Studying the results of Tess’s lab results hadn’t gotten him very far. The new drug eluded him. Its properties were so similar to Thorazine that it could be its twin. But there were still some structural differences that told him the effects on Tess would be different. Along with the concoction of other drugs, the effects would be devastating.
He reached up and rubbed his eyes, a flash of annoyance ripping through him. What made him think any of this would be of any help to Tess now? He dropped into his desk chair. How could he get into the bottom portion of the lab without being seen?
He had stood up to pace again when the door to his office opened and his secretary, Alice, stuck her head in.
“Morning, boss,” she greeted him. “Sorry, I wasn’t here when you arrived, but I had some errands to run.”
“Not a problem.” He wanted to pump her for information, but he wasn’t sure how much he could trust her.
She tilted her head and gave him an inquiring look. “You look perplexed. Something I can get you?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m fine.”
She raised an eyebrow and then started to close the door again. “Okay, I’ll be out here if-”
“Alice?”
She opened the door again, her expression expectant.
“Do you know what kind of research they’re conducting in the lower labs-the ones that are off-limits to everyone else on the first two floors?”
“No, and I don’t want to, either.” Alice glanced over her shoulder as if worried that someone might overhear. “Tammi-she works over in data processing-told me she thought they were fooling around with anthrax and the Ebola virus.” She frowned and her voice dropped to a hush. “You don’t think that’s true, do you? I mean, if anything happened, we’d all be killed.”
Ryan leaned against his desk. “It seems unlikely. But then again, everything is pretty hush-hush around here. Have you ever talked to any of the staff that works in those labs?”
Alice shook her head. “They seem to be on a different shift from us. I’m not sure if they even enter the research center the same way we do. From what I’ve heard, they have their own elevator-they enter through the doors at the back of the center. By the loading dock.”
Ryan figured that her information made a lot of sense. From what he’d been able to tell, the elevator in the main portion of the center didn’t even go to the sublevels. And the stairs he used to get to the second floor didn’t go down below the first floor.
“Guess there isn’t much I can do about it even if that’s what they’re doing. Jobs aren’t easy to come by here in Half Moon,” Alice grumbled. “And none of them pay as well as this one.”
Ryan nodded. He knew Alice had a son, a three-year-old, who she was raising alone. From what he’d been able to gather, she’d had him when she was seventeen, which he instinctively knew made life harder for her.
“If you want, I could ask Brian if he knows what’s going on down there.”
Ryan knew she was referring to her boyfriend, a computer geek who worked in the computer-data complex. “You think he knows anything?”
“Brian’s not the type to take things at face value.” She laughed nervously. “He has an insatiable curiosity. He’s been snooping-trying to figure out a way to find out what’s going on down there. I don’t know how he did it, but a few days ago he figured out a way to code his security badge so he can go down there-to the sublevels. He wants to look around.”
Ryan felt a stir of excitement. “Do you think he’d recode my badge if you asked?”
Alice looked surprised that he’d make such a request. “I guess he could. You want me to ask him tonight?”
“Any chance he’s in his office right now?”
Alice looked slightly flustered. “Now? This minute?”
Ryan nodded.
“I-I guess so. You want me to give him a call?”
He stood up. “Let’s walk down and talk to him face-to-face.”
If the guy knew how to reprogram the security badges, Ryan didn’t intend to waste any more time. He needed to convince Brian that he had to get down into the lower labs today. Tess was waiting for him, and he was determined not to forget his promise not to abandon her. He refused to leave her in the hands of the person she feared most in the world-her father.
He only hoped he’d reach her in time.
Chapter Nine
Less than an hour later, with one newly programmed security badge in his hand and another in the pocket of his lab coat, Ryan slid his card into the security slot next to the bank of elevators leading to the subbasement labs. The extra card in his pocket would hopefully serve as Tess’s ticket to freedom-if he was able to locate her in the labyrinth of labs occupying the lower levels.
Alice’s boyfriend had given Ryan a quick rundown of what he knew about the subbasement setup. They had studied a series of computer blueprints, agreeing that Tess was probably being held on Sub Level 5. The diagrams seemed to indicate that Level 5 was made up of several secure cubicles-sufficient security to house prisoners. There was no doubt in Ryan’s mind that Tess was Flynn’s prisoner.
He held his breath as the security system scanned his card, matching his photo and coding to the computer scan of his face. The wait seemed overly long and Ryan itched with anticipation, waiting for alarms to sound or a heavy hand to clamp down on his shoulder. But a few seconds later, a green light flashed, and the elevator doors slid silently open.
He stepped inside, relieved to find the cubicle empty. He punched the button for Sub Level 5, forcing himself not to fidget, acutely aware of the dual cameras mounted in the front and back of the elevator, watching his every move.
The elevator moved smoothly downward, the lights overhead blinking their descent. Ryan breathed a sigh of relief, figuring he was home free. But then, the elevator slowed. The panel overhead indicated they were stopping at Sub Level 3. He was going to have company. He moved to the back of the stall, lowering his head.
The doors slid open and two men, engaged in a lively debate and dressed in crisp white lab coats, stepped on board. Both nodded absently to him but kept on with their exchange, arguing about some recent data recorded on a clipboard one of the men held. Ryan kept his nod brief and distant. He didn’t want to find himself pulled into their conversation.
One man stabbed the button for Sub Level 6 but then quickly pressed a finger on the Door Open button. He glanced apologetically in Ryan’s direction. “Sorry. Our colleague is right behind us.”
Ryan nodded politely, but clenched his back teeth hard enough to crack them. Damn, just his luck. The longer he was in their company, the better the chance that he’d be discovered as an imposter.
The man with the clipboard turned slightly toward him. “You new?” he asked.
Oh great, a conversationalist.
“Started a few weeks ago.” Ryan kept his tone flat, uninterested. Hopefully the guy would take the cue and realize he wasn’t interested in socializing.
No such luck. “What department are you in?”
Anxiety raced through Ryan’s veins. Now what? His gaze brushed across the computer printout sheet on the man’s clipboard. “I work in Research and Design.”
Both men groaned. “Oh, so you’re the one who tortures all of us with this crap.”
“Yeah, that’s me.” Ryan shifted positions and jerked his head toward the corridor. “You think your friend is coming any time soon? I have a few people expecting me downstairs, and I sure hate to be late when I’m one of the new guys.” He added a smile in an attempt to take the sting out of his complaint.
The quiet guy leaned forward and glanced down the hallway. He shook his head and the talkative one snorted in disgust. “The hell with him.” He took his finger off the Open button and hit the Down button. “Ya snooze, you lose.”
