“Of course I already knew that they were taking their untested drug,” Kinnard said.
“I told that to the District Attorney right from the beginning,” Kim said. “It didn’t influence him that much.”
Kinnard looked back at the impressive ruins. “This old building must have burned awfully quickly,” he said.
“The fire spread so fast it was almost explosive,” Kim said.
Kinnard shook his head again, this time in gratitude and awe. “It’s a marvel that you got out yourself,” he said. “It must have been terrifying.”
“The fire was practically anticlimactic,” Kim said. “It was the other stuff that was so horrifying, and it was a hundred times worse than one could ever imagine. You can’t believe what it’s like to see people you know in such an animal state. But the one thing it did for me was underline that all drug taking, whether steroids for athletes or psychotropic drugs for character enhancement, is a Faustian contract.”
“Medicine has known that for years,” Kinnard said. “There’s always risk, even with antibiotics.”
“I hope people will remember it when they are tempted to take drugs for what they believe are personality flaws, like shyness,” Kim said. “Such drugs are coming; there’s no stopping the research that’s going to develop them. And if someone doubts they will be used for such purposes, all they have to do is look at the expanded use of some of the current antidepressants in such questionable ways since they’ve been on the market.”
“The problem is we’re developing a culture which thinks there is a pill for everything,” Kinnard said.
“That’s exactly the reason that there is bound to be another episode like the one I just lived through,” Kim said. “It’s inevitable with the potential demand for psychotropic drugs.”
“If there is another such episode, I’m sure the witch industry in Salem hopes that it will occur here,” Kinnard said with a laugh. “Your experience has been a boon for business.”
Kim picked up a stick and poked into the rubble of the castle. Metal objects had been distorted out of shape because of the intense heat.
“This house contained all the material legacy of twelve generations of Stewarts,” Kim said. “Everything is lost.”
“I’m sorry,” Kinnard said. “It must be very upsetting.”
“Not really,” Kim said. “Most of it was junk except for a few pieces of furniture. There wasn’t even one decent painting except for the portrait of Elizabeth, which survived. The only thing that I truly regret losing are the letters and papers I’d found about her. I’ve lost them all and only have copies of two that were made at Harvard. Now the copies are the only corroboration that exists concerning Elizabeth’s involvement in the Salem witchcraft upheaval, and that’s not going to be enough to convince most historians.”
They stood for a time gazing at the ashes. Finally Kinnard suggested they move on. Elizabeth nodded. They walked back to the car and drove over to the lab.
Kim unlocked the door. They passed through the reception area and Kim opened the inner door. Kinnard was amazed. It was just empty space.
“Where is everything?” he asked. “I thought this was a lab.”
“It was,” Kim said. “I told Stanton everything had to be out immediately. I told him if it weren’t, I’d donate it all to a charity.”
Kinnard made a motion of dribbling a basketball and shooting it. The sound of his heels echoed in the room. “You could always convert it to a gym,” he said.
“I think I’d prefer a studio,” Kim said.
“Are you serious?” Kinnard asked.
“I think I am,” Kim said.
Leaving the lab, they drove on to the cottage. Kinnard was relieved to see it hadn’t been stripped like the lab. “It would be a shame to destroy this,” he said. “You’ve made it into a delightful house.”
“It is cute,” Kim admitted.
They walked into the parlor. Kinnard walked around the room and examined everything carefully.
“Do you think you’d ever want to live here again?” Kinnard asked.
“I think so,” she said. “Someday. What about you? Do you think you could ever live in a place like this?”
“Sure,” Kinnard said. “After taking the rotation out here I’ve been offered a position with a group at Salem Hospital that I’m seriously considering. Living here would be ideal. The only trouble is, I think it might be a bit lonely.”