Page 27 of Night Watch
Clay gave a firm nod, and Erik turned to look at the back wall. Made of glass, it divided the large space. A small reception or maybe administration area sat in front of the wall. A desk, tall metal file cabinet, and side chair took up the space. A business phone, computer, and stack of unopened mail sat on the tidy desk.
Clay strode to the glass wall and looked into the lab area. “Some of the same equipment Sierra and Maya use, but I have no idea what anything is.”
“I’m sure Sierra’s told us, but…” Erik shrugged. Not a one of the guys had ever had any interest in science when she’d been all over it since grade school.
A glass door opened to a small vestibule, which then led into the lab space. A shower was set up in the corner, and a sticker on the door read,Authorized Biosafety Level 2 Lab.Even with the set up, he could still smell chemicals lingering in the air.
“Level four’s the top and most restrictive rating.” Clay joined Erik. “At least I think that’s what Sierra said.”
“They’re dealing with counterfeit drugs, and they can be cut with anything. Even fentanyl, which can be fatal just by touching a small amount.”
“Yeah. Right. Makes sense. Fentanyl’s nothing to mess around with.”
Erik turned to the side wall, where he found a small bathroom and a second exit. “We have two exits here too.”
“I don’t see anything that would stop us from letting Kennedy come to work.”
“Yeah, me neither,” Erik grumbled.
“Hey, it’s good news. Don’t sound so disappointed.” Clay eyed him. “Right. You still have a thing for her.”
“Maybe,” Erik admitted.
“If your disappointment in this assessment says anything, it’s not a maybe.” Clay led the way to their SUV.
Erik climbed into the driver’s seat. “I can control it.”
“Can you? ’Cause, man, with the way I felt about Toni, if her life was in danger, I couldn’t.”
Erik gunned the engine. “I’m not going to be told to stand down.”
“I’m not telling you that. Just wanting you to admit that you have an issue so you can deal with it.”
Erik pulled out of the parking lot, spitting gravel behind him. His brother was right, but Erik wasn’t ready to accept that he wasn’t over Kennedy. That gave her power over him when he didn’t want to be so vulnerable. Not ever again. But he also wouldn’t turn his back on her or let his brothers take charge. He felt a personal responsibly for her safety, and he would see this through to the end no matter the cost to his emotions.
Kennedy sighed contentedly. This was right. The place she was meant to be when she wasn’t in the water. The lab. Her second home. Both places sealed out the public and left her on her own. Even the chemical odors comforted her. Sure, Erik was just on the other side of the glass wall going through the files and computers. And he’d also emptied the mini fridge and trash cans for food and drink containers that could’ve potentially been used to give her mother the overdose of medicine. He’d loaded the items in their vehicle, and he would have Maya analyze it all.
Kennedy hoped Maya located the meds so the question of whether her mother was murdered or not was answered. She also hoped Erik would find the information he sought on her mom’s contract, and it would explain everything about her finances. What he wasn’t going to find was any evidence that her mother was corrupt. Of course not.
Or was she?
Had her mom been involved when her dad had handled the accounting for the scammer? Kennedy had never asked. Why would she? There was no point twenty-plus years later. Her family had been upright citizens. Some might say a model family. And look at her doubting her parents. She had no reason to. No reason at all. There would be logical explanations for the money.
She shook her head to clear out the doubts and focused on her work. She’d inserted her arms into holes in a glass-fronted class 3 biosafety containment cabinet. Long, heavy gloves were attached to the holes inside the cabinet. She also wore a positive pressure personal suit for protection from powders, a face shield, and non-porous gloves inside the outer protective gloves attached to the suit. All to keep her safe from the drugs she was evaluating.
Overkill for sure, but all it took was seven hundred micrograms of fentanyl to kill, just a half dozen grains or so. Plus, fentanyl sold on the street was almost always made in clandestine labs. It wasn’t as pure as the pharmaceutical version. Meant the effect on the body could be more unpredictable.
A knock sounded on the glass behind her, and she swiveled to see Erik holding up a yellow envelope. He pressed the intercom button. “This was in the mail. Addressed to your mom. The colored envelope caught my attention.”
“Do you think it’s something I need to look at?”
He nodded. “We should open everything in the mail. I just brought this one to your attention because it seems like it might be personal. Want me to bring it in to you?”
“I’ll come get it. Meet me at the inner door.” She pulled her arms free and pushed her chair back. She wouldn’t be leaving the room, so she didn’t need to remove her protective clothing or take a shower.
She opened the door just a fraction, and Erik gave her the envelope.
“Thanks.” She immediately closed the door to keep from spreading any contamination from her work and looked at the envelope. The bright yellow color would be hard to miss in the mail. The flap was taped closed.
