Orchid

—?'

'It's a long story. I'll tell you on the way.' Rafe started toward the door.

'On the way to where?'

'The headquarters of ParaSyn Research.'

Selby took a hesitant step and then ground to a halt. 'I don't understand.'

'I know.' Rafe paused in the doorway. 'We'll have to make a stop at my house. I need to get some stuff off the computer. Are you coming with me?'

'Not until you explain some things.'

'Such as?'

Selby gathered himself. 'Such as why you insist on going to ParaSyn. If something has happened to my wife, we have to go to the police.'

'I don't think we have time to call the cops. Orchid might survive for a while because Bracewell thinks he needs her. But he has no use for Briana. He may decide to get rid of her as quickly as possible.'

Selby's face worked. 'Oh, Christ. Oh, Christ. Briana. He wouldn't dare hurt her.'

'Don't bet on it. He's already killed a couple of times.'

'Oh, Christ.' Selby took a hesitant step toward the door. 'But how do you know he took Briana to ParaSyn?'

'I'm not positive that he did. But I think it's a good place to start looking.' Rafe led the way outside into the darkening twilight.

Selby stumbled through the doorway, automatically closing it behind him. He followed Rafe downstairs to the Acer as if he were in a daze and got into the passenger seat.

He sat staring through the windshield while Rafe pulled away from the curb.

After a while Selby moistened his lips. 'ParaSyn is a major corporation. A reputable laboratory. I've got stock in the company, for God's sake.'

'You may want to think about dumping it.' Rafe accelerated swiftly down the street. 'I got rid of all the shares in the Synergy Fund this morning.'

'What in hell makes you believe that someone at ParaSyn took Briana and Orchid?'

'Among other things, this makes me believe it.' Rafe reached into his pocket and removed the small object he had found on the floor in Orchid's house. He handed it to Selby.

'It's a pen.' Selby looked up, more puzzled than ever. 'I don't get it. What's the big deal about a pen?'

'Take a closer look.'

Selby peered at the pen as if it were a strange alien artifact. 'Oh, Christ. It's got the ParaSyn logo on it. You think whoever took Briana and Orchid dropped it?'

'Yes.'

'Ransom. They'll probably want money.'

'I don't think so.'

'Oh, Christ.' Selby sagged back into his seat. 'What can we do?'

Rafe whipped the Acer around the corner and increased speed. 'We can find Orchid and Briana.'

'ParaSyn's a huge lab.' Selby shook his head, dazed. 'How do we find them in a facility that big? Assuming they're even there in the first place.'

'Like I said, we're going to stop by my place first. I've got a lot of details about ParaSyn on file in the Synergy Fund data base.'

'Why would you have that kind of information available?'

'Because I never take a position in a stock unless I've researched it thoroughly. I've got all the details of the ParaSyn campus, including plans of the labs, mechanical layouts, the works. I've also got information on the security setup.'

Selby blinked a couple of times. Behind the lenses of his glasses, his eyes narrowed. 'My God. I see what you mean by thorough. Do you always do business that way?'

'Always.'

'Not that it seems very important at the moment, but tell me something. Do I even stand a chance at the annual board meeting?'

Rafe hesitated. 'No.'

'I could have done it if you hadn't come back.'

'Yes.'

'Why did you?'

Rafe glanced at him. 'It was time.'

'I see.' Selby gazed through the windshield at the gathering shadows. 'It'll be dark soon. ParaSyn will be closed for the day.'

'Don't worry,' Rafe said. 'I do my best work at night.'

Orchid was aware of the smell of the place first. She remembered it all too well. That sterile, mechanical, cean-room smell that dominated the labs and halls at ParaSyn. Beneath it was the faint odor of chemicals and instruments. The heavily conditioned air had a stale, antiseptic taint.

Fear wafted through her. It was followed by the cleansing rush of anger. Strange how odors could trigger such strong emotions, she thought.

The next thing she noticed was the temperature of the room. A few degrees too cool for comfort. That, too, brought back unpleasant memories.

She hated this place.

Someone moaned beside her. Orchid opened her eyes. Her head swam. The after effects of the anesthetic gas, she thought.

Bright lab lights glared down on her from the acoustically baffled ceiling. To her right she could see a long lab bench laden with machines and instruments. She realized she was lying on a small, narrow gurney.

Fear pounded through her again, driving out even the anger for a moment. Some of the most severely disturbed talents bad been brought from the locked syn-psych ward on gurneys like this one.

She struggled wildly for a few seconds and managed to sit up. But when she tried to slide off the gurney she discovered that her right wrist was fastened to one of the metal rails with a plastic cuff.

A burst of adrenaline helped to clear her head a little.

Another moan drew her attention. She looked over her shoulder and saw Briana on a second gurney. She, too, was secured with a padded cuff.

'Briana?' Orchid kept her voice to a whisper. 'Briana, wake up. We've got to get out of here.'

Briana stirred restlessly, as though caught in a bad dream.

'Briana.'

Briana's eyelids fluttered and then opened. She blinked several times, sluggishly. 'Orchid?' Her voice sounded thick.

'Yes, it's me. Don't talk too loud.'

'Where are we?'

'ParaSyn Research.' Orchid studied the neat array of equipment on a nearby lab bench. 'We've got to find something we can use to cut through these cuffs.'

'I don't understand.'

'We've been kidnapped.' Orchid managed to slide gingerly off the gurney. She clung to the rail when her knees threatened to give way. 'I don't think the bastard meant for them to take you. But you were there when they came for me.'

'Who are you talking about?' Briana asked just as a door opened.

Orchid turned awkwardly. A familiar figure trotted into her range of vision. He had a clipboard tucked under one arm.

'Miss Adams is referring to me, I believe.' Gilbert Bracewell smiled his jolly elfin smile. 'Allow me to introduce myself. Dr. Gilbert Bracewell, director of research here at ParaSyn. At your service.'

'Little sonovabitch.' Orchid clung to the gurney. 'I never did like you.'

'Naturally, I'm crushed to learn that, but I'll get over it, I'm sure.' Gilbert chuckled. 'I'm delighted to have you back here at ParaSyn, my dear. When you and the others walked out on the ice-prism experiments you ruined a