Page 11 of Resolution
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Dinner that evening was at Les and Devora’s apartment and Melly had no chance to tell her husband about the day’s events. They made their way upstairs to the other couple’s equally tiny apartment to find Tamsyn already there and Devora and her young daughter both crying.
“If this is a bad time we can reschedule,” Melly said the minute she crossed the threshold and saw how upset her hostess was. Jeff echoed her remark.
“No, please stay, we’ve been wanting to talk to you about some stuff,” Devora said, wiping the tears off her cheeks. “Let me get Jenny settled and then I’ll be fine, truly.” She carried the child into the oversized closet which was her bedroom and closed the door. Melly could hear her singing a silly kid’s song through the thin door.
“I’ll help with the dinner,” Tamsyn volunteered, moving into the compact kitchenette area. “What are we making?”
“A simple casserole,” Les said. “Trying to disguise the taste of the basic rations with a few spices Devora was able to get from the supply warehouse.”
“A worthy idea.” Melly was already tired of the menu at the commissary although she was grateful for food she didn’t have to scavenge of course. “Can I help?”
“Not enough room. You sit and relax, doc,” Tamsyn said, shaking her head.
The conversation lapsed until Devora tiptoed out of the child’s room, finger to her lips.
“What was she so upset about? Is she feeling okay?” Melly asked. “I could have done an exam if you needed me too.” She wished she’d offered earlier but she’d been so distracted by the day’s events.
“Dinner’s ready,” Tamsyn announced before Devora could answer. She carried a steaming pot to the table and Les followed with a salad and bread. They seated themselves, Les using an upturned packing crate as there weren’t enough chairs and dug into the savory dish.
After satisfying her first hunger pangs Melly returned to the topic of the child’s mood. “I should have asked if you wanted me to examine her before you put her to bed.”
“She’s usually such a sweetheart,” Devora answered quickly. “You’re hardly seeing her at her best. She’s not sick—today was upsetting for her. Sandy, who came with us on the bus from Rosewater, is her favorite teacher and she wasn’t there today. Jenny is quite attached to her and kept insisting she needed to see Sandy.”
“We didn’t see any patient named Sandy today,” Melly said. “Hopefully whatever kept her out today was mild and she’ll be back tomorrow.”
Devora leaned closer and lowered her voice. “That’s just it, she won’t be. At first the lead teacher wouldn’t tell me anything but then she said Sandy had decided to leave the camp and went out the gate on her own. Which she wouldn’t ever do. Trust me. She’s a timid person, terrified of the infected. She was uneasy about Glastine, with all the infected ringing the place but never once did she talk to me about leaving. You don’t know her, Tamsyn, since she’s not originally from Rosewater but she had a hard time before the day she escaped with us on the bus and she’s close with me and Les. She would have said something.”
Les nodded. “And we had gate overwatch duty today,” he said, glancing at Jeff for confirmation. “We sure didn’t see anyone leaving and the night shift didn’t report a departure either.” He swallowed hard. “Plus, and I hate to say this, Sandy wouldn’t make it three feet past the infected. The incident would have been reported.”
Remembering what Jeff had shared with her from the interviews he’d conducted at Millersville with people who’d been inside Glastine, Melly asked, “Do people leave the camp often?”
“People disappear,” Devora whispered, her face white. “Just like Sandy’s now done. I’d heard rumors but until it happened with someone I actually know, I was skeptical.” Sitting back in her chair, she squared her shoulders. “Tomorrow I’m going to delve into the admin files and see what I can find out.”
“Be careful,” Les said immediately. “We discussed this before—it’s a huge risk if you mess around in the systems.”
“They’ll never know,” Devora promised with confidence. “None of my bosses know anything about the IT systems here other than how to turn them on and do routine searches and stuff. The woman I work directly for is pretty savvy. She kept the place running on the systems side more or less till I got here and now she lets me have free rein as long as I make her look good to the general. He loves all the new reports I generate.”
Should you ask her to slip Cody’s bug into the system? Melly asked Jeff.
Not yet. It’s too soon to tell them why we’re really here. “Watch yourself,” he said out loud. “There could be other eyes on you or safeguards inside the system you’re unaware of.”
“I’ll be fine. I wouldn’t risk Jenny and Les’s safety by doing anything rash.” Devora’s smile was on the mischievous side. “Or not too crazy anyway.”
They changed the subject and talked about more mundane topics. Melly and Jeff didn’t stay long after dinner but Tamsyn lingered. Les promised to walk her to her dorm later.
“I didn’t tell you about my exciting day,” Melly said as soon as they reached their own apartment on the second floor.
“Oh?” He arched one eyebrow and waited for her to expand on the remark.
“Dr. Sharpton had to attend a meeting so he had me monitor the blood tests.” Melly sat on the couch and Jeff sat next to her, pulling her into his lap as she continued, telling him all about the elaborate holos which the alien machine had created at the end.
Showing him the picture of the writing which she’d captured on her handheld, she asked, “Do you recognize this language?”
He took the device and studied it closely. “No but we should send it to Cody and let him research this. It may not mean anything that the camp is using a medical testing device built by an alien source but on the other hand it could be a significant clue. Anything else?”
“I memorized one phrase the machine kept repeating over and over.” Melly closed her eyes and recited the strange syllables.
