okay,” said Sabrina. “Help me get up.”
“Slow down, Sabrina,” said Agnes. “You might have broken something. I didn’t like the way you crumbled like that. Just relax. I’m going to call an ambulance.”
“No,” said Sabrina. “I don’t want to go to the hospital.”
“Don’t worry,” said Agnes, patting her on the shoulder. She took out her cell phone, but Sabrina snatched it away.
“Take me upstairs, Agnes,” she said. “I’m fine. I’ve just been pushing myself too hard for the past coupl
e of days. I’ll feel better after I get some rest.”
“No, you won’t,” said Agnes. “Your body has been compensating for a long time, but it’s reached the breaking point, and it’s starting to shut down. This confirms what I already knew: we don’t have the resources to care for you here at the house. If this were a hospital, I’d slap a heart monitor on you and order some lab work, but I can’t protect you if I can’t anticipate problems. This isn’t a sustainable situation.”
“Sabrina, she’s right,” said Arthur. “It’s not the end of the world. Even if you go to the hospital to get checked out, it doesn’t mean you have to stay there.”
“I thought you were on my side,” said Sabrina. “So much for love! It’s only been two days since you found out how sick I am, and you’ve already gotten tired of taking care of me. I see how it is. Now that I’m not convenient anymore, you want to dump me on other people so you don’t have to deal with me.”
Agnes shook her head.
“Where’s a doctor when you need one?” she said. “Sabrina, listen to me. I’m morally obligated to do what I think is right, and in my professional opinion, I’d be neglecting you if I let you stay here.”
“If you lay one finger on me without my consent, I’ll have you charged with assault,” said Sabrina. “You’re here to take care of me, not to boss me around. I’m so sick of all your patronizing little remarks. Who do you think you are?”
The door opened, and Lisa’s father and Richard walked in. At the same moment, Josh appeared from the other room, looking worried. He had heard Yvonne crying and wanted to make sure she was okay, but his timing couldn’t have been worse. He gasped when he saw his mother lying on the floor.
“Mom, what happened?” he said.
“Josh, get out!” shouted Sabrina. “Why are you always showing up when you’re not wanted? You don’t belong here.”
The Patient from Silvertree: Book One in the Silvertree Series Page 7