All previous chapters - CHAPTER 1 - CHAPTER 2 - CHAPTER 3 - CHAPTER 4 - CHAPTER 5 - CHAPTER 6 - Chapter 7 - CHAPTER 8 - CHAPTER 9 - CHAPTER 10 - CHAPTER 11 - CHAPTER 12
Previously on “The bomb in the shed…”; Fitzpatrick reveals theres a spy in the facility. After a successful test of the new technology he forces Elizabeth to cut her team. Arthur almost quits, but in the end couldn’t bring himself to leave.
And here we go with CHAPTER 13…
Chapter 13
California - Present day
“I hope you enjoyed your stay at the Four Seasons.”
“I did, thank you,” replied Camilla, trying to match the level of enthusiasm of the receptionist, but feeling like she came up short.
It was a gorgeous hotel. Like nowhere else she’d ever stayed.
“Can I organise a cab for you?”
“No thank you, I have a hire car arriving in a short while.”
She treated Camilla to a perfect, white-toothed smile. “Then have a nice day.”
Camilla took a seat in the foyer to wait. It was a shame to be leaving the beautiful hotel so soon and to say goodbye to everyone she’d met at Netflix. Things hadn’t gone as she’d expected in California. It was the meal on the first night that had shaped the entire course of her trip and led to her sitting here now, waiting for a hire car that would take her away from Netflix and the Jacqueline Devereaux films. The journey she was now planning was a daunting prospect, especially as she would be alone, but she was determined to make the most of it.
The flight over to the US was probably the highlight of Camilla’s trip so far. More than anything it was the sense of anticipation she’d felt back then, the excitement of starting a new adventure. But it was the little details too. Netflix organised everything. Picked up by a big plush Mercedes to go to the airport. Whisked through a dedicated check in and into the luxury of the First Class lounge. The First Class cabin with acres of space, champagne, lovely food and nothing to do but read and watch movies. Then a limousine to greet her at the other end and take her to the hotel. At first Camilla thought how nice it would be to have Arthur and the kids weren’t there to enjoy it with her. But then she thought no. This was her moment, she didn’t need her family to have a good time.
Her destination was Los Gatos, San Jose, Silicon Valley. The home of Netflix. The first afternoon she spent relaxing in the resort spa, floating in the outdoor pool, mountains all around. In the evening she met Anna, VP of development, in the hotel restaurant for dinner. That was when everything had changed.
“I won’t keep you long,” Anna said as they sat down at their table at the restaurant. “You must be exhausted from your flight.”
She was right. The jet lag had started to kick in and Camilla was struggling to keep her eyes open. Anna was looking fabulous in a simple looking but obviously expensive tailored trouser suit. Camilla hoped she didn’t look even half as rough as she felt.
“It was lovely though,” Camilla assured Anna. “The car, flight, this hotel. Very generous. Netflix must be a wonderful place to work.”
What it was like to work at Netflix turned out to be Anna’s favourite subject. She was a zealot, it turned out many of them were. There was no expenses policy or forms to fill in, you made a judgement call on what you thought was in the best interest of the company, and it seemed Anna thought spoiling Camilla was what the company needed. Same with the contract for Camilla’s books, Anna was empowered to negotiate that herself with no oversight, even though it was a commitment worth millions of dollars. All that freedom and autonomy came at a price though. Netflix was run like a high performance sports team, all about results. You had to be at the top of your game or you were out. It sounded brutal. Camilla couldn’t imagine surviving at a place like that.
“The company values complete openness and honesty above all else,” Anna told her.
“Sounds dangerous,” Camilla replied.
Anna smiled. “It can be. Tell me, Camilla. Can I be completely honest with you?”
This didn’t bode well.
“Of course.”
“I want you to leave Santa Fe as soon as possible.”
The comment took Camilla completely by surprise. Apart from what it was like to work for Netflix Anna talked mostly about how excited she was about developing the Jacqueline Devereaux films and how wonderful it was to finally meet the author behind it all. Camilla had been treated like royalty, now Anna wanted her to leave?
“Why would you say that?” Camilla asked.
“Don’t get me wrong, I want you to feel totally welcome here. And you can stay as long as you like. But I want you to realise that you aren’t needed here, because we have the best interest of your books at heart and the expertise to make these films a success. I want you to stay as long as it takes to realise your being here isn’t necessary and then I want you to leave because you think that’s for the best for everyone.”
This was the first of many open and honest conversation Camilla had with Anna and her Netflix colleagues. It was jarring at first. Deeply uncomfortable. Because most people don’t talk that way. But when everyone around you did so, without personal agenda, it felt liberating in a way. Other people were honest with you, so you could be honest with them. And yourself.
Camilla joined the development meetings, as was promised in her contract. In some ways it was great fun, to start with a clean slate and discuss ways her stories could be brought to life on film. It got her thinking about her plots and characters in a different light. Writing was an incredible medium but there was such much more that was possible in a film. But the more time Camilla spent with the Netflix team the more she realised that Anna was right. Jacqueline Devereaux was in safe hands. Camilla was contributing less and less to the conversation. The longer she stayed the more she might hinder rather than help.
“I know I’m not needed her, but I can’t just go home now,” she said to Anna after one of the meetings. She wanted to see the kids. And Arthur. But it was too soon. She couldn’t imagine going back to life how it was just yet.
“Then don’t,” replied Anna. “Hire a car. Travel down the coast. Take some time and enjoy yourself.”
The idea sounded crazy at first, but then it had grown on her. Camilla had never done anything like it. This could be her new adventure. She’d spent another week at the hotel relaxing because, well, why not? Now she was about to head out into the unknow. A prospect that was daunting and exciting at the same time.
“Hi, are you Camilla Price.”
The woman standing in front of Camilla in the lobby looked to be in her fifties, threads of grey in her dark hair. She was small, wiry and had a rather intense look on her sparrow-like face.
“Yes,” replied Camilla. “Do you have my hire car?”
The woman seemed confused. “No, I was hoping to talk to you.”
Oh, a fan. This had happened a few times already on the trip. Camilla’s agent, Amira, had insisted Camilla do some Instagram posts about her visit to tease future news about Netflix. Camilla wasn’t that keen on social media but she had quite a following now and always did what Amira suggested.
“Would you like an autograph?” asked Camilla. “Or a selfie maybe?”
The woman looked even more confused. “No… Well it’s not why I’m here, but yes that would be lovely actually.”
She was perhaps the strangest fan Camilla had come across. But there were some weird people out there, weren’t there? Camilla signed the battered greyhound ticket the woman gave her and took a selfie with her. Then she sat and politely waited for the woman to leave.
The woman didn’t move.
She just stood there, still looking a bit disorientated.
“I don’t mean to be rude,” said Camilla, “But I do need to get on.”
The woman snapped back to life. “I need to speak to you about your husband.”
Arthur?
“Who are you?” said Camilla.
“My name is Marie. I worked with him in New Mexico.”
Camilla instantly felt a sense of dread. If one of Arthur’s old colleagues had tracked her down in California it wasn’t likely to be good news. She suggested they go to get a coffee in the bar which was quieter. Then asked if Marie wanted something a little stronger than a coffee. She was still looking rather unsettled. Marie agreed immediately and after a few sips started to relax a little.
“Life was difficult after New Mexico,” she said. “I felt really let down. I couldn’t get work. My confidence was shot. Jacqueline Devereaux was one of the things that helped me get through it all. I’d been reading your books for a while before I realised you were married to Arthur.” She shook her head, as if having Camilla there in front of her reconfirmed just how crazy the world was.
“Why don’t you tell me more about it,” said Camilla, “why you’re here.”
As much as she liked talking to readers about her work, what Camilla really wanted to know about was Arthur, and what happened in New Mexico.
“I was going to try and contact Arthur in England, but I didn’t know how. Anyway, it would be too much of a risk. Then I saw your Instagram posts and thought, this must be a sign. I got on a bus and came over. It took over eight hours.”
“What’s going on?” asked Camilla.
Marie took in a deep breath, then finished her drink. Camilla ordered another for her.
“I worked with Arthur at the lab in New Mexico,” explained Marie. “It was top secret facility…”
Camilla knew Arthur was doing something for the military out there. But that was nothing unusual. Most of his work was.
“… I was a technician working with the project leader. My boss. Arthur’s boss, was Elizabeth Chambers…”
Marie paused after saying the name and gave Camilla a furtive look, as if she was looking for some sign of recognition. But the name meant nothing.
“…I left the programme a few months before it all ended. Before the accident.”
“What accident?”
“There was an explosion,” said Marie. “The whole facility was destroyed.”
“Oh my God.” Arthur hadn’t mentioned any kind of accident or explosion
“You didn’t know?”
Arthur had refused to talk about anything to do with New Mexico. He’d said he wasn’t allowed to for security reasons and she hadn’t pressed it. She hadn’t been interested anyway. So many questions she should have asked but didn’t.
“Elizabeth died in the explosion. She was the only casualty. There was a hearing after. Never made public, but I was there. They blamed Elizabeth for everything. She was my best friend. Everything they said about her was lies. It was a cover up.”
“What has all this to do with Arthur?”
Marie looked deeply uncomfortable again. “Elizabeth and Arthur were close…”
She let that hang there between them.
“Are you saying my husband was having an affair with this Elizabeth woman?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. I just know they got very close. And they were working together on something, in secret.”
“Working on what?”
Marie glanced over towards the door nervously before replying. “We were working on cold fusion nuclear weapon technology. I think they’d made some kind of breakthrough together.”
Camilla couldn’t help but think of the shed, Andrea’s warning, her and Arthur locked in the darkness and the rising panic as he’d tried to open the door and get them free. Fear had crowded her mind back then, but nothing she imagined then was quite as terrible as what Marie was describing.
“Why are you telling me all this?”
Just thinking about Arthur was enough to upset her, even without all these revelations. Now she was being told he might have been in a relationship with some woman, and they were building something awful weapon.
Marie said, “Elizabeth’s boss was the operations director. A man called Robert Fitzpatrick. I think he was the one who was covering things up. Lying about Elizabeth.”
This was all too much. New Mexico, nuclear bombs, investigations, cover-ups. What did it all have to do with Arthur, and her? It was all in the past anyway.
Camilla didn’t want to hear any more.
She got up to leave. “My car will be here by now. I have to go.”
“Fitzpatrick called me a few weeks ago,” said Marie hurriedly, placing a hand on Camilla’s arm. “Asking about Arthur. He wanted to hear everything I knew about him. Everything I could remember. And then I found out Fitzpatrick has gone to London. That’s why I came here. To warn you. I think Arthur may be in danger.”
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The hire car keys were waiting for Camilla at reception. Her bags had been loaded. None of what Marie had said was anything to do with her. She should get in the car, drive away and forget about it. That was for the best.
But how could she? If Arthur really was in danger.
And what about David and Alex? Where they in danger too?
She went back to reception.
“Can you order me a car to the airport please.”
That’s it for Chapter 13, I hope you enjoyed it and are looking forward to more. Chapter 14 will be out the same time next week, Friday at 4:00pm UK time.
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