The Cabinet of Curiosities (Pendergast #3)(136)

TWO




NORA HEARD THE FAINT RATTLE OF A CHAIN, THEN A FAINT, WHISPERED exhalation of breath from out of the nearby darkness. She licked dry lips, worked her mouth in an attempt to speak. “Pendergast?”

“I’m here,” came the weak voice.

“I thought you were dead!” Her body spasmed in an involuntary sob. “Are you all right?”

“I’m sorry I had to leave you. How much time has passed?”

“My God, are you deaf? That madman’s doing something terrible to Bill!”

“Dr. Kelly—”

Nora lunged against her chains. She felt wild with terror and grief, a frenzy that seemed to physically possess her body. “Get me out of here!”

“Dr. Kelly.” Pendergast’s voice was neutral. “Be calm. There is something we can do. But you must be calm.”

Nora stopped struggling and sank back, trying to control herself.

“Lean against the wall. Close your eyes. Take deep, regular breaths.” The voice was slow, hypnotic.

Nora closed her eyes, trying to push away the crowding terror, trying to regulate her breathing.

There was a long silence. And then Pendergast spoke again. “All right?”

“I don’t know.”

“Keep breathing. Slowly. Now?”

“Better. What happened to you? You really frightened me, I was sure—”

“There’s no time to explain. You must trust me. And now, I’m going to remove these chains.”

Nora felt a twinge of disbelief. There was a clanking and rattling, followed by a sudden silence.

She strained against her chains, listening intently. What was he doing? Had he lost his senses?

And then, abruptly, she felt someone take hold of her elbow, and simultaneously a hand slipped over her mouth. “I’m free,” Pendergast’s voice whispered in her ear. “Soon you will be, too.”

Nora felt stuporous with disbelief. She began to tremble.

“Relax your limbs. Relax them completely.”

It was as if he brushed her arms and legs ever so lightly. She felt the cuffs and chains simply fall away. It seemed magical.

“How did—?”

“Later. What kind of shoes are you wearing?”

“Why?”

“Just answer the question.”

“Let me think. Bally. Black. Flat heels.”

“I’m going to borrow one.”

She felt Pendergast’s narrow hands remove the shoe. There was a faint noise, a kind of metallic scraping sound, and then the shoe was slipped back onto her foot. Then she heard a low tapping, as if the iron cuffs were being struck together.

“What are you doing?”

“Be very quiet.”

Despite her best efforts, she felt the terror begin to rise again, overwhelming her mind. There hadn’t been any sounds from outside for several minutes. She stifled another sob. “Bill—”

Pendergast’s cool, dry hand slipped over hers. “Whatever has happened, has happened. Now, I want you to listen to me very carefully. Respond yes by squeezing my hand. Do not speak further.”

Nora squeezed his hand.

“I need you to be strong. I must tell you that I believe Smithback is now dead. But there are two other lives here, yours and mine, that need to be saved. And we must stop this man, whoever he is, or many more will die. Do you understand?”

Nora squeezed. Hearing her worst fears stated so baldly seemed almost to help, a little.

“I’ve made a small tool out of a piece of metal from the sole of your shoe. We will escape from this cell in a moment—the lock is no doubt quite primitive. But you must be ready to do exactly as I tell you.”

She squeezed.

“You need to know something first. I understand now, at least in part, what Enoch Leng was doing. He wasn’t prolonging his life as an end in itself. He was prolonging his life as a means to an end. He was working on a project that was even bigger than extended life—a project he realized would take several lifetimes to complete. That is why he went to the trouble of prolonging his life: so that he could accomplish this other thing.”

“What could be bigger than extended life?” Nora managed to say.

“Hush. I don’t know. But it is making me very, very afraid.”

There was a silence. Nora could hear Pendergast’s quiet breathing. Then he spoke again. “Whatever that project is, it is here, hidden in this house.”

There was another, briefer silence.

“Listen very carefully. I am going to open the door of this cell. I will then go to Leng’s operating room and confront the man who has taken his place. You will remain hidden here for ten minutes—no more, and no less—and then you will go to the operating room yourself. As I say, I believe Smithback to be dead, but we need to make sure. By that time the impostor and I will be gone. Do not pursue us. No matter what you hear, do not try to help. Do not come to my aid. My confrontation with this man will be decisive. One of us will not survive it. The other one will return. Let us hope that person is me. Do you understand so far?”

Another squeeze.

“If Smithback is still alive, do what you can. If he’s beyond help, you are to get out of the basement and the house as quickly as possible. Find your way upstairs and escape from a second-story window—I think you will find all the exits on the first floor to be impenetrable.”