The Leaves in Winter (6 page)

“In what way?” asked Janis.

Dropping a tip on the table, Malcolm leaned in closer. “Sometimes mercenaries make money – coming and going.” The look on Janis’ face prompted an explanation. “He’ll charge me for access. But if he’s real hungry, he’ll tell Mass what I’ve done – and charge him too.”

“You’re willing to go that route?”

“Is Riya dead?” Seething with rage, Malcolm turn to go but twisted back, his face draining blank and cold. “To get justice for her, do I have a choice?”

Chapter 4

Early evening

Mt. Pleasant,
Maryland

Faye Gardner pivoted from her open refrigerator with chilled bottles of Pinot Grigio and sparkling water in hand. Tall, blonde and lean, she sashayed to holiday music from another room. “Do the honors?”

Comfy on a stool, friend Sophia worked the cork free and refilled Faye’s glass then topped off her own Pellegrino. As the refrigerator door swung shut, an embedded TV came back into view. The old movie they were half-watching neared its end. After a sip, the credits rolled and the two of them returned to preparing dessert tapas at the kitchen island.

These were the first moments alone for the two of them since Faye’s dinner party began. As good friends, they relished the chance to share a bit of fun. And yet, they were close enough to recognize a moment of quiet awkwardness between them.

The discomfort passed quickly but left behind was a regretful realization. They were far more accustomed to workaday encounters in the lab with each other at
Fort
Detrick
– under far more serious conditions.

“I think you’re thoroughly enjoying being out of your comfort zone.”

Sophia was amused at herself for being so matter-of-fact.

Faye feigned astonishment. “I know. Why haven’t we done this before?”

“You didn’t have this house to show off.”

“You think it’s too much, don’t you. I mean, for one person.” Faye set to work piping chocolate ganache.

“I don’t know. If anything, it sends a message.”

“What? Overachiever? Conspicuous consumption? Be kind.”

“More like hopeless workaholic.” Sophia laughed. “No – it says something else, perhaps something even
more
sinister.”

“Oooh! Mysterious. I’m listening.”

Sophia’s pause belied second thoughts. “Maybe lavishing yourself with all this room is a way of saying you desperately want to fill it up.”

Faye turned coy. “Nonsense. It gives me an excuse to go find furnishings. You know what a slut I am for antiques.”

“Funny choice of words.”

“Besides, it’s a good investment.”

“Like Jacob?”

“Here we go…” Faye cast a weary eye. They’d been down this path before.

“I just want to see you happy. How many years has it been?”

Faye looked up. Outside, beyond the window, three men laughed and struggled in the cold to hang Christmas lights. Faye singled out one man in particular.

“What does it matter? He and I are like bread and butter.”

Sophia giggled her sipped drink. “Oh my God yes, creamy-dreamy – but where are all the little croutons?”

“You’re bad!” laughed Faye. She couldn’t help but glance at the pleasantly obvious poof of Sophia tummy, now four months along..

“Yes, of course! And I thought you had similar aspirations.”

“I have time.”

“Oh really. What clock are you watching?”

“It’s easier for Dave and you. You two work a building apart. Nobody travels.”

“You think that’s an accident? Making something easy doesn’t just happen.”

“Do tell…”

“Well, for one thing, unlike somebody I know, I never started dating the first traveling salesman I met on a far-flung vacation.”

“He’s not a traveling salesman.”

“Whatever he does, he travels.”

“I thought you were a romantic?”

“I am!”

“Well, wasn’t it you who said
love picks the time and place
?”

“Sure. But a true romantic wants to do more than date.”

Faye licked a dot of chocolate from her finger. “He asked me.”

“Really!” gasped Sophia.

“I just haven’t said yes.”

“When did
this
happen?”

Sporting a sly grin, Faye reached for her wine. “Two years ago.”

Sophia groaned away her heavy disappointment.

Caroline returned from the bathroom. Caroline and Jack were new neighbors from across the street. Caroline strutted into the kitchen ready to be put to work.

“What can I do to help?”

Faye pointed with her piping bag. “Serving trays are right there. We can start loading them up.”

Sophia checked the window. “Oh, look! The lights are on. The guys should be in any minute.”

As if on queue, the mud room door opened with a whoosh and clamor of male voices. After a stomp and a shake and a shedding of heavier coats, the men rejoined the party with renewed appetites. Jacob, Jack, and Dave lost no time sampling the nearly done desserts while regaling the women with their macho misadventures in the name of holiday cheer.

Jacob hugged Faye from behind. She wiggled to his touch and kept filling the serving tray. With six people in the kitchen, it was easy to be distracted by multiple conversations. Before long, the playful banter reached a crescendo.

Faye looked up, reacting to a joke, but her eyes diverted to the TV on the refrigerator door. A news bulletin flashed across the screen, along with a face she recognized. Her own smile faded. She reached for the remote control to raise the volume. Others in the kitchen took note of her concern and quieted to see what had happened.

“…the kidnapping took place in a park not far from where Janis Insworth and her daughter Alyssa have lived for the past three years. Witnesses say two men forced the thirteen-year-old into a car and sped off while her mother braved traffic to chase them down the street…”

Jacob stood at Faye’s side. “What is it?”

Faye held a stoic pose. “I know them.”

Sophia looked to Faye and caught her eye. Sophia understood more than anyone else from conversations past.

Faye raised a hand to ask everyone to wait so she could listen.

“…coming so soon after the murder of Nobel Laureate Riya Basu, this latest crime draws attention once again to New Class Order, an organization well known for its violent opposition to life-extension research. Authorities are not saying if they have evidence to prove the killing and kidnapping were committed by this same radical group, but insiders point to the timing of events and the linkage among targets to infer such a scenario is likely. NovoSenectus has released a statement expressing outrage and concern. It is offering a substantial reward for information leading to Alyssa Insworth’s safe return…”

The levity once filling the kitchen was gone. In response, Faye felt she owed her guests an explanation. She lowered the TV’s volume.

“Janis and I went to college together. For a while we worked at USAMRIID on the same project. Then we went our separate ways.”

The others waited while Faye collected her thoughts and stuffed her feelings. It was obvious her recollections were about a best friend – who wasn’t anymore.

“I met Alyssa once, years ago. She was only seven. It was strange. Janis brought her to this conference in
Geneva
…some biotech thing. I forget.”

Sophia waited to see how much Faye was willing to tell. With Jacob standing at Faye’s side, Sophia assumed the part about Colin Insworth would not be told. Such a thing would be indelicate. The fact that Janis had captured the man Faye had once loved, had baby Alyssa with him, then let him go – that was not the kind of story likely to come out at this or any other dinner party. For Sophie, if nothing else, the rawness of Faye’s emotion only reinforced the deep-seated reasons why she kept love relationships at arm’s length.

Faye lifted a dessert tray and headed for the living room. “That’s a shame. I hope everything works out. I hope they find her.”

The dinner party regrouped around the fireplace but the mood was irretrievably altered. The dessert and wine were soothing, not celebratory. As conversations drifted, issues behind the news boiled to the surface. Differences of opinion were inevitable. Everyone managed to remain civil in spite of strong opinions. Knowing where to place blame, finding the source of evil behind current events, it all came down to the way one looked at things. It was certain: nothing was going to be decided this evening, only contrary lines drawn.

“They really like going after NCO, don’t they?” noted Jack.

“Criminal tactics always detract from a valid message,” answered Dave.

“The real crime is letting everyone believe they’re going to get life extension.”

“That’s for sure. Someone really has the public snookered with that one.”

In round-robin fashion, guests added to the debate. The TV news report had touched a nerve with everyone, not just Faye. She kept quiet and suffered through the less-than-festive exchange.

“From what I hear, NovoSenectus wasn’t even looking for life extension. They stumbled on it while studying old age.”

“Whatever. I just don’t trust billionaires.”

“Even those who give away their billions?”

“What’s a billion here or there to Eugene Mass? You think he misses it?”

“Miss it or not, his MIOVAC Program gives out millions of doses of vaccine.”

“Yeah, I guess with his money he needs all the tax write-offs he can get.”

“By percentage of income, he probably gives more to charity than all of us combined.”

Caroline spoke up. “I read something the other day that said life extension was the tip of the iceberg. They’re planning all sorts of things with genetics. If you’re rich enough, your children will have it all – night vision from owls, better hearing from dogs, better muscles from cheetahs, who knows what else.”

Sophia grinned. “It’ll give a whole new meaning to being
hung like a horse
.”

Dave followed up while the laughter subsided. “The next thing to watch are
synthetic
genes. Real gonzo stuff. Sky’s the limit. Crazy shit like flame-retardant skin. Imagine being able to scoop up liquid nitrogen with your bare hand.”

Jacob eased back on the sofa. “I think the whole thing is overblown. Everything’s expensive when it’s first developed. Look at cell phones or flat-screen TVs. Not everyone could afford one when they first came out. That didn’t split up society and make a
Rich Super Class
like NCO is worried about. In time, everything gets around. It’s the economies of scale.”

“Those are economic decisions.” Jack reached for another piece of dessert. “Life extension is political. You really think the power elite are going to hand out 300 years of life to everyone in the
Third World
? Are you kidding? No way. That’s the dirty little secret they don’t advertise. They know the
Third World
is too busy surviving to watch what could happen. Those who are watching, people like us, they’ve got us believing we’ll make it into the club. We think poverty will be the only ‘pre-existing condition’ that denies
GenLET
coverage. Not so.”

“Where’s the poverty line?”

“Unfortunately for us, it depends on who draws it. You know it won’t be us.”

“Where would the elites like Mass draw it?”

“It’s not going to work if some get
GenLET
and others don’t.”

“Why not? It’s been that way for a long time. People at the top have always had advantages the rest of us don’t. Why not this?”

“It’s always been crony socialism for the rich and free enterprise for the poor.”

“When was the last time the IRS sent a member of Congress to jail for tax evasion? How many small farmers have offshore shelters to avoid estate taxes?”

Sophia tired of the debate. “Is anybody even sure they want to live 300 years? I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s hard for me to find things to do on a weekend. My God, what would I do with three centuries in my appointment calendar?”

Dave was the only one not chuckling. “Check out some of the stuff on NCO’s website. They lay it out clear as day. The perfected new world order will only have two classes – first and second.”