"If someone did want to spread the infection, someone with a job like mine would be perfect, provided they somehow knew what I did for a — "
"What is it?" Ellen asked, noting the odd expression on the woman's face.
"Eli, remember that man on the flight from Sierra Leone? The big man who talked to me outside the rest room. He was on the other plane, too."
"The white man?"
"Exactly. He sold something. Insurance, I think. You mentioned how scary-looking he was."
"I do remember him, yes."
"He was a smiler and a talker, that one — asked me all sorts of questions about myself. Made it a game, like he was such an experienced insurance salesman that he could guess things about me."
Ellen felt a little burst of adrenaline.
"Anyone else?" she asked just in case.
"No one that I can think of."
She remembered the memory exercise Rudy had done with her.
"Okay," she asked, "can you bring me a paper and pen?"
"Certainly."
Eli brought in several sheets of typing paper.
"Okay," Ellen said, "I'm going to go and sit in the living room. I'd like you to put your heads together and write down every descriptive word you can remember about this man — what he looked like, what he acted like, even the things you've already told me. Just relax your minds and free-associate. I know it's been a long while, but just do your best. Take as much time as you need, and if you disagree on something, write down both opinions."
"We'll try our best," Nattie said.
Fifteen minutes later, the Serwangas were out of recollections. They called Ellen back to the dining room and apologetically handed her their description.
Big
Tall
Strong
Slick
Smooth
Smiling
Glad-hander
Thick hair
Flat face… like a cartoon character hit with a frying pan
Deep voice
Maybe a Texas-type accent
Scar on face
Ellen felt her heart stop.
"The scar," she asked, her voice trembling. "Can you tell me about the scar?"
"That's Nattie's," Eli said. "I don't remember any scar."
"Well, there was one. I'm sure of it. Right here."
She pointed to the space between her nose and upper lip.
"That's him," Ellen said.
"Who?"
"A very bad man. I think we're onto something."
"Well, I just thought of another word we should have put on the list — clumsy."
"What do you mean?"
"I was standing waiting for the rest room. He came up the aisle, tripped, and slammed into me. The man nearly knocked me out of the plane."
CHAPTER 25
Matt and Nikki had breakfast at Pancakes on Parade on the banks of the Susquehanna. If it was possible for a family restaurant to be romantic, this one, with a broad porch set on tall stilts out over the river, surely was. But then again, on this particular morning, the two of them would have found any McDonald's or Burger King atmospheric. For over an hour, not a word was spoken about Bill Grimes or spongiform encephalopathy or Belinda Coal and Coke. Instead, they touched fingertips and thumb wrestled, laughed to tears at the silly or embarrassing stories of each other's lives, and commiserated with the sad ones. Grace, their husky, gum-chewing waitress, called Matt "Slugger" and Nikki "Dearie." After the third time she found they weren't ready to order because they hadn't looked at the menu, she brought them heart-shaped lollypops and a bill for two dollars for mooning at each other in pub-lie.
"It's been a long, long time since I mooned," Matt said. " 'Cept maybe for the time a couple of years ago when my shorts ripped while I was playing basketball."
"Boston men are too sophisticated to moon," Nikki said. "Instead, they discuss lunar landings and the Hubble telescope."
There was a pay phone in an alcove by the rest rooms. Before their order arrived, Matt called his uncle at the hospital.
"Hey, Unk, it's Matt."
"Hey," Hal said, "how goes it? Any word about that patient of yours?"
"It goes not too well, actually. And yes, Nikki Solari is safe. She's with me in Pennsylvania. Hal, something really weird and really dangerous is going on. It has to do with those odd cases."
"The miners?"
"Them and the girl who died, Kathy Wilson. And Bill Grimes is right in the middle of it."
"My read on Grimes is that he's slick and power hungry," Hal said, "but he's not evil."
"Unk, he's evil. Believe me, he is."
Hal Sawyer listened patiently as Matt recounted the story of Nikki's abduction and subsequent rescue, and this morning's revelation regarding the microscopic findings in Kathy Wilson's brain.
"Spongiform encephalopathy" Hal said when Matt had finished. "Now, doesn't missing something like that make me feel a bit sheepish."
"There's no reason. The Wilson woman's brain looked normal, just as I'm sure our two cases' did. You wouldn't be expected to do a microscopic on their brains. This guy in Boston only did it because Nikki Solari insisted."
"You still think the mine's at fault?"
"I'm sure of it. I don't know the precise connection between what they've done and spongiform disease, but I do know that somehow they're the cause of this, and Grimes is on the take from them. Any ideas what we should do?"
Hal thought for a time.
"It seems showing someone in authority that toxic dump you found is the place to start."
"I agree."
"There is a man, Fred Carabetta, at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Washington, who owes me a favor for some expert witness work I did for him a few years back. Maybe the way to go is to see if I can call in my marker and get him to come with us and view that dump. Once we've got an OSHA official believing, we can bring some legitimate pressure to bear against BC and C."
"If the dump is still there."
"Now, nephew, you know we can't control that. That's rule number two in your Godfather's Lexicon — "
" — of Youth. I know, I know. Rule number one: There's no such word as 'can't.' Rule number two: If you can't control it, don't let it control you."
"Excellent. I'm proud that you haven't forgotten the Lexicon rules after all these years."
"That's 'cause you still spout them at me every chance you get."
"In that case, I'm glad you've been paying attention. Listen, Matt, I'll see what I can do with Fred Carabetta. How can I get ahold of you?"
"Just call the house and leave a message on my machine. I'll check it frequently and get back to you."
"And I'll call that coroner in Boston, too. See if he can tell me about that special stain he used."
"Do you have any tissue left from those two miners?"
"I suspect I do."
"Please don't speak with anyone about Grimes until you and I have a chance to talk, okay? He's more dangerous than you think."
"If you're that certain about him, why don't you just go to the police somewhere and file a complaint?"
"Nikki wants to, but I've talked her out of it for now. From what I've heard, the police are a pretty tight fraternity. There's no cop who's going to listen to us and run right down to Belinda to make Grimes assume the pat-down position. And once we come out into the open, he'll have us between his crosshairs regardless of what we allege he did. For the time being, I'd rather wait."
"Okay, whatever you say. Just be careful. I'll call you later today. By the way, I visited with your mother this morning. She's really slipping."
"I know. I saw her for a few minutes yesterday. It won't be long now before she'll need some sort of comprehensive care. I'll look into it when I get this business settled. Listen, Hal, thanks for your help — with her and with this."
"You're on the right track, Matt. I'm certain of it."
"Me, too, Unk," Matt said. "Me, too."