Madeleine & the Mind by Felicia Mires Read Free Book Online Page A

went through to a small vestibule. This time, Mike went to the box on the side of the door, opened it and leaned forward with his face plastered to the front.
    Madeleine laughed. "You've got to be kidding. It's reading your eye?"
    A door slid open, and Mike gave her a grave look then held up his hand for her to follow.
    She sighed. "You guys are really serious. You're really…somebody."
    "Yes, and somebody tried to kill Steven in this room...which means they had clearance."
    Madeleine looked at Steven to see if he acted nervous. His eyes were totally blank which could be an indicator that he was very upset. She took his hand and whispered in his ear. "I won't let anyone hurt you."
    Mike had already gone inside, so Madeleine wandered in after him. He stood to the side, talking with Dr. Giliteau.
    Madeleine moved past them. This was like no science lab she'd ever seen. There were definitely things in here she couldn't identify. An entire wall was devoted to chemicals. In a closed cubicle at the end of the room, a man pointed a long cylindrical tube at a simple battery. Nothing came out. He stood up and hooked the battery to a battery tester.
    She rolled her eyes at Steven and flicked her head in the direction of the cubicle. "I think that scientist is losing it. There's nothing coming out of his laser gun, and he doesn't seem to notice."
    The corner of Steven's mouth twitched, as if he were about to laugh.
    Madeleine peered into his eyes, but they were dull and lackluster.
    Nothing in the room seemed dangerous enough to hurt him, so she dropped his hand and joined Mike.
    Dr. Giliteau gave her a brilliant smile. "Well, the therapist looks even better when she's dry. Have you found everything you need Mademoiselle Madeleine?"
    "Yes, Dr. Giliteau. What is a Frenchman doing with American scientists?"
    Mike interrupted. "I'm Canadian. Steven is the only American." He pointed at the cubicle. "And Dr. Benjamin is an Israeli."
    "I'm impressed! I've heard the country of Israel is teeming with technological brain power." A look of annoyance marred Dr. Giliteau's handsome face, but it passed quickly. Perhaps he was jealous because she hadn't noted the brilliance of the French. "Do you have any other geniuses running around here?"
    She gave Dr. Giliteau her full attention, and he practically crowed like a rooster.
    "Yes. Ours is not the only project underway at The Institute. Would you like to see a little of what we do?"
    She batted her lashes at him. "I'd adore it."
    He took her by the elbow, and she winked at Mike as she walked past. There had to be some way to determine who the murderer was. Flirting always helped to lighten the mood.
    Dr. Giliteau took her inside the cubicle. "Do you see this long barrel?"
    She nodded, watching his face with rapt attention.
    "It's actually a facilitator for an electro-magnetic pulse laser."
    "I have no idea what you're talking about."
    "No one does. That's what Dr. Faraday was working on when he lost his ability to articulate."
    "I see."
    It looked as if Madeleine was going to learn Steven's secret whether she wanted to or not.
    "If it worked, that laser could point at any rocket, any ground-to-air missile…" He shrugged his shoulder in a Gaelic gesture. "Anything that operated with any form of electricity would be shut down instantly."
    "What about whatever was holding the laser? Why doesn't it shut itself down?"
    He looked at her in amazement. "Very good, Mademoiselle. We created a shield, or barrier, that protects the sender of the signal." He stepped to the side of the room and picked up a model F-16. "For example, this fighter could point the laser at a heat- seeking missile and knock out the navigational system of the missile without setting off the bomb. However, it would have no effect whatsoever on any of his systems."
    "How dangerous is the laser?"
    "Relatively no effect on anything that isn't electrical."
    "It sounds ideal as a defensive weapon. But couldn't it knock out anything else