The Bovine Connection (37 page)

“Well, he’s certainly not of your typical western medicine mindset; although, he still retains a rather large ego.” Angelica rolled her eyes with straight lips.

Gail leaned over deliberately towards Angelica, “Honey, I believe that comes with the territory.”

“True,” Angelica agreed, as she finished the last sip of wine. “I have a busy morning. We should probably get to bed.”

“Yes, we need our beauty rest.” Gail said, as she stood up from the table. I’ll grab the salad and plates if you’ll get the wine bottle and glasses.”

Angelica blew out the candles and called to Theo to follow her inside.

In the kitchen, Gail was placing the dishes in the sink.

“I have everything, even Theo, here,” Angelica said. “And I locked the back door,” she added, as the dog sauntered past to lie down on his bed.

“Thank you, sweetie! You can get on to bed; I’m almost finished in here.”

Angelica started down the hall but then turned around and looked back at Gail. Gail sensed that Angelica had stopped and she turned around. “What is it, honey?”

“If I don’t see you in the morning before I leave… thank you for that amazing salad and another wonderful evening!”

Gail smiled. “Go get your beauty rest! Oh, and Angelica, you’ll be with your cowboy soon enough! However, you are not moving to New York or Montana and leaving your dearest friend!”

“You needn’t worry… Goodnight, Gail. And thank you again, my sweet friend.”

A
ngelica awoke the next morning to the sound of her iPhone ringing. She had set the alarm for seven thirty, but the alarm was the same as her ring tone and it always confused her. She reached over and pressed the red snooze icon in the middle of the screen, and fell back in the soft bed and buried her head in the pillow. Nine minutes later it sounded again so she got up from the bed, walked over and opened the guest bedroom door.

Gail’s door was already open and her bed was made. There was a lingering scent of lilac perfume in the hall. Angelica clambered out of the room in her white silk panties and Michael’s white undershirt, cautiously peering down the hallway as she started down the staircase. She ran her hand along the banister as she went downstairs. Angelica walked over and looked out the glass door in the foyer, before proceeding down the hall to the kitchen.

The smell of fresh roses fumigated the air. Gail had left the coffee maker on with a half a pot of coffee for her. Angelica found a clean white coffee mug with the words “I love Rome” printed in black beside the coffee maker. She poured her coffee, leaving off the cream and sugar. The house was quiet. Theo was lying in the corner peering up at her with his chin propped up on the edge of his bed.

Angelica stepped into the glass atrium. She watched as the birds flew around the feeders, listening to their morning song.

After a moment, she looked down at the wound on her forearm. Everything was surreal. At that moment everything that happened last week felt like a dream – Elberton, Montana… the cattle mutilations… Matthew’s death… the man in the black Tahoe… the secret file detailing what appeared to be a CIA cover-up… She was beginning to feel major sensory overload again. Angelica caught herself in the trail of deep thought and blurted aloud, “Fuck! What am I doing?” She put her hand to her chest and looked up at the sky blankly. “Who are you? What are you?” Angelica thought aloud, looking at the sky, before she lowered her head, catching a glimpse of her reflection in the glass. “Who am I? I don’t know anymore,” she whispered.

As Angelica turned and walked out of the sunny atrium and back into the kitchen, she noticed a new magnet on Gail’s refrigerator, so she went over and took it in her hand.

“
We are all on the same pathway to understanding… That is the art of existence.”
Angelica put the magnet back on the refrigerator and considered that humans were just a tiny microcosm in the vast universe. So how could we be so naïve to believe that the human race is the only intelligent life form in existence? In the end, we might turn out to be not-so-smart after all, she thought.

A
ngelica pulled through the Georgetown University campus.
The historic landmark in Romanesque revival style stood predominately along the O&C Canal, reminding her of an old castle.
Driving along the road between rows of trees and well-maintained landscaping, she found Regents Hall, the University’s newest and most innovative research facility.

Angelica parked her badly dented white BMW, then stepped out and looked around for Dr. Goolrick.

College students and faculty were rushing to get to their next classes. The campus was like a beehive; humming with activity.

Angelica took the paved walkway toward the front entrance of the new sustainable facility. It was a drastic contract from the main buildings on campus, most built in 1789. Regents Hall was a juxtaposed paradox, constructed of mostly glass and steel, completely unlike its stately counterparts.

Inside, Dr. Goolrick was nowhere in sight, so Angelica found a seat on the bench near the entrance nestled by the staircase.

Angelica looked down at her fingers intertwined together in a tight grasp that had caused her knuckles to turn white. The anxiety had returned. Her mind drifted back to Matthew. She thought about the day he picked her up at the lodge and shared the details of his childhood. Angelica realized she had never personally known anyone that had been murdered before. She and Matthew had become good friends in such a short period of time. The thought sent a chill up her spine. She contemplated the risk she was facing if she went to Nevada. She considered Dr. Marc Bishop’s safety and her own. Angelica sat on the bench preoccupied with thoughts as she considered giving up the story. She paid no attention to the students and faculty as they passed hurriedly by.

“Angelica!” Dr. Goolrick’s loud, assertive voice startled her, and she looked up to see the doctor and his colleague standing there.

“I’m afraid she is quite far away,” Dr. Goolrick stated, looking to his colleague.

“My apologies,” Angelica jumped to her feet.

“No apologies necessary. This is my colleague, Hamilton Howell. He is the Professor of Physics and Interdisciplinary Chair of Science here at the University, and this, as you know is Angelica Bradley with the
Liberator Magazine
.”

Dr. Howell extended his hand and smiled. “Walter said you used to work for
The Washington
Post
.”

Angelica eagerly took his hand and shook it. “Yes, that is correct. It is very nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, as well.” Dr. Howell smiled.

“Hello, Dr. Goolrick, thank you so much for arranging this meeting.” Angelica turned and met the doctor’s eyes; her voice weaker than he remembered. He noticed she looked different from their last meeting… frailer, he concluded.

Dr. Goolrick was visibly eager to see the device. “Should we go take a look at the object?”

“Oh, yes, this way to the lab.” Dr. Howell turned and started toward a hallway. Dr. Goolrick stepped aside so Angelica could catch up to Hamilton and keep pace with him.

“I understand you discovered something quite unusual in your arm.” Dr. Howell glanced back.

“Yes, unusual is a good word to describe it,” Angelica responded and then exhaled, still trying to process it all.

The three of them walked into the broad doors of Regents Hall and took the elevator to the third floor. As the elevator opened, Dr. Howell walked with a purpose, turning immediately left as Dr. Goolrick and Angelica followed close behind. He took out a key from his pocket and opened a door marked ‘Room 33.’ He let them pass by as he shut the door and relocked it. Angelica looked around. It reminded her of Dr. Marc Bishop’s laboratory at the Smithsonian. However, this lab was considerably newer and adorned with bamboo furniture. Large windows stretched across the back of the room letting in the sunlight. Regents Hall was an eco-friendly building making use of all natural lighting available.

Dr. Howell sat down on a stool and extended his hand with his palm facing up.

Angelica curiously looked down at his hand. “Oh yes… I have it right here,” Angelica stated as she opened her purse, pulled out her wallet, and took out the Brown Palace cocktail napkin. Angelica looked up and met Dr. Goolrick’s eyes as she opened the napkin and then she reached her hand out for them to see it. Both doctors leaned down to observe the device, obviously questioning whether to touch it. Dr. Howell looked over to Angelica’s forearm and at the Band-Aid.

“May I see the area where you removed the object?” he asked, business-like.

Angelica nodded and extended her hand out to Dr. Goolrick so that he could take the napkin with the device on it. She squinted and gritted her teeth as she pulled the Band-Aid back until it released from her skin and came completely off.

Dr. Howell raised his chin while lowering his eyes to observe the wound. “Interesting,” he said. “It appears to be healing; however, you could have used stitches to lessen the appearance of the scar.” Dr. Howell put his hand on her wrist. “May I?” Angelica nodded as he pulled her arm closer and stepped in to examine her wound. “It is roughly less than a centimeter in length, and slightly less than half a centimeter depth.” He turned around and flipped the switch on the lamp and then looked over at Dr. Goolrick.

Understanding the gesture, Dr. Goolrick handed him the napkin. Dr. Howell put on a pair of latex gloves and then handed Dr. Goolrick a pair.

After he lifted it from the napkin, he carefully put the object on a petri dish and studied it through a stereo light microscope. “There is a brownish red material I believe to be Ms. Bradley’s blood.”

After a few moments of examination, he carefully fixed it onto double-sided sellotape, mounted it on an SEM holder, and put it into the scanning electron microscope. As Dr. Howell was doing so, he raised his eyes to look at Angelica. “I have a PhD in physics, not chemistry; nonetheless, I am familiar with extraterrestrial and military implant devices. Dr. Goolrick and I have been fascinated with the subject of the visitors for some time, and I have been fortunate enough to examine a few implants over the past twenty years.”

Dr. Howell looked down again and watched the electron microscope as it scanned the object. Angelica now suspected Dr. Howell was a member of the Doctor’s covert research team.

Pictures started to appear on the monitor in various surface magnifications. Dr. Howell was particularly interested in the metallic appearing fibers, alongside copper-colored fibers. “There are metallic fibers curling away from one edge and about forty microns long, as well as some fibrous looking surface structures about five microns, roughly. Appear to be miniature technology or mechanical components – similar to a tiny electronic circuit used to perform a specific electronic function. It is unusual… I am not seeing the common wafer, with hundreds of integrated circuits. These results are indicating military implications… Alien technology tends to be unrecognizable to human eyes so I am especially enthusiastic when I find unidentifiable structures. Unfortunately, even without the wafer, I recognize similarities to a military implant… although it is too early to form a definitive conclusion.”

Angelica looked over at Dr. Goolrick as he raised his eyebrows inquisitively. Dr. Howell continued, “We must go through one final step for confirmation of analysis. Therefore, the final step will be to use Energy Dispersive X-ray Microanalysis, or what we call EDX, to determine the object’s composition. Possibly, to reveal a combination of elements found on earth, if my assumption is correct.

“I am using an "EDAX PV9100" system. This machine will show a series of peaks and troughs at different wavelengths, and the set of lines to be predictable from any element known. We will be able to look along the spectrum and identify each major peak.”

Dr. Howell continued his analysis with an intense and meticulous approach. After a few minutes, he announced with high confidence that the elements in the top layer of the device were some type of non-metallic composite compound, and the other ingredients underneath the layer were non-ferris metals consisting of forty percent titanium, thirty percent copper and sixteen percent silver. Ignoring all the other unidentifiable elements in varying proportions, he had completed his analysis.

“The mystery is solved. The implant appears to be more similar to the military devices,” Dr. Howell stated confidently. Dr. Goolrick was initially disappointed… but quickly his demeanor turned to one of concern.

“Well, Angelica, it appears you are quite the intriguing creature. The military has implanted you with some new form of tracking device.” Dr. Goolrick clenched his teeth.

Dr. Howell interjected, “We assume it is military. It certainly does not appear to be extraterrestrial in nature.” Dr. Howell raised his eyebrows. Angelica’s face was pale; she didn’t flinch.

Dr. Howell appeared concerned. “Are you all right, Ms. Bradley? Would you like some water?” Angelica looked at him and she could feel her blood pulsing in her neck. His mouth was moving; however, she didn’t hear a word.