by S. E. Meyer
Anna looked over her shoulder. “What is your daughter's name?” Anna stopped and made eye contact with the nurse. “This is important. Her daughter is in danger, I have to know her name.”
The nurse shook her head. “She doesn't even know her own name. There's nothing she can help you with.”
Victoria Olson pushed herself up from her chair. Wobbling on shaking knees, she took a step towards Anna, pupils focused. “Wait,” she said, in a moment of rare lucidity. “I met a woman at Gentech. She was a good friend. She told me she grew up in Montana. I do have a daughter.”
“What is her name?” Anna asked.
Victoria's eyes went blank as she collapsed on the floor.
Anna's hands shook as she helped the nurse lift Victoria to her bed. “Charlie, I need you to make sure someone picked up James. Make sure he is safe.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I need to pay another visit to Gina Thorp.”
◆◆◆
“You can't go in there!” the receptionist called out as Anna jogged passed the large oak desk and on to Gina Thorp's office door. She slammed her shoulder into the door as she turned the handle forcing the door to fly open.
Anna curled her lip at the sight of Richard seated in front of Gina. They both jumped, startled by the door rebounding off its rubber door stop. “What the hell are you doing here?” Anna snarled in Richard's direction.
Richard rose from his seat. “I could ask you the same question,” Richard replied.
“How's the bullet wound?” Anna asked.
Richard adjusted his sling. “Painful. I had no idea how much a gunshot wound hurts. How's yours?” Richard smiled.
Asshole.
“I heard yours was barely a graze, didn't even need stitches.”
“I can still say I took a bullet for you,” Richard replied, puffing his chest.
Anna shook her head. “You need to get out Richard, I have to speak with Gina.”
Gina nodded towards Richard. “It's okay Richard. Please leave us.”
“Very well,” Richard said, extending his hand. Gina shook it with a firm grip. “Thank you for your cooperation Miss Thorp.”
Anna noticed the ugly, pewter colored ring on Richard‘s middle finger.
Anna tipped her head to one side in thought.
I don't remember him wearing a ring like that.
Richard turned to leave. “I'm sure I'll be seeing you again soon Anna,” he called over his shoulder.
As soon as Richard closed the door, Anna whipped around to face Gina. “You lied,” she said through a wistful stare.
“I never lied to you Anna,” Gina replied.
“Lies by omission. Somehow my mother was involved in all of this and you kept it from me.”
“I know nothing about that, Anna. There are things in play way over your head.” Gina pulled out a piece of notepaper and scribbled a few words that Anna couldn't see. She folded the note and stood. “There's nothing more I can do for you,” she said ushering her towards the door. Anna locked Gina's gaze, recognizing the fear in her eyes. “I gave you the list of names and I've told you everything I know,” Gina finished, palming the note and placing it in Anna's hand while shaking it. Anna glanced down at her hand and opened the note with her fingers while hiding it against her hip.
She read 'meet me at the corner of Birch and 3rd 4:00pm'.
Gina forced a smile. “Wish I could have been more help.”
CHAPTER VII
Looking at the time on the car's display, Anna drove to the location Gina wrote on the note. 3:30, I'll be a little early.
Anna parked on 3rd St, halfway down the block from Birch and waited. After twenty minutes of tapping her fingers on the steering wheel her phone rang.
“Wool” Anna said, answering the call.
“Agent Wool. This is Brad at the coroner's office. We have determined the cause of death on your case. Poison.”
“Poison?” Anna repeated. “How?”
“We had to re-examine all the bodies to be sure, but we found it. Small potent micro dot in the middle of each victim's palm. The victims absorbed the poison through their skin. Wanted to call and let you know.”
“Thanks Brad, I appreciate the update,” Anna replied, ending the call.
Anna scanned the street, looking for Gina.
Poison. Dermal introduction through the palm. I should update Charlie.
Anna picked up her phone to call her partner, but noticed Gina Thorp crossing the street. Anna got out and jogged to the corner. “Miss Thorp,” she called out.
Gina turned in her direction. “Anna. Thank you for meeting me. Let's take a walk. There's a park just down there,” she said pointing towards the next block. “No microphones. Do you have your phone?” Gina asked as they made their way down the street.
“Yes, but it's safe and untraceable, so they can't access the microphone.”
“I wouldn't be so sure,” Gina replied with a raised eyebrow.
“I would feel better if you left it here,” Gina gestured toward a wooden bench at the park's entrance. Anna nodded and set her phone down. Gina led her thirty feet away from the phone before she spoke. “Anna. I'm sorry I couldn't explain everything to you earlier. Cornelius's eyes and ears are everywhere.”
“I understand,” Anna replied with a nod. “So why did you want to meet?”
“The list I gave you. Richard requested the same list a few weeks ago.”
“Richard?” Anna wrinkled her nose. “Why did you give him the names?”
“Gentech's parent company is Pharmacorp. Pharmacorp's holding company is Blackwater Corporation. Have you heard of them?” Gina asked.
Anna shook her head.
“Doesn't surprise me. Blackwater owns several multi-billion dollar companies but hides behind institutional ownership. Blackwater is a subsidiary of Cromwell Industries. Cornelius himself is the Chairman. So when Richard came looking for information, I had to comply.”
Richard.
“And now most of the kids from the trial are dead. I just found out someone poisoned them.”
“I can't help but feel responsible.”
“So what does all of this have to do with my mother? I know she was involved.”
“Anna, your mother was...” Gina trailed off, placing a hand to her forehead. “Oh my,” she said tipping to one side.
“Are you okay Miss Thorp?”
“I don't feel well.” Gina made eye contact with Anna. “The trial was your mother's idea. She's the one who started Project Shield.”
“What is Project Shield?” Anna asked.
Anna's jaw slacked as she watched a trickle of blood flow from Gina's left nostril. “Miss Thorp, you're bleeding.”
Gina touched her nose, smearing the blood across her lip. “Oh, no,” she said, looking at her fingers. “They must have found out I helped you. I may not have much time,” she said, a stream of blood now flowing from her ear. “Listen, Anna. I have to tell you something,” she said, falling to her knees. Anna reached out to steady her. Gina flopped down onto her side.
“I have to get help Gina. I have to call an ambulance.”
Shit, my phone.
“I'll be right back,” Anna said.
“No!” Gina gurgled through her blood-filled throat. She grabbed Anna's shirt and pulled her close. “This is important. Project Shield wasn't about Fleishman's.” Gina coughed, spraying blood onto Anna's cheek.
“What was it Gina? What was Project Shield?”
“Project Shield was to protect...” Gina trailed off again before coughing up more blood. It was now running out of every orifice, soaking Gina's clothes. “It was to protect...” Gina's grasp of Anna's shirt loosened as she let out her last breath.
“Shit, no. Gina!” Anna cried. She raced back to the bench and snapped up her phone. Dialing 911, she ran back to Gina. Anna knelt beside the woman turning Gina's hand palm up. She studied her hand, finding a tiny blue speck in the middle of her palm as t
he emergency operator picked up her call.
◆◆◆
Anna parked her car in the public parking garage four blocks away from the hideout like she always did. She picked up her phone and called Charlie while wrapping a scarf around her face.
“Charlie, did you find James?”
“No, Anna I'm sorry. We lost him.”
“What do you mean you lost him? He was getting treated.”
“By the time we got there, the clinic had already sent him to the hospital. They said he bled out, collapsed after checking in. I went to the hospital, but it was too late Anna. He died. James is gone.”
Anna sucked in a breath. “That poor woman. Mrs. White. Charlie are you in the office?”
“Yes.”
“Can you find the original picture my mom gave me? There was a list of names on the back.”
“Hang on a sec, I put it in your desk. Where are you going with this?”
“We keep running into victim’s parents in that picture, maybe we can get a lead from the list of names.”
“Here we go,” Charlie replied. “I found it.”
“Take a picture and send it to me.”
“Oh my God, Anna.”
“What? Your voice is shaking are you okay Charlie?”
Anna's phone chimed with a message notification.
“Look at the list,” Charlie replied. “It‘s not a list of the people in the picture at all. It's a list of women's names.”
Anna looked at the names. Heart hammering her chest, her eyes grew wide.
“Charlie, this list is an exact match to the one Gina gave me.”
“Yeah, except now we know that last name on the list.”
Anna stared at the list. The name 'Margaret Morton' burning into her brain.
“You know what this means,” Charlie whispered.
“Yes. It means I was part of the trial.”
“Anna where are you? I'm worried. If you were part of the trial then your in danger. James is dead, along with everyone else on this list.”
“I can't tell you that, but I’m fine Charlie.”
“No, you're not!” Charlie yelled. “So far everyone on the list has died. You could be next.”
“Trust me Charlie, I can take care of myself. I have to go. I have some things to look into. I'll check back in with you later.”
“No, Anna. Tell me where you are.”
“I'm sorry, Charlie, I can‘t.”
Anna ended the call and got out of the car, eager to get back to Jax and Isabelle.
I have to find out what the hell is going on. Why didn't you tell me about this, mom?
As she neared the street, Anna stopped in her tracks. The man with the bowler hat was standing on the corner, facing her.
Shit. Now this guy again.
Anna swallowed hard and took a sharp left. Glancing behind her, she saw the man following behind.
I can't let him know where the hideout is.
Anna's pulse throbbed in her neck as she quickened her pace. Realizing she had no safe place to go, she took another left and made her way back towards her car. She glanced back over her shoulder to see the man gaining on her. Anna quickened her pace, jogging down the street as the man's shoes slapped the concrete behind her.
Half a block and I'll be back in my car.
The footfalls got closer.
Almost there.
The man‘s labored breath filled her ears. Another few seconds and his hot exhalations would be on her neck, Anna concluded. She pushed herself, running as fast as her legs would allow as the steady thump of her pursuers shoes paced her.
I won’t make it.
Cornered, the instinct of fight overcame flight and Anna turned into an alley on her left. She pulled her gun, loaded the chamber and spun around behind the corner, pointing the barrel at head height. Within seconds the man came around the corner and ran into Anna's gun. He stopped as the tip of the cold barrel touched his forehead.
“Who are you?” Anna asked. “What do you want?” she panted., holding the gun steady between the man's thin eyebrows.
The man raised his hands. “Easy Anna, put the gun down. I'm not here to hurt you,” he said between breaths.
“Why have you been following me? Seems like you’ve been behind me at every turn for days.”
“I've been trying to catch you alone, but every time we get interrupted, or you run away.”
Anna held the gun steady. “Why didn’t you simply say something, instead of acting so suspicious and following me around every corner?“
“The ears of the good Governor strain to listen from everywhere. I was being careful.”
“Sketchy is a more appropriate description. What do you want?”
“I have to meet with you. We have some things to discuss and I have a message from Atticus.”
Anna eased her grip on the gun.
Atticus?
“I don't have a gun or any weapon. Frisk me if you must. I need to talk to you. My office is close by. Will you meet with me there? It's not safe out here and I‘d like to get out of the cold.”
Anna took a minute to contemplate her options. She stared the man down, trying to determine if he was lying. “Okay,” Anna replied. “But I'm keeping my gun on you. I have no idea who you are, and I believe someone is trying to kill me.”
Anna followed behind the man as he led her three blocks to his office. She kept her gun inside her jacket, but trained on the stranger's back as they walked. He unlocked a steel door, and she followed him inside.
Metal screen lined the walls and ceiling of a small room. There was a desk to one end with two chairs. Anna noticed a short hallway that led to meager living quarters.
“Please have a seat Miss Wool,” the man said, gesturing towards a chair.
“This is where you live? Why is there metal screen on everything?”
“I turned my apartment and office into a Faraday cage. No signals in or out. They're always listening,” the man replied setting a briefcase on the small desk and snapping the latches. He pulled several sheets of paper from the briefcase and then sat in the chair opposite Anna. “My name is John Green and I am Atticus's attorney. I am settling his estate since his, um, death.”
“You said you had a message from Atticus?”
“Yes, what I have here is Atticus's last will and testament.”
Anna squinted. “What does that have to do with me?”
John nodded and gave Anna a smile. He rubbed his tired eyes and shuffled several sheets of paper. “Atticus left you his entire estate, which was quite a sum, inherited from his adoptive parents.”
“Adopted? Atticus never told me that.”
“Yes. The uprising decimated the reservations. They were not willing to trade their tribal lands to live inside walled cities, and they would not accept treatments. Everyone got sick. Atticus was one of the many children placed in foster care. His birth father's last name was Lonewolf, so he was born Atticus Lonewolf.”
Anna's eyes widened. “What?” She slapped her thigh. “Well, son of a bitch. He was telling me who he was the whole time. A. Lonewolf.” Anna smiled. “So why would he leave everything to me?”
John Green leaned in towards Anna and made eye contact. The man‘s strict stare made Anna squirm in her chair awaiting a reply.
“He left everything to you because you are his next of kin.”
“What?” she asked through the hand now covering her mouth. “That's not possible.”
“Yes, it is Anna. He and Margaret had a long-term affair. Atticus Lonewolf was your father.”
CHAPTER VIII
Anna's head swam with the news of Atticus. My biological father? It seemed a foreign idea, her mother having an affair, but she knew all too well the connection one makes with a work partner you spend all of your time with. More time than with any family member. The image of Atticus from Anna's Chamber reenactment flashed through her mind. 'I love you, Margaret.' His words were sincere and Anna recalled the depth of t
he connection behind his green eyes.
Mr. Green had told her that Atticus left everything to her, including the property they were living in. He handed her bank account numbers, a check and a ragged old deed, but legal ownership nonetheless. Atticus left all the money and property in a trust, keeping it safe from seizure in the event of an arrest.
Puling the scarf from her face as she entered the dining room, Anna found Isabelle and Jax seated at the table. Jax stood up. “Are you okay Anna?” he asked, noticing her expression.
“I don't know,” Anna replied, shaking her head. “It seems like every time I turn around I get blasted with more shocking news about my mother, and now Atticus.”
“What about Atticus?” Jax asked.
Anna pulled in a long breath. “I just found out he was my biological father. Did you know?”
Jax shook his head. “No, he said nothing about it.”
“I need you to do something for me. I need you to see what you can find out about Gentech. Check my mom's drive for any information about a trial there.”
Jax nodded. “Gentech? Okay, sure.”
“I need to get some air and sort my thoughts. I'm going for a walk and I'll check back in with you guys later,” Anna announced, wrapping the scarf back around her face.
“You know that's illegal now,” Jax said.
“What are we supposed to do? We can't expose this place so we have to take the chance,” Anna replied, leaving the room for the front door.
Anna strolled from the alley behind the hideout deep in thought. She paid no attention to where her feet were going and had no destination in mind. Just a walk. Time to think. Time to take it all in. She wondered if her dad knew about the affair. Growing up Anna could remember the spits and spats her parents would get into, but she never recalled an eviscerating tension like that of an affair can cause. Or maybe that was one more way her mother protected Anna and her sister; keeping the atomic arguments for when the girls were at school with enough time to clean up the nuclear aftermath before they arrived home. No, there was no fallout that Anna could remember; no hiding under beds, or in closets, waiting for the yelling to stop.