Clark cringed when the idiot said his name. He’d hoped to keep his identity secret from anyone who might be near the nerd. No matter, he’d just have to deny he’d called if anyone questioned him.
“Yes. The guy who signs your paychecks. As I was saying—”
“No way.” Oswald’s voice was caught between suspicion and surprise. “Why would Clark Nantz be calling me?”
“If you gave me a chance to talk, I would explain,” Clark snapped, annoyed that the moron had said name twice, now.
“Oh. Yes. Of course,” Oswald squeaked, back to timid and mousy.
Clark scoffed. At least his short-tempered reply had convinced the moron of his identity. “Are you alone?”
“Yes.” The squeaky voice dropped to a whisper.
Clark relaxed. Well, that was ideal at least. Nobody else knew Oswald had received a phone call.
“Don’t tell anyone about this call, or what I’m about to tell you. It’s of the utmost importance that this task remains secret. Do you understand?” He didn’t wait for assurance, just rolled right on. “I need you to come to my office immediately. Go to the elevator banks and wait for an empty elevator. If the elevator is empty, go inside and close the doors. If anyone enters the elevator after you’re inside, go back out and wait for the next one. When you find an empty lift, close the doors and punch the following code—1535—into the security panel next to the controls. This code will order the elevator to take you straight to the penthouse floor, without any stops.”
“Oookay,” Oswald stammered. “What is it you want me to do?”
“I’ll explain when you get here,” Clark said briskly. “You’ll need to bring a tool kit.”
“What kind of tools will I need.”
Clark thought the question over. “You’ll be disabling a malfunctioning security panel, so I suppose you’ll need thenormal small tools—screwdrivers, wire clippers, maybe a hammer. Remember this is of the utmost secrecy. Don’t tell anyone where you’re going or what you’ll be doing. My office is 2901. Come now. Time is of the essence,” Clark said. He didn’t wait for questions. Just terminated the call.
He'd given the penthouse staff the afternoon off, so the corridors and desks would be empty when Oswald arrived. While he waited, he checked the security panel again. Still red. The camera showed the specimens were still standing and staring. As he awaited Oswald’s arrival, he unlocked the bottom desk drawer and dropped the phone in, then removed a black, 9mm Glock. He slipped the gun into the pocket of his Armani suit jacket and spent a few seconds straightening the cuffs and arms.
Too bad he didn’t have blinds on the lab windows, or no windows at all. No doubt Oswald would be wishing the same thing once he got down there and saw the specimens inside the lab. The Karaveht subjects were obviously dead, yet resurrected. And they were impossible to conceal.
Plus, the panel Clark needed destroyed was right next to the door, which had a large window. Even if Oswald missed seeing the resurrected dead standing in the lab on his way down the basement corridor, he’d get a perfect view into the room through that window.
There was no way Clark could hide the room’s contents from him.
But at least Oswald would die serving a purpose. He’d destroy the panel. Or, if the specimens inside the lab escaped, he would serve as a distraction while Clark raced for the elevator. The elevator only went to the penthouse suite, and he’d disable it as soon as it arrived. Nobody would follow him up. He’d make sure of that.
Either way, he couldn’t allow Oswald to return to the penthouse. By bullet or infection, Oswald had to die down there. It was the only way to keep Clark’s secrets safe.
Chapter twenty-seven
Day 32
Washington, D.C.
Oswald Brown looked exactly like the picture attached to his employee file, only more so: more timid, more slumped through the spine, more mousy. He wore a mechanic’s uniform, looking like a bullied adolescent rather than an adult in his late twenties. He slouched through Clark’s office door with a red toolbox dragging down his right shoulder.
“Mr. Nantz?” Oswald set his toolbox down and offered his right hand.
Clark stared at the sweat slicking the palm and repressed a shudder. No way was he shaking that thing. He turned awayinstead and slipped around the corner of his desk toward the concealed elevator.
“Alright then.” Clark glanced behind him where Oswald still stood, hand outstretched, as if he thought Clark might backtrack and shake it any second. What a moron. “Join me here, please.”
Oswald finally dropped his hand and shuffled over. His mouth formed a surprisedOwhen Clark pressed the hidden latch and popped the paneling open, exposing the elevator. Good God, based on the nerd’s reaction, that hidden elevator must be the coolest thing the moron had ever seen.
Clark waved a hand at the open elevator, waited for Oswald to enter, and followed him inside. He maneuvered around Oswald, who stood frozen as though afraid to move.
“What I’m about to show you is known to only a handful of people.” He pressed the button that saidB. “Normally, I have maintenance staff assigned to the basement level—” which was true— “but I gave them the day off to attend a coworker’s wedding.” Which was not true. “Sadly, my generosity has proved problematic. There are two security panels down there that are malfunctioning. I’ve tried reprograming them, but they continue to fail. I need you to manually disable them.”
“Disable?” Oswald squeaked as the elevator began to drop. He backed up, bracing himself against the back wall.
