Kill on Command (29 page)

“Sean, I have movie to show you.  I think you will like it.” 

Sean did not answer.

McFarland started the movie.  Sean stared at the screen.  He couldn’t take his eyes off of it. 

The movie contained images, sights, patterns and sounds that spoke to the unconscious mind and bypassed Sean’s overly critical conscious mind.  McFarland created a new movie for each candidate.  What works for one candidate will not work for another.  Once inside Sean’s unconscious mind, McFarland would insert the triggers that would allow Waters to control Sean.  He was creating a door to Sean’s unconscious mind that Waters could open and close as he saw fit.  Once inside that door, Waters would have complete control over Sean. 

McFarland had studied the work on hypnosis the North Koreans had done, made some important changes and perfected it.  He required less than an hour and did not need to starve, beat or deprive the subject of sleep for it to be effective.  The process, however was not foolproof.  There were several things that could undo McFarland’s work such as high fever or a blow to the head.  However, it took more than a simple bump on the head to break the triggers.  It had to be a massive blow that could potentially knock the subject out and even then the triggers might still remain in place.

McFarland walked to the front of the room as the movie ended, turned off the projector and retracted the screen with the remote.  He fiddled with the remote until he got the lights to come up.

The cameras to the room also came back on and Sandy could now see McFarland standing at the front of the room talking with Sean.  The hotel cameras were still dark.

“So Sean, what do you think about our approach to people?”  McFarland asked.

“Very impressive.  The focus on development is exciting to me as is the commitment to the community.”

“Wonderful.  Sean, I have enjoyed our time together. I am confident you will soon be one of our top employees,” he said, as he walked to the door.

“Have a good evening, Dr. Logan,” Sean said.

McFarland did not reply. He walked down the hall and out of the hotel.  As he crossed the threshold of the hotel, all the hotel security cameras came back on.

McFarland was ready to hand over the keys to a very expensive and dangerous new toy to Robert Waters.

XV

Hey Jealousy

Boston – Same Day

Shortly after McFarland left, Sean packed up and headed back upstairs.  He was itching for a run.  And that’s exactly how he felt, like he had an itch that he couldn’t scratch.  He stripped off his clothes and pulled on his shorts and a slightly rank, day old t-shirt.  He was going to have to pack better next time.  He gingerly put on his shoes.  His feet were sore. 

In her room, Sandy was ready.  She was stretching and ready to go and was now properly equipped to keep up, from an attire standpoint at least.  She had on a pair of black tights and red top and new silver running shoes.

Sean took a long drink of water and bounded out of the room and headed to the elevators.  Just like the day before, Sandy notified the back up team that Sean was on the way.  Sean jogged out of the elevator, across the lobby and out the revolving doors.

“See you in a few, Fred!”  Sean yelled as he ran down the sidewalk.  Approximately twenty-five seconds behind him was Sandy.  Her team pointed her in the right direction.  Like the day before, Sean took off at a blistering pace.  Sandy struggled to keep him in sight, but caught a break about two miles into the run.  Sean stopped and threw-up everything in his stomach, but this time it was more than just water.  She heard people heading home from work screaming at him.  About twenty yards in from of her, he had his hands on his knees.  People were walking around him and then looking over their shoulders.

“Damn!  I am out of shape,” he said aloud and took off again.  The pace was a bit slower but still fast.  Sean wrapped up his run in an hour and a half, finishing at the hotel.

“I don’t know why you are killing yourself,” he heard Fred say as he came out of the hotel holding a bottle of water and handing it to Sean.

“It feels good.”

“I don’t believe it,” Fred replied.

“Thanks for the water, Fred,” Sean said, taking a big drink.

“Repaying you for the coffee, my friend.” 

“Thanks.”

“You see the girl on the same schedule as you?”  Fred asked, looking at Sean.

“No.  Missed her,” Sean replied, catching his breath between sips of the water.

“Two days in a row - she takes off running right after you leave.” 

“I don’t remember seeing her.”

“Oh, you would remember her, buddy,” Fred said, his eyes wide.

“I’ll keep a look out for her.”

“Oh, speaking of ladies.  A lady from your office is waiting for you in the lobby.  Cute. Platinum blonde,” Fred said, motioning at the doors. 

Sean peered in and could see Nurse Rodgers inside.

“Oh.  I guess I had better go in.”

“I guess you better.  Have a good night.”

“You too, Fred,” Sean shook his hand and walked to the door.

Across the street, Sandy was trying to catch her breath.  She, of course, saw Sean talking up the doorman.

“What the hell!  Does he have to talk to everyone he sees?” she said under her breath.  She stood in the doorway of the building across the street and watched him head into the hotel.  She had sent Bill in ahead of her.  He was sitting in the lobby reading the
Globe
.  He saw Sean walk in and say something to the front desk clerk and saw the clerk point to a woman sitting on the couch.  Bill reported back to Sandy.

“Ms. Rodgers.  What a nice surprise,” Sean said, walking towards her.  She stood up.  She had a white bag in her hand.  Her platinum blonde hair was a bit wild, but on purpose.  She was wearing a medium length black skirt, black shoes and a white blouse that had maybe one button too many undone.  Sean noticed.

“Mr. Garrison,” she looked him up and down.  His shirt was soaked with sweat.  Same with his hair.

“I can only guess that you are here to buy me a drink,” he said, smiling with his hands on his hips.

She smiled at him 

“No.  I am here to drop this off.”  She handed him the bag that contained the medication to blunt the effects of his OCD, disguised as cholesterol medication.

“What’s this?” he asked, looking inside.

“Your blood work came back; you have high cholesterol. You need to take one every morning.  The instructions are on the label.”  She hated lying but she knew this would help him.

“Hmmm. I was hoping it was a sandwich,” he said taking his eyes off the bag and looking at her.

“Well, have a good evening,” she said, turning to leave.

When she said “well,” Sean knew he was going to get that drink.

“So, where are you headed?”

She turned to look at him.  He moved towards her.

“Meeting some friends,” she said, moving a bang out of her eyes.

He did not say anything.  Finally she spoke.

“I suppose one drink won’t hurt.”

“Cool!  There’s an Irish bar right here in the hotel,” he said, pointing across the lobby.

“What’s going on?” Sandy asked from outside. 

“Looks like he’s picking up the nurse,” Bill said, trying not to laugh.

“Damn it!  I need to get upstairs.  Stay with them and I will be back down in a minute.”  She sprinted across the street.  Fred saw her coming and opened the door for her.

“Evening,” he said.

Sandy did not respond.  She flew to the elevator and headed to her room to change.  She was furious with the nurse.  She was to drop off the medication, leave and that was it. 

“Should I change?  I could run upstairs really quick?”  Sean said as they were walking across the lobby, while he pulled at his shirt.  He knew he had to stink.  He had on the same clothes from the day before.

“Oh, no.  You look fine.  Let’s get that drink,” she replied.  She did want to go to his room, but she knew it was filled with cameras.  She felt like she should run out of the hotel as fast as she could, but she wanted to talk to him.  She also knew they were being watched.  She felt guilty about everything she had been a part of and was teetering on telling him what she knew.  She even thought about going to the Boston papers with the story.

“OK.”  They walked into the restaurant and up to the bar.  She ordered a Harp and he ordered a Guinness.  They chatted back and forth.  The bar was a chain designed to look like what consumer researchers thought an Irish bar should look like.  It was missing the character.  They did get the music right. They had U2 playing in the background.  It was down low, but loud enough to hear the lyrics.

As Sandy reached her room, her phone rang.

“Where are you?  I was told there’s already a problem!”  Waters screamed.

“I am trying to get down there!” she yelled back, pulling off her clothes.

“You need to get that nurse out of there!”  Waters was not going to take any chances with McFarland’s support staff.  He was furious that she was even there.

Sandy did walk away with a piece of useful information from the call.  Waters just confirmed what she suspected, Bill and Bob worked for him, not her.  She now had to watch them and Sean.  They would be easy.  She saw them as dumb and predictable.  If she had to, she would kill both of them and not lose a minute’s sleep.

“Done,” she said to Waters and hung up.  She slipped on something a little less conspicuous than the red workout top and sprinted down the hall to the elevator.  She entered the lobby and walked over to the restaurant.  Sean’s back was to her so he did not see her enter the restaurant.  She took a seat near the back.  Bill was across the room, pretending to watch a rerun of some Premier League soccer game. 

“You still going by Ms.?”  Sean asked.

“It’s Cristen.  With a ‘c’.”

“Cristen.  Cristen with a ‘c’,” he repeated.  He took a sip of his beer. 

“Sean, will you excuse me?  I will be right back,” she got up and headed to the restroom.  Sean stood when she got up.

“Sure.” He watched her walk to the restroom and turned back around on the barstool.

Sandy watched her as well and followed Cristen into the women’s room. Cristen was at the sink putting on lipstick when Sandy entered.  Sandy closed the door and locked it.  The bathroom had a marble floor with three stalls on one side and three sinks opposite.  Cristen looked up when she saw Sandy lock the door.

“What are you doing?” she said, slightly pissed off.

Sandy stood by the door.

“You need to leave,” Sandy said, taking a step closer.  She did not know much about this nurse.  In fact, she didn’t know if she was even a nurse.

Cristen looked in the mirror and tussled her hair.  She looked over at Sandy. 

“I know who you are,” she said calmly. 

Sandy was now on the balls of her feet, arms loose at her sides.  She knew a confrontation was coming.

“Leave now,” Sandy ordered.

“Or, what, you going to call the police?  What you are doing is sickening,” Cristen replied.

“Or you will be carried out of here,” Sandy said coldly, narrowing her eyes.

“I don’t know your name, but I do know something.  You are going to fail.”

“Yeah?”  Sandy responded.

“You know what else?  I am going to take that guy out there upstairs and screw his brains out.  You freaks can watch the whole thing on all those cameras, and then I am heading to the
Boston Globe
,” Cristen said, a bitchy smile spreading across her face.

She barely got the words out before Sandy hit her with a brutal blow to the solar plexus.  The force slammed her into the wall and she crumpled to the floor.  Her head made a sickening thud when it hit the marble floor.  She was not getting up.

Sandy summoned Bill.  He appeared at the door moments later.

“Get her out of here.”  Bill looked at the body.  He leaned down and felt for a pulse. She was dead. 

“How?” 

“Jesus!  Get Bob to come around back and take her through the kitchen!  You’ll know when!  This isn’t rocket science!” she said, losing her patience.

Sandy turned, walked out of the ladies room towards the bar area and pulled the fire alarm that was on the wall just inside the dining room.

A piercing siren made everyone in the bar jump.  Sean looked around for Cristen, but did not see her.  The bartender urged him to head out into the lobby.  Sandy followed a couple of seconds behind him.  Bill hustled the body out the back.

Sandy knew the woman was a security threat. She had to be neutralized.  However, there was a little bit of Sandy that was pleased that Sean would never be with that woman.