Before We Fall

Chapter 16

"Good morning, Ms. Walker." The receptionist said as I walked past her. I nodded at her as I kept walking. I typed in the code to the door and opened it. It locked itself again and I moved to the next door. I pressed my card against the scanner and the final door opened.

"Good morning, Dr. Foster." The old man looked up at me from refilling bottles. He nodded at me and I sat down at my desk. I turned on my computer and started working on documents as more lab personnel came in.

It was pretty silent for a while as I watched Dr. Foster moved from the filling room to his lab table. He opened a drawer to his table. I looked away back at my computer. A loud bang caught my attention and I jerked around to see Dr. Foster aiming a gun at me. I jumped under my table as he shot at me.

Once he missed me, he turned to other lab personnel. I crawled to one of the room and shut the door. I took off my lab coat and wrapped it around the door handle. Foster walked up to the door and tried to pull it open. He looked at me through the door, he shot at the glass. I looked away from the glass but looked again, once I heard knocking. A guard stood at the door and I opened it.

"Are you alright, miss?" He asked, standing in front of me.

"What happened?" I asked him.

"Dr. went insane. You're safe now. Let's get you home." He told me.

I wiped away the steam from the mirror and looked at myself. I untied the towel around me and got dress. I ran down the stairs of the house once I heard knocking at the door.

"Hello." I greeted the man and woman once I yanked open the door.

"Hello, may we come in? We're investigating about what happened at the lab." The woman said. I nodded and they came in. I led them into the kitchen. The woman sat down then looked up at me.

"Please, sit. Nothing to be afraid of." The woman said. I sat down across from her. "Do you understand why we're here?"

"Yes. To help find out what happened in the lab." I repeated back to her.

"Yes, did you know that there was illegal research going on in that facility." She asked. Yes, I did.

"No, I didn't. What does this have to do anything about what happened?" I asked her, acting confused.

"How well did you know Dr. Foster?" She asked, not answering my question.

"Not very well. We gone to a few office dinners together but we're not very close." I answered.

"Are you protecting him?"

"Protecting who?" I questioned her.

"Dr. Foster?" She answered.

"No, why would I have to protecting him? What's really going on here?" I asked her. She turned to man in the room.

"Can you leave us, John?" She asked him. He nodded and left. She turned back to me.

"Now, Grace. Please answer my questions as best as you can." She told me. My name's not Grace.

"I have been but how can I answer questions when I know nothing. Expect that one of my coworkers killed six of my other ones." I told her, getting angry.

"I know and I apologize. I just wanted to make sure. Now how long have you worked there?" She asked.

"About little less than two years. I was transferred from a facility in D.C." I lied to her. That was my given story. She hummed, not saying anything. "Why do I feel like I'm on trial for murder?"

"You're not. You're the only survivor and we're trying to find out why." She told me. I frowned.

"What do you mean, 'Find out why.' I survived because I hid from a man who was shooting at everyone." I told her.

"Are you hiding something? Something you did want anyone to see?" She questioned.

"What? I'm hiding anything." I told her. She raised an eyebrow at me.

"Then why are you trying to run?" She asked.

"What?" I gave her a confused look.

"It says here that you purchased a plane ticket to Florida. So why are you running?" She asked again.

"I'm not running. I just wanted to get away. My sister lives down there, thought I would go spend some days with her. I didn't know it was a crime." I lied through my teeth.

"I know that you have post traumatic stress but there is no reason to run." She repeated. I leaned forward in my chair.

"I'm not running. Why would I run?" I asked her.

"I know you're feeling-""Stop. Enough. You are not a therapist so don't treat me like I'm your patient." I interrupted her.

"Okay. What can you tell me about Dr. Michael Foster?" She asked a different question.

"Um...he was a nice man. Very devoted to his work. I don't understand why he would do this." I told her.

"Yes, that us what we're trying to do. Did you notice anything different about him leading up to what happened?"

"No, he was like his usual self." I told her.

"Okay, have you talk to anyone about this other than the investigators?" She questioned.

"No, why would I?" I questioned her.

"Because when they searched his apartment, they found photographs, articles of clothing. Many of the photos were of you. Working, walking around town. But some of them were of you sleeping and changing. It looks like he had a very deadly attraction towards you. Maybe that's why he let you live, so he could have you." She told me.

"Are you asking if we planned this? Why in the world would I murder my coworkers? They have children, hell even grand children. Explain how and why I would do this?" I turned it around on her.

"We just had to make sure you didn't." She answered.

"You're asking all the wrong questions." I stated to her.

"Then what should we be asking, Ms. Walker?" She cocked her head at me. I placed my arms on the table and leaned forward.

"Have you looked at Dr. Foster's blood work? Have you done anything? That should probably show why he did what he did. It's the only thing that will make sense here. Have you checked it? Maybe he was exposed to something." I told her.

"I found it." My head jerked to looked at John, who was holding my gun.

"What are you doing? That's my gun." I turned to the woman. "What the hell is this?"

"You are at a suicidal risk." John told me.

"What? No! Wait a minute, how did you find that? How did he find that?" I questioned the woman.

"Grace-""No, no. This meeting is now over. I want all of you out of my house and off my property now." I interrupted her.

"Grace-""No, he has been snooping around my house." I interrupted her again.