_Wednesday, April 8
4:40 P.M.
_
"Hi," he said, walking through the door of Ally's downtown studio,
CitiSpace. Jennifer had the desk at the front and she served as a
makeshift receptionist. She looked up as he continued, "I don't have an
appointment, but I'd love to see Ally Hampton. Any chance?"
"And you're . . . ?"
Just as he started to tell her, Ally emerged from her office/cubicle in
the back and spotted him.
"Stone! What--"
"Bet you didn't think you'd see me again quite so soon."
She felt her pulse jump. No, she hadn't. She'd told him she was going
down to the office, but she'd certainly had no idea (or hope) he'd just
show up a couple of hours later.
Since she got back to the office she'd been in a struggle with her
conscience over what to do about Kristen. Was there any good to be
served by bringing in the police? At the time it had seemed pointless
and it still felt that way. The whole matter was awfully anecdotal.
Worse, she didn't really feel she should talk it over with
Jennifer, which she would have loved to do. They supported each other
in a lot of things, but this crazy story would just freak her out. Why
do that?
The more troubling thing was, she'd started feeling tired and slightly
dizzy. Now she was just hoping to stay focused long enough to last out
the day. What, she wondered was happening to her? It wasn't like a
chest-tightening spell of angina--which, thankfully, she hadn't had for
a couple of days now. No, this just felt like something was sapping her
energy. She couldn't help the suspicion that this queasy condition was
somehow related to her encounter with Dr. Van de Vliet's testy blond
colleague Debra. While she was supposedly taking that blood sample, was
she also doing something else?
"Welcome to my home away from home. You're right, I didn't expect--"
"CitiSpace," he interjected seeming to try out the word as he looked
around She noticed that Jennifer and the others automatically assumed
he was a new client of hers and were trying to look preoccupied. Jen,
however, was giving him a furtive appraisal, running the numbers. He
was a decent looker, actually kind of cute, and he seemed pleasant and
outgoing. Not a bad start. That was what she would say the moment he
was out of earshot.
"You like the name?"
"Not bad. Sort of a takeoff on Citibank?"
"My dad came up with it back before they copyrighted that name. Maybe
they stole the idea from us." She was feeling cheered by the sight of
him. Yes, it was good to have him back for a while, maybe longer. "But
come on, let me introduce you around"
Which she did. Jennifer gave her a telepathic glance that said This guy
looks like he might be worth the effort. What's the deal?
Then they went to Ally's office, a high-walled cubicle in the back with
a computer and a drafting table. She had a CAD program running.
"Sorry to just invite myself down like this," he said, "but I got off
work early. Matter of fact, I just became a freelancer. My office now
consists of three cardboard boxes in my walk-up apartment."
"What do you mean? That phone page? Did--"
"Winston Bartlett owns the building where the Sentinel's offices are.
Seems he convinced the management that it would be in their interest if
I were no longer employed there. I gather he thinks I know more than I
actually do about what's going on out at the Dorian Institute, and I
guess he thought getting me fired would slow me down. What it has done,
however, is to give me even more incentive to surpass his most paranoid
assumptions. Now I'm going to take him on full-time. I want to know
everything."
"Oh, Stone, I'm so sorry." She wasn't buying his bravado. He didn't
look like a guy who could last very long without a paycheck.
"I have to say he gave me fair warning. That meeting where he yelled at
me. This little turn of the screw is not a total shock."
"But that whole thing with Kristen . . . I'll bet that's what sent him
over the edge. I shouldn't have gotten you involved in that."
"This had nothing to do with you, believe me." He shrugged "Besides, it
gives me even more motivation to finish the book fast. And I'm also
looking forward to spending some of my newfound quality time with you
again, if you'll let me. In your favor, you've actually been inside the
Dorian Institute, which is more than I can say."
She wasn't a big believer in the magic of a second time around--that
would have to await further evidence--but having Stone back in her life
was definitely helping on the psychological-support front.
"I'm thinking," he went on, "that maybe we should go back to Kristen's
apartment and turn the place inside out. Do it right. We both let
ourselves get distracted by the little matter of our other lives."
"Stone, I'm not sure"--she lowered her voice and sat down at her desk--
"but I may be having a reaction to something one of Van de Vliet's
research assistants did to me out at the institute this morning. I
don't know. I'm just feeling sort of weak and... funny. I'm thinking
maybe I should call out there and talk to him." She took a deep breath
and seemed to be mounting her courage. "Or if he needs to see me, could
you possibly drive for me? I'm not sure I'm up to it"
"Hey, I'd love a chance to get inside that place." Then his eyes grew
uncertain. "But are you sure you want to go back, after what seems to
have happened to Kristen? You might consider waiting till we find her
and--"
"Ally, are you all right?" Jennifer was walking in, carrying a manila
folder. "You look kind of queasy. Can I make you some tea or
something?"
"Thanks but not now," she said. "I'm feeling weird, but maybe I should
call out to the institute and see what Van de Vliet says."
"Just don't agree to do anything until we talk," Stone said.
"Don't worry," she said reaching for the phone. The number for the
Dorian Institute was now newly entered on her Palm Pilot and she called
it. When the receptionist answered she gave her name and asked for Dr.
Van de Vliet. "I was there this morning and gave a blood sample to Dr.
Debra Connolly. I don't know if there's any connection, but I'm really
feeling strange right now."
"What do you mean by 'strange'?" the woman asked. "Can you describe how
you feel exactly? He's in the lab downstairs."
"That's just it I'm not sure I need to actually see him. I'd just like
to talk to him."
"He doesn't like to be disturbed. Unless it's something very
important."
"It's important enough for me to try to call him," she declared feeling
herself abruptly seething. "I'm weak and dizzy. And my stomach is not
in such great shape either."
"What did you have for lunch?"
My God, she realized she hadn't actually had any. After the disaster
with Kristen, she'd been in such turmoil that she hadn't even thought
about food.
On the other hand, she knew what food deprivation felt like. This was
something else.
"I didn't have all that much lunch, but that's not the problem. Now
will you please put me through?"
"Let me see what I can do," she said. "I'll call down and ask him. He
might be able to see you."
Ally listened as the line went blank.
That was when she remembered she had some smoked turkey in the office
fridge. Maybe a quick sandwich was called for.
While she waited, Stone was looking around the offices, taking
everything in. Carrying the phone, she walked out and followed him.
What, she wondered, was the place telling him about her? The meager
furniture was low-slung and utilitarian, with lots of beige and dark
brown. And there were several huge storage files for blueprints and
designs. There also was a comfortable easy chair and lamp near a
bookcase in the corner. On the table next to the chair were two British
mysteries and a thick, recently written history of New York City.
He walked over and picked it up. It was 760 pages long.
"This your idea of reading for relaxation?" he asked, waving it at her.
"I tried to get through it, but I only got up to the 1930s and then I
started having a bout of acute sleeping sickness every time I picked it
up."
"Hey, the history of this city is a mental hobby of mine. It's always
renewing itself." She smiled. "Think about it. When developers convert
industrial space to residential, we end up getting a lot of work."
Then she heard the phone crackle alive. It was Van de Vliet. "Alexa,
what seems to be the problem?"
She told him.
"Then I think it's important that you come back out here as soon as you
can. I can't say anything until I've seen you. This could be something
that could affect your procedure."
"But what do you think--"
"I don't diagnose over the phone. I was about to go home, but I'll wait
for you."
She listened as he clicked off.
"Shit."
"What did he say?" Stone asked.
"He said I've got to come out."
"Do you really want to do that?"
"I don't know. But what's the point of going to a doctor here? They
wouldn't know--"
"Then at least let me drive you," Stone declared. "And I'll make damned
sure they don't pull something funny."
"Ally," Jennifer said ,"you look absolutely wiped out. Before you do
anything, at least let me fix you a sandwich. I think there's some
turkey in the fridge."
"I was thinking about that." She glanced at Stone. "You want
something?"
"Sure. I'll have whatever you're having."
"Don't be so sure. Jen can tell you I take mayo and mustard both. I
know it's weird but that's the way I am."
"Then I'll give it a try. I want to get to know you all over again."
"Also, I hate to say it, but I think maybe I ought to swing by the
apartment and get some things. Just in case."
She listened to her own voice and wondered, would whatever happened to
Kristen happen to me too?
Maybe, she thought, what I really ought to take with me is a gun. Maybe
Katherine Starr had the right idea.
Jennifer finished the sandwiches and was wrapping them. "Ally, I'll go
with you to your place and pick up Knickers. She can stay with me till
you know what's going on."
"Thanks, Jen. I was hoping you'd volunteer." She knew she could have
dropped a hint and made it happen anyway, but this was nicer.
She then went around and had a few last words. It felt like a good-bye
and she didn't want it to. But it did.
Ten minutes later, while Stone waited in her double-parked car, she and
Jennifer took the elevator up to her Barrow Street apartment.
"Where did you find that man?" Jennifer asked as soon as they got on.
"He seems nice. Interesting. He's not a client, is he? And, pardon me
for noticing, no wedding ring."
"He actually found me," Ally declared, punching her floor. "It's a long
story, but he was a guy I was deeply in love with for about fifteen
minutes back around college. The old flame I told you about, remember?
Then we started getting on each other's nerves. We're both going easy
on the personal details right now, but I've got a hunch he's got nobody
else percolating. Which, incidentally, goes for me too, or hadn't you
noticed."
They stepped off the elevator and she unlocked the door to her
apartment. Knickers exploded with delight.
"Hi, baby." She reached down and ruffled the sheepdog's ears.
"I really love her," Jennifer said as she reached down to pet her too.
Knickers began a dance of joy, then ran to search for her rubber ball
behind the couch, hoping for a game of fetch with Jennifer.
"By the way, I can't tell you how I appreciate your taking her. She's
going to love being at your place awhile. I'm sure she gets bored crazy
being here all the time. I probably should get a puppy or something to
keep her company, but then she'd be jealous. And I'm not about to get a
stupid cat."
"She loves me because she knows I love her," Jennifer said. "I always
play with her when you bring her into the office. At least I think she
loves me. This may turn out to be the test."
Ally headed into the bedroom, opened a drawer, and took out some black
sweatshirts. Those and black jeans were her favorite things to wear
around the house. She slept in a T-shirt and panties, so it wasn't hard
to put together her evening ensemble. Besides, if something went wrong
with the experimental stem cell procedure, it wouldn't matter a damn
what she was wearing.
She threw the clothes into a blue gym bag and headed for the bathroom
to fetch some toiletries. By the time she got back to the living room,
Jennifer had a measuring cup and was shoveling Science Diet into a
large plastic bag.
They delivered Jen and Knickers back to the office. After she gave them
both a farewell hug, she came around and slipped into the Toyota's
driver's seat, moving Stone across.
"I'm actually feeling better now, so I'll drive as long as I can. And
by the way, I'm famished. How about that turkey sandwich?"
"Thought you'd never remember."
Five minutes later, they were headed up the West Side, with Ally at the
wheel. She checked the gas and was relieved to see that she still had
two-thirds of a tank. Stone was leaning back in the seat looking at
her.
"You know, it's easy for me to say, but trying the stem cell procedure
on your heart is probably the right thing for you to do. Still, though,
it makes me nervous. If there's a medical glitch of some kind then . .
. I mean, what the hell is going on with Kristen?"
"I'm going to confront him about that," she said "I damned well want
some answers before I just turn myself over to him."
After they crossed the George Washington Bridge, she began feeling
slightly better. Maybe, she thought, whatever it is is going to pass.
As they headed north up the tree-shrouded highway, she decided to ask
him a question that had been nagging at her mind.
"Stone, I know you hate to have these talks, but something about you
doesn't quite compute for me right now. There's a kind of unnatural
intensity about your pursuit of Winston Bartlett and his stem cell
work. And the same goes for his reaction to you. Way back when, I never
really thought I knew you, and it's still true. I mean, is this all
just about a book on stem cell technology? Or is it something more?"
The question was followed by a long moment of silence as he looked
away, into the forest, and appeared to wrestle with his thoughts.
"You're very intuitive, Ally," he said at last "Maybe I didn't
consciously set out to write about stem cells just because I knew
Bartlett's Gerex Corporation was a leader in the field. But writing
about stem cells automatically meant that I'd have to get close to him
at some point. So was it an unconscious choice? If it was, then I
wouldn't be aware of it would I?"
"But why would you want to get close to Winston Bartlett?"
"I guess that was your original question, right?"
"Pretty much."
"There are things about my past that I never told you. I could never
decide exactly how to go about it. And truthfully, right now doesn't
seem exactly the right moment either. You've got enough on your mind"
"Want to give me a hint?" What could he mean? she wondered. It was
clear that Stone Aimes and Winston Bartlett had some kind of holy war
going on between them.
"I'll tell you someday soon. But I want us both sitting down in a safe
place when I do. It's going to be hard." He looked away again. "Someday
soon I've got to tell my daughter, Amy, too. Maybe telling you would be
a practice drill."
"So what I'm learning is that I'm not crazy. This is about more than
it's about?" She sighed. "Nobody's leveling with me. With Van de Vliet
I have to worry whether he's telling me the truth every time he opens
his mouth. And now you're holding out. It's like that joke about
feeling like a mushroom. Everybody keeps me in the dark and feeds me
bullshit." She was slowing down, pulling into an open space by the
roadside. "Stone, I'm feeling a little dizzy. Maybe it's this
conversation, but I think it's time you took the wheel for a while."
"Hey, don't pass out on me now," he said, snapping into the moment.
"I'm not sure I could actually find this place without your help."
"Don't worry," she said, bringing the car to a stop. "I'm all right.
I'm just a little worried about my reflexes."
He got out and walked around, while she hoisted herself over into the
other side.
The evening commute had begun in earnest, so there was a lot more
traffic than there had been that morning. But Stone turned out to be an
aggressive driver, right on the edge, as though he were racing the
clock. She gave him directions and then closed her eyes, hoping to
rest. But all she could think about was Stone's refusal to tell her
about something that loomed very large in his life.
"Tell me if I'm bothering you and I'll shut up," he interjected after a
few minutes, "but--not to change the subject--did you actually give
anybody permission to stick a needle in you this morning? I mean, are
you sure you understood what was going on at the time?"
She shifted and opened her eyes, looking straight ahead.
"Truthfully, I assumed I was just giving a blood sample. That's what
his assistant said and I took her at her word. I hate needles and I
never actually watch when I give blood. This morning I just sort of
went along with what was happening. And nothing seemed particularly
ominous till Katherine Starr showed up and started blasting away."
"Well," he said, "do your best to get some rest and I'll try to get you
there as soon as legally possible."
She stared out the window a moment before closing her eyes again.
Around them the encroaching greenery of northern New Jersey felt like
an ancient forest where magical things could happen. Out here in the
forest, was there a magician who had the power literally to save her
life?
And what about Stone? Setting aside the troubling fact that he was
harboring some mysterious connection to Winston Bartlett--and that was
hard to set aside--she was feeling a sense of togetherness with him that
brought back a lot of positive memories. Which was bizarre, because she
knew so little about what kind of man he'd become. If people are worth
their salt, they change a lot in their late twenties and early
thirties. So what was he really like now? What did he love? What did he
hate? What were his priorities? Did he believe in the Golden Rule?
Mulling over all this, she slowly drifted away. . . .
Dusk was approaching by the time he pulled to a stop at the gated
entrance of the Dorian Institute. Along the way he'd begun getting a
sense that they were being followed by a dark-colored Lincoln Town Car,
but it could have been his imagination. And he hadn't seen it for the
past fifteen minutes, after he pulled onto the leafy lakeside drive
leading to the institute.
"Hey, we're here, Ally. Rise and shine. How're you feeling?"
There was no response when he touched her.