Arthur had hated himself then. It was he who had asked Dr. Stewart to keep the young man at the hospital, ignoring the expert’s opinion that suggested the contrary. It was his fault that Ethan didn’t get out in time and, as Jane Elring had predicted, it had proven to be the death of him.
He had wondered immediately what this all meant for Ellie. Would she too die from this mysterious disease that had her in its ugly claws? He had been too afraid to ask the young investigator this damning question.
The most curious thing had happened when Jane Elring walked into Ellie’s room. The girl’s frightened expression and desperate struggles had ended immediately and made room for a strange sense of peace. Though it was fleeting, the moment of relief had been very precious to Arthur. For a little while he didn’t have to watch her suffer.
Jane Elring looked very tired now and Arthur realized that she might have stayed awake all night. Her bodyguard, Caleb, sat next to her with a much more solid expression. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking or feeling.
Arthur asked, “Did you get any sleep, Jane?”
The young investigator smiled at him. It was a strange kind of smile from which something was missing, though Arthur couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. As if the expression had been a product of logic rather than emotion. Instructed rather than natural.
Jane said, “I couldn’t sleep anyway. But Ellie slept a bit throughout the night.”
Arthur had to confess that he wasn’t sure what had happened during the night. His old body had been so tired. Even in the uncomfortable chair one of the nurses had provided he could not help but fall asleep under the weight of his exhaustion.
“How about you, Caleb?” Arthur asked.
“I’m alright.”
The bodyguard’s response was dry and to the point. Arthur could have appreciated that under normal circumstances, but right now he felt the need for a genuine connection with the other people in the room. He wanted, quite desperately, not to feel so damn alone and powerless.
Jane said, “Maybe we should have some coffee. Caleb, would you mind getting some?”
The bodyguard rose from his seat and the seated Arthur realized for the first time how strong the man’s physique was. Sure, Caleb was out of shape, but his back was naturally broad and his shoulders very well rounded.
Without a word Caleb left the room to fetch some coffee from the machine near the entrance of the small hospital.
Arthur turned his attention to the young investigator. She sat watching him, with her dark gaze reaching where ordinary eyes could not follow. Arthur knew that there was something different about her but he didn’t feel threatened by whatever it was.
“Where do you meet someone like Caleb? Do you just post an ad?” he asked.
“You put the word out, yes. If you know people that know other people, well… news can get around pretty quickly.”
“And how do you evaluate candidates? Do you test them in some way?”
“I go by my gut.”
Again the girl smiled at Arthur, and again he saw that something was missing from her expression. Her lips were curled perfectly and even her eyes twinkled in just the right way. Something, though, something he couldn’t define, wasn’t present where it should have been.
Jane said, “I can be a little awkward sometimes, socially. It comes with a mind that’s always occupied.”
Had she responded to how he was looking at her? Had he betrayed his wariness of her, somehow? It was almost as if the young woman knew what Arthur was thinking, but of course that wasn’t possible.
Jane leaned forward and spoke gently. “I, um… I have some things that I need to look into today, but I’ll be back in the afternoon to check on Ellie.”
Arthur answered, “I appreciate your concern, truly, but there isn’t much you can do here, is there?”
Arthur could tell that his words forced the investigator’s eyes to move in ways she didn’t want them to. As if there was something inside of her that struggled with this situation in ways he couldn’t understand. He decided then and there that the young woman had an enormous sense of responsibility and he loved her for it.
“You mustn’t be so hard on yourself, Jane. I am already grateful that you spent the night with us.”
“Mr. Toaves, I heard you had an accident a couple of years back. Is that true?”
The question came out of nowhere and surprised Arthur. It threw his mind back to the terrifying event that had almost cost him his life and forced him to relive his fear. He didn’t want his mind to wander there and forced himself to abandon the train of thought.
“I was in a car accident. Is that relevant to your investigation?”
Arthur watched as the young woman shrugged. There was something in the way she asked her questions that made him think she already knew the answers.
Jane said, “It might be nothing, but I’d like to talk some more about it later if you don’t mind.”
“I believe I might mind. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, you’ll understand.”
Jane didn’t bother smiling. “I do understand.”
Arthur leaned back against his uncomfortable chair as he studied the investigator’s appearance. Her dark eyes seemed as if they looked for truths they could never find, and her blonde hair crowned her delicate face. Angelic. That was the word her appearance sparked in Arthur’s mind.
He had enough life experience to know that looks were usually very deceiving. That a pretty face did not always come with good character. That blonde hair didn’t mean moral purity. That beautiful dark eyes could hide horrible intentions.
Yet, for all his knowledge and experience, Arthur could not help but feel drawn to the young woman. Her awkward smile, her piercing eyes and, indeed, the beautiful blonde hair. And she had stayed with them through the night, something that suggested character to him.
Arthur looked at Ellie, who still lay sleeping on the bed. He reminded himself that this peace was very likely fleeting and that he had to know what would happen next. It took all his courage to ask Jane Elring the inevitable question.
“You said staying here killed Ethan Walker. Will the same happen to Ellie?”
Jane’s dark eyes looked at the young girl as she said, “I don’t know yet. It’s possible.”
She gave him her honest answer, in the simplest terms. Arthur both loved and hated her for it.
“Then we must get Agent Bradford to agree to moving her!” he said.
“You can talk to him, of course. It would be the best thing to have her moved.”
“You don’t think he will allow it?” Arthur asked.
“I’ve worked with Agent Bradford for a few years now. He doesn’t usually budge much.”
Caleb walked back into the hospital room. In his hands he carried three hot plastic cups, and enough milk and sugar to last for more than a week.
“I didn’t know what you all took in your coffee,” Caleb said as he handed out the plastic cups.
Jane joked, “So you robbed a store for us. I appreciate that.”
Arthur drank his coffee black and he allowed the hot beverage to ravage the insides of his mouth. The burning sensation woke him right up, providing him with energy he had been sorely lacking only minutes earlier.
“So about Agent Bradford….” Arthur said.
Jane answered after taking a sip. “Yes?”
“Perhaps he will be more inclined to move Ellie now that Ethan has passed?”
Arthur hated himself for even thinking about using the young man’s unfortunate end to manipulate the special agent. As if doing so somehow tainted the memory of Ethan Walker. As if he was reducing him to a tool of some sort. Something he could use to get what he wanted.