We were nearly to the front door when he said from behind us, “I’ll be sending you a bill for the repairs I had to have done on Seagull Cottage. You left it in a mess.”
He had wonderful gall.
“That was a good touch,” Savich said as we left. “That man’s something.”
I turned to look back at the house. I saw Cotter staring at us through one of the upstairs windows. When he saw me looking up at him, the curtain fell back over the window. I knew exactly what the drug had done to him. But he’d probably loved it. Had his father taken the drug as well? His mother? I didn’t think so. As for Cal, I’d probably never be certain one way or the other.
I felt empty. Coming here had been a waste of time. Jilly was gone and I had no idea now where to look.
“Let’s spend the night in Salem at my condo,” Laura said. “I want to see Grubster and Nolan. When I called the super from San Jose”, he said they were eating well, but not happy that I was gone. It was very nice of Maggie to take them back home.”
“Will they sleep with us?”
“It’s a queen-size bed,” Laura said. “There’ll be room enough for all of us. Oh, yes, I’ve got a nice guest room for Sherlock and Savich.”
I called Maggie Sheffield and told her where we’d be if anything happened to turn up, which I strongly doubted. So did she, but she was nice enough not to say so.
I fell asleep in Laura’s very comfortable bed, at arm’s length from Laura because Grubster had decided to pun-the night away snuggled against her side.
I dreamed I saw headlights, bright and sharp, piercing through a dense fog that seemed to cover everything in a thick veil of white.
Odd, but I could clearly see the road ahead. It was coming at me quickly, too quickly. I wanted to yell and smash down on the brakes, but I couldn’t. If there were brakes, I didn’t know where to find them. I wanted to get away from that highway that was moving so quickly, but I was helpless. I was trapped.
I couldn’t draw a breath I was so afraid. Suddenly, I heard a soft keening sound from beside me. It was a woman moaning as if she hadn’t anything left, as if there was nothing more for her and she knew it and accepted it.
I wanted us both to stop, but the road kept coming up through those bright headlights, faster and faster. I tried to tell her I was here with her, that I would help if I could. But she couldn’t hear me.
I heard her speaking now, quietly. She was praying. I was nearly part of her in those moments when she prayed for forgiveness.
I knew I was dreaming despite what I thought, what I felt. I wanted to wake up but I couldn’t.
The road disappeared. I was thrown forward hard, but then everything seemed to fade away. We were flying out into the fog, sailing high, then dropping toward the water.
I was aware of immense pain slamming through me, a tremendous pressure against my chest that didn’t really hurt but was just there. Then it too was gone. There was just an eerie sense of calm, of finality. So easy, I thought, it was so very easy. I smiled at the gentleness of it, smiled even as everything simply went black, and I felt nothing at all.
The next morning the four of us stood together on the cliff, looking out over the water. It didn’t take long. A man in scuba gear split the surface of the water and yelled, “She’s down here!”
I’d known Jilly would be. In my dream I was down there with her.
Another man came up beside him. He called out, “There are two cars down there, next to each other. There’s a white Porsche that looks like it’s been there awhile and the one she’s in looks like a rental car.”
Epilogue
Washington, D.C. Three Months Later
Squawk.” “Keep your feathers on, Nolan.” I dumped a pile of sunflower seeds in my palm and reached inside his cage.