Chromosome 6

CHAPTER 11

MARCH 5, 1997

11:30 P.M.

COGO, EQUATORIAL GUINEA

KEVIN heard the heavy metal door open at the top of the stone stairs and a crack of light cascaded in. Two seconds later, the string of bare lightbulbs in the ceiling of the corridor went on. Through the bars of his cell, he could see Melanie and Candace in their respective cells. They were squinting as he was in the sudden glare.

Heavy footfalls on the granite stairs preceded Siegfried Spallek’s appearance. He was accompanied by Cameron McIvers and Mustapha Aboud, chief of the Moroccan guards.

“It’s about time, Mr. Spallek!” Melanie snapped. “I demand to be let out of here this instant, or you’ll be in serious trouble.”

Kevin winced. It was not the way to talk with Siegfried Spallek on any occasion, much less in their current circumstance.

Kevin, Melanie, and Candace had been huddling in utter blackness in separate cells in the oppressively hot, dank, jail in the basement of the town hall. Each cell had a small, arched window that opened into a window well in the rear arcade of the building. The openings were barred but without glass, so vermin could pass through unimpeded. All three prisoners had been terrified by the sounds of scampering creatures, especially since they’d seen several tarantulas before the lights had been turned out. The only source of comfort had been that they could easily talk to each other.

The first five minutes of the evening’s ordeal had been the worst. As soon as the sound of the burst of machine-gun fire died out, Kevin and the women were blinded by large hand-held lights. When their eyes had finally adjusted, they saw that they’d walked into an ambush of sorts. They were surrounded by a jeering group of youthful Equatoguinean soldiers who’d delighted in casually aiming their AK-47’s at them. Several had been brazen enough to poke the women with the muzzles of their weapons.

Fearing the worst, Kevin and the others hadn’t moved a muscle. They’d been scared witless by the indiscriminate gunfire and terrified it might begin again at the slightest provocation.

Only at the appearance of several of the Moroccan guards did the unruly soldiers back off. Kevin had never imagined the intimidating Arabs as potential saviors, but that’s how it had turned out. The guards had assumed custody of Kevin and the women. Then the guards drove them in Kevin’s car, first to the Moroccan guard building across from the animal center, where they’d been placed in a windowless room for several hours, and then finally into town, where they’d been incarcerated in the old jail.

“This is outrageous treatment,” Melanie persisted.

“On the contrary,” Siegfried said. “I have been assured by Mustapha that you have been treated with all due respect.”

“Respect!” Melanie sputtered. “To be shot at with machine guns! And kept in this shithole in the dark! That’s respect?”

“You were not shot at,” Siegfried corrected. “Those were merely a few warning shots directed over your heads. You had, after all, violated an important rule here in the Zone. Isla Francesca is off-limits. Everyone knows that.”

Siegfried motioned to Cameron toward Candace. Cameron opened her cell with a large, antique key. Candace wasted no time getting out of the cell. She hastily dusted off her clothes to make sure there were no bugs. She was still dressed in her surgical scrubs from the hospital.

“My apologies to you,” Siegfried said to Candace. “I imagine you were led astray by our resident researchers. Perhaps you were not even aware of the rule against visiting the island area.”

Cameron opened Melanie’s cell and then Kevin’s.

“As soon as I heard about your detention, I tried to call Dr. Raymond Lyons,” Siegfried said. “I wanted to ask his opinion as to the best way to handle this situation. Since he was unavailable, I have to take responsibility myself. I am releasing you all on your own recognizance. I trust that you now know the seriousness of your actions. Under Equatoguinean law it could be considered a capital offense.”

“Oh, bull!” Melanie spat.

Kevin cringed. He was afraid Melanie would anger Siegfried enough to order them back into the cells. Benevolence was not a part of Siegfried’s character.

Mustapha extended Kevin’s car keys to him. “Your vehicle is out back,” he said with a heavy French accent.

Kevin took the keys. His hand shook enough to cause them to jingle until he got his hand and the keys into his pocket.

“I’m sure I will be speaking to Dr. Lyons sometime tomorrow,” Siegfried said. “I will contact you individually. You may go.”

Melanie started to speak again, but Kevin surprised himself by grabbing her arm and propelling her toward the stairs.

“I’ve had enough manhandling,” Melanie sputtered. She tried to pull her arm from Kevin’s grasp.

“Let’s just get into the car,” Kevin whispered harshly through clenched teeth. He forced her to keep moving.

“What a night!” Melanie complained. At the base of the stairs, she managed to yank her arm free. Irritably, she started up.

Kevin waited for Candace to precede him, then followed the women up to the ground floor. They emerged into an office used by the Equatoguinean soldiers that were constantly seen lounging in front of the town hall. There were four of them present.

With the base manager, the head of security, and the chief of the Moroccan guards in the building, the soldiers were a good deal more attentive than usual. All four were standing in their interpretation of attention, with their assault rifles over their shoulders. When Kevin and the women appeared, their expressions suggested they were confused.

Melanie gave them the finger as Kevin herded her and Candace out the door into the parking lot.

“Please, Melanie,” Kevin begged. “Don’t provoke them!”

Whether the soldiers did not understand the meaning of Melanie’s gesture or were bewildered by the anomalous circumstances, Kevin didn’t know. One way or the other, they didn’t come flying out after them as Kevin feared they might.

They got to the car. Kevin opened the passenger-side door. Candace climbed in eagerly. But not Melanie. She turned to Kevin with her eyes blazing in the dim light.

“Give me the keys,” she demanded.

“What?” Kevin asked, even though he’d heard her.

“I said give me the keys,” Melanie repeated.

Confused by this unexpected request but not wishing to incite her more than she already was, Kevin handed her the car keys. Melanie immediately went around to the other side of the car and got in behind the wheel. Kevin climbed into the passenger seat. He didn’t care who drove as long as they got themselves out of there.

Melanie started the car, spun the tires, and drove out of the parking lot.

“Jeez, Melanie,” Kevin said. “Slow down!”

“I’m pissed,” Melanie said.

“As if I couldn’t tell,” Kevin said.

“I’m not going home just yet,” Melanie said. “But I’d be happy to take you guys home if you want.”

“Where do you want to go?” Kevin asked. “It’s almost midnight.”

“I’m going out to the animal center,” Melanie said. “I’m not going to tolerate being treated like this without finding out what the hell is going on.”

“What’s at the animal center?” Kevin asked.

“The keys to that goddamned bridge,” Melanie said. “I want one, because for me this affair has gone beyond curiosity.”

“Maybe we should stop and talk about this,” Kevin suggested.

Melanie jammed on the brakes, bringing them to a lurching stop. Both Kevin and Candace had to push themselves back into their respective seats.

“I’m going to the animal center,” Melanie repeated. “You guys can either come along or I’ll drop you off. It’s your call.”

“Why tonight?” Kevin asked.

“One, because I’m really ticked off right now,” Melanie said. “And two, because they wouldn’t suspect it. Obviously, they intend for us to go home and quake in our beds. That’s why we were so mistreated. But you know something, that’s not my style.”

“That’s my style,” Kevin said.

“I think Melanie is right,” Candace said from the backseat. “They were deliberately trying to scare us.”

“And I think they did a damn good job,” Kevin said. “Or am I the only sane one in the group?”

“Let’s do it,” Candace said.

“Oh, no!” Kevin groaned. “I’m outnumbered.”

“We’ll take you home,” Melanie said. “No problem.” She started to put the car in reverse.

Kevin reached out and stayed her hand. “How do you propose to get the keys? You don’t even know where they’d be.”

“I think it’s pretty clear they’d be in Bertram’s office,” Melanie said. “He’s the one in charge of logistics for the bonobo program. Hell, you’re the one who suggested he had them.”

“Okay, they’re in Bertram’s office,” Kevin said. “But what about security? Offices are locked.”

Melanie reached into the breast pocket of her animal-center coveralls and pulled out a magnetic card. “You’re forgetting that I’m part of the animal-center hierarchy. This is a master card, and not the kind that competes with VISA. This thing gets me in every door of the animal center twenty-four hours a day. Remember, my work with the bonobo project is only a part of the fertility work I do.”

Kevin looked over the back of his seat at Candace. Her blond hair was luminous in the half light of the car interior. “If you’re game, Candace, I guess I’m game,” he said.

“Let’s go!” Candace said.

Melanie accelerated and turned north beyond the motor pool. The motor pool was in full operation, with huge mercury-vapor lamps illuminating the entire staging area. The motor pool’s night shift was larger than either the day or evening shifts since that’s when truck traffic between the Zone and Bata was at its peak.

Melanie zipped past a number of tractor trailers until the turnoff to Bata fell behind. From that point, all the way to the animal center, they didn’t see another vehicle.

The animal center worked three shifts just like the motor pool did, although in the animal center the night shift was the smallest. The majority of the night staff worked in the veterinary hospital. Melanie took advantage of this fact by pulling Kevin’s Toyota up to one of the animal-hospital doors. There the car had lots of company.

Melanie turned off the ignition and gazed at the animal-center entrance that led directly into the veterinary hospital. She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel.

“Well?” Kevin said. “We’re here, what’s the plan?”

“I’m thinking,” Melanie said. “I can’t decide what’s best: whether you guys wait here or come with me.”

“This place is huge,” Candace said. She’d leaned forward and was gazing at the building in front of them. It ran from the street all the way back to where it disappeared into the jungle foliage. “For as many times as I’ve been to Cogo, I’ve never been out here at the animal center. I didn’t have any idea it was so large. Is this part we’re facing the hospital?”

“Yup,” Melanie said. “This whole wing.”

“I’d be interested to see it,” Candace said. “I’ve never been in a veterinary hospital let alone one that’s so palatial.”

“It’s state-of-the-art,” Melanie said. “You should see the ORs.”

“Oh my God,” Kevin sighed. He rolled his eyes. “I’ve been ensnared by the insane. We’ve just had the most harrowing experience in our lives, and you’re talking about taking a tour.”

“It’s not going to be a tour,” Melanie said as she alighted from the car. “Come on, Candace. I’m sure I can use your help. Kevin, you can wait here if you’d like.”

“Fine by me,” Kevin said. But it only took him a few moments of watching the women trudge toward the entrance before he, too, climbed out of the car. He decided that the anxiety of waiting would be worse than the stress of going.

“Wait up,” Kevin called out. He had to run a few steps until he’d caught up with the others.

“I don’t want to hear any complaining,” Melanie told Kevin.

“Don’t worry,” Kevin said. He felt like a teenager being chastised by his mother.

“I don’t anticipate any problems,” Melanie said. “Bertram Edwards’s office is in the administration part of the building, which at this time will be deserted. But just to be sure we don’t arouse any suspicion, once we’re inside, we’ll head down to the locker room. I want you guys in animal center coveralls. Okay? I mean it’s not really the time anyone would expect to encounter visitors.”

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Candace said.

“All right,” Bertram said into the phone. His eye caught the luminous dial of his bedside clock. It was quarter past midnight. “I’ll meet you at your office in five minutes.”

Bertram swung his legs over the edge of the bed and parted the mosquito netting.

“Trouble?” Trish, his wife, asked. She’d pushed herself up on one elbow.

“Just a nuisance,” Bertram said. “Go back to sleep! I’ll be back in a half hour or so.”

Bertram closed the door to the bedroom before turning on the dressing-room light. He dressed quickly. Although he’d downplayed the situation to Trish, Bertram was anxious. He had no idea what was going on, but it had to be trouble. Siegfried had never called him in the middle of the night with a request to come to his office.

Outside, it was as bright as daytime with a nearly full moon having risen in the east. The sky was filled with silvery-purple cumulus clouds. The night air was heavy and humid and perfectly still. The sounds of the jungle were an almost constant cacophony of buzzes, chirps, and squawks interrupted with occasional short screams. It was a noise Bertram had grown accustomed to over the years, and it didn’t even register in his mind.

Despite the distance to the town hall being only a few hundred yards, Bertram drove. He knew it would be faster, and every minute that passed raised his curiosity. As he pulled into the parking lot, he could see that the usually lethargic soldiers were strangely agitated, moving around the army post, clutching their rifles. They eyed him nervously as he turned off his headlights and alighted from the car.

Approaching the building on foot, Bertram could see meager light flickering through the slats of the shutters covering Siegfried’s second-floor office windows. He went up the stairs, passed through the dark reception area normally occupied by Aurielo, and entered Siegfried’s office.

Siegfried was sitting at his desk with his feet propped up on the corner. In the hand of his good arm he held and was gently swirling a brandy snifter. Cameron McIvers, head of security, was sitting in a rattan chair with a similar glass. The only illumination in the room was coming from the candle in the skull. The low level of shimmering light cast dark shadows and gave a lifelike quality to the menagerie of stuffed animals.

“Thanks for coming out at such an ungodly hour,” Siegfried said with his usual German accent. “How about a splash of brandy?”

“Do I need it?” Bertram asked, as he pulled a rattan chair over to the desk.

Siegfried laughed. “It can never hurt.”

Cameron got the drink from a sideboard. He was a hefty, full-bearded Scotsman with a bulbous, red nose and a strong bias toward alcohol of any sort, although scotch was understandably his favorite. He handed the snifter to Bertram and reclaimed his seat and his own drink.

“Usually when I’m called out in the middle of the night it is a medical emergency with an animal,” Bertram said. He took a sip of the brandy and breathed in deeply. “Tonight I have the sense it is something else entirely.”

“Indeed,” Siegfried said. “First I have to commend you. Your warning this afternoon about Kevin Marshall was well-founded and timely. I asked Cameron to have him watched by the Moroccans, and sure enough this evening he, Melanie Becket, and one of the surgical nurses drove all the way out to the landing area for Isla Francesca.”

“Damnation!” Bertram exclaimed. “Did they go on the island?”

“No,” Siegfried said. “They merely played with the food float. They’d also stopped to talk with Alphonse Kimba.”

“This irritates me to death!” Bertram exclaimed. “I don’t like anyone going near that island, and I don’t like anyone talking to that pygmy.”

“Nor do I,” Siegfried agreed.

“Where are they now?” Bertram questioned.

“We let them go home,” Siegfried said. “But not before putting the fear of God into them. I don’t think they will be doing it again, at least not for a while.”

“This is not what I need!” Bertram complained. “I hate to have to worry about this on top of the bonobos splitting into two groups.”

“This is worse than the animals living in two groups,” Siegfried said.

“They’re both bad,” Bertram said. “Both have the potential of interrupting the smooth operation of the program and possibly putting an end to it. I think my idea of caging them all and bringing them into the animal center should be reconsidered. I’ve got the cages out there. It wouldn’t be difficult, and it will make retrievals a hell of a lot easier.”

From the moment Bertram had determined the bonobos were living in two social groups, he’d thought it best to round up the animals and keep them in separate cages where they could be watched. But he’d been thwarted by Siegfried. Bertram had considered going over Siegfried’s head by appealing to his boss in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but had decided against it. Doing so would have alerted the GenSys hierarchy that there was potential trouble with the bonobo program.

“We’re not opening that discussion!” Siegfried said emphatically. “We’re not giving up on the idea of keeping them isolated on the island. We all decided back when this started that was the best idea. I still think it is. But with this episode with Kevin Marshall, the bridge has me worried.”

“Why?” Bertram asked. “It’s locked.”

“Where are the keys?” Siegfried asked.

“In my office,” Bertram said.

“I think they should be here in the main safe,” Siegfried said. “Most of your staff has access to your office, including Melanie Becket.”

“Perhaps you have a point,” Bertram said.

“I’m glad you agree,” Siegfried said. “So I’d like you to get them. How many are there?”

“I don’t recall exactly,” Bertram said. “Four or five. Something like that.”

“I want them here,” Siegfried said.

“Fine,” Bertram said agreeably. “I don’t have a problem with that.”

“Good,” Siegfried said. He let his legs drop from the desk and stood up. “Let’s go. I’ll come with you.”

“You want to go now?” Bertram asked with disbelief.

“Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today?” Siegfried said. “Isn’t that an expression you Americans espouse? With the keys in the safe, I know I’ll sleep a lot better tonight.”

“Would you want me to come along as well?” Cameron asked.

“It’s not necessary,” Siegfried said. “I’m sure Bertram and I can handle it.”

Kevin looked at himself in the full-length mirror at the end of the banks of lockers in the men’s room. The trouble with the coveralls was that the small was too small and the medium was a little too big. He had to roll up the sleeves and the pant legs.

“What the hell are you doing in there?” Melanie’s voice called out. She’d pushed open the door from the hall.

“I’m coming,” Kevin said. He closed the locker where he’d stored his own clothes and hurried out into the hall.

“I thought women were supposed to take a long time dressing,” Melanie complained.

“I couldn’t decide which size was best,” Kevin said.

“Did anybody come in while you were in there?” Melanie asked.

“Not a soul,” Kevin said.

“Good,” Melanie said. “Same for us in the ladies’ room. Let’s go!”

Melanie motioned for the others to follow her as she started up the stairs. “To get to the administration area from here, we have to pass through part of the veterinary hospital. I think it’s best to avoid the main floor, which has the emergency room and the acute-care unit. There’s always a lot of activity there. So let’s go up to the second floor and go through the fertility unit. I can even say I’m checking on patients if someone asks.”

“Cool,” Candace said.

They passed the first floor and climbed to the second. Entering the main corridor, they encountered their first animal-center employee. If the man thought that there was anything abnormal about Kevin and Candace’s presence in the middle of the night, he didn’t give any evidence. He passed by with merely a nod.

“That was easy,” Candace whispered.

“It’s the coveralls,” Melanie said.

They turned left through a set of double doors and entered a brightly lit, narrow hallway lined with a number of blank doors. Melanie cracked one of them and stuck her head inside. Quietly, she closed the door. “It’s one of my patients. She’s a low-land gorilla who’s almost ready for egg retrieval. They can get a little rambunctious with the hormone level we have to achieve, but she’s sleeping soundly.”

“Can I see?” Candace asked.

“I suppose,” Melanie said. “But be quiet and don’t make any sudden movements.”

Candace nodded. Melanie opened the door and slipped inside. Candace followed. Kevin stayed by the door, holding it open.

“Shouldn’t we be doing what we came here for?” Kevin whispered.

Melanie put her finger to her lips.

There were four large cages in the room, only one of which was occupied. A large gorilla was sleeping on a bed of straw. The illumination came from overhead recessed lighting that was dimmed down to a point of being almost off.

Gently touching the bars of the cage, Candace leaned forward to get a better look. She’d never been so close to a gorilla. If she’d been inclined, she could have touched the huge animal.

With speed that defied belief, the female gorilla awoke and then bounced off the front of the cage. In the next instant, she was pounding the floor with her fists like kettle drums and shrieking.

Candace let out a scream of her own as she leapt back out of harm’s way. Melanie grabbed her.

“It’s okay,” Melanie said.

The gorilla then made another lunge for the front of the cage. She also hurled a handful of fresh feces in the process, which splattered against the far wall.

Melanie directed Candace out the door and Kevin let it shut.

“I’m terribly sorry,” Melanie said to Candace. Candace’s Nordic complexion was even paler than usual. “Are you all right?”

“I guess,” Candace said. She checked the front of her coveralls.

“A little PMS, I’m afraid,” Melanie said. “She didn’t hit you with any of her poop, did she?”

“I don’t think so,” Candace said. She ran a hand through her hair and then examined it.

“Let’s get the keys,” Kevin said. “We’re pushing our luck.”

They walked the length of the fertility unit and pushed through a second pair of swinging doors to enter a large room divided into bays. Each bay had several cages, and most of the cages were occupied by youthful primates of different species.

“This is the pediatric unit,” Melanie whispered. “Just act natural.”

There were four people working in the unit. They were all dressed in surgical scrubs with stethoscopes draped around their necks. Everyone was friendly but busy and preoccupied, and the trio passed through, garnering nothing more than a couple of smiles and nods.

After another set of double doors and a short corridor, they came to a heavy, locked fire door. Melanie had to use her card to open it.

“Here we are!” Melanie whispered, as she let the fire door close quietly behind them. After the bustle they’d just witnessed, the silence and darkness seemed absolute. “This is the administration area. The stairwell is down the hall to the left. So hold on.”

There was groping in the dark until Candace got her hand on Melanie’s shoulder and Kevin got his on Candace’s.

“Come on!” Melanie encouraged. She began to inch her way along the corridor, while running her hand against the wall. The others allowed themselves to be pulled along. Gradually, their eyes adjusted and by the time the group neared the door to the stairwell, they could appreciate the small amount of moonlight that seeped through the cracks.

Inside the stairwell, it was comparatively bright. Large windows on each landing flooded the stairs with moonlight.

The first-floor hall was much easier to walk in than the second-floor hall because of the windows in the main-entrance doors.

Melanie led them to a position just outside Bertram’s office.

“Now comes the acid test,” Kevin said, as Melanie tried her card in the lock.

There was an immediate, reassuring click. The door opened.

“No problem,” Melanie said buoyantly.

The three stepped inside the room and were again thrust into almost complete darkness. The only light was a meager glow that filtered through the open door into the inner office.

“What now?” Kevin questioned. “We’re not going to find anything in the dark.”

“I agree,” Melanie said. She felt along the wall for the switch. As soon as her finger touched it, she switched it on.

For a moment, they blinked at each other. “Whoa, seems awfully bright,” Melanie said.

“I hope it doesn’t wake up those Moroccan guards across the street,” Kevin said.

“Don’t even joke about it,” Melanie said. She walked into the inner office and turned on the light. Kevin and Candace joined her.

“I think we should be methodical about this,” Melanie said. “I’ll take the desk. Candace, you take the file cabinet, and, Kevin, why don’t you take the outer office and, while you’re at it, keep an eye on the hall. Give a yell if anybody appears.”

“Now that’s a happy thought,” Kevin said.

Siegfried turned left at the motor pool and accelerated his new Toyota LandCruiser toward the animal center. The vehicle had been modified for his disability so that he could shift with his left hand.

“Does Cameron have any idea why we are so concerned about the security of Isla Francesca?” Bertram asked.

“No, not at all,” Siegfried said.

“Has he asked?”

“No, he’s not that kind of person. He takes orders. He doesn’t question them.”

“What about telling him and cutting him in on a small percentage?” Bertram suggested. “He could be very helpful.”

“I’m not diluting our percentages!” Siegfried said. “Don’t even suggest it. Besides, Cameron is already helpful. He does whatever I tell him to do.”

“What worries me the most about this episode with Kevin Marshall is that he must have said something to those women,” Bertram said. “The last thing I want is for them to start thinking the bonobos on the island are using fire. If that gets out, it’s just a matter of time before we have animal-rights zealots coming out of the woodwork. GenSys will shut the program down faster than you can blink your eye.”

“What do you think we should do?” Siegfried asked. “I could arrange to have the three of them just disappear.”

Bertram glanced at Siegfried and shivered. He knew the man was not joking.

“No, that could be worse,” Bertram said. He looked back out through the windshield. “That might stimulate a major State-side investigation. I’m telling you, I think we should dart the bonobos, put them in the cages I brought out there, and bring them in. Sure as hell, they won’t be using fire in the animal center.”

“No, goddamn it!” Siegfried snapped. “The animals stay on the island. If they’re brought in, you won’t be able to keep it a secret. Even if they don’t use fire, we know they’re cunning little bastards from the problems we’ve had during retrievals, and maybe they’ll start doing something else equally as weird. If they do, handlers will start talking. We’ll be in worse shape.”

Bertram sighed and ran a nervous hand through his white hair. Reluctantly, he admitted to himself that Siegfried had a point. Still, he thought it best to bring the animals in, mainly to keep them isolated from each other.

“I’ll be talking to Raymond Lyons tomorrow,” Siegfried said. “I tried to call him earlier. I figured that since Kevin Marshall had already talked to him, we might as well get his opinion about what to do. After all, this whole operation is his creation. He doesn’t want trouble any more than we do.”

“True,” Bertram said.

“Tell me something,” Siegfried said. “If the animals are using fire, how do you think they got it? You still think it was lightning?”

“I’m not sure,” Bertram said. “It could have been lightning. But, then again, they managed to steal a bunch of tools, rope, and other stuff when we had the crew out there constructing the island side of the bridge mechanism. No one even thought about the possibility of theft. I mean, everything was secured in toolboxes. Anyway, they might have gotten matches. Of course, I have no idea how they could have figured out how to use them.”

“You just gave me an idea,” Siegfried said. “Why don’t we tell Kevin and the women there’s been a crew going out to the island over the past week to do some kind of work like cutting trails. We can say that we’ve just found out that they have been starting the fires.”

“Now that’s a damn good idea!” Bertram said. “It makes perfect sense. We’ve even considered putting a bridge over the Rio Diviso.”

“Why the hell didn’t we think of it earlier?” Siegfried questioned. “It’s so obvious.”

Ahead the LandCruiser’s headlights illuminated the first of the animal-center’s buildings.

“Where do you want me to park?” Siegfried asked.

“Pull right up to the front,” Bertram said. “You can wait in the air. It will only take me a second.”

Siegfried took his foot off the accelerator and began to brake.

“What the hell!” Bertram said.

“What’s the matter?”

“There’s a light on in my office,” Bertram answered.

“This looks promising,” Candace called out as she pulled a large folder from the top drawer of the file cabinet. The folder was dark blue and closed with an attached elastic. In the upper right-hand corner it said: Isla Francesca.

Melanie pushed in the drawer of the desk she’d been searching and walked over to Candace. Kevin appeared from the outer office and joined them.

Candace snapped off the elastic and opened the folder. She slid the contents out onto a library table. There were wiring diagrams of electronic equipment, computer printouts, and numerous maps. There was also a large and lumpy manila envelope that had the words Stevenson Bridge written across its top.

“Now we’re cooking,” Candace said. She opened the envelope, reached in, and pulled out a ring with five identical keys.

“Voilà,” Melanie said. She took the ring and began to remove one of the keys.

Kevin peeked at the maps and picked up a detailed contour map. He had it partially unfolded when he became aware of a flickering light out of the corner of his eye. Glancing at the window, he saw the reflections of headlight beams dancing along the slats of the half open blinds. Stepping over to the window, he peeked out.

“Uh-oh!” Kevin croaked. “It’s Siegfried’s car.”

“Quick!” Melanie said. “Get this all back into the file cabinet.”

Melanie and Candace hastily crammed everything back into the folder, got the folder into the file cabinet, and closed the drawer. No sooner was it closed than they heard the rattle of the front door of the building as it was opened.

“This way!” Melanie whispered frantically. She motioned toward a door behind Bertram’s desk. Quickly, the three went through the door. As Kevin closed it, he could hear the door to the outer office being pulled open.

They had entered one of Bertram’s examining rooms. It was constructed of white tile and had a central stainless-steel examining table. Like Bertram’s inner office it had windows covered with blinds. Enough light filtered in to allow them to rush over to the door to the hall. Unfortunately, en route Kevin kicked a stainless-steel pail standing on the floor next to the examining table.

The pail clanged up against the table leg. In the stillness, it sounded like a gong at an amusement park. Melanie reacted by throwing open the door to the hall and racing toward the stairwell. Candace followed. As Kevin dashed into the hall, he heard the door to Bertram’s office slam open. He had no idea if he’d been seen or not.

In the stairwell, Melanie descended as fast as the moonlight would allow. She could hear Candace and Kevin behind her. She slowed at the foot of the stairs to grope for the door to the basement level. She got it open none too soon. Above they heard the first-floor stairwell door open, followed by heavy footfalls on the metal stairs.

The basement was utterly black save for a dim rectangular outline of light in the distance. Holding on to each other, they made their way toward the light. It wasn’t until they had reached it that Kevin and Candace realized it was a fire door with light seeping around its periphery. Melanie had it open with her magnetic card once she’d located the slot.

Beyond the fire door was a brightly lit hallway which allowed them to run full tilt. Melanie pulled them to an abrupt halt halfway down the narrow passageway. There she opened a door marked pathology.

“Inside,” Melanie barked. Wordlessly, everyone complied.

Closing the door, Melanie locked it with a throw bolt.

They were standing in an anteroom for two autopsy theaters. There were scrub sinks, several desks, and a large insulated door leading to a refrigerated room.

“Why did we come in here?” Kevin said with panic in his voice. “We’re trapped.”

“Not quite,” Melanie said breathlessly. “This way.” She motioned for them to follow her around the corner. To Kevin’s surprise there was an elevator. Melanie pounded the call-button, which brought forth an immediate whine of its machinery. At the same time, the floor indicator illuminated to show the elevator cab was on the third floor.

“Come on!” Melanie pleaded as if her urging could speed up the apparatus. Since it was a freight elevator, it was agonizingly slow. It was just passing the second floor when the door to the hallway rattled on its hinges followed by a muffled expletive.

The three exchanged panicky glances. “They’ll be in here in the next few seconds,” Kevin said. “Is there another way out?”

Melanie shook her head. “Only the elevator.”

“We have to hide,” Kevin said.

“What about the refrigerator?” Candace offered.

With no time to argue, the three darted to the refrigerator. Kevin got the door open. A cool mist flowed out to layer itself along the floor. Candace went in first, followed by Melanie and then Kevin. Kevin pulled the door shut. It’s hardware clicked soundly.

The room was twenty feet square, with stainless-steel shelving from floor to ceiling that lined the periphery as well as forming a central island. The hulks of a number of dead primates lay on the shelves. The most impressive was the body of a huge silver-back male gorilla on the middle shelf of the central island. The illumination in the room came from bare light bulbs within wire cages attached to the ceiling at intervals along the walkways.

Instinctively, the three rushed around to the back of the central island and squatted down. Their heavy breathing formed fleeting spheres of mist in the frigid temperature. The smell was not pleasant with a hint of ammonia, but it was tolerable.

Surrounded by heavy insulation, Kevin and the others could not hear a sound inside the refrigerator, not even the whine of the elevator. At least not until they heard the unmistakable click of the refrigerator door’s latch.

Kevin felt his heart skip a beat as the door was pulled open. Preparing himself to see the sneering face of Siegfried, Kevin slowly raised his head to look over the bulk of the dead gorilla. To his surprise it wasn’t Siegfried. It was two men in scrub suits carrying in the body of a chimpanzee.

Wordlessly, the men placed the remains of the dead ape on a shelf to the right just inside the door and then left. Once the door was closed, Kevin looked down at Melanie and sighed. “This has to have been the worst day of my life.”

“It’s not over yet,” Melanie said. “We still have to get out of here. But at least we got what we came for.” She opened her fist and held up the key. Light glinted off its chrome-colored surface.

Kevin looked at his own hand. Without realizing it, he was still clutching the detailed contour map of Isla Francesca.

Bertram turned on the light in the hallway as he exited the stairwell. He’d gone up to the second floor and had entered the pediatric unit. He’d asked the crew if anybody had just run through. The answer was no.

Entering his examination room, he switched on the light in there as well. Siegfried appeared at the door to Bertram’s office.

“Well?” Siegfried questioned.

“I don’t know if someone was in here or not,” Bertram said. He looked down at the stainless-steel pail that had moved from its normal position under the edge of the examining table.

“Did you see anyone?” Siegfried asked.

“Not really,” Bertram said. He shook his head. “Maybe the janitorial crew left the lights on.”

“Well, it underlines my concerns about the keys,” Siegfried said.

Bertram nodded. He reached out with his foot and pushed the stainless-steel bucket back to its normal position. He turned out the light in the examining room before following Siegfried back into his office.

Bertram opened the top drawer of the file cabinet and pulled out the Isla Francesca folder. He unsnapped the securing elastic and pulled out the contents.

“What’s the matter?” Siegfried asked.

Bertram had hesitated. As a compulsively neat individual he could not imagine having crammed everything into the folder so haphazardly. Fearing the worst, it was with some relief that he lifted the Stevenson Bridge envelope and felt the lump made by the ring of keys.