Chapter 30
Since it seems unlikely we’ll be able to arrange a meeting with one of the hospital’s psychiatrists before tomorrow, we secure a hotel room before sending the telegram.
With nothing more pressing to do, we take the afternoon to explore the town.
Away from the site of the Great Fire, there are still a number of old buildings standing, and Adrian seems as interested in their historical nature as I am.
Eventually we wander in the direction of the waterfront, admiring the architecture near Derby Wharf. We pass in front of Hawthorne’s famous House of Seven Gables, now a museum rather than a residence, then put our backs to it and gaze out over the restless water of the harbor.
The thought pops into my head that this might be the last time I ever see the ocean, if I end up confined to an asylum. I need a distraction, so I say, “May I ask what drew you to investigating fraudulent insurance claims?”
Adrian’s eyes remain fixed on a ship slowly making its way into port.
“I needed a job when I got out of the service, and I didn’t want to be a porter or an elevator attendant.
My dad wrecked his health collecting garbage, so I didn’t want to follow in his footsteps.
Fortunately, one of my cousins already worked for Grayson and Bell, and told me they were hiring.
Not just White men, but all sorts: people who could pose as servants, or caterers, or whatever the job required. ”
He pauses, and his brow furrows a bit. “Strange to think, without that chance encounter, I’d be doing something else right now. We’d never have met.”
“If James’s mother’s dog hadn’t tangled its leash around her, I’d never have gone to Hart’s Leap,” I agree gloomily. Damn the creature.
“And you’d be the one dead in his chair at Forgotten Folios.”
The suggestion comes as a shock, though in retrospect it should already have occurred to me. “Oh. I suppose so.” I shake my head, clearing it. “But we were talking about you.”
“True.” He glances my way, then back to the boats.
“Maybe I would have become a sailor instead. Our little trip to France woke a desire to travel in me. I might even now be helping to unload cargo on a dock in Singapore. But, as it was, I interviewed with Grayson and Bell, they gave me the job, and here I am. The pay is good, and I like the challenge. Every case is different from the last in some way or another. Though, as I remarked earlier, most aren’t quite as exciting as this one. ”
We stand in silence for a while, lost in our own thoughts, until the threat of rain drives us back to the hotel and dinner.
We receive a reply to our telegram in the late evening, welcoming us to visit the asylum tomorrow after lunch and instructing us to ask for Dr. Maynard North.
My sleep is troubled once again, and I awake with a start several times, though whatever dreams I have dissolve on waking. At least I don’t seem to disturb Adrian, tucked in his narrow bed on the other side of the dresser.
A part of me would love to slip in under the sheets beside him. To wake him with a kiss on the lips. Or perhaps with my mouth on his prick…
I roll over, pull the blankets over my head, and resolutely wait for dawn.