The Last Hour (Thompson Sisters) by Sheehan-Miles, Charles (reading well .txt) 📕

to Bethesda. On the train, Ray said, “I love that you’re into all the wedding stuff with Alex.”

I smiled. “When we get married, I want it to be perfect.”

Ray choked up, his voice rough when he said, “Me too.” And then he kissed me.

Monday morning we got up, Ray getting into uniform to report for duty at Walter Reed again. And I got ready too, because I’d had enough. It had been four weeks since I’d been suspended from NIH. I didn’t know what was going on with my research. I didn’t know what was going on with my assistants, and I didn’t know what was going on with the investigation. This was intolerable. So we drove together, and I parked in the NIH employee parking lot, and kissed Ray goodbye.

Then I turned to head back to work. I followed the crowd of incoming commuters into the building, then made my way up the elevator and down the hall to Moore’s office.

I could feel my heart pounding as I approached it. Everything I’d spent the last decade working for rested on this. And I was terrified. I took a deep breath to calm down and prepare myself, and that was when Lori Beckley almost walked into me.

“Carrie!” she said. “Are you back? I’m so happy!”

I grinned. “I wish ... actually I still haven’t heard the first word from Doctor Moore, and he hasn’t returned my calls, so I thought I would come in and talk with him. I just need to know what’s going on with the investigation.”

Lori said, “I haven’t heard anything at all.”

“I guess maybe they’re supposed to keep it confidential?”

She shrugged. “Normally this place leaks like a sieve. But Moore’s holding this one pretty close to the vest.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I don’t either, to be honest,” she said. “You should record your conversation.”

“Isn’t that illegal?”

She frowned. “I don’t know.”

“I’m pretty sure it is in Maryland,” I said.

“Whatever,” she replied. “Just ... watch out. I don’t trust Moore.”

“Great,” I said. “I will, and thanks for the warning.”

“Good luck!” She headed into her office, and I walked further down the hall and knocked on Moore’s door.

“Come in!” he called.

He needed to get a window. I opened the door and said, “Good morning.”

Moore’s eyes widened. “Doctor Thompson! I’m so glad you came by. Come in, come in. What can I do for you?”

I was taken aback by his odd friendliness. Number one, it was out of character, and number two, he’d been ignoring my emails and phone calls.

“I hadn’t heard back from you regarding your investigation, and ... to be honest ... I really need to get back to work soon.”

He frowned. So much for the friendliness. “Well, these things do take time. We have to ... collect information ... ask people questions, that sort of thing. I assure you, we’ll be done in good time. Right now I’m waiting for Rice to complete their report.”

I blinked. “Are you saying you haven’t started yet?”

“Oh, well of course not. I’ve familiarized myself with the file, of course. But until Rice is finished with the lab notes from your research, there’s very little I can do. Plus ... it seemed from the news reports that you have ... other priorities right now.”

I had to tell myself to stay calm. Because his insufferable, arrogant face was perfectly straight as he said those last words.

I leaned forward and said, “I want to make clear that whatever is going on in my personal life isn’t really relevant in this context.”

“It may be, and it may not be, Carrie. But having the ... girlfriend ... or whatever you are ... of a war criminal in and out of the building, even while you’re under an ethics cloud ... it’s hardly the image NIH wants to project.”

“I did absolutely nothing to warrant any of this,” I said. “Nor, for that matter, did Ray.”

“I’m sure that’s true,” Moore said. But he didn’t look like he meant it, and his fucking eyes were tracking right down the front of my shirt again. I wanted to punch him.

I closed my eyes and took a breath. Then I said, “Doctor Moore, I’m going to insist that you get your report rolling. I know you’re my boss. But you can’t just leave me dangling out here for months with no resolution. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?”

“That doesn’t apply to the sciences. I’ll tell you what, Carrie. Doctor Thompson. If you’d like, I can make this whole thing go away.”

I froze. What the hell?”

Very slowly, I said, “And how, exactly, would that happen?”

“I think you know the answer to that. You’re sleeping with that soldier. You slept with your thesis advisor.” He raised an eyebrow.

“Excuse me just a moment,” I said. I took out my phone, and dialed Lori’s number. Moore jerked back in his seat, his face growing red.

She answered immediately. “Lori,” I said. “Can you come in here?”

“Um ... okay ... be right there,” she replied.

I don’t think she paused to breathe because about four seconds later she opened Doctor Moore’s door.

“Hello,” she said. She nodded toward Moore. “Doctor Moore.”

“Lori, I was just explaining to Doctor Moore that I didn’t feel it was right to just let the investigation wait until Rice is finished with theirs. That I need to be back to work soon. And he agreed. Isn’t that good news?”

She raised her eyebrows. “Oh?”

“Isn’t that right, Doctor Moore? Or was there something else you said that I misunderstood?”

He looked frozen in place. Bastard. Finally he said, “Yes. Yes, we’re going to move immediately. My apologies for the delay.”

“Lori, he also asked to have you on the investigation committee, I was hoping you didn’t mind. I know it will pull away from your research.”

“I’d be happy to,” she said. She was eyeing Doctor Moore now, and I think she understood what was going on.

“Well, then,” I said. “I suppose I’ll be going. Hopefully this can all be resolved very soon.”

I walked out. The second the door closed behind me,