Mustard and Love 19

The light from the lab didn’t brighten the room enough that Fernando could see what was inside. His stomach lurched. He considered the distance between them. It was too far. He wouldn’t have a chance to get close to Brett before the gun would go off.

Brett’s gun hand was steady. “Drop your briefcase, and turn your pockets inside out.”

Fernando placed the briefcase on the floor by the door. He looked up. “What’s going on? Can’t you just let me go?”

“Don’t talk. Just do it. Your pockets. I want everything you have in them.”

Fernando took out his billfold, some change, and a business card. He carefully felt around his small cell phone, hoping Brett wouldn’t ask for it. Why hadn’t he called Isabella in the car, letting her know he’d stop by Brett’s before going home? If he would have done that, Brett couldn’t have risked kidnapping him.

Now Brett came closer, eyes focused on the things in Fernando’s hand. “Drop the stuff on the floor.”

Slowly Fernando bent and placed the contents of his pockets, except for the phone, next to the briefcase. He kept watching Brett’s feet, which came even closer. It’s now or never, he thought and catapulted up, slamming his head into Brett’s stomach.

Brett did not lose the weapon. His gun hand came up and slammed onto Fernando’s head.

Pain exploded all around Fernando. Something warm trickled down his face, and then everything went black.

Mustard and Love 18

Fernando stepped into the cellar room. Brett switched on the light, and the room lit up. Fernando’s eyes grew big as he checked out the newest version of an electron microscope, a very nice set of test tubes, an incubator, and other impressively modern equipment.

He turned to Brett. “I didn’t know you have such a nice lab…” his voice trailed off as he realized what Brett held in his hands. “What are you doing with that?” he pointed to the gun Brett had trained on him.

“What do you think I’m doing?” Brett waved the gun toward the far end of the room. “Go on, to the back of the lab.”

Fernando stood rooted to the spot. This had to be a joke. What else could it be? “You can’t be serious. Put that thing away. What’s the joke, anyway?”

Brett held the gun at face height. “Don’t think I won’t use it. I’d rather not hurt you, but if I have to I will. Now go on back.”

Fernando couldn’t believe it. Brett had always been a nice guy, a bit self-centered but agreeable most of the time. This was too much. “This isn’t a joke, is it? Why are you doing this?”

“Shut up and move. I’m losing my patience.”

Fernando decided he’d better do what Brett wanted. Maybe he could talk him out of whatever it was he had planned to do to Fernando. He slowed. “Whatever you want from me, just ask. You don’t have to wave that gun at me.”

Brett did not put the gun down. “Okay then, open the door at the end of the room.”

Fernando didn’t understand. What could Brett possibly want? Brett had plenty more money than he had. Then he remembered their last conversation, where he’d told Brett he’d made a discovery and it had to do with weight control. That had to be it. Brett had always wanted the fast track for himself, fame and money with the least amount of work possible. He wanted Fernando’s research on that mustard plant! What a fool he’d been! He should never have said anything. He opened the door Brett’s gun pointed to and stared into darkness.

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Mustard and Love 17

Fernando left the lab, whistling. The next batch of tests had proved true, and he’d made copious notes. Now on to go home. He, Isabella, and Tony were going out tomorrow morning to buy the perfect engagement ring. He could hardly wait. But first he needed to secure the notes, just in case. They were too valuable to just have laying around the lab. He’d already put the original plant and the first set of enzymes in the safe place he’d chosen.

He walked down the campus walkway to the street when a car stopped beside him. Brett again. What a lucky stroke. If Brett would give him another ride, he’d save an hour travel on the crowded bus.

Brett rolled down the passenger side window. “Hi! Long time no see. Hop in and I’ll give you a ride.”

Fernando bent to look into the window. “Are you sure? I can take the bus.”

“I want to show you something in my lab. Is that okay? I’ll take you home right after. You’ll still be there faster than if you take the bus.”

“Okay.” Fernando jogged across the street and slipped into Brett’s car.

Brett merged into the sparse traffic.

Fernando watched him. “What is it you want to show me?”

“Just a small thing. But it’s idiosyncratic. I don’t know what to make of it. You were always better at going to the heart of bio-chemical questions, so I thought I’ll let you have a look at it.”

“Can’t wait to see it.”

Brett pulled the car into his garage and closed the garage door after them with his remote. “We might as well go through here. Come on.” He opened the door to the house.

One set of stairs led up and another one down. Brett pointed to the down stairs. “My lab is down here.”

Fernando followed him down the stairs.

Mustard and Love 16

Weight control? Brett gunned his car and made the U-turn that took him towards his own home. Weight control was a surefire thing. And he’d never known anyone with a knack for finding elusive formulas the way Fernando could. He, Brett, didn’t want to lose out on a surefire thing like a weight control formula that really worked. Deep in thought, he drove home.

The thought that he ought to be the one to cash in on Fernando’s discovery stayed with him the whole next week, and eventually a plan formed in his mind. The more he thought about it, the surer he was he could pull it off. He had that little lab in his house, and it would be easy to get any equipment needed. It was down in the cellar, and there was only one way in and out. I would work. Every time he considered how unbelievably rich he’d be, his resolve strengthened. He knew he couldn’t pass this up.

A week later, he waited for Fernando to come out of the lab. He was lucky, as so often before, Fernando was the last to leave. And he still had no car.

Mustard and Love 15

This is what happened to Fernando so long ago.

Fernando couldn’t believe his own eyes. In the empty chem lab, he stared through the microscope and blinked. Could it be that this little plant held the long looked-for secret to quick and painless weight loss? He rechecked. The enzyme, derived from that never before categorized mustard-like plant in the deep jungles of Costa Rica, was doing something no enzyme should do, something with unbelievable potential.

Fernando turned off the microscope, removed the enzyme particles derived from the plant, and added them to the original plant in the envelope. He sat at a desk, carefully recorded his findings, and rose. If this panned out at all, he and Isabella could be married, their money troubles over. Isabella could stay home with little Tony, and do what she loved to do most, be a mother and create new culinary delights. Not that she didn’t delight him endlessly, even without her skill at cooking. And he could finally afford a car.

He locked the lab after him, the last one to leave. As he left the campus grounds, a familiar voice hailed him. “Hey Fernando! What’re you up to these days?”

Brett, his old roommate caught up to him.

Fernando grinned. “Oh Hi! Long time no see. How are you?”

“I’m doing great. I’ve started working for Mamie’s All Foods Company. If I do well, I’ll have a great future with them. And how are you and Isabella?”

“We’re great. We just had a baby, Tony. I’m planning to propose to her when she comes home from the hospital.”

 “That’s exciting news. I thought you wanted to wait to marry until you’ve got your degree and a job.”

“Well, things have changed.”

“Oh?” Brett pointed over to the parking lot. “Come on. I’ll give you a ride and you can tell me all about it.”

Fernando followed Brett to his Toyota and got in.

Brett started the car. “Okay, now what changed your mind about waiting to get married?”

For a fleeting moment, Fernando though that maybe he should keep this to himself. But Brett was his friend, and he didn’t have to go into details. “I think I found something really interesting. If this works out, wow, I don’t know what could happen.”

Brett turned at a light and glanced at Fernando. “Does this have anything to do with those new plants you found in Costa Rica?”

Fernando couldn’t believe it. Brett had always had a knack for figuring things out. “How did you know?”

“Just a hunch. Must be something big.”

“Maybe the biggest thing in food science since… Well, it’s way too early to talk about this. I’ll let you know when I know more.”

Brett stopped in front of Fernando’s apartment. “But you could let me know the general direction, couldn’t you?”

Fernando opened the door. “Thanks for the ride. It has something to do with weight control. I need to go. I’ll see you later.”

Mustard and Love 14

From the other side of the road, Fernando watched Brett leave the Spice Experience. There was no doubt about it, he was trying to win Isabella’s trust. Fernando shouldn’t have hidden the formula in her apartment before Brett kidnapped him. But at the time it had seemed a good idea. It would have stayed a good idea, if he had kept quiet about hiding it.

At first, Brett was sure that the formula existed only in Fernando’s head, but as the months passed and Fernando didn’t come up with a successful solution, Brett had asked Fernando where the formula was. Without thinking, Fernando had told him he’d hidden it. He should have insisted he never wrote it down.

Shortly after his fateful slip, Fernando was able to overpower his guard, take his gun, and escape.

He’d found a room to let and rented it under the name Carlos Montega, and now all that was on his mind was to protect Isabella.

There was no getting around it, he’d have to confront her again, find some way to convince her of the truth of what he was saying.