Chapter 23: Terms Of Freedom
Back in the Doctor’s Office...
Nathan settled in the chair after the guards left. Veronica sat across from him, sipping her tea.
Neither of them had spoken a word for several minutes.
Nathan tapped his chains then took the initiative. "What do you want?"
Veronica watched him over the rim of her teacup as she sipped. She let the question hang for a moment, which made Nathan wonder if she had forgotten why she called him.
"How are you enjoying Stone River so far?" she asked without a hint of sarcasm.
Nathan leaned back in his seat. "I’d give it two stars."
Veronica blinked. "Two stars?"
"Yes. Provides shelter, food and even good neighbors. But it could use better security and a nice doctor." His eyes met hers at the last statement.
The implication wasn’t lost on Veronica. She gave a small smile and set down her cup. "Is that why you didn’t answer when I asked if you were hurt earlier?"
Nathan narrowed his eyes at a scalpel on her desk. "Not quite."
Veronica didn’t push further. She sipped her tea before speaking again.
"What are your hobbies?" Veronica asked, twirling her fingers around the cup.
Nathan raised an eyebrow at the question. He didn’t know why she was asking that now of all times but he played along. "I like mobile games, reading books and I used to draw but I’m not good at it. You?"
"Gardening," she replied.
Nathan tried to picture her bent over a vase filled with plants, using her scalpels to trim their leaves.
The doctor leaned back in her chair. "Did you enjoy your job as a delivery driver?"
A small smile played on Nathan’s lips. "You’ve been researching me."
"Maybe," Veronica replied. "Do you have a problem with that?"
Nathan shrugged. "No. But if this is your attempt at being friendly," he tilted his head. "It’s a bit shady."
"What makes you think that?" she asked.
"Considering how you treated me yesterday and the first time we met?"
Veronica pursed her lips, then looked away. "Perhaps, I may have judged you too harshly."
Nathan frowned. "That’s an odd way to apologize."
"Who said it was an apology?" Veronica countered.
She rose with her almost-empty cup, topped it up with hot water to make a second round of tea. Nathan observed the delicate way she moved and handled everything.
She turned to him. "Would you like some?"
"No, thanks."
Veronica finished and walked to her desk but she didn’t sit down. Her gaze was directed to the window which didn’t offer much of a view beyond the prison walls and the darkening skies.
"So I take it we are good?" she asked without turning back.
Nathan crossed his arms. "Depends on what that means. You haven’t given me a proper apology."
She turned to look at him. "Why would I apologize?"
"Because it’s the decent thing to do? What, were you raised in a lab or something?"
Her fingers tightened slightly around the teacup and Nathan wondered for a moment if he was pushing too much. The image of her dual wielding blood stained scalpels was still fresh on his mind.
His eyes met hers as she spoke again. "If you could be out of here. What’s the first thing you’d do?"
Nathan frowned at the unexpected question. He took a moment to think it through before answering. "I’d clear my name."
The doctor’s eyes narrowed for a moment. As if that wasn’t the answer she had expected to hear. "You wouldn’t run?"
Nathan had considered it. With the resource money the system had given him, he could do just that.
"No..." Nathan said. "I have a family. Being on the run would only make things harder for them."
"I’d rather clear my name than spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder."
Veronica remained silent. Her fingers traced the rim of her teacup as she studied him. "I see."
Nathan looked away. "The problem is, I can’t do that from inside here. If I stay long enough, someone is going to take out their grudge on me."
Veronica’s gaze drifted toward the window, her expression unreadable.
"So you wouldn’t disappear?" she asked after a long pause.
"No."
"You’d investigate your own case."
"I’d have to."
Veronica studied him for a moment. "You say that with a lot of confidence." Her eyes narrowed. "Private investigators aren’t cheap. Do you have connections or money?"
Nathan paused for a moment. "Let’s just say I have a sponsor."
Veronica raised an eyebrow. "A sponsor?"
"Yes, they’ve agreed to fund whatever I need once I’m out."
Veronica’s expression remained unreadable, though Nathan noticed the faint narrowing of her eyes. "So you already have someone willing to back you."
"I do."
Another silence followed.
Veronica searched his face, as if trying to decide whether he was bluffing but he kept eye contact unfailingly.
"If what you’re saying is true..." Veronica murmured. "Then it would be in our best interests if you weren’t here."
Nathan blinked. For a moment, he wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. "So..." He carefully chose his words. "Are you saying you’d help a certain inmate... disappear?"
A faint smile appeared on her face. "Depends."
"On what?"
"On the inmate following certain conditions."
Nathan’s lips curved slightly. "And what would those conditions be?"
"I’d want him monitored and he should be discreet."
Nathan nodded. For him, it was a reasonable condition. "And what would you want in return for aiding said inmate? Money or something else?"
"What I want is..." She stopped herself. "I’ll ask it when you’re out of here." Her pleased expression unsettled Nathan for a moment but he filed it away.
Whatever the doctor wanted, he could figure that out later.
"So..." he leaned forward. "What if said inmate had a request?"
"Which is?"
"That you kill him."
Veronica almost spat out her tea. "What?" She stared at him. "Are you insane? Why would I ever–"
She stopped herself the moment she noticed the amused expression growing on Nathan’s face.
"You..." she sighed. "You didn’t mean that literally."
"Of course not, but it’s refreshing to see you are worried about me."
Veronica raised her head high. "Don’t flatter yourself,"
Nathan smiled. He outlined his plan without revealing all the details. She would fake his death and It would be real enough to enter the system.
If everyone believed he was dead then he’d have time to investigate without watching his back constantly. He also alluded if she wanted extra help, he had that sorted.
When he finished, Veronica watched him silently, her soft expression draining from her face. "You’ve been planning this, since you came here."
Nathan shrugged. "Maybe."
Her eyes darkened. "Were you responsible for the attack earlier?"
The question hung in the air between them. For a fraction of a second, Nathan recalled he had considered the idea at some point.
"No. Why would you think that? If I was..." he said, spreading his arms as far as the chains allowed. "Would I be sitting here right now?"
Veronica held his gaze a moment longer. "Maybe that was your plan all along. To make me think you were the good guy so I could help you escape on your terms."
Nathan’s palm grew sweaty. He had assumed he and the doctor had something going but that didn’t seem to be the case.
He opened his mouth and closed it again. "But..."
His mind raced for a proper defense only to find Veronica smiling at him.
He exhaled and shook his head. "Well played Doc."
"You started it." Veronica replied, smiling behind the cover of her cup. "But still seeing you panic was...refreshing."
Nathan raised his arms in surrender. "So I take it you’ll be assisting the inmate?"
Veronica didn’t offer a reply immediately. "I’ll have to discuss it with someone."
She walked to the door. Her hand rested on the knob before she looked back.
"Thank you."
Nathan raised an eyebrow. For what?"
"For the guards you helped."
Nathan smiled. "Of course. There’s no way I could let my inve–an innocent man die." Nathan paused before adding. "I also had help from my cellmate, Theo."
"I’m aware and I’ve offered my thanks to Mr Lennyworth," Veronica said then moved to open the door.
"So... I’m guessing he and I get rewards or something?"
She ignored the question and opened the door for the guards to enter.
"We spoke briefly." She turned to Nathan with a neutral expression. "About you."
Nathan’s smile faded into a frown. "What did he say?"
Veronica didn’t answer. She simply held that same neutral expression as the guards escorted Nathan back to his cell.