Richard held open the passenger door. “Ride up front, with me. That way I can explain what’s going on.”
Donna crawled in the front seat and fastened her seat belt. She turned to Richard and waited. “So, what’s going on? Where are Sam and Joyce?”
“They’re on a ride – the Booster Bomber. They’ll be here as soon as it’s finished. pet… Linda and Kevin Wilson have been murdered.”
Donna’s eyes widened, her mouth gaped. “How? I thought the Hall had one of the most advanced security systems in the country.”
“We do, but no security system is fail-safe, Donna. They hit us at our weakest point. Dad was in the process of plugging that hole, but evidentially it wasn’t enough.”
“They couldn’t do anything for Mr. Wilson or his wife? Did they take them to the Centre?”
“I don’t know. We’ll find out when we get back to the Hall.”
Donna sighed and sat back in her seat. “Forrest must be behind this. I told Sam he wasn’t as sick as he’d been making out. He either found a donor, or he’s been lying.”
“Probably.” Richard cleared his throat. “Donna, why were you so certain what Daria told you was the truth?”
“You’ll laugh at me.”
“No, I won’t.”
“I don’t think it was Daria speaking to me. She was being used – you know – channelled. It was almost as if she didn’t know what was going on herself. The voice that spoke to my mind….”
Richard held up a hand. “Are you saying Daria spoke to you, telepathically?”
Donna narrowed her eyes. “You don’t believe me.”
“I didn’t say that. I’m not saying it’s not possible, or that there may be some kind of scientific explanation for it. I’ve just never come across it myself – until you.”
“I have, and trust me. It’s real.”
“Oh – I trust you. So you believe someone, or something was using Daria to speak to you? What makes you so certain of this?”
“Because the person that spoke to my mind didn’t sound like Daria. Well… it did, but the language was different.”
“In what way?”
“For starters, the voice didn’t use contractions like we do. It said things like ‘cannot’ and ‘do not’, instead of can’t and don’t. It knew things about me, things no one knows. Things I haven’t even shared with you, Gary or Sam. When Daria touched me, it felt like static electricity shot through me. It tingled and felt like butterflies, low in my stomach.”
Richard’s eyes widened. He swallowed hard. “Did you see the fog and the pale blue light?”
Donna frowned. “No. My eyes were closed. When I opened them, the room didn’t look any different. I recognised the fragrance of the candles. I couldn’t tell you what it was or where it came from, but Jared had some that smelt exactly like the one’s Daria was burning in her tent.”
Richard drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Donna… Daria told me something, too. And this is your turn not to laugh at me, but I honestly believe she knew what she was talking about.”
Donna studied his eyes. “What did she tell you?”
Richard swallowed hard. “She told me that you were…” he broke off and began again. “Daria said that you were pregnant and that the baby was mine.”
Donna’s eyebrows shot up. “Pregnant! Richard… that’s not possible.”
“I know, and I told her that, too, but she insists you are. If you believe what she said to you – or rather what was channelled through her – don’t you think we should check, to be sure?”
Donna tightened her jaw and pulled her brows together. “Is this some kind of joke? All that stuff you said about us playing as kids and you being at my parent’s funeral. Was that a set-up for this?”
“No!” Richard snapped. “No, Donna,” he repeated softening his voice. “I swear to you on my mother’s grave, I did not make any of that up, and I’m not lying about what Daria said, either. I know it sounds crazy, and we only had one night together, but let’s face it. Under the right circumstances, it only takes one time.”
Donna vehemently shook her head. “No – it can’t be true. Juanita wrote me a prescription for oral contraceptives before I left Shreveport with Jared. We didn’t have sex the first time until we were back at Wisteria Hall. Trust me, as much as it hurt, I would have known. If the pills hadn’t been working, I would have already been pregnant with him.”
“What about the Depro shot Juanita gave you? How soon does it take effect?”
“It takes five to seven days, but I was still taking the pills. There shouldn’t have been a lapse. When you and I had sex, we should have been safe.”
“Is there anything that could interfere with the pills or the shot?”
Donna’s voice rose in pitch. “Well – yeah – antibiotics can, but I didn’t take any, unless the doctor at Barksdale gave me some. And, even then, if I am pregnant, it would have to be Sam’s baby – not yours. Oh God! Now you’re starting to scare me!”
“As I said, I know it sounds crazy, but don’t you think we should find out if Daria was right?”
“Well, I do now!”
Richard glanced in his rear view mirror. “Good, they’re coming.”
“I don’t want Sam to know about this until I’m sure, Richard.”
“I’ll take care of it, pet.”
“How?”
Richard smiled and brushed the back of his fingers down her cheek. “Trust me.”
Sam opened the back door and jumped inside. “What are you doing in the front seat?”
Donna glanced at Richard out the corner of her eye. “She’s still feeling a little queasy from the ride, Sam. I figured it would be better for her up here.” Richard glanced at Joyce in his rear view mirror. “You don’t mind. Do you honey?”
Joyce narrowed her eyes. She got in the back seat with Sam. “No. Of course not,” she smiled tightly.
Richard pulled right, onto the Links and then promptly turned left onto Marine Avenue. Sam furrowed his brow. “I thought we were going back to the Hall.”
“We are, but I’m going to pick up something for Donna’s upset stomach, first. Then we’ll drop off Joyce.”
“She’s not coming with us?”
“No. Dad said to drop her off first.”
“Why? Wouldn’t it be faster if we took her with us?”
“Sam, I’m following orders.”
“Right…” Sam groaned. “Making an unnecessary stop at the pharmacy here, when you could get something at the pharmacy in Morrison’s, next to Joyce’s apartment is following orders.”
“Sam!” Richard forced through his teeth. “Morrison’s is altogether too crowded, and we’d be too vulnerable there. Dad doesn’t want us taking risks.”
Donna swallowed hard and held her hand over her mouth. “Joyce, what is the name of your perfume?”
“Euphoria – why?”
“I think it smells quite nice on her,” Sam interjected. “I was thinking of getting you some.”
Richard pulled in front of Numark Pharmacy, in Monkseaton and put the car in park.
“Think again,” Donna groaned and pushed the control on her window. “It’s making my stomach worse.”
Richard promptly used his control and put her window back up. “Not that, pet,” he said. “I’ll open the sunroof if you need some air.”
“Couldn’t I just go in with you?”
Richard smiled. “I’d feel better satisfied if you waited in the car. I’ll only be a second.”
Donna nodded, sighed and sat back in her seat. Sam leaned forward. Donna twisted her nose and turned her head away from him. Joyce’s perfume was all over him. “So what did the voodoo lady tell you?”
Donna swallowed the bile crawling up the back of her throat. “That you’re an arrogant asshole, but then I already knew that.”
Joyce pressed her lips together, suppressing a grin. She glanced at Sam out the corner of her eye. Sam sighed and sat back in his seat.
Richard got back in the car and handed Donna a pharmacy bag. “I hope I bought the right thing.”
Donna looked in the bag and grinned at Richard. “Yes. You did.” She pulled out the rather large bottle of Gaviscon liquid. “I’ve never had aniseed flavoured before. Do you think you got a big enough bottle?”
“I was just making sure you had some for later if you needed it.”
Donna unscrewed the lid and took a couple of swallows. “Thank you, Richard. It’s been a while since I’ve needed this.” That’s when it dawned on her. The EHG should have protected me from everything. She closed her eyes and inwardly groaned. Everything… but pregnancy. Now, Donna really felt sick.