"Put it down, Holly."
The words, a string of bundled rage, shocked her. Slowly, she placed the knife on the counter and turned around. Her gaze caught sight of a pistol. It wavered slightly, thanks to the trembling fingers that held it.
"That's my gun," Holly said. "How'd you—?"
"Shut up," Trotter replied.
"Let's talk—”
"I said shut up. I've heard enough of your crap."
"What do you want from me?"
He glared at her. "I want to know how it went down."
She glanced at the knife. It was still close to her. If she moved fast enough, she might be able to have it in her hands before he got off a shot. But it was a big risk.
Fortunately, she saw another option. "He understood," she lied. "At first, he protested. But we talked it over. And ultimately, he understood. In a way, I think he felt grateful for the opportunity."
"You're lying."
"Pete Cook was a troubled man. I got the impression he'd hurt a lot of people in his life. I think he saw this as a chance to help with important research, to do something good for a change. And the idea of being reborn, of getting a second chance at everything, fascinated him."
"Did he mention me?"
Holly picked her words carefully. "He mentioned a lot of people. I'd be lying if I said I remembered them all. The truth is he felt abandoned."
"Abandoned?"
"You weren't always there for him, were you?"
Trotter swallowed hard.
"It's not your fault. There isn't always time to do everything we want to do. That's the beauty of cryonics. It'll give you a chance to make things right with him."
Trotter lowered the gun a fraction of an inch.
Holly smiled to herself. She'd mentally disarmed him. Now, she needed to turn him. "I need your help."
The trembling in his fingers turned violent. "What do you mean?"
"I can't revive Pete if they take me away."
"What do you want from me?"
She let a helpless look creep across her face.
"If I help you, and I'm not saying I will, how do I know you'll keep your word?" he asked.
"Because this is why I was born." She adopted her most trustworthy face. "I'm so close. I just need time to perfect the technology. Soon, I'll be able to reverse the animation process."
"A process you caused."
"You don't have to like me. You don't even have to respect me. But I'm the best chance Pete has of ever waking up again."
Trotter raised his gun. "I'll just find someone else to take over your research."
"You don't understand. Pete needs help now." She hurried to explain. "His body is well-preserved. I've filled it with cryoprotectants and kept it at subzero temperatures. But his cryocontainer still requires electricity. Without it, he's doomed."
Trotter steadied his gun hand.
Holly cringed, unsure of what he'd do.
The air exploded.
She shrieked and clutched her ears.
Trotter froze in place. A tiny trickle of blood appeared on his forehead. Then he crumpled to the ground.
Aaron Jenner stepped forward. He held a pistol in one hand. Smoke curled out of its barrel. "Hello, Holly."
"You … you killed him."
"Yes."
"But why?"
He offered his hand. "I need you to come with me."
"I can't go. My dad … Rupert …"
"You can't stay here."
"But I can't leave. I have to fix the power. I have to begin Rupert's cryopreservation before it's too late."
"How much time does he have?"
"No time. Ideally, cryopreservation begins within fifteen minutes of a stopped heart."
Jenner rubbed his jaw. "What's the longest you can wait?"
"Hours at the most." She shrugged. "No one knows for sure when death becomes permanent."
"I'll make you a deal. You help me. In exchange, I'll get a few of my engineers into your laboratory. They can fix the power and get Rupert on ice."
"Your engineers?" Holly shook her head. "Who are you? Why do you want to help me?"
"Because I've been helping you for years." Jenner smiled. "Aaron Jenner is just one of my aliases. I prefer to go by Raven. Or to you, Rabe."
"You mean …?"
"Yes. I'm your anonymous benefactor."
Chapter 74
"He's dead." I rotated Trotter's neck. Rigor mortis limited the range of movement but I could still see his mangled forehead. "Single bullet to the back of the skull. She didn't just kill him. She executed him."
"Damn," Baxter looked around nervously. "I should've stopped her."
"It's not your fault." I exhaled. "Any sign of Aaron?"
"Not yet," Graham said.
"We know he came upstairs and returned Beverly to the table. So, he's around here somewhere."
"Doing what?"
I shrugged. "Searching for Holly."
"Unless she already killed him." Graham frowned. "I never would've guessed Holly was a mass murderer."
I tipped my head back, deep in thought. "She was here when the Desolation exploded."
"Yeah, but Rupert was at Fitzgerald. He must've set the charges."
"Why would he do that?"
"Remember what Jim told us? He and Holly were always receiving shipments. They must've been importing stuff for their secret laboratory. Someone probably found out, threatened to expose them."
The scenario fit the facts, but just barely. I couldn't help but feel we were missing something. "Keep an eye on things. I'll be back in a minute."
Graham and Baxter nodded.
I donned my parka and ran outside. I hiked to the vehicle shed and took a quick look into the interior. Then I returned to Kirby.
Graham snapped to attention as I strode through the door. "Well?"
"Holly's gone."
"You're sure?"
I nodded. "Three Sno-Cats are missing. We know Roy took one of them. Warren and Zoey were in another one. So, we have to assume Holly commandeered the third one."
"Where do you think she went?" Baxter asked.
I shrugged. "I can't imagine she'd go far. Her whole life is wrapped up in that basement."
"Do you want to go after her?"
I shook my head. "Better to wait here. She'll come back eventually."
Graham sidled up to me. "What about the Amber Room?"
"Don't worry. I haven't forgotten it." I cupped my hands around my mouth. "Aaron? Can you hear me?"
No one answered.
I raised my voice. "Aaron?"
For the second time, there was no answer.
For the next ten minutes, I searched Kirby. I entered every room in both hallways. But I couldn't find a single sign of him. Mystified, I headed back into the common room. "He's gone," I said.
Baxter gritted his teeth. "Maybe Holly has him."
"Maybe." I crouched down next to Trotter's body. Carefully, I studied the wound. "Pat, where did Aaron get his gun?"
"He doesn't have a gun."
"Yes, he does. He shot Ben with it."
Baxter frowned.
"You know, there's another way this could've played out," I said slowly.
"How's that?"
"Maybe Holly didn't kill Dan," I replied. "Maybe Aaron did."
Chapter 75
The tip of a blade pressed into the back of my skull as I strode into the Whitlow laboratory. I stopped cold in my tracks. Slowly, I turned around.
My heart practically exploded in my chest. "Beverly?"
Her blade hovered an inch beneath my chin. And the longer I stared at it, the more I realized something was wrong.
It was definitely Beverly Ginger. Despite the loose-fitting shirt, I could still see traces of her classic hourglass figure. Long locks of chestnut brown hair cascaded down the sides of her head. Tight black pants showed off her long, shapely legs. Her facial features were beautiful and her magnificent eyes, a vibrant violet, still stopped my heart.