Forever Young: Blessing or Curse (Always Young Trilogy) (22 page)

It
would be cumbersome, but the wisest option would be to copy Larry’s posts onto
her new laptop computer and email it all to herself for good measure. It would
mean bringing the iPhone home and risk its being discovered there.

The
iPhone, though small, felt like a time bomb in her purse, as she exited the
café. She didn’t like the idea of its presence in her home even a short while,
but for the sake of expediency, she’d take the chance.

It
wasn’t until she pulled into her driveway that another thought struck her,
making the sweat spring to her forehead. Maybe the burglar hadn’t chosen her
house at random, but had targeted it in search of the iPhone. If that were the
case and Roman had hired someone to look for it, why would he have sent her
home that day in the midst of the robbery? None of it made sense.

Whatever
the case, she’d finish the project as swiftly as possible and get the iPhone
back to the safe deposit box where it belonged.

It
took a good part of the afternoon for Dorrie to type all of Larry’s posts from
the speech recognition program and transfer them to the laptop computer in her
kitchen. It sure would have saved time to have Larry’s username and password.
Fortunately, she’d not needed them to access the apps, or she’d never have
learned what was going on.

After
each entry into her computer, she did a cut and paste into her word processing
program and e-mailed the page to herself as backup.

Finally
through, she rubbed her aching neck and stretched the kinks from her back on
her way to the kitchen. With eyes and shoulders drooping, she forced herself to
eat a chicken salad sandwich, vegetable soup and milk to keep up her
nourishment for the baby’s sake.  

She’d
been too busy typing to think. Now that she was through, the doubts and fears
returned. So far she’d been lucky enough to escape harm from the pill, but how
long would her luck last?

Should
she stop? If she did, it might kill her child who appeared to be chemically
dependent on it. She’d best stay the course until after delivery, and then
decide what to do.

With
so many fears and questions crowding her mind, she needed an outlet. She
grabbed a book from the many she’d been meaning to read, but her brain was too
fried to concentrate. A glance at the television listings showed no programs
she cared enough to watch. Giving up, she trudged upstairs to bed.  

She’d
almost drifted off to sleep when a memory jolted her awake, making her heart
gallop and her eyes flash open. What about that night in the bar? She could
swear she’d had only one drink, despite what Roman had said. Not only that, its
taste had been strangely bitter. On the grounds of Roman’s popularity, she’d
discounted the notion he might have altered it. Now she wondered if he had.
Maybe he’d drugged and seduced her, not because of her irresistibility, but
that of the iPhone’s. In her recollections of her semi-aware state that night,
she vaguely remembered him asking about it.

Well,
if he’d hoped to get the iPhone then, he’d failed miserably. Knocking her out
and knocking her up could not have been part of the plan.

***

Sunday
morning Dorrie took stock of her situation, and didn’t like her conclusions.
Now that Mike had died, Roman counted on her as a fill in until a substitute
was found. That meant working at the Institute whether she felt like it or not.
Still, how could she in good conscience further the cause of a harmful product?
She couldn’t see any way out of the mess without horrible repercussions.

 Her
smartphone rang, interrupting her thoughts.  It was Jeanne telling her
she’d found a job last week at the wildlife park near her home. “It’s not much
pay, but I love the place,” her friend said.

“That’s
great. I know how much you love animals. It sounds like the perfect spot for
you.”

“You
don’t sound too enthusiastic.  ”

Dorrie
sighed. “I can’t pull anything over on you, can I? Actually, I’m nervous and
scared and don’t know what to do.”

She
told her friend about what she’d discovered on Larry’s iPhone. When she’d
finished, she felt Jeanne’s steam across the airwaves. “I knew that bastard was
up to no good. Now you have proof. You should go to the authorities, or the
Food and Drug Administration, or  somewhere to expose his operation.”

Dorrie
sighed. “If only it were that simple. Unfortunately, if the Institute were to
shut down, my baby couldn’t get the pills and survive.”

“So
you’re willing to risk other people’s lives for the sake of that devil’s
spawn?”

Dorrie
flinched at her friend’s harsh words. Holding her stomach as if to protect the
child, she said, “I warned you before and I’m warning you again. Don’t say
anything bad about my baby. When you do, you’re attacking me.”

“Wise
up and do the right thing, Dorrie. Don’t take a chance the pill will get into
the wrong hands.”

“You’re
asking too much. I won’t kill my child.”

“Well
then, you’ll have to live with your destructive decision the rest of your oh so
long life.”

“The
pill’s not out for the general public. There’s still time.”

“Maybe
not. He could release it tomorrow, and you’d risk countless lives for the sake
of a child who probably won’t survive anyway. I thought better of you, Dorrie.”

“I
don’t have to listen to this, and I won’t.” Dorrie clicked the button and ended
the call.

She
stood in the kitchen, trembling. Her life had sped out of control, growing
crazier by the second. She’d counted on her friend’s support. Instead, Jeanne
had added even more concerns. Dorrie wouldn’t put it past her to expose Roman’s
operation, and doom the baby for sure. Before, she’d not believed Jeanne would
ever betray her, but given the circumstances, anger might overrule reason. Her
friend didn’t have the actual proof, but any hint of impropriety at this stage
could prove disastrous. Then where would she and the baby be?

She
felt very alone. At least when Larry had died, she’d known she could count on
her best friend for support. Now, who could she turn to?

Keith
apparently still despised her for getting pregnant in the first place. One
other person remained, but she didn’t seem a viable option. Though Dorrie liked
Kelly, they hadn’t been friends that long, and she didn’t feel comfortable
confiding something so earthshaking to her. Also, Kelly had mentioned Doug’s
job didn’t pull in much salary-wise, which meant they counted on her extra
income from the Institute. It would be best not to get her involved.

The
baby kicked, reminding her she was not alone. Someone remained on her side and
very much counted.

Would
her child continue to exist? Soon it would be off the pill and on its own.
Could it survive the three month transition period without the filtered dosage?

She’d
have to think positive, a difficult thing to do with so much at stake.

***

“She’s
got the iPhone,” the squat man with the thick glasses said from behind the
metal desk in the darkened basement.

Roman
frowned. “Can’t be. Your search came up empty.”

“Apparently,
she’d stashed it somewhere, then went and got it. Here’s the surveillance
tape.”

He
tilted the screen. Roman bent to look and couldn’t believe his eyes. Pretty
Mrs. Donato had seemed so innocent, yet she’d lied about the iPhone. Not only
that, from the look on her face, she’d received a shocking revelation. He had a
good idea what it was.

This
could have been avoided if she’d played smart in the first place and given him
the iPhone. Now she’d pay for her sentimentality.

It
may not have been her original intent, but he could bet she now had access to
the formula, along with her husband’s damaging findings. Though the computer’s
screen wasn’t visible from the camera angle, judging from her fingers flying on
the keyboard, she was copying from the iPhone to the computer.

The
man returned the monitor to its original position. “You know what we’ve got to
do.”

Heart
heavy, Roman nodded. He’d grown to admire and feel close to the widow, not only
because of her looks, but also because she carried his child. He often wondered
if it would be born healthy or look like him. Given the circumstances, he may
never know. That is, unless he could salvage the situation.

“What
about the baby? It seems a waste to lose it, with only a few months left.”

“We
can’t take the chance. Use your head, pretty boy.  What’s more important?
A kid who may be a monster, or the entire operation?”

“But
the child could be the key to something huge.”

The
man shot Roman a pointed look. “I’d thought of that, but you said no tests.”

Roman
stared back. “Depends what you have in mind.”

“Can’t
tell yet.  Like I said, it could be a freak. Wouldn’t that be a twist,
your child looking more like me than the pretty boy who’d fathered it.”

“On
the other hand, what if, instead of being deficient, it turned out superhuman,
as a result of its conception cocktail?”

The
squat man rubbed his chin, then finally nodded. “It may be worth the wait.”

“Okay,
it’s settled then, right? We’ll hold off on the baby. If something untoward
happens to force the issue, we’ll move in. The video is from Sunday night. The widow
showed up this morning and behaved as usual. If she’d blabbed to the
authorities, they’d have been banging on the door by now, trying to shut us
down. Don’t forget she’s got a vested interest in keeping her mouth shut.”

“Then
why copy all of that onto her computer?”

“For
insurance. She’s probably worried she’ll lose her job and the pill if the kid’s
not normal.”  

“Maybe.
But you forget, she’s got the formula now and the ingredients aren’t hard to
find.” 

“Well,
what if I convince her the husband’s formula isn’t the current one? After the
holiday tomorrow,  I can engage her in conversation and conveniently slip
in that, because of her husband’s diligence, I’d been warned in time to prevent
a calamity.”

The
squat man smiled in approval. “Sometimes you’re more than a pretty face,
Roman.”

***

The
man slit his eyes as he watched the handsome one leave. Roman Remington’s
charismatic looks grabbed audiences. His face and body sold. His value for now
kept him safe, but only so far.

Weakness
over the widow could be Roman’s downfall. No more mistakes. He’d pretend to go
along with Roman’s wishes until it suited him otherwise. When the time came, a
broadcast would spread informing the public of the widow’s passing. So sad for
a lovely young woman to be snuffed from the face of the earth after a second
chance at life.

The
public would be aghast. She’d be a martyr for the cause, tallying more orders
dead than alive. Of course, he’d harvest the child first before anyone knew of
its existence. He’d waited long enough to be whole, and wouldn’t let the
opportunity slip through his fingers.

He
didn’t pity the widow, not after he’d been dealt such a bad hand himself. So
surprising when fate stepped in and walloped you. He’d spent years preparing to
overcome the tragic event which had stolen his looks and his life.

 On
that September day years ago, he’d gotten no warning of the tragedy awaiting
him when he’d stepped from his favorite haunt, the local library.

Back
then, a short, normal looking college freshman, owning somewhat weak eyesight
from constant reading, he still looked decent enough to get some tail whenever
he felt like it. With above average intelligence and grand ideas, he’d dreamt
of the road to riches stretching ahead.

All
that disintegrated when, instead of heading toward his Camaro, he’d taken a
deadly detour to admire a golden retriever perched in the flatbed of a truck.

Before
he could open his mouth to say hello to the dog, the placid looking animal went
vicious, lunging at him, targeting his nose, mouth and cheeks, mauling his
face.

The
physical pain and numbness were nothing compared to the mental anguish he’d
endured since. He’d consulted doctors, but to no avail. Perhaps if he’d been
wealthy, the outcome would have been different. Then again, maybe not. It would
have taken a miracle to repair the extensive damage, no matter how skilled the
plastic surgeons.

Each
successive surgery worsened his features, until he couldn’t look in the mirror
without vomiting. No wonder people turned from the sight of the short, squat
Frankenstein-ish creature who looked as if he’d stepped out of a monster movie.
He didn’t blame them.

Rage
escalated as he retreated into a self-conscious shell, completed his under grad
and post grad studies from home, and gained double Masters Degrees in Biology
and Chemistry. Not long afterward, one after another, his parents died of heart
attacks, most likely due to embarrassment and disgust at living with a monster
son.

On
his own, he fervently pursued his goal. No matter what the time and cost, he’d
be normal. The Forever Young pill resulted from his intense studies and
experiments.