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He stared again at the EKG monitor still connected to his chest by taped lead wires And over in the corner stood a blood pressure monitor and an IV pole So if he could name what lay around him, why couldn’t he re to anchor hi up here in this dark room, he had no rowing distress The child stepped forward, his blue eyes catching the flash of the penlight Monk--if that was really his name--sensed the boy knewthis, the child seemed to read his heart and spoke the only words that would stir him from the bed

The boy held up a s his need "Save us"

5

Septeton, DC

"Chernobyl?" Elizabeth asked "What wasin Russia?"

She stared across the coffee table at the two other men She was seated in an armchair with her back to a picturethat overlooked the woods of Rock Creek Park They had been driven to this location after escaping the museum Gray had used the words safe house, which had done little toout of a spy novel But the charm of the house--a two-story craftser oak--helped cal several minutes to scrub her hands and splash water on her face But her hair still sernails were still stained with paint Afterward, she had sat for fiveto make sense of the last few hours She hadn’t known she was crying until discovering her hands were damp It was all too much She still hadn’t had a chance to process the death of her father Though she didn’t doubt the truth of it, she had not come to accept the reality

Not until she had some answers

It was those questions that finally drew her out of the bathroom

She eyed the newcomer across a table set with coffee The man was introduced as Gray’s boss, Director Painter Crowe She studied hiular, his coist, she read the Native Alacial blue hue His dark hair ran with a small streak of white over one ear, like a heron feather tucked there

Gray shared the sofa with hih a stack of papers on the table

Before anyone could answer her question, Kowalski returned fro feet His freshly polished shoes rested on the cold hearth "Found so that looked like cheese Not sure But they had salami"

He leaned to place the platter in front of Elizabeth

"Thank you, Joe," she said, grateful for the si ruhtened He pointed to the platter, see to say--then with a shake of his head, retired to inspect his shoes again

Painter sat up straighter, drawing back Elizabeth’s attention "As to Chernobyl, we don’t knohy your father went there In fact, we ran his passport There’s no record of hi the United States We can only assu with a false passport The last record we have of his travels was froo He flew to India That’s the last we know about his whereabouts"

Elizabeth nodded "He travels there often At least twice a year"

Gray shifted straighter "To India Why?"

"For a research grant As a neurologist, he was studying the biological basis for instinct He worked with a professor of psychology at the University of Mulanced to his boss

"I’ll look into it," Painter said "But I had already heard of your father’s interest in instinct and intuition In fact, it was the basis for his involvement with the Jasons"

This last was directed at Gray, but Elizabeth stiffened at the anization She could not hide her distaste "So you know about thelanced to Gray, then back to her "Yes, we know your father orking for the? More like obsessed with the with thepassion with her father Each suer The rest of his year was devoted to his responsibilities as a professor at MIT As a result, he was seldom horew into fights Heran affair

The tension at hoe became a ruin Her e When Elizabeth was sixteen, her ot drunk and crashed the family’s SUV into the Charles River It was never determined whether it was an accident or a suicide

But Elizabeth kneho deserved the brunt of the blame