The Iron Ring

by Matty Dalrymple

  “Then it turned out I wasn’t the only person sneaking through the woods that night. Philip’s buddy and Hanrick’s sidekick ran into each other—they were only about a hundred feet from where I was—and shot each other.”

  “I’m sorry about your friend,” said Lizzy to Philip.

  He nodded. “Yeah. I’m sorry about that, too,” he said soberly. “He was a good guy. A good friend to me when I was at Williams.”

  Andy continued. “I thought maybe I could get a gun from one of them and save the day, but then the sidekick got up and staggered off and pretty soon there was another shot from near the shack. I figured there was still one person out in the woods—dead or at least injured—who had a gun, and was trying to find him in the dark, trying not to make too much noise moving through the brush—when suddenly a fight broke out in front of the shack. I was headed over there, trying to figure out what was going on, when I heard Owen asking Philip if he was all right.”

  They all turned to Owen, who blushed. “I came down to the trailer park when I realized there was no cell reception, and no other way to find out what was happening.”

  “And saw that Philip needed a bit of a hand and came to his rescue,” said Andy. “And got a knife in the thigh for your trouble. My brother, the Lancelot of Lansdowne.”

  Owen’s blush deepened. “It was really Philip. I just stumbled into the situation …”

  “Are you kidding me?” said Philip. “Owen, you got a knife away from the most badass guy in Arizona. No one else will ever know it was you, but as soon as news hits about what happened to Hanrick, you’re going to become a hero to a whole lot of people.”

  “I really just meant to incapacitate him—”

  Philip thumped the front legs of his chair down on the floor, a wince indicating it might not have been the best idea. “Let’s argue this through another time—for now, just accept that you saved all of our lives.”

  Owen nodded with some embarrassment, then said, “I wouldn’t have known when to tackle Hanrick if Lizzy hadn’t alerted me that it was time.”

  “You could tell Owen was there because you could read his mind, right?” Andy asked Lizzy.

  “Yes.”

  “Are you reading our minds now?” asked Owen.

  “Not so much—it’s fading. When I first took the drug, there really wasn’t any difference between what people were saying out loud and what they were thinking. I couldn’t tell which it was unless I could see their mouths. Now I can still hear some thoughts, but they’re more … whispery, I guess.”

  “Since it seemed like the squeeze wasn’t working when you could read minds, do you feel like that’s coming back?” asked Andy.

  Lizzy shrugged. “I can’t tell.”

  “What’s it like, to hear people’s thoughts?” asked Owen. “Is it disturbing?”

  She considered. “No, it’s not. It’s not like I’m seeing into their innermost thoughts—it’s more like I’m hearing what they’re thinking that’s one step away from being said out loud.”

  Owen shook his head. “Fascinating.”

  They heard steps approaching along the wooden floor of the clinic hallway. In a moment a woman appeared in the doorway. “Dr. McNally?”

  “Yes?” said Owen and Andy.

  She laughed. “I’m wondering if the younger Dr. McNally could give us a hand? A man just came in with a metal spike through his foot—our doctor will be here soon, but could you take a look at it until she arrives?”

  Andy stood. “Sure thing.”

  “Thanks.” The woman turned to Philip. “It’s Sani’s nephew.”

  Philip rolled his eyes. “Why am I not surprised.” He levered himself carefully out of the chair. “I’ll come along and do introductions.”

  Philip and Andy followed the woman out of the room.

  Owen sighed. “I certainly am tired of lying around in bed.”

  “Andy says it shouldn’t be too long until you’re up and about again, but you have to take it easy for now.”

  “When I can drive, I’m going to McDonald’s and ordering two Big Macs just to spite him.”

  Lizzy laughed. “I don’t think that’s what the doctor ordered. For anybody.”

  Owen smiled. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He patted her hand where it lay on the side of the bed, then looked around. “I wonder what this place is.”

  Lizzy hesitated. “They don’t want us to know too much about it.”

  “Philip certainly has an unusual set of friends.”

  “A handy set of friends.”

  “That’s for sure.” After a moment, he continued. “Listen, Pumpkin—while they’re gone, there’s something I wanted to say to you.” He cleared his throat. “When I stabbed Tobe Hanrick, I was so scared. I didn’t know what I was going to do, just that I needed to do something. I couldn’t see what was going on with him and Philip, and I couldn’t hear much over the noise of the creek, so if you hadn’t let me know that something had to be done—right then—I don’t think I would have gotten there in time.”

  “I’m glad you understood what I was trying to tell you. I didn’t want to say your name, so that if things didn’t work out, he wouldn’t know there was someone else there.”

  He nodded. “I figured if I tackled him, Philip would be able to take care of the rest.”

  “No, you weren’t.”

  “What?” he asked, confused.

  “That’s not what you were thinking. You were thinking that Philip and I needed help, and you could help us.”

  “I don’t know about that—”

  She shook her finger at him. “But I do.”

  He laughed weakly. “This is going to make for an interesting relationship.” After a moment, he continued. “I guess that when I stabbed Hanrick, part of me did it because I knew it had to be done to get you and Philip out of a pickle, but also because I didn’t have any choice. I was thrown into this situation where something bad was happening, and I couldn’t do anything but … what I did.”

  She nodded sympathetically.

  “Does that sound like anyone you know?” he asked.

  “Oh.” Her eyes widened. “Yeah.”

  “I’ve been telling you all your life that you shouldn’t feel bad for what you did to Lucia Hazlitt and Anton Rossi and Gerard Bonnay because you didn’t have any choice. Well, now I’ve killed someone—Philip may have struck the coup de grâce, but the stab wound to his gut would have been fatal. And even though I didn’t have any choice, I know I’m going to feel bad about it for the rest of my life. I want to apologize to you for …” He sighed. “For giving you some pretty useless advice. Now I know that feeling bad about it is unavoidable.”

  “It wasn’t useless,” she said. “It was good advice. You should take that advice yourself.”

  “Yes,” he said. “I’ll try.”

  They sat in companionable silence until Philip and Andy returned to the room. Philip eased himself back into his chair and Andy leaned against the wall next to one of the windows that overlooked the surrounding desert.

  “So, Philip,” asked Andy, “what about the guy who sprung you from the hospital? I did a search on Theo Viklund—he was in the news a lot a couple of decades ago, but then dropped off the radar, never came out of his compound in western Maryland.”

  “I think Louise Mortensen is a minor player compared to Viklund,” said Philip. “He pulled strings in a lot of places, from small town police departments to the office of an attorney general. I get the impression that he has contacts in all the traditional halls of power—and probably some non-traditional as well—and I think he has even less compunction about wielding that power than Mortensen.”

  “And now she’s working for him?”

  “For him … with him. It’s hard to say, but I’ll bet that he’s the one calling the shots.”

  “So this is the person we need to be worried about now?” asked Owen.

  “Not all of us,” said Philip. “I think he’s looking to expa
nd his power in other areas, to expand his pool of …” He searched for the right word. “Operatives? And in doing that, he doesn’t want to attract attention to himself and put his existing base of power in jeopardy. That’s why I think Owen and Andy are safe. You guys are visible members of a wide professional community, have family ties. That’s going to make you less attractive to him as potential allies—whether willing or coerced.” He turned to Lizzy. “But Lizzy and I are perfect for him: low profile, with our own reasons for wanting to stay that way, and we each offer something of value to Viklund. Obviously, Lizzy has the squeeze—and who knows what Viklund might know about your mind-reading ability. And I have contacts into a world that is currently closed to him.”

  Andy spoke up. “If Viklund is the kind of guy who could get murder cases and an AG investigation closed with no help from us, what is he looking to get from you?”

  Philip shrugged. “Access to things like Indian casino operations or mineral rights on Indian lands would be a lot easier to manage with a person who looks like me than with the blond-haired, blue-eyed staff he’s surrounded himself with. He might even be interested in contacts with first-hand prison experience—obviously it’s a world he knows nothing about, since he was able to get the police and AG investigations closed easier than he could figure out how to get me a job at Williams.”

  “What are you suggesting?” asked Owen anxiously.

  “I think you and Andy should go back to Philly and resume life as normal. And keep an eye on Ruby.” He turned to Lizzy. “And I think you should stay here with me. In hiding.”

  “But Lizzy is anxious to get back to Pennsylvania,” said Owen. “Right, Pumpkin?”

  “I am,” she replied, “but not if it’s going to put you guys in danger.”

  “If we’re all together, we could figure something out,” he said, desperation beginning to creep into his voice.

  Lizzy turned to gaze out the window. The three men were quiet as she thought.

  Finally, she spoke. “I definitely don’t want to be on my own anymore, and I would love to go home as soon as I can, but if I can stay with Philip—maybe just for a little while until we can figure out what’s going on, I would be okay with that.”

  “I don’t know …” began Owen.

  “It comes down to what will keep Lizzy safest,” said Philip. “Does anyone disagree that she would be safer in hiding out here with someone who knows the area than she would be back in Philadelphia?”

  After a moment, Owen shook his head. “No, I don’t disagree,” he said miserably. He looked to Lizzy. “If you are okay with it, Pumpkin, then I’ll try to be okay with it. Hopefully not for too long.”

  She nodded. “I think it’s the best plan.”

  “I have one more request, dependent on Lizzy’s agreement,” Philip said, his voice hesitant for the first time. “It sounds like the steroid drug that Mortensen developed to enhance Pieda’s squeeze ability triggered the mind-reading ability in Lizzy, and it sounds like it’s fading over time. Being able to read minds in specific circumstances would be a huge help in keeping out of Viklund’s hands.” He turned to Lizzy again. “Lizzy, would you be willing to have Owen analyze what’s left of the drug? And would you be willing to take the drug again if he’s able to replicate it?”

  “Seriously?” “I hardly think—” said Andy and Owen simultaneously.

  Philip held up his hand. “Let’s hear what Lizzy has to say first.”

  They all looked at Lizzy.

  She hesitated for only a moment. “Yes, I’d be willing to do that. It wasn’t a bad experience. It was scary the first time because I didn’t expect it, but it was … interesting.”

  “You couldn’t be on it all the time,” said Owen, horrified. “Who knows what the long-term effects could be.”

  “I would never suggest that,” said Philip. “But having that option for specific situations could prove very helpful. Could prove to be a life saver.” He turned to Lizzy. “You’re up for it?”

  She nodded. “I’m up for it. Let me get the bottle.” She jumped up and left the room.

  A moment later, the woman who had solicited Andy’s assistance earlier popped her head in the door. “Philip, there’s someone who wants to see you.”

  The three men tensed.

  “Who is it?” asked Philip, his hand drifting to the handle of the knife in a sheath at his belt.

  The woman raised an eyebrow. “No one you’re going to want to use that on.”

  Philip glanced at Owen and Andy with a look of mild confusion. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.”

  He stood and left the room.

  “I’ll just check to make sure everything’s okay,” said Andy, and followed him out of the room.

  From the window-lined hallway of the building that housed the clinic, Andy saw Philip step into the rose-tinted light of the desert sun. A woman was standing next to a pickup truck parked in the dirt yard of the clinic. She was tall and slender, with black hair pulled back in a long braid. The door of the clinic faced east, and Philip’s eyes must have been adjusting to the light, because he didn’t appear to see her at first.

  The woman pushed herself away from the truck and began crossing the yard to where Philip stood. As she did, Philip saw her and the slight hunch he had exhibited, no doubt caused by his injured ribs, disappeared as he straightened. He walked toward her across the yard, pulling the sling over his head and dropping it to the ground as he went.

  They met in the center of the yard, straight into each others’ arms, Philip’s face buried in the woman’s hair, she with her arms wrapped around him, her hands on his shoulder blades.

  Andy turned away and walked back to Owen’s room. Owen was alone.

  “What happened?” asked Owen.

  “Were you thinking what I was thinking when Philip was describing his plan—that you weren’t thrilled about leaving Lizzy alone with a thirty-something ex-con who we actually don’t know all that well?”

  Owen glanced nervously toward the door. “Well, yes, a little—”

  Andy grinned. “I feel pretty comfortable saying we don’t have anything to worry about.”

  64

  Louise hit zero on the mobile phone.

  “Maja, Edmund and I have something we’d like to show Theo, could you ask him to come to the lab at his convenience? And could you bring us tea for three?”

  “Certainly, Dr. Mortensen.”

  A few minutes later, the door to the lab opened and Theo entered, followed by Maja and her assistant with the tea tray.

  “You already have something to show me?” he asked. “How gratifying.” His usual good humor was subdued.

  “We do,” said Louise.

  Maja’s assistant put the tray on one of the lab tables. Maja gestured for him to leave, then reached for the teapot.

  “Thank you, Maja,” said Louise. “I can do that.”

  “Certainly, Dr. Mortensen.”

  Maja bowed slightly and stepped out of the lab, closing the door softly behind her.

  Louise poured tea into the three cups. “Theo, I know you like milk and sugar,” she said, pouring from the creamer and dropping a sugar cube into the cup. “Edmund?”

  “Just sugar for me, thanks.”

  Louise handed cups to the two men. “Theo, there’s something we’d like to show you. Just let me pull up the results.” She sat down at the Mac and tapped at the keyboard while Edmund and Theo sipped their tea. Louise clicked through lists of files for a minute. “Edmund, I thought you put the documents out on the server.”

  “Oh, no,” said Edmund, “they’re on my laptop. Should I copy them to the server?”

  “Yes. Please.” She stood as Edmund opened his laptop. “More tea, Theo?”

  Theo held out his cup. “Thank you.”

  She took his cup to the tray, poured tea and added milk and sugar, then returned the cup to Theo.

  He cleared his throat as he took the cup. “Air’s a bit dry in here.”

&n
bsp; Louise crossed to where Edmund sat at his laptop and looked over his shoulder. A minute ticked by.

  “Edmund …?” she said, the annoyance clear in her voice.

  “I’m sorry, Dr. Mortensen, I must have saved the files somewhere else. I’m sure it won’t take me more than a few more minutes to find them.”

  Louise waved her hand. “Later. We don’t need it now.” She turned to Theo. “I’m happy to report that we have had some very promising developments related to the work that Dr. Rinnert and I have been doing. I can’t speak highly enough of the benefit of having someone of Dr. Rinnert’s caliber to work with. It has enabled us to achieve results we couldn’t possibly have achieved individually.”

  “I’m intrigued.”

  “We’ve been able to use the ion torrent sequencer for deep sequencing to discover some gene regulatory elements that govern embryonic developmental trajectories.”

  Theo coughed, then asked, “Could you simplify that for me a bit?”

  “I believe our work is providing new strategies for successful cloning of non-human primates.”

  Theo raised his eyebrows. “Cloning?”

  “Cloning is a fascinating study. There are extraordinary possibilities in terms of control over physical attributes like sex, strength, speed … even cognitive abilities.”

  “Just for non-human primates?”

  “To begin with.”

  Theo coughed, more violently this time, and tugged at the collar of his shirt.

  “Is everything all right, Theo?”

  “Yes, I’ll be fine, I just—” His sentence was cut off with another bout of coughing. His face reddened alarmingly.

  “Are you sure everything is all right?” she asked again, her voice taking on a frosty finality.

  Theo looked at her, irritated, then his eyes widened. He gasped for breath. “Did you …” He looked down at his empty tea cup, then swept it off the table with his arm. It crashed into the side of the sequencer and fell to the ground in shards.