Helen woke up bright and early. She made some calls, refilled the bird feeder outside her kitchen, and kissed Sam while he completed the morning crossword. Sam was the quiet, studious type. He was a steady, observant presence in Helen’s life, and on the days he did feel like talking, his sense of humor was sharp as a razor. Today was a quiet day, probably because he had worked several doubles this week and needed to recharge.
On her way out the door, she dialed Chase’s number. Luckily he hadn’t changed it, because he picked up on the first ring. “Helen,” he exclaimed.
“You busy?”
“I was just about to go into work,” Chase said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I’m sure Dart is dying to have me back.”
Helen snorted. “Did you see the news? You and your girlfriend are wanted for kidnapping THE Sebastian Mulgraves.”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Chase said stiffly, and Helen grinned to herself. Chase’s romantic life had always been a touchy subject. Apart from his brief crush on Helen, he’d also been married shortly after he joined the force. It was a whirlwind romance, but he and his ex-wife divorced as soon as the honeymoon phase ended and she realized Chase was married to his work. Chase wasn’t the Valentine Village type. Helen doubted he would ever marry again. He was so focused on getting revenge for his father’s death, he put up walls between himself and the world, and Helen was glad the wall between them had gotten a little shorter.
“Look, I know you don’t want me involved in whatever you’re up to,” Helen said, “but last night this sixteen-year-old kid passed out on the nightly news. He’s not one of my patients, but I know him. He works for Bash Industries.”
Chase’s voice sounded panicked. “Liam?”
“No, not Liam,” Helen said. “But I checked the news this morning. Nothing. I called CC Daily. They don’t know what I’m talking about. I saw him faint with my own two eyes, and now they’re sweeping it under the rug.”
“Sebastian’s behind this.”
Helen didn’t know how Sebastian would be capable of such a thing. Sure, his famous Memory Maker sounded sketchy, but tons of celebrities had paid to use Sebastian’s technology, and they were fine. Did the rich and famous have access to some fancy medicine that helped with the symptoms? Or was Sebastian using these disadvantaged kids to advance his own invention?
“I need to go to DarkWinds,” Helen said with finality. “Maybe they know something about this. Even if they don’t, the scientists there might have ideas for treatment.”
“Why do you need me?”
“You might be unemployed, Detective Chalmers, but you still have a badge.”
“Fine. Meet me outside Java Jungle in fifteen.” Chase hung up the call.
Helen knew Chase was just giving her a hard time. He was down for the trip as soon as she said DarkWinds. Ten years ago, Chase’s Dad Blake had been THE brains behind the pills, powders, and ointments coming out of the facility. At that time, DarkWinds cared about changing the world for the better. Now they tested their products on animals, and they even sold bottles of snake oil, which Helen KNEW was a ruse. Unfortunately, it was her best supplier. A couple medicines worked surprisingly well! The numbing cream was magic, and according to the reviews, Panodipine was an effective antidepressant and beta blocker without the negative side effects. Someone in DarkWinds knew what they were doing, and Helen needed their help.