“Hi, Rita. Could I have a strawberry and banana salad, with natural yoghurt, and a glass of orange juice, please?”
Sam slipped in behind her. “Make that two, Rita,” he said. “…And add a small bowl of dry granola. I like a little crunch to mine. Oh, and put them on the same tray.”
“What are you doing here? Have you already forgotten what we talked about in your office?”
“No… and I haven’t forgotten the kiss, either. Don’t get your knickers in a twist. I’m not following you. I simply came in here to have my breakfast. I’ve been in the morgue since three this morning. I had just sat down to enter my report into VICi’s database, when the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen knocked on my door.”
“Keep your voice down, Sam. The infirmary is secure. The cafeteria isn’t.”
Rita sat the tray on the counter. “Here you go, Sam, Donna, enjoy.”
“Thanks, Love,” Sam said and carried their tray to a table. Donna sat across from Sam. “So, did you check in with the old ball and chain?”
“Yes,” Donna groaned. “I went to see what Gary and Richard were up to. I told you. I do not want…” she lowered her voice. “I do not want Richard to get suspicious. In fact, you should probably sit at another table.”
“Why? I can’t share breakfast with you? All I did was come in here to have my breakfast and help a pregnant lady to her table. We are not doing anything wrong, sweetheart. Do you think I’m going to ravish you on the table in a room full of people?”
Donna arched an eyebrow. “No, I don’t think you will. In fact, I know you won’t! Behave yourself, or I’m moving to another table.”
“So… since you’re making the rules and calling the shots, what are we allowed to talk about?”
Gary cleared his throat as he approached the table. “Am I interrupting something?” He glanced at Donna.
“No, please, join us,” Donna replied.
“I came to….”
“…Talk me out of cancelling the wedding? I wasn’t going to do that, but it would put a stop to their plans. Unless, he and Sir Richard go behind my back and do it anyway.”
“What are you talking about?” Sam asked. “Do what, behind your back?”
Gary kept his attention focused on Donna. “I assume you’ve … cleared the air between you?”
“We’ve talked,” Donna responded. “I’m not keeping secrets from Sam.”
Gary sighed. “Hang on, let me do something first. How long have you been in here?” He unlocked his cell phone and pressed a button.
Donna shrugged. “Maybe five minutes.”
“VICi, reverse time by ten minutes and delete footage. Resume time. Temporary visual and vocal filter: Dr. Gary Browne, Dr. Sam Kaliea, and Dr. Donna Rigden, in cafeteria. Voiceprint authorisation, security code GB1A. Confirm commands by direct-link on my cell phone.” Gary waited until the green light flashed. He locked his cell phone and put it back in his pocket. “OK, it’s like this, Sam….” he sighed and started explaining.
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“So you see…” Donna said, “…that’s it in a nutshell.”
Sam laid his hand on Donna’s and smiled. “I can understand why you’re upset….”
Donna eased her hand away. “Why do I sense a ‘but’ coming?”
“Gary has filtered us out of VICi’s database.”
“Yes,” Donna admitted, “…but he can’t prevent other people from seeing us, and believe me, Richard has just as many – if not more – allies as you do. You have your… unique charm, but so does Richard, and he has something you don’t – unlimited resources.”
Sam grinned. “Sweetheart, I can get any woman I want.”
Donna sighed. “Yes, you probably could, but Richard could take her away.”
“So I noticed….”
Donna narrowed her eyes. “I wasn’t talking about me. I am doing this of my own free will, so cut the chauvinistic crap! It is not… one of your better qualities. Remember, my way, or no way.”
“D… you don’t trust Richard, do you?”
Donna looked at Sam and then back to Gary. “No, Gary. Not entirely. Richard would have been the one to benefit the most if Jared and I had split up. It’s the same thing with Sam. Richard knew if I got pregnant that I would do what I’m doing – marry him for the sake of the baby. So, you see…” she paused. “There’s too much evidence against him.”
“Circumstantial evidence, D.”
Donna arched an eyebrow. “I know, but I’m sorry. Until I know for sure, I’m not taking chances. I’m going to the park. I think it would be a better place for Richard to find me than sitting here with Sam.” She stood to leave.
Sam held her wrist. “Like I said, sweetheart, we’ll get through this.”
“I hope so,” Donna sighed and walked away.
“She must care more about you than she’s letting on.”
Sam frowned. “Why do you say that?”
“Most people who do what you did wouldn’t get a second chance.”
“Gary, I’m not responsible for what happened with Joyce, and Ruth, and….”
“Really, Sam?” Gary narrowed his eyes. “You let it happen. You were supposed to go to the complex, yet you asked Ruth to have a meal with you at your apartment. What happened after that is irrelevant. If you’re going to hurt D, leave her alone.” Gary stood to leave.
“I’m not going to hurt her, Gary.”
Gary sighed and left.
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Donna hurried back to the park and sat on the ground next to the waterfall. She stared into the water, wishing she could see her future. Her eyes glossed. Nothing had gone the way it was supposed to. If she hadn’t put him off, she would be married to Jared by now, and her music career would have been in full swing. Now she’d lost Jared and Sarabeth. She couldn’t be with Sam, and now she was marrying someone she didn’t love, someone she couldn’t even trust. But she didn’t fully trust Sam either, did she?
Donna used her index finger to draw imaginary hearts on the surface of the water.
Richard sat beside her. “Donna… did you mean what you said?”
Donna took a deep breath, let it out slowly and turned. “No, Richard. I’m not calling off our wedding. I told you I would follow this through, and I will.”
Richard sighed and pulled her into his arms. “Dad, Sam, Gary, and John are waiting for us in the conference room.” He stood and lifted her to her feet.
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Donna, Richard and Gary sat on one side of the conference table; John and Sam on the other. Sir Richard sat at the head of the table. “OK, who wants to go first?”
Gary cleared his throat. “I guess we can,” he said, glancing at Richard. “Sir Richard, I analysed the images from the security camera, and despite his face and voice, I don’t think it’s Forrest.”
Sir Richard frowned. “What makes you say that?”
“Because, for one thing, at least, as far as I know, Forrest doesn’t speak Mandarin. And secondly, the man in the images is too short – two inches – to be exact.”
“How did you figure that out?”
“By comparing his height to the height of the filing cabinet, behind Mildred’s desk,” Richard added.
“If he isn’t Forrest, then somebody sure went to a lot of trouble to make us think he was,” John said.
“I agree,” Gary said. “What I found unusual about the whole scenario is why would they scramble all the other cameras in the Centre – including the one in the lift – and leave the ones in Mildred’s office on?”
“Easy,” Sir Richard interjected. “Forrest wanted us to know who had killed Mildred. He wanted to gloat.”
“I’m not so sure, about that, Sir Richard,” Gary responded. “It looks more like someone was trying to frame whoever is on camera. I think it’s possible that the person is either a double, or was wearing a latex mask and wig.”
“In that case, they must have used a voice modulator,” John commented. “If that’s what happened, then whoever it was dropped a blob. We know the man is likely to be Chinese.”
“Unless that was just another one of Forrest’s tactics to throw us off and make us think it was somebody else,” Sam spoke up. “By doing that, should we try to press charges against him, he would use that last line to weasel out of it. It would be up to us to prove he was lying, and we all know which way that would go.”
Donna sighed. “Is there no way to bring Forrest to justice?”
“Yes,” John replied. “Put a bullet in his head.”
Donna frowned and slid back in her chair. “I won’t get in the way, but I still think it’s wrong.”
“OK, let’s move on. Sam, what did you find out from Mildred’s post-mortem?”
“Well, the actual cause of death happened when they snapped her neck, but I don’t think she knew anything about it. She certainly wasn’t feeling any pain. Forrest – or whoever he was – gave her one hell of a mixture of psychotropic drugs. Alone, I’m familiar with all three, but I’ve never seen them used together, in this way. The fact that one of the drugs was oxytocin, which happens to be one of the active chemicals in Euphoria, suggests to me that it was Forrest, or at least someone who worked for him.”
Sir Richard laced his fingers and rested his arms on the table. “Explain….”
“Sodium amytal and scopolamine have been used, with some effect, as truth drugs. I’m not quite sure about the oxytocin, though.”
“I am,” Donna spoke up. “Used in combination, the three become more affective when following intense pain. That’s why they cut off part of her little finger. That’s why Mildred was so cooperative, toward the end of their interrogation. The sodium amytal was used as an effective pain reliever. It’s probable; Mildred didn’t know what she was saying. I would say the oxytocin is what made her giddy. Almost as if she had been intoxicated. Forrest used the same method with the EIA.”
“Snapping her neck was just in case we got to her before she died. Forrest knew Donna might be able to save her,” Sam said.
“I probably could have with the EHG and CTZ5.”
“You didn’t find any cerbera in her system?”
“No, Sir Richard,” Sam responded. “I expected to, but it wasn’t there.”
“Then we have no MO. The person/people who killed Tina are not the same ones who killed the Wilsons and Mildred. We’re dealing with at least two adversaries.”
Donna turned to Sir Richard. “But, you’re still going after Forrest, even though we’re not sure he’s one of the killers?”
Sir Richard tightened his jaw. “Yes, Donna. I am! I do not want that man to get a chance to go after my grandson, or my son, or my daughter-in-law, or anyone else important to me. I’m sorry. I know you don’t agree, but whether you marry Ricky or not, we are going after Forrest!”
“In that case, can I be excused? I came to the complex for a reason. I’ve already taken care of part of it, now I’d like to take care of the rest.”
“No, you can go.”
Donna stood. “I’ll be there in a few minutes pet.”
“I don’t need someone to hold my hand Richard. I ran my own department back in the States – or have you forgotten?” Donna left.
Richard waited until she was out of earshot. He turned his attention to Sir Richard. “Don’t you think you were a little harsh on her, Dad?”
“Ricky, as a Triplet, Donna has a hard lesson to learn. It’s best she learns it now, than later. I went through the same thing with her mother. Marie wanted to depend on the justice system to put Forrest away, too. It got her killed. I don’t want to see that happen to Donna. I don’t want you to know the pain I felt when I found out Marie was dead.” He paused. “John, start planning this out. Ricky, if you can convince Donna we need to get a photo of you and her for the engagement announcement.”
Richard sighed. “I’ll do what I can, but she doesn’t want to be part of this. Can I be excused now?”
“Yeah, sure,” Sir Richard suspired. “I think we’ve pretty well covered everything. Sam, I need you to prepare Mildred’s body for transport. I’ll have to talk to her two daughters. I’m not looking forward to this. I have to somehow convince them that we can’t go to the police. Gary, keep me posted on your project.”
The computer broke their silence. VICi; Emergency. Dr. Kaliea and Dr. Rigden to the infirmary.
A cold chill went down Donna’s spine, and she took off in a run. Sam met her in the corridor. “It’s Alan!” she said as they ran for the infirmary. Sir Richard and the others headed in that direction.