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He took his time settling into a chair. Sweat trickled down the back of my neck, like a kid singled out in front of the class.
“We appreciate the help you’ve given us to try finding Simon, Chloe. We’re very worried, as you girls know. ”
“Sure,” Rae said. “He needs that medicine. If I had any idea where to find him, I’d tell—”
She stopped and looked at me. Tori did the same, and I understood why I wasn’t getting this lecture in private.
“I gave you that list of places,” I said quickly. “That’s all I have. ”
“They weren’t there, Chloe,” Dr. Davidoff said. “So we’ve reconsidered your offer. We’d like to take you along on our search this afternoon. ”
That crash I heard? The collision of clichés. One: never look a gift horse in the mouth. Two: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I’d been lied to and misled often enough in the last few days that I wasn’t just questioning this horse’s dental health—I was examining him from nose to tail.
“You want me to go with you…”
“Yes, and, with luck, the boys will see you and come out. There’s just one problem. ”
Oh, I was sure there were lots of problems with this scenario.
“The places you’ve given us don’t seem right,” he said. “The boys are clever, and their dad taught them well. They’d either choose a private spot or a very public one, and the possibilities you’ve provided are neither. We think there might be one you forgot to mention. ” He paused, meeting my gaze. “If there isn’t, then we don’t see the point of taking you along. ”
That second crash? The sound of the other shoe dropping. Dr. Davidoff knew why I wanted to go with them, and he’d decided to play my game. Did I dare play along?
“Come on, Chloe,” Rae whispered.
“You’d better not think you’re protecting them by keeping your mouth shut,” Tori said. “Simon’s sick, Chloe. If he dies, I hope he haunts you until—”
“That’s enough, Tori,” Dr. Davidoff said.
“I…might have another idea,” I said. Oh God, I’d better have another idea. As hard as I thought, though, I needed time to come up with something good, and I wasn’t going to get that time. So I stumbled through a lame story about Derek and me running through that factory yard, until we found a hiding spot. Maybe that’s where he meant for our rendezvous spot. Only it had been dark, and we’d run through so many buildings that I wasn’t sure exactly which one we’d hidden in, but I’d recognize it when I saw it.
Dr. Davidoff smiled, and I braced for him to call me on it, but he just said, “Then it’s a good thing you’re coming, isn’t it?”
“And me,” Tori said. “I’ve barely been out of my room since we got here, and I haven’t been outside since Chloe arrived at Lyle House. I want to go, too. ”
“It isn’t a field trip,” Rae muttered.
“Your help, while appreciated, won’t be necessary,” Dr. Davidoff said.
“You think I want to help? Sure, I’ll look around, for Simon’s sake. But I need to go shopping. ”
“Shopping?” Dr. Davidoff stared at her like he must have misheard. We all did.
“Do you know how long it’s been since I got new stuff? It’s spring, and everything I have is from last year. ”
“The tragedy. Someone call Amnesty International. ” Rae looked at Tori. “You’ll survive. I’m sure it all still fits you. ”
“Which is more than we can say for your wardrobe. Like another wrap, Rachelle? You’ve only had two so far. ”
Rae lifted her hand, fingers splayed at Tori. “Like third-degree burns, Queen Victoria? You’ve only had first-degree so far. ”
“Girls, that’s enough. Victoria—”
“And when my mom locked me away at Lyle House, she made me a deal. If I got better, she’d buy me a new laptop. Best on the market. ”
“Why?” Rae said. “So you can IM your friends faster?”
“No, so I can work on my entrance package for software design camp at MIT. ”
Rae laughed, and Tori glared. She was serious. Tori the computer geek? I tried to picture it, but even my imagination wasn’t that good.
Tori turned to Dr. Davidoff. “Obviously I can’t get better, and my mother knew it when she made that promise. So she owes me a laptop. ”
Dr. Davidoff frowned, as if trying to follow her logic. Then he shook his head. “All right, Victoria. We’ll order you—”
“I know what I need and I’ll pick it out myself. ”
Dr. Davidoff stood. “As you wish. Tomorrow we’ll—”
“Today. And I want a spring wardrobe, too. ”
“Fine. I’ll ask someone to take you—”
“You think I’m letting some middle-aged dweeb help me choose clothes? I’m going today so Chloe can give me a second opinion. ”
“You want Chloe to help you shop?” Rae said.
“Well, I sure don’t want you, skater girl. Chloe may be a loser, but she’s a loser with money, and someone has taught her some small degree of fashion sense. ”
“No, Victoria,” Dr. Davidoff said. “You are not going—”
She walked over to him, rose onto her tiptoes, and whispered in his ear. A look passed over his face, one part shock, two parts sheer terror.
“I see,” he said. “Yes, now that I think about it, perhaps you could help us find the boys. ”
“I thought so. ”
She sauntered back to her chair. Blackmail? Two weeks ago, I’d have been horrified. Today, I was impressed.
It’s a classic movie moment. Our hero, trapped in a jungle prison, plots and schemes until finally he breaks free…to find himself miles from civilization with no idea how to get home. Likewise, my ploy to “help” find Simon and Derek had paid off, and I had only the faintest notion of how to use the opportunity.
And Dr. Davidoff didn’t give me time to plot my next move. He called Sue and told the others to meet us at the front door. I asked for a pit stop at my room, to grab something warmer, but he said they’d do it for me. I had the foresight to specify which sweatshirt I wanted—Liz’s green Gap hoodie.
As Tori and I waited up front with Sue, I felt a now-familiar warm current tickling across the back of my neck.
“Leaving without saying good-bye?” the demi-demon whispered in my ear. “And leaving me trapped here, after all I’ve done for you?”
There was no menace in her voice, just a teasing lilt.
“I’m sorry,” I said automatically.
“An apology? My, my, such a polite child. No need to apologize. I didn’t expect you to free me now. You’ll be back when you’re ready, and when you are, I’ll be waiting. ”
