Target on the Mountain by Elizabeth Goddard (the chimp paradox .txt) 📕

she hardly had time for family, especially when she lived halfway across the country.

Her cell rang.

Mom.

Tori flinched. Mom would stir up her emotions, and she needed to stay levelheaded as she remained on guard.

Groaning inside, she answered the call. “Mom, hi.”

“Hey, honey. I know you can’t tell me where you are, where the safe house is. I understand all that, but I wanted to hear your voice. I miss you.”

Disappointment sank in Tori’s gut—Dad hadn’t told Mom the news yet. Her mother could very well figure her location out when she heard the background noise. Tori pinched the bridge of her nose, wishing now that she hadn’t answered. Why hadn’t she simply let it go to voice mail?

“I miss you, too, Mom. Let’s pray this is over soon and we can spend time together without having to worry.”

“I can’t lose you, too, Tori.” Mom’s words sounded warbled, but Tori suspected she was doing her best to control her emotions.

“You won’t, Mom. I promise.” She might as well go ahead and tell her she was leaving.

“I meant to ask, what was in that package Sarah sent you?”

Package?

“What package?”

“You didn’t find it? It came to our house a few days ago—they forwarded it from your apartment. I stuck it in your briefcase when they gathered your things from Sarah’s house. That was after the explosion. You were in the hospital.”

“Right. They took me to the safe house from there. I didn’t see a package, but I haven’t rifled through my briefcase—” though she had pulled her laptop out of its pocket several times “—Listen, Mom, I have—”

An announcement for an incoming flight came over the intercom.

“Where are you, Tori? It sounds like you’re at the airport. What’s going on?”

Air whooshed from Tori’s lungs. “I’m heading home, Mom. I emailed Dad to explain that in order to be safe, I need to leave.”

“But—”

Mom would have at least wanted to see her off. To say goodbye. Give her a hug. Tori got it. This wasn’t how Mom had imagined Tori going somewhere safe.

Dad’s voice sounded in the background as he explained to Mom what was going on. A little late, Dad.

She’d wanted to avoid the drama. While she listened to the secondhand conversation, she dug through her briefcase and spotted a small package—the one from Sarah?

“Mom, I think I found the package. I have to go.” Tori ended the call abruptly. Mom would have to understand, and Tori would make up for it later.

Gripping the orange-colored mailer, she stared at the handwriting—Sarah’s writing—and the date it had been sent. The day before Sarah’s murder. Tori had made sure to forward her mail to Mom and Dad’s, and it had taken time to find her here.

Without a doubt she knew what she held in her hands was the information that had put a target on her head. They thought that she already knew. That she had already received the package.

She slid it over her keyboard to hide it behind her laptop and looked around the terminal. The rush and madness to make the next flight had died down and only one person sat in the waiting area with her. Few people walked the halls.

Tori ripped the package and a USB drive fell out. She peeked inside the package and found a sealed envelope, too. She opened it to find a handwritten note from Sarah.

Dear Tori,

I got myself in too deep and I’m not sure where to turn, so I’m sending this to you. I thought it would be easier to mail and have you look at it first, and then we can talk later. But no email. I’m concerned that someone could find out what I’ve been up to. I think someone has been following me.

That’s it? Come on, Sarah. At least you could have explained what this was about.

But then again, Sarah had probably been scared to say too much, and with good reason, given the danger she was in. Only it had gotten her killed anyway.

Tori detested the anger that surged through her. Anger at her sister for getting herself killed. She pushed down that hateful emotion—this wasn’t Sarah’s fault.

Goose bumps rose on her arms as she stuck the USB drive into the slot on her laptop.

She stared at incriminating documents about the company GenDynamics—the place where Sarah worked. And then it hit Tori. GenDynamics was an agricultural company. Of course! Now it was all beginning to make sense.

Tori should have looked into this from the beginning. She’d been too distraught to see clearly what was right there all the time.

Tori sat up and did a quick search on the company. GenDynamics produced pesticides and GMOs—genetically modified organisms. She’d heard the term repeatedly, but what exactly did that mean?

Tori read further. Gene splicing. That was what it was all about. DNA from a variety of species were forced into genes of other plants or animals. She cringed at what she read, and then went back to the information Sarah had gathered. Sarah had taken photographs of documentation that showed the company was purposefully mislabeling and selling an unapproved pesticide. If that was discovered, it could cost them tens of millions of dollars in fines, lawsuits and government penalties.

Comprehension slammed into her, and she flattened against the seat back.

Oh, Sarah...

She’d been part of an environmental group, and Tori had a feeling Dee knew about these other activities, but he’d been afraid to tell Tori. GenDynamics was a huge company with deep pockets. Maybe Sarah’s run-in with the legislator was her way of trying to get someone to listen to her about what was going on there. And when they wouldn’t, she’d gathered this information herself.

Sarah had turned into a major whistle-blower. Whistle-blowers were supposed to be protected by laws, but they were often persecuted.

And in this case, she had been murdered before the whistle could be blown.

Tori’s cell rang. Dad this time.

Tori grimaced. She couldn’t talk to him at this moment. She had to process what all of this meant. Why hadn’t Sarah given