Tess Gerritsen - Whistleblower

“Right.” Victor handed the boy a few bills. “Keep the change,” he said and closed the door. Turning, he gave Cathy a sheepish look. “Well,” he admitted. “Just goes to show you. Sometimes a knock at the door really is just the pizza man.”

They both laughed, a sound not of humor but of frayed nerves. The release of tension seemed to transform his face, melted his wariness to warmth. Erase those haggard lines, she thought, and he could almost be called a handsome man.

“I tell you what,” he said. “Let’s not think about this mess right now. Why don’t we just get right down to the really important issue of the day. Food.”

Nodding, she reached out for the box. “Better hand it over. Before I eat the damn bedspread.”

While the ten o’clock news droned from the television set, they tore into the pizza like two ravenous animals. It was a greasy and utterly satisfying banquet on a motel bed. They scarcely bothered with conversation-their mouths were too busy devouring cheese and pepperoni. On the TV, a dapper anchorman announced a shakeup in the mayor’s office, the resignation of the city manager, news that, given their current situation, seemed ridiculously trivial. Scarcely thirty seconds were devoted to that morning’s killing of Catherine Weaver I; as yet, no suspects were in custody. No mention was made of any second victim by the same name.

Victor frowned. “Looks like the other woman didn’t make it to the news.”

“Or nothing’s happened to her.” She glanced at him questioningly. “What if the second Cathy Weaver is all right? When you called the police, they might’ve been asking you routine questions. When you’re on edge, it’s easy to-”

“Imagine things?” The look he gave her almost made her bite her tongue.

“No,” she said quietly. “Misinterpret. The police can’t respond to every anonymous call. It’s natural they’d ask for your name.”

“It was more than a request, Cathy. They were champing at the bit to interrogate me.”

“I’m not doubting your word. I’m just playing devil’s advocate. Trying to keep things level and sane in a crazy situation.”

He looked at her long and hard. At last he nodded. “The voice of a rational woman,” he sighed. “Exactly what I need right now. To keep me from jumping at my own shadow.”

“And remind you to eat.” She held out another slice of pizza. “You ordered this giant thing. You’d better help me finish it.”

The tension between them instantly evaporated. He settled onto the bed and accepted the proferred slice. “That maternal look becomes you,” he noted wryly. “So does the pizza sauce.”

“What?” She swiped at her chin.

“You look like a two-year-old who’s decided to fingerpaint her face.”

“Good grief, can you hand me the napkins?”

“Let me do it.” Leaning forward, he gently dabbed away the sauce. As he did, she studied his face, saw the laugh lines creasing the corners of his eyes, the strands of silver intertwined with the brown hair. She remembered the photo of that very face, pasted on a Viratek badge. How somber he’d looked, the unsmiling portrait of a scientist. Now he appeared young and alive and almost happy.

Suddenly aware that she was watching him, he looked up and met her gaze. Slowly his smile faded. They both went very still, as though seeing, in each other’s eyes, something they had not noticed before. The voices on the television seemed to fade into a far-off dimension. She felt his fingers trace lightly down her cheek. It was only a touch, but it left her shivering.

She asked, softly, “What happens now, Victor? Where do we go from here?”

“We have several choices.”

“Such as?”

“I have friends in Palo Alto. We could turn to them.”

“Or?”

“Or we could stay right where we are. For a while.”

Right where we are. In this room, on this bed. She wouldn’t mind that. Not at all.

She felt herself leaning toward him, drawn by a force against which she could offer no resistance. Both his hands came up to cradle her face, such large hands, but so infinitely gentle. She closed her eyes, knowing that this kiss, too, would be a gentle one.

And it was. This wasn’t a kiss driven by fear or desperation. This was a quiet melting together of warmth, of souls. She swayed against him, felt his arms circle behind her to pull her inescapably close. It was a dangerous moment. She could feel herself tottering on the edge of total surrender to this man she scarcely knew. Already, her arms had found their way around his neck and her hands were roaming through the silver-streaked thickness of his hair.

His kisses dropped to her neck, exploring all the tender rises and hollows of her throat. All the needs that had lain dormant these past few years, all the hungers and desires, seemed to stir inside her, awakening at his touch.

And then, in an instant, the magic slipped away. At first she didn’t understand why he suddenly pulled back. He sat bolt upright. The expression on his face was one of frozen astonishment. Bewildered, she followed his gaze and saw that he was focused on the television set behind her. She turned to see what had captured his attention.

A disturbingly familiar face stared back from the screen. She recognized the Viratek logo at the top, the straight-ahead gaze of the man in the photo. Why on earth would they be broadcasting Victor Holland’s ID badge?

“…Sought on charges of industrial espionage. Evidence now links Dr. Holland to the death of a fellow Viratek researcher, Dr. Gerald Martinique. Investigators fear the suspect has already sold extensive research data to a European competitor…”

Neither one of them seemed able to move from the bed. They could only stare in disbelief at the newscaster with the Ken doll haircut. The station switched to a commercial break, raisins dancing crazily on a field, proclaiming the wonders of California sunshine. The lilting music was unbearable.

Victor rose to his feet and flicked off the television.

Slowly he turned to look at her. The silence between them grew agonizing.

“It’s not true,” he said quietly. “None of it.”

She tried to read those unfathomable green eyes, wanting desperately to believe him. The taste of his kisses were still warm on her lips. The kisses of a con artist? Is this just another lie? Has everything you’ve told me been nothing but lies? Who and what are you, Victor Holland?

She glanced sideways, at the telephone on the bedside stand. It was so close. One call to the police, that’s all it would take to end this nightmare.

“It’s a frame-up,” he said. “Viratek’s releasing false information.”

“Why?”

“To corner me. What easier way to find me than to have the police help them?”

She edged toward the phone.

“ Don’t, Cathy.”

She froze, startled by the threat in his voice.

He saw the instant fear in her eyes. Gently he said, “Please. Don’t call. I won’t hurt you. I promise you can walk right out that door if you want. But first listen to me. Let me tell you what happened. Give me a chance.”

His gaze was steady and absolutely believable. And he was right beside her, ready to stop her from making a move. Or to break her arm, if need be. She had no other choice. Nodding, she settled back down on the bed.

He began to pace, his feet tracing a path in the dull green carpet.

“It’s all some-some incredible lie,” he said. “It’s crazy to think I’d kill him. Jerry Martinique and I were the best of friends. We both worked at Viratek. I was in vaccine development, he was a microbiologist. His specialty was viral studies. Genome research.”

“You mean-like chromosomes?”

“The viral equivalent. Anyway, Jerry and I, we helped each other through some bad times. He’d gone through a painful divorce and I…” He paused, his voice dropping. “I lost my wife three years ago. To leukemia.”