“Seriously?”
He shrugged. “You’re from the future. A witch gave me an enchanted cloak. We all have secrets. Sometimes they’re an advantage.”
It was easy to believe when explained that way.
“Tell her what you found,” said his wife with a warm smile, resting her hand on his shoulder.
“I borrowed a security card and followed the guard in from the front desk to an elevator. When he returned to the lobby, I checked each floor and poked around. On the third floor, I found a series of rooms, holding cells big enough for people. Several were occupied. You mentioned human trials. I think they’ve started.”
I related my new information about the people missing from the park. Luke nodded, and Ella wrote something in her notepad.
“Did you see Brandon?”I said.
“Fourth-floor lab. I overheard two phone calls and recorded them. You should listen.”
Luke placed a device on the table.
“Mom, Dad,” Brandon said in the recording.
There were brief pauses for his parents to reply, but it was his voice that was important.
“Christopher’s fine. Remember, he lost his phone. I’ll remind him he shouldn’t work so hard and that he needs to get another one. No, he’s fine. His medical procedure went according to plan. Elizabeth is taking good care of him and I’ll see him Thursday. I can get him to call you in a couple of days if you haven’t heard from him by then.”
I gasped, covering my mouth.
“Christopher didn’t have a procedure. If he’s there, it’s against his will.”
Luke shut off the device. “I agree. It’s shady. There was someone unconscious, strapped to a hospital bed in a secure room behind Brandon. I caught a glimpse, and the patient matched Christopher’s description. A tall man with dark hair. I waited to get through the door, but Brandon didn’t leave.”
“Why is Brandon covering up Christopher’s disappearance? Why is he at the lab?”Now it made sense why his parents hadn’t called the house. The other son was lying. I’d blamed Eric, not Real Tech. Brandon and his company were responsible for Christopher’s disappearance. I didn’t understand how or why. How could Brandon do that to his brother?
“There was a second call,” said Luke. “This might not be easy to hear.”
I looked up, worried. My icy hands gripped the chair, and I broke out in a cold sweat, knowing this must be worse.
Luke hit play on the recording.
Brandon answered his phone again. Luke watched while I listened. His sympathetic expression made me struggle to breathe normally. He was worried about how I would take the call.
“Hi Boss,” Brandon said. “It’s too soon to tell. He didn’t have an adverse reaction or an outright rejection. Not like the last one.”
There was a pause while his boss spoke, though we couldn’t hear that voice.
“He should be asleep for another forty-eight hours to sixty hours. I’ll have him moved downstairs for observation.” There was another pause. “I don’t think that will be a problem, sir. After Christopher wakes up, I will update you.”
I gasped in horror. I’d been expecting to hear they’d done something to him, but it was worse to have it confirmed. I’d prepared for the worst, but it wasn’t enough. My stomach churned.
“We have to get him out.”My fingers shook so hard I spelled every word wrong on the first attempt. I took a deep breath and retyped my message.
“Sounds like they’ve injected him with the serum that removed Brandon’s emotional responses,” said Luke. “If it follows the pattern, Christopher won’t know who you are.”
His blue eyes held pity.
“I can’t leave him. They’ve experimented on him.”My stomach lurched again, and I fought the urge to vomit. What if he wanted nothing to do with me? He wouldn’t remember that we were in love.
“What about the cops? Could your brother-in-law get a warrant?” said Ella.
My heart sank. Real Tech wouldn’t let the police search. They’d need a warrant, and I didn’t know if we had enough legal evidence to get one. It would take more than suspicion, some missing homeless people, and their stalker-like surveillance. We had no legit proof to tie any of the missing to Real Tech. It was possible Real Tech and Brandon could hide what they were doing. All they’d have to do was move Christopher to a different location and the police would find nothing incriminating.
