Amoeba (The Experiments) Read online

  “Yes.” Jake nodded his head once. Again.

  Cal laughed as she stood from the table. “Uh, Jake? Fuck you.” She turned, slid open the patio doors, and went into the house.

  Jake lifted his hand up. “What?” He turned to Chuck. “Was that the wrong answer?”

  Chuck looked at him dumbfounded. “Um, no, Jake, it really wasn’t.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Just a word of advice. Add a little tact to your phrasing when you inform her she has to wear a chastity belt when you aren’t around.”

  “See.” Jake grabbed his empty beer bottle as he stood up. “Why do you have to do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “You have to do that sarcastic shit. Why couldn’t you just say I gave the wrong answer?”

  “Because you should know,” Chuck told him.

  “Did you see me heading in the wrong direction?”

  “What do you mean?” Chuck asked.

  “Did you see it building to the point that she would swear at me and storm away?”

  “Oh yeah.” Chuck laughed. “It built to that.”

  “Asshole!”

  “What!” Chuck jumped back.

  “Why didn’t you stop me? Fuck.” Jake tossed his hand though the air and walked to the patio doors.

  “Jake?” Chuck called while trying to hide his laughter.

  “What?!” Jake blasted.

  “Can you bring me another beer?” Chuck lifted his beer bottle and swirled it.

  Jake grunted at him and went into the house.

  ^^^^

  Jake didn’t have to make it too far into the house to run into Cal. She rinsed off the dinner dishes, maybe a little louder than she needed to. He watched her for a moment before his long arm intruded into her washing stream, and he held his beer bottle under the water, rinsing it.

  Cal shut off the water. “Saying excuse me would have worked.”

  “I thought of that. But . . .” Jake tossed his clean bottle in the bright orange trash bin. “Even if I said excuse me, you still would have had something to say. Probably sarcastic.”

  “Probably.”

  Jake opened the fridge and pulled out a beer. He saw Cal moving toward the patio doors. “Wait.”

  “What?”

  “I want to talk to you. Please.”

  “We have company.”

  “It’s Chuck,” Jake said with sarcasm. “He doesn’t count. Besides, he started this whole thing anyhow.”

  Cal’s mouth dropped open. “How is Chuck responsible for your ignorance?”

  “He knows I want to do this ‘you and me’ thing right. He’s supposed to help me out.”

  “Aw, Jake,” Cal whined as she stopped, pulled out the dining room chair, and sat down. “What am I gonna do with you?”

  “What do you mean? You’re gonna marry me. You said you’d marry me. You didn’t change your mind, did you?”

  “Jake, I didn’t mean it literally. Sit down.”

  As Jake began to sit, he saw Chuck at the patio doors pointing to his empty beer bottle. Jake held up his index finger in a ‘just wait’ manner. Chuck widened his eyes and pointed at the bottle again. Irritated, Jake flipped him off, shut the drapes, and joined Cal. “Sorry. Now . . . you were deciding on what to do with me.”

  “Jake. First of all, this Aldo situation. I don’t let myself like people, or even get close to them ever since Jessie was killed.”

  “I know that.”

  “I let myself get close to Rickie. And we know what happened to Rickie.”

  “I know that too. Cal, what does Aldo have to do with Rickie?”

  Cal hesitated before answering. “Everything. He has everything to do with us being here, too, Jake. First, he watched us, and he stepped from the investors position when he became intrigued with us. He knew my closeness to Rickie. Do you realize how much trouble he went to to acquire those tapes of the experiment so he could have Rickie segments edited for us?”

  “Cal. Sweetie. I understand you were touched by that. I was too. And I plan on watching every minute. But . . . that still doesn’t make up for what he is.”

  “He is a man with a heart. Had he not stepped in at the last minute and convinced your investor to sell his share of the game, the option to force a single winner would have continued, and we would have both been killed. You know that.”

  Jake’s head lowered. “I know that.” He laid his hand on hers. “But the man had my investor shot, Cal.”

  “That was not proven. It was a drive by shooting.”

  “In a very influential neighborhood. What, the lawn patrol came by and was pissed off about his grass being too high?”

  Cal snickered.

  “What?”

  “You made a joke. That was funny.”

  “I was being serious.”

  “Of course you were. Now I’m gonna be serious for a moment. People come into our lives for a reason. And like you, I’m not good at letting them in. But once they are there, we should let them stay, because fate sent them. And they should stay until fate takes them away. Sometimes, Jake, our jobs should be second to those who touch our lives.”

  Jake looked seriously at her for a moment. He was quiet.

  “Do you understand?”

  “Yeah. But Cal, you do realize how easy it is for you to say that. You don’t have a job.”

  Cal tossed her hands in the air. “Forget it. Just know, I’m not avoiding Aldo. You can if you want to be rude, but I’m not.”

  “All right.”

  “Jake? You really aren’t going to reconsider?”

  “Nope. Are you?”

  “Nope,” Cal said.

  “Look, you have your reasons for wanting to be Aldo’s friend, and I have my reasons not to. As cold as it is, and as much as I appreciate all that he has done, he’s a skeleton in my closet I don’t need when I go to the Pentagon.”

  Cal nodded slowly. “I understand that. It’s a dick thing to say, but . . .”

  “Cal.”

  “All right.” She shook her head. “I’ll keep him away from you.”

  “Thank you. And I’ll try not to interfere in your Ma Barker role. Now.” He laid his hand on hers. “Are we done fighting?”

  “I don’t think we’ll ever be done fighting. And that worries me.”

  “We don’t really fight.”

  “Yes we do,” Cal said.

  “Okay, we do, but we’ll get passed it.” Jake softened his voice.

  “Do you really believe that? Jake, we fought so much up there. We’re still fighting. I think we’ll always fight. Tell me we should be doing this.”

  “Absolutely. I love you Cal. You are the first woman I have ever loved, ever gave my heart to. I’m not letting you go. And so what that we fight. When did you or I ever walk away from any challenge?”

  Cal tilted her head with a look of agreement. “You got a point.”

  Jake kissed her hand. “Just bear with me, okay? I’m still new with this relationship thing, but I’ll get it right, I promise. Hey, if I can wade through your adjustment time, you can wade through mine, right?”

  Cal pulled her hand from his. “What adjustment time of mine are you wading through?”

  “Adjusting to the move here. Living with me. You know.”

  “No. Why do you think I have an adjustment period?”

  “Chuck told me.”

  “Chuck’s full of shit. I lived with you for seven months. Living with you isn’t going to take adjustment. Living in this house will.”

  “We’re getting another one. I got the paper today.”

  “That’s not what I meant. I mean your marking the counter so your toaster is geometrically placed.” She snickered. “And what is your obsession with this house buying?”

  “I have to,” Jake explained. “I get my promotion tomorrow. I will officially become the Ex-O. I’m getting married. I can’t live in base housing anymore. It’s not right. It was okaywhen I didn’t have a life, but I have a li
fe now. I have you.”

  Cal took in a deep breath and moved to Jake, placing her arms around him. Jake closed his eyes as he held her.

  “See, Cal. This hug thing is really good. I like this.”

  Softly, Cal kissed him on the lips. “Jake, you really need to lighten up in this relationship. . . Now.” Cal pulled back. “Let’s go give Chuck that beer.” She moved to the patio doors and pulled the drapes open. When she did, Chuck was kneeling at the glass doors, pretending he was weakly trying to get in. “Jake?” Cal’s eyes went from Chuck to Jake. “Is he all right.”

  “He’s an asshole.” Jake quickly slid open the doors taking Chuck by surprise and causing him to fall forward in the house. Jake gave a single laugh. “Beer’s in the fridge.” He stepped over Chuck and went onto the patio.

  Las Vegas, Nevada

  March 6th - 7:30 p.m. PST

  Aldo Connilucci sat behind his desk, sounds of gambling from the casino below seeping into his quiet office. He ran his thick fingers down the mustache that seemed to bury his top lip. He was a darker, complicated man, not too tall, and on the pudgy side. Thick black hair not only covered his head, but all exposed parts of his body.

  Aldo held between his steady hands a check for five million, three hundred and thirty-three thousand dollars. He stared at it for a minute, then, after laying it flat on his desk, he picked up a remote control that sat by his phone.

  Slowly, he turned his black leather chair and faced a lager brown cabinet. He pointed the remote at it and the doors to the cabinet opened exposing a television. Another press and the set came on. He watched the picture, black and white. Snow blew into a room through an open window. His eyes stayed fixed on the long, roundish object on the floor. It was blurry, but Aldo watched it.

  A knock at his office door caused him to immediately turn off the television set.

  “Come in,” Aldo called out, turning his chair around.

  Hayward Nelson walked in. Tall, thin, and GQ handsome. Not the expected look for an accountant, which is what he was. “I came as soon as I got your message.”

  “Sit down.” Aldo pointed to the chair across from his desk.

  “Good to have you back. You look exhausted.” Hayward laid his briefcase on the floor. “And might I say congratulations.”

  “You may.” Aldo slid the check Hayward’s way and leaned back in his chair. “Go ahead and send the initial deposit to the next experiment. We’ll have that off our mind at least.”

  “I thought we agreed to send the entire investment to . . .” Hayward’s eyes moved from the check to Aldo. “Sir this is only . . .”

  “I know.”

  “Shouldn’t it have been eight million?”

  “It should have been. But when that arrived by special messenger today, it also arrived with a tape.”

  “A tape?”

  “A visual aid in their explanation of the shortage,” Aldo stated.

  “A third participant lived?”

  “We think.” Aldo nodded. “I still don’t understand it fully. In fact, I’m at a loss.” Aldo tossed up his hands. “But, if my mind is guessing right, it’s not that bad of a thing. However, I’m glad I won’t have to guess too long, because they’re supposed to call me about this tomorrow.”

  “I hope it’s what you want to hear.” Hayward grabbed the check and placed it into his briefcase. “I’ll take care of the money.”

  “Thank you.”

  “And again.” Hayward smiled as he stood up. “Congratulations Mr. Connilucci.”

  Aldo nodded in appreciation, watching Hayward leave. When he was alone again, Aldo grabbed the remote control and swiveled his chair to return to watching that tape.

  Fort Bragg, North Carolina

  March 6th - 11:45 p.m.

  The emptiness of the bed made Jake awaken. His hand moved over to the cold vacant spot next to him that an hour earlier contained Cal. He lifted up, rubbed his face, and readied to call out, but stopped when he heard Cal’s voice.

  “No, no. Over here,” she said, almost with a laugh.

  Jake wondered who she was talking to, and he slid out of bed.

  “Stop that.” Cal laughed.

  After looking at the time, Jake proceeded from the bedroom even more curious. But as he got to the stairs, he knew who Cal was talking to when he heard the second voice. A girl’s voice, not too young, but definitely still a child. Jessie’s voice, Cal’s thirteen-year-old daughter.

  “No, Mommy.” Jessie giggled.

  When Jake heard this, his heart stopped. He wondered if going any further down those steps would be an intrusion of Cal’s privacy. She obviously was watching a video. He could see the blue hue of the television set creeping up the stairwell. Outdoor noises and laughter sounds grew louder the more Jake walked down those steps. With his arms folded, he stepped into the living room, and his eyes went immediately to the set. He smiled.

  Cal and Jessie were in what looked like a backyard. A swing set was in the background, a driveway containing a car. Even a picnic table was all set up. But more so than the backdrop was the center of the video. Cal and her daughter. They looked alike so much, both with their blonde hair, sitting at the picnic table side by side, Cal with her arm around Jessie.

  “Mommy, one more time,” Jessie said. “I want to show my friends.”

  “My eyes are killing me Jess.”

  “Come on.”

  “One more time. I can see this being shown when I’m old. Let’s do it.” Cal removed her arm from around Jessie and brought her hand to her eyes. At the same time, Jessie and Cal flipped up their eyelids.

  Cal paused the tape when she heard Jake snicker. “I’m sorry. I woke you, didn’t I?”

  “Why did you shut that off?” Jake asked. “You don’t want me to see it?”

  “No. That’s not it. I’m being silly. Reminiscing. I just miss her.”

  “How is that silly?” Jake asked. “Can I watch with you? I would like very much to see your daughter.”

  Cal patted the spot next to her on the sofa. She waited for Jake to join her.

  When the video played again, Jake smiled. “Can you still do that?”

  “It’s a family thing.” Cal felt Jake grab onto her hand, slipping his fingers in between hers. She leaned her head against his arm, and then she felt his fingers tense up the second a young, dark haired man holding a guitar and sitting in the grass showed up on the video. David Martinez. Cal reached for the remote.

  “Don’t.” Jake stopped her. “It’s okay, let it go.”

  Cal’s eyes shifted up to Jake. He looked so serious and stern watching David chuckling as he strummed the guitar.

  “David, don’t,” Cal’s voice said.

  David grinned widely and looked up at the camera. “Jess, should I?”

  “Yes.” Jessie spoke from behind the camera.

  In the video, Cal’s hand reached down and David swiped it away. He’d strum the guitar, laugh, shake his head, and play again.

  David sang his own words to the Beatle’s song, Michele. “Caleen, was seen. Walking down the street with Mr. Green, cheating on me.”

  “David,” Cal warned.

  David laughed, strummed once and sang. “I love you , I love you, I love you. That’s all I want to say. You take my breath away . . .”

  Jake looked suddenly at Cal when the video stopped. “What did you do that for?”

  “You don’t need to see anymore,” Cal told him.

  “Is Jessie in it more?”

  “Yeah but . . .”

  Jake took the remote and turned it on. His whole expression dropped as he watched David take off his guitar, reach up, grab hold of Cal, pull her down and kiss her. And then David pushed her down to the grass kissing her more with a happy laughter.

  Cal watched Jake, his eyes fixed upon them.

  “Get off my mom!” Jessie yelled. “That’s gross.”

  David lifted his lips from a smiling Cal, and looked at the camera. “Get used to it baby do
ll. I’m gonna be kissing your mother till I’m eighty years old.”

  “Jake.” Cal took the remote and shut it off. “I’m sorry. That was a different life ago.”

  “And it was only about a year or so ago.”

  Cal lowered her head and looked at the remote.

  “Cal, it’s okay.” Jake laid his fingers on her chin and lifted her head. “I needed to see that. I did.” Jake cleared his throat. “You looked really happy then.”

  “I’m happy now, Jake. I love you very much.”

  “I know.” Jake held her hand tighter. “And it’s okay, I’m not letting that bother me. In fact, I’m gonna let that help me.”

  “What?”

  “Yes. I think maybe that’s what I need to do.”

  “Play guitar?” Cal asked.

  “Cal please. Do I look like a musician?”

  Cal was joking, and she saw Jake didn’t realize that. “Geez.” She slapped her hand on her leg. “What’s wrong with me. Of course not.”

  “No, it’s the spontaneity thing. Yeah. I think, I think I’m gonna try to be more spontaneous with our romance. What do you think?”

  Cal tried to stay serious, but the snicker kept creeping up on her. “Sorry.” She held up her hand. “But that’s not you.”

  “Of course it is. I can do that. I can do things on a whim.”

  With her mouth tightly closed, Cal nodded. “I’m sure you can. Try it.”

  “Oh, not yet, okay? I have to give some thought on what I will do.” Jake grabbed the remote control off of her. “As for now, since you dragged me out of bed,” Jake smiled at her, “let’s watch Jessie.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.” He kissed her quickly and turned on the video. “Only . . .” Jake pointed at the set. The tape sped forward. David was a fast moving blur. “We’re going past this fuckin’ asshole.”

  Cal, looking peaceful and trying to not laugh, snuggled close to Jake, and they watched the video less David shots.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Caldwell Research Institute - Atlanta, Ga

  March 7th - 8:00 a.m.

  “Come in.” Dr. Jefferson, sitting behind a desk full of papers, peered up when the single knock occurred at his door.