Chapter 4

Dinah raced through the deserted staff lounge adjoining the lab, through the corridors back toward her office on the ground floor, all the while fighting back the tears that were threatening to burst from her eyes.

She dashed inside and hurriedly seated herself at her desk, which faced away from the director's.

"My God, what's wrong with you?" Tomley called out to her in his booming voice. "What happened? You said you were bringing us some coffee and then you disappeared."

Even though Tomley's voice was powerful, she could barely hear the words he was directing at her. Nothing was real now but the shattering scene she had witnessed between her husband and the woman in the lab. The image of the salacious spectacle bored through her mind like a hot firebrand, making her feel weak and dizzy. It couldn't be, it just couldn't. That awful woman with her legs wrapped around Fred's back, her breasts naked, mewling and grunting, as her husband massaged them with a vile, lecherous look on his face. She must be hallucinating! Fred could never do a thing like that. It must have been someone else, though her eyes had told her differently.

How long had it been going on? How many days had it taken for them to build up the intimacy of lovers that she had witnessed in the lab? And then a thought struck her. It must have been because of this other woman, this free-and-easy libertine that Fred had insisted on her doing lewd things to him over the weekend. She had perverted him and aroused savage carnal desires in his body. There was something wrong with this place, something wrong with everyone in it. For now, mixed up with the scene in the laboratory, was what she had overheard earlier--the foul, leering conversation between Tomley and the man from the foundation, the horrible dirty things they had said. Oh God, what had she gotten herself into? What was going to happen to her marriage?

"Dinah, for God's sake, what's wrong with you?" the director demanded from behind.

She started at the concerned tone of the older man's voice, which brought her suddenly back to reality. She remembered now that she had come back to announce that she was quitting immediately, but now everything was confused. If she left Fred, she would need a job to support herself. She couldn't quit. But no, that wasn't the real reason that she had suddenly lost her resolve. The real reason was that out of some morbid curiosity she desperately needed to find out who Fred was carrying on with and why. She had to discover how it had all happened.

"Dinah?"

The director's hand was on her shoulder; he was standing very close, and slowly she turned around to face him, trying to keep herself from flying to pieces. She couldn't tell him what was wrong. No, at all cost she had to keep the matter to herself. Forcing her voice to be calm she replied with only a slight tremor: "It's... it's nothing. I just felt a little sick and didn't want to bother you. I feel much better now."

"Well, that's good. You had me worried for a minute. By the way your husband called a minute ago and asked if I'd give you a message. He said he'd be working late tonight and to go ahead and eat without him."

She knew exactly what the message meant, of course, and even before Tomley had finished the sentence she was sobbing uncontrollably.

Bitter tears rolled down her cheeks, and she didn't resist as the brawny director eased her up from her chair and enfolded her in his arms.

"Now, now, Dinah. Tell me all about it. It will make you feel better."

As she started to unburden herself she couldn't see the smile of smug satisfaction that crossed the director's face. She was convinced that his sympathy was genuine and was sorry she had thought such awful things about him earlier.

"Don't worry about it anymore," he said. "I'll help you find out for yourself exactly what's happening."