Chapter Five #3
“In spite of my unfortunate tendency to lose control of my para-senses and become homicidal, I didn’t attempt to murder anyone while in Serenity Gardens. Yay me.”
He smiled briefly at the sarcasm. “I saw Webber’s notes. He continued to update them after you disappeared. He did a very thorough job of the cover-up. Made it look like you were still locked up and undergoing rigorous therapy.”
“You really did read my file at Serenity Gardens?” she asked.
For the first time, she sounded impressed.
“Yes,” he said, “although there wasn’t a lot of information aside from Webber’s observations of shattered senses, delirium, and psychic fragility.
He made it very clear that in his professional opinion you would not recover from the breakdown and would continue to be a threat to yourself and others. ”
“How did you get hold of my file?”
“I paid a visit to Serenity Gardens.”
“You met Webber?”
“No. He was gone by the time I arrived. He disappeared immediately after Kelbrook discovered that you were missing. It was a smart move on Webber’s part, because Kelbrook is furious.”
“Who’s in charge of Serenity Gardens now?”
“One of the doctors. Matheson. He was confused and disoriented because of the sudden promotion, which is why it was easy for me to get access to your files.”
“How easy?” Alice asked, deeply suspicious.
“He may have been under the impression that I was your lawyer.”
“You lied to him?”
“Yep.”
“I understand, believe me,” she said quickly. “I know how you feel. I’ve been living a lie for months now. It wears on one, doesn’t it? Very stressful. Does it affect your dreams?”
“Can’t say that it does.” You are the one who haunts my dreams, Alice Radstone.
She had started out as a mystery woman who had intrigued him in part simply because she had managed to disappear for seven months without Kelbrook noticing. By the end of the first day of his investigation, however, Alice had metamorphosed into a figure of fascination.
He had told himself that she was just another case—intriguing and a pleasant break from his usual diet of serial killers and obsessed ancestry buffs.
It didn’t hurt that she was attractive in a quiet but intense way.
Something to do with her eyes, he decided.
So earnest and honest and yet lit with power.
The combination was beyond compelling. It was thrilling.
That first night she had walked through his dreams promising answers to questions he had struggled to bury after a wasted month at the private hospital. The following night she had returned, and this time she had offered something more—the possibility of connection.
He had told himself he was fantasizing, creating a fictional dream woman. But Alice was proving to be very, very real and so much more captivating than the fantasy.
“I see,” she said. She evidently made the decision to move on. “I don’t remember a Dr. Matheson. The only doctor I ever saw was Webber.”
“That was by design, I’m sure. Webber wouldn’t have wanted another doctor questioning his diagnosis.
But let’s try to focus on you. According to the wedding license and what little I could find online, Travis Poole taught chemistry at a small college in Resonance City.
There’s no record of any other marriages.
No close family. His mother died a few years ago.
His father was listed as unknown. I did not find anything that linked him to the Kelbrook family—not until Dunstan Kelbrook stepped in to take charge of you on your wedding night. ”
“Why would a wealthy, powerful man like Dunstan Kelbrook want to claim someone like Travis as a relative?”
“Good question. But even more to the point, why is Kelbrook so interested in you?”
“At least he doesn’t appear to want me dead. Evidently he prefers to have me locked up in Serenity Gardens.” She paused before continuing in a very cool tone. “He would probably pay you a great deal of money if you helped him send me back to the asylum.”
“I don’t want Kelbrook’s money,” he said. “I want answers. I told you, I don’t like being used.”
She thought about that. “Let’s face it—neither of us is in a position to do any significant damage to Dunstan Kelbrook.”
“Agreed. We need leverage. To get that, we require information. Among other things, we’ve got to find out why he’s focused on you, and then we’ll look for something we can use to make him back off.”
“Do you think I haven’t tried to get a handle on this? In the past seven months, I’ve spent a good chunk of my time looking over my shoulder and trying to get answers.”
“Everyone has a weak spot, and no one gets to be as rich and powerful as Kelbrook without leaving a few bodies behind. We’ll figure it out.”
“And if we can’t?”
“There’s plan B.”
She looked at him, wide-eyed. “There’s a plan B?”
“Always.”
“What is it?”
“I’ll work on it after we nail down the details of plan A. First things first.”
“You’ve already got a plan A?”
“It’s still coming together,” he admitted. “But I’m sure of the first step.”
“Which is?”
“We get married. Tonight.”