Sinner watched the man stretch out on the couch across from him and for a brief moment, he considered slipping more of the pain pills into his bottle. A little overdose could do Simon a world of good.
Chapter 21
Roger waved the truck back to the rear gates and held a fist up to stop it. “Let’s get this unloaded. We still have a lot of work to do.”
He grabbed the lightweight aluminum poles and dragged them off of the flatbed of the truck. Another man gripped the rear end of the poles and helped to carry them inside. “Where do you want these, doc?”
Will shuddered at the name but pointed to the center of the courtyard. “Stack them there so we can sort them.” He stepped aside and allowed the men to carry the framework for what would soon be their arched-roof greenhouse.
“We spotted something that might come in handy while we were out there,” Roger said as he walked back for another stack of the curved pipe. “There was a gas powered lift that would go a long way towards getting the lookout station on top of the supports.”
Will’s eyes lit up. “Oh yes. Is it far?”
Roger shook his head. “Maybe a mile away. We drove by the equipment rental place so that Hank could look at a backhoe.” He grinned at the memory. “He was like a kid in a candy store. He kept talking about how it would dig out the moat so much easier.”
Will sighed animatedly. “I truly hoped he would give up on that idea. I’m afraid it’ll simply become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other pests that we wouldn’t want so close to the compound.”
“You need to convince him. I’m not big on the idea either.” Roger hefted the end of the curved pipe and lifted it from the truck. “It was fun when I thought they were just ribbing Hatcher.”
Will wiped a hand across his face and turned to look for Hank or Wally. “Well, he still thinks it’s fun. This needs to be nipped in the bud before he starts digging a mudpit.”
Roger dropped the pipe on top of the previous load and pulled his gloves off. “If you’re looking for the dynamic duo, they’re actually on their way back.” He shot Will a grin. “They’re bringing the lift.”
“Truly?”
Roger shrugged. “It really seemed like a good idea. I didn’t think you’d mind the help.”
Will nodded toward the fort. “We may need an exterminator to rid us of the wee beasties that have infected it.” He watched the kids chase each other around the wooden structure. “Perhaps once we’re done we can use the lift to extract playground equipment for them.”
Roger agreed. “They need something to burn off all of that energy. Too bad about child labor laws, huh?”
Will raised a brow at him. “Technically, I don’t think there are any laws that we don’t implement ourselves.”
Roger gave him a surprised look. “We’re still human, doc. We need to live by some set of rules.”
“True and I agree wholeheartedly. I’m simply stating that with the current state of affairs, we are our own lawmakers.”
Roger sighed. “Do you think we’ll ever get back to something close to normal?”
Will shrugged. “I would certainly hope so. Otherwise, what are we fighting for?”
Roger turned back to the truck as the men offloaded the rest of the equipment. “I think that’s it for this load. If you think we’ll need more of that clear plastic sheeting, let me know. There were two or three more rolls where that came from.”
Will eyed the roll lying on the ground and nodded. “Probably one more, assuming we restrict our waste to a minimum. I’d rather have extra for repairs down the road.”
Roger chuckled. “It’s not like that stuff goes bad, doc. I don’t see it disintegrating any time soon.”
“You’d be surprised the effect that this desert sun has on plastic. It might not biodegrade completely, but it loses its elasticity quickly and becomes opaque. We need it as clear as possible.”
Roger groaned. “I was teasing. I don’t guess they hand out sarcasm detectors in college, do they?”
Will narrowed his gaze at him. “Was that what that was?” He raised a brow. “I believe your delivery failed, Mr. Mulroney.”
“Ouch, Doc. I pride myself on my sarcasm delivery.” Roger motioned to the men and made a circular motion with his hand. “Doc says we need more. Load up.”
“And concrete; we’ll need to set those poles in something solid.”
“Got it.” Roger pulled the gate shut then turned back towards Will. “Anything else?”
“Yeah–anything to assist with gardening. Tools, fertilizer, mulch, planting pots…seeds.”
“Got it. One garden and a bunch of concrete. Sounds like a tasty salad to me.” He shot Will a wink before mounting up in the truck. “I wonder if we can find some bacon seeds. I’d kill for a BLT right about now.”
“I’m not positive I know what I’m looking at.” Carol held the film at arm’s length. “Are these all of the sequences you intend to alter?”
Broussard nodded and pointed at the film with his pen. “I’m positive that these snippets here will ‘neuter’ the virus. These over here will increase the aggressiveness, the rate of replication. And this one,” he tapped at the final section, “this one will allow the delivery to be airborne.”
Carol stared at the sequence he had circled in green. “And you’re positive that this is the only way?”
He nodded solemnly. “We’ve discussed this at length.”
“I know we have, I just…” she trailed off. “It’s very frightening.”
Broussard sat down carefully and studied her. “We could perhaps…test it first?”
She turned and gave him a wide eyed stare. “How?”
Broussard shrugged. “Ask for volunteers?”
Carol snorted and shook her head. “Would you volunteer for such a thing?”
Broussard slowly nodded and shrugged. “Oui. I would.”
“Too bad we need your noodle too much to allow it.” He looked up at
