19
“Hey, you’re not
getting discouraged, are you?†I had a feeling Ernie would have
put a comforting hand on my shoulder if he felt we knew each other
well enough, and who knows, maybe I would have appreciated it. The
way it was, I wasn’t exactly in the mood for
consolation.
“Discouraged? Why
should I be?†Oh yeah, that was my voice, all right. The one that
sounded cynical. Not to mention bitter. “The man who said he was
going to bed with me because he liked me has just realized he’s
got his wife back and he’s so happy about it, I doubt if he’ll
ever even think of me again. And hey, what about . . . ?†I’d
been so busy feeling sorry for myself, that when this new thought
hit, it took my breath away.
“What about my mom
and dad? Maybe they won’t know she’s not me, and maybe they
won’t care. And Quinn?†I didn’t like the picture that formed
inside my head. The image of Madeline taking my place in bed next
to Quinn. “Maybe he won’t notice, either. Maybe he won’t give
a damn. Maybe nobody does.â€
Was it right to take
my bad mood out on Ernie? Probably not. Which is why I felt lousy
about it instantly.
“Sorry.†I’d
been pacing at the mouth of the alley outside the clinic and I
stopped near him. “It’s just that—â€
“No apologies
necessary.†He waved away my words. “I understand. You thought
you had one chance to set things right and now—â€
“What am I going
to do?†My shoulders slumped. My eyes filled with tears. “You
should have seen the look on his face, Ernie. Happy doesn’t begin
to describe what Dan’s feeling. This is what he’s been wanting
for three long years. It’s what he’s been praying for and
working for. And it was impossible. I mean, it should have been,
right? Madeline was dead and that should have been that, right? And
there’s no way Dan should have been able to have another chance
at being with her. But it happened, anyway. And now . . . hell,
I’ll bet he doesn’t even care how it happened. He doesn’t
care about me. Why should he? Why should anyone?â€
“I do.†Ernie
wasn’t looking for thanks, so I didn’t give him any, even
though these simple words of friendship meant more than I could
say. “There’s got to be something more you can
do.â€
“I dunno.†I
shrugged. “I’ve tried to think, but it’s getting me
nowhere.â€
“Then let me
try.†Ernie did just that, his brows low, his mouth thinned.
“What are they doing tonight? You know, Dan and that Madeline
woman?â€
Was my snort as
monumental as I feared? I didn’t much care, and from the way he
snickered, I could tell Ernie didn’t, either. “Now that Dan
knows his precious Madeline is back, they’ll probably never get
out of bed.â€
“Is that where
they were? I mean, when you left that condo and came back
here?â€
Thinking back to the
scene in the Lincoln Park condo, I shivered. “I didn’t wait to
find out,†I admitted. “I’d already seen enough. I mean,
there I was, invisible, and there wasn’t a thing I could do but
stand there and watch the way Dan thought through everything that
was happening, Madeline’s weird reactions to everything, my
message on the mirror. I knew the very moment he realized what was
really going on. I saw the way his eyes lit. After that . . .†I
didn’t know I was crying until I had to sniff away my tears.
“He’s never going to help me. Not now that his dream has come
true and he’s got his precious Madeline back. Why would
he?â€
“Maybe because
he’s a good man?â€
Another sniff. At
least my tears weren’t turning to ice in the frosty wind. “I
thought he was.â€
“Then give him
another chance.â€
“But—â€
When Ernie looked me
in the eye, he stopped my protest. “You’ve got to believe.
Remember? You’ve got to—What is it?†When he saw that
something had caught my eye, he turned to look over his shoulder
toward the street.
And he saw just what
I saw: Madeline got out of a cab, told it to wait, and walked
toward the clinic.
“What’s she
doing here?†he asked. “It’s the middle of the
night.â€
I didn’t know for
sure, but I found out when a familiar-looking guy stepped out of
the shadows and into the light thrown by the security lamp above
the front door. Baseball cap, spiky hair, dirty Army jacket. I’d
recognize Mr. Homeless FBI Agent anywhere.
I also couldn’t
fail to notice a big, fat noncoincidence when I saw one up close
and personal.
“I’ll be right
back,†I told Ernie, and OK, so I’ve bellyached about it
plenty, but being invisible is good for something. I hurried over
and joined in the meeting taking place just outside the
illumination thrown by the security light.
“I was surprised
when you called, Miss Martin.†I was shoulder to shoulder with
the FBI agent when he stepped forward and shook Madeline’s hand.
“Last time we talked, I didn’t get the impression you wanted to
help.â€
“Last time we
talked . . .†I could practically see the wheels spinning inside
Madeline’s head.
“You remember,â€
I told her, and it was too bad she couldn’t hear me, because my
words dripped with sarcasm. “The day that shadow chased me. And
then I bumped into this guy. That day I went over
to—â€
“Graceland
Cemetery! Yes, of course.†I remembered too late that Madeline
had been there. Damn it, she was able to recover and go on. “I
hope you’ll forgive me, Agent . . .â€
“Baskins. Scott
Baskins.†He supplied the name along with a curt nod. “I’m
just surprised, that’s all. What made you change your
mind?â€
“Oh, this and
that.†Madeline giggled the way I never would have. “It’s so
easy for a girl like me to get all mixed up. I mean, thinking
straight, well, it’s not something I always do well. But when I
finally had the chance to think about everything that was happening
. . .†She lifted her chin. “I hope you understand, I just want
to do the right thing.â€
“Right thing?†I
stepped closer and spoke the question like a challenge. More than
anything (well, just about anything, not including getting my body
back), I wanted to pin her down on this. “Right thing about
what?â€
“So you’re
willing to talk? About Doctor Gerard?â€
She nodded.
“I’ve got some information about the finances here at the
clinic. I can supply all the facts and figures to support what I
say. I think you’ll be surprised to see where some of the
fundraising money is going.â€
“Oh, I don’t
know about that.†Agent Baskins rocked back on the heels of his
beat-up sneakers. “We have our suspicions about Doctor Gerard.
Have had for years. But if you’ve got the proof you say you have
. . .â€
“I do.†Madeline
stepped forward. “I’ve got more than that. I’ve got
everything to prove that Dan Callahan is involved in the fraud,
too.â€
“What?â€
Maybe I wasn’t as
faded as I thought I was. Madeline might not have been able to hear
me when I screeched the single, disbelieving word, but she
twitched. Like she could feel the anger that oozed from my every
pore.
“You bitch!†I
screamed. “You told me back in Winnetka that you’d made up all
that stuff about Dan being in on Doctor Gerard’s shady scheme.
Now you’re going to lie to this guy and tell him it’s all
true?â€
“I’ll tell you
everything,†Madeline said as if answering my outraged questions.
“And I’ll provide all the proof you need.â€
“Then we need to
talk again.†Madeline stepped toward her cab, and Agent Baskins
stepped back into the shadows. “Tomorrow?†he asked. “I’m
around here all day, but it might be best if you come after dark.
If you bring me that proof you talked about, our people can start
going over the numbers.â€
When the cab pulled
away with Madeline in it, my mouth was still hanging open. That’s
how Ernie found me.
“So she’s gonna
turn him in, huh?†Ernie had been hovering in the background. He
stepped forward and shook his head. “What are you going to do
about it?â€
“What can I do?â€
I pushed my hands into the pockets of my lab coat and started my
pacing again. “Even if I could communicate with Dan the way I did
back at the condo, I’m pretty much between a rock and a hard
place. I mean, if I keep my mouth shut, he’s going to end up in
prison.â€
“And if you
don’t?â€
I sighed. “If I
can find a way to tell him . . . if he believes me . . . then
he’ll find out that Madeline is a no-good, rotten liar and that
she never really loved him. And that would break his
heart.â€
He thought for a
moment. “Seems to me there’s only one thing you can
do.â€
I’d already
decided that. Which would explain why I was grumbling again.
“What do you think?†I asked Ernie. “Think I can whoosh my way into a library?â€
He nodded. “What
are we going to investigate?†he asked.
“The names on that
list I got from Sister Maggie, for one. And we’re going to need
to steal a cell phone, too. One that can send text
messages.â€
“I’m in.†He
stepped forward, and I knew he was coming with me, only before we
went anywhere, I needed one more moment of
reassurance.
“You don’t think
. . .†I looked down at the shapeless skirt and the lab coat that
wouldn’t have looked good on anybody, not even me back when I
still had my own body. “I mean, you don’t think the part of her
personality that’s good at research is kicking in, do you? That
I’m actually starting to turn into her?â€
Ernie laughed. But
he never really answered.
It was not the
reassurance I needed.
Â
Â
I may have been
dressed like Madeline, but my brain wasn’t anywhere near as
dorky. Once we were inside the nearest library, it took a while to
figure out what we were looking for and then even longer to find
the information. Ernie and I researched long into the next morning.
By the time we were done, though, I at least had some ammunition.
We’d found newspaper articles that mentioned a couple of the
people on my list. Both were brief police blotter-type blurbs. Both
said that acquaintances had reported the people missing, and both
used the word homeless prominently. I
had no illusions. I knew it was code for who
cares anyway.
Still, I wasn’t
discouraged. The articles confirmed what I knew, and with any luck,
they’d provide the proof I needed.
Oh, not about how
Madeline had stolen my body. Or even about how she was going to
double-cross Dan.
Those were problems
so huge, I couldn’t wrap my brain around them.
At that point, all I
was worried about was Doctor Gerard, that crazy hospital of his,
and all the brains in those jars.
If I could do
something about that, if I could keep him from scooping up anybody
else from the streets and using them to try and contact the Other
Side...
Well, I wouldn’t
exactly be happy, but at least I could say I’d accomplished
something before I faded into oblivion.
By the time we were
done and after all the energy I used looking through the
library’s computer files, I was pretty whooped. But I couldn’t
stop. Not yet. Like I’d actually done some purse snatching in the
past, I cruised the library with an expert eye and found just the
victim I was looking for as she was reading in the magazine
section. She was young enough to understand technology and savvy
enough (after all, she was wearing Armani, so she must have been)
to keep up with the latest trends. I waited for her to get up and
get a copy of the newest issue of Vogue
and thanked my lucky stars that she didn’t take her purse with
her. It was a boneheaded move on her part; anyone smart enough to
wear Armani should have known that. But I wasn’t complaining. I
slipped my hand into her Coach bag and came out with her
iPhone.
“Done,†I said.
Phone in hand, I zoomed past Ernie quickly, as if I might actually
get caught. “Let’s get out of here.â€
He was right behind
me when I stepped back into the street. “And go where?†he
asked.
I hung on to that
iPhone for dear life because I didn’t want to lose it when we
whooshed to wherever we were about to go. “There’s only one
person who will believe any of what’s going on. Even if he
doesn’t want to help me, he’ll want to help you. He’ll want
to help everyone who’s been kidnapped and killed. You’re right,
Ernie, he’s one of the good guys and I’ve got to trust him.
That’s why we’re going back to see Dan.â€
Just like I
expected, the world tipped and we whizzed across town. Yeah, I was
a little afraid I’d land next to the bed in that Lincoln Park
condo. That’s why I squeezed my eyes shut and kept them that way,
even after the world stopped whirring by. At least, that is, until
I smelled the heavenly scent of morning coffee and the aroma of
fresh-baked muffins.
When I opened my
eyes, I grinned. I’d recognize the standard-issue decor anywhere.
“Starbucks,†I told Ernie, and glanced around. Madeline was
sitting at a table for two over near the windows, and Dan was
headed her way with a tray.
Before he came into
her line of vision, he paused for a moment, just standing there,
looking at her as if she were a banquet—and he were the starving
man who found himself with an unexpected invitation.
My stomach flipped,
but I reminded myself I couldn’t lose heart. Not if I expected to
help all the people who’d been killed by Hilton
Gerard.
“She’s going to
do you wrong,†I warned Dan, but of course, he couldn’t hear
me. He shook himself out of his daydream and sat down.
He set the tray on
the table, put down a plate of blueberry muffins, and slid a Grande
Latte across to Madeline. “I’m surprised you didn’t get
skim.â€
She had been reading
the front page of the Tribune and
looked up as if she forgot she wasn’t alone. “Skim? Milk?â€
She wrinkled her nose and gave her coffee a quizzical look. “Do I
usually?â€
His smile was a
little strained. At least for a moment. The next second, it
blossomed like the morning sun. “You’re full of surprises these
past couple days,†he said. “That’s why I want to talk to
you.â€
She skimmed the
front page while she took another sip of coffee. “About
what?â€
“About something
important.†He reached across the table and touched her hand, and
Madeline got the message.
I could just about
see the effort it took her to pretend she was actually interested.
“Of course. You’ve always got something important to talk
about, don’t you? I forget sometimes. You know, on account of how
I’m not very—â€
“Bright. Yeah. I
figured you were going to say that.†He didn’t sound happy
about it. “That’s what I have to talk to you about, Pepper.
You’re not acting like yourself.â€
“So...â€
Interested, I scurried closer. “You haven’t told her yet, have
you?†I asked Dan, fully expecting not to get an answer.
“You’ve spent the last day thinking about your theory. About
how Pepper isn’t Pepper. About how Madeline is back. I can
practically see the wheels spinning in that too-smart brain of
yours. You want to make sure you don’t make any mistakes, say
anything stupid. She doesn’t know that you know!â€
This scenario had
never occurred to me, of course, because if I were in Dan’s
place, it’s not how I would have handled the situation. The
moment I found out the person I was with might not really be the
person I thought I was with but might really be a dead person who I
really wanted to see only I never thought I would again
because—
Well,
anyway...
I would have pounced
with a thousand questions and demands to hear the whole truth and
nothing but, and I wouldn’t have rested until I did.
But that’s not how
Dan worked.
Dan was smart and
very cautious. Of course he’d take his time. No doubt he’d been
hard at work on the problem ever since the day before when I broke
the news with my shaving-cream message. Now he was past the
thinking phase and into the probing stage, and I didn’t want to
miss a word. There was an empty chair nearby, and I sat down,
leaned forward, and listened.
The whole time I’d
been thinking about this, Madeline was fussing and fidgeting,
obviously trying to get her story straight in her head. She
squeezed Dan’s hand and said, “I told you, Danny, I’m a new
woman.â€
“And I appreciate
how that could happen. I mean, with what you went through at that
hospital and all.†He picked up his coffee cup, but he didn’t
take a drink. “That was really something, the way you grabbed
that empty bucket and threw it into the middle of the floor so that
the attendant tripped and we could get past him and
escape.â€
I didn’t
appreciate the revisionist history. Offended, I sat up. “It
wasn’t a bucket,†I said, “and I didn’t trip him. I grabbed
the mop, remember? I hoisted it in both hands, swung,
and—â€
And the sense of
what Dan was saying hit. I perked up and listened, anxious to see
if Madeline would fall into his trap.
“I can be spunky,
all right!†She giggled.
“And when we found
that open back door and ran out into the parking lot . . .†Dan
watched her carefully.
“It was cold,â€
Madeline said. It was the perfect generic response.
I knew an
opportunity when I saw it, and before the moment passed and she did
anything to squelch his suspicions, I pulled out the pilfered
iPhone.
Oscar Zmeskis
I sent the text
message and didn’t worry about cost. After all, Armani woman was
paying. At least until she discovered her phone was gone and
disconnected the service.
When Dan’s phone
signaled a message, he dug it out of his pocket and read the words
on the screen. “Oscar Zmeskis?†He looked at Madeline. “That
name mean anything to you?â€
Oh yeah, it meant
something to her, all right. That would explain why her cheeks went
a little chalky.
Now that I had the
advantage, I struck again.
Becka Chance
Again, Dan read the
message out loud. This time, Madeline pushed back from the
table.
“Somebody’s
playing a trick on you,†she said. She looked all around, and I
had no doubt she was looking for me. “Why would somebody just
send you random names?â€
“Unless they’re
not random.†Dan watched the screen on his phone, and who was I
to disappoint him?
Alan Grankowski, Leon Harris, Lony Billberger, Athalea
Misborough
He read the names
over once, then read them again. “You don’t suppose . .
.â€
“What?†By now,
Madeline was on her feet. I’ve got to say, I was surprised my
messages got such a rise out of her. “Obviously, somebody’s got
the wrong number. They’re sending you information that should be
going to someone else.â€
“I thought you
said they were playing a trick on me?†Dan watched her
carefully.
And I struck one
last time. I sent him the dates and page numbers of the newspaper
articles Ernie and I had found. The ones that talked about Alan and
Lony being missing.
As if it would all
make him see better, Dan took off his glasses and rubbed the lenses
against his Aran sweater. When he put them back on, his blue eyes
glittered. “What are the chances these are the names on that list
you can’t find?†he asked her. “What if someone else knows
who’s on the list? I mean, I know you said you didn’t remember,
but—â€
“No. Those names
aren’t familiar at all.†Madeline stepped back from the table.
“It’s a wrong number, that’s all it is. And I . . .†She
looked over her shoulder. “I have to go to the ladies’ room.
I’ll be right back.â€
He couldn’t argue.
Not with an excuse like that. Instead, Dan pulled a notebook out of
the laptop case on the chair next to him and wrote down the names
I’d sent along with the newspaper names, the dates, and the page
numbers. He sat looking at the information, tapping his pen against
the tabletop.
And I watched
Madeline disappear into the restroom, and I was more surprised than
I can say.
Why?
Because though I was
anxious to get the names of the missing to Dan so that he could
start investigating on his own, I hadn’t expected that kind of
reaction from Madeline.
It made me wonder if
she was lying again; if she recognized the names.
And if so, if she
knew exactly what was happening to those people out in
Winnetka.