The Formula - A short Story

She got out of bed, still groggy. She had little time to waste. She couldn't afford to be late. As she walked to the bathroom, she saw the wicker basket with the baby pink button roses strung in silver ribbons. How beautiful they looked! She gnashed her teeth when she remembered the devious man who had given them to her. The evening had been enjoyable though. He was well groomed in a black suit and tie. He had thick brown hair and mischievous eyes. He was handsome; oh yes he was. He had taken her to a swank restaurant in his breezy car. Joshua Barnes, drat that man… she fumed.

Joshua was having his morning coffee. He hoped he'd convinced her to trust him. She was a beautiful woman with powder blue eyes and lustrous black hair. Fiona Danbury was a quick-witted smart woman. He hoped she wasn't going to be a hindrance in the investigations.

Fiona wore a biege dress and ran her brush through her hair till it shone. She applied a dash of lip gloss, dabbed on a flowery perfume and wore a pearl necklace that sat well around her swan-like neck. She looked at her reflection. She looked pretty. She slipped on her stiletto shoes to give height to her petite figure. She made sure she had the locker key and closed the door behind her.

She neared the offices of SYM Laboratories. She got out of the car and walked to the reception. After the security check, the young officer took her to the area which lodged the locker rooms. Fiona went forward and inserted her card into the slot. The door opened and she went in. She unlocked the safe. The little vault automatically lit up. She took out the file and opened it. She gasped in shock.

"Oh God! It's missing." She almost fainted. Her worst fears were coming true. Her father's formula had been stolen! She hurried out.

"Ma'am," she said. "The papers from the file are missing."

"How can that be? This place is impermeable."

Fiona was almost in tears. She couldn't believe it. What should she do now? Go to the police? Her heart sank. Oh why couldn't she have a straight forward life like other people? She remembered last night. Joshua Barnes. Her eyes narrowed as she contemplated. She was sure he was the one. She hoped she wasn't jumping the gun.

But for her monthly visit here, no one else had been there in the past six months. Fiona realised that she had been a fool not to have sifted through the papers regularly. Good God! How many days was it since she had last read those confidential documents?

She needed to see Joshua Barnes right away. Fiona was furious and afraid.

She rang his office and requested for an appointment but his secretary said he wasn't in. So she left a message. Fiona reached home - her mind numb. She felt so desolate. The phone rang.

"Hello," she said.

"Hello Fiona," It was Joshua Barnes.

"How did you manage it?" She came straight to the point.

"Sorry?"

"How did you manage to steal my father's formula?"

"What?"

"Oh don't feign innocence….."

"Fiona why don't we talk this over lunch?"

"Lunch? I wouldn't break bread with you if I were starving."

"Alright no lunch. We'll meet in my office in say, two hour's time? I'm on my way there."

"Right."

Joshua Barnes reached his office and dialled a number. "Peter, come into my office. It's urgent."

A man in his late thirties entered. "What's up Josh?"

"I need a complete dossier on Marlene Danbury."

"Who? Okay, I'll get cracking."

Joshua looked out at the beautiful bay. What had his father got him into? His father Jacob Brenewski and Ben Danbury had been scientists working for SYM Laboratories. They were partners in pioneering a formula that would revolutionise glass making. Both were divorced, both had a child each, both lost custody of their children and both never remarried. What a twist of fate! Although he was separated from his father, Joshua remained in close contact with him. Joshua's mother was Eden Barnes, the sole heiress to a plastic empire. Joshua completed his academics and took over Barnes Polymers from his grandfather.

There had been a terrible road accident in which both the scientists had died, Ben Danbury on the spot while Jacob Brenewski a little later in the hospital. In his last words he bade Joshua to take care of the formula which they had devised. He had been just sixteen then. He had met Fiona for the first time at the funeral. As a ten year old, she had been heartbroken and her beautiful eyes had expressed the pain in her heart. Marlene Danbury and Eden Barnes had merely acknowledged each other. That was over fifteen years ago.

A clap of thunder shook him out of his reverie. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said.

Fiona walked in. His face softened and he smiled inwardly. Like the cloudburst outside, there was going to be a cloudburst here too.

"Have a seat," he invited.

"No thank you."

"Our discussion may take a long time."

"I don't think it will. I am going to the police to report a theft."

"A theft?"

"Yes, a theft. The formula is missing from the vault. I know who the thief is"

"And who is the thief?"

"Yeah who could it be? You are the other person who holds the key to the vault."

"The Lab allows only the two of us to operate, and I had told you at the attorney's office when the keys were handed over to us five years ago that neither of us would withdraw the papers nor tamper with the formula."

"So? I'm not that stupid!"

"Fiona, the formula has gone missing six months ago. Why the hullabaloo now?"

She just stared at him. "You mean…you mean…"

"You mean you didn't know? Tsk tsk Fiona, how careless of you."

Fiona's cheeks flamed. He was pointing out her mistake now.

"How is your mother Fiona?"

His question threw her.

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"I know you don't live with her."

"So? Have you set a detective after me?"

"Of course not," he lied.

"The formula belonged to my father and you have ……"

"It belonged to my father too………remember?"

"Yes but you could have sold it someone."

"What if the boot is on the other leg?"

"What do you mean?" She didn't like the way in which this conversation was heading.

"Maybe Fiona, you stole it. Maybe you sold it to the highest bidder. Maybe all this indignation is just an act."

She bristled and the sparks in her eyes turned them a deep blue. Tears stung her eyes.

"You are quite revolting. I didn't realise you had such a twisted mind."

"Really? You've marched into my office and made some pretty nasty allegations."

"I…I.," she wanted to continue.

"Shhhhh…... I think both of us have been conned. Give me six weeks and I shall tell you how that formula went missing."

She shrugged her shoulders. She had no choice. He went on to open the door for her.

"Fiona…" he whispered. "Meet me for dinner tomorrow."

Topaz eyes looked down at tourmaline ones.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

Marilla put her bags down in the new hired apartment. She couldn't afford it but she wasn't going to be there for long. Once the deal was through, she'd be out of here and on her way to the Bahamas. She needed to find out from Sommers what the outcome of the talks was. Why did she have to return when it was raining heavily in the city of New York?

The pounding sheets of rain infused a certain uncanny sense of foreboding in the city. Two people were sitting and communicating in a cafe. Another person was eavesdropping on them. He listened carefully, as he has to report every small detail to the person who has hired him. The men ironed out the differences in the MOU and each took a copy to show their boss.

In another part of the city, the owner of a Multinational corporation smirked to himself as he kept the phone down, he had finally got what he wanted. His man had done a good job.

Marilla lit her cigarette and pulled on it heavily. The deal had to go through. She had come down as much as possible price-wise. She paced up and down waiting for Sommers.

Joshua rang up Fiona and asked her to come to his apartment. The final part of the drama was about to unfold. In the past two weeks he had made good progress with Fiona because she wasn't so suspicious now. He wanted to confide more but thought against it. She was going to get a shock and there was nothing he could do.

Just next to his apartment lived a lady. She was new there. The doorbell of her house rang. She opened the door to see a man.

He said, "I have the info".

Marilla listened to what he had to say. She was satisfied. "Thank you, your payment will be made tomorrow, Sommers."

She read through the documents carefully. She sat on the window sill and looked at the city below. How beautiful everything looked! She would try and buy this apartment. She would have enough money. A little less than she had expected since Mr Jaybee was firm and unbending. How long she had waited for this day! She went to answer the phone when it rang. The caller told her she could have the money from Mr Jaybee directly. 1 million dollars were hers and she could collect it from the neighbouring apartment. How simple! She smiled rather cunningly. She was to meet Mr Jaybee?

Fiona reached the apartment. Joshua let her in. The living room was richly yet tastefully furnished. At one side were drapes that were pulled to curtain the inner precincts of the apartment.

"Fiona meet Mr Jaybee."

Fiona shook hands with the man and smiled.

"We shall remain behind these curtains and witness how the obvious thief will collect the money."

"You're sure he'll come?"

"Oh yes. Money can make a person do anything."

Half an hour later the door bell rang. Joshua and Fiona hid behind the curtains. Mr Jaybee opened the door. A woman entered. She wore a dark coat over a blue dress. Her eyes were hidden behind dark glasses. She had her back to the drapes.

"Good evening, Marilla Dean. If you have signed the MOU, I shall hand over the payment to you. One more thing, we have never met each other or have made any deal. Right?"

"Right," said the woman. "Don't worry I'm leaving the country soon. I hope the formula is of use."

"Come on in, we could have a drink."

Marilla turned to proceed to the couch. Fiona gasped. She couldn't believe what she saw. She made to get up but Joshua held her tightly and covered her mouth.

"Forget it, pal just give me the money." Marilla continued.

"How did you get the formula? It's not yours."

"Of course it's mine. My husband and that stupid friend of ….."

Fiona fought herself free and Joshua let her go. She rushed outside.

"Mom!" Fiona was distressed and was very angry. "How could you?"

Marilla turned around equally stunned. How did her daughter find her?

"C'mon honey, at least we'll be able to live in some comfort now."

"We? I am no part of this. What a mean thing to do."

"What was the use of keeping the formula in the safe? Why deprive the world?"

"And what about Joshua? His father was also with Dad."

"Forget about him."

"Really Marilla ..er.. Marlene," said Joshua as he stepped out. "You are such a fake. You didn't mind conning your own daughter. You stole the formula over six months ago when you accompanied her. You removed the papers cleverly while you kept Fiona distracted. You told her not to touch the file so that when I checked, my fingerprints would be on it and the blame would fall on me."

"I think you are …." Marlene started.

"I have been tracking you down since six months. You would visit New York to find a buyer for the formula. You weren't a pro, why even your alias name is a giveaway. You were just a two penny con-artist. I soon realised that Fiona was innocent. So what should I do Marlene? Call the cops?"

"Joshua let her go, please. Mom return the formula."

"It's not hers anymore." Mr Jaybee said.

"Please Mr Jaybee…" Fiona entreated.

"I am Mr Jaybee, Fiona," inserted Joshua. "The formula is back with me. Marlene you can leave now. I just wanted to expose you and clear my name."

"You are fools. Both of you, to idolise those twits who couldn't manage to do anything in their lifetime." She turned to leave and saw the other man. "Who's he?"

"A private detective."

Marlene left in a huff. Peter inquired if he was need any more and left as well. Fiona gave a smothered sob.

"I am so ashamed!"

"Why should you be? You had nothing to do with it."

"But she's my mother."

"Forget about it. Why not have dinner tonight. A celebration?"

She nodded as she dabbed her eyes. "Is the formula really worth millions?"

"No."

"No?"

"No. I have a doctorate in Chemistry. I studied the formula. You were young then. There was nothing new in it. Someone else had beaten our fathers with a better solution. It was better it was in safe custody just to protect their names."

"If it had been otherwise, what would you have done?"

"Conned you, perhaps?" He raised a cheeky eyebrow and then laughed.

"And I would have chased you to hell." She said primly.

"What's stopping you now?"

He gently pulled her close to him.

Two men sat on a bench far away from New York. It was rather chilly. The moon was full and a dog howled at a distance.

"What I miss is my pipe." Said one

"And I my piano." Said the other. "But that would have disturbed the souls here."

"Didn't I tell you my daughter was irresistible?"

"Didn't I tell you my son would take care of our names?"

They sat in silence for a while.

"C'mon, its midnight hour. We can now freely move about."

Ben and Jacob were happy as they slowly took their nocturnal walk in the cemetery.

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