The Other Lady Vanishes (Burning Cove #2)(77)

“You and me both. Burning Cove is a good place to start something new.”

“Yeah, I’m getting that feeling.”





Chapter 44


“In the end I had to clip him one on the jaw just to get him out of the water,” Jake explained. “We got him tied up and the bleeding under control while he was groggy. But when he came to, he was in this weird state.”

Adelaide gripped the bars of the jail cell and studied Conrad. She and Raina had arrived a short time earlier, escorted by two of Luther’s security people. Jake and Luther were standing nearby. Detective Brandon and one of his police officers were also present. So was the doctor that Brandon had first summoned to examine Madam Zolanda’s body.

Dr. Skipton had managed to get Conrad’s shoulder bandaged while officers restrained the patient. He had offered to inject Conrad with a strong sedative to try to quell the hallucinations, but he had warned them that it might not work. He had no idea how the sedative would react with the unknown drug. That was when Jake had telephoned the Paradise Club, where Raina and Adelaide had been anxiously waiting.

Conrad was huddled in a corner of the cell now, whimpering. His wrists were secured with handcuffs. His shoes and belt had been removed. Detective Brandon had explained that it was for Conrad’s own good. Dr. Skipton had said that if they set Massey free, he might try to harm himself or anyone who got close.

At the moment he did not appear to be a threat, Adelaide thought. Conrad murmured softly and rocked back and forth. He seemed oblivious of his injured arm as well as what was going on around him.

“He’s trapped in a nightmare,” Adelaide said quietly. “He’s almost paralyzed with fear. He’s making himself as small as possible, trying to hide from things that only he can see.”

Raina watched Conrad with a grim expression. “It would serve him right if he gets permanently trapped in that other world.”

Adelaide tightened her grip on the jail bars. “I know what it feels like to be lost in a nightmare. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.”

“Unfortunately, you seem to have a number of enemies,” Raina said.

“Hard to figure out which of them is number one,” Jake added.

“I’ve done all I can do for him,” Dr. Skipton said. He looked at Adelaide, who was standing next to him. “You’re sure you don’t want me to give him a sedative?”

She shook her head. “You’re right, there’s a good chance that it would make things worse. The drug he took is very unpredictable. A sedative might not be effective at all, or it might put him into a coma that could last for days. It might even kill him. There’s just no way to know.”

“If he goes into a coma or dies, we’ll never get any information out of him,” Jake said.

“I’ll try to get him to drink the antidote,” Adelaide said. She glanced at Brandon. “I brought the herbs with me but I’ll need hot water to make the tisane.”

“We’ve got a kettle in the lunchroom,” Brandon said. “I’ll be right back.”

He disappeared down the hall.

An officer appeared at the door. “Call for you, Dr. Skipton. It’s your wife. She says Mrs. Ortega has gone into labor.”

“Tell Betty I’m on my way,” Dr. Skipton said. He hoisted his black satchel and turned to leave. He paused to give Adelaide a stern look. “Promise me you won’t take any chances. There’s no telling what Massey might do in his current state. You heard what Mr. Pell and Mr. Truett said. He lashed out at them when they tried to save him. He might lash out at you, too.”

“I’ll be careful,” Adelaide said.

Jake looked at Skipton. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Massey doesn’t get his hands on her.”

“I’ll be off, then,” Skipton said. “Good luck with that tisane, Miss Brockton. Do let me know if it works.”

“I will,” she said.

Detective Brandon returned with a steaming teakettle and an empty mug. “Will this do?”

“Yes,” Adelaide said.

She went to a nearby table, opened her handbag, and took out the small packet of herbs that she had brought with her. She emptied the packet into the mug and added the hot water.

“Now to see if I can convince him to drink the antidote,” she said. “I’m going to try to get into his nightmare.”

She carried the mug back to the cell and looked at Conrad through the bars.

“Conrad, can you hear me?” she said softly.

He flinched at the sound of his name but he did not respond. He did not make eye contact, either. He appeared transfixed by the shadows under the bunk.

“Where are you, Conrad?” she asked

He jerked again. “Hiding. I have to hide.”

“You don’t have to hide from me. I’m very na?ve, remember? I trust you. Remember how easy it was to make me fall for you? I really believed you loved me.”

Adelaide heard Jake swear softly under his breath. She shot him a warning glance and mouthed the word quiet.

He subsided but his expression was grim.

In the corner of his small cell, Conrad was struggling to focus on something other than whatever he saw under the bunk.

“You tricked me,” he said at last.