What She Wants by Lucinda Betts

Author:Lucinda Betts
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2009-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

14

As Chiron stepped from the bathroom—fully human and wearing the track pants—Brad Scrimshaw shoved a cart of food into the room and slammed the door behind him. He wore the white jacket of the hotel waitstaff, but his convention name tag bumped against his chest. He wouldn’t have fooled anyone for long.

“Brad?” Ann asked. “What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?” He looked wildly around the room. “Isn’t this the cop’s room?”

“Yes, but—”

“Can I help you?” Chiron came to where the boy could see him.

“Look,” Brad said, his voice vibrating with a tension that bordered on panic. “You’ve got to believe me. Everyone else will think I’m crazy, but you saw the guy. You know he’s nuts.”

“Brad, you need to slow down and explain yourself. Who’s nuts?”

The lanky boy took a deep breath and straightened his white jacket, which was too short. His bony wrists stuck out from beneath the cuffs. “Okay. This is the deal.” Chiron watched him meet Ann’s gaze. “I heard the Sutherland guy talking, and he’s going to do something terrible.”

“Worse than what he’s already done?” Ann asked. Chiron couldn’t image she was happy to see any of her colleagues after that video show.

“Yes.” Brad nodded. “Worse than that—or at least, as bad as that.”

“What’d you hear?”

“Apparently the wildlife vet that everyone here uses—” Brad snapped his fingers trying to jog his memory. “What’s his name?”

“Daniel Hallock.”

“That’s right. Hallock. Well, apparently Hallock was arrested last night.” He met Chiron’s eyes. “Did you know that?”

“Yes.”

“Apparently he’s gone mad, crazy. Like Renwick in Dracula.”

“What?” Ann said. “He’s eating bugs?”

“No. Weirder. He’s saying you’re a shape-shifting unicorn, so the man has obviously lost his mind. And he isn’t just talking about it—he’s ranting. He’s screaming at anyone who’ll listen.”

“How do you know this?” Chiron asked.

“Sutherland said.”

“Hallock’s in custody,” Chiron said. “He can’t hurt anyone.”

“That’s what I’m saying.” Brad hit the cart in front of him for emphasis. “Sutherland’s going to break him out! He wants the man to come rant at the conference. He wants everyone to hear him say these crazy things about Dr. Fallon!”

It wasn’t bad enough that every important scientist in her field watched her fuck a crop, now they’d listen to a madman spew her secret? Chiron felt Ann’s pain. He felt it, and he knew he had to stop it.

“Sutherland can’t get him out of custody,” Ann said, her voice shaking as she looked at Chiron for support. “He’s in jail. Who breaks someone out of jail?”

“Anything’s possible.” Chiron shrugged. “He’s in the hospital for psychological evaluation. He was a little unhinged last night.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means someone could bribe a nurse or convince a nurse he doesn’t need restraints. If the psych nurse thinks he’s not going anywhere, she might take the cuffs off.”

“Exactly.” Brad hit the topmost tray for emphasis again, and the smell of omelets and French toast filled the room. “You have to stop him.”

“Wait a minute,” Chiron said. “There are a whole lot of questions that need to be answered first.

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