Pitt frantically searched his mind for some reasonable explanation beyond simple curiosity. Simultaneously, his eyes swept the room, hoping to see something that might offer a suggestion. Instead what he saw stunned him.
The first thing that caught his eye was that the shape of the head of the bed was distorted as if it had been heated to the melting point and pulled toward the window. The night table looked the same. In fact as his eyes completed their circuit of the room, he noticed that most of the furniture and fixtures had been twisted out of shape as if they had been made of taffy. The window-panes, meanwhile, appeared to have melted, with the glass forming stalactite-like formations that hung down from the muntins.
“What on earth happened in here?” Pitt asked.
Sheila spoke through clenched teeth: “Answering that question is why these professionals are standing here talking. Now get back to the ER desk!”
“I’m on my way,” Pitt said quickly.
After one more quick glance at the strange transformation of the room, he retreated back through the crowd. He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of damage he’d done to his career by pissing off the Dragon Lady.
“I’m sorry for the interruption,” Sheila said. She was talking with Detective Lieutenant Jesse Kemper and his partner Vince Garbon.
“No problem,” Jesse said. “I wasn’t making a lot of sense anyway. I mean, this is a pretty strange situation, but I don’t think it’s a crime scene. My gut reaction tells me this was not a homicide. Maybe you should get some science experts in here to tell us if a bolt of lightning could have come in through this window.”
“But there wasn’t a thunderstorm,” Sheila complained.
“I know,” Jesse said philosophically. He spread his hands like a supplicant. “But you said your engineers ruled out building power. It sure looks like the guy got electrocuted, and if he did, maybe it was lightning.”
“I can’t buy it,” Sheila said. “I’m not a forensic pathologist, but I seem to remember that when lightning strikes an individual, it doesn’t make a hole. It grounds, usually coming out the feet, even occasionally blowing the shoes off. There’s no evidence of a ground in here. This is more like some powerful laser beam.”
“Hey, there you go,” Jesse said. “I never thought of that. Don’t you have laser beams here in the hospital? Maybe somebody shot one in through the window.”
“We’ve certainly got lasers in the hospital,” Sheila admitted. “But nothing that could make the kind of hole we saw in Mr. Arnold’s hand. Plus I can’t imagine a laser being responsible for these strange distortions that we see with the furniture.”
“Well, I’m plumb out of my league here,” Jesse said. “If the autopsy suggests we got a corpus delecti and a homicide, we’ll get involved. Otherwise I think you have to get the science guys over here.”
“We’ve put in a call to the physics department at the university,” Sheila said.
“I think that’s the best idea,” Jesse said. “Meanwhile, here’s my card.” He stepped over to Sheila and gave her the business card. He also gave one to Richard Halprin, president of the University Medical Center, and Wayne Maritinez, head of hospital security. “Any of you can call me anytime. I’m interested, really. It’s been a strange couple of nights. There’s been more weird stuff happening than in all the previous thirty years I’ve been on the force. Is it a full moon or what?”
At the very end of the show, the music reached a crescendo, and with a final clap of cymbals, the dome of the planetarium went dark. Then the general lights came on. Instantly the auditorium erupted in a smattering of applause, a few whistles, and a babble of excited voices. Most of the seats were occupied by elementary school kids on a field trip. Except for teachers and chaperones, Cassy and Beau were the only adults.
“That was really fun,” Cassy said. “I’d forgotten what a planetarium show was like. The last time I’d seen one was in Miss Korth’s fourth-grade class.”
“I liked it too,” Beau said with enthusiasm. “It’s fascinating seeing what the galaxy looks like from the point of view of Earth.”
Cassy blinked and stared at Beau. All morning long he seemed to have a penchant to pop off with a curious non sequitur.
“Come on,” Beau said, oblivious to Cassy’s mild perplexity. He stood up. “Let’s try to get out of here ahead of these screaming kids.”
Hand in hand they exited the auditorium and strolled out onto the expansive lawn that separated the planetarium and the natural history museum. From a pushcart vendor they purchased hot dogs smothered with chili and onions. On a seat in the shade of a large tree they sat down to enjoy their lunch.
“I’d also forgotten how much fun playing hooky can be,” Cassy said in between bites of hot dog. “It’s lucky that I wasn’t scheduled for student teaching today. I mean, skipping class is one thing, but skipping student teaching is something else entirely. I wouldn’t have been able to come.”
“I’m glad it worked out,” Beau said.
“I was surprised when you suggested it,” Cassy said. “Isn’t this the first time you’ve ever skipped class?”
“Yup,” Beau said.
Cassy laughed. “What is this, a new Beau? First you act like an amorous animal and jump into the shower with your clothes on and now you’ve willingly missed three classes. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining.”
“It’s all your fault,” Beau said. He put down his hot dog and pulled Cassy to him and enveloped her in a playfully sexy embrace. “You’re irresistible.” He tried to kiss her, but Cassy got her hand up and parried the move.
“Wait a sec,” she laughed. “I’ve got chili all over my face.”
“All the more spice,” Beau joked.
Cassy wiped her face with her napkin. “What’s gotten into you?”
Beau didn’t answer. Instead he gave Cassy a long, wonderful kiss. Just like in the shower, the impulsiveness of the gesture was another distinct turn-on for her.
“Wow, you are transmogrifying into a world-class Casanova,” Cassy said as she sat back, took a breath, and tried to collect herself. The fact that she could be turned on so easily in public in the middle of the day surprised her.
Beau happily went back to his hot dog. As he chewed he raised his hand to block out the sun while he looked in the sun’s direction.
“How far did they say Earth is from the sun?” he asked.
“Jeez, I don’t know,” Cassy said. Having experienced the stirring of desire, it was hard to change the subject, especially to something as specific as astronomical distances. “Ninety-something million miles.”
“Oh, yeah,” Beau said. “Ninety-three. That means it would take just a little over eight minutes for the effect of a solar flare to reach here.”
“Excuse me?” Cassy asked. There was another one of his non sequiturs. She didn’t even know what a solar flare was.
“Look,” Beau said excitedly, pointing up into the western sky. “You can see the moon even though it’s daylight.”
Cassy shielded her eyes and followed the line of Beau’s pointing finger. Sure enough, she could just barely make out the gossamer image of the moon. She looked back at Beau. He was enjoying himself immensely in an endearing, almost childlike way. His enthusiasm was infectious, and she couldn’t help enjoying herself as well.
“What made you want to come to the planetarium today?” Cassy asked.
Beau shrugged. “Just pure interest,” he said. “A chance to learn a little more about this beautiful planet. Let’s head over to the museum next. You up for that?”
“Why not?” Cassy exclaimed.
Jonathan carried his lunch outside. on such a day he hated to be in the crowded cafeteria, especially since he’d not seen Candee in there. Skirting the flagpole in the central quad, he headed over to the bleachers alongside the baseball diamond. He knew that was one of Candee’s favorite places to get away from the crowd. As he approached he could see that his efforts were to be rewarded. Candee was sitting on the top row.