[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Lilith noticed first how especially preoccupied he seemed with the floor, or more accurately, the muddy
footprint on the floor. She realized immediately that he had discovered a trail of muddy footprints leading from
his office, down the stairs and back up into the workshop. Although everyone had mud on his shoes, the
footprints he searched for came from one person responsible for snooping around in his office.
Because of the similarities, it did not take long for Doctor Lieberman to narrow the muddy prints down to
just three people: Shekina, Akasha, and Millie. All three wore sneakers, which appeared similar in size and
design, and all three had rich, black mud encrusted on the bottoms and sides.
He said nothing for the first minute, continuing his inspection openly, appearing not to care if the others
knew what he had discovered. Because of Millie s unwavering loyalty to the Center, by virtue of her uncle,
Doctor Lieberman immediately ruled her out as a suspect in the office break-in. That led him to suspect that one
of the twins had brazenly violated his privacy by gaining access to his office and rummaging through his
belongings. The very notion proved none too difficult to believe, given the sometimes cunning, often
contemptuous nature of the twins in the past. The thought of such an intrusion angered. He had learned to deal
with the girls on an as-is basis, extending trust only when earned in kind, but this act of antagonism left him
utterly infuriated.
In a completely unexpected turn of events, and just as the twins were preparing for a full-scaled inquisition,
Doctor Lieberman cleared his throat and announced, It is time for all of you to go home now.
Excuse me? said Lilith.
You heard me. Go home.
We just got here.
Then stay. I don t care anymore, but we are done here. Expect Doctor Lowell or his surrogate to conduct
future meetings, if there are any future meetings. As far as I am concerned, the workshop is disbanded.
But Doctor, we don t understand, said Gordon. What did we do?
What did you do? Maybe you should ask the twins over there, or Michael. He ll tell you.
Doctor Lieberman then turned and stormed out of the room. Heavy footstep echoed down the hall all the way
to his office, with a slamming door punctuating his retreat.
The surprised faces turned to Gordon when he asked, What do you make of that? I have never seen him like
this. It s like he s a different person.
Exactly, said Shekina. Perhaps we are just now seeing the real Doctor Lieberman: a desperate and
dangerous man.
What do we do now? asked Millie, almost afraid to hear the answer.
What do we do? said Lilith. We go out and see what the hell is in the bag you found in his office. That s
what we do.
So, what are we waiting for? said Gordon, leading the group out with all the spirit of a nineteenth century
cavalry charge.
Down in the parking lot, they gathered around Millie s car, where she popped the trunk and produced the
mysterious brown paper bag for inspection. Valerie peeked inside first, took one look and backed.
What is it? asked Gordon, as the others took turns looking, only to back away as speechless as Valerie.
Finally, Gordon got his turn. He looked in and blurted out, Bloody towels?
Michael reached out and slapped him. Shut up, stupid! He gestured toward the squad car.
Gordon glanced over his shoulder, taking notice of the black and white parked some forty yards away. Oh,
shoot! I forgot. He didn t hear me. Did he?
I don t know. Probably not, but we can t act too suspiciously. Anyone have any ideas what we do now?
I do, said Valerie, snatching the bag and rolling it up tight. We need to find out what these towels can tell
us.
I know one thing they tell us, said Gordon. They definitely belong to Doctor Lieberman. They re
monogrammed with his initials, P. L. for Peter Lieberman.
We can see that, Gordon. I m talking about something else.
You mean psychometry? Lilith guessed.
Yes, psychometry. I believe I may be able to see exactly what transpired the moment that blood came to be
on these towels. Who s with me?
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]