A Sinister Connection (2)

Bruce:  He's in Chicago? Jameson wasn't telling anyone where Steve went; just said he was out of town. (He stands up abruptly) I have to make a telephone call. Here's some cash to pay for dinner; I'll call you later.

Heather:  What! You're leaving me here alone? (Bruce hurries out the door just as the waiter serves their food.)

In Chicago, Steve is still surveying the hidden meth lab. Knowing full well the danger of inhaling any fumes, he grabs a lab coat from a hanger, and then puts on the protective face mask from the box on a cart. He is astonished at the size of his discovery. Steve walks further into the room and hears a humming noise from the next room. Cautiously he peers around the corner and is even more astonished! Huge beds of healthy green plants are thriving. A drip line runs down the center of the elevated boxes, while overhead lights simulate the sun's heat. A thermostat on the wall controlls the temperature. Steve feels sick to have discovered another source of drugs; a marijuana garden.

Steve:  (thinking to himself) Who in the company is responsible for this nightmare? And what am I going to do about it? Call the police, Steve, his conscience told him, I went to three funerals last year of kids who got hooked on this "rot!" I'd like to destroy all of it; but how? Think Steve, what do you know about drugs? What did my buddies in the Drug Enforcement Administration say…" the best way to defuse the effects of meth is to……" what? If a shipment isn't going out for two more days, maybe I have time to do some real damage here.

(Steve returns the lab coat and mask where he found them. He looks around to make sure there is no sign of his being there. Then Steve slips back into the maintenance closet and closes the door in the wall. He carefully opens the door from the closet into the hall and looks around. As he walks up the stairs, Steve is aware of the light from a flashlight wavering in the hallway. He shrinks against the wall into the shadows as the figure descends the steps. The bright light blinds him as he hears a voice say:

Steve! What are you doing here?

Steve:  Helga! I guess I could ask you the same question.

Helga:  I wanted to check on the lab and get my medication. I get so many colds and have a lot of allergies. In fact, Cy ordered a whole case of cold medicine for me; wasn't that sweet of him? How is Cy? (She unlocks the lab door, goes to the closet and takes out a box of medicine.)

Steve:  He's getting better. (suddenly remembering something) Does your medication have epinephrine?

Helga:  No, I have high blood pressure, so I have non-epinephrine. Now why are you here?

Steve:  I just wanted to check on the lab, too. Find out if there were anymore of those strange noises. (They walk out of the lab and Helga locks the door.)

Helga:  And did you hear anything? Or see any ghosts?

Steve:  No, not a sound. Helga The last lab assistant swore she heard chains rattling and was positive there were ghosts in the building.

Steve:  I'll walk you to your car.

Helga:  Thank you, Steve. I saw the limo driver outside so I knew you were here.

Steve walks Helga to her car, says goodnight and gets into the limo. It then dawns on him that Helga never turned on a wall switch. She was using a flashlight. Why was she sneaking around in the dark? He had a good reason for not wanting to be seen, but no one would think it unusual if Helga was in the building. Could she possibly be a part of the drug operation? Steve decides to call his friends in the DEA in the morning. For now, he was going back to the apartment for now; he had to keep a secret.