The Touch

Chapter 24 - Secrets

Jeffrey was sitting at the head of a large boardroom table that took up most of the room. Seated next to him was Ezril Gael, plus some of the parents of the children that I had met were also seated around the table. Theon sat next to a man who was obviously his father as they looked so alike. In all there were about fifteen people seated around this large boardroom table.

Slade pulled out a chair next to his own and I sat down.

"Lacey, it is great seeing you again. Thank you for coming to our meeting. Slade why don't you do the introductions" Jeffrey said.

Slade went around the room introducing each person. The man sitting next to Jeffrey was called Alex Briggs, he was second in charge. Then he introduced me to Stephen and Melanie Gaul who were head of the supplies company that the CWT ran outside of the premises, Maxwell Baker who was the grounds man for the cemetery and church, Daniel O'Hara who ran the CWT in Ireland, Jack Spane who was Theon's father and David and Blaine Chestworth who were brothers that ran the American CWT. The council members that had overseen my training were also seated around the table with a couple of parents who I had met before.

Once the introductions had finished I was handed a file folder and told to open it. Inside were papers about Government officials and the offices where they resided. There were pages and pages of information about laboratories and what they were all commissioned to do for the government.

"How did you get this information?" I asked.

"We have sources inside the labs and the offices that are part of the CWT. They would pay highly with their lives if someone found out that they were leaking this information. Therefore we have to know whether you can also be trusted with this information Lacey".

I looked up at Jeffrey and then to the other members around the table.

"Of course I can be trusted. But I don't understand why you have given me this information" I said.

Jeffrey looked at Alex Briggs, then at Slade where nodded to Slade who then turned to me.

Slade cleared his throat before beginning and I knew by the guilty look on his face that what he was about to tell me was something I was not going to like hearing.

"Lacey, we have been tracking you since I met you on the train. I am sorry I have to tell you this now but the council wanted to be sure that you were trustworthy".

My mouth suddenly felt dry. I didn't know whether to feel hurt, angry or just amused. I am positive they would have seen nothing unusual from their tracking as in the end I only stayed in my apartment, went out for shopping or came here to the CWT.

Slade looked at me and took a deep breath. "I also planted a camera in your apartment".

"What?" I said, looking directly at him "So you have been spying on me in my apartment?"

I felt the heat rising in my face. When did he do that? How did he do that? Then it hit me that he probably did it when he came over that night and kissed me.

"Where did you plant it?" I asked Slade.

In his eyes I could see the regret and concern but at that moment I was too angry to care.

"The camera is on your coat rack. It is tiny and you would never have seen it unless you looked very closely at it. I'm sorry but we had to make sure you were trustworthy".

I sat there suddenly feeling ashamed as I realised that he probably planted it when he first came in the door, which also now means that everyone that was watching it probably saw us kiss. I could feel the heat rising on my neck as I looked around the room. So the kiss had been his plan all along!