Marigold Heather Manheim (most important books to read .TXT) 📖

know if or how she should proceed with questions, especially since most of what she said seemed like banal and vapid general inquiries. But Ringo nodded her on, asking if she had any more questions.

“Well,” Davis felt stupid for bringing it up. “It’s a silly thing, but I’m just curious. Once Namaguchi and Ana got scheduled to be, er…‘eliminated’ as I believe the notation said, how did they avoid it?”

Namaguchi took this question. “Luckily for us, Ringo is quite skilled with computers. And he can get into a part of the main system when he wants. He fixed my overall records, saying it was a clerical error that my name got crossed with Ana’s. Then, Duffy and Hernandez gave me a full workup and ‘free and clear,’ and said everything was in order with my physical. It was reported they eliminated Ana, but she was secretly brought here. Plus, I learned to go along with things, even when it bothered me—”

“What types of things bothered you?” interrupted Davis.

“I’d rather not go into that, I’m sorry. I just try to do my work, keep my head down, and know that the unpleasant things will end one day. I also need to protect Ana and the kids. My other wives are not immune, so they are safe at our apartment at the Palace. When I’m here, they think I’m working. I plan most of my days off to be here, but not all. Just in case Everett came by the apartment or my family wondered why I never had a day off. None of the wives ever asks questions, though, and Everett is in control, so he doesn’t need to ask questions.”

Brookshire had recently come in with Quinn, and Davis looked his way as she asked, “Is it a similar situation for you, Brookshire? With work and your spouses at an apartment at the Everett Palace?” Davis lifted her eyebrow so that her face asked what her voice could not.

“I don’t need to schedule days here at any particular time. My work with President Everett causes me to be out of his office often. I’m Head of Security and Surveillance, so frequently, I take trips to different Pods, analyzing data at the medical centers. And, well, I never married. I, uh, wasn’t able to marry who I wanted, so I just didn’t. I get questions about it sometimes. Sometimes, President Everett sends some of his servants to go back to my apartment with me in the evening for, as he puts it, ‘amusement.’ But I just play cards with them, or we read in the library. I’m not interested in that, but you don’t say ‘no’ to President Everett.”

Davis had no more questions at the moment. She couldn’t think of anything else that could be lies or potential pitfalls in the story that Ringo, Namaguchi, Quinn, and Brookshire told her. At the same time, Davis did not feel fully convinced.

“Do you have any more questions, Davis?” asked Namaguchi.

Davis paused and looked at each man and Quinn, staring at them for a few seconds before looking to the next one. She was trying to look stern and severe. Davis wanted them to know she was serious and meant business.

Sensing Davis was starting to get angry and fed up, Brookshire and Quinn decided to calm and comfort her. Brookshire slid a little closer over to Davis, and Quinn took her hand. Instead of calming down, Davis’s heart started thumping, and it felt as if her stomach dropped out on the floor. Feeling a nervous tension in the air, Davis got hot and sweaty and incredibly thirsty all of a sudden. She asked Quinn if she wouldn’t mind getting her more water, to which she shook her head no and stood up to refill the glasses from the pitcher that was still on the table.

“Let me just say, Davis, I know this will be a shocking thing to hear. I want to remind you that you’re safe, we’re here for you, and you can say no.” Ringo nodded his head as he said this as if to affirm his words.

“We are here for you; that’s number one,” Namaguchi included.

“Yes,” said Quinn as she sat back down and put her arm back around Davis’s shoulder. “Nothing you can do or say will upset us.”

Brookshire squeezed even closer, and as Davis already felt as if she were baking in a hot, humid oven, she felt both comforted and claustrophobic packed in like this. She wished they would just get to the crux of the matter.

“Well…let’s see…” Ringo seemed to be searching for the right words. “The thing is, when you are set free, you can claim you got kidnapped.”

“Right, kidnapped,” said Namaguchi.

As Davis tried to comprehend what they were saying, she had to push back on Brookshire slightly and ask Quinn to scoot down for a bit of room. Davis felt like she was being rude but feared passing out if the great squeeze-in continued. As Ringo spoke on, Davis tried to comprehend everything. He was going on about how it would be news if she got kidnapped. That Davis was already newsworthy, considering who she was. The next thing Ringo said made Davis choke back; she felt she must have misunderstood him.

“So, President Everett, he’ll want to marry you. As you know, you can’t turn that down.” One reason Davis wasn’t sure she had heard him right was that Ringo rushed that part a lot quicker than he had the other parts of his speech. It was almost as if he said it fast enough, he thought maybe Davis would miss it and agree without fully understanding what Ringo said. For her part, Davis sat there with eyes large and round, pupils dilated, and mouth agape. She also didn’t realize how hard she was squeezing Brookshire’s hand. Ringo continued after a pause that felt ten hours long. “And…well…we want you to marry him. When you get close enough to him, say, your wedding night, you assassinate