Code Red Lipstick (10 page)

H
alf an hour later, Jessica stood shivering in the lab's clean room. A blast of cold air jetted out of the ceiling, chilling her whole body, before being sucked out through the grated floor. No wonder Allegra hadn't wanted to carry out the tour herself. This would mess up her perfect hair. She'd left the honours to her assistant, Lyndon Rawling, a large bear-like American who sported a hair and beard net. He explained the room got rid of tiny particles such as dust from her clothes, which could contaminate the lab. She climbed into a disposable white overall alongside him. Now she too looked like the Abominable Snowman.

The door slid open and she followed him into the lab, a large white room lined with benches, fume cupboards and gloveboxes. A couple of technicians who wore white overalls and safety glasses worked in front of her. Their hands were stuck into gloves which reached inside a large box. She'd learnt at school this was the best way to carry out experiments because it avoided any cross contamination. Chemistry was one of her favourite subjects – that and English literature.

“The lab follows strict health and safety practices,” Lyndon said. “We have one entrance in and one exit out, with clean rooms attached to each.”

She trailed after him and noticed Allegra watching through the large window. Jessica could still feel her searing gaze as she followed Lyndon across the lab.

“Miss Knight likes to run a tight ship in here,” he said. “No personal belongings are allowed. We have a maximum of eight people working in here at any one time to minimize the risk of accidents.”

“What's through there?” She spotted another doorway and walked to the back of the lab. It wasn't the exit. She'd already made a point of looking for it in case they had to get out in a hurry. This doorway had a sign saying:
DISPOSE
OF
CONTAMINATED
OVERALLS
AFTER
USE
.

“It's just a store cupboard.” Lyndon's tone was sharp. “Let me show you something over here, I'm sure you'll find it fascinating.”

He pressed his hand into the small of her back, steering her towards a row of microscopes that were lined up next to a series of chemical storage units.

“These are electron microscopes,” he said. “We use them to study nanoparticles. They're the only microscopes you can use to see something so small.”

She was immediately interested. This was Sam Bishop's line of work.

“Can I?”

“Be my guest.”

She put her eye to the microscope. It was extraordinary.

“This is what you're looking at,” he said, handing her a vial of liquid. “These are the nanoparticles used in sunblock.”

She stared at the liquid and back at the cell under the microscope. It was incredible. The nanoparticles were completely invisible to the human eye. She hadn't seen anything like them in class.

“How can you work with something so small?” Jessica asked.

“We keep the nanoparticles suspended in a liquid solution,” he said. “It allows us to manipulate them as and when we need them. We use the zinc oxide nanoparticles in sunblock to reflect UVA and UVB rays, but nanoparticles can be used for almost anything nowadays.”

“Have you used these nanoparticles in Teenosity?”

His eyes darted to Allegra, who was still watching through the glass.

“Yes,” he said cautiously, “the advances in nanotechnology are amazing. The beauty market hasn't seen anything like it before.”

“Why? What's so great about it?”

Come on! He was being
so
cagey. She needed him to open up more. That way she could steer the conversation round to Sam and his nano work.

“It's top secret,” he said.

“But I'm supposed to be representing the cream,” she protested. “I'll need to know what makes Teenosity so different from other beauty creams if I have to answer questions about it on Saturday.”

He looked over his shoulder again. She turned around in time to see Allegra give a small nod. There must be microphones in the lab. She was listening in.

“Teenosity does what no other cream has ever been able to promise before. It can actually halt time,” he said.

“That's impossible!”

“Nanotechnology makes it possible. We've created tiny nanorobots that penetrate the skin and target the layer of cells responsible for ageing.”

“Nanorobots,” she repeated. These were the science-fiction-like creations that Sam had given his lecture about in the States.

“You've heard of them?” Lyndon looked surprised. “Most people think they're children's toys.”

“I'm interested in science. I read that nanorobots are minuscule and can be programmed to do whatever you want them to do.”

“Exactly. We've programmed our nanorobots to not only delay the ageing process, but to stop it completely.”

“No way!”

Lyndon nodded gravely. “It's a miracle.”

“So does this mean that teenagers will never age?”

“Their skin won't age,” he replied. “Your skin and that of your friends will remain youthful for ever if you continue to use the cream regularly.”

She turned to stare at Allegra. She could see why she might resent an upstart like herself. Teenosity had arrived too late to stop her own skin from ageing. It would also help millions of teenagers stay looking younger and more beautiful than her in future. That was enough to get on the nerves of any supermodel, past or present.

“Was Sam Bishop working on Teenosity?” she said.

Crash! A test tube smashed, spilling liquid on to the floor next to the fume cupboards.

A small, balding assistant glanced fearfully across at Lyndon. “I'm sorry,” he said, kneeling down. “The test tube caught on my glove. It was an accident.”

“Clean it up quickly,” he ordered. “We can't afford mistakes like this so close to launch date.”

Lab assistants abandoned their posts to mop up the spillage. As one brushed past, his security pass fell off on to the counter. Lyndon was too busy staring at the mess on the floor to notice. So was Allegra – she stood, transfixed, at the window. Jessica stepped forward, pretending to lean on the counter, and scooped it up. This could be useful at some point.

“Thanks, Mr Tarasaki,” she muttered under her breath.

“We must leave now,” Lyndon snapped. “Follow me.”

He marched her through the exit into another clean room. Jessica kept the pass in her clenched fist. She was ready for the blast of air this time and stood still. Lyndon glowered at her. He whipped off his overalls and signalled for her to do the same. She shoved the pass into her jeans pocket as she climbed out of her protective gear. As she looked down, she noticed something stuck in the vent in the floor. She pretended to drop her overalls, managing to tear the object out before he helped her to her feet.

Allegra was waiting outside. Her face was masklike but her voice was low and hard. “Why are you asking about Sam Bishop? Did a newspaper pay you to ask questions? Tell me now!”

Jessica took a deep breath. “I'm sorry. I wanted to know because my dad was looking for him and now he's missing too.”

Allegra remained expressionless. “Your father? Whom may I enquire is that?”

“Jack Cole.”

“The name sounds familiar. Lyndon?”

He gave a curt nod. “Mr Cole's a private detective. He was hired by Sam Bishop's mother to look for him. British police officers have visited us and we've answered all their questions.”

“Cole is a very common name,” Allegra said softly. “What a coincidence. I had no idea you were related to him. So many people go missing in Paris each year. Sam and now your father. It's a tragedy.”

“Thank you,” Jessica said, “but I'm sure I'll find him. In fact, I saw in his diary that he was due to come here on Saturday. Did you meet him?”

The diary was a lie but it didn't seem a good idea to tell her she'd been probing his phone records.

Allegra glanced at Lyndon. “I believe Mr Cole made an appointment.”

“But he didn't keep it,” Lyndon finished.

“So you never saw him?”

“That's correct,” Allegra said. “My office left a message on his voicemail to rearrange but never heard back. We were quite happy to meet with him and discuss Mrs Bishop's concerns. We treat our employees like family here.”

Dad had made a call from inside this building on Saturday morning. Why weren't they telling the truth? What were they hiding?

“I'm slightly worried,” Allegra said, without a single frown mark appearing. “This must be a very stressful time for you, Jessica, and also a terrible distraction. Did I make a mistake in awarding you this contract when you have so much on your mind? Should I reconsider?”

“No, definitely not,” Jessica said. “I'm a professional.”

“I'm glad to hear it,” Allegra said drily. “In which case, I need you to keep your private life separate from your work. I can't afford to employ a model who's more interested in asking questions than concentrating on the job in hand. We have so much to do and so little time.”

“I won't let you down,” Jessica said. “You've answered everything I need to know, thank you. I'll leave the rest to the police. They're the experts.”

As if.

Allegra's face relaxed a little but it was hard to tell when she'd had so much Botox. “Good. I know you have a busy schedule so I won't keep you. Don't be late for the shoot. I hate tardiness.”

Lyndon led her down the corridor.

“
Bonne chance
,” Allegra called after her.

Jessica didn't look back. Her mind was whirring as she followed Lyndon through the labyrinth of corridors to reception. She thanked him and burst through the doors, grateful for the blast of cold air. She didn't stop walking until she was out of sight of the building's CCTV cameras. Then she slowly opened her fist. Lying in her palm was a tiny, exquisite paper swan, identical to the one she'd found in the hotel room. It was the handiwork of Sam Bishop.

A hand roughly grabbed her arm. “What the hell are you doing here?”

She spun around, fist clenched. “Get off me.” She yanked her arm away. “This isn't what you think.”

“What is it, then?” Nathan fumed. “I warned you not to interfere and you've gone blundering in there asking about your dad and Sam Bishop!” His grey eyes flashed with anger.

“I didn't blunder in, thanks very much. Allegra Knight invited me here because she wants to employ me.”

“She wants to do what?” Nathan looked flabbergasted.

“She's hired me as the face of her new cream for teenagers.”

He blanched. “You need to tell me everything that went on in there, and don't you dare leave anything out.”

He frogmarched her to a nearby car and threw open the passenger door. She noticed a long-lens camera on the driver's seat. He'd been spying on the building. As he drove away, she reluctantly filled him in on how Allegra had contacted her agency, the tour of the labs, their use of nanotechnology and her modelling deal.

“You're to ring your agency back and tell them to decline the contract,” Nathan ordered.

“Not until you investigate Allegra Knight properly.”

“Excuse me?” He swerved in front of a car. Heart beating rapidly, Jessica gripped the door handle tightly as he pulled over. The other driver hooted and gesticulated wildly out of the window.

“Are you actually telling me how to do my job?” he snarled.

Jessica hadn't realized she was holding her breath. She nodded. “As a matter of fact, I am. My dad's life is at stake here. He hasn't got his meds with him. He's going to become ill if I don't find him soon, and you're not doing nearly enough.”

Nathan drummed his fingers loudly on the wheel. “I understand your concern, but as I've warned you already, this is far too risky for you to get mixed up in. We're re-interviewing Allegra Knight and I can assure you she's cooperating fully.”

“It's funny because that's not how Margaret sees it. She said that Allegra hasn't been exactly forthcoming with either of you.”

“You've been speaking to Margaret about this?” His tone was outraged.

“The other night, when you couldn't make it to dinner.”

Nathan looked as though he were about to lose it big time. He might actually explode. He took a deep breath to compose himself. “What, may I ask, did the pair of you decide at this dinner?”

Jessica met his gaze. “That I should try for a casting and see if I could dig anything up at AKSC.”

“But—”

“And before you go on, I did pretty well. I found out that Allegra's lying about everything. She claimed my dad had never been to AKSC but his phone records show he made a call from there to Lara Hopkins on Saturday morning. Plus, Allegra's gone along with the reports that Sam's been missing since October, yet he must have been in the building fairly recently because of this.”