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"Is there any liquor?" I asked, once we were back in Gracie Layne's room. "I've only seen water, coffee, and fruit juice," she said. My desire for a nice cup of Earl Grey tea was overshadowed by my need to discuss our situation. We all got something to drink and filed into the bathroom.
Cassie turned on the overhead fan. "If they have cameras, they'll know what we're up to," she said.
I pulled out my pad. "Task 1 - search room for cameras or listening devices. Gracie Layne, you need to think back about everything Mark told you. Did he say anything that might hint at what's going on here?"
"I don't think so, but I'll keep thinking about it. I guess we'll find out more in the morning."
"I'd rather not wait that long, but we may not have any choice," Cassie said. "Dr. Braun didn't really tell us anything. He said we were unique and the guys needed to be isolated."
"I'm not sure I believe him or know what he was getting at. Did either of you tell anyone where you were going?"
Gracie shook her head. "It was all so rushed, and I knew I'd be with you."
"The people at the hospital know we left with Dr. Wainwright," Cassie said. "I don't think they'd have any idea where we were going. I wonder if Dr. Wainwright even knew the location."
"I spoke to Mr. Meecham before you guys got to Idaho. He said he had asked DHS to assign guards to us," I explained. "When the DHS agents show up and find no one to guard that should trigger events that will lead to them knowing we've been taken. They'll have to figure out where."
"Let's talk motive," Cassie said. "Why are we here? I don't think this is all because Wainwright ignored the law and tested a drug on the guys."
"I agree, but I can't figure out what else it could be. How are you feeling, Cassie?"
"Angry and pissed, but that's understandable."
"Yeah, but how are you feeling physically?"
"I'm OK, but it's probably best that we don't let them know about my condition unless we are in a situation where we think it could be helpful. I don't want to give them ammunition they can use against Jared or me."
It was clear that Gracie Layne didn't know what we were talking about. I thought it might be best to keep it that way so I didn't explain. We gave Gracie Layne a list of questions for Mark in case he came to see her. We made a plan for the rest of the day and searched the bathroom for cameras or bugs as best we could before heading out and repeating the process in the rest of the suite. There were cameras in the living area and both bedrooms. We found the same situation in the other two rooms. Without electronic gadgets we couldn't be sure, but it seemed that the closets were camera free as were the bathrooms.
We made our way to the dining room for lunch. The food was good, but it was served by Katrin who stood at the back of the dining room watching us the whole time. We ate in silence for the most part only offering an occasional innocuous comment about the food.
When we were finished, it was time to put the next step in our plan into action. Cassie motioned for Katrin.
"Is there something you need Mrs. Dickenson?"
"Yes, Katrin, there is. I need to see my husband."
"I believe Dr. Braun explained that wasn't possible."
"That's not precisely true, Katrin," I said. "We need to know that Mr. Dickenson and Mr. Munroe are alive and receiving adequate medical care. That can be done via phone calls, video feeds, or any number of ways that don't require us to actually be in the same room with them if there is a medical reason for their isolation."
It was clear that Katrin wasn't prepared to discount our ideas. "I'll see if I can speak with Dr. Braun," she said, heading down the hallway.
We stayed at the table enjoying our coffee and tea while we waited for Katrin's return. Instead of hearing Katrin's chunky heels clicking across the polished wood floors, I looked up and saw Tattoo and Blank approaching.
Cassie leaned my way, "Perhaps we pushed a little too hard."
The men stopped by our table. I started to stand up. "Please stay seated," Blank said. They placed laptops on the table in front of Cassie and me and opened them. We all scooted closer together.
On the screen in front of me was what looked like a typical hospital room. The lights were dim, but I could clearly see Chance. He looked like he was sleeping, but I could see his chest rising and falling. I glanced over at Cassie's screen and saw a similar scene with Jared in the bed. Dr. Wainwright appeared on my screen next to Chance's bed. "Hello, Everly. I believe we have the allergic reaction under control. We're keeping Chance sedated to allow his body time to recover. I expect he'll make a full recovery."
He walked out of the picture on my screen and appeared a moment later in Jared's room. He gave Cassie the same speech, but she'd heard what he told me so she was prepared. "Dr. Wainwright, before you rush off, we have some questions for you." Dr Wainwright rushed away, but he stopped when Cassie spoke. "If the guys are stabilized, you should be able to come talk with us, right?" He looked like a deer caught in headlights. Then he pulled a phone from the pocket of his lab coat and looked at it. "I'm sorry. I have to check on another patient." He rushed out of the frame.
"What the fuchsia was that?" Gracie Layne asked. "Something is definitely wrong. Did y'all notice how he wouldn't even look directly into the camera. It was like he was trying to avoid eye contact even though we aren't in the same room. That's just crap."