Emily Kimelman - Sydney Rye 05 - The Devil's Breath (25 page)

I felt an empty click inside my brain when I tried to remember. It felt the same as when a gun hammer taps an empty barrel. Terrifying when unexpected.

“How long have I been here?” I asked.

“You’ve been unresponsive for eighteen days.”

“Excuse me?”

“While I’m sure you have lots of questions I’d like to take a look at your eyes real quick if that’s okay.” He pulled a small flashlight out of his breast pocket.

“Why?” I asked.

“To check the dilation. They look pretty good from here but I’d like to take a closer look. It won’t hurt. Just a little look.”

I glanced at Hugh. He nodded.

“Okay,” I said, my knuckles tightening on the arm rest.

The doctor leaned forward and took a firm grasp of my head. Using his thumb he pulled up my left eyelid and flashed his tiny light into it. I felt my pupil react, tightening inside the iris. He moved on to my right eye and did the same move then sat back smiling. “Very good,” he said. “Now, can you tell me when you came to Florida?”

“Yes,” I answered, remembering the flight with Mulberry. Landing in Miami. Seeing Hugh again after all these years.

“When was that?”

“I don’t know. Feels like a week or so ago but obviously, if what you’ve said is true, then that’s impossible.”

He nodded. “So what is the last thing you do remember?”

Images flipped through my mind like index cards in a library file cabinet. Running along the driveway, crunching of shells under foot. Stepping into the professor’s office, the brush of our lips, the glaze in his eyes. The way his mind fell blank. “Oh my God,” I whispered.

“What?” Jose asked, “Do you see something?”

“No, I just… I was drugged.”

“You remember?”

“No,” I closed my eyes. Running into the reeds, (tick), wind whipping my face as we raced across the water, (click), the roar of the fan, (tap), the thunk of the boat against the cement launch.

“Do you remember going to Walmart?” Dr. Garcia asked me.

I looked up at him, remembering the knife’s serrated edge. “I don’t know,” I lied.

He smiled. “That’s fine. We’ll see what comes back to you in the next couple of hours. Maybe you should just lie down and rest.”

I looked over at Hugh and Santiago. “Can I have a minute with her before she lies down?” Hugh asked.

“Maybe I could ask you some questions, Doctor?” Santiago said, standing up and gesturing toward the door.

The doctor stood, dropping his flashlight back into his jacket pocket. “Just a moment.” He looked down at me. “She needs to rest.”

Santiago opened the door and Dr. Garcia went through, followed by the nurse. Hugh watched the door close and then stood up and came around to give me a hug. It felt nice to have his arms around me. “Listen,” he whispered. “Malina will come for you tonight.”

“What?”

“Shh, quiet,” his voice against my ear. “I love you. Thank you. I’ll see you again soon.” He squeezed me and I closed my eyes, squeezing back, knowing that he was on my side.

#

I
was in a bed now, my eyes closed, my head on a pillow. I heard that empty click as I tried to remember beyond the airboat reaching the launch. Blue’s face, his muzzle blood-soaked, spatters up to his ears, his chest bright red, flashed across my vision. Blue’s teeth were bared, his eyes telling me to run.

I sat up, gulping air, throwing the blankets off of me.

How much time had passed?

I was sitting in the forest, a lit cigarette between my lips, the smoke floating across my vision. I inhaled, feeling the acrid fumes fill my lungs, satiating a need there. Releasing the breath, smoke billowed from my mouth.

Blue sat next to me, one ear up straight, the other swiveling like a satellite. The ground was dry beneath me but the air was moist and heavy. I could hear rain beating against the leaves. We were deep in the canopy. The lightning that flashed barely lit the dark interior. But the thunder seemed to vibrate the entire growth. Blue stood, his hackles rising, both ears straining forward.

He turned to look at me, his eyes calming, the whirl of the fan boat far away. They could not find us here. The fur on his muzzle was matted with blood up to his eyes. His chest was a mess of leaves and dirt, sticky and congealed looking. Lightning struck close, filling the air with its electric current. Sparks ignited the dried leaves and a fire quickly bloomed in the near distance, its flickering tongues dancing toward us.

Blue barked. I jumped up, taking the cigarette from between my lips and dropping it to the ground, grinding it out with my sneaker. He nudged me and barked again. I began to run away from the fire, pushing between the close trees, which seemed to pull at me, scraping my skin. I looked down and blood dripped off my elbow. I watched as a branch reached out and curled around my arm, squeezing the flesh. Blue barked again and I tried to pull away from it but another limb curled around my waist, pulling me against the trunk.

I struggled but felt weak and useless, my body exhausted. A branch wound around my chest, I reached down and bit at it, sinking my teeth through the bark into the sap. It grunted. I could feel its heartbeat through the bark against my back. Its breath was on my ear, it was whispering to me.

#

“I
t’s me,” the voice said. “Mulberry. Joy, it’s me, shhh…”

I looked down at myself and saw two arms holding me tight, one of them had a vicious bite wound on the forearm. 

They were Mulberry’s arms. His chest was against my back. I slumped as the adrenaline left my system in a rush. If Mulberry hadn’t been gripping me I would have fallen. He picked me up easily. Holding under my knees and shoulders, Mulberry carried me back to the bed. After laying me down he stood over me, his brow knit, eyes scanning, looking for some kind of answer. He wrapped my right hand between both of his. “You recognize me?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He laughed and seemed to choke on it, turning his face away from me and toward the closed curtains. They covered the left wall, blocking out all light except for a glow at the bottom where the thick drapes brushed against the wood floor. 

“Did I bite you?” I asked, looking at the raw wound on his arm. He was wearing a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. It was wrinkled, and the front slightly untucked out of his gray slacks from our struggle.

Mulberry cleared his throat. “Yes,” he said, turning his eyes back to me. “It’s fine though. What did you see?”

I leaned back against the pillow feeling exhaustion overwhelm me. “He saved my life,” I said.

“Who?” Mulberry asked.

I let my eyes slide shut. Mulberry raised his hand to my face and rubbed the edge of his thumb down my jaw line. 

“Stay,” I said. “Don’t leave me.” I realized for the first time in a long time that I didn’t want to be alone. Not anymore.

“Okay,” Mulberry said.

When I woke again sunlight streamed in through a gap in the curtains, creating a line of light across the room. Mulberry slept in a chair next to me, his hand over mine. His head was thrown over the back of the chair. I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed in his sleep. Mulberry hadn’t shaved in a couple of days. His beard was peppered with silver, copper, and gold.

The laptop. I suddenly remembered gripping it to my chest, squeezing it so that the edges of the case dug into my skin.

Mulberry’s eyes fluttered and he looked over at me. Seeing me awake he smiled and sat up. “Hey,” he said, leaning toward me.

“What about the laptop?” I asked.

He grinned.

“Did I give it to you?”

“We found it with you.”

“What do you mean? Found me?”

Mulberry’s brow furrowed and he brought both of his hands to hold mine. I remembered the wet, stringy pieces of grass as they swirled around my ankles, the water soaking through my sneakers, making them heavy and cold. I felt water seeping through my clothing, a wet chill flowing up my back. I shivered and Mulberry squeezed my hand. “It’s still happening,” I whispered.

“What?” He leaned forward.

“I don’t know.”

“Are you hallucinating? Is there something in the room?”

“I don’t know,” I said, pulling his hand to my breast, holding it close to me. “Maybe they are memories or maybe they are dreams.”

“Like when you were fighting me?”

“I thought you were a tree.” He nodded, looking concerned. “I was wearing cotton in my nose.” I strained to remember. “Did I take it out?”

Mulberry frowned. “Professor Nablestone had developed a formula that went in through the eyes. It’s only potent in the air for a short time and is fired from a gun, giving the assailant enough distance so that he’s not affected. Once the victim is intoxicated the shooter can move in within three minutes.”

My memory was beginning to clear.  I had hugged and thanked Carl and Earl at the dock, then made by way back to my car.  Nablestone must have found the car and been waiting for me.

“So he got me?” I asked, a tremble in my voice.

“No,” Mulberry answered.

“What do you mean?” I turned to him, almost knowing what he was going to say.

“Professor Nablestone is dead.”

“I killed him?”

Mulberry shook his head. “Blue did.”

I nodded.

“I found him by the Audi. Blue tore his throat out.”

“I remember Blue being covered in blood,” I said. “Or I dreamed it.”

“He was matted with blood when we found you,” Mulberry said.

I didn’t know whether it made me feel better or worse that my nightmare might have been a memory. “What about Hugh’s case?”

“With the evidence from the laptop you managed to hold onto the entire time you were out there…” He smiled. “Only you,” he laughed.

“What?”

He shook his head, smiling. “We had more than enough to prove Hugh was drugged.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was all there, Sydney. Professor Nablestone kept meticulous notes of the whole thing. Lawrence was providing Ivan with one of Professor Nablestone’s formulas, for the girls to use on johns. Nablestone found out. He thought it jeopardized his research and decided to take care of it.”

“Out where?” I asked. Mulberry frowned in confusion. “Where did you find me? Where did I hold onto the laptop case?”

“The doctor didn’t tell you?” I shook my head. “In the Everglades, Sydney. You were out there for almost thirty-six hours before we found you. You’ve been here for eighteen days. Completely pliable. Nothing of yourself in your eyes. It was terrifying.”

I stared at him, my mind stuttering in place, unable to make sense of what he was saying. “But Hugh is free?” I asked. Mulberry nodded. “Did Robert know about it?”

“It looks pretty clear Nablestone acted alone.”

“Was this the first time he’d done it?” I asked.

Mulberry shook his head. “Doesn’t look that way. Dan found a few cases that could be connected. He sent all the information to the prosecutor.”

“But so Hugh is free?” I asked.

Mulberry nodded. “Don’t you remember seeing him?”

“Yes,” I nodded. “Yes, I did. I remember. What about Ivan?”

“What about him?” Mulberry asked

“Is he going to jail?”

Mulberry shrugged. “That’s up to the prosecutor. I’m sure they are starting an investigation.” I felt anger rising in my chest and looked toward the window. “That’s something-” Mulberry was cut off when the door opened.

He looked over his shoulder, nodded and leaned over me, kissing my forehead gently. “I’ll be back in the morning,” he promised.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

He smiled. “
Defry’s
is reopening tonight. Hugh invited us.”

“Us?”

“Yes us,” Robert Maxim answered as he walked over to the curtains. He threw them apart letting the glow of sunset fill the room. I felt my pupils retract against the light. “We haven’t much time,” he said, turning back to us, his face in shadow. “And I’d like a moment alone before we go.”

#

B
obby Maxim stood next to my bed looking down at me after Mulberry left. The setting sun cast long shadows across his face. He was staring at my bare leg where I’d thrown it over the blanket. His gaze flicked to my face. “I’m glad to see you awake. You gave us all a scare.”

I sat, pushing myself up the bed while covering my leg with the sheet. He handed me a controller and I used it to raise the mattress into a sitting position. I felt mentally exhausted but my body didn’t hurt. Except for the itch on my forearm and a low level of pain vibrating in my head I appeared to be in working order. “You feel strong?” Bobby asked as if reading my mind. He sat in the chair, pulling it around so that we faced each other.

“Strong?” I asked.

“We’ve had you on a real regimen here. Working out every day. Eating right. You were the perfect patient.”

“I suppose you prefer me that way,” I said.

“I knew you’d be back. You’re a survivor,” he said with a smile.

I nodded. “Did you know about Professor Nablestone?”

Bobby frowned. “In what way?”

“Let’s start with any knowledge of his existence.”

“Yes.”

“You knew about his research?”

Robert nodded.

“And yet, it didn’t occur to you that would be helpful to our investigation.”

“I forgot about him,” Bobby said. I laughed, closing my eyes and letting the humor bubble up inside of me. “I’m glad you find me amusing, Ms. Rye, but the truth is I didn’t know he was behind this.” I laughed harder, keeping my eyes closed.

Bobby stayed silent and when I wiped the tears from my eyes and looked over at him, he was smiling.

“You supported his research. You gave him money,” I said, a hiccup of laughter in my voice.

“He was close with Lawrence’s wife whom I’ve known for years.” Robert smiled. “We dated in the 80s. But, I don’t really think you want to know about my past love life. You want to know if I set this up in some way to lure you here. And the answer is no. You know me, Sydney,” he leaned back in his chair. “Would I ever risk exposure in this way? I’m not an idiot.”

I laughed again, not caring if it was truth or lies leaving his lips. “Is this another case of one of your knights running wild?” I asked, the mirth leaving my voice, a deep unsettling sensation roiling in my gut.