“I understand”, I said
“You and I will be working very closely”, Gill continued
Very closely?, I wondered
“I think you work well, I value you”, he added
“I appreciate that”, I said
But why was Gill lying off Alice and Brad and keeping me? I didn’t want to stay here, but I would take time.
Don’t be impulsive Iris, play along till you think over what to do.
But then I couldn’t help asking. “Who else will I be working with?”
“It will be you and I, working closely”, Gill iterated
“So far Brad, Alice and I have been a team. The polymer is the result of a joint effort”, I objected
“You could have done it alone. You have done it alone”, he said, and smiled again
“Why are you getting rid of my colleagues?”, I burst out before I could stop myself
“Because this project will be strictly confidential. It will be you and I. I will pay you a lot, 35% more of your current stipend, and you will come up with the product of the century”, Gill said calmly, the smile unfading on his lips
Gill looked at me intensely, pondering my reaction. I kept my face blank.
“But”, he continued, leaning forward lightly and raising a finger, “But you have to understand that we want the project to be confidential. We have to be loyal to each other”
At this I smiled too, a thin skeptical smile glossed with bitterness
“I will be happy to work on the project”, I replied, and got up, giving my hand to Gill for him to shake it.
He looked at me, surprised by my reaction, and shook my hand.
“So we have a deal”, he said
“We have a deal”, I said
I knew that what Gill thought he was buying was my silence, a chance for his brother perhaps, or maybe FoodTech Lab’s safety, or his own.
I smiled again, and walked out of the office thinking I would have something to tell Avery tonight.
That’s awesome, Gill bastard, pay me as many filthy dollars as you please. I’ll use your big bucks to spend on the best gun to blow up you, your damn brother and this whole fucking corporation. You bet I will.
Chapter 88
When I walked back to my desk I must have had the dirtiest look painted on my face because Brad arched his brows, coked his head and said, “You must have had some good fun behind the scenes”.
“Let’s go get something at the vending machines”, was my reply
“At the vending machines?”, Brad asked
“Why not?”, I asked
“Ok”, he said shrugging, confused at the caustic edge in my voice
“We can go to the cafeteria…but I feel like eating a junky chocolate bar first”, I said angrily
“Sure, go for it”, Brad said, twisting his mouth in a peculiar he did at times.
For the first time I realized this way he had of twisting his mouth was enticingly cute. For some reason I had never felt attracted to Brad, but I could see he was a very decent guy and I never understood why he was single for so many years, falling in and out of brief relationships all the time.
“Thank you”, I said, smiling warmly all of a sudden
At the vending machine I got myself a large-sized bar with a crispy layer of biscuit inside, drenched in caramel and soft chocolate, and covered with another layer of harder, crunchy chocolate. The ultimate junk snack of our century, for just a dollar fifty.
Brad looked at it and said, “Are you having your period or something?”
I laughed. “No, but my mental state is messed up more than if I was having it”
“Ok, let’s walk to the cafeteria so you can tell me what happened”, he suggested
The cafeteria was completely empty, and we sat at a table in the corner, Brad with a juice and I with my chocolate bar.
“They asked me to stay, with a 35% increase in my stipend”, I said
Brad stopped holding the bottle midair.
“They want me to shut up, you see. Gill must know something, although I cannot say for sure how much”, I begun
“Knows something?”
“He must know about the fact that I have been trying to see clear through what is happening”
“Why do you think he does?”
“He says he wants me to make the polymer safe. When I suggested to test it rather than assume the compound we have isn’t, his reply was that I had to be honest with him. Go figure that! Honest!”, I said, heating up as I described my encounter
“Ok and then what happened?”
“And then he said he wants the project to be confidential, he was so insistive…confidential, confidential, it will just be you and I. And I’ll pay you plenty, but you work with me and me only. A private whore essentially. Give up your freedom and your principles, I’ve got big bucks to buy them from you. Fuck the asshole”, I said, my tone rising
Brad looked around to make sure nobody was around to hear my outburst
“Ok, slow down. He says he wants you to make the polymer safe, why are you so angry?”
“But can’t you see? Does he wants to make the polymer safe or does he want to make me a nice quiet girl? Have they circulated the polymer already? Was he involved in this in any way? And what about his brother? He is with Avery now, risking jail and perhaps even more than just that. If he just wanted to improve the formulation why did he kick out you and Alice?”, I argued, pushing myself forward and tapping on the table as I spoke
“Yeah, I don’t know…”, Brad said doubtfully
“I don’t either as a matter of fact. After all you could be dangerous too, and even more so if you are angered”, I continued
“Sure, but you’re the one who came up with the formulation and you’re the one who has been doing everything, including going overseas, to get things straight. Alice and I have sort of been following along…”, Brad said
“But now you also know about the polymer and the skeletons in the closet, right?”, I insisted
“Sure, but if you are the only one left here probably Gill thinks you’ll be more pliable than if you were surrounded by a team you trust. He probably believes he has better chances to manipulate you”
“Right, I can see his logic. Too bad I’ll have to prove him wrong”, I said, biting into what was lefty of my chocolate bar
“So you haven’t accepted his offer?”, Brad asked
“Oh, of course I have. I will stay here, work on something or pretend to work on something, buy a couple of months during which I can observe what’s happening as an insider”, I said
“But he’ll be observing you too”, Brad objected
“True, but someone has been watching over me anyways and if I leave FoodTech it is not at all a given that the paparazzi will leave me alone”, I replied abrasively
“I see your point”, Brad conceded
“Ok, let’s go upstairs and try to save the appearances, show we’re working. Perhaps I’ll give Avery a call and ask her to come get me in an hour. I want to update her as soon as possible”
“Sure, I’ll leave with you whenever you will go”
“But she said she wants to drive me home herself”, I explained, feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt, as if I was abandoning Brad somehow
“I mean, I will drive my own car home and you will get your ride with Avery. They’ll fire me anyways, so there’s no point in hanging around here long hours, all alone on top of everything else”, he shrugged
I nodded and got up, pushing my chair under the table. I felt a strange heaviness and dizziness I hadn’t noticed while I was seated.
“Are you ok?”, asked Brad, noticing my physical discomfort
“Ehm sure…I must be just tired and stressed I suppose”, I said, uncertain about what was happening to me
“You’ll be all right”, he reassured me, tapping my shoulder
I didn’t know if I would, but I smiled, cleaned our garbage off the table and said “Let
’s go”, trying to sound as cheerful as I could.
Chapter 88
When I phoned Avery I felt there was anxiousness beneath the coolness of her tone, and she didn’t sound happy when I asked if someone could come for me in about an hour. Couldn’t I tell her before I wanted to leave early, she asked, that way she would have let her colleague know. But then she agreed to pass by herself, and I thanked her saying I would have news to share during the ride. Bad or good, she wanted to know. “Let’s talk later”, I said, and we hang up.
I began listlessly reading some science papers, more to use up the time than because I thought I had some use for what I was reading. I couldn’t focus. I felt lethargic, not really sick but uncomfortable, the same way I had in the cafeteria. The beat of my heart seemed irregular. Relax, I told myself, and tried to breath in, breath out slowly, deeply. I checked the time, minutes stretched in an unbearable way. Finally it was ten to four.
“Brad, I’m going”, I said without turning around
“Sure, let’s go”, he replied
But when I got up from the chair the room began spinning and my heart racing hard, so hard it hurt me. I gripped the desk, trying to make myself stable.
“Hey Iris, are you ok?”, I heard Brad say, but I couldn’t see him, black patches covering my vision
I shook my head no
“Sit down”, he said, holding my arm
I stood instead, immobile, and after a moment my vision cleared
“I don’t feel too hot”, I said
“I see that”, Brad frowned
“Ok, let’s try to go downstairs, I’ll be fine once I get home”
“Well, if you say so…I’m glad the detective is coming to get you”, he said with a worried note in his tone
I nodded and walked with Brad downstairs as steadily as I could, wondering if stress alone could be doing this to me.
Avery was in a regular car, waiting at the entrance of the building. I slipped in the car, waving Brad goodbye.
“Let me know how you feel, ok?”, he said before I closed the door
“I’ll be all right, I’ll call”, I said.
It was at the moment I fully realized that soon, very soon, I would lose my best colleague. I’ll miss you buddy, I told him silently, leaning back on the car seat, eyes closed and too battered to react with anger to the mounting sadness.
Chapter 89
As we drove I told Avery what had happened, looking at her at moments, keeping my eyes closed most of the time.
“I’ll get to see what these people are up to if I stay at FoodTech labs”, I explained
“Yes, but tomorrow you should stay home if you aren’t well”, Avery said
Sometimes I think she cares, she really cares about me…
“Anyways I have some news too”, Avery continued
“Yeah?”, I said
“Michael Gill worked in the headquarters of FoodTech labs in New York, with the same role as McMurrich had here. You knew this?”
“No”, I said
“He did. McMurrich was Mark Gill’s colleague at Diet Clinical, she was developing novel food preservatives, and Mark Gill was looking at the effects of the preservatives on the organism. McMurrich had come up with a new formulation, which was released it and then taken out the market. It’s hard to trace what happened, but it seems like Mark Gill raised the issue regarding the toxicity of the formulation. The facts have been blurred, and the case covered up before it could become a scandal. McMurrich and Mark Gill both left Diet Clinical after the flop of the product, either spontaneously or because they got kicked out. Mark Gill found a job at the DNA Research Center, while McMurrich was unemployed for a while. The two kept in contact, and eventually they became intimate”
“How do you know?”, I asked
“People always leave traces. They write emails for instance…It’s almost impossible to be truly invisible”
“You tracked down their private correspondence?”
“Mark Gill and McMurrich were lovers”, Avery continued, neglecting my question
“Yes, we know this…”, I said
“Michael Gill gave his brother’s lover a hand and she got hired at FoodTech labs, and because of this McMurrich always remained loyal to Michael Gill. But then one day you came up with your polymer and things changed. Michael Gill wanted Foodtech labs to produce the invention of the century. You are not the only one who has been working on a polymer that increases the volumes of the foods, they were trying to come with exactly the same invention in the labs in New York”
“Really?!”, I exclaimed, flabbergasted, because McMurrich had always made me believe that this was my project, and mine only
“But you got there first. They gave your polymer to the guys in New York to try and see how it worked, how it could be improved and to test its safety. McMurrich didn’t want this, she felt like they were taking something from her, not giving her enough credit. The polymer had been developed in her lab and she wanted to commercialize it as soon as possible. She probably thought that if she did she could climb up the ladder”
“So this is how Micheal Gill knew that the polymer was unsafe…”
“Yes, based on the facts I have so far”
“So what did McMurrich do when she felt they were not giving her credit what I came up with?”
“There was nothing she could do”
“So all she did was vent and then…she got killed because they tried to silence her?”
“So here is the missing link. I cannot see Michael Gill killing her because of that. And it was Mark Gill who ran her over and killed her, not Michael Gill”
“So you’re sure about that. Ok, but Mark Gill is Michael Gill’s brother”, I argued
“Yes, but you see it doesn’t make sense. McMurrich’s lab comes up with a polymer, the head office says it should be improved and tested, McMurrich hates this but cannot do anything about it. She is not in the position to cause damage to Michael Gill, so he has no reason to have her killed. And if he did want to have her killed he wouldn’t involve his brother and come up with such an imperfect murder. The crime scene was swarming with evidence, I cannot believe the murder was planned”
“What about Sandeep? Did you interrogate him or Ronny?”, I asked
“Sandeep is still unconscious”, Avery said
“And Ronny?”
“Ronny is dead”
“What? How?”, I was shocked
As we were driving a vague sense of nausea had been pervading me, I could feel it floating within me between one irregular heartbeat and the next. Now it gushed upwards, I took down the window and vomited.
Avery slowed down, pulled her car on the side. We were driving in a solitary side street not far from my home now, and all I could feel beyond the hot silence was my breath resounding in my ears, the sour taste of vomit burning my throat and my nose. I spit on the asphalt. Avery held my forehead and gave me a tissue. I wiped off the filaments of saliva dribbling from my mouth and went back to the car. I closed my eyes.
“Are you ok?”, Avery asked buckling her belt
I shook my head no.
“How did he die?”, I asked
“He stole some pills and ate them”, Avery said
“I want to do the same”, I said
“Iris. Let’s go home, I’ll stay with you for a while, then I’ll send a colleague to patrol your house. Give your man a call, he should come over to your place. It’s easier for us that way, we won’t need to send someone to check on him too. And you need support, psychological support, I mean”
I nodded faintly, feeling empty headed.
Chapter 90
I was dizzy and swayed as I walked. When I got home Avery had to hold my arm as I made my way to my bedroom. When she lay me on the bed I closed my eyes, peaceful out of sheer exhaustion, my quiet disturbed only by the speed of my heartbeats, their pace resonating in my ears. I heard Avery walk around in the room, moving something. Then I felt her come close, and
when I opened my eyes I saw she had pulled a chair beside my bed and was sitting next to me. There was worry in her eyes.
“Do you want me to call Jack for you?”, she asked, and I nodded yes, before closing my eyes again
“Jack? This is Detective Avery”, I heard her say after a moment
“I am calling from Iris’ place…No, she is not well”
There was a pause
“Yes, I’ll be here”, she concluded and hang up
“He said he will be here in about an hour”, Avery told me
“Ok…”, I said almost in a whisper
My sensations were muffled and my anxiousness contained. But this was a precarious equilibrium, that one hasty movement, one loud sound could break. I felt extremely vulnerable.
“Why don’t you go see a doctor?”, Avery suggested
“It’s nothing…I just need some peace”, I replied
There was a moment of silence, and then I asked, “Will you speak to Michael Gill?”
“I’ve asked a colleague to verify if he has been at McMurrich’s place. My colleague has been in the parking lot to check his car today, and we had a policeman in disguise get his fingerprints”
“How?”
“From some objects he touched. We’ll get better ones once after making a preliminary investigation”
I felt my heartbeat accelerate further, the equilibrium was broken. And then the phone rang. I moaned and stirred slightly.
“Do you want me to get the phone for you?”, Avery asked
“Yes, please…”, I said
It was Christine. I didn’t want to speak to her, she was way too bubbly for me to keep her pace in my current state. Nonetheless I got up from the bed, slowly, and reached the phone.
“Christine…”, I said
“Hey hello darling, how are you?”, she said with her high pitched tone
“Could be better…I really don’t feel too hot now. What about you?”
“I am great, I am great! But why are you not well?”, she said
“Ah, there has been lots going on…”, I started
“Ok, but I discovered things that might interest you!”, Christine said excitedly, cutting the pause in my fading sentence
“Which news?”
“The police found out what was happening at the hospital here in New York you know, this is a piece of information that hasn’t even been released yet, but I have my ways to find out!”
“And so what happened?”