I can’t keep this secret from him. Not for another minute. What was I thinking? That Austin would bring me back to the hotel I’d magically forgive Corey? Or forget? What he did…all the orchids he helped them harvest, replace with others that are “harmless.” That won’t help millions of people living with Parkinson’s. Or any number of other neurological diseases Dr. Branch thinks could benefit from his experiments.
“Austin, I have to tell you—“
The door opens before I can finish my sentence, and the nurse enters, followed by one of the doctors. “Were you working on Corey Larkin?” I ask. “He’s in Mexico working for me on a research project, so I’m kind of responsible for him. How is he?”
The doctor runs a hand through his messy black hair. “He suffered a severe head trauma, as well as second-degree burns to his legs. Two broken ribs, and a dislocated shoulder as well. He is stable, and in a few hours, he will be transferred to the hospital in Tuxtla Gutiérrez. He is in a medically-induced coma because of the swelling in his brain, and will be for at least another few days. After that, we will know more.”
“He needs protection,” Austin says. “We’ve been here almost two hours, and I asked for the police when we arrived. Want to tell me what the holdup is?”
The nurse steps forward with a kindly smile. “They are with the other young woman now. I insisted the doctor examine you first.”
Whatever he sees in the nurse’s face and body language must satisfy him, because Austin relaxes slightly, though he still hasn’t let go of me.
Our earlier insistence on staying together must have made its way to the doctor, because he doesn’t even try to make Austin leave, just asks him to turn around when he examines, then applies a handful of butterfly bandages to the gash on my hip. After that, he fits me for an ankle brace, and turns to examine Austin while the nurse helps me get dressed, then brings me a fresh inhaler, and sets a small prescription bottle on the table. “The white pill is a muscle relaxer. The red pills are extra-strength ibuprofen. Take all three pills before you go to sleep tonight.”
“You both were lucky,” the doctor says as he pulls off his gloves and turns to the nurse. “Señor Pritchard needs some salve for his burns, then you can prepare the discharge paperwork.”
Lucky. Yes. We were. Though one of the poachers caught Austin in the face with an elbow, it didn’t break his nose, and the various cuts and bruises he suffered while saving me—and fighting them—aren’t serious.
Less than five minutes later, there’s a quick knock on the door, and two police officers enter. “I am Detective Chavez, and this is Officer Lopez. May we sit?”
Austin nods, and they sink into hard plastic chairs across from us. “We have finished taking statements from Li Chen and Isaiah Williams,” Chavez says. “They are on their way to the Hotel Veracruz, where we will take you when we have finished this interview.”
“What?”
Panic sets in, until Austin leans over and whispers in my ear, “Safer that way, sweetheart. In case the assholes decide they need to try again.”
Oh, crap on a cracker. How could I have been so stupid?
I knewIdidn’t want to go back to the hotel. Couldn’t. I didn’t even think about Li and Isaiah. But after losing the lab, now I’m more worried than ever. “My things,” I say. “I have USB drives in my hotel room with data I can’t replace.”
Chavez offers me a kindly smile. “I have sent two officers to pack up your rooms. Everything will be delivered to your new hotel by morning, if not sooner.”
“Th-thank you.” I reach for Austin’s hand, needing something to hold on to, some way to stay present and grounded so we can get through this next bit. Because they’re going to ask me what happened, and the last thing I want to do is remember.
“We will have questions, of course. But please tell us how this all started.” Chavez leans back in his chair while the younger officer sets a voice recorder on the little table next to us and then takes out a notebook and a pen.
“I’m here studying the Blushing Note orchid. It’s endangered, but it’s also very valuable. Both for medical research and for collectors. Each plant can sell for as much as fifteen thousand dollars to private traders—and that was before a handful of researchers in the US and the UK discovered a possible treatment for Parkinson’s that uses the pollen and dried root matter from the Blushing Note.”
Chavez and his officer look at me like I’ve lost my mind, and I straighten as much as my bruised back will allow. “If you don’t believe me, you can contact Dr. Howard Lowenstein at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.” I rattle off the number with a huff, but my little burst of indignation saps my energy, so I sink back against Austin and let him prop me up. I’m so tired, I just want to sleep, but I know this is important.
“My apologies,” Chavez says. “Please continue.”
“A few days ago—crap. Sunday, I think. We noticed some anomalies in the photos from one of the study sites—Site One. There’s a bug that likes to attack orchids—a spider mite. It doesn’t kill them, just mars the petals and leaves so they can’t be sold as collectors’ items. When we arrived two weeks ago, all of the orchids at all five sites had spider mite damage. But the photos we took just a few days ago didn’t show any of the damage we’d seen before. So either someone sprayed them with the world’s best pesticide or those weren’t the same plants we’d photographed when we arrived.”
“You believe someone was stealing the plants andreplacingthem?” Chavez asks.
“Someonewas.” Nerves twist into an icy ball in the pit of my stomach, and I wrap my arms around myself, pulling away from Austin as much as I can.
“Mik? What’s wrong?” he asks.
“I’m sorry.” The words escape on a whisper, and I can’t look at him. “We were going to go to Site One on Monday afternoon—all four of us—but Corey and Isaiah had food poisoning. Li and I had readings we needed to get from Site Four, and after we finished those, I decided to hike up to Site One myself. When I got there…” I swallow hard. I can’t keep this secret any longer, and he’s going to hate me.
“Go on,” Chavez says.
“Three men were harvesting orchids from the site. I tried to get away before they saw me, but I had an asthma attack. I was about to pass out. One of them got to my inhaler and helped me. I didn’t know…not until I could breathe again…but it was Corey. He was with them. Helping them.”
“What?” Austin springs to his feet and stands directly in front of me, his hands on my shoulders. “Mik…what the fuck? Why didn’t you tell me?”
