Part 16 (1/2)

The thin detective came up to me, shaking his head. ”Never seen anything like that, sir. Never.”

”Never seen anything like what what, detective?”

”Oh. Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. Take your point. Never happened, sir, did it?”

”No, detective. It never happened.”

Field of Blood.

I went back into the house to look for Jill. I found her sitting in the waiting room, with the receptionist leaning over her, offering her a gla.s.s of water.

”Your poor fiancee's had a very very nasty turn,” said the receptionist. ”Mind you, I'm all in a t.i.ther myself.” nasty turn,” said the receptionist. ”Mind you, I'm all in a t.i.ther myself.”

Jill was pale and trembling and there was perspiration on her upper lip, as if she were running a temperature. Her pupils were dilated, too, and she didn't seem to be able to focus properly.

”Jill? Are you OK?”

”I don't know . . . I don't know what happened to me. Duca told me to lie on the couch. He said, 'Lie on the couch, my dear,' and that's all I can remember.”

”It didn't inject you with anything, did it?”

She frowned down at her arms. ”I don't think so. I can't feel anything. I just feel so strange, as if I've been asleep.”

Terence came in. ”I think we'd better get Jill home,” I said. ”I don't know what Duca did to her, but she's not feeling too good.”

”I don't understand what's going on,” said the receptionist. ”Why were you shooting at Dr. Duca? What am I supposed to do now?” receptionist. ”Why were you shooting at Dr. Duca? What am I supposed to do now?”

”I guess you'll have to start looking for another job.”

We drove Jill back to her parents' house in Purley and helped her out of the car.

”Jill! What's happened to her? What's wrong?” demanded her mother, as we brought her in through the front door.

”I'm sorry, Mrs. Foxley, we simply don't know. It could be delayed shock from yesterday. It could be the heat.”

”I should call the doctor.”

”Not just yet, if you don't mind. Give her some time to rest first.”

Bullet clearly sensed that something was different about Jill because he stayed very close, nuzzling at her and whining in the back of his throat. Jill lay on the couch in the living room and covered her eyes with her hand.

”Do you have a headache?” I asked her.

”No, not really. I feel feverish, that's all. Hot and cold, like when you have flu.”

”Maybe it is is flu,” said Terence. ”There's a lot of it going about. I mean, that's why we-” He remembered at the last moment that Mrs. Foxley knew nothing about Operation Korean Flu, and finished his sentence with a meaningless flap of his hand. flu,” said Terence. ”There's a lot of it going about. I mean, that's why we-” He remembered at the last moment that Mrs. Foxley knew nothing about Operation Korean Flu, and finished his sentence with a meaningless flap of his hand.

Mrs. Foxley said, ”I'll bring you some Aspro, Jill. Would you like a cold drink?”

I used Mrs. Foxley's phone to call Charles Frith at MI6. I explained that Duca had found out who we were, but we had taken its wheel and it was sure to come looking for it. I also asked that he send a forensic team down to search the Laurels from attic to bas.e.m.e.nt, and the garden, too. to search the Laurels from attic to bas.e.m.e.nt, and the garden, too.

Charles Frith said, ”Very well. But we really need to wrap this business up, old man, and as soon as possible. The press have been chasing the minister all day, and I don't think we're going to be able to keep it under wraps for very much longer.”

”I can't make any promises, sir, but Duca's going to want its wheel back, and if I know anything about Screechers, it's going to be looking for revenge.”

I didn't tell him about Jill, because I wanted to see how quickly she would recover, but I was seriously beginning to think that I would have to ask him for a subst.i.tute dog handler.

Ten minutes later, when I returned to the living room, Jill was asleep, with her mother sitting close beside her. I leaned over to make sure that she was still breathing, and then I lifted her eyelid with my thumb. She was staring at nothing at all, and her pupil was fixed, which told me that she wasn't dreaming.

”Is she going to be all right?” asked her mother.

”I'm pretty sure of it. But call me if you notice any change in her condition.”

Terence and I drove back to the South Croydon Observer South Croydon Observer building. The morning had started sunny but a heavy bank of bronze-colored clouds had slowly rolled over from the southwest, and now it was gloomy and humid. I felt that I could hardly breathe. building. The morning had started sunny but a heavy bank of bronze-colored clouds had slowly rolled over from the southwest, and now it was gloomy and humid. I felt that I could hardly breathe.

”Any ideas what Duca might have done to her?” asked Terence.

”I'm not sure. Dead Screechers have a way of draining their victims' resistance, so that they don't struggle, even when the Screecher is actually cutting them open. Their victims know that they're being killed, but they feel so lethargic that they can't do anything to stop it. In Romania they call it the Weakness.” their victims' resistance, so that they don't struggle, even when the Screecher is actually cutting them open. Their victims know that they're being killed, but they feel so lethargic that they can't do anything to stop it. In Romania they call it the Weakness.”

”It doesn't look as if Duca's hurt her, though, does it?”

”I hope not. I think Duca sensed that I was upstairs, and that interrupted it. G.o.d, I blame myself. I should never have let her go in there.”

”What else could you do?”

”I could have gone straight in there and cut its G.o.d-d.a.m.ned head off.”

”Without your Kit? It would have cut yours off, first.”

Terence was parking outside the former newspaper office when his radio-telephone crackled, and a brusque woman's voice said, ”Control to Three-Four-Zero. Control to Three-Four-Zero. Position, please, Three-Four-Zero.”

”Three-Four-Zero,” said Terence. ”South Croydon Observer. We'll be here for the rest of the day.”

”Can you go immediately to Chalmer's Boys' School in Haling Park? Three-Three-Nine will meet you there. There's been another incident.”

”What kind of an incident?”

”Operation Korean Flu.”

”Ask her when it happened,” I told him.

”Control? Do we know when this incident occurred?”

There was a lengthy pause, and then the woman's voice said, ”It was logged about two hours ago, apparently. A few minutes past eleven.”

”Thank you, Control,” said Terence. ”Roger and out.” Then he looked at me and said, ”b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l. It's happened again.” Then he looked at me and said, ”b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l. It's happened again.”

”You know what this means, don't you? Duca couldn't have done this. Two hours ago Duca was still at the Laurels.”