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“Hello.”
“Dr. Archer, this is Dr. Feldon.”
The hospital administrator. Though it was five in San Diego, that particular point was obviously no deterrent to her boss. Dani resisted the urge to groan. She wasn’t ready to talk to him just yet.
“Good morning, Dr. Feldon,” she returned, though considering the tale she’d heard from Rand and this phone call, there was nothing good about it.
“I hate to disturb you,” he said quietly, but Dani could hear the underlying tension in his voice. “I know this has been a difficult time, but I was hoping you’d reached some sort of decision by now as to when you plan to return to work.”
Dani stretched the phone cord and dropped into a chair at the kitchen table. She squeezed her eyes shut. Dr. Feldon wanted her final decision. And since he hadn’t called even once during the past two weeks, chances were he was through waiting patiently.
“I completely sympathize with your loss,” he went on, distress joining the tension in his tone, “and I don’t want to have to rush you, but the board is on my case. Your leave of absence runs out next week and I need to know if you’re coming back.”
A heavy silence settled between them. Dani could picture him sitting behind his desk, the phone clutched to his ear and the fingers of his free hand doing an annoying little drumming routine on his blotter pad. She knew he hadn’t looked forward to making this call any more than she’d looked forward to receiving it, but he had every right to know her plans.
“I’m sorry I haven’t called you already, Dr. Feldon,” she told him sincerely. She should have. “But to be honest with you, I’ve been putting it off.”
“Look, Dani,” he said, dropping formality. “I know your father was the only family you had and that the two of you were very close, but life does go on. You must know that you can’t hide from it forever.” He sighed. “From what you’ve told me about your father, he wouldn’t want you to. I went out on a limb by granting this extended leave to a resident. You’re an excellent doctor and I don’t want to lose you. But I can’t put this off any longer.”
“I understand. I’ll give you my decision no later than the end of this week. Thank you for your patience, Dr. Feldon.” He had been good to her and she’d taken advantage by putting off the call he’d expected last week.
He agreed and they exchanged goodbyes. Dani moved back to the counter and hung the receiver in its cradle. A fresh wave of emptiness and loss washed over her, leaving behind a shoulder load of indecision.
She wanted to go back to her life. She really did…but she just couldn’t seem to work up the initiative. She slumped into her chair and propped her chin in her hands. Her work fulfilled her professionally. She loved the hospital at which she’d been lucky enough to be invited to do her residency. But things were different now. Nothing felt right anymore. Once she was back on the west coast, how often would she manage to get back here? Her dad had been the incentive more than the place. He was gone now. What would become of her horses? Rand and Cal would gladly exercise them, but it wasn’t the same.
She glanced at the muffins and coffee waiting for her. Her appetite had died. Just like everything else in her life. First, her mother, when she had been only ten years old, and now, her father. It just wasn’t fair. As an only child, she had no one left. Her mother had been an only child as well. Both her grandparents on her mother’s side had passed away before Dani was born. The few living relatives she had left were on her father’s side, and he’d been estranged from his family since he’d married her mother more than thirty years ago. She barely knew their names.
The bottom line was, she was alone. She’d never felt that way before…not once. Though her father’d had a demanding position with the government, he’d always managed to be there for her. He’d seen that she was educated in the best private schools near his work so that they could be together as much as possible, and her nanny had proven more second mother than hired help. She’d died, too, shortly after Dani’s graduation from medical school.
She looked around the big old country-style kitchen and exhaled a weary sound. This place was all she had left of the life she’d shared with her father. They’d spent every holiday and vacation here since she was twelve. He’d bought the mini horse ranch for the sole purpose of nudging her back into riding. Oh, he’d said that it would be his retirement home, and it had been, but Dani knew the real reason he’d bought the place. She’d given up riding after her mother’s death. Horses had been Lorna Archer’s passion. She’d ridden like the wind and Dani had loved riding with her. Riding had been their special time.
After her mother’s accident, Dani had thought she might never ride again. But her father and this place had helped her put that hurt behind her. They’d both come to love the twenty acres nestled against the foothills of Virginia mountains and miles away from the nearest signs of civilization.
After his retirement just six months ago, her father had sold his Georgetown apartment and moved here permanently. The plan was he’d be here full time and she’d take every possible long weekend and all of her vacation time to be with him. To escape the hectic pace of city life. To get back into riding again. For her last birthday he’d bought her two new horses. The gelding she’d loved as a teenager had had to be put down last year. She’d been devastated and swore she would never own another. She didn’t have time for riding anyway, she’d rationalized. But when her father had introduced her to the beautiful animals, she’d fallen in love instantly. Life was right again.
Then her father had died. She closed her eyes and tried to force away the horrible memories. A freak accident, they’d called it. He’d fallen off the barn where he’d been nailing down a piece of loose metal roofing and broken his neck. She couldn’t imagine what had possessed him to attempt the work himself. In the past, he’d always called a local handyman. But not this time. And now she was alone. Who would help her put this hurt behind her?
There was no one.
“Enough, Archer,” she scolded as she got to her feet. She had a decision to make. And chores to do.
That was the good thing about running a ranch on her own, even a small one. There was always plenty she had to do. Cal and Rand had offered time and again to give her a hand, but she preferred doing the work herself. It gave her a sense of purpose.
Not to mention that it occupied her mind.
She shut off the coffeepot and poured the steaming brew down the drain. The muffins she stored in the bread keeper in case she got hungry later. She rinsed the white porcelain sink and dried her hands. There was no point in rehashing what might have been. As much as she’d love to, she couldn’t bring her father back.
Returning to her job in California was the right thing to do. It was what her father would want her to do. The training she would receive at such a renowned learning hospital was priceless. Then she could settle back here and take Doc’s place when he retired, if she still wanted to when the time came. Her father and Doc, the small community’s only physician, had plotted that career choice for her years ago. They’d teased her that no one else would ever be good enough to replace Doc but her.
She wasn’t sure she could do that now. She wasn’t sure of anything anymore.
Whatever she decided to do, a few years at Mercy General would be a tremendous boost to her skill level. Mercy was known far and wide for its cutting-edge technology and for pushing the envelope where research and patient care were concerned. Whether she was a small-town doctor or worked in a larger hospital, she wanted to be the best she could be.
Besides, this wasn’t the kind of opportunity one walked away from. She recognized that fact, even if she hadn’t wanted to think about leaving the home she and her father loved so much. He would want her to get on with her life. It was time.
“Past time,” she told herself firmly.
She should just call Dr. Feldon back and tell him she would return to work a week from Monday. He would be relieved and so would she. No point in prolonging the inevitable. Ten days was plenty of time to finish her business here and close up the house. Cal and Rand would take care of the horses. All she had to do was firm up the deal. Doc, Cal and Rand would drop by and check on the place regularly. There was no reason for her to stay. No reason at all.
Except that she felt close to her father here. And his death just didn’t sit right with her. No matter that two weeks had passed, she still felt disconnected…unsettled. Maybe that feeling would never go away as long as she was here. Maybe that was the whole problem. Dani paused in the entry hall and studied the collage of framed photographs lovingly placed on the table there. Tears welled in her eyes as her gaze moved from one precious memory to the other. She might never be whole again until she put all this behind her.
Putting off the inevitable even one more day would be irresponsible. Her father was gone and she missed him terribly. But, Dr. Feldon was right. Life does go on.
It was time for her to join the living again.
She could start by making that call.
THE TELEPHONE RANG. He didn’t want to answer. He knew who it would be. But he had to. Otherwise he might just end up dead, too.
“Hello,” he said trying hard to hide his fear.
“Tell me you’ve found it,” the voice on the other end of the line snapped.
“I’ve looked everywhere. I can’t—”
“I don’t want to hear excuses! Didn’t you read your paper yesterday? Thurlo is dead. How long do you think it’ll be before they send someone for one of us?”
He scrubbed a shaky hand over his face. He’d read the paper all right. “I’m doing my best—”
“That isn’t good enough.” The accusation was a savage growl. “You find that file or we’re both dead. You don’t make deals like this and then drag your feet. They won’t wait much longer.”
They. If Center didn’t kill him, they probably would.
“I’ll find it.” It was all he could think to say. It was what he had to do. He didn’t need reminding.
“Call me the instant you find it.”
“I will.”
“And don’t forget, I want all loose ends tied up. She is your problem. Do what you have to.”
“I understand.”
He hung up the phone and closed his eyes. Dear God, what had he done? His eyes opened and he squared his shoulders as reality seared through him. He’d done what he had to.
He swallowed back the vile taste of self-loathing.
And he’d do it again.
Whatever the cost.
Chapter Three
Ghost Mountain
Center
O’Riley looked up from his desk. Dupree stood in his doorway. A surge of adrenaline disrupted the calm rhythm of his heart. “You have something?” If it was another reason they should assume Adam was dead, O’Riley might just snatch the Colt .45 from his middle desk drawer and shoot the depressingly anal-retentive pencil pusher right where he stood.
Dupree flipped through the pages of the status report in his hand as if he needed to quickly review what he was about to say. O’Riley wasn’t going to like it, otherwise Dupree wouldn’t be stalling.
“The rental car has been recovered.”
Damn. “And?”
“The guy who stole it says it was a simple robbery. He and his friends set it up to look as if a woman with a small child had had engine trouble. Apparently they’ve done this on that particular stretch of road before. The local authorities have been trying to catch them for months.” Dupree swallowed hard. “Anyway, a man matching Adam’s description stopped to see if he could help and they overtook him.”
O’Riley lifted a skeptical brow. “Overtook him?” That was highly unlikely. Enforcers had heightened senses; they weren’t easily overtaken.
“The two men had guns,” Dupree hastened to explain.
A bad feeling welled in O’Riley’s chest. “Did they kill him?”
Dupree shrugged. “We don’t know for certain. Apparently, they worked him over pretty good with a tire iron and left him for dead in a ravine. Recon is already on their way to the site. We should know something within the hour.”
“Keep me posted,” O’Riley said by way of dismissal.
Dupree offered a curt nod and took his leave.
Fury whipped through O’Riley. Every instinct told him that Adam was alive. He glanced at the digital clock on his desk, the one his ex-wife had given him for a divorce present. She’d said it was to remind him of what he’d given up by spending all his time at work. He wondered if anyone would ever know just how much he’d sacrificed. O’Riley leaned back in his chair and banished thoughts of the woman he’d loved and lost. He missed her, that was true enough. But this was his life. She hadn’t understood that simple fact. He doubted anyone other than the people involved with Center would ever understand. But on days like this he wondered…
He shook off the foolish sentiment—5:05 p.m. He would have an update on Adam in the next sixty minutes. Between now and then, he had another matter to follow up on—the search for Joseph Marsh, Center’s other traitor in all this. Wherever that son of a bitch was, O’Riley wanted him found and executed, after a proper interrogation, of course. Although it had taken someone close to Archer on a personal level to achieve the ultimate goal, O’Riley had a feeling that responsibility for Daniel Archer’s death lay squarely on Marsh’s shoulders. Why else would Marsh disappear so abruptly?
If Adam were dead, considering what they had so far, they couldn’t connect that to Marsh. Still, O’Riley had every intention of seeing that he paid dearly for whatever he had done.
All O’Riley had to do was find him.
Virginia
Archer Ranch
BY DARK that evening, Dani had accomplished more than she had in the past twelve days. Her father’s personal belongings were now packed in cedar-lined boxes and stored in his room.
She’d tried to start organizing things the day after he was buried, but she hadn’t gotten very far. Fierce emotions would keep her from returning to the task for days at a time. Now, it was finally finished. All that her father had been was now carefully stored away for safekeeping. She couldn’t bring herself to donate his clothing. Though he’d had elegant taste and there were surely people who could benefit from his wardrobe, she just couldn’t part with anything yet. As long as his things were here, it was as if he might somehow walk through the front door again. As if a part of him remained.
Dani stood in the middle of his study now and wondered if she could handle doing any part of this room today. The last time she’d tried, a couple of days ago, she’d ended up on a crying jag that lasted for hours. Firming her resolve, she surveyed the room. She couldn’t fathom any reason to disturb his books. Rich wood shelving lined three walls, leaving room only for the door, while windows that looked out over the grazing pastures, the big red barn right off the pages of a New England calendar and the evergreen mountains beyond lined the fourth. Everything was just as he’d left it.
The books, plaques and awards would stay as they were, she decided. She stared morosely at his antique mahogany desk and the framed photograph that held a place of honor there. She didn’t have to pick it up and look at it. She knew it well. It was the last picture taken of her mother. Dani had been ten. They’d gone fishing and she’d caught her first fish. Two days later, her mother was dead.
Fighting back the tears, Dani forced her attention back to the problem at hand. Sorting through his office. She would leave most everything, just not the files. Especially this file. She stared at the odd little electronic storage stick in her hand, still confused by what it contained. She’d never known him to use this sort of storage. The stick was about two inches long and looked like the ones used in digital cameras, which, when inserted into the right plug in one’s computer, held the downloaded images captured by the camera. Most of his files were stored on the usual disks and CDs and locked away safely in the basement. He’d ensured that his personal research files from his life’s work were properly safeguarded when he retired. Order had been her father’s middle name. Everything had its place. But this one file…it just didn’t make sense—in more ways than one.
After skirting the large desk, she settled into the soft leather chair and loaded it onto the computer. She’d retrieved it from its original hiding place and brought it into the office with her now to decide what to do with it. She scrolled through a couple of screens that were labeled the Eugenics Project. Like the ones in the basement vault it was encrypted and dated. But unlike the others, which corresponded with the early years of his career, the date on this one was recent. Why would her father have been working on another government program? He was retired. Maybe he’d been consulting? She supposed that was a possibility.
At the funeral, Mr. O’Riley, her father’s former director, had said that he hadn’t talked to him in months. And her father certainly wouldn’t have been discussing a top secret government program with anyone except those with proper clearance. And this project was clearly marked Top Secret. Even stranger, she’d found this odd little file hidden inside the vacuum cleaner. If she hadn’t thought the bag was full she would never have opened the canister and checked. The vault in the basement was for safekeeping his work and other personal documents, such as his will, the deed to the property, etc. Why hide this one in the vacuum cleaner, of all places? None of it made sense.
At first, she’d felt certain that he’d put the file there ages ago and forgotten about it. But the creation date on the file, as well as the day and time stamp on the single recorded call on the audiotape, indicated October second of this year, which negated that idea. The file had been stored in its unlikely hiding place the day before her father died. She hadn’t found it until three days ago when she’d gone on a cleaning frenzy. Dani had scanned a couple of screens and realized that the information was off limits. She hadn’t looked at it again until now—not that she could make head or tail of it anyway since it was encrypted. A couple of times she’d considered calling Mr. O’Riley, but for one reason or another she hadn’t gotten around to it.
The audiotape was a minicassette, like the ones used in the dinosaur of an answering machine right here on her father’s desk. Her father’s personal answering machine, as well as the wall phone in the kitchen, was far from the newest technology.
Dani dragged her fragmented thoughts away from the past and refocused on the tape. Knowing the cryptic call had come in the day before her father’s accident made her feel oddly uneasy. The man, whose voice she didn’t recognize, had sounded almost frantic. As if on autopilot she put the tape into the machine and pressed the play button to listen to it again now. She didn’t know why she tortured herself.
“Archer, call me ASAP. It’s extremely important. It’s about the Eugenics Project. I think we’re in trouble.”
The caller had left a number but no name. On impulse, Dani had called the number the first time she’d listened to the tape. She’d gotten a computerized voice mail requesting that she leave a message. She had. She’d informed the caller that her father had passed away, but that she had the file he’d called about if he still wanted it. She left her name and number and suggested that he call her back as soon as possible. After all, she did have a life to get back to, even if she had been putting off making her decision. She recognized that she couldn’t stay holed up here forever. It was well past time she finished with the task of settling her father’s affairs. And yet, she was still here…putting off what she realized with complete certainty she needed to do.
In the three days since she’d left the message, though, no one had returned her call about the file. Oddly, she’d immediately regretted making that call. The file was marked Top Secret…she wasn’t even supposed to have been looking at it. Her father had never involved her in his work. He wouldn’t want her involved in it now, but she’d felt compelled to settle all his affairs. She sighed. She didn’t want to let him down…not in any way. She hadn’t meant to violate security. She had no way of knowing if the caller was even cleared for viewing the file…but then, he’d called it by name. Maybe she was making this harder than it needed to be. She had a responsibility to settle her father’s affairs.
Dani picked up the receiver and entered the string of numbers again. The same computerized voice asked her to leave a message. She hung up.
I think we’re in trouble.
She’d worked hard not to tack too much significance to that statement. It might not mean anything. But why were the file and the tape hidden in such a manner? If her father hadn’t been consulting on a project, then what had he been doing? If she knew the caller’s name, that would help. The whole situation was too cloak-and-daggerish.
Dani shoved her fingers into her hair and massaged her aching skull. She did not want to think along those lines. Her father had been a loyal, highly respected civil servant. The sheer number of plaques and certificates in this very room attested to that. He was much loved by his counterparts. She had attended several social functions where he was the man of the hour. His research, though top secret, was, from all indications, unparalleled. She’d been there for his retirement party. Everybody had loved Daniel Archer. There was no reason to believe differently now.
I think we’re in trouble.
Why did her instincts have to start plaguing her now? Her father had died two weeks ago. If he’d been involved in anything risky, she would have known it by now. O’Riley would have told her.
What was she thinking? She gave herself a good mental scolding. If her father was involved in a government project, then it was on the up-and-up, end of subject.
Dani started to push away from the desk, but something in her peripheral vision snagged her attention. The final line of text on the screen. Termination. A frown tugged at her mouth. The information on the first few screens had been encrypted, but this part wasn’t. She scrolled down a little farther. She quickly read the text. It was a report by Joseph Marsh, an old colleague of her father’s. She vaguely recognized the name. Why hadn’t she looked this far before? She exhaled a weary breath. Because it had been marked Top Secret. Her father had long ago ingrained in her the relevance of security measures. Besides, she had assumed it would all be encrypted.
Uneasiness stirred again in the pit of her stomach as she read the report a second time. It was about an animal training program and its possible termination. But phrases such as most imperative, life-altering and frightening consequences were used. Studying the screen more closely, she decided it was a faxed report her father had scanned into the file. Squinting to make out the tiny print along the edge of the scanned page, she also saw that the sending telephone number was the same as the one on the tape. I think we’re in trouble. This only confused her further. Was the caller Joseph Marsh? She searched her memory banks in an effort to remember his face or if she’d even met him before. Nothing came to her.
Her first thought when considering animal training was dogs or horses. Was the government using inhumane training procedures? If so, what did it have to do with her father? He was a scientist specializing in human genetic engineering. He didn’t train animals.
She stilled. Could her father have discovered that some sort of immoral genetic engineering was taking place using animals? She could definitely see him fighting to ensure the termination of a program he believed was wrong. The frown reached her forehead, etching deep furrows there. If that were the case, he would have gone to any lengths to stop it. He definitely wouldn’t have hidden the file or acted in secret. He would have gone straight to O’Riley. Her father had been a strong man. He would never have hidden his beliefs or his actions. Unless…
This couldn’t have anything to do with his accident…
Her heart pounded a little harder in her chest. She shook her head. No. That was ludicrous…unthinkable. She wasn’t generally the type to think along conspiracy lines.
This couldn’t be anything like that. No. It was ridiculous to even consider. She was tired, that’s all. The lingering smell of cherry blend pipe tobacco and sandalwood aftershave she’d endured while packing away her father’s personal belongings had her nerves raw. She needed something to eat and a long, hot bath. Now that she thought about it, the day had passed without her taking a break. She’d been too upset this morning to eat the muffins she’d gone to the trouble to make…had worked through lunch. No wonder she was so tired. Her body needed fuel.
She quickly closed the file and removed the storage stick from the computer. She started to drop both the stick and the tape into one of the desk drawers, but something she couldn’t quite name, a feeling, made her hesitate. Instead, she removed the tape from the machine, turned off the brass lamp and headed into the entry hall. She opened the door to the hall closet and knelt next to the vacuum cleaner. Carefully, she replaced the file and the tape where her father had hidden them.
“This is totally nuts,” she chastised herself softly as she got back to her feet and closed the door.
