The Veritas Deception Page 18

Jack looked at her apologetically. “Going as slow as I can.”

  She grimaced. “I know.”

  They finally reached the bottom of the steep hill and got out of the truck.

  “This is getting a bit tedious,” Jack mumbled as Taylor read Carl’s instructions aloud.

  They counted aloud to the prescribed number and came to a hill. They reached a tree with a birdhouse hanging from it.

  “That’s it.”

  Jack put his hand in the box and retrieved a key. They walked another hundred feet and came to a small cabin. Using the key, they entered, and Jack turned on the flashlight and looked around the small one-room building.

  “What’s that?” Taylor asked, pointing to an envelope taped to the wall.

  Jack snatched it down and tore it open. It was another set of directions and a compass. They went back outside.

  “We need to go east twelve hundred feet and we’ll be there. Are you okay? It’s a lot of walking.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “I may be pregnant, but I’m not out of shape. I’m fine.”

  He held his hands up in surrender. “Sorry.”

  They reached the entrance to what looked like a cave, the opening large enough to accommodate one person. There was a wall blocking it made of a smooth plaster. Jack pulled the phone Carl had given to him from his pocket.

  He dialed the number on the sheet of paper. A male voice answered.

  Jack spoke the words as instructed: “This is the day that the Lord has made.”

  A whirring filled the air, and the door slowly opened as it slid into the wall.

  “After you.” Jack moved aside for Taylor.

  As soon as they were both inside, the door closed behind them.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

  Taylor looked around at the bright and cheerful surroundings. She didn’t know what she had expected, maybe something more ominous and akin to the underground hideouts she’d seen in James Bond movies. Instead, the foyer was painted a light yellow, and the shiny hardwood floors were covered with vibrant oriental rugs. There was no one waiting to greet them, so they began to walk in the only direction they could—straight ahead. When they reached the end of the hallway, they came to an elevator and pushed the button. Immediately, the door slid open.

  “What floor?”

  Taylor exhaled. “I don’t know. Pick one.”

  He depressed the top button, and they ascended.

  When the doors opened, a man was waiting. He was tall and trim, with light brown hair worn on the longish side. He looked to be only a few years older than Taylor. He gave them a wide smile that transformed his face from merely nice-looking to handsome.

  “Thank God you made it! I’m Jeremy.”

  So this was the mysterious Jeremy. He looked at her like he already knew her, and Taylor didn’t know what she was feeling. When he got closer, she realized that he reminded her of someone, but she couldn’t put her finger on who.

  She held out her hand, and he grasped it in both of his.

  “I’m Taylor.”

  They followed him to a living room, where an assortment of snacks and drinks awaited them. “Would you like to freshen up?”

  She didn’t want to wait another minute to find out what he had to say. “We’re fine,” Taylor answered.

  “Let’s sit down.”

  They had made it! She should have felt a tremendous sense of relief, but she still felt suspended in anticipation. Jeremy looked so normal. After what Carl had told her, she had been expecting someone who looked more tortured. What a silly thought, she chided herself. Did she think she’d find someone in sack cloth and ashes? A warmth emanated from him, and she felt immediately comfortable with him. She took a seat in the plush chair closest to the fireplace so that she could see the fire and also enjoy the view of the outside from the floor-to-ceiling windows. She liked seeing nothing but the tall evergreens and mountains in the distance. It made her feel far away from danger, hidden away and safe from the faceless enemies they were running from. She took a deep breath and looked at Jeremy.

  “Who was my husband?” That’s what it all boiled down to after all—why they were here in the first place.

  Jeremy took a seat across from her, his expression neutral.

  “That’s a complicated question. We’ll get to it, I promise, but I think it may make more sense if I tell you who I am.”

  “We know you’re Damon Crosse’s son,” Jack said.

  Jeremy nodded. “Yes, my father is Damon Crosse. He runs a research and training facility but it’s a front for much more. In private circles, it’s called the Institute, and its graduates are placed in positions of power in all spheres of influence.”

  Taylor leaned forward. “So Malcolm was one of these graduates?”

  “He was. Groomed for his position and firmly in Damon’s pocket.”

  She was still having a hard time wrapping her head around it. “Was Malcolm even his real name?”

  Jeremy stood up and paced. “I don’t know what his real name was.” He stopped and put a hand on Taylor’s shoulder. “I don’t think he did either. He was an orphan, raised at the Institute.”

  “What? How old was he when he was orphaned?” She thought of the parents he’d told her he’d lost to an accident when he was fifteen, the way they’d shared their grief at experiencing a sudden and devastating loss. That was his way into her heart—and it was all one big lie.

  “According to his file, he was brought to the Institute by nuns when he was a baby.”

  “Liar,” she whispered as she clenched and unclenched her fists.

  She caught Jeremy and Jack exchange a look.

  “For what it’s worth Taylor, he did love you,” Jeremy said.

  “How could you possibly know that?” It was ludicrous to think that this stranger knew more about her own husband than she did.

  “It’s why he did what he did—to protect you and your child. Let me explain. Carl has told you about my upbringing. When I graduated high school, I entered Harvard, where I earned my undergraduate degree in biology. I continued through their doctoral program, where I attained my PhD.”

  He continued. “During my visits home, my father began my indoctrination into the dark world of magic. He taught me the spells and incantations that he knew, the secret books that he referenced. I had been raised with no religion and had always assumed he was an atheist. But he was suddenly showing me an unseen spiritual realm and teaching me of its power. He made me do things and say things that I will never be able to forget. He wanted me to believe that I could never turn back, that I was beyond redemption. I helped him blackmail people, made them commit crimes. When I finished my studies, I returned home to begin my work full-time. I fell in love. I will never forget the look on his face when I told him about her. The combination of indignation and outrage took me completely by surprise. No was all he said. I asked him why, but he wouldn’t answer. He got up from the table and left. The very next day, when I went to the lab, she was gone. No one would give me any answers. I went to her apartment, and it was empty. There was no trace of her anywhere.”

  She felt her earlier anger at him evaporate. “I’m so sorry, Jeremy. What did you do then?” Taylor asked.

  “I went to his study and demanded that he tell me what he had done. He looked at me with derision, asked if I was still so naïve as to think I could lead a normal life. He told me there would be no wife, no family, in the cards for me. I was to be the heir to something far greater. ‘You have a role to play in the shaping of humanity,’ he said. ‘You will be instrumental in undoing the unselfish sacrifice of the one who thinks he has won. You were chosen for a specific purpose.’

  “Then he showed me a video of my mother.” Jeremy grew quiet and looked off into the distance. “He explained how he had lured her to the Institute for a medical fellowship, then impregnated her and locked her up. She begged him to let her live. He told her that I didn’t need a mother, th
at her role in my life would end the moment I was born. The look of despair in her eyes will haunt me forever. He thought I would see the weak, disposable tool that he saw. Instead of binding me closer to him, it turned me against him. The last thing he said was how she had been weak until the end, couldn’t even give birth without making a mess. Apparently, something happened during the delivery, and she bled to death.”

  Taylor gasped.

  Jeremy was whispering the story to himself as much as to them. “He did nothing to help her, nothing to ease her pain. I hated him then with every fiber of my being—for what he had done to her, and what he had made me into. I left then, driving aimlessly, and before I’d realized it, I was back at Harvard, outside the office of my Ethics Professor.”

  “Dr. Rittenhouse,” Jack said.

  Jeremy nodded. “Yes. He didn’t even look surprised to see me. It was like he had been waiting for me to come. I told him everything. I don’t know how long I was with him. He listened without judgment. When I was finished, he asked me what I wanted, why I had come. He was the only person I knew from the university who had no shame in publicly declaring his faith. I wanted to know if his God could forgive me.”

  Both Jack and Taylor were leaning forward in their seats.

  Jeremy smiled. “He told me that, yes, he could. That his God was a loving and graceful God who had sent His Son to die for me. For me. What about everything I had done, I asked him. Could God overlook blackmail? Could he overlook my involvement in the occult? Carl told me that He would forgive all of it—all I had to do was ask from a sincere heart. Carl and I worked together to devise a plan to bring him down. I had to go back, to pretend that I was still on board. Then, I slowly began to amass my information, to make lists, target those who didn’t want to be under his influence but were forced to and those who he had tried to win over but didn’t. I had to know who I could and couldn’t trust.”

  “How could you go back there? Couldn’t he tell that you had changed?” Taylor asked.

  Jeremy tented his hands. “He sees what he wants. I went back and told him that I hated what he had done to my mother but that I knew I had to live up to my purpose. I convinced him to let me spend most of my time in the lab, working on his pet project. That way, I didn’t have to do any more of his dirty work. He was eager for the breakthrough I promised him, and I made sure, over that time, to come close but never complete it.

  “This is the research Carl mentioned?” Jack asked.

  “Yes. My father’s behind Alpha Pharma. It’s a blind trust but he’s the owner. I was working alongside the vaccine researchers, trying to figure out a way to incorporate the germ-line genetic material into the vaccine.”

  “Hold on,” Taylor said. “Is Alpha Pharma developing a TB vaccine with the TB Vaccine Initiative?”

  Jeremy nodded.

  Jack jumped up. “So Crosse is behind the bill to mandate his vaccine?”

  Taylor’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve read about gene therapy. It’s wonderful. Diseases are being cured, people helped. Are you saying there’s something wrong with that?”

  Jeremy shook his head. “No, of course not. It’s vital work that has the potential to help thousands. Alpha is working on finding cures and doing good work. But Damon has a secret project; he’s trying to change the germ-line—genes down to future generations.”

  Taylor was puzzled. “To do what?”

  Jeremy put his back to them and stared into the fire. Taking a deep breath, he turned back around to face them.

  “He wants to eradicate the conscience.”

  CHAPTER SIXTY

  “Are you nuts?” Jack was flabbergasted. “What kind of mumbo jumbo is this?” He was starting to think Phillips was insane and had sent them on a wild-goose chase. “How do you get rid of the conscience?”

  Jeremy put his hands up. “I know it sounds crazy, but there’s actually a scientific basis for it.”

  “Come on Jeremy—”

  “Jack, let him talk,” Taylor cut in.

  “Fine.”

  “Scientists believe there is a so-called ‘sociopath gene,’ markers that are present in sociopaths that aren’t there in healthy people. The point of isolating this gene is to eliminate it. But if it can be eliminated—”

  Taylor’s eyes widened. “It can be replicated!”

  Jeremy nodded. “Exactly.”

  She was horrified. “Are you saying he wants to genetically engineer a society of sociopaths?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “But I don’t get it. Why would he want sociopaths working for him? Wouldn’t they turn against him?” Jack asked.

  Jeremy shook his head. “He isn’t trying to turn his people into sociopaths. He wants to figure out how to manipulate the gene pool so he can pervert future generations—make them have no moral compass. By the time they grow up, he’ll be gone anyway. He’s doing it as his mission for the occult.”

  Taylor ran her hand through her hair. “I don’t get it. Is he a megalomaniac that thinks he serves the devil? He sounds insane.”

  Jeremy waved his hand. “Whether or not he’s crazy, he believes in what he’s doing, and he’s brilliant and he’s dangerous. His scientists think they’re working on gene therapy breakthroughs. It’s only a handful of post-Nazi scientists that know what he’s really doing and that all takes place far from the main institute, in a secret facility.”

  “Let’s get back on track,” Jack said. “So this gene manipulation, the delivery system is the vaccine? That’s why the bill was so important?”

  “Yes, exactly. But the research isn’t finished, and I took it with me. I’ll die rather than let him get his hands on it. I would have stopped him entirely, but he got suspicious, and I ran out of time. When I wasn’t making enough progress, he knew something was going on. I had to leave before I could get the proof I needed.”

  “If the research is so dangerous, why not destroy it? Taylor asked.

  “It’s not that simple. If his other scientists do find a breakthrough, I may need my research to counteract what they come up with.” He shook his head. “Besides, the work has value if used the right way, I would hate to destroy all that work. It’s a part of me.”

  “Just how many people does Crosse have working for him?” Jack asked.

  “Thousands. He’s been running the Institute for over forty years. His people are everywhere.”

  “Thousands.” Jack shook his head.

  Taylor couldn’t imagine a world where people had no consciences. “How close is he to making this a reality?”

  “There’s still a lot of work to be done. As long as he doesn’t get his hands on my research, it’s many years away and even then, there’s no guarantee it will work. But he’s trying to get everything in place for when he has it.”

  “Do the scientists realize what his intent is?” Taylor asked.

  “Very few and he only gives them part of the story. He doesn’t trust anyone well enough to share his true agenda. I was the only one he shared that with. Most of them think they’re working on a better future. It’s all through Alpha. But you’re not understanding.”

  “Understanding what?” Taylor asked.

  “This genetic therapy—it’s his backup plan. He’s already begun his assault on morality using every means at his disposal. If and when the vaccine becomes possible, it will just be icing on the cake.”

  “I don’t understand. How can one man launch an attack on society’s morals?” Jack asked.

  “He’s got lobbyists, politicians, advertising people. Take a look around—at television, the direction our laws are moving in. He’s like a maestro, orchestrating it all from his fortress in the woods.”

  “I don’t have a problem with our laws, Jeremy. You’re starting to sound a little paranoid to me.”

  “Jack.” Taylor gave him a look.

  “Well, seriously, come on. People aren’t sheep. One man cannot be manipulating an entire society
.”

  “You’d be surprised at how easily people are influenced, Jack,” Jeremy answered. “The decline in church attendance is something he’s gleeful about.”

  That raised Jack’s hackles. “If you’re trying to tell me that church is the answer to society’s problems, don’t waste your breath. In my opinion, organized religion is the cause of most of society’s ills.”

  Jeremy looked at him for a long moment before speaking. “I won’t argue with you, Jack. Church attendance is merely a symptom of a greater problem. I’m talking about the loss of faith, the elevation of self, and the move in society away from good.”

  “Let’s get back to the issue at hand—stopping Crosse. He admitted to murdering your mother and even recorded it. Do you know where he keeps the tape of your mother? Can you use that against him?” Jack asked.

  Jeremy nodded. “I’m sure it’s still at the Institute. I tried to find it before I left. I’m thinking it’s in his private chambers. He has too much pride to destroy it, and he likes his trophies.”

  “We need to get our hands on that tape,” Taylor said.

  Jeremy shook his head. “Impossible. We can’t go there. We’d never make it out alive. The only reason I have been able to stay in hiding all this time is because of the generosity of my benefactor. He helped me to find and finance this place.”

  “Who?” Jack asked.

  “The man who has been the CEO of Damon’s pharma company for the past twenty years. When I told him the truth about what Damon is doing, he agreed to help me.”

  “Is he still heading up the company,” Jack asked.

  “Yes. Damon has no idea that he’s helping me. He’s keeping a close watch on the TB initiative and the work on genetic therapy.”

  “That makes me feel a little better,” Taylor said.

  He looked at them. “I have something to show you. The quality is very poor. I did my best to enhance it, but it was converted from tape that is over thirty years old.”

  The television screen came to life and the image of a young woman, visibly pregnant, filled the screen. She was sitting in a plush velvet chair with a stained-glass window behind her.