Raymond stood up and sighed. ‘I wish he would turn up. Worrying about
him is driving me up the wall, especially with Taylor Cabot here. It’s
just something else in a long string of problems going on in New York
that have threatened the program and made my life miserable.’
‘We’ll continue to search,’ Siegfried assured him. He tried to sound
sympathetic, but in actuality, he was wondering how Raymond was going to
respond when he heard the bonobos were being rounded up to be brought
into the animal center. All other problems paled in the face of the
animals killing each other.
‘I’ll try to think of something to say to Taylor Cabot,’ Raymond said as
he started for the door. ‘If you could, I’d appreciate being informed
the moment you hear about Kevin Marshall.’
‘Certainly,’ Siegfried said obligingly. He watched with satisfaction as
the previously proud doctor beat a meek retreat. Just as Raymond
disappeared from view, Siegfried remembered that Raymond was from New
York.
Siegfried dashed to his door, catching Raymond on his way down the
stairs.
‘Doctor,’ Siegfried called out with false deference.
Raymond paused and looked back.
‘Do you happen to know a doctor by the name of Jack Stapleton?’
The blood drained from Raymond’s face.
This reaction was not lost on Siegfried. ‘I think you’d better come back
into my office,’ the manager said.
Siegfried closed the door behind Raymond who immediately wanted to know
how in the world the name ‘Jack Stapleton’ had come up.
Siegfried walked around his desk and sat down. He gestured toward a
chair for Raymond. Siegfried was not happy. He’d briefly thought of
relating the unexpected request for a site visit by strange doctors to
Taylor Cabot. He’d not thought of relating it to Raymond.
‘Just before you arrived I got an unusual call from our gate house,’
Siegfried said. ‘The Moroccan guard told me that there was a van full of
people who wanted to tour the facility. We’ve never had uninvited
visitors before. The van was driven by Dr. Jack Stapleton of New York
City.’
Raymond wiped the perspiration that had appeared on his forehead. Then
he ran both hands simultaneously through his hair. He kept telling
himself that this couldn’t be happening since Vinnie Dominick was
supposed to have taken care of Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery.
Raymond hadn’t called to find out what had happened to the two; he
didn’t really want to know the details. For twenty thousand dollars,
details weren’t something he should have to worry about–or so he
thought. If pressed, he would have guessed that Stapleton and Montgomery
were somewhere floating in the Atlantic Ocean about now.
‘Your reaction to this is starting to concern me,’ Siegfried said.
‘You didn’t let Stapleton and his friends in?’ Raymond asked.
‘No, of course not,’ Siegfried said.
‘Maybe you should have,’ Raymond said. ‘Then we could have dealt with
them. Jack Stapleton is a very big danger to the program. I mean, is
there a way here in the Zone to take care of such people?’
‘There is,’ Siegfried said. ‘We just turn them over to the Equatoguinean
minister of justice or the minister of defense along with a sizable
bonus. Punishment is both discreet and very rapid. The government is
eager to ensure that nothing threatens the goose that lays the golden
egg. All we need to say is that they are seriously interfering with
GenSys operations.’
‘Then if they come back, I think you should let them in,’ Raymond said.
‘Perhaps you should tell me why,’ Siegfried said.
‘Do you remember Carlo Franconi?’ Raymond asked.
‘Carlo Franconi the patient?’ Siegfried asked.
Raymond nodded.
‘Of course,’ Siegfried said.
‘Well, it started with him,’ Raymond said as he began the complicated
story.
‘You think it is safe?’ Laurie asked. She was looking at a huge
hollowed-out log canoe with a thatched canopy that was pulled halfway up
the beach. On the back was a sizable, beat-up outboard motor. It was
leaking fuel as evidenced by an opalescent scum that ringed the stern.
‘Reportedly it goes all the way to Gabon twice a day,’ Jack said.
‘That’s farther than Cogo.’
‘How much rent did you have to pay?’ Natalie asked. It had taken Jack a