Industrial Magic
Page 111
Sorry, its that damned black hole again. ItsIve never felt anything like it. She meant so much to him. Faye swallowed. Well, even Hitler loved his dog, right? Doesnt make someone a good person, and this one definitely isnt. Only thing he cared about was her. Okay, let me have another go
Maybe you shouldnt.
Ive got it. Just hold on. She exhaled and let her head fall again. Hes frustrated. The killingit doesnt help, doesnt fill the void. He needs more. Theres one he was saving for last, but he cant wait. Hes going to Her head snapped back, hitting the wheelchair headrest so hard it jumped.
Oh. The single word came like a gasp.
Her arms gripped the sides of her wheelchair as her body stiffened, torso rising out of the chair. Lucas and I both jumped up. Before we could reach her, her body went as straight as a board, and she slid from the chair. Lucas lunged and grabbed her before she hit the floor. She convulsed, eyes rolling, mouth open. I grabbed a pen from a nearby table, opened her mouth, and stuck it in to hold her tongue down. Then she stopped. Just stopped, as if frozen in place. Lucas gently lowered her to the floor.
Ill get Oscar, he said.
Is she
Shell be okay. This is, I fear, her normal state. Catatonic.
As he left, I rearranged Fayes arms, trying to make her more comfortable, though I knew she was beyond caring. As I adjusted her head, I caught a glimpse of her eyes, wide and unseeing. No, not unseeing. Leaning over her, I saw movement there, her pupils contracting and flickering, ever so slightly, like someone watching television. Only it wasnt a television screen she was seeing, but the tiny screen in her own mind, playing a hundred movies of a hundred lives, all glimmering past so fast her brain could no longer make any sense of them.
I would talk to Benicio about getting Faye a witch nurse. It wouldnt cure her, but anything had to be better thanthis. Yes, that would mean advocating that a witch take a job with a Cabal, something Id never thought Id do, but the sad truth was that there were dozens of witches eager for Cabal employment, and if it meant they could help someone like Faye, well, for now, that was the best I could do.
Hotel Shopping
BY EVENING WED CHECKED OUT NEARLY HALF THE HOTELS in Miami as wed searched for one with a view that matched what Faye had seen outside Edwards window. Wed started by targeting those hotels with rack rates of a hundred dollars. Tougher than it might sound. It was a nice, even number, and many hotels had at least a few rooms at that rate.
When we first left Faye, wed called Jaime, whod offered to split the phone-book list with us. After wefound a few possibilities, Jaime suggested she and Cassandra take over the phone calls while we did the footwork. A wise arrangement, except that Jaime and Cassandra found so many hotels with rooms at a hundred dollars that we couldnt begin to keep up.
At eight, Jaime called.
Were still working on the last batch, I said when I answered.
Thats what I figured. Im calling to say were holding the rest of the list hostage. You guys have been at it for six hours, and I know you havent eaten dinner. Probably skipped lunch, too.
We just need to
No. Seriously, Paige. Time to call it a day. Better to quit now, get food, get sleep, and get cracking again at daybreak.
As much as I hated to quit, this did make sense. With night falling, we could barely make out the buildings surrounding the hotels. I relayed the advice to Lucas, who agreed.
Good, Jaime said when I told her. Theres a bar down the road here, advertises full-kitchen service until midnight. Ill meet you there in half an hour. If you keep working, youll keep me waiting. I can cause a lot of trouble left alone in a bar. Remember that.
We did keep Jaime waiting fifteen minutes, but only because Lucas had another idea that he wanted to pursue immediately. The Cabal had satellite photos of Miami. Maybe with those wed have more luck picking out the configuration of buildings Faye had described. Cortez headquarters was on the way, so we stopped by, and had copies of the photos in less than twenty minutes.
Despite her threat, Jaime hadnt caused any trouble at the bar. She wasnt alone, either. When I noticed a figure across the table from her, I immediately thought male, then noticed that it was Cassandra. The three of us ordered dinner, while Cassandra nursed her wine.
Jaime had managed to bully Lucas into not examining the photos while we ate, but the moment the plates left the table, he had them out. I tried helping, but we only had one magnifying glass, and the details were too small to see with the naked eye, so I let Jaime talk me into a post-dinner drink.
Halfway through the drinks, Cassandra got off acelebrity necro jab at Jaime, who responded by bringing up her favorite issue.
Im not dead, Cassandra said, barely ungritting her teeth enough to let the words out.
Care to test that theory? Lets say you find a guy lying on the ground, and youre not sure if hes dead or alive. How do you tell? Three ways. Heartbeat, pulse, breathing. Here, Cass, give me your wrist, let me check your pulse.
Cassandra glared and sipped her wine.
Not seeing any condensation on that glass, Cass. Something tells me youre not breathing.
Maybe you shouldnt.
Ive got it. Just hold on. She exhaled and let her head fall again. Hes frustrated. The killingit doesnt help, doesnt fill the void. He needs more. Theres one he was saving for last, but he cant wait. Hes going to Her head snapped back, hitting the wheelchair headrest so hard it jumped.
Oh. The single word came like a gasp.
Her arms gripped the sides of her wheelchair as her body stiffened, torso rising out of the chair. Lucas and I both jumped up. Before we could reach her, her body went as straight as a board, and she slid from the chair. Lucas lunged and grabbed her before she hit the floor. She convulsed, eyes rolling, mouth open. I grabbed a pen from a nearby table, opened her mouth, and stuck it in to hold her tongue down. Then she stopped. Just stopped, as if frozen in place. Lucas gently lowered her to the floor.
Ill get Oscar, he said.
Is she
Shell be okay. This is, I fear, her normal state. Catatonic.
As he left, I rearranged Fayes arms, trying to make her more comfortable, though I knew she was beyond caring. As I adjusted her head, I caught a glimpse of her eyes, wide and unseeing. No, not unseeing. Leaning over her, I saw movement there, her pupils contracting and flickering, ever so slightly, like someone watching television. Only it wasnt a television screen she was seeing, but the tiny screen in her own mind, playing a hundred movies of a hundred lives, all glimmering past so fast her brain could no longer make any sense of them.
I would talk to Benicio about getting Faye a witch nurse. It wouldnt cure her, but anything had to be better thanthis. Yes, that would mean advocating that a witch take a job with a Cabal, something Id never thought Id do, but the sad truth was that there were dozens of witches eager for Cabal employment, and if it meant they could help someone like Faye, well, for now, that was the best I could do.
Hotel Shopping
BY EVENING WED CHECKED OUT NEARLY HALF THE HOTELS in Miami as wed searched for one with a view that matched what Faye had seen outside Edwards window. Wed started by targeting those hotels with rack rates of a hundred dollars. Tougher than it might sound. It was a nice, even number, and many hotels had at least a few rooms at that rate.
When we first left Faye, wed called Jaime, whod offered to split the phone-book list with us. After wefound a few possibilities, Jaime suggested she and Cassandra take over the phone calls while we did the footwork. A wise arrangement, except that Jaime and Cassandra found so many hotels with rooms at a hundred dollars that we couldnt begin to keep up.
At eight, Jaime called.
Were still working on the last batch, I said when I answered.
Thats what I figured. Im calling to say were holding the rest of the list hostage. You guys have been at it for six hours, and I know you havent eaten dinner. Probably skipped lunch, too.
We just need to
No. Seriously, Paige. Time to call it a day. Better to quit now, get food, get sleep, and get cracking again at daybreak.
As much as I hated to quit, this did make sense. With night falling, we could barely make out the buildings surrounding the hotels. I relayed the advice to Lucas, who agreed.
Good, Jaime said when I told her. Theres a bar down the road here, advertises full-kitchen service until midnight. Ill meet you there in half an hour. If you keep working, youll keep me waiting. I can cause a lot of trouble left alone in a bar. Remember that.
We did keep Jaime waiting fifteen minutes, but only because Lucas had another idea that he wanted to pursue immediately. The Cabal had satellite photos of Miami. Maybe with those wed have more luck picking out the configuration of buildings Faye had described. Cortez headquarters was on the way, so we stopped by, and had copies of the photos in less than twenty minutes.
Despite her threat, Jaime hadnt caused any trouble at the bar. She wasnt alone, either. When I noticed a figure across the table from her, I immediately thought male, then noticed that it was Cassandra. The three of us ordered dinner, while Cassandra nursed her wine.
Jaime had managed to bully Lucas into not examining the photos while we ate, but the moment the plates left the table, he had them out. I tried helping, but we only had one magnifying glass, and the details were too small to see with the naked eye, so I let Jaime talk me into a post-dinner drink.
Halfway through the drinks, Cassandra got off acelebrity necro jab at Jaime, who responded by bringing up her favorite issue.
Im not dead, Cassandra said, barely ungritting her teeth enough to let the words out.
Care to test that theory? Lets say you find a guy lying on the ground, and youre not sure if hes dead or alive. How do you tell? Three ways. Heartbeat, pulse, breathing. Here, Cass, give me your wrist, let me check your pulse.
Cassandra glared and sipped her wine.
Not seeing any condensation on that glass, Cass. Something tells me youre not breathing.
