simply owning the letter.
If you knew Patrick Well, it s unlikely he has any involvement in this. But, as I ve admitted, we re no
longer close, so I have to also admit that I may be mistaken. What I m asking is that you allow me to
bring him to a location I deem safe, with myself present at all times including during questioning to
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ensure that he has a representative there, and everything proceeds as it should.
I bristled. Proceeds as it should? If you re suggesting we re going to work this guy over
Jeremy cut me short. If we saw clear evidence that Patrick Shanahan is responsible for this portal, and
refused to help us close it, then we would indeed exercise methods of persuasion. No one s arguing that.
People have disappeared, one person has died and more are at risk. We ll do what we need to, within
reason, to close this portal.
He stared hard at Tolliver, who finally dropped his eyes and nodded.
Understood. If I can find Patrick, he s yours so long as I m present for the questioning.
Before Tolliver could leave, Jeremy said, There s one other thing I d like you to do. A brief
examination. He nodded toward me.
I m fine. The baby s kicking and
Let him take a look, Jeremy said, then lowered his voice so Tolliver couldn t overhear. You ll feel
better with a second opinion.
Tolliver checked me out, then asked, How far along are you?
About twenty-three weeks, Jeremy answered.
Tolliver blinked, then nodded. Yes, I suppose that wouldn t be unexpected. What s a wolf s gestation
period?
Nine weeks, Jeremy said.
Tolliver took a tape from his bag, did a few measurements, asked me some questions, then leaned back
on his heels. Everything looks fine. This is the time, though, when you really need to be careful. I know,
under the circumstances, easier said than done, but you re well into your third trimester, or the equivalent
of it.
Th-third trimester?
It s impossible to tell for certain, but I ve handled prenatal obstetrics at a few shelters, often with
women who aren t quite sure how far along they should be. I d estimate you only have a few weeks left
to go, but you re healthy, and they re doing fine
Th-they?
The babies.
I swung an accusing glare at Jeremy. Babies?
Jeremy rubbed at a small smile. I thought I detected more than one heartbeat, but I didn t want to say
anything until I was sure. All things considered, a multiple birth wouldn t be unexpected&
Multiple? How& multiple?
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Two, Jeremy said quickly. He looked anxiously at Tolliver. It is just two, isn t it?
Tolliver nodded.
So I m having& twins.We re having
I looked around for Clay. He was out of bed and standing at my shoulder, grinning.
News to you too? I said.
He only nodded, still grinning, then pulled me into a hug. When I didn t return the embrace, he looked
down at me, eyes dimming.
That s okay, isn t it? It ll be extra work, but
It s okay, I said as my heart thumped double-time. Just& I think I need to sit down.
Clay sat me on the bed while Jeremy grabbed juice from the minifridge. Tolliver probably thought we
were all mad, but had the grace to just wait without comment.
Finally Jeremy asked, But everything is all right, isn t it? With the pregnancy? No obvious problems?
Nothing I can see. My only concern would be the timing. The less stress she has now, and the sooner
you can get her home He stopped. But I m sure you know that already, which is why you re so
anxious to end this business. With twins, the possibility of early labor increases. He looked at me. Do
you know the signs of labor?
We do, Jeremy and Clay said, almost in unison.
I gave a small laugh. They ll fill me in.
Missing
JEREMY INSISTED ON WALKING TOLLIVER OUT.AFTER PROMISING Clay I d stick close
to Jeremy, I tagged along, using the excuse of grabbing breakfast so I could speak to Jeremy without
Clay overhearing.
When we reached the lobby, Tolliver stopped to answer his cell phone, and we stepped aside to give
him privacy.
I can see Antonio from here, Jeremy murmured to me. Go get something to eat. I ll see Dr. Tolliver
off.
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My cell phone buzzed. Rita calling to say that she d confirmed Lyle Sanderson s disappearance.
Three people missing from one neighborhood, she said. Something s going on. When I mentioned it in
the newsroom, we laid bets on how long it takes someone to connect these disappearances to our dead
girl from last night.
I stopped walking. You think there s a link?
Hell, no. I m taking criminology classes at the uni figured it can t hurt, right? and from everything
I ve learned there, and working here, I can t imagine a connection. On the one hand, you have people
disappearing without a trace. No letters or calls to the press. Not even ransom notes. Then you ve got
this ballsy SOB who not only displayed his work in public, but did it within screaming distance of people.
You could argue that he killed the others and didn t enjoy it enough, so he went public, but that s a big
step to take so quickly. My opinion, at least.
Can I quote you on that?
She laughed. Like to see you try. Speaking of tips, I ve got a few youcan have. The crackpots are
really coming out of the woodwork on this one. Just this morning we had a guy report seeing a walking
corpse downtown.
The core is pretty dead these days.
Rita snorted a laugh. Unbelievable. Take a heat wave, add a health scare and people s common sense
takes a holiday. Zombies, killer rats, signs of the apocalypse& I m just waiting for someone to say
they ve spotted sasquatches on Spadina. Or vampires in the Don Valley.
I glanced over at the table, where Zoe was sipping a mimosa. I d believe vampires.
I m sure you would. Listen, someone s waving me into a meeting. Give me a call later. I want to get
together before you leave town. Her hand went over the mouthpiece as she yelled a muffled hold on,
then came back to me. Gotta run. You take care. And watch out for those vampires.
I will.
As I hung up, I sensed something, and turned to see Clay coming up the steps.
Back up to bed, I said. You heard the doctor.
Yeah, and he also said to eat. At this rate, I d have starved before you brought breakfast.
Clay, please&
He stepped beside me, hand dipping to mine. I ll go nuts in bed, darling. You know that. I ll just take it
easy.
I hesitated, then nodded, and we headed over to the table, where everyone was laughing as Jaime
regaled them with a story.
and I ve seen fake tears before, but these were so bad the entire crew was snorting, trying not to
laugh. So the woman s wailing her heart out, practically rolling on the stage, and the ghost says She
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saw us and stopped.
Is everything okay? she asked Clay. Youlook okay.
I am, he said, pulling out a chair for me. Just an infection. Fever s gone; doc dosed me up. I m fine.
But we need to get this woman food. His grin broke through. Seems she s eating for three.
Congratulations ensued, infused with shock from all but one person at the table, though he tried to feign
it.
I turned to Antonio. You knew, didn t you? Jeremy told you.
A small smile. He said he suspected
I waved off the rest. Payback for the conspiracy later. First, food.
I looked at Nick s plate. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]