Chemical Attraction (8 page)

Sam looked down at her. “You bitch, I’m going to jail because of you?”

“Do not to call my wife names.” Matt turned to Eva. “I’ll be back in one hour, I promise.”

Fifty-nine minutes later, Matt walked in and leaned over the counter. “Amanda, are you okay now?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I didn’t know Eva could do that.”

“Matt taught me that move when we were first married.” She laughed. “I’ll have Matt drop me off. Betty’s picking me up. Let her know my meeting with Susan Dolan at BennTech will only take a half hour.”

Matt drove them downtown for lunch. Bubba owned a small bar with a pool table and a few TVs. It was a dive, but known for juicy, greasy burgers that could make you weep. “I worry about you. You take on two guys at the banquet, then another at the hospital,” he said.

“I make smart choices. You were right there at the banquet and I would have had a herd of people in our department if we paged for assistance.”

“That kid screamed bloody murder all the way to the station. We’ll see what he was on when our results get back.”

“We need to discuss that,” Eva said. “We’ve had an increase in positive drug screens for meth over the last two months as well as people trying to cheat on them.”

“This wasn’t the first incident with cheating?” he asked.

“No, they’re trying everything. Amanda’s smart enough to catch them at it, but this is the first time someone got violent,” she said as Bubba brought their burgers.

Matt took a big bite. “For the record, we busted two meth labs last week. I agree, though, it’s getting really out of hand.”

Eva nodded and dove into her burger, rolling her eyes at its flavor.

During the lull before lunch, June sat next to Roger and casually watched the monitors. She looked up to see a tall, dark-haired man walk through the building’s front door. He flashed a smile that could melt an iceberg. His skintight yellow shirt left nothing to the imagination in his upper body. She could see the shape of every muscle. His jeans were a loose fit and made her wonder what lay beneath.

He leaned on her desk. “I’m supposed to meet Madeline Pierce. I’m Joe.”

“You’ll need to sign this and I’ll get you a visitor’s pass.” She sat back down and almost missed her chair. Roger asked if she was going to page Dr. Pierce. “Oh yeah, I forgot.” She dialed the number and continued to stare.

“Madeline’s a doctor?” Joe asked. June nodded. “She gives physicals and stuff?”

“No, not that kind of doctor,” Roger, the pudgy grandfather, said.

“What do you mean?” Joe looked up as Dr. Pierce, wearing a navy blue blouse and cream skirt, was walking toward the desk. “Hey baby, they tell me you’re a doctor, but you don’t give physicals and do other doctor stuff.”

“Sure I do. I’ll prove it to you later.” Dr. Pierce winked at June. “Thanks for paging me. We’ll wander around if that’s okay?”

She nodded. “Enjoy your tour.”

Joe smiled. “I expect to.”

She picked up a stack of papers and fanned her face. “Where did she find him?” She pushed a button under the monitor to bring them up on screen. “Kim, come back here and check this guy out,” she said to the other guard.

Roger let Kim take his chair. “I’ll go on my break now.”

“Damn, he’s got a nice ass,” Kim said. She pressed the button on the second monitor and took a closer look. “I saw him at the banquet Saturday night. Dr. Pierce kissed him on the dance floor.”

“She kissed him? She seems so reserved.” June pushed another button as they turned down a different corridor.

“Women pursued him all night until she kissed him.”

Dr. Pierce pointed to various lab areas. She turned down the left hallway, but Joe pointed to the right one. Dr. Pierce shook her head. In the empty hallway, Joe took her hand and spun her toward him. June and Kim watched him kiss her, hard.

“Oh wow,” Kim said, looking closer at the screen. Joe pulled Dr. Pierce farther down the hallway. “Where are they going? Materials Management?”

June glanced around the desk area. Luckily, nobody was around. “This could get good. Those guys already left for lunch.”

Joe slammed Dr. Pierce against the wall and kissed her again.

“Damn, he just knocked both clipboards off the wall. What a body,” Kim said, entranced.

Dr. Pierce kissed him as he pinned her to the wall. Both turned and looked down the hall.

“Did they hear someone?” June asked. Joe pulled Dr. Pierce into the copier alcove while June pulled her stool closer to the monitor. “Which camera is that room?”

“Sixty-seven, hurry up and punch it in,” Kim said. “Oh yeah, you go, girl.”

Dr. Pierce pushed Joe against the copier. He ran his hands down her back to her butt then hiked up her skirt. June and Kim continued to watch their heat. They moved closer and closer to the monitor. They didn’t realize that Roger had returned from his thirty-minute lunch break until he spoke.

“You guys still following them around?” he asked, looking at the screen. They saw her lace panties, thigh high nylons, and a garter belt. “Wow, is that what she wears under those skirts?”

Joe tugged at her garter belt and kissed her neck.

“Oh my,” Kim and June said, sitting back to take a breath.

Joe turned her so his back was to the camera. Pressed against the copier, Dr. Pierce clawed at his back and kissed him. The three guards moved closer as the foreplay continued.

Roger stared with his mouth open. “I may never look at her the same again.”

Dr. Pierce pulled up his shirt and reached around to unzip his jeans. As she pushed them below his tan line, they stopped and turned toward the hallway. Dr. Pierce said something and Joe fixed his pants. She smoothed her skirt down and stepped into the hallway. June pushed another button. Dr. Pierce fussed with her bun and re-hung the clipboards. Joe grabbed her hand and they retraced their steps to the front desk.

Out of breath, Madeline said to June, “I’m going to lunch. I’ll be back in a half hour.” She signed them out. Joe tossed his pass on the counter and urged her toward the door.

“Take your time!” she yelled, but they were already gone. “Wow, was it good for you?”

Roger watched them leave. “I need a cold shower.”

“I need a drink and a man.” Kim fanned her face. “That was intense.”

“I wouldn’t want Dr. Pierce to get into trouble over that. I’m going to the security room and make sure nobody else saw the tape,” June replied.

“Do you think they fell for it?” Madeline asked as they hurried to his car. She couldn’t believe they could make so many copies so quickly during their exhibition. “I was so scared of getting caught.”

“Damn, woman—lace panties and thigh highs. Are you trying to kill me?”

She blushed. “I think you borrowed that shirt from your new nephew.”

In his car, she started to pull the copies out from behind her back. He had stuffed the first set under her bra, so they wouldn’t fall out. “Don’t take them out yet. Let’s get out of the parking lot.”

A few minutes later, he turned into the dirt driveway of an abandoned farmhouse between a cornfield and grove of trees. He drove behind the house, hiding the car from the road. Once in park, he unzipped his pants and pulled out the second set.

“I wasn’t sure how we were going to hide these. They must be thirty pages each. I’ll go through them this afternoon,” he said, zipping up his jeans. “Wasn’t that fun?” He chuckled. “You were such an exhibitionist.”

“That was worse than my usual sneaking around,” she replied, tucking her blouse back into her skirt. He stared. “What’s the matter?” she asked.

“Nothing.” He glanced back at the copies. “Call me when you get home so we can discuss these. Listen carefully, Madeline. You are in danger now. If security looks past our affectionate display, they’ll know. Be on guard and I want to know if anything unusual happens.”

Joe drove back to BennTech and stopped directly in view of the security desk. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. On the sidewalk, she smoothed down her skirt and fixed her bun. When Eva yelled her name, Matt pulled away from the curb, saluting Joe as he passed.

“Madeline, did you have lunch with Joe?”

“Um, yeah, something like that.”

Eva smiled. “Your blouse is untucked on the side.”

She groaned and tried to fix it. “Come on and I’ll get you checked in.” Grinning, June and Kim stood at the counter. “Ladies, this is Eva Connor. She has an appointment with Susan Dolan.”

“I’ll need your signature here for a visitor’s pass,” Kim replied.

“Dr. Pierce, your boyfriend’s hot,” June said. She and Kim chuckled.

“Did you see?” Madeline asked, looking at the floor. Her face burned.

“Oh yes,” they replied.

She shook her head. “Eva, I have meetings all afternoon. These ladies will show you to Susan’s office.”

“I’ll be right back,” June said to Kim. She caught up with her by the elevator. “Dr. Pierce, even though we saw your, ah, tour, I went to check the video feed and the disc was gone.”

“What?”

“I’m not sure who’d take it, but I just wanted to give you a heads up.”

“Thanks, June. I knew Joe would get me into trouble.”

She took the elevator to her second floor lab. Nauseated, she couldn’t get her hands to stop shaking. She sat through three meetings and couldn’t remember the discussion from any of them.

Eva followed the security guard to the third floor offices and a door that read
Director of Health Services
. In the small reception area, she gave her name to the assistant and took a seat in one of the three chairs. She browsed through the company’s newsletter. She saw Madeline’s picture with the CEO’s in the What’s New in Research section. The caption read
Dr. Pierce’s project has ‘Benny’ Bennett beaming.
She flipped to a number of pictures from a recent BennTech reception. She looked for Maddy, but didn’t see her. Twenty minutes later, Bill Bennett opened Susan’s office door. Fixing his comb-over, he scowled as he left.

Unfazed by Bill’s mood, Susan smiled. “Eva, sorry to keep you waiting. When the top dog barks, you let him. Come on in.”

Eva sat down in a leather chair across from Susan’s desk. “I’ll be brief. Our department received the CDC’s recommendations for the prevention of influenza. We’re starting to develop our plan of action because the community wants their shots earlier than usual. I’m here to find out if and when it’s possible.”

Susan nodded. “We’ve already taken the necessary steps to develop the new vaccine. As you know, influenza changes from year to year, so vaccines need to be updated annually. We have a very short time span to develop the strain, prepare the vaccine, manufacture, and then distribute it to the public.”

“What stage are you at now?” Eva asked.

“We just received licensure and began manufacturing two weeks ago. The three strains recommended include the New Caledonia/1999, Wisconsin/2008, and the Malaysia/2010. These viruses represent the strain anticipated to circulate the United States this coming year.”

“It amazes me that you can predict things like that.”

“Predict is the keyword. Unfortunately, the recommended strains used last year didn’t stop the epidemic.”

“Do you have a time frame for distribution?”

“Well, since last year’s influenza deaths happened right in our own community, we want to offer the vaccine as soon as possible. If everything goes as planned, we’ll have the serum ready in two weeks.”

“That would be great. Can we start planning a campaign for the clinics?”

“Sure, we’ll have a limited first run only because we want our town to receive theirs first. We’ll donate five hundred vials, which will give you ten shots per vial. The rest of the vaccine will be available in late October through January. Bill wants more than enough made for that period to cover anyone else who wants a shot.”

“That is very good news.” Eva replied, standing. “Will you keep me informed of any changes?”

“I sure will. We’re working hard to prevent last year’s tragedy.”

Susan’s assistant showed her to the front entrance. Checking her watch, Eva hustled to Betty’s idling car.

Joe saw Matt’s salute and glare. He’d have to explain himself soon. He drove to Sylvia’s B & B and parked in his usual place along the street. After sticking all the copies inside a newspaper he had bought earlier, he closed his windows. The weather section predicted a storm. Before walking into the anticipated coolness of his room, he opened the trunk. He pulled out a canvas duffle bag and a paper sack with a cold six-pack of Coke and a deli sandwich.

In his room, he set the bags on the floor and newspapers with the copies on the bed. He stripped down to his under shorts. Tight shirts may impress the women, but they were uncomfortable and made him sweat. Feeling like he could breathe again, he reached for his sub and a coke, then settled in for the afternoon. He read over the supply copies and jotted down notes as he went. Taking a break, he snuck down to the bathroom. When he returned, he reached for his phone.

“Hey, it’s me. I need a background check on Dr. Madeline Pierce. I want it by three o’clock.” He paused. “No, it’s humid and the fishing sucks.” He leaned back against his headboard and guzzled the last of his third Coke.