The Speed of Sound (Speed of Sound Thrillers #1)(39)

BARNES: My real concern is that there is at least one op being run out of NYU, and possibly several. I haven’t confirmed it, but I’m pretty damn sure. If I’m right, the professor may not even know what he’s done.

There was another pause, this time even longer. Fenton was clearly thinking through his options.

FENTON: We can’t afford a breach. Not now. Not even the possibility of one.

This was the kind of conversation where the most important things were the ones not said. But there was no misunderstanding. Barnes seemed to know exactly what Fenton meant.

BARNES: You sure about this?

FENTON: Yes, I’m sure. Skylar is too valuable. She’s already made more progress with Eddie in days than the others made in years.

A pause. Presumably Barnes was deciding on a course of action.

BARNES: Will you want to know the details?

FENTON: Nothing in his residence. Make it look like an accident.

BARNES: He takes the subway.

Skylar blurted out, “Oh my God.” Her hands were trembling.

Eddie pressed “Stop.” The playback halted. “That’s the second time you’ve said ‘Oh my God,’ Skylar.”

Tears started streaming down her face. She was shaking.

“You’re crying.” He said it descriptively, not compassionately. He wasn’t sure how to respond.

Skylar nodded.

“Are you crying in a good way?” He thought of how people had explained that his mother’s voice had brought them to tears.

“No, Eddie. I’m upset.”

“Why are you upset?”

“Because of what I just heard.”

“I thought it would make you happy. Why did it make you upset?”

“I can’t tell you that right now.”

“Because it involves the mystery man and he is none of my concern?”

She nodded.

Eddie looked around the room, imagining all the sound waves bouncing all around them. “Would you like to hear something else?”

“Not . . . now.” She had trouble getting the words out. Skylar had lost control of her breathing.

“Okay.”

She got up and started pacing around the room. Her head was spinning. She had no idea what she was going to do. Think, Skylar. Think! Do something! The only thing she was certain of was that her world was collapsing around her.

Nothing would ever be the same again.

“Do you know what I want to hear?” he asked innocently.

“No, Eddie.” She continued to pace. Should I go to the police? The FBI? The CIA?

“I want to hear my mother sing.”

She stopped dead in her tracks. It was suddenly crystal clear. Skylar knew what she had to do. And that was to get Eddie and his echo box the hell out of Harmony House. Beyond that, she didn’t have a clue. But she did know what the first step was. “You know what, Eddie?”

“No, I don’t.” He had no idea what he was supposed to know.

“I want you to hear your mother sing, too.”

“My father used to tell me she sang a lot when I was inside her stomach. Will you see if Dr. Fenton will give me permission to go to the house I grew up in?”

“I think we should go there right now.”

He looked confused. “Right now?”

“Right now.” She sounded certain. Defiant, even.

“Dr. Fenton said I should never try to leave without his permission.”

“What if I told you he already gave me permission?”

He made his BUZZER sound. “Not true, Skylar.” She had forgotten who she was talking to.

She spoke very carefully. “Eddie, what if I told you I didn’t think it was safe for you here anymore?”

He listened intently. The statement was true. And, therefore, upsetting. “Why isn’t it safe here anymore?” He glanced around nervously.

She looked him directly in the eyes. “You need to trust me on this for a little while. Can you do that?”

He thought for a moment. “Yes.”

“I would never ask you to do anything I didn’t think was in your best interest.”

He nodded. True.

“Good. Let’s go.” She spoke quickly, deciding that time was of the essence. She immediately helped him pack up the echo box and the laptop.

“Are we going to walk there, Skylar?”

“No, I think it would be better if we drive.”

“I don’t know how to drive.”

“That’s okay. I do.”

“Do you have a license?”

She nodded. “I do.”

“Have you ever gotten a ticket?”

“Yes.”

“What did you do wrong?”

“I was speeding.”

“How fast were you speeding?”

“I don’t remember, but it was faster than the posted limit.”

Eddie took a moment to consider what he should do. “I have been told many times that everybody makes mistakes.”

“Some more than others.” She was thinking of her faith in Dr. Fenton.

He watched her with interest. “You are moving very fast. Are we in a hurry?”

“Yes, we are.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want anyone to try and stop us. The sooner we leave, the better.”