Frank arrived at the foundation less than ten minutes before he was due to clock in. He entered the building wondering where they could hide Joe without being caught or if, perhaps, all the staff were involved. He picked up his instructions then began looking around. Every chance he got he would check locked rooms to make sure someone's chart hadn't been switched with Joe's. As the night wore on, he grew more concerned that Joe wasn't at the facility. Not because he had looked everywhere because there were two wings he hadn't checked yet, but because both Dr. Turner and Dr. Holden were nowhere around.
Frank looked in relief at the man who entered the main hall a little later. Now, perhaps, things could move a bit faster. "Mr. Poe," Nurse Rhodes greeted Fenton. "We weren't expecting you back today. I'm afraid Mr. Lyman has already left."
"Good," replied Fenton. "Perhaps now I can see how this place is really run," he said, surprising the nurse. "I would like to suggest that he not become aware of my presence here this evening or you might find it wise to peruse the want ads," Fenton added.
"I...I couldn't reach Mr. Lyman anyway," Nurse Rhodes replied with a mixture of affront and fear. "He wasn't going straight home."
"Very good," Fenton said and continued down the hall wondering where Lyman was going after work.
"No sign of Joe," Frank whispered when his dad reached him. "Holden and Turner left early," he continued. "Yesterday I was told they generally stayed late but today one of the other orderlies told me she saw Dr. Turner leaving around three."
"I'm wondering were Lyman was headed," Frank said when Frank had finished his report. "If he wasn't headed straight home he may have gone to wherever they took Joe. See if you can arrange a plumbing catastrophe that would require Lyman's attention," he continued. "I bet that nurse could reach him in an instant. Since Turner is gone," Fenton continued, "I'm going to sneak into his office. That's the one place I haven't been able to search."
***
Joe was given a blanket to put around him and then hustled out of the building and to an Elantra in the employee parking lot. In Joe's current physical condition, Holden had no problem keeping him captive but the two waited in the car until they were joined by Dr. Turner and Todd Graves, an orderly who apparently didn't mind helping with jobs that were less than ethical.
"What about Jerry?" Todd asked, looking at Holden. It had been he and Jerry who had drugged Mrs. Hardy and returned Joe to the facility. Todd was a bit worried that if Jerry got left behind to take the blame then he would be next.
"Jerry left a short time ago," Holden answered. "I had him take some of our research to our impromptu lab."
"Why are you doing this?" asked Joe, feeling warmer now with so many bodies putting out heat all around him. "You won't be able to use your research on me without exposing yourselves as kidnappers."
"Not exactly," Holden disagreed. "You see, we are very close to a breakthrough. We have already narrowed the gene down among the female patients but now that we have you, we can see which gene you possess is the same or at least almost identical, to one of the ones the girls possessed."
"You could have done that at the foundation," Joe pointed out.
"Indeed," agreed Turner. "And if your mother hadn't decided to remove you from our care, we would have."
"There will be other male patients," Joe said.
"True, but you have been doing so well that we couldn't afford to let you go," Turner answered.
"But I haven't been doing well," Joe objected. "I'm still losing weight."
"Exactly," Holden said. "If you were to start getting better then it's possible the gene could be altered. We can't have that. We need it as it is now."
"So you want me to stay sick until I die?" demanded Joe in disbelief. They were doing research to save people but didn't care if they killed people in the process?
"I'm sorry," Dr. Holden told him. "But what do you care? We're going to let you get thin."
"I don't want to lose anymore weight," Joe insisted.
"And why not?" demanded Turner. "Do you honestly think getting fat again will help you retain the attention you've been getting from your family?"
"They love me!" Joe shouted, not falling for Turner's ploy this time.
Turner looked over at Holden who shrugged. "We'll start him back on the depressants when we get there."
"Why did you kill Crystal Lane?" asked Joe.
"Crystal?" Todd asked in surprise. "They didn't kill her. She started puking and couldn't stop."
"But they caused her death," Joe stated. "She was getting better. She was going to be released."
"Yes, she was," agreed Holden. "She was given free reign of the foundation except for the restricted areas which, unfortunately, she chose to explore anyway. She found my notes of Thomas Kincaid , the last male patient we had. She found out Thomas died because he was in the control group where we keep the patients ill."
"We caught her and she threatened to expose us," Turner picked up. "She left us no choice but to eliminate her."
"I know what's going on," Joe reminded them quietly.
"But she was physically well," Holden said. "You aren't. She had no more value to our research. You do."
"I'm not anorexic," Joe told them. "I only lost the weight so I could pretend to be ill and get admitted to the foundation. My job was to find out what happened to Crystal."
Todd licked his lips nervously. "Perhaps we should just get rid of him now," he suggested.
"Relax," Turner ordered him. "He's lying. No parent would let their child do that to himself for a mystery."
"And no sane person would consider doing that to themselves for that matter," Holden added.
"Besides, even if it started out that way, he has become anorexic. You should have been in on his therapy. This kid is really messed up," Turner said.
"No, I'm not!" Joe denied hotly.
"Really?" Turner retorted mockingly. "Then why are you trying to convince us you aren't sick when it means dying if we believed you?"
Frank looked in relief at the man who entered the main hall a little later. Now, perhaps, things could move a bit faster. "Mr. Poe," Nurse Rhodes greeted Fenton. "We weren't expecting you back today. I'm afraid Mr. Lyman has already left."
"Good," replied Fenton. "Perhaps now I can see how this place is really run," he said, surprising the nurse. "I would like to suggest that he not become aware of my presence here this evening or you might find it wise to peruse the want ads," Fenton added.
"I...I couldn't reach Mr. Lyman anyway," Nurse Rhodes replied with a mixture of affront and fear. "He wasn't going straight home."
"Very good," Fenton said and continued down the hall wondering where Lyman was going after work.
"No sign of Joe," Frank whispered when his dad reached him. "Holden and Turner left early," he continued. "Yesterday I was told they generally stayed late but today one of the other orderlies told me she saw Dr. Turner leaving around three."
"I'm wondering were Lyman was headed," Frank said when Frank had finished his report. "If he wasn't headed straight home he may have gone to wherever they took Joe. See if you can arrange a plumbing catastrophe that would require Lyman's attention," he continued. "I bet that nurse could reach him in an instant. Since Turner is gone," Fenton continued, "I'm going to sneak into his office. That's the one place I haven't been able to search."
***
Joe was given a blanket to put around him and then hustled out of the building and to an Elantra in the employee parking lot. In Joe's current physical condition, Holden had no problem keeping him captive but the two waited in the car until they were joined by Dr. Turner and Todd Graves, an orderly who apparently didn't mind helping with jobs that were less than ethical.
"What about Jerry?" Todd asked, looking at Holden. It had been he and Jerry who had drugged Mrs. Hardy and returned Joe to the facility. Todd was a bit worried that if Jerry got left behind to take the blame then he would be next.
"Jerry left a short time ago," Holden answered. "I had him take some of our research to our impromptu lab."
"Why are you doing this?" asked Joe, feeling warmer now with so many bodies putting out heat all around him. "You won't be able to use your research on me without exposing yourselves as kidnappers."
"Not exactly," Holden disagreed. "You see, we are very close to a breakthrough. We have already narrowed the gene down among the female patients but now that we have you, we can see which gene you possess is the same or at least almost identical, to one of the ones the girls possessed."
"You could have done that at the foundation," Joe pointed out.
"Indeed," agreed Turner. "And if your mother hadn't decided to remove you from our care, we would have."
"There will be other male patients," Joe said.
"True, but you have been doing so well that we couldn't afford to let you go," Turner answered.
"But I haven't been doing well," Joe objected. "I'm still losing weight."
"Exactly," Holden said. "If you were to start getting better then it's possible the gene could be altered. We can't have that. We need it as it is now."
"So you want me to stay sick until I die?" demanded Joe in disbelief. They were doing research to save people but didn't care if they killed people in the process?
"I'm sorry," Dr. Holden told him. "But what do you care? We're going to let you get thin."
"I don't want to lose anymore weight," Joe insisted.
"And why not?" demanded Turner. "Do you honestly think getting fat again will help you retain the attention you've been getting from your family?"
"They love me!" Joe shouted, not falling for Turner's ploy this time.
Turner looked over at Holden who shrugged. "We'll start him back on the depressants when we get there."
"Why did you kill Crystal Lane?" asked Joe.
"Crystal?" Todd asked in surprise. "They didn't kill her. She started puking and couldn't stop."
"But they caused her death," Joe stated. "She was getting better. She was going to be released."
"Yes, she was," agreed Holden. "She was given free reign of the foundation except for the restricted areas which, unfortunately, she chose to explore anyway. She found my notes of Thomas Kincaid , the last male patient we had. She found out Thomas died because he was in the control group where we keep the patients ill."
"We caught her and she threatened to expose us," Turner picked up. "She left us no choice but to eliminate her."
"I know what's going on," Joe reminded them quietly.
"But she was physically well," Holden said. "You aren't. She had no more value to our research. You do."
"I'm not anorexic," Joe told them. "I only lost the weight so I could pretend to be ill and get admitted to the foundation. My job was to find out what happened to Crystal."
Todd licked his lips nervously. "Perhaps we should just get rid of him now," he suggested.
"Relax," Turner ordered him. "He's lying. No parent would let their child do that to himself for a mystery."
"And no sane person would consider doing that to themselves for that matter," Holden added.
"Besides, even if it started out that way, he has become anorexic. You should have been in on his therapy. This kid is really messed up," Turner said.
"No, I'm not!" Joe denied hotly.
"Really?" Turner retorted mockingly. "Then why are you trying to convince us you aren't sick when it means dying if we believed you?"