Blood Test by Kellerman, Jonathan

logical.

280 Jonathan KeIterman

As the insights hit I was seized with acute claustrophobia

and grew rigid with tension. Sweat ran

down my back. My heart pounded and my breathing

quickened. The room was an evil place and I

had to get out.

Frantically I gathered up several of the blue cloth

binders-and placed them in a cardboard box. I carried

it and my tools down the ladder, bolted the

bedroom, and rushed to the landing. Teetering with

vertigo, I ran recklessly down the stairs and crossed

the frigid living room with four long strides.

After fumbling with the latch I managed to throw

open the front door. I stood on the rotting porch

until I caught my breath.

Silence greeted me. I’d never felt so alone.

Without looking back I made my escape.

22

ALONG WITH everyone else, I’d dismissed Raoul’s

conviction that Woody Swope had been abducted

by the Touch. Now I wasn’t so sure.

I’d seen no aberrant crops growing in the gardens

of the Retreat, which meant Matthias had lied about

buying seeds from the Swopes. On the surface it

seemed a petty falsehood, serving no purpose. But

habitual liars often lace their stories with demitruths

for the sake .of realism. Had the guru fabricated a

casual connection between his group and the Swopes

in order to obscure a deeper relationship?

The lie stuck in my craw. Along with the memory

of my first visit to the Retreat, which, in

retrospect, seemed suspiciously well orchestrated.

Matthias had been too gracious about my intrusion,

too pliant and cooperative. For a group that had

been described as reclusive, the Touch had been

strangely willing to endure scrutiny bya total

stranger.

Had the generous welcome meant they had noth-

281

282 Jonathan Kellerman

ing to hide? Or that theyhad hidden their secret so

well that discovery was out of the question.

I thought of Woody and allowed myself the luxury

of hope: the boy might still be alive. But for

how long? His body was a biochemical minefield

ready to explode at any moment.

If Matthias and his cultists had stashed the boy

somewhere on their grounds, a more spontaneous

inspection was in order.

Houten had gotten to the Retreat by’driving

through La Vista and turning right at a fork just

outside the town limits. I wanted to avoid being

seen and if my recollection of the county map was

correct, the. road I now traveled intersected the one

from town, forming the right prong of the fork. I

sped along, headlights off, and soon found myself

nearing the gates of the former monastery.

Once again I hid the Seville under tall trees and

walked to the entrance on foot. The bolt cutter was

in my waistband, the flashlight in my jacket pocket,

and the crowbar up one sleeve. I wouldn’t stand a

chance in an electrical storm.

My hopes for surreptitious entry were dashed by

the sight of a male cultist patrolling inside the

gates. His white uniform stood out in the darkness,

the loose-fitting garments billowing, as he walked

/back and forth. A leather stash bag swung from the

sash around his waist.

I’d come too far to turn back. A plan presented

itself. I moved forward cautiously. Closer inspection

revealed the guard to be Brother Baron, nee

Barry Graffius. This cheered me greatly. I’m not a

violent person by inclination and had begun to feel

more than a little guilty about what I was about to

BLOOD TEST 283

do. But if anyone deserved it, Graffius did. The

rationalization didn’t remove the guilt,-but it did

serve to lower it to a tolerable level.

I timed my footsteps to coincide with bis and

drew closer. Unloading my tools, I waited, concealed

behind high shrubbery, but able to see him

through the branches. He continued his walk for a

few minutes, then obliged me by stopping to scratch

his rear. I gave a low hiss and he snapped to attention,

straining to locate the source of the sound.

Edging Closer to the gate he peered out, sniffing

like a rabbit.

I held my breath until he resumed pacing. Another

pause, this one deliberate, inquisitive. Hiss.

He reached under his blouse and drew out a little

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