“It’s almost ten after five,” he replied.
“Okay. Hurry! Get your things together. Dress in the clothes you arrived in and meet me in the garage in ten minutes,” she ordered. “You’re going home. Today!” she stated firmly. “We don’t have any time to lose.”
“Can you get us into the lab?”
“I believe I can. Hopefully things haven’t changed that much. I still have my credentials and it’s early. The place should be almost deserted at this hour. God willing no one will question me, even if I am supposed to be on hiatus. Get moving, Mead,” she called over her shoulder as she raced from the room.
He wasn’t quite asspry as he’d made out, he privately acknowledged as he struggled to get dressed. Damn, he wished he could go back wearing his sweatpants and sneakers but that was not possible or advisable. It took him nearly fifteen minutes to get to the garage and Cara was already in her small sports car, the engine revving.
“Here, put this on,” she ordered handing a long duster like coat to him when he opened the door. She called it a trench coat, but as long as it covered his attire that was all that mattered. Cara was wearing her standard white lab coat over her clothes. Sadly, Mead noted that Witt’s huge vehicle was nowhere to be seen.
The drive was hair raising as they sped along roads that were slowly coming to life with traffic. Damn, did everyone work strange hours around here, he wondered.
Getting through the main gate was no problem. The stickers on her vehicle, a flash of her badge, and a brilliant smile did the trick.
“Good to see you, Ms. Whittaker,” the guard said as he opened the heavy metal barricade.
“Thanks, Gus. Good to be back,” she called out as they sailed through.
She parked in a reserved spot close to the building.
“I pray to God they haven’t changed the codes,” she whispered as they hurried to the main entrance, her heels clicking on the pavement. At the door she swiped a card and punched in a series of numbers. Nothing happened.
“Fuck!” she hissed, leaning her head against the thick glass.
“Cara,” Mead scolded. Then through the entrance he noticed a large man in uniform coming toward them. The door opened, but the man blocked it.
“Having trouble, Dr. Whittaker?” he asked.
“Yes,” she breathed, feigning relief. “I’m having trouble with my admittance card. It seems they might have changed the code while I was off. Can you let me in?”
“Well, I’m not supposed to, but in your case, I think I can overlook the rules. Did you have a nice trip?” he asked as he stepped back.
“Trip?”
“Yes, we were told you were attending a conference in Vienna and that after that you and Dr. Whittaker were taking a short vacation,” he stated uneasily.
“Oh that, yes,” she said smiling. “I’ll tell you; I had such an incredible time with my husband, I almost forgot it was a work-related trip,” she said looking away, pretending to hide a nonexistent blush.
“I’ll bet it was,” he replied with an answering smile. “Tell me, who do you have with you?” he asked looking Mead up and down a bit suspiciously.
“This is Dr. Mathison,” she replied coolly. “He’s a colleague of ours and it’s his first visit. Unfortunately, I haven’t had time to get him verified, but I will as soon as the top brass get here. You understand, don’t you? I was lucky enough to get Dr. Mathison to agree to evaluate our facilities on the spur of the moment, and he has to return home tomorrow,” she explained. “He’s a brilliant scientist and mathematician. It would be a shame to squander this opportunity due to a little bureaucratic red tape.”
“Sure, I understand, and if you’re vouching for him, I see no reason to deny the doctor entry. I’ll check back with you before I leave and verify his credentials for my log.”
“Thank you, Joe, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Joe Sanborn. Enjoy your visit Dr. Mathison.”
Mead nodded, but kept quiet, following Cara down the hallway. Once inside her office he let out a deep sigh of relief and sank back against the closed door.
“I feel the same way,” Cara said, setting her things down on her desk. “And best of all, he knew about Witt! That means a great deal, knowing he hasn’t disappeared entirely. I was beginning to doubt his existence. Let me get things set up. You get your chair out of the closet. I assume you want to take it back with you, and to tell you the truth, if it were discovered here there would be quite a bit of speculation.”
Mead obeyed without comment, even though he no longer needed the chair.
“Will I be going to the same spot Morgan left me?” he asked as he wheeled the chair from the closet and to the location he’d arrived in.
“Yes, at least that is my intention. However, since I haven’t had time to send him any notice, you’ll be on your own. Do you know the area?” she asked worriedly.
