Chapter 13. The naked heart.

"I'll start when I worked as a researcher at Woohp. The time before you and Donna met.

Donna had lost her parents, because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time. They got killed in a shoot-out between drug gangs. As her aunt, I took her in. It wasn't a happy time. Donna was rebellious, to say the least. When on a given day she had pummelled a drug dealing boy into hospital, she was sent to juvie for a while.

When she was released, I entered her in Beverly Hills High school. Where you met her. It was the best thing that had ever happened to her. She became a different person. She came home singing, she didn't mind doing chores and she couldn't stop talking about you. Her school results soared. She was genuinely happy.

But then she came to the, I have to admit now wrong, conclusion you were drug addicted. She came home devastated. She knew I worked for some kind of government agency and she wanted to help fight drugs. I tried at first to talk her out of it, but she wouldn't listen. So I asked Jerry and he signed her up in a joint operation with the DEA. I suppose he didn't want you two to run in each other. She became one of their best agents, specialising in undercover operations.

Then came that awful day, Jerry got killed. He had asked the board to give me his job, to my astonishment, I have to say. You've seen and recognized the burn marks, but we kept the poisoning secret. Samantha and David were researching for an antidote at the GlaxoSmithKline laboratories, which, we now know, works.

At that point you were already test driving our vehicles. I first saw you at Jerry's funeral and recognised you right away. The way you almost tumbled into the grave made me certain Donna was right about the addiction. I'm sorry we got started on the wrong foot."

By this time Alex was staring at Terry wide eyed. "You believed I was a drug addict and kept me as a test driver?"

"You did a very good job. As long as your addiction didn't interfere with your work, I didn't mind. Besides I did care for you. You did give Donna some marvellous months. Anyhow, Donna found out you worked for me. Not very difficult after you GP victories for Rover. Whenever she could she went to see you race. She even picked up bike racing again. She uses her web-site as a way of communication. The death-wish gamble is in fact the way she gets her new assignments or information when undercover."

"But the way she races," Alex interfered, "she takes too many risks!"

Terry laughed out. "You're not used to bike racing Alex! She drives very safe I can tell you. She does like to show off on the track though.

When you came to me in search of Donna, I at first wanted to throw you out, but I checked Sam's story and realized I wronged you a lot. So I sent you and Samantha to protect Donna. You know what happened next.

There is one thing I want to know for sure though. Did you really kill Dren Ushkin?"