Drop of Doubt (22 page)

“Gabriel?” I asked, nodding to the mural.

“Of course,” Dr. Green said, moving to the desk and hovering over the manila folders, looking through them. “He finds a blank wall or piece of furniture or anything to play with and he’ll draw on it. That includes your face, by the way.”

I gazed at Gabriel’s work, wondering what he was doing. For that, I fingered the new phone I had tucked into my bra. Victor had said to use it for emergencies and it was for them to call me when they needed. It was hard not hearing from them all. I felt so useless waiting here at the hospital, being babysat, when I might be helpful somewhere else.

Dr. Green’s shuffling behind me caused me to turn. He was shifting through the pile of folders. “What are we doing now?” I asked.

“I have more doctoring to do, unfortunately,” he said. “So I might ask you to sit here for me while I go do that.”

“Not one where you can pretend I’m the doctor?”

He turned to me, his eyes lighting up. “Not when you look like you’ve just run off the set of a horror film.”

I looked down at my clothes, realizing I must look like a real mess with blood stains. No wonder he brought me downstairs. “Oh.” And this time I really was disappointed. Walking around with Dr. Green had been bizarre, but he was a lot of fun.

“I don’t have any spare clothes for you here, I’m afraid. I’d have to go get you some. And I’ve got to go into a place I can’t take you anyway. I thought you might be more comfortable down here for a while.”

I gazed over to the faux window, frowning. “How long do I have to stay in the bubble?”

“Pardon?”

I turned to him, unsure. “You said to speak up when something is wrong.”

“What’s wrong now?”

“I understand why I’m down here, because of this,” I motioned to the blood stains. “What I don’t understand is why I’m in a bubble. Why was I sent here when I could be out there helping?”

“Because someone is threatening you,” he said. “Isn’t that obvious?”

“Someone is also out there threatening Mr. Blackbourne.”

“Yes.”

“And he’s out there trying to figure out who it is.”

Dr. Green pursed his lips. “You don’t think Owen would approve?”

“I understand not being at school and being a target when there’s unknown danger,” I said. “I feel useless enough in this group without being stuffed in a bunker until someone else figures things out.”

“You’re not useless, Sang.”

“Is that why I’m sitting here in an office protected and not out there with someone? Victor was targeted, too. He’s not down here.”

Dr. Green shook his head. “I don’t have the answer for you. It sounds like this guy is after you. He’s come after you too many times. Maybe we are being protective. Maybe it is because you’re a girl. You’re the first one we’ve had, and there’s a strong probability the only one we ever will.”

“What do you mean?”

His lips parted like he wanted to answer me, but he shut them closed again. He shook his head quietly, his eyes telling me that he had said too much already and couldn’t say any more. Academy secrets.

I was the only one allowed in their group? No other girls could join? Was it a possibility? The more I learned about the rules, the more questions I had. I touched the cuff of the shirt I wore, smoothing the fabric absentmindedly. “Sean, give me something to do. Please? I don’t have to go bad guy hunting.” I snapped my fingers. “The diner! Can I go work at the diner?”

Dr. Green rubbed a palm at the back of his neck. “I suppose you could. It is closer to home than I think the others want you to be.”

“I don’t have to go home, but I can work in the back at the diner. I wouldn’t have to be in the way here. And at least I’m doing something useful.”

“You were pretty good today, I thought.”

“I’d rather do something that’s not probably considered unethical doctoring.”

Dr. Green sighed. “If that’s what you want.”

“If I can’t help the guys find out what’s going on, at least let me fill in for them.” I took out the cell phone and showed it to him. “Can I text someone to come get me?”

Dr. Green glanced at the phone. “Victor got new ones?”

“I don’t know who he gave the others to, but he’s got one, and there’s two more.”

Dr. Green nodded, seeming a little reluctant. I thought perhaps maybe I was asking a bit much, but could I stay in the office while he worked like this? Would he? He seemed to understand and relented. “If it’s safe.”

I tapped at the keyboard on the screen for one of the three cell phone numbers. I wasn’t sure if Victor had enough time to divvy up the cell phones with anyone else, but I crossed my fingers someone was available.

“Wait,” Dr. Green said. “To make sure it’s Victor, say something random.”

“What?”

“Protocol,” he said. “Text him a random word that pops into your head.”

“How is that a protocol?”

“If anyone’s infiltrated or is listening in, they’ll assume you’ve sent a mistake and will ask your meaning. Victor will know you’re trying to make sure it’s him. He’ll send something random back that has nothing to do with the first thing you said. It makes others believe we’ve got a weird code that they can’t crack, and it prevents us from having to make one up all the time.”

Is that how it worked? Random was protocol? I supposed it made sense. Unless I’d known, I never would have thought of it.

I racked my brain for a word.

Sang: Fish.

Unknown: Sequences.

I showed it to Dr. Green. He nodded in approval. “Nothing to do with the original. If he’d said ‘chips’ or another animal like snake, you’d know it wasn’t him. Anyone trying to break the code would probably try something that was associated with the original word. And anyone who had no idea and you sent a message to the wrong person, you’d get someone asking who you were and what that was about.”

“When were you going to tell me how to do this?”

“I just trained you,” he said. “What do you want from me? I can’t insert my brain into yours. Well, I probably could ...”

I groaned and sent another text.

Sang: It’s Sang. Are you busy?

Dr. Green inched closer, hovering over my shoulder.

“Do you need to get going?” I asked, sensing his mood.

“I can put it off a little,” he said.

“Dr.—”

“Sean.”

I sighed, and half smiled. “It’s okay. I can stay here until someone shows up.”

Dr. Green glanced at the clock on the wall. “I don’t want to leave you.”

The phone buzzed in my hands.

Unknown: Are you okay? What’s wrong? You’re still at the hospital?

Sang: With Dr. Green, but he has to go to do other things and I’m going to be by myself down here in the office. I thought I could go help out at the diner. Is this Victor?

Unknown: This is Mr. Blackbourne. Do you want to meet me out front? I can be there in ten minutes.

My heart paused for a moment. It felt like a lifetime since I’d spoken to him and I’d been worried. Getting his was a huge relief. I showed Dr. Green the phone. “Mr. Blackbourne got one of the phones.”

“Well, I guess if he’s on his way.” He glanced at the clock again. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to run.”

“We do what we have to.”

His smile lit up. He patted my cheek. “I suppose our first date had to end sometime.”

I started giggling at his ongoing joke. I felt loads better now that I wasn’t going to be standing still.

His fingers slid from my cheeks to my lips. I stopped instantly, surprised by the touch.

“What did I tell you about that giggling?” He winked at me.

But the wink set me off. I started giggling more, feeling better. “I can’t ...”

He smirked, pressing his fingers harder over my mouth as if he could squash it. “Don’t ... don’t ...”

But his funny eyes, and the way he was grinning was too much. I started giggling against his hand, backing away slightly to tuck my head away in an attempt to hide my face. I pressed my own hands over my face, trying to comply, but giggling behind my hands.

“Don’t do that,” he said, but his voice tripped with laughter. “What did I tell you?”

I snickered.

“Sang,” he said in an attempt at a stern voice. When I glanced over my wall of fingers, his shoulders betrayed his laughter. “I’m telling you to stop.”

I dropped my hands, clutching at my ribs. I gulped in air, but my giggles raked through me like wildfire. “You started it.”

“I did not!”

“You’ve been teasing me all day!”

“Not all day,” he said, snickering.

“Yeah, maybe not during the nap.”

“Oh no, I was teasing you then. You just didn’t hear me.”

I started laughing again, stepping away from him and holding on to my sides.

Dr. Green was laughing. He cupped his hand over his mouth, sucking in a deep breath. He dropped his hand, his face forming a more serious expression, but his eyes betrayed his smothered giggling. “No, stop. I need to stop. I’ve got to go cut open a body and I can’t think about you giggling.”

With the idea of a cut up body and Dr. Green giggling to make a wobbly incision, I started giggling again. It was a sick idea, and a very pitiful one, but I couldn’t erase the image from my head.

“No,” Dr. Green spread his hand out toward me, lunging. “Okay, go. Go before I can’t stop.” He nudged me toward the office door.

“Bye, Dr. Green.” I opened the door, stepping out.

“I said, call me Sean,” he called after me.

“Bye, Dr. Sean.”

“Bye, smart ass.”

I started breaking into another fit, and closed the door behind myself. Though I heard him starting to crack into laughter behind the door.

I dashed down the hallway. I sent a quick text to Mr. Blackbourne that I would meet him by the front entrance and I was heading there now.

––––––––

I
stood by the front door of the hospital wing where I had entered earlier. The sun was low, dropping toward the tree line. Somehow it made me think of my bedroom. It had been a while since I’d been home. I thought I should go there soon. I should check up on Marie. Was she alone? I was sure the boys were keeping an eye on her like they promised, but not seeing her or the house felt surreal in the moment. I couldn’t help thinking about how my life had changed. Maybe I was starting to trust them more. I trusted them now to look out over the house and Marie while I was gone.

Only, now that I thought about it, they didn’t have their phones. Like mine, they didn’t have the apps, so I couldn’t check in on her, either.

I tapped at the screen of the iPhone, wondering if I should text Mr. Blackbourne back or try the other phones to see who Victor might have given them to, but I stopped when a familiar gray BMW approached the sidewalk.

When the BMW stopped in front of the door, I paused, expecting Mr. Blackbourne to jump out and open the door for me like he and the other guys did. Instead, the side door was opened from the inside. I smiled. Mr. Blackbourne wasn’t going to treat me like a dainty snowflake all the time.

I approached, aimed to wedge myself into the passenger seat.

The car zoomed forward the moment I picked my feet off the ground, before I was even fully settled into the car.

“Whoa!” I said, closing the door quickly. “Are we in a hurry?”

“Yes,” said an unfamiliar voice as the car doors automatically locked.

I slowly turned, sure that what I was hearing was only Mr. Blackbourne but with a sore throat or some sort of frog he needed to clear out.

But instead I met face to face with a white mask.

The rest of his outfit was black: shirt, shoes, gloves. Not one inch of space was left to reveal who he was or why he was here.

I may have made a squealing sound but with my voice broken, it came out like a gasp. My heart raced, thundering against my rib cage. I backed up into the door. “Where’s Mr. Blackbourne?”

“You shouldn’t worry about him.” The man turned out of the parking lot at a speed that left me swiveling in my seat. “Get your seatbelt on.” His voice sounded like it came from a machine.

I ignored his request. Terror threatened to immobilize me. I willed myself to think, to not submit to panic and figure a way out. I turned to the door. I gripped the handle until my knuckles turned white and tried to release the lock.

“I wouldn’t do that,” he said, the mechanical voice wavering, sounding as if a couple of voices were talking at once. He jammed on the accelerator. The car zoomed and he weaved around traffic to head toward the highway.

I was going to open the door and tumble out the moment he slowed down. “Stop the car,” I said in a determined voice. I don’t know where my faux spine came from, but after getting spooked too many times in the last couple of days, I wasn’t about to let him know how scared I really was.

“Sang, I’m here to help you.”

“Let me go!”

“You need to hear me out,” he said. “I’m not going to hurt you. If I wanted to, I could have done it sooner and easier than this. I’m just here to help you.”

“I wouldn’t need help if you would stop following me.”

“I know about your parents,” he said. He swerved, cutting off another driver. The other driver blared his horn, but the masked man ignored it. He swung the car around sharply to get onto the exit ramp, hard enough that I was grasping the suicide handle just to hang on. “And I told you about your seat belt. You might want to get it on now.”

I hesitated, but obeyed. If he swerved and got too crazy, he might collide with the other cars. I didn’t want to go sailing out of the car if he crashed. I fingered for the phone in my hands, pushing it next to my thigh on my right, pretending to hold on to the seat for dear life. I tapped at the phone with my thumb, remembering where Mr. Blackbourne’s emergency phone button was. I turned the volume down, before I tapped at buttons. “Who are you?”

“It doesn’t matter,” the man said. The warped voice changed in pitch again. “What you have to do is find the first ticket out of this state and run as far as you can.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. Just in case I hadn’t hit it properly the first time, I tapped at the phone again in the right spot, hoping I wasn’t hanging up on Mr. Blackbourne. I couldn’t tell if he was listening or even see if it was on because of the angle. I just hoped.