“Nope. I don’t know any Jonathon Maxwell. I just take care of the grounds,” he answered stiffly, his eyes not quite meeting Tony’s steady gaze.
“Please, sir.” Libby looked at him imploringly. “It’s vital that we find Mr. Maxwell. It’s a matter of life or death.”
The man looked at her for a long moment, then shook his head slowly. “I’m sorry. I don’t know anything. I just can’t help you,” he said, then turned to leave.
“Mr. Maxwell?” Tony called after him.
“Yes?” He turned and looked at Tony expectantly, then realizing what he’d done, he sighed and rubbed his balding head in frustration. “How did you know?” he asked Tony, his voice holding a weary resignation.
Tony pointed down at the man’s feet. Beneath the old blue faded overalls, a pair of black leather dress shoes peeked out. “I’ve never known a gardener who worked in good shoes,” Tony explained, then shrugged. “I just took a chance.”
“Who are you and what do you want?” Jonathon Maxwell looked at them, tiredly leaning against the rake.
“I’m Tony Pandolinni and this is Libby Weatherby,” Tony explained. “Somehow we’ve become involved in circumstances that relate to Jasper Higgens’s murder, and now our lives are in danger.” He pulled the golden necklace out of his pocket. “We want some answers.”
Jonathon’s eyes widened at the sight of the sparkling gold necklace. “Put that away,” he ordered, his gaze darting around them nervously. “You don’t know that we aren’t being watched.” He looked around, then gestured for them to follow him.
He led them down a small deer trail through the woods. Tony eased his gun out of his boot, not knowing where they were being taken, what they would find when they got there. His instincts told him to trust the man, but the stakes were too high to rely on instinct alone. As they walked, no one spoke. Tony felt his tension mounting, and when he gazed at Libby, he knew she felt the same, for her face was pale, her eyes large. Still she offered him a brave smile.
They left the woods near the lake’s edge, and standing before them was a small fishing shack. It was into the shack that Jonathon led them. “Welcome to my humble abode,” he said bitterly, gesturing for them to have a seat on the orange crates that served as chairs.
Once the three of them were seated, Jonathon began to speak. “I have a beautiful home and family less than six miles up the main road, but I haven’t been home since Jasper’s murder.” His facial features tightened and he moved his orange crate closer to theirs. “There are men watching my house, waiting for me, and I have a feeling they don’t want to wish me a happy day.”
Tony withdrew the necklace from his pocket and dangled it in front of Jonathon Maxwell. “Those men are looking for this, and they have been extremely persistent.”
Jonathon nodded slowly, his brown eyes looking like those of a deer, trapped in the sight of a hunter’s gun. “Jasper told me once that he had given that necklace to his wife many years ago. He said if ever he wanted to hide something important, that’s where he would hide it.”
“But it’s empty,” Libby stated. “The locket is empty.”
“Let me see.” He took the necklace from Libby and turned it over. “Here on the back.” He pointed to a small discoloration. “That’s a microdot chip. It’s what everyone is after.” He gave it back to her. “Damn it!” He suddenly hit the side of the orange crate with his fist. He blushed, as if expletives rarely crossed his lips. “I’m sorry.” He rubbed the top of his bald head with embarrassment. “It’s just that Jasper was such a brilliant man, a genius when it came to chemistry and science, yet he was totally naive about people and power.” His facial features fell into a small smile of sadness. “I guess that’s what eventually got him killed. He trusted the wrong people and didn’t realize his mistake until it was too late.”
“What exactly do you mean?” Tony leaned forward eagerly. “Start at the beginning. What exactly is that microdot chip?”
“Jasper had been working on a particular project for years. It was something he deemed necessary for the continuation of the human race. When he was nearing completion of the project he put out a couple of feelers to find out who he should present the results to. He called a couple of old colleagues in Washington, D.C., told them what he was working on and the successes he’d achieved.” Jonathon frowned. “I don’t know who he eventually contacted or how it happened, but suddenly there were men hanging around the lab, and these were not upstanding citizens. They had guns, and mean faces and sly eyes.” Jonathon looked at them, his own eyes tortured. “Jasper quit talking to me. It was like he knew he had made a mistake and he no longer knew who to trust.”
“And this microchip…it holds the formula to whatever Jasper was working on… But why would he get rid of it at my pawnshop?” Libby pressed quizzically.
Jonathon shrugged. “I’m just guessing, but I suspect he knew he was in trouble. He wanted to get rid of the microchip and buy himself some time. He probably figured he could always come back and buy it back from you or at least remove the chip.”
“So, what exactly was he working on? What’s the formula for?” Libby returned impatiently.
“A formula that when injected into a person counteracts the effects of radiation sickness,” Jonathon explained.
Libby looked at him in confusion as Tony gasped in shock. An antidote for radiation sickness? Why would anyone want to kill for that? How many people in the world could possibly be suffering from radiation sickness? She looked at Tony, surprised to see that his face was bloodless as he stared at Jonathon in horror. Apparently, he understood something that she had missed. “I…I don’t understand,” she finally said with frustration. “Who could want an antidote for radiation sickness?”
“Any group who wanted to take over the world.” Tony breathed deeply. Seeing the confusion on her face, he continued. “Libby, think of the future possibilities of having such an antidote. If a group like the New Republic of Man possessed the antidote, they could plan to destroy all the world except those they wanted to live.” His face blanched once again. “My God, they could set off atomic bombs all over the world, and while all the population was dying of radiation sickness, they would all remain healthy and in control.”
As the realization sunk in, Libby trembled. A handful of people would be in the position to pick and choose who would live and who would die, and the people doing that choosing would include men like the albino. It was a nightmarish thought.
“Why would Jasper Higgens even want to create such a formula?” she asked in amazement.
Jonathon sighed. “The uglier ramifications of such a formula never entered Jasper’s mind. Several years ago his wife died from an accidental exposure to radiation. He was devastated by her death. He became obsessed with finding a cure for radiation sickness. I guess he thought he was doing the world an enormous benefit.” Again Jonathon sighed. “It wasn’t until the last day, before he left here, that he realized the people hanging around the lab weren’t going to use the formula for the benefit of the world, but rather to rule the world.” Jonathon reached out and touched Tony’s arm, his brown eyes pleading in urgency. “Jasper had pretty well gone off the deep end when he completed work on the formula. I’m not sure it’s viable, but you must make certain the chip gets to the proper authorities. In case Jasper truly was successful, you must ensure that it doesn’t fall into the hands of these men.”
Tony nodded to Jonathon in reassurance. “We held on to this necklace not knowing what it contained. Now that we know the importance of the formula, we will guard it with our very lives until we make sure it is given to the proper authorities.” He looked at Libby for confirmation of his words.
She nodded soberly. She hadn’t wanted to relinquish the necklace before just as a matter of principle, now she realized she couldn’t relinquish the necklace even if her life depended on it. If Jasper Higgens had truly managed to develop such a formula, there was much more than her own life riding on the gold necklace. “How did they know where to find him? How did they know he’d placed the formula here on the back of the locket?”
Jonathon shook his head sadly. “Jasper made the mistake of keeping a diary. He’d written in it that he’d had the dot molded to the locket. It’s my guess that when he left here to travel to Kansas City he was followed.”
