Free The Perfect Clone by M. L. Stephens Page A

walked the perimeter of the room, taking everything in. As the drama unfolded around her, she felt like she’d stepped into someone else’s life. A life of make believe. Laura thought of running from the room and pretending that this was a bad prank, but she needed to see how the movie played out.
    With liquid courage, she took a deep breath, and asked, “So is
this
, what you wanted to show me?” She spread her arms around to indicate the office area.
    “There’s more, but maybe now’s not the best time. I’ve tossed you a major curve ball and I’m not sure you’re ready for another surprise.”
    Nothing could be more shocking than finding out that the person she’d considered her best friend, for almost her entire life, had been her boss for the last seven years. Not only that, but he apparently had the same romantic feelings for her that she had for him. Taking in a deep breath and reigning in her emotions, she replied, “Give it to me. I’m a big girl.”
    With a renewed feeling of excitement, Richard walked to one end of the bar. Pressing against a section of the raised paneled cabinetry, it snapped open to reveal a safe. His fingers slightly shook with anticipation as he entered numbers on the key pad, revealing a small object wrapped in gold woven tapestry.
    Removing the contents, he took a seat on the mahogany couch that also served as a sitting area near the bar. Richard slowly unfolded the metallic fabric to reveal a golden rectangular box. Although the package was only the size of a bracelet gift box, the contents were of more value than any piece of impractical jewelry. Richard had specially ordered the gold hand crafted box, to serve one purpose, to cradle the contents within.  Sitting the box gently on the table in front of them, he looked mesmerized as he asked his question, “Do you remember my trips to Italy?”
    Feeling nervous about the gravity in Richard’s tone, Laura was only able to utter one word, “Yes.”
    “I discovered this on my last trip and brought it back.”
    “That’s where you were when Cliff died. I remember dad saying that you’d flown in for the funeral.”
    Nodding in reply he briefly hesitated, “I acquired it several days before Cliff’s accident. With just loose ends left to tie up, I was able to fly back right away.” He put his hand over hers, remembering the pain she had been though. He would have given anything to have been the one to comfort her during that time. Even though his heart wanted to console her while she had grieved, he had known that he could
not
have trusted his body. Richard hadn’t been willing to take that chance. He had much bigger plans. There were times when it was just best to stay away. 
    “What do you know about the Shroud of Turin?”
    Not sure where this was headed, Laura decided to patiently play along. “A shroud discovered and believed by some to be the fabric that the Christian Messiah, Jesus Christ, was wrapped in following his crucifixion. Testing on a small section dates it to the Middle Ages. Some scholars believe that the material tested was the material from a repair that had been made to it during the Middle Ages rather than the original material of the shroud. That’s about all I know. Where are you going with this, Richard?”
    He turned his focus back to the container on the table. “Because I trust you above all others, and because your discretionary habits are above reproach, I have decided to share this with you. No one else knows about this
yet
.”
    “Come on Richard, enough with the foreplay. What’s inside the box?” The suspense was starting to get to her.
    Delicately lifting the lid as if it might shatter into a million pieces, Richard slowly revealed the contents.
    She leaned forward to peek, anxious to see the great mystery.
    “It’s a piece of fabric in a test tube?” She lifted one eyebrow in question, feeling disappointed after the hype he’d sold her. “Where’d the fabric come from and