Of Half a Mind by Bruce M Perrin

Author:Bruce M Perrin [Perrin, Bruce M]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781732083509
Publisher: Mind Sleuth Publications
Published: 2018-03-24T00:00:00+00:00

Thursday, August 20, 2:44 PM

“I ran from the house and I’ve never been back,” Scott said, as she brought her story to a close. “Of course, I called the police and Dr. Caufield, told them what Ned had said, but neither seemed to take it seriously.” She laughed bitterly. “Why should they? I was describing a man possessed by a machine.”

Possessed by a machine?

Her words spun in my thoughts. Why would that be? I could think of nothing in our confusing and incomplete picture of this device that would explain such a fixation.

Scott paused, rubbing a hand over her forehead. “Shortly after that day in May, I filed for divorce. I hoped the act would get Ned to meet me, hopefully to restart the dialog some place safe. But he ignored me.”

Scott released a single laugh filled with disdain. “In fact, about the only people to pay attention was the press, who made Dr. Caufield and I look like criminals.”

I admired Scott. Those days had been hard and to recount them for us with such candor couldn’t have been easy. “It’s no real consolation of course, but we’ll use everything you’ve said to help us understand this technology.”

“You’re wrong,” Scott said, almost before I finished speaking. “It is a comfort to me, because helping you understand the Blocker gets me one step closer to knowing what happened to Ned. Jon isn’t sure he was killed, but I am.” She glanced in Huston’s direction.

“It’s more that I don’t know than I doubt it,” said Huston. “Ned wasn’t around here much during that time. And when he was…. Well, he kept to himself.”

Scott nodded. “Anyway, after that he started trying to get his life back. He was coming into his lab here…maybe even sneaking in. I don’t know. But within two months, he had requested funding for a study on training. That, of course, is when you got involved.”

“Do you think he had quit using the Blocker…I mean, if he was?” asked Sue.

Scott took in a long breath, then released it slowly. “No. He was fighting it, trying to manage it…but no, I don’t think he ever stopped completely. Sometimes, he’d call. And when he did, he’d sound exhausted from the battle, old and tired. I could hardly hear him, he spoke so softly. It broke my heart, but at the same time, it made it stronger. He was trying.”

The Worthington she now described was the same man who had called me the night he died. Her description couldn’t be a coincidence. “Did Ned warn you that you were in danger?” I asked, remembering well the phrase ‘I fear for the lives of those around me.’

For a moment, there was a blank look on Scott’s face, and then, realization. “He talked to you. He told you about the danger he’d created.” It wasn’t a question; there wasn’t even a trace of uncertainty in her voice. Scott knew.

I had never mentioned the details of the call to Sue or Nicole and I hated catching them off-guard, but I had started down this path.

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