Mary O'Reilly 09 - Twisted Paths Page 11

  “What did he say to you?” Bradley asked, his heart pounding.

  “He gave her this letter,” Mary interjected.

  Bradley looked up, surprised. “You knew?”

  Mary shook her head. “No, I just found the letter when I was hanging up her coat,” she replied. “She forgot about it with all of the problems with Maggie.”

  Bradley took the letter from Mary and held it over a lamplight. “There doesn’t seem to be anything in it but paper,” he said.

  “Oh, I hadn’t even thought…,” Mary said, chastising herself mentally.

  “Do you have any gloves?” Bradley asked.

  “Ian does,” she said.

  She called up to Ian and he quickly came down carrying a pair of latex gloves. “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “A strange man spoke with Clarissa in the school yard,” Mike said. “He gave her a letter for Bradley.”

  “You’ve checked it for chemical agents?” Ian asked.

  “I held it over the light,” Bradley said. “There doesn’t seem to be anything inside but paper.”

  “Aye, but if you think we’re dealing with Gary Copper, he’s a might smarter about his poisons,” he said. “It might not be a powder. It could be something sprayed on the paper.”

  “What are you thinking?” Mary asked.

  Ian shrugged. “Well, if I was wanting someone to die a slow and painful, though hard to detect, death, I might consider ricin.”

  Bradley dropped the envelope on the table and stepped back. “Okay, Professor, you’re the expert. What’s next?”

  Ian slipped on the gloves and picked up the envelope. He turned it around and examined it. “You’ll note that he took the time to not only seal the envelope, but also to tape it over,” he said. “So it wouldn’t be easy for Clarissa to open it and check what’s inside. My best guess is that if there is poison, it would be inside the envelope. But we might be able to see if there are traces on the outside.”

  “Shouldn’t we call someone?” Mary asked.

  “Well, not until we’re sure,” Ian said. “We just have to do a quick fluorescence to see if we can pick anything up.”

  “A quick fluorescence?” Mike asked. “What the hell is that?”

  “Angels aren’t supposed to say that word,” Clarissa corrected.

  “Sorry, sweetheart,” Mike replied. “What the heck is that?”

  “Come on up to my laboratory,” he said, “I’ll show you.”

  He led them upstairs to his bedroom. Mary was shocked to see the variety of electronic equipment sitting on folding tables throughout the room. There were computers attached to other machines attached to control boards attached to monitors.

  “So this is why the electric bill has hit the roof,” she said, looking around. “And I thought it was because I left my curling iron on.”

  He grinned at her. “Don’t worry, darling, I’ll reimburse you.”

  Hurrying across the room to one of the desks, he pressed a button and the lid of a plastic box opened with a hiss, breaking the air tight seal. He placed the envelope inside the box and sealed it tightly.

  Pulling up a chair next to the desk, he opened another smaller box that was situated next to the first one. A small round tube connected the boxes together, creating an airway between them. Halfway up the wall of the second box was a small plastic bowl, attached by an axle to a lever on the outside. Ian opened a dark-colored bottle and poured liquid into the bottom of the small box. Then he opened a metal container and carefully scooped out a small amount of the powder inside and placed it in the bowl. He closed the container and then sealed the lid of the box.

  When he turned the lever, the powder fell down onto the liquid and immediately a gas cloud formed inside the chamber and moved through the tube into the plastic box containing the envelope.

  “This is what we call the immunoassay,” Ian said. “The chemical in the chamber floats over to the box and binds itself to the chemical on the envelope. Then the magic happens.”

  “Magic?” Clarissa asked.

  He winked at her. “Yeah, magic,” he said. “Mary would you be a dear and close the door and turn out the light.”

  The room was dark for a moment and then Ian reached over and turned on a machine next to the box. The green readout numbers glowed in the dark room. Ian adjusted a few knobs and a moment later the envelope began to glow.

  “We have a winner,” Ian whispered. “There is a strong possibility of ricin in the envelope. Now it’s time to call in your friends from the Health Department to get a hazmat team out here.”

  Bradley pulled out his radio-phone and made the call.

  Mary’s heart dropped and she hurried over to Ian. “What about Clarissa? She’s had that envelope in her pocket all afternoon.”

  Ian turned to her. “There’s just a trace amount on the envelope,” he said, “just enough to implicate the contents, not enough to do her any harm. Inhaling ricin is generally what kills people. It’s highly unlikely to absorb it through the skin.”

  She relaxed and allowed her heart to return to normal for a moment. “He wanted to kill Bradley,” she said.

  “That or scare him,” Ian agreed.

  “Like the phone call,” she said.

  “What phone call?” Bradley asked, as he hung up the phone.

  “Crap,” Mary whispered.

  She turned to Bradley. “There was a message on my office phone from Gary,” she said.

  “And you didn’t call me immediately because…” he asked.

  “I didn’t think it was important enough to bother you,” she said.

  Bradley turned away from her and stared at the small glowing particles on the envelope. He knew he was angry and he was frightened. Gary Copper had been within touching distance of Clarissa today. He could have just as easily shot her as hand her this envelope. He dragged his hand through his hair. And Mary! Didn’t want to bother him!! What the hell did she think was more important to him than her safety? He took several deep breaths, but it didn’t work this time. This time it was too important and this time he was too emotionally involved.

  He turned back and looked directly into Mary’s eyes. “I need to go downstairs and meet the hazmat team,” he said. "When I get back, we’ll talk.”

  She nodded, feeling a pit grow in the middle of her stomach. “Bradley, I…”

  Holding up his hand, he stopped. “Not now, Mary,” he said. “Please, just give me a little time to be able to think clearly.”

  He turned to Ian. “Clarissa?”

  “She’s fine, Bradley,” he assured her. “There wasn’t enough on the envelope to do her harm, but I’ll help Mary and we’ll wash her up.”

  Finally, he knelt down next to Clarissa. “How are you?” he asked.

  “I’m sorry I made you angry,” she replied.

  Sighing slowly, he pulled her against him and hugged her. “I’m not angry with you,” he said. “I was worried because that man could have hurt you and I don’t want anything to happen to you. Do you understand?”

  She nodded against him. “I won’t ever go by the playground fence again,” she promised. “And I’ll never, ever talk to the strange man again.”

  “Thank you, sweetheart,” he said. “Now go with Ian and Mary.”

  He stood up, turned away from Mary and left the room.

  “He’s pretty mad at you,” Clarissa said, as they listened to him walk down the stairs.

  Mary nodded slowly. “Yes, I think he is,” she replied.

  “‘Cause he worries about you too?” she asked.

  “Yes, that’s exactly why,” she replied. “And he wants to protect us.”

  “That’s good, right?” Clarissa asked.

  Smiling ruefully, Mary nodded, “Yes, sweetheart, that’s good.”

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  The leader of the hazmat team was actually a man Mike had worked with years ago at the fire department. “We used to call him Meticulous Matt,” Mike said, “
This guy follows the book completely and does a good job.”

  He came up the stairs, dressed in his hazmat equipment, and met with Ian who explained the test he ran on the envelope. Matt took detailed notes and finally, once Ian had explained everything asked, “And what are you doing with this kind of equipment in a residential home?”

  “Yep, this is where Scottie tells them he’s a ghost buster and has ectoplasm in his closet,” Mike said to Mary and Clarissa.

  Clarissa giggled and Mike winked at her. Ian coughed, hiding his grin and turned back to the team. “I’m a professor from the University of Edinburgh. I’m here doing research through a fellowship with the University of Chicago,” he explained. “This is the equipment I need for testing and supporting my thesis.”

  “What is the thesis about?” Matt asked.

  “Oh come on, Matt,” Mike groaned, “I went to school with you, buddy. The only deep educational pursuits you had were classic graphic novels and that’s only because the babes were hot. Who are you trying to kid?”

  Ian had to cough again. “Aye, well it’s about preternatural phenomenon and electromagnetic residue,” he finally was able to say. “Have you heard of it?”

  “Ian’s very smart,” Clarissa said.

  Matt shrugged, “Yeah, it sounds familiar.”

  Mike hooted and shook his head. “Yeah, like Einstein’s theory sounds familiar.”

  “We’d like your permission to remove the envelope within the plastic casing,” Matt said.

  “Oh, of course,” Ian agreed. “That’s the safest way to get the envelope out of here. Once you decontaminate it, I’d like it back.”

  “No problem,” Matt agreed. “Were there any other areas contaminated?”

  “Well, Clarissa carried the envelope home in her coat pocket,” Mary volunteered. “Ian suggested I double bag it for you to take.”

  “I’m going to get a new coat,” Clarissa volunteered. “Mary said so.”

  Matt looked down at Clarissa. “That’s great, thank you for giving us your old coat,” Matt said, and then he smiled at Mary. “You’ve done a great job, ma’am.”

  “Too bad, Ian,” Mike added. “Guess you’re not cute enough to have done a good job.”

  Giggling again, Clarissa clapped her hands over her mouth.

  Matt turned to Ian. “We’d also like to take the gloves you used,” he said. “Is there anything else that came in contact with the envelope?”

  “The table downstairs,” Ian said, “and I believe Bradley cleaned it thoroughly.”

  “Chief Alden has also opened all of the windows downstairs to air the house out,” Matt said.

  “And we’ve cleaned any skin that came into contact with the envelope. Mostly on Clarissa and Mary,” Ian added.

  “Should we find another place to spend the night?” Mary asked.

  Matt smiled at her. “No, I’m sure you’ll be safe,” he said. “The amount of exposure was really minimal.”

  “Thank you so much,” Mary replied, smiling back at him.

  “No...no problem,” he said. “If I can be of any more help…if you need anything…”

  “And Mary O’Reilly has once again devastated a man with her smile,” Mike said.

  “Mary is going to marry my daddy, Bradley,” Clarissa inserted protectively.

  “Oh,” Matt’s smile fell. “Well, congratulations.”

  “Thank you,” Mary replied, putting her arm around Clarissa’s shoulders.

  “Good job, sweetheart,” Mike added.

  Clarissa winked at Mike.

  After finishing all of the steps in their protocol, the team met with everyone in the living room. “It looks like you’ve done everything correctly,” Matt said. “We’ll conduct more tests on the envelope and get back to you, Chief Alden.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “And it’s important that any message or fingerprints from the envelope are preserved for further investigation and possible indictment.”

  “Yes, sir, we’ll remember to treat this as evidence,” Matt assured him.

  “Thanks for your good work,” Bradley said, as he escorted them to the door. “I’ll be in touch with you in the morning.”

  He turned back to the room and his eyes met Mary’s. “We should talk,” he said.

  “Aye, you should,” Ian said. “But the department store will be closing in thirty minutes and Clarissa is going to need a coat in the morning.”

  Mary nodded. “Why don’t we go get the coat,” she said. “We can talk on the way.”

  “And I’ll order pizza for delivery,” Ian added. “We’ll keep some warm for you.”

  “Thanks, Ian,” Mary said, and went over to the kitchen table to get her coat.

  Bradley reached for his coat in the closet and then stopped and turned to Ian. “Where are you going to order pizza from?” he asked. “Do you know the delivery person?”

  “I’ll order from Joe’s,” he said. “I know the delivery man. He’s come here a number of times.”

  He held up his hand to stave off another question from Bradley. “But not enough times to have become routine for anyone watching the house,” he added quickly.

  Bradley released a long, slow breath. “Thanks, Ian,” he said. “I’ll try not to continue to be paranoid.”

  “You’ve got a good reason to be careful,” Ian said, “and we’d all be wise to be a bit more paranoid.”

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Mary and Bradley walked out to his cruiser in silence. He opened the door for her and she slipped in. Once he got into the car, he turned it on, but didn’t put the car in drive. He sat in the seat, his hands on the steering wheel, staring out the front window. “Mary, I realize…”

  “Bradley, I’m sorry,” she interrupted. “I should have called you.”

  He nodded, but didn’t turn towards her. “Why didn’t you?” he asked softly.

  She didn’t have to think about her answer for long, she has asked herself that same question all night long. “His call got to me,” she said quietly. “His voice terrified me. I literally got sick when I heard his message.”

  Turning to her, his eyes were filled with confusion. “I don’t understand,” he said. “Isn’t that when you should have come to me?”

  Would he? Could he understand when she was having a hard time totally understanding it herself?

  “I don’t want to be terrified anymore,” she explained. “I don’t want to be weak. I don’t want to give him that kind of power over me. After I got sick, I got mad. Really mad. I wanted to kick his butt. And it felt…”

  She paused and met his eyes, praying that he would understand. “And it felt like going to you right away was admitting defeat. Was like running off to someone else who could and would take care of me, instead of taking care of myself. I didn’t want to let him win again.”

  Bradley released his hold on the steering wheel and sat back in his seat. “We’re a team, Mary,” he finally said.

  She turned in her seat, facing him. “Yes, we are,” she agreed. “And I brought the answering machine home, so you could hear it. And I was going to share every detail with you. But I couldn’t go running to you right away, like a scared child.”

  “I can understand that,” he replied, turning towards her.

  “And if I had any idea that he had made that call from town, that he’d been in contact with Clarissa…”

  She bent her head. “I would not have done anything to risk her safety.”

  He leaned over, caressing her cheek with his hand and finally cupping her chin and gently turning her to face him. “I know that,” he said. “I know you’d lay down your life for her.”

  She met his eyes. “She means the world to you…to us.”

  Nodding, he smiled slightly as he ran his thumb over her lips. “She’s not the only one who means the world to me.”

  Smiling tremulously, she nodded. “Yeah, for me too,” she replied. “I’m sorry I made you angry.”

  Chuckling, as he rea
lized Mary had just repeated the same words Clarissa had used, he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “With two women in my household, I’m never going to win, right?” he asked, his face just inches from hers.

  She slid her hands up his neck and buried her fingers in his hair. With a twinkle in her eyes, she smiled at him and just before she pulled his face closer for a deeper kiss, she whispered, “Not a chance.”

  Chapter Thirty

  “This reminds me of walking through the moors at home,” Ian said, as he and Mary walked across the grounds of the cemetery in the early morning fog.

  “This reminds me of an old Sherlock Holmes movie,” Mary said. “And at any moment, the Hounds of Baskerville are going to come charging out from behind one of these tombstones.”

  “Aye, as I said, just like home,” he teased.

  Laughing, she looked around them and shivered just a little. The temperature had warmed considerably and the difference between the frozen ground and warm air had caused a fog so thick that visibility was considered zero. They had taken their time driving the few blocks to the cemetery and found a note on the door that the owner was on the grounds. So they decided to take a walk and find him.

  Fog literally rolled across the ground, hiding tombstones and sepulchers until you were right next to them, and then they would appear out of the mist as a stone ghost. Even sounds were muffled by the fog, creating a feeling of complete isolation.

  “This is kind of creepy,” Mary admitted.

  “Have I ever told you my theory about zombies?” Ian asked conversationally. “That I found some evidence that they actually might exist?”

  “Really? You had to bring that up here? Now?”

  They passed a crypt the size of a large garden shed and they both jumped when the life-sized stone angel guarding it seemed to come out of nowhere.

  “If that had been a zombie, your brain would have been breakfast,” Mary said.

  “Not if she caught you first,” he argued.

  “Oh, and here I was under the impression that you would throw yourself into the zombie’s arms and tell me to run and save myself,” she teased.