6
“The people who
are recruited into Dan’s study are missing and you never bothered
to mention it . . . because . . . ? Don’t you think that’s kind
of important?â€
I didn’t stop to
look at Madeline as I asked this. It was the morning after I’d
been to Piece. I was in my hotel room, and I was busy gathering my
coat and my dorky hat and scarf. Once I had it all bundled in my
arms, I turned to face her. “Huh? Did I hear you say something?
Because maybe you didn’t say it loud enough. Maybe that’s why I
didn’t hear your explanation.â€
If she had any class
at all, Madeline would have looked at least a little embarrassed.
Or a little guilty. Instead, she sniffed in an
I’m-better-than-you-and-you-wouldn’t-understand-anyway sort of
way. “Exactly why I disappeared last night after Danny and Hilton
left in their cab,†she said. “I knew you’d have this
attitude.â€
“What attitude
would that be, exactly? The one that says a detective who’s
investigating needs all the facts? Shit, Madeline, if people are
really going into that study and never coming out
again—â€
“They
are.â€
Ice filled my
stomach and poured through my veins. In spite of the fact that I
was hugging my wool coat, I was chilled to the bone. “No way Dan
could be involved.â€
She made that
annoying sniffing sound again. “That’s what you said about the
money.â€
“But the
money—â€
“Is for the study.
Weren’t you listening to a thing I said last night? Danny has
come on board at the clinic. He’s going to be Hilton’s
assistant. If people are missing—and they are, Pepper, believe me
when I tell you this—if people are missing, then he’s going to
have a lot more to answer for than just some government money
that’s been misspent.â€
I knew this. It was
one of the reasons I hadn’t slept a wink the night before.
Believe me, I could prove this, because it had taken a major coat
of Guerlain Happylogy to hide the dark circles under my eyes.
Unfortunately, not even high-priced cosmetics could calm the chaos
inside me. My heart pounded a mile a minute and my knees were weak.
“Why didn’t you tell me?†This time when I asked the
question, I looked Madeline in the eye, the better to pin her down.
“It’s not exactly a little detail.â€
“No, it
isn’t.†She glanced away.
Was that a bit of a
conscience I detected? My temper ratcheted back a bit, and for the
first time since I’d bumped into this ectoplasmic nuisance, I
found myself thinking that beneath all that academic horseshit,
there actually might be a compassionate person—in a very dead
way, of course.
“I didn’t think
you’d believe me,†she said. “It’s clear to me that you
have feelings for Danny, and . . .†She brushed aside the
comment, and it was just as well. I was in no mood to go another
couple rounds with her while I tried to make her understand all the
things about my relationship with Dan that I didn’t understand
myself.
“You had to see
them together,†Madeline said. “It was the only way I could
prove to you that they know each other, that they’re working
together. I hoped that when you did—â€
“You could tell me
the rest of the story.â€
She nodded. “So
what are you going to do now?†she asked.
I marched across the
room and grabbed the Chicago Transit map I’d picked up at the
concierge desk in the middle of the night when pacing around the
nearly deserted hotel struck me as a better idea than lying in bed
and staring at the ceiling.
“Do? I don’t
know what you’re going to do, but I’m going to use public
transportation,†I told her.
I didn’t bother
trying to explain. There was no way I could make her understand
that the very notion struck more terror in my heart than any ghost
ever had.
Â
Â
My plan hit its
first speed bump the minute I was off the elevator and into the
lobby. That’s when Doris spotted me and closed in.
“Aren’t you the
eager beaver!†She said this like Ella would have. Like it was a
good thing. “But you don’t need your coat yet, honey. The tour
of Rosehill Cemetery isn’t until this afternoon. We’ve got the
welcoming speech from the conference chair first, and then the
morning break-out sessions start. What are you going to?†She
flipped through the conference program she had clutched in one
hand. It was already well-worn, and a number of the pages had their
corners bent to mark them. “Legislative
Update on Land Management sounds terrific, of course, but I
can buy the tape of that session. I’m thinking I’ll do either
Burial Rights or Flag Etiquette. How about you?â€
“Flag Etiquette.†I answered without thinking, and
when she chirped in with, “Then I’ll come along,†I amended
it to, “Burial
Rights.â€
“It’s hard to
make up your mind when all the sessions sound so good, isn’t
it?†Doris waved to someone across the lobby, and though I hoped
that meant our little meeting was officially at an end, she never
left my side. “I know what I’ll be going to later in the
week.†She grinned when she said this and opened her booklet to a
page where she had the talk on Resurrectionists circled in red.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world. Partly because I know it’s
Ella’s topic. Ella’s research is always impeccable and her
sources . . . well . . . they just blow me away! But I’ll tell
you, kiddo, I’m anxious to hear you speak, too. I’ve got a
feeling that with a couple more years under your belt, you’re
going to be a powerful force in the cemetery
business.â€
I wasn’t sure what
made me queasier, her prediction or the thought of standing up in
front of a room filled with people and reading the inch-high report
Ella had sent to Chicago with me. Rather than worry about either, I
sidestepped toward the revolving door that led out to the street.
“I’ll be back in time for Burial
Rights,†I said, lying through my teeth with an ease that
can only come from long practice. “I’ve just got to run out for
a bit and . . .â€
Lucky for me, I
wasn’t obliged to finish. Grant showed up with Myra and the rest
of the bunch we’d had dinner with the night before, and while
they were busy chatting, I slipped out of the hotel.
My luck held. The
nearest L station was close, and the transit system was far easier
to navigate than I imagined any big city’s public transportation
could be. Without too much incident (and being careful not to get
too close to any of the folks on the train who looked as grimy as
the guy who’d accosted me the night before), I got out at the
right station and followed the directions I’d printed from the
hotel’s computer.
The closer I got to
my destination, the more folks I saw who looked like Mr. Homeless.
It wasn’t hard to see why. The neighborhood was as shabby as the
people who shambled by. I ignored a guy sleeping in a doorway and
pretended not to notice the one taking a pee in an alleyway.
Instead, I double-checked the address on that same computer
printout and stopped directly across the street from the Gerard
Clinic.
What was I planning
to do now that I was there?
It was exactly what
I’d been asking myself, and the answer was pretty much that I
wasn’t sure, but I thought I might—maybe—go inside and see if
Dan was around, and if he was, that I might—maybe—find a way to
warn him that he might—maybe—be in trouble. If I could
accomplish all that, then I might—maybe—try to talk some sense
into him without confessing that I had the inside scoop on the
dirty dealings going on there from a person who worked at the
clinic before she was dead.
Just thinking about
it all made my head hurt.
Before I had a
chance to give in to the pain or the nervousness that drummed
through me when I wondered how I was going to pull it all off, I
stepped off the curb to cross the street. When I did, something
caught my eye. Or I should say more accurately, someone. He was
standing in the alleyway between the clinic and the building next
door, and I recognized the dirty Army jacket and the weird, spiky
hair in an instant. Yeah, that’s right—it was the same
panhandler I’d run into outside of Piece.
Not so unusual,
since as ragged as he was, he fit right into the neighborhood. But
considering how far I was from where I’d been the night before,
it struck me as a tad odd to find him loitering. So did the fact
that he took one look at me and took off like a bat out of
hell.
I tried to follow,
but let’s face it, athletics is not my strong suit. By the time I
dodged traffic and got to the other side of the street, I was out
of breath and Homeless Guy had already rounded the nearest corner.
There was no way I was going to catch him, so there was no use even
trying.
“You know that
guy?â€
The question came
from behind me in a deep baritone voice, and I turned just as a man
emerged from the alley. He was tall and thin, wearing a gray
raincoat that had seen better days and one of those flat-topped,
brimmed tweed caps that looks like it should be on the head of some
guy drinking in an Irish pub. His skin was the color of strong
coffee, his eyes were dark, and when he looked where I was looking,
his eyes lit with a spark of curiosity. “He a friend of
yours?â€
I nearly said
something along the lines of “Not a chance, considering the guy
who ran is a homeless panhandler and I do not associate with the
likes of him.†I stopped myself just in time when I realized the
man who stepped out of the alley was a homeless panhandler, too.
The hell with being politically correct; I was not about to get
myself in trouble in a neighborhood where I clearly did not
belong.
“A friend?
Nope.†I tucked my hands into my pockets and took a step back and
away from the mouth of the alleyway. There were smells coming out
of it that were less than pleasant, and I was no fool. Though the
guy in the raincoat seemed friendly enough, I wasn’t going to
take the chance of getting mugged. “He looks plenty familiar,
though. Do you know him?â€
“Seen him hanging
around.†The man in the raincoat shifted his gaze and gave me a
careful once-over. “Haven’t seen you here
before.â€
“No. It’s my
first time.†I took another step back. “I’m here to see one
of Doctor Gerard’s assistants.â€
“You applying for
a job?â€
It seemed as good an
excuse as any. “Maybe,†I told him. “Are there any
openings?â€
He rocked back on
his heels. “Can’t say for sure, but when you get inside, maybe
you could put in a good word for me. The name’s Ernie.†For the
first time, I noticed he was carrying something tucked under his
right arm. He shifted it and stuck out his hand. He wasn’t
wearing gloves.
Eager for
information and with no options, I shook his hand. “A good word?
Are you looking for work here, too?â€
Ernie’s laugh was
full-bodied. “Don’t think I’m qualified,†he said.
“Alberta, now she would fit in perfect at the clinic.†He
reached for what was now tucked under his left arm and turned it
toward me, and I saw that it was a photograph in a beat-up frame.
It showed a smiling African American woman wearing a neat suit and
a string of pearls. I’m not much for history, but from her
clothing and her hairdo, I guessed the picture was taken back in
the seventies. “She’s an educated woman, my Alberta. Works at
the library, over at the Scottsdale branch.†He paused, and when
he gave the photo a long look, his eyes misted. “A real educated
woman,†he said.
The way his voice
faded, I could tell I was going to lose him if I didn’t act fast.
“So, you want me to put in a good word for you, huh? Sure, I can
do that.â€
Ernie tucked the
picture back where it came from. “You think? That would be real
nice. I tried to talk to Doctor Gerard myself about it, but he’s
a busy man, you know. He said maybe next time I’ve got an
appointment we could discuss it, but . . . well . . . like I said,
he’s a busy man and I’m not due to get my medications filled
for at least another week. By that time . . . well . . .†He
chafed his hands together. “It sure isn’t getting any warmer
out here, if you know what I mean. If you could talk to him about
it today, that would be real nice.â€
I scrambled to put
together the pieces of what Ernie was talking about and got nowhere
fast. With a sigh that sent a cloud of heated air around me, I gave
up. “I’d be happy to,†I told Ernie. “Only you have to tell
me what you want me to talk to him about.â€
“Why, that study
of his, of course.†Something told me that had he been less
polite, Ernie would have pointed out that I was lamebrained for not
knowing this. “Doctor Gerard, he’s got that special study of
his, and I hear he’s accepting new patients. Oscar, my friend who
lives in the alley here just next to where I’ve got my stuff, he
went into it just last week. And Becka, that nasty crack whore who
used to hang out around here looking to score, I haven’t seen her
in a while. I hear she got into the study, too.â€
The excitement in
Ernie’s voice did not jibe with what I’d heard from Madeline.
“So it’s a good thing to be part of the study?â€
Ernie looked at me
as if I was the dumbest woman he’d ever met, and for all I knew,
I was. “The patients in the study, they get three squares a day.
And a place to live. Hell, even if it’s just a room there in the
clinic, it’s got to be warmer than my box here in the
alley.â€
I probed carefully.
“Is that what they say? The folks in the study? They told you
they’re getting meals and a place to live?â€
Ernie thought about
this for a moment. “Well, not in so many words,†he finally
said. He scratched a hand along his chin. “Seeing as how once
they’re in that study, they don’t come around here anymore. Why
would they? I mean, if they’ve got beds to sleep in and food in
their stomachs, why would they bother with us
anymore?â€
I didn’t want to
put words into his mouth, but I had to know the truth. “So they
go into the study and then . . .â€
“Lucky devils.â€
Ernie did not follow where I was hoping to lead him, which was to a
confirmation—or denial—of what Madeline had told me. Instead,
he shook his head. “That’s why I’m hoping you could mention
my name to Doctor Gerard. You know, as a kind of favor. Don’t
know how much longer I can last in that box of
mine.â€
I was getting
nowhere except colder. I took another step toward the clinic.
“Got it!†I gave Ernie the thumbs-up. “I’ll be sure to tell
him all about you and how you’re qualified and all.†A thought
struck, and I stopped in my tracks. “How are people accepted into
the study, anyway?†I asked Ernie. “What do you have to
do?â€
“Don’t have to
do anything. Just have to be special.†Ernie nodded. “The way I
see it, I’m pretty special.â€
“You are.†I
nodded in return. “But special, how?â€
“Aberrant
behavior. That’s what I heard one of the nurses there in the
clinic call it.†He tipped his head toward the building.
“They’re looking for folks with aberrant behavior, and when
they find them, they put them into that study. Alberta, she would
know what they’re talking about, but it makes no sense to me. You
got any idea what that might mean, that talk of aberrant
behavior?â€
I did, but I
wasn’t about to go into details. Back when I first met Dan, he
had mentioned any number of times that my brain scans revealed that
my behavior should be aberrant. As far as I was concerned, I had
never demonstrated this (at least not to him), so he wasn’t
justified in pointing it out. I guess I was still a little touchy
on the subject. That would explain why my spine
stiffened.
“Aberrant. That
might mean people who hear things. And see things. Things that
other people can’t see or hear,†I told Ernie.
“Well, that would
explain Becka, that’s for sure. Though I think she only saw
things when she was high. Hardly counts, does it?â€
I couldn’t deny
this.
Ernie turned away.
“Aberrant.†His grumble echoed back at me from the gloomy alley
where he disappeared into the shadows. “As soon as I figure out
what they’re looking for, I’m going to act aberrant, too. If it
will get me a good home-cooked meal, hell, it just might be worth
it.â€
I wasn’t about to
follow Ernie into that alley. Instead, I turned and headed up the
steps to the clinic door. I was almost there when I heard someone
call my name.
I turned just in
time to see Dan Callahan step out of a cab and wave to me, and
though I’d been obsessing about what to say to him and how to
explain what I was doing there, Dan, apparently, had no such
worries. He raced up the steps to greet me, his smile a mile
wide.
“This is terrific!
It’s so good to see you again.†He grabbed both my hands and
squeezed them, then he held on to me. I was glad. His black leather
gloves provided an extra layer of warmth. Or maybe the heat was
generated by the simple fact that Dan was standing so close to me.
“I knew you’d come around,†he said, honest relief in his
voice. “Tell me, how did you find Doctor Gerard?â€
Have I mentioned
that I was getting very good at lying? When I looked into Dan’s
eyes, I smiled. “Oh, you know how it is.†Hoping to catch him
off guard, I made sure I giggled a bit, too. I know for a fact that
when a woman giggles, a guy doesn’t always pay close attention to
what she’s saying. “Doctor Gerard is famous. It’s only
natural that I heard—â€
“About the study.
Of course.†Dan let go of my hands. Too bad. Even when he backed
up a step, his smile never wavered. “I’m glad you’re finally
ready to admit you’re special,†he said.
This should have
cheered me. It would have if he had said special the way I’d always imagined he’d say it
when he was looking deep into my eyes. I was hoping for
special as in wow,
Pepper, you’re the most special woman I know. What I got
instead was more like wow, Pepper, those are
some special brain scans you have.
I guess I’m not
very good at hiding my disappointment, because he picked up on my
mood instantly.
“Doctor Gerard is
one of the world’s foremost authorities on abnormal brain
function.†Dan said this like he knew it would make me feel
better. “This is the best place for you.â€
My smile was tight.
“And what are you doing here?†I asked.
“I’m working
with Doctor Gerard,†Dan said, and he was so excited, I don’t
think he noticed that my shoulders drooped. So, Madeline was right.
A claw of uneasiness made my insides as cold as my outsides.
“It’s the chance of a lifetime,†Dan said. “And your timing
couldn’t be more perfect. You know I called you the other
day?â€
I remembered the
phone call Quinn had fielded while I was in the shower. “You
didn’t say what you wanted.â€
“I didn’t expect
a man to answer the phone. Not that early in the morning. What, was
he there fixing your cable or something?†Leave it to Dan not to
consider there might be any other possibility. Before I could point
this out, he went right on. “I was planning to call again as soon
as I was settled in here. I was going to try and convince you to
come to the clinic and be evaluated, but it looks like you beat me
to it. This is great, Pepper. We’ll have the chance to work
together. You’ve done all your initial screening
tests?â€
Who was I to tell
him he was way off base? Or to ruin a perfectly good chance to find
out more about what was going on? I nodded.
“Great. Then
I’ll look over the results as soon as I have a chance, and we can
plan the next phase of your assessment from there. Right now . .
.†He glanced toward the clinic door. “I’ve got a meeting
with Doctor Gerard in just a couple minutes, and he doesn’t like
to be kept waiting. Dinner?â€
Poor Dan, he took my
smiling agreement at face value. If only he knew the truth. Dinner
was my chance to get closer to him, sure.
It was also the
perfect opportunity to figure out what was happening.
And to find out once
and for all how deeply he was involved with the disappearances at
the Gerard Clinic.
Â
Â
When Dan arrived at
my hotel late that afternoon, he found me pacing my room. Quick
study that he is, he knew right away that something was
wrong.
Or maybe he picked
up on that because I was grumbling.
And the pages of
Ella’s presentation were scattered all over the
floor.
“What?†Leave it
to Dan to be Mr. Neatnik. No sooner was he inside the door than he
bent to retrieve the pages closest to him. “You had a hurricane
in here or something?â€
I barely contained a
screech. “I can’t stand the thought of giving that stupid
talk.†I wasn’t a clean freak, but even I knew I wouldn’t
sleep that night with the room in that state. While I cursed myself
for losing my temper and chucking the pages, I scooped up the
papers that had landed near the bathroom door. “It’s boring,â€
I said, plunking the pages down on the coffee table. “It’s
dull. Ella’s the one who wrote this stupid speech and nobody’s
going to want to hear me give it and I’m—â€
“You’re giving a
talk here at the conference?†Dan glanced at the pages briefly
before he set them down. He glanced at me, too, and I couldn’t
help but notice that something almost like admiration shone in his
eyes. “You’re nervous.â€
I could have argued
with him, but there didn’t seem to be much point. I dropped into
the nearest chair, pulled in a deep breath, and confessed to him
what I’d been afraid to admit even to myself. “I’m scared to
death.â€
His laugh didn’t
make me feel better. “Hey!†He hurried over and patted my
shoulder. “It’s not so bad. Believe me, I’ve given plenty of
talks in my day.†He flipped through the pages still in his
hands. “Resurrectionists, huh? They’ll eat this stuff
up.â€
“Easy for you to
say. You’re not the one who’s going to be standing in front of
a room full of cemetery geeks.†Because I didn’t want to think
about it, I got up, and without being too obvious about it, checked
my hair and my makeup in the nearest mirror. I’d dressed
carefully in jeans and a dark, bulky sweater. I didn’t know where
we were going for dinner, but I wasn’t going to take any chances
with the cold. I added a coat of gloss over the lipstick I was
wearing.
By the time I was
done, Dan had all the pages picked up and stacked neatly. “Good
thing they’re numbered,†he said. “Maybe Ella knew you’d
lose it and end up tossing her talk.â€
He was going for
funny. I wasn’t laughing.
“I’ll tell you
what.†Dan did his best to appease me. “We’ll take the pages
along and you can practice on me. What do you say?â€
“Really?†Not
one to pass on an opportunity, I grabbed Ella’s talk and stuffed
the pages into my purse. “You’ll let me read it? It’ll put
you to sleep.â€
“Pepper.†I
don’t know if his eyes twinkled or if it was a reflection off his
glasses. I only know that when he looked at me that way, even
reading a dull talk about a dull subject suddenly didn’t sound so
dull anymore. “I could never get bored when I’m with you,†he
said.
I got so warm, I
almost forgot to grab my jacket before we left the
room.
We were in the
elevator and headed downstairs when Dan looked at his
watch.
“I hope you
don’t mind that I asked to meet you so early,†he said.
“There’s still something I have to take care of before we can
head off to dinner, and I want to get there before they close. I
thought maybe you’d like to come along.â€
Our elevator
stopped, and a couple people I recognized as conference goers got
in. Fortunately, they weren’t with the Doris crowd. They didn’t
know me and I didn’t know them. I was free to continue my
conversation with Dan, and I ignored them and turned my attention
back to him.
Dan’s smile was
sincere. “When I’m in Chicago I never let a day go by without
doing what I thought we could do now. I’ve been busy all day and
there hasn’t been a chance and—â€
I hated to see him
feel bad. Especially since he’d volunteered to listen to Ella’s
talk. “No problem.†The elevator bumped to a stop at the lobby,
and since we were in the back, we waited while the people up front
got off. He stepped aside so I could get off before him. “Where
are we headed, anyway?†I asked.
Dan’s comment was
casual enough. “I thought we’d stop and visit my
wife.â€
Did I say casual? My
reaction to this bombshell was anything but. As a matter of fact, I
stood there so long, the elevator doors were already closing before
I realized I was headed back upstairs. I bumped the door with my
hip and saw that while I was frozen with shock, Dan had already
gotten off the elevator. Maybe he realized he’d blindsided me
when he saw that my mouth was hanging open.
“I’m sorry,
Pepper. I should have told you sooner.†His words teetered
between being an apology and a simple statement of fact. “I would
have, of course, but the subject just never came up. Now that
you’re in Doctor Gerard’s study and we’re going to be seeing
each other more, it makes sense for us to be honest and open with
each other.†The smile Dan offered had warmed me through and
through only a short time before. Now it did nothing but ignite my
temper. “I guess it’s time we know everything there is about
each other, right?â€
“And you’re
telling me . . .†Was that my voice? It sounded high and tight. I
coughed and tried again, and it took more willpower than I knew I
had to control my anger. “You’re going to stand here like
it’s nothing at all and tell me that you have a wife? Don’t you
think you could have mentioned that before?â€
“I could have. I
would have, but . . .†Dan shrugged. “It didn’t seem
important at the time.â€
Maybe I’d been
getting the wrong signals from Dan all this time, but I thought
not. A woman knows these things, and this woman knew that the
signals Dan was sending weren’t the signals of a married man. Not
when it came to me. OK, a married man who just wants to be friends
might have saved my life the way Dan did back at the cemetery the
spring before. But that same married man never would have kissed me
the way he kissed me after. Not unless he had something more than
just friendship in mind.
I swallowed down the
lump of outrage in my throat. “You’re telling me you’re
married and that’s not important?â€
His smile was
instantly apologetic. “Not married. Was married. I’m not explaining this well, am
I?†Dan ran a hand through his a-little-more-than-shaggy hair
before he reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, and
flipped it open. “Here,†he said, holding a picture out for me
to see. “Here’s a picture of my wife. My late wife. You see,
she’s dead.â€
Oh, I saw, all
right. I saw plenty.
Because right then
and there, I found myself face-to-face with a photograph of
Madeline Tremayne.