The River (5 page)

"While I can appreciate that you're having difficulty accepting your father's death, I hope you can appreciate that I'm a very busy man. We're in the middle of a huge research proj―"

"I'm not here to talk about your research. I want to know where my dad's files are."

He couldn't believe the woman's audacity.

"That's Bio-Tec's property! Anything your father did here we own. You should know that."

"It might be the only way I'll find him."

What could he possibly say to get her off his back and off Bio-Tec grounds?

He stood abruptly. "Follow me."

When they reached the NB Lab, he swiped a small card through a keypad, pushed a button and beckoned her inside. He took her arm, steered her toward the main computer terminal.

"This is where your father worked seven years ago. A lot has changed since then."

Shit!
Jake―the obnoxious moron―was sitting at the monitor, with his back to them.

Edward paused. "The lab was broken into a few years ago. Most of your father's stuff was stolen. His files were deleted."

The woman eyed him suspiciously but said nothing.

"Of course I knew you wouldn't believe me so I brought you here to show you. Once I do, I expect you to stop coming here. Do you understand, Miss Hawthorne?"

"Oh, I understand perfectly."

The intensity of her glare burned a hole through his skull, and he was the first to look away.

Del battled a multitude of thoughts, furious at Edward Moran's demeanor. Her father's files may have been deleted, but Schroeder had tried to tell her that there was
something
at Bio-Tec. All she had to do was find out what.

Moran tapped the shoulder of the doctor sitting at the computer, then he leaned down slightly and said something, motioning the man to stay seated.

"Delila Hawthorne, this is Jake. He'll be happy to show you the folder that your father used."

When the man in the chair turned, she found herself ogling the attractive blue-eyed doctor from Riverview. Schroeder's specialist.

Mr. Tall, Dark and Oh-So-Sexy.

She struggled to catch her breath.
Oh crap!

The man appeared equally as stunned. "We've met. Well, sort of." He held out a hand. "Jake Kerrigan, scientist and doctor. How are you doing today?"

She slipped her hand in his, then pulled back quickly, feeling a bit lightheaded from the electrifying contact. "I'm fine."

"Yes, you are," the doctor said boldly. "Grab a chair."

"Thank you, Dr. Kerrigan."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she paused.

Kerrigan.
Why did that sound so familiar?

In the hospital, Schroeder's doctor had never mentioned the specialist's name. She was sure of it.

"What kind of specialist are you exactly?"

A smile formed on the man's lips. "I specialize in youth. Actually, in layman's terms, I'm researching the aging process and aging diseases such as Progeria. We've made some fascinating discoveries in the past ten years."

"Is that why you went to see Arnold Schroeder?"

"I've run some tests on your…friend."

"Professor Schroeder was my dad's friend. And my mentor."

There was a look of surprise on the doctor's face. "You're an anthropologist? I never would have guessed."

Behind her, Moran let out an impatient huff.

She clasped her hands tightly. "Dr. Kerrigan…"

There it was again, that faint recognition.

"Jake," he insisted. "I'm not one for formalities."

My mother would hate you then.

Del saw Moran move closer, until his vast stomach pressed against the mahogany desk. He observed every move Jake made on the computer. When the doctor made a data entry error and had to backtrack, Moran's beady eyes flicked him a look of disdain.

"I'll leave you two at it then," he said after a while. "Remember what I said, Delila. I don't expect to see you back here again."

He made his way toward the doors.

As far as she was concerned, Edward Moran hadn't left soon enough. Something about the man made her feel as though an army of fire ants were crawling over her body.

"There you go," Jake said, angling the monitor toward her.

He pulled up a folder labeled with her father's name.

It was empty. Nothing. Not one file.

Moran was right. Someone had deleted all her father's work.

But why?

She stared at the screen, willing it to change.

"Can you do a search? See if he had files stored someplace else?"

"Let's see what comes up if I search for one of your father's research topics." He glanced up from the keyboard. "Do you prefer Miss Hawthorne or Delila?"

"Call me Del. Everyone does."

"Ok, Del. It could take a few minutes for the computer to scan all the files. Why don't we head for the lounge, grab a coffee?"

They swiveled in their chairs simultaneously, their knees knocking together.

Jake gave her a rueful look. "Sorry. Ladies first."

She stood, then followed him.

"Did you know my dad?"

"Yeah, he was a great guy. We worked on a few projects together. You're a lot like him."

"Is that a good thing?"

He flashed her a wicked smile. "Uh-huh.
Very
good."

Embarrassed, she looked away.

"So, are you going to tell me why you're here, Del?"

She thought of Schroeder's warning.
No police.
Well, Jake wasn't the police, but could she trust him? She had already let it slip to Moran that she thought her father was still alive. That could prove to be a huge mistake.

Thankfully, the lounge was empty. The pastel beige walls of the room were bare, except for a set of brightly colored prints that someone had hung in an attempt to make the room cozier. Coffee-stained laminate counters held a variety of small appliances, including an ancient microwave―maybe the first ever built. In the corner, an old refrigerator rumbled and coughed, probably on its last legs too.

So much for advanced technology.

"You need a visit from the
While You Were Out
gang."

"Hey!" Jake scowled. "I decorated this room myself."

"Don't give up your day job."

"Ha, ha," he said wryly. "Has anyone ever told you you're like Samson's Delila? Chop off a man's hair or chop him off at his ego, it's all the same."

She laughed at his wounded expression. "So what are the pictures of?"

"Nanomachines."

She stared at him blankly.

"Extremely minuscule electromechanical devices. Computers. Programmed with different functions, like repairing molecular anomalies or malfunctions. They're manufactured on the nanoscopic scale, so they're invisible to the naked eye."

"It's hard to imagine a computer that small."

"Your father was working on a few projects involving Nanotechnology. But he was especially interested in genetic diseases. I was very sad to hear about his death. We all were."

She flinched.

But he's still alive!

"Were you here when the lab was broken into?" she asked.

"Yeah, but I was working in another part of the building. It was late, probably close to eleven o'clock. I still don't understand how anyone could have gotten past security. All the doors are locked and coded at night."

"So the only people who can get in are those with the codes?"

"Or an ID pass."

Jake held up a small card identical to the one Moran had used.

"Didn't security spot anything?"

"Yeah, a ghost."

Her head shot up in shock.

"Just kidding," he said. "There was a glitch in the computer system. It showed that Neil Parnitski had logged in."

"Parnitski? But that's not possible. They found his body when my dad went missing."

"Someone could have taken his pass card…if he had it on him at the time. Although, there are no markings on our cards. They don't even say Bio-Tec. A stranger in the woods wouldn't have a clue what the pass card unlocked."

Del bit her lip.

But someone traveling with Parnitski would.

The thought troubled her. If her father was alive, why would he break into the lab and steal his own files? And why would he go back to the Nahanni, put his life in danger? Nothing made sense.

"The computer should be done," Jake said quietly. "Let's see what it has to say."

Following him to the lab, Del read the message on the screen.

No such files exist!

She wanted to cry. The empty folder with her father's name on it was the only sign that he had even worked at Bio-Tec. It was almost as if he had been…erased.

Jake's mouth tightened. "Sorry, Del."

"I was so sure that there was something here. Arnold Schroeder said there was."

"What exactly did he tell you?"

"He was rambling on about Bio-Tec. About…I don't know."

Frustrated, she reached for her handbag and pulled out the notepad. She flipped the pages until she came to the note on Schroeder's call. She showed it to Jake.

"You need…care…Bio-Tec," he read. "Go back. Take care again."

Del slapped her forehead.

Of course, you idiot! Take Kerrigan!

Her head snapped in Jake's direction. He had a bewildered expression on his finely chiseled face.

"Jake, Schroeder says my dad is alive, somewhere on the Nahanni River."

"After all this time?"

"I know it seems impossible but I believe him. Didn't Schroeder say anything to you when you went to see him in the hospital?"

"Not a word, Del. By the time I finished reading his files and made it to his room, he had already coded. And when I left, he was unconscious. I've been running his blood work from here."

"How close were you to my dad? I mean, there must be some reason why Schroeder thinks I should take you."

His eyes flickered nervously. "Take me where?"

"To the Nahanni River. To find my dad. Schroeder thinks you should go with me. Probably because my dad trusted you."

She paused for a moment.

Maybe she was wrong.

"He did trust you, didn't he?"

Jake's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious, Del! How the hell do you expect to find him after all these years? If he's really alive."

"I know he's alive! I can't explain how, but I know it. I've always known it. When my mother and I buried him, I knew the coffin was empty for a reason. Not because they hadn't found his body, but because I knew there
was
no body. At least not a dead one."

"Wait! I don't understand why you need me. I don't know anything about your father's disappearance."

"Maybe not, but you knew my dad, how he thinks."

Tension invaded the air, sucking out the oxygen as Del waited for his answer.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I can't possibly leave right now. Especially to go on some wild goose chase up north. I'm in the middle of a huge research project and―"

"Forget it!"

Snatching the notepad from his hand, she hurried to the exit.

As the doors parted, she threw him a withering look. "The professor was in perfect health before he went to the Nahanni."

When he said nothing, she huffed in exasperation. "Doesn't it make you the least bit curious about how he could've developed Progeria?"

She stalked out of the lab.

Bastard!

Four

T
wo weeks later, Del was anxious to set off for the Nahanni River, but the stress of seeing Arnold Schroeder's rapid deterioration made her second-guess herself. What if he
had
been hallucinating? What if he had simply been separated from the other men?

What if—

"Morning, Del," TJ greeted.

It irked her to see him enter her house so nonchalantly.

"Ever hear of knocking, TJ?"

Ignoring her, TJ's eyes grazed over the living room. It was clear from his wounded expression that he noticed the empty space on the table by the window, the space where his photograph had been. She wasn't about to tell him that the photo had been shredded into tiny pieces.

Or that she had used it to line the kitty-litter box.

"Play nice," Lisa whispered in her ear.

TJ slid his long-legged body into a kitchen chair. "The others'll meet us at the airport. You ready?"

Del jerked her head toward a large backpack propped up beside the door. Her bags had been packed, ready to go for hours.

"Let's go."

Hefting the heavy pack over one shoulder, she motioned toward the door. TJ and Lisa followed her outside to the taxi that was waiting in the driveway.

"Have any problems getting a charter?" she asked, stuffing her bags into the trunk.

"Nope," TJ said. "Got us a twelve-seater. We'll West Jet it from here to Edmonton, take the charter from there to Yellowknife and Fort Simpson, and a seaplane to Rabbitkettle Lake. Got us a guide too."

Del had to give TJ credit. He had certainly done his part.

She gave Lisa a quick hug. "Thanks so much for looking after Kayber for me, Lis. Don't let him eat you out of house and home. And don't leave your coffee on the counter either. The pig'll drink it all. He's such a caffeine addict."

Wiping away a few tears that had gone AWOL, she climbed into the backseat of the taxi. TJ folded himself in beside her, his knees pressed awkwardly against the back of the passenger seat.

"Why don't you sit up front?"

"Naw, it's cool," he said.

She closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat, thankful that TJ had made all the arrangements. She wouldn't even have known where to begin.

"Isn't a twelve-seater kind of big for the four of us, TJ?"

"Six."

Her eyes snapped open in surprise. "Who else did you invite?"

TJ stared at her, bewildered. "Not me―
you!
"

"I didn't invite anyone else."

"Yeah, you did. The doctor from Bio-Tec?"

"Jake Kerrigan?"

She was floored.

Why did he change his mind?