A gamble with time

Lucifer and Tony were not the only ones who were surprised about Dr. Cortez showing up to work the next day; any of the board members who laid eyes on him were after what had happened the day before but were just too intimidated to contest. Not Dr. Simon fortunately, head of the mechanics division who was taken aback as soon as his eyes fixed on Dr. Cortez striding by his lab earlier that morning, taking long steps like he owned the place.

"What in the world was he doing showing up?" He pondered, unable to come up with a valid reason. Dr. Simon would have loved to satisfy his curiosity and anger with a fiery confrontation but it was a case of terrible timing as he was in the middle of an important experiment at that moment so he missed the opportunity. Ever since then, his mind hadn't been settled as he had to remain calm and patient for a chance to get to talk to Cortez alone.

He got his chance later in the afternoon when their paths crossed in the company's restroom.

"Good day, Simon."

Dr. Cortez's expression was casual, only giving Dr. Simon a single glance before Dr. Simon held out a hand bringing him to halt.

"What the hell are you doing here Cortez?" he snapped.

"What do you mean?" Cortez asked, his lip curled up in a smirk. "I work here."

"Are you crazy? We all heard what Henry's assistant said yesterday about your involvement in the explosion. Only a fool would come back here."

Dr. Cortez knew that Simon was right; only a fool would come back to the company knowing the board had figured out his intentions and the fact that Henry's assistant had evidence that could have him locked away for years. He had gone back to his office later that night to wipe any trace that would lead the police to him before he ran away when to his amazement, he saw Skullz's phone lying on his desk. He couldn't explain believe his eyes at first, neither could he explain how or why the phone was in his office all of a sudden but he wasn't to let the opportunity go to waste. Instead, he took advantage and got rid of the phone as well as every other thing he felt linked him to the explosion.

"But I'm not the type to run away from a challenge, Simon."

Simon shot a look of disdain at him.

"I'll talk to the board, we will--"

"Do what? Go to the police?" Cortez's question echoed. He scoffed. "What evidence would you present to them? None of you have anything on me. It's always going to be your word against mine. And if you must know the police just finished questioning Dr. Bates, I'm sure they'll come up with something"

A mixture of frustration and fear grew as he listened to Dr. Cortez. A part of him knew Cortez was right, they had nothing but mere words and accusations against him. The Most they could do was try to kick him out of the board but even that would take innumerable court sessions as he was still a major shareholder and the last thing the company needed was a public power struggle.

"You can't get away with this, Cortez," Simon murmured.

"I already did, Simon," Cortez said with a light tap on the short man's shoulder before he walked away.

Cortez now a few yards away, Simon asked another question.

"Why did you do it, Cortez? Was it because you hated Henry and wanted to be at the top? Is it worth all the trail of bodies you left behind? How are you able to sleep at night or even close your eyes?"

Dr. Cortez stopped, their eyes locking once more in an icy stare overwhelmed with spite.

"I said the same thing to Henry and I'm still going to say it again, I didn't do anything."

Cortez could feel his shoulders tense up as he left the restroom. He smiled. He had won the first round.

** ** **

Tony suspected the only reason Dr. Cortez would show up was if he knew the only incriminating evidence against him had gone missing. There was no other explanation; Dr. Cortez had something to do with Skullz's phone disappearing from his home.

He felt overwhelmed by a rush of hopelessness and worry as he paced around his desk. There was nothing else tying Dr. Cortez to the explosion and to make matters worse, Lucifer didn't seem to be bothered about it or the fact that the police were after Dr. Bates.

Just at that moment, a thought dawned on him. He was giving up too easily. Even if Lucifer didn't care he still had to do all he could to clear Dr. Bates' name. But what could he do? Clearing Dr. Bates' name only meant nailing Dr. Cortez and there was no evidence for that.

An idea birthed in his mind as soon as that realization came. There could still be something in Dr. Cortez's office that could incriminate him. All he had to do was search. He took a glance at his wristwatch; 1:20 pm. Most people would not be back from lunch by 1:30, including people like Cortez. Ten minutes was more than enough for him.

Tony took a deep breath before dashing out of the office into the long hall. With quick strides almost like he was jogging, he reached the only office at the end of the hall after which he opened and stepped inside.

He moved swiftly, first scanning the entire room for possible places where Cortez would hide important things. He knew Cortez would not want to keep such things in conventional places like his desk or a spot on the shelf, but then he thought Cortez might want to hide them in plain sight so just to be sure, he started from the desk.

As his eyes rummaged through the files on the desk, he tried to keep his hands steady and delicate to prevent suspicion. Just as he expected, nothing, in particular, caught his eye there so he moved to the small shelf hanging a little low on the wall.

In all the scenarios Tony pictured in his head, he couldn't have imagined what happened next.

"Who the--"

A young lady in a lab coat stood by the door. He could see her eyes blink through the big round glasses she wore. She had long auburn hair which she held together in a ponytail. Tony was certain he had never seen her before.

"Who are you and what do you want in Dr. Cortez's office?" She questioned.

Tony became gripped by fear.

"Shh!" He begged with his hands stretched out. "Don't yell, I can explain."

His plea only seemed to set her off.

"Security! There's a--"

Tony reacted with a hand placed over her mouth.

"Please, you don't understand."

The mystery girl tried to scream but Tony's grip over her mouth was enough to only make her mumble a few words underneath.

Just then, Tony heard footsteps approaching.

He grabbed the mystery girl by her hand as he sought a hiding spot behind the office desk. The girl who was taken aback by his actions didn't make any motion to object as Tony made her crouch beside him. He still covered her mouth with his hand while he tried to hold his breath.

The door jerked open and Dr. Cortez walked in. At first, he stood scanning the entire room with his hands on his waist. Something was off and he knew it. But in favor of Tony's luck, Dr. Cortez wasn't worried about what could be at the other side of his desk. Rather, Cortez went over to a safe hidden behind the shelf.

Tony could not see anything but he could hear Cortez punch in some combination of sorts and let out a sigh of relief soon after. Tony glanced at the mystery girl beside him and mouthed the word 'please' as he could tell she was about to scream. Their eyes locked together and she could see the sincerity in Tony's eyes. Her muscles seemed to relax a bit as she complied with his plea.

Meanwhile, Cortez after being satisfied that nothing was missing from his safe, headed out the door. Tony and the mystery girl heard the door swing open and closed again as Dr. Cortez's footsteps faded away. As soon as they couldn't hear anything anymore, Tony dropped his hand from the mystery girl's mouth, his eyes filled with questions.

"Who are you?" He demanded.