«He can! He can!» insisted the orderly, almost hysterical.
Suddenly one of the straps broke with an explosive pop, then another, and another. Blade took a deep breath, then began straining again, groaning with the effort.
Zoe felt pudgy fingers grip her arm and drag her away. Ferguson muttered, «Come along, dear. Quickly!»
J and Leighton, on either side of her, were retreating too.
The orderly took aim and squeezed the trigger. There was a sharp snicking sound and the dart, fired at point blank range, buried itself in Richard Blade's shoulder. With a roar of wordless rage, Blade thrashed free of his upper restraints. Only his legs remained bound.
The orderly fired again.
Blade fell back on his left elbow, an expression of surprise on his face.
«Get help, doctor,» the orderly said hoarsely.
«Right away,» Ferguson answered, backing out the door. He was still clutching Zoe's arm in a painful grip, hauling her with him whether she liked it or not.
J and Leighton were not far behind.
Ferguson punched the button on an intercom in the hall and shouted into it, «Orderlies to Room Twenty-seven! Orderlies to Room Twenty-seven! On the double! Emergency! Every available man to Room Twenty-seven!»
In the room, Blade was subsiding, his movements becoming more sluggish, his expression more blank and emotionless; yet still he seemed to be staring at something hovering above him near the ceiling.
Zoe said brokenly, «Poor Dick. Frightened to death of something that isn't there.»
J laughed mirthlessly. «We couldn't see it, but there was something there, all right. Make no mistake about that!»
The public address system pinged and the dispatcher took up the call, «Orderlies to Room Twenty-seven. Orderlies to Room Twenty-seven. Emergency.»
Zoe caught one more glimpse of Blade, now lying quietly, eyes fixed on… something, then the orderlies stampeded past her into the room and slammed the door behind them.
Chapter 6
Upon arriving back at her hotel room, Zoe found that her family was not there. She had a few minutes of anxiety before she found Reginald's note propped against the clock radio on the bed-table.
Zoe darling,
Mrs. Kelly and I have taken the children to the cinema. We should return some time between midnight and one.
Love,
Reggie.
She sighed. Reginald knew that was way past the children's bedtime. Reggie Jr. and Smitty would be fretful and unmanageable tomorrow, though Dickie would undoubtedly bear up like the little soldier he was. Reginald's revenge, she thought.
Reginald's revenges were like that; a subtle blend of pettiness and cunning. If she tried to point an accusing finger at him, he could always say, «Why, I never dreamed you'd mind,» or «I meant no harm,» or «Don't be paranoid.»
Reginald did not like her seeing Richard Blade, not even under the present circumstances, where the man's sanity hung in the balance, but he would never be so old-fashioned and overbearing as to forbid her.
She thought, I wonder what his next revenge will be? She knew from experience that more sly, petty, intangible punishments lay ahead.
She glanced at the digital dial of the clock radio. It was past one already. What was Reginald up to? She suspected something sticky, something fundamentally sticky. Would he keep the children up until dawn, then come breezing in with some remark like, «I thought that once in their lives they should see the sun come up over London.» Yes, that was his style exactly.
But no, now she heard their cheerful voices down the hall.
All was well. She heaved a mighty sigh of relief as she sat down on the edge of the wide and luxurious bed, and a moment later the key turned in the lock and Reginald, all smiles, opened the door to let in three weary but happy boys and one grim Irishwoman.
«Well, dear,» he said, bending to give her a peck on the cheek. «Did you cure him?»
«No,» she answered wistfully. «I think I made him worse.»
Mrs. Kelly was about to herd the children into the connecting suite when Zoe turned to speak to them. «Did you enjoy the film, boys?»
«Oh, yes!» answered round-eyed Dickie.
«I've seen better,» said Reggie Jr.
«Bleeding tacky, I thought,» grumbled Smitty.
«What sort of film was it?» Zoe asked brightly.
«A monster film,» said Dickie with awe.
«A tacky bleeding dinosaur went about stepping on extras,» said Reggie Jr. with disgust.
«I could tell he wasn't real,» added Smitty.
«I thought he was grand, Mama,» Dickie said, not at all discouraged by his brothers' «higher criticism.»
«All children love monsters,» Reginald said, grinning.
«Speak for yourself, Dad,» said Reggie Jr.
«He was grand, Mama,» Dickie repeated. «Bigger than a churchtower!» He came over to her and she gave him a hug.
«They found a little friend, you know,» Reginald said. «There was a girl in the cinema. She sat next to Dickie and kept whispering things to him. Very odd. She couldn't have been more than twelve years old, but there wasn't a sign of her parents.»
«What did she tell you, Dickie?» Zoe inquired.
«Oh Mama, she said all kinds of awful things. She said she was from another world, and that she was going to make slaves of everyone by getting into their minds. She said she had hundreds and hundreds of brothers and sisters back home where she came from, and that they were all coming to London to get into our minds.» She could tell Dickie was upset but hiding his feelings.
Mrs. Kelly snorted, «Sure and it's trashy films like this one put such ideas into the lassy's head, mum. You and the mister should have a care what you let the youngsters see, or one day they'll be spoutin' the same nonsense, and running around to one theater after another in the middle of the night all by theirselves.»
«Come, come,» said Reginald. «No harm done.»
But Zoe, with her arm around Dickie's shoulders, could feel the boy trembling. «Did the dinosaur scare you, Dickie?» she asked him.
«No, mama. It was the girl. The dinosaur was grand.»
«Bedtime, lads,» Mrs. Kelly said impatiently.
«Mama,» Dickie said, «The girl said she was going to kill people, lots of people.»
«So long as it isn't us,» Reginald said smugly. «Now run along to bed, the lot of you.»
Dickie had more to say, but Reginald and Mrs. Kelly hurried him along into the next room with his brothers. Reginald was undoing his tie as he returned.
«I suppose we'll be on our way back to Norwich tomorrow night,» he said.
«I should stay awhile, dear. They may need me,» Zoe answered.
«We can all stay then.»
«No, at least the children should go home.»
«And me?» He took off his suitcoat and carefully put it on a hanger.
«Do as you wish. Mrs. Kelly is quite able to care for the boys without your help.»
«I will remain in London then.» He unbuttoned his shirt.
«To keep an eye on me?»
«Nonsense. You are a lady. I have every confidence you'll behave like one. I have certain matters of business to take care of in the metropolis, and this is an excellent opportunity to see to them, that's all. Yes, Mrs. Kelly can take the children back to Norwich, and you and I will stay here. I only hope this Blade chap recovers quickly. Hotel rooms aren't cheap, you know.»
«J has assured me our room and board will be paid by the government.»
«That settles it! We'll be able to get back at least a small part of all that money we've paid in taxes. Where are my pajamas, old girl?»
«In the black suitcase,» she answered listlessly.
Once in bed, with the lights out, Reginald dozed off almost immediately. Zoe however, in spite of her weariness and the lateness of the hour, lay awake, staring at the ceiling and listening to the murmur of the city.