Read Online Changed (Second Sight) by Hazel Hunter - Free Book Online
Authors: Hazel Hunter
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people at the commune had already begun to show the first signs of botulism poisoning.
“Mac, you’re sure they’ll be okay?” she said as he closed the door. “The women in the kitchen?”
“ Yes ,” he said turning to her and taking her by the shoulders. “ Really . The medics gave them antitoxins and the babies ought to be just fine. Apparently neither the medicine or the food poisoning cross the placental barrier. They’ll be sick for a while but hopefully that’s all.”
Even now Isabelle couldn’t quite process it.
Maurice had tried to kill them all. Men, women, children. Everyone. When they’d taken him and Geoffrey away, Maurice had been incoherent and babbling. Isabelle had to grimace at the image of Geoffrey’s damaged and swollen face.
“Still no memory of what happened?” Mac asked.
Isabelle shook her head. She’d been trying to remember all the way home.
“No,” she said, holding the jacket closed in front of her. “The last thing I remember is being on the deck with…”
She didn’t need to remind Mac.
He nodded but she saw his jaw muscles flexing furiously and his fingers tightened on her shoulders.
Though she’d thought the reading of Daniel and Botox would have to do with Geoffrey, it turned out that Botox was actually a form of botulism. Daniel had ferreted out Maurice’s intentions while he’d snooped around on every computer in the commune. The Botox purchases, the lab equipment, Maurice’s notes. He knew what Maurice might be up to. What still wasn’t clear was whether Daniel knew who he was.
Dr. Maurice Giraudot had once run a fertility clinic in Florida. Accusations that he’d fathered the children of some of the infertile couples had swirled around the clinic in its final months. A medical assistant had gone missing and then the entire business had burnt to the ground in a horrendous fire.
“I can’t believe Daniel knew what Maurice intended,” Isabelle said quietly.
Or maybe she just didn’t want to believe it. Had he changed so much or had she never really known him?
She shook her head.
Or maybe it’s me who’s changed.
Once upon a time she’d been content to be with a man who’d insisted on the gloves. She looked down at them. And now, with Mac–a man that she’d never even dared to dream existed–he wanted the gloves off as much as she did. Except that now, it might not be possible.
“It’s possible he didn’t know,” Mac said. “You read Botox, not botulism.”
Isabelle blinked, coming back to the present.
Yes , she thought, Botox . It’d been how Geoffrey had been poisoned. As she and Mac had suspected, he’d been receiving injections for his face. What he didn’t know was that the last dose had been lethal. Because the repeated Botox shots would have granted him some immunity from the commune’s poisoning, Maurice had administered a deadly injection from which only the antitoxin had saved him.
“Either way,” Mac said, putting his arms around her. “You were the key.”
“Me?” she said, looking up at him. “ No .”
“If it hadn’t been for your readings,” Mac said smiling, “there’s no telling how many people might have died.”
Isabelle shook her head smiling a little.
“ You were the one who discovered the botulism,” she said, still holding the jacket wrapped around her. “ You were the one who figured out they were selling babies.”
She thought of Daniel again and what he had tried to do. She shuddered.
“Are you cold?” Mac asked, his eyebrows knitting together. “Are you feeling nauseous?”
“Mac,” she said. “Honestly, I’m fine . I just…”
“What?” he said quickly. “Do you need to lie down? Are you–”
“I just want to take a shower,” she said. She looked down at his jacket, the shiny, black material draping to nearly her knees. “And I think we’ll need to have this cleaned.” He frowned a bit and cocked his head at her. “It smells of…well,
“Mac, you’re sure they’ll be okay?” she said as he closed the door. “The women in the kitchen?”
“ Yes ,” he said turning to her and taking her by the shoulders. “ Really . The medics gave them antitoxins and the babies ought to be just fine. Apparently neither the medicine or the food poisoning cross the placental barrier. They’ll be sick for a while but hopefully that’s all.”
Even now Isabelle couldn’t quite process it.
Maurice had tried to kill them all. Men, women, children. Everyone. When they’d taken him and Geoffrey away, Maurice had been incoherent and babbling. Isabelle had to grimace at the image of Geoffrey’s damaged and swollen face.
“Still no memory of what happened?” Mac asked.
Isabelle shook her head. She’d been trying to remember all the way home.
“No,” she said, holding the jacket closed in front of her. “The last thing I remember is being on the deck with…”
She didn’t need to remind Mac.
He nodded but she saw his jaw muscles flexing furiously and his fingers tightened on her shoulders.
Though she’d thought the reading of Daniel and Botox would have to do with Geoffrey, it turned out that Botox was actually a form of botulism. Daniel had ferreted out Maurice’s intentions while he’d snooped around on every computer in the commune. The Botox purchases, the lab equipment, Maurice’s notes. He knew what Maurice might be up to. What still wasn’t clear was whether Daniel knew who he was.
Dr. Maurice Giraudot had once run a fertility clinic in Florida. Accusations that he’d fathered the children of some of the infertile couples had swirled around the clinic in its final months. A medical assistant had gone missing and then the entire business had burnt to the ground in a horrendous fire.
“I can’t believe Daniel knew what Maurice intended,” Isabelle said quietly.
Or maybe she just didn’t want to believe it. Had he changed so much or had she never really known him?
She shook her head.
Or maybe it’s me who’s changed.
Once upon a time she’d been content to be with a man who’d insisted on the gloves. She looked down at them. And now, with Mac–a man that she’d never even dared to dream existed–he wanted the gloves off as much as she did. Except that now, it might not be possible.
“It’s possible he didn’t know,” Mac said. “You read Botox, not botulism.”
Isabelle blinked, coming back to the present.
Yes , she thought, Botox . It’d been how Geoffrey had been poisoned. As she and Mac had suspected, he’d been receiving injections for his face. What he didn’t know was that the last dose had been lethal. Because the repeated Botox shots would have granted him some immunity from the commune’s poisoning, Maurice had administered a deadly injection from which only the antitoxin had saved him.
“Either way,” Mac said, putting his arms around her. “You were the key.”
“Me?” she said, looking up at him. “ No .”
“If it hadn’t been for your readings,” Mac said smiling, “there’s no telling how many people might have died.”
Isabelle shook her head smiling a little.
“ You were the one who discovered the botulism,” she said, still holding the jacket wrapped around her. “ You were the one who figured out they were selling babies.”
She thought of Daniel again and what he had tried to do. She shuddered.
“Are you cold?” Mac asked, his eyebrows knitting together. “Are you feeling nauseous?”
“Mac,” she said. “Honestly, I’m fine . I just…”
“What?” he said quickly. “Do you need to lie down? Are you–”
“I just want to take a shower,” she said. She looked down at his jacket, the shiny, black material draping to nearly her knees. “And I think we’ll need to have this cleaned.” He frowned a bit and cocked his head at her. “It smells of…well,
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