Page 35 of It Starts With A No

She walked over to him. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about. But as I showed you on my phone, I have tried to contact Mr. E for you.”

“Without mentioning my name or the issue.”

“I asked if you thought that would help. You never gave me an answer, so I decided for you.” She went over to her desk, grabbed her phone, and returned to him.

He eyed her warily.

“I know you don’t have much faith in either Mr. E or me.” She turned the phone toward him. “But I don’t think he’ll break his word.”

On the phone screen was a text conversation with Mr. E. Or, from the blue bubbles on screen, Clary trying to reach out to him. The last bubble had the message: Seth Anderson contacted me regarding a loan you promised him. Please get back to him ASAP. It’s urgent.

She’d sent that message out this morning, seemingly after their interview with the detectives.

Seth rubbed a hand over his mouth.

“I sent him an email with the same message. He hasn’t replied to any of my emails, but I suspect he’s reading them.” She dropped her hand. “If he doesn’t contact you by the end of tomorrow, let me know. I’ll ask Grandma Moretti to reach out to him. She swears she doesn’t have his direct contact, but I’m sure she’s lying.”

He remained silent while he processed everything she’d said.

She extended her bandaged hand toward him, holding the ring. “I think you’ll want this back.”

He pressed the box down. “It’s a gift,” he said. “But what we’re doing at the lab is playing God.”

She laughed softly. “I’m not sure if you think too lowly of God or too highly of yourself.”

He frowned.

“Just because you’re doing something good doesn’t mean you’re playing God.”

“You guys think we’re going against God’s will.”

“How?”

“Because …”

She blinked and waited.

“Because … I don’t know.”

She laughed again. “Mr. Anderson, are you feeling okay?”

“They never really explained why they said what they said.”

“For heaven’s sake—who?”

“The people picketing outside my office. Christians. They say what I do is unnatural, that we’re playing God.”

“Maybe they’re referring to the pharmaceutical arm. Pharmaceutical firms have not made a good name for themselves.”

Seth shook his head. “It’s about the robotics arm. We’ve been receiving threats since a pastor brought up Movement and said what we’re doing is unnatural.”

“Unnatural? How’s what you’re doing different from implanting pacemakers or replacing worn-out kneecaps?”

“Exactly.”

Her brows flicked up, and she shrugged.

“So you don’t think we’re playing God?”

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