The Veritas Deception Page 26

  “My pawns in the government and business are icing on the cake. The real power is the media and entertainment world. They lead the cause and influence everything that happens. I have already won. Look around you. Turn the television on. Those good and decent people love to sit down and spend the evening watching vampires, zombies, cheating spouses, serial killers; those are the heroes of today’s shows. Websites promoting adultery grow in popularity every day. Drugs are legal in more and more states. Anything goes. It’s only going to get worse. Only a fool would waste his time trying to save the witless wretches. Leave them to rot in their own filth. It’s what they deserve. You have chosen the wrong side.”

  “No. I will fight this with all I’ve got. And I’ve got God.”

  “God?” Damon snorted. “Where was God when you were growing up? When your mother breathed her last breath?”

  Jeremy shook his head. “It’s no use. I’ve met Him. I’ve felt His power, and nothing you can say to try and deceive me will work anymore. I will spend the rest of my life working for Him and trying to forget the horrible things I did when I was still under your control. I won’t give up on humanity.”

  “Humanity deserves to be given up on. What does it tell you about humanity when a rape victim is better served by screaming fire than help? The instinct for self-preservation is immeasurably more potent than the instinct to help others. The selfish, amoral, ignorant masses care only for themselves. You are wasting your life on them.”

  Jeremy stood up. The anger and bitterness he harbored toward his father had resulted in a prison of his own making. Jeremy knew what he had to do and he stood there, grappling with the truth of it, fighting against what he knew was right but felt was impossible. Offering a silent prayer, he forced himself to remember God’s grace toward him. He swallowed hard, then spoke.

  “I forgive you.”

  Damon’s eyes widened and he said nothing at first, thrown by Jeremy’s statement. Then the surprise in his eyes changed to fury. “You forgive me? You are the one who abandoned your calling, betrayed your destiny. It is you who should be begging forgiveness from me.”

  He had done his part. Even though he would never have any sort of relationship with him, his words were a symbol of his faith, and he knew that he would have to continue to rely on God for them to become true. He had taken a step toward what he believed was required of him in the life he had chosen. Damon’s reaction was of no concern to him.

  “We are finished.” He walked over to the desk and took Damon’s laptop. He knocked hard on the door and it was opened. “Detain him in his office, until we find what we need to turn him over to the authorities.”

  Jonas bolted the door and resumed his station just outside it.

  Jeremy walked out into the ornate hallway to Damon’s trophy room. He was the only one who knew about it. It was where Damon had taken him to show him the tape of his mother. He knew exactly where he would find what he needed. Opening the door, he was struck by the starkness of the room. Nothing personal adorned the walls or the tables. He walked toward the tall, mahogany bookcase. He crouched down and pushed the gold book of Grimm’s fairy tales and the bookcase opened. He opened the top drawer first, and his breath caught in his throat. A long braid, held together with a red ribbon, was lying atop a wooden box. He picked it up and rubbed it against his cheek. It had to be his mother’s. But why had Damon kept it? He lifted the box from the shelf and opened it. A series of DVDs were inside. He pulled out one of them. It was labeled “9/75 – 10/75”. He looked at the next and it was 11/75 – 12/75. He must have transferred everything to DVD and categorized them by month. He stood up and walked over to the DVD player and popped one in. His mother. His beautiful, beautiful mother. And that monster tormenting her. He had recorded it all. Every conversation, every heartbreaking moment of their interactions. He picked up the last one. It was marked “The End”. He wouldn’t watch it now. He put the discs into the duffel bag and put the braid on top. He went to the business office in case there were files there not on the laptop. He would make sure he had enough to implicate everyone in Damon’s network.

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN

  Damon fell back against his chair and heaved a deep sigh. Now that Jeremy had free rein to the facility, he would find the DVDs. Damn his foolish arrogance in keeping them. He shouldn’t have kept evidence of her imprisonment and murder, but it had been a matter of pride. Proper record keeping. They were never going to be seen by anyone else. His blind spot was to blame again. He should have known about Jonas. Then he wouldn’t have made the mistake that cost him the man’s loyalty. It was all unraveling now, and he was smart enough to know when it was time to cut his losses. It didn’t matter; his work would continue without him. He might not be able to prevent Jeremy proving he was a murderer, but Jeremy would never gain access to the files that would disband the network he had so carefully built. He pulled out his cell phone, punched in the code, and destroyed everything.

  He opened the center drawer and took out a key. He rose and walked to the wall across from his desk. He pushed on the panel and put the key into the lock of the wooden box. The purple velvet pouch inside the box fit in the palm of his hand. He returned to his desk and took out a sheet of ivory stationary. With a trembling hand, he picked up the antique fountain pen and brought it to the paper. He wouldn’t let anyone lock him up. He would never again be a prisoner to anyone. He opened the pouch and pulled out the capsule. Closing his eyes, he started chanting. He opened his eyes again and let them take in the room. It would be the last time he would see it. Much had been accomplished here. He ran his hand over the rich wood, soaking in its sumptuousness.

  It was time for Damon Crosse to make his final exit. He opened his mouth and swallowed the pill. Now, all he had to do was wait. He clasped his hands and bowed his head, again chanting the soothing prayers he had learned so long ago. When his speech began to slur and his mouth to numb, he knew it was coming. His head swayed, and he had the sensation of floating out of his body. He was a balloon gliding up, up, up. Nice. Smooth. Easy. He tried to move but found he was rooted to the chair. His brain and his body were disconnecting. He felt like a rock, heavy and blunt. And then, he felt nothing.

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT

  Jeremy saw the body as soon as he opened the door. He ran over to the slumped figure.

  “Call 911,” he yelled to Jonas.

  He felt for a pulse. Nothing. Then he saw the letter from the corner of his eye and snatched it from the desk.

  Jeremy,

  Don’t congratulate yourself yet. You must have surmised that I would never allow myself to be imprisoned. I have no fear of death. I am assured of what awaits me and am eager to take my place. Peritas is to go to the shelter on Green Street. They will find him a good home and are expecting him. I will rely on your sense of morality to ensure he is delivered there.

  Adieu for now. And, Jeremy, remember: you will never be free of me.

  Your devoted father

  Jeremy threw the letter back onto the desk. Even with death looming, his father had had to get his last licks in. He hesitated only a moment before putting his hand in Damon’s pockets to get the coins. They weren’t there. He searched his jacket pockets as well. Where were they? He had only brought them because he knew that Damon would be leaving in handcuffs. What could he have done with them in that short amount of time? Frantic, he ran to the desk and yanked the drawers open, pushing papers out of the way and pulling everything else out of them until they were empty. Nothing. He walked over to the bookcase and began pushing different books, looking for an opening. They had to be here somewhere.

  Jonas came in and looked at the mess Jeremy had made and then back at Jeremy.

  “I’m looking for something he stole from me.” He straightened up as quickly as he could. Damon’s black book had fallen open and a white paper was sticking out. A list of names in Damon’s handwriting. Jeremy recognized some of them. Folding the paper, he put it in his
pocket and looked at Jonas.

  “Will you stay until the police come?” Jeremy asked.

  “Yes.”

  “What will you do now?”

  “If you’ll have me, I’d like to work for your organization,” Jonas said.

  “Of course. I couldn’t have done this without your help. Please feel free to stay in your quarters until we iron out the details of the estate.”

  Jonas shook his head. “Thank you sir, but I don’t want to spend another night here. I’ll go and stay with my daughter for now.”

  “Very well. I’ll be in touch.”

  He needed to leave before the police arrived. He would have to come back later and look for the coins. He didn’t want to have to answer any questions about what he was doing there, or about the things he had taken.

  As soon as he had walked into the business office and seen the white screens, he had realized that all the data had been deleted. When he’d opened Damon’s laptop he saw that it had been wiped clean as well. It hadn’t occurred to him that his father could access anything without his laptop. He must have used his phone. He felt like a fool, but he was a scientist not a technology expert. He would bring someone in to try and recover the data on the computers. There had to be some way to retrieve it. In the meantime, he had the list of names. It was a start.

  “You haven’t won.” He spat the words out.

  He opened the ornate wooden door and walked through it. He was finally free.

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE

  After Crosse’s suicide, Taylor and Jeremy had come out of hiding, and she’d had to deal, finally, with Malcolm’s funeral. The masquerade was the worst, everyone saying such wonderful things about him—what a great man he was—the asset he had been to Congress. She had wanted to scream: It was all a lie! She was still angry and didn’t want to forgive him, to feel any understanding about what he had done. It was easier to hate him. It hurt much less. But then, she let herself remember the good he had done. In the end, he had sacrificed his life for her and their child. Despite the lies, she believed that she had known him, a part of him anyway—the part that hadn’t been completely corrupted by Crosse and his brainwashing. The process had been cathartic, finally she was able to come to terms with his betrayal, and look upon his final actions as a sort of redemption.

  Now she and Jack were finally going to be together. Even with Taylor’s testimony, it had taken Jack’s lawyer almost a month to get him out. The kidnapping charges had been dropped right away, but that was in Maryland. The New Hampshire state’s attorney was not so easily convinced to drop the murder charges, even with Taylor corroborating that it was self-defense. Thanks to Malcolm, Taylor knew Senator Polk, the New Hampshire representative, and had gone to him for help. She didn’t tell him the truth about Malcolm, of course. The story she and Jeremy had agreed on was that Malcolm had confessed to Taylor that he’d been harassed by Damon Crosse and had received death threats if he didn’t vote the way Crosse demanded. Malcolm had asked Jack to intervene if anything happened to him. In their version, Malcolm was a hero, refusing to be bullied and paying the ultimate price.

  She was scheduled to appear on the Karen Printz show next week, and that would be the story she would tell to the world. Malcolm had made the right choice in the end, and she saw no reason for her child to have to live with a legacy of shame. She had no idea whether Senator Polk was in Crosse’s pocket too, but she had a feeling he would help her regardless, to make sure he came out looking clean.

  She was waiting outside for Jack, thinking that the modern brick building looked more like a high school than a jail. She didn’t want to think about what the inside was like. His release papers had been signed yesterday, and she had overnighted some clothes for him so he could feel like himself again. She checked her watch, and movement caught her eye. There he was. As he walked toward her, everything seemed to slow down, and she was afraid if she blinked, he’d disappear.

  “Hey, you.” He pulled her to him and covered her lips with his own.

  She melted into him, feeling her body respond.

  He cupped her face in his hands. “I love you so much it hurts. I am never letting you go.”

  She smiled. “You just try and get away.”

  She took his hand as they walked to the parking lot. “I have a surprise for you.” She couldn’t wait to see his reaction. She stopped in front of the car.

  His eyes widened, and he smiled in delight when he saw the red Mustang.

  “Sorry it can’t be the original. But it’s the same year and color,” Taylor said.

  He ran his hand over the hood.

  “She’s a beauty.”

  “We can’t change the past, but I didn’t see any reason we couldn’t recapture the good memories.” She threw the keys to him. “Just do me a favor, and don’t get us killed. No faster than sixty-five.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah, that’s gonna happen.” He got behind the wheel. “Where to?”

  “Back to the old neighborhood.”

  “Put your seat belt on. It’s gonna be a long ride.”

  CHAPTER NINETY

  “Been a while since I’ve been here,” Jack said as he pulled into her driveway. Looking at his old house next to Taylor’s, he was jarred by the bright red door. His family didn’t live there anymore, but in his mind’s eye, it was still exactly the same. He wondered how much the inside had changed. It felt like eons ago since he’d lived there. For a minute, he pictured his young self bounding from that front door over to the house of his best friend.

  “Evelyn’s going to sell the house.” Taylor interrupted his thoughts.

  He looked at her, surprised. “Really? How do you feel about it?”

  “I’m okay with it.” She shrugged. “Most of my memories are tainted now anyway.”

  He hoped that didn’t include the ones he was in.

  The door opened as they approached, and Evelyn welcomed them in. “Jeremy’s already here, waiting in the kitchen.”

  Jeremy stood and walked over to them. Jack held out his hand, but Jeremy was having none of that. He embraced him in a bear hug, then pulled back to look at him. “None the worse for the wear. Good to see you, Jack.”

  “I’m tougher than I look,” he joked. Things could have been a lot worse, he thought.

  “I brought Jack up to speed on the ride here. I just want to make sure we’re all on the same page before the interview,” Taylor said.

  Jack already knew that Taylor was going to be interviewed live on Nightline this Saturday. Everyone had been clamoring for her story since she’d surfaced. A kidnapped senator’s widow makes for big news.

  He spoke up first. “Crosse is dead, and he left no will. So, everything goes to Jeremy, right? The Institute, the pharmaceutical company, the works.”

  “Yes,” Jeremy answered. “His death eliminates the worry about the genetic testing research being used for his purposes. I’ve already been working with the CEO, Sinclair Devlin. He’s the one who financed my facility. When I went to him with evidence of Crosse’s plan, he agreed to help me. He’ll stay on as CEO. I’ll bring Carl on as well.” He looked at Taylor. “I’ve offered to split all the assets with my sister, but…”

  She put her hand up to stop him. “I don’t want any part of any of it. And I don’t want my child to know he or she is related to Damon Crosse. We’re going to go public with the fact that a Nazi founded the programs there. I was able to trace Friedrich to Operation Paperclip. His real name was Friedrich Dunst and he worked under Joseph Mengele. Jeremy recognized a picture of him from Germany. When they finally had the Nuremberg trials, no one could find Friedrich; he had managed to change his name from the alias the government provided. He was responsible for helping Mengele perform all kinds of horrible experiments. I won’t go into the atrocities. But when it comes out, it’s going to cast a long shadow over the work done at that institute.”

  Evelyn gasped. “I remember Dunst. A cold, col
d man.”

  “When people find out, it’s going to have them looking into the programs Crosse ran there. Even the main institute with the legitimate programs will be under scrutiny. It will turn things upside down for a while. Phase two, where his secret work was done, is most likely already shut down. With him gone, the professors will be running scared. The legitimate programs will continue until the semester completes, I’m guessing,” Jeremy said.

  “What about the journal, are you releasing it?” Jack asked.

  “It’s most likely going to be taken for evidence,” Taylor answered. “Here’s the important part. We’re not going to talk about Crosse’s influence over power players. We’re going to make it seem like Malcolm was a one-off. Nothing about Brody Hamilton being implicated by Malcolm. Nothing about his being in the orphanage. Nothing about the orphanage at all. Since it’s been out of commission for the past twenty years, there’s little chance anyone will discover it. Jonas has already pulled the paper records and Jeremy has taken them to Carl’s.”

  “All the electronic files were destroyed when Damon executed the system delete,” Jeremy added.

  Evelyn cut in. “But if all you disclose is his training facility and nothing about how he’s strategically placed his own people in government and business, no one will look any further than the Institute. There won’t be an investigation.”

  Taylor and Jack had discussed this on the way back to Maryland and he had agreed with her.

  “We have no proof, Evelyn,” Jack replied. “All that will do is make his people run scared, cover their tracks. Now that he’s dead, they’ll feel safe. He has nothing over them anymore. Then we can quietly begin to investigate the list of names Jeremy found in his office. And of course, we’ll begin looking into Brody Hamilton’s dealings. We’ll also try and trace where some of the orphans came from and see if we can find where they are now.”