Laura sat down at her desk and made the call. They exchanged pleasantries and then Laura told Jennifer Harris the entire story. She started with Stan’s first visit at the funeral and ended with him storming out of her office.
When she was finished, Dr Harris was silent for a moment. ‘Gloria has mentioned Stan Baskin to me. You’re right. I think she is somewhat infatuated with him.’
‘What should I do?’ Laura asked.
‘Gloria has not come close to risking a relationship with a man since her breakdown,’ Dr Harris explained. ‘If she finally did sleep with someone, it was by no means a quick decision. She’s probably very scared right now, wondering if she made the right choice. But understand this, Laura: if she thought there was the slightest chance that Stan Baskin did not have strong feelings for her, she would have never risked it. In other words, there was no risk in her mind. Deep down, she was sure he cared about her.’
‘But he’s scum, Doctor.’
‘Not exactly a medical term but I get your meaning. You have to tread very gently here, Laura. You can’t just burst into Gloria’s office and tell her that the man she cares about is a louse.’
‘But I can’t just sit back and let her keep falling for him either. I have to tell her the truth.’
Again a pause. ‘Yes and no.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘You might want to try subtle disapproval but I wouldn’t go into too many specifics right away.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because if Gloria really has fallen for this man, then she won’t listen to you. She’ll get defensive and isolate herself from your words. You may actually end up pushing her toward Stan rather than away from him.’
‘So what am I supposed to do?’
‘You can help her, Laura, but in the end Gloria has to come through this by herself. We can’t force her to see what she doesn’t want to.’
Laura considered Dr Harris’s words. ‘Gloria can be stubborn,’ she agreed.
‘Yes, she can.’
‘But I have to do something.’
‘Agreed. But talk to her gently, Laura. Don’t hit her with all of this at once. Don’t force it on her. Help her see the truth on her own. And bring her in to my office as soon as you can.’
‘Okay,’ she replied. ‘Thank you, Doctor.’
‘Laura?’
‘Yes?’
‘How have you been lately?’
‘Just fine.’
‘No problems you want to discuss?’
‘None. I’m doing just great.’
An uncomfortable silence traveled across the phone line. ‘I have a free hour at noon,’ Dr Harris finally said. ‘How about coming down to my office for a little chat?’
‘I don’t think…’ Laura stopped, swallowed. Her hands were shaking. ‘That would be nice, Jennifer. Thank you.’
‘I’ll see you at noon. Goodbye, Laura.’
Laura replaced the receiver and headed down the hallway to Gloria’s office. When she reached the door, a voice called out to her.
‘Laura?’
It was Gloria’s secretary. ‘Yes?’
‘Gloria’s not here.’
‘Where is she?’
The secretary shrugged and smiled. ‘She just ran out of here with a beaming face. She left this note for you.’
Laura opened the envelope and read the note:
Laura,
I’ve gone away until Monday. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I’ll call you when I get back. I love you.
Gloria
The man shaded his eyes from the harsh glare of the sun and watched the patient pace off twenty-three feet from the basket. The patient drew a line with chalk. Yeah, the man thought, that was about the spot where the three-point line was. Only the best shooters would dare launch a shot from that far away.
The patient began to shoot the ball, rebound, shoot the ball, rebound, shoot the ball. He moved effortlessly, his shooting motion almost a poetic flow. Shot after shot found its way through the metallic hoop with a swish. The ball hardly ever touched the rim.
‘Looking good, Mark,’ the man called out.
The patient stopped. His curly blond hair was getting long now. His eyes were ice blue. His nose was pointed, his cheekbones set high. His face was unusually handsome in a pretty-boy sort of way. He stood about six feet five and his build was rock solid. The patient had never tried weightlifting before but the effects were both enormous and immediate. His body was slimmer, his muscles more defined. He felt strong. ‘Thanks.’
‘Mind if I rebound a few?’
‘I’d appreciate it.’
The patient named Mark shot. The man rebounded and tossed the ball out to him. ‘Let me ask you something, ’ the man began.
‘Go ahead.’
‘How are you going to get a try-out?’ he asked. ‘You’re a complete unknown.’
‘I know.’
‘So how are you going to do it?’
‘I’m playing around with a few ideas,’ the patient answered as he moved in for a hook shot.
‘Like?’
Mark shrugged. ‘Can you get me press credentials?’ ‘Sure. What do you need them for?’
‘I’m working on it. I’ll let you know.’
‘Okay. One set of press credentials. Anything else?’
The patient continued to shoot, trying hard to look casual. ‘How is everyone?’
‘Everyone?’
‘You know what I mean.’
‘No, Mark, I really don’t know.’
Mark did not take his eyes off the rim. ‘You’re right. Forget it.’
‘It’s forgotten.’
‘The rules have to be followed.’
‘Right,’ the man agreed.
The patient continued shooting. The man continued rebounding. ‘Mark?’
The patient stopped shooting.
‘Everyone is doing badly.’
Mark’s face caved in. ‘Badly?’
The man nodded.
‘I want to know – ’
The man shook his head and began to walk back toward the house. ‘I shouldn’t have even said that.’
Mark clutched the ball to his chest like a child with a teddy bear. His large frame bent over. He collapsed heavily onto the asphalt surface. An awful mix of emotions whirled painfully through his head like a sharp propeller.
The man continued to walk away.
‘T.C.?’ Mark cried out.
The man stopped and turned around.
‘Make sure nothing bad happens to them.’
The man called T.C. took out a cigar. ‘I’ll do my best,’ he replied, even though he knew that he was powerless to do anything.
10
May 29, 1960
‘Bastard.’
The gun exploded. A bullet sliced through Sinclair’s skull. Blood splashed onto the walls, the sticky, red mist spraying the killer’s face. Clumps of brain tissue flew out the other side of Sinclair’s head. The dead body slid off the chair and onto the floor.
Standing over the bloodied corpse, the killer felt a strange exhilaration.
I killed him. I killed the bastard. He’s dead. I didn’t mean to do it, but I killed him. Plain and simple. I’m covered with blood, but oh, did he deserve it. Oh, was he asking for it.
The killer scanned the room. The music outside on the commons blasted so loudly that the students did not hear the bullet or, if they did, they must have thought it was a firecracker or a car backfiring. Still, time was short. The killer had to act fast.
Just relax. Don’t panic. You’re in control. Now just think. Something will come to you.
The killer looked at what had been a man’s head. It was now an unrecognizable mass of blood, flesh and bone fragments.
I shot him in the head. That was good. That was smart. Now I can make it look like a suicide. Everyone knew the bastard had problems. A suicide would barely be questioned.
The killer locked the office door, wiped the gun clean of any fingerprints and placed the gun snugly in the dead man’s hand.