In A Heartbeat

Ch. 14

"Blue kennel,  Chelsea speaking."

"Ummm, yes. I was calling for Virginia please."

"Can I ask who is calling please?"

"This is a friend of Joe's. He left me this number and told me to deliver a care package for a puppy but he didn't leave me an address."

The voice on the line went silent and I cursed under my breath. I went too deep too fast. I'd seen a thousand movies through the years in bed. I knew better than to play my hand on the first curve. I started flying through scenarios on how to bring the conversation back when the voice turned into a whisper.

"Cassie?  Is that you?"

Now it was my turn to be silent. Who the heck was this and how did she know my name. Did my dad have another wife?  I couldn't imagine that, but then I couldn't imagine my dad cloning me to have an instant family before I even died. At the same time I didn't know how cloning worked. Maybe after I died my DNA wouldn't have been any good except it had to be becausetechnically I'd died several times already. In the moment of silence I wondered if I'd ever be able to trust the memory of my dad again.

"Are you calling on your cellphone Cassie?  If so we need to hang up."

The voice jolted me back to the task at hand. Jump in or go home right?  It was time to stop playing spy and get down to business.

"I'm at a pay phone. Who is this? How do you know me?"

"Smart girl. It's Vanessa Trent, remember me?  I work in the lab with your dad. Well, worked in the lab with your dad. I was hoping you'd get the message. Are you alright?  I'm so sorry about your parents Cassie."

My memories flared and an image of Vanessa swam up from the pile I had shoved down to forget. She was my dad's lab assistant manager and a really nice and funny person. Memories of her coming over a few times to eat with with us swirled like cotton through my mind. My mom called her my dads work wife and he used to say "I can't seem to get away, women tell me what to do everywhere."  I hadn't heard her name in a while, but I guess it was another thing I hadn't paid attention to.

"I remember you!  I used to call you Vess, I thought you had changed companies or something. I haven't heard your name in a long time."

A dog barked in the background and she covered the phone and shushed it but soon the distant cry of a baby followed. My heart sped up to warp beat speed as I strained my ears to the sound.

"Is that her?  Do you have her?  Where are you?  GenTech is looking for something of my dads. I'm pretty sure it's her they want."

There was a deep sigh on Vanessa's end followed by the sound of music like a baby toy or a music box.

"As far as I know they think the experiment failed. We did most of our work off site, and your dad was very careful. It's the code they want, the genetic formula your dad used.  Cassie, there's more. If GenTech finds out about the baby none of you will ever be safe. Either you, or her, will be killed. The ramifications of keeping you both alive are too costly. Cloning is illegal and both you and the baby are evidence that they were doing testing with government money. You've got to listen to me..... go to"

I heard the bell above the door jingle and saw Kyle's concerned face enter the store. His eyes made contact with mine and I smiled and waved while I talked into the phone.

"I'm telling you, you're calling a store, and I'm not Nancy. I don't have any idea why she's avoiding you but maybe it's because you are calling a store. I've gotta hang up now, my giant boyfriend just showed up and we are late for his sharpshooter award. Good luck and maybe you should check your numbers next time."

I made myself hang up the phone and burst into fake laughter. Kyle looked at the phone and at my empty hands.

" What was that all about?  Where's the ice cream?  You had me worried there, I thought someone grabbed you or something."

I put on the face that I hoped express shock and 'you're a weirdo'.

"I'm a phone counselor now. Good old Phil is being ignored by Nancy since he had sex with her after the bar and now he just wants to know if he did something wrong because she never picks up when he calls."

Kyle would never know it was a Law and Order storyline I'd seen and he shook his head at me as I grabbed a carton of mint chip from the freezer.

"I'm beginning to think you're a magnet for the bizarre Cassie.  For a girl who's spent most of her life laying around you sure have gotten yourself involved in drama lately!"

I slapped him on the chest and paid the clerk. "I'm making up for lost time I guess. Most people have had years to space it out. I'm just cramming it all in. But who wouldn't pick up a ringing phone?  That's just crazy talk. Poor Phil.  He needed me."

As we sat in the truck with the ice cream firmly planted in between us I gulped in air. I had heard the baby cry. She was alive. And if I could just stay smart and get ahead of the game I could stay that way too.

Agnes was feeling better and over a bowl of ice cream Kyle had her cracking up at my phone antics. I would have laughed with them except I was thinking about Vanessa, and the baby. And suddenly I'd wished I hadn't called her Nancy or went with the Law and Order Theme.

On that episode Nancy didn't fare well, and Phil wasn't nearly as nice as he pretended to be. I could only hope it wasn't a foreshadowing or karmic prediction. Somehow there just had to be a way for all of us to come out of this alive.

I watched Agnes warm up to Kyle as they told each other embarrassing stories from the past, and I suddenly felt very alone. I didn't know who to trust, but I did know one thing, Vanessa was right, I'd have to be killed if I didn't succeed because there was no way I was giving up, that baby was me, and  somehow, someday, she would be mine.

When the dishes were finished and Agnes was fidgeting to get us out of the house so she could reclaim her lazyboy and television Kyle, Buster and I said goodnight and headed for that truck.

We drove in comfortable silence. Me, unsure of what to make of all this and his brow low and furrowed letting me know he was deep in thought. "I'll call Maid to Order, and I'll have a security company come tomorrow and set up for your house and hers."

His face looked crumpled and I caught a glimpse again of him as a young boy trying to help a sick girl at the pool be safe and have fun, my insides melted a little at how miserable he must be. I said the only words I could think of that would make a difference.  "Kyle, you aren't your father."

He pulled off to the side of the road, and put the truck in park. The glow of the moon filtered through the windshield lighting up the interior as he leaned forward and placed his head on the steering wheel.  His shoulders shook, and I placed my hand on his back not saying a word while he shed what I could only assume, were bitter tears of thanks.

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So Cassie knows where the baby is, and now getting her seems possible!! Kyle still seems perfect to me, but I'm a sucker for tears.

Happy Monday everyone. Hope this is your best week yet!!