“What would happen if both of you had an attack simultaneously?” Kim asked to try to focus her mind.
“We’ve thought about that,” Gloria said. “Unfortunately, we’ve not been able to come up with any fail-safe ideas. So far it hasn’t happened. I guess all we can do is the best we can.”
“I admire your fortitude,” Kim said.
“I don’t think we have much choice,” Gloria said.
After saying goodbye, Kim left. She was unnerved. As she descended in the elevator her legs felt weak. She was afraid her little visit would bring back the recurrent nightmares she’d had immediately after the terrible night.
Emerging into the warm midspring sunshine, Kim felt better. Just being outside helped, but she could not keep from replaying the image of Edward furiously slamming into the glass of his self-imposed prison.
When Kim reached her car, she stopped and turned to face Omni. She wondered what kind of drugs the company would be loosing on the world in the future. She shuddered. The thought made her vow to be even more conservative than she’d been in the past about taking drugs, any drugs!
Kim keyed open her door and got into the car. She didn’t start the engine immediately. In her mind’s eye, she could still see Edward’s face as it underwent its ghastly transformation. It was something she never would forget.
Starting out of the parking lot, Kim did something that surprised her. Instead of returning back to Boston as she’d planned, she impulsively headed north. After the unnerving experience at Omni she felt an irresistible urge to return to the compound, where she had not gone since the visit with Kinnard.
With little traffic the trip passed quickly, and within a half hour Kim was unlocking the padlock on the gates. She drove directly to the cottage and got out. Immediately she felt an odd sensation of relief as if she were coming home after an arduous journey.
Fumbling with the keys, Kim opened the lock and entered. Stepping into the half-light of the parlor, she looked up al Elizabeth’s portrait. The intense green of the eyes and the determined line of the jaw were as Kim remembered, but there was something else, something she’d not seen. It appeared as if Elizabeth were smiling!
Kim blinked and looked again. The smile was still there. It was as if Elizabeth were reacting to the fact that after so many years some good had come from her terrible ordeal; she had been ultimately vindicated.
Amazed at this effect, Kim stepped closer to the painting only to appreciate the sfumato that the artist had used at the corners of Elizabeth’s mouth. Kim smiled herself, realizing it was her own perceptions that were being reflected in Elizabeth’s visage.
Turning around, Kim gazed out at the view Elizabeth saw from her position over the mantel. At that moment Kim decided to move back to the cottage. The emotional trauma engendered by that last terrible night had already significantly lessened, and Kim wanted to come home to live within the penumbra of Elizabeth’s memory. Remembering she was the same age as Elizabeth had been when Elizabeth had been so unjustly killed, Kim vowed to live the rest of her life for both of them. It was the only way she could imagine to repay Elizabeth for the self-understanding she’d provided.
The End