There followed a long, uncomfortable silence, after which she said: “Do you hate me?”
“Of course not,” I replied. “How could I–all things considered?”
This seemed to please her, and she showed her teeth, which were very white.
“Good, and thank you,” she said. “Whatever else, you’re a gentleman.”
I bowed and smirked.
“You’ll turn my head.”
“Hardly,” she said, “all things considered.”
And I felt uncomfortable.
My anger was there, and I wondered whether she knew who it was that I needed to stay it. I felt that she did. I fought with the desire to ask it outright, suppressed it.
“Well, what do you propose doing?” she finally asked, and being on the spot I replied, “Of course, you don’t trust me. . .”
“How could we?”
I determined to remember that we.
“Well, then. For the time being. I’m willing to place myself under your surveillance. I’ll be glad to stay right here, where you can keep an eye on me.”
“And afterward?”
“Afterward? We’ll see.”
“Clever,” she said, “very clever. And you place me in an awkward position.” (I had said it because I didn’t have any place else to go. and my blackmail money wouldn’t last me too long.) “Yes, of course you may stay. But let me warn you”–and here she fingered what I had thought to be some sort of pendant on a chain about her neck–”this is an ultrasonic dog whistle. Donner and Blitzen here have four brothers, and they’re all trained to take care of nasty people and they all respond to my whistle. So don’t start to walk toward any place where you won’t be desired. A toot or two and even you will go down before them. Their kind is the reason there are no wolves left in Ireland. you know.”
“I know,” I said, realizing that I did.
“Yes.” she continued, “Eric will like it that you are my guest. It should cause him to leave you alone, which is what you want, n’est-ce-pas?”
“Oui.” I said.
Eric! It meant something! I had known an Eric, and it had been very important, somehow. that I did. Not recently. But the Eric I had known was still around, and that was important.
Why?
I hated him, that was one reason. Hated him enough to have contemplated killing him. Perhaps I’d even tried.
Also, there was some bond between us, I knew.
Kinship?
Yes, that was it. Neither of us liked it being brothers.
….I remembered, I remembered….
Big, powerful Eric, with his wet curly beard, and his eyes—just like Evelyn’s!
I was racked with a new surge of memory, as my temples began to throb and the back of my neck was suddenly warm.
I didn’t let any of it show on my face, but forced myself to take another drag on my cigarette, another sip of beer, as I realized that Evelyn was indeed my sister! Only Evelyn wasn’t her name. I couldn’t think of what it was, but it wasn’t Evelyn. I’d be careful, I resolved. I’d not use any name at all when addressing her, until I remembered.
And what of me? And what was it that was going on around me?
Eric, I suddenly felt, had had some connection with my accident. It should have been a fatal one, only I’d pulled through. He was the one, wasn’t he? Yes, my feelings replied. It had to be Eric. And Evelyn was working with him, paying Greenwood to keep me in a coma. Better than being dead, but….
I realized that I had just somehow delivered myself into Eric’s hands by coming to Evelyn, and I would be his prisoner, would be open to new attack, if I stayed.
But she had suggested that my being her guest would cause him to leave me alone. I wondered. I couldn’t take anything at face value. I’d have to be constantly on my guard. Perhaps it would be better if I just went away, let my memories return gradually.
But there was this terrible sense of urgency. I had to find out the full story as soon as possible and act as soon as I knew it. It lay like a compulsion upon me. If danger was the price of memory and risk the cost of opportunity, then so be it. I’d stay.