The Speed of Sound (Speed of Sound Thrillers #1)(107)

“Then I am glad I never moved here.” He stared at an old church in the distance ahead of them. “Is that where we are going?”

“I believe it is.” She followed the Harmony House security vehicle as it turned into the church parking lot, passing a sign that read: “St. Christopher’s Episcopalian Church, Founded 1907.”

“Where was the church before 1907?”

Skylar smiled. “It hadn’t been built yet. Founded is another way of saying when it was built.”

“Then that’s what the sign should say.”

She studied the church, which was a small wooden building with a slightly sagging roof. Dilapidated, but charming. “This church is over a hundred years old. There must be a lot of echoes inside it. Will that make it more difficult for you to reconstruct the ones you want to hear?”

“As long as I know the date and time the echoes I am trying to reconstruct were first heard, it should not be more difficult than in any other building.”

Skylar parked beside the security vehicle. She turned toward Eddie as the Harmony House guards approached their car. “Remember, keep acting until I tell you it’s okay to stop.”

Eddie nodded. “I will remember.” He put on a glazed, vacant expression.

Skylar got out of the car and opened the trunk, where she had stored the wheelchair Eddie supposedly needed. The guards asked if she would like a hand, but she declined. Skylar positioned the chair outside Eddie’s door and helped him into it, putting the devices on his lap. He clutched them like security blankets.

As she wheeled him toward the church, the guards remained with them. One in front, one behind. They were clearly well trained and took their jobs seriously. Which was why they reacted strongly when Skylar informed them, “You will not be coming inside the church.”

“Doctor, our instructions are to remain with you wherever you and the patient go.”

“The patient’s name is Eddie. His grandparents are waiting for us inside this church. It’s the first time he will have seen them in almost twenty years. The whole point of coming here is for Eddie to feel as comfortable and safe as possible. Your presence is working against everything I am trying to achieve.”

The guards looked to each other, and then surveyed the surrounding environment. There were no trees within a hundred feet of the church. There was no way to enter or exit the building without being seen. “We’ll wait for you by the exits. How long will you need?”

“As long as it takes.” Skylar wheeled Eddie inside the church as the Harmony House guards took up positions at opposite corners of the building. Inside the church, an elderly couple was sitting in the first pew as Skylar and Eddie entered. The couple stood up immediately and turned to face them. The man’s face was weathered from decades of farmwork, but he still looked warm and kind. So did the woman, particularly her eyes, which lit up the moment she saw Eddie.

“Is that my grandson?”

Eddie did not respond. He stared vacantly until Skylar leaned down and whispered to him that it was okay for him to stop acting. “Yes, it is. Is that my nana?”

“Your one and only.” She moved to him, but her husband grabbed her arm, a reminder that their grandson was not comfortable with physical contact and that she shouldn’t try to get too close.

Skylar stepped toward them.

Eddie’s grandfather extended his hand. “I’m Bert, and this here is my wife, Charlene. You must be the doctor we spoke with on the phone.”

Skylar shook hands with him firmly. “I am. Skylar Drummond. Thank you so much for seeing us.”

Charlene replied, “No, thank you. It’s been so long since we’ve been able to see our grandson. We’ve honestly had no idea how to get in touch with him, or even how to find him.”

“His father never told you where he’s been living?”

Bert answered, “We haven’t spoken with Victor since the last time he was here with Eddie, when he was just a boy. That visit didn’t go so well.”

Eddie chimed in. “That was the time when he asked if I could live with you, and you said no. He also told me I couldn’t pick any string beans because we didn’t have time.”

Regret was evident in Charlene’s face. “At the time, I just didn’t think we could have handled the extra responsibility. You understand . . .”

Skylar sympathized. “I do. I honestly think you made the right decision. He’s been living in a facility that is uniquely suited for his needs.”

Eddie added, “Harmony House is a special place for special people.”

His grandfather didn’t like the way that sounded. “Is it some kind of, you know, one of them institutions?”

Skylar nodded. “It is. But Eddie’s right. It really is a special place.”

His grandparents clearly weren’t buying it. “Why is he in a wheelchair?”

Skylar answered, “It’s merely a precaution.”

Eddie stood up, clutching the laptop and the echo box. “I’m acting.”

His grandparents looked both relieved and confused. Skylar interjected quickly. “So, you said this was the last place you remember Eddie’s mother singing?”

Bert nodded. “Michelle sang here with the choir most every Sunday from the time she was twelve.”