Outside Eden (27 page)

They turned onto the road to the medical center.

‘You’re going this way, too?’

‘Visiting Hagit.’

‘Geet?’ Chloe stopped singing, echoed. ‘Geet! Geet!’

‘Hagit is your sitter? Poor thing. How is she?’

Chloe reached up, grabbed onto Harper’s hair, kicking, singing. ‘Geet, eemah. Geet. Geet.’

Harper reached back and grabbed Chloe’s legs, squeezed them to stop the kicking. Never really answered because she saw Lowell, huddling on a bench across from the medical center.

Lynne saw him, too. ‘Hey, Lowell. What’re you doing over there? Everyone’s supposed to be in the restaurant, together . . .’

Lowell spotted them, jumped to his feet and dashed into the bushes. Harper started after him, Chloe clutching her head, Lynne following. But Lowell was nowhere. Not in the bushes. Not in the road on the other side. Lowell was gone.

‘Where’d he go?’ Lynne frowned, looked up and down the empty road. ‘He must be here somewhere.’

Harper had no idea, but she wasn’t going to get distracted by searching for Lowell. Travis was the one she wanted. She turned, walked back through the bushes.

‘That was weird.’ Lynne kept talking. ‘They haven’t found some of the members – Marlene included, by the way. But Lowell? He was right there in the open. Why didn’t they make him join the rest of us?’

Harper thought she knew. ‘Wasn’t he kicked out of the church?’

‘What makes you think that?’ Lynne’s eyes widened. ‘Did someone tell you?’

Harper kept walking.

‘Because, no. Lowell wasn’t kicked out of the church, just out of the council. He’s still a member of the church.’

Harper was about to suggest that Lowell might not consider himself a member, but security guards stopped them outside the medical center, checking for weapons. Harper asked if they’d seen the man sitting across the way, on the bench.

‘Lowell,’ the shorter one nodded. ‘Why?’

‘He’s in our group,’ Lynne said. ‘Our church. Why isn’t he being confined like everyone else?’

The guard bristled. ‘We’re aware of him. Don’t be concerned.’

‘Really? You’re aware of him?’ Lynne scoffed. ‘So I guess you’re also aware that he just ran off through those bushes and disappeared?’

The guard looked past her, across the road. Saw the empty bench. Glanced at his partner, who said something into his radio. ‘He’ll turn up. Don’t be concerned.’ He opened the door, admitting them into the center.

In the waiting room, Lynne touched Harper’s arm. ‘Harper, I need to say this: Thank you. For telling me the truth about Travis. I didn’t believe you, but now I see that you were right. Once this is over, I’m going to tell him what I think of him, what a fake he is. And then I’m starting fresh. I still have Peter. And God.’

Harper wasn’t sure how to respond. Lynne’s eyes were too bright, and she sounded too cheerful. ‘I’m glad for you, Lynne.’

‘GEET!’ Chloe shrieked, slamming her legs into the back of Harper’s thighs. ‘GEET!’

Harper spoke over her shoulder, reminding Chloe about the concept of ‘inside voice’.

‘Down? See Geet,’ Chloe said softly.

Fine. Harper’s leg was sore, and the extra weight of carrying Chloe was aggravating it. She knelt and untied the sling, releasing Chloe onto a chair, rolling the fabric up, stuffing it into her shoulder bag. By the time they were ready and Chloe had quieted down, Lynne had disappeared through the door to the patient rooms.

Holding Chloe’s hand, Harper entered the hallway leading to Hagit’s room. Lynne’s voice flitted past them, cheerfully telling Peter that he looked better. That his coloring was good.

Chloe tugged at Harper’s hand, trying to get free. Apparently, the long corridor was an invitation to run. Harper knelt to meet Chloe at eye level, explaining that this wasn’t a place to play. People were here because they were sick or hurt, and they needed to rest. Chloe’s eyes got big. She sucked a few fingers. Harper tussled her hair, kissed her. Led her to Hagit’s room.

Hagit was sound asleep, snoring.

Chloe whispered, ‘Shh.’

Behind them the door swung open. Lowell’s mouth opened in surprise.

‘Lowell?’

‘Sorry,’ he stammered. ‘Wrong room.’ He backed up a step, reached for the door.

But, in an eye blink, Harper was ahead of him, blocking his way.

‘How did you get past the security guards?’

‘No one was at the door. I just walked in.’

What? No one was guarding the building? ‘What are you doing here?’

He didn’t answer.

‘Eemah,’ Chloe came over, grabbed her leg.

‘Tell me.’ Harper’s voice was low, threatening. ‘What do you want with Hagit?’

‘Nothing. Like I said . . .’

‘Eemah,’ Chloe repeated, louder.

‘Were you planning to help Travis?’ She took a step closer, pointing a finger at his chest. ‘Trying to finish what he screwed up – that final sacrifice? That would get you back into your pastor’s favor, wouldn’t it? Even get you back on the council.’

Lowell’s eyebrows rose; he shook his head, kept backing away from her until he was flat against the wall.

‘How were you going to do it?’

‘Do what?’ His hands went up, defensively.

‘EEMAH!’ Chloe shouted.

‘Just a second, sweetie.’ Harper glanced down to quiet her.

Lowell used that moment, flung his body forward to get to the door, bumping Harper, knocking Chloe onto the floor. Chloe was stunned, but Harper wheeled around, pouncing, taking him down. As he fell, he crashed into a table, sent a bedpan clattering to the floor. Chloe howled.

Harper was on Lowell, whispering into his ear. ‘You sonofabitch. You’re not going to hurt anyone.’

‘I wasn’t trying to.’

‘What’s the trouble? Come here, darling.’

Harper looked up. Hagit was squatting beside Chloe, comforting her; Chloe was breathless, gaping at Harper, at Lowell.

Great, Harper thought. She’d traumatized her baby. ‘It’s okay, Chloe,’ she cooed, tried to sound convincing. Lowell twisted, trying to roll over; she shoved her fist into the small of his back. ‘Mommy’s going to take this man to see the nice policemen. It’ll just take a minute. You stay here with Hagit, okay?’

‘No!’

But Hagit had already taken Chloe’s hand and was leading her to the bed. ‘I want to show you something. Look what my bed can do.’ She pushed a button, and the foot of the bed rose up. ‘You want a ride?’

Chloe nodded, enthralled.

Lowell kept protesting and whining, but Harper ignored him, straddling him while she unfastened his belt and used it to bind his hands. Then she pulled him to his feet, shoved him into the hall, through the door. They were crossing the waiting room when an alarm went off. A nurse shouted in Hebrew. The front door opened and the guards ran in.

Harper shoved Lowell toward them. ‘I found this man in Hagit’s room—’

Lowell shouted, ‘This woman assaulted me!’

But they kept running past Lowell, past Harper, through the door to the patient rooms. Oh God. What had happened? Chloe was back there, and Hagit . . .

She whirled around, following the guards, yanking Lowell by the shirt.

Lowell let out a breath. ‘Please. Untie me.’

Harper dragged him back to the door, opened it a crack. Saw two nurses running with a cart. A medic yelling. Everyone, even the guards, were rushing into a patient’s room.

The room belonging to Peter Watts.

‘I swear. I wasn’t going to hurt her.’ Lowell was almost crying. ‘Please let me go.’

Harper wasn’t paying attention. She watched the corridor, listened to orders being given in a foreign tongue. Recognized the emergency. The coordination, the reflexive responses. Felt sand on her skin, heard the buzzing of flies. The moans of the wounded.

‘I was in the wrong room. I wasn’t there to see your friend. I was there to see Peter – I swear.’

Wait. Peter? ‘Why?’

‘Why?’

‘Why do you want to see Peter? Why did you go to all the trouble of sneaking past the guards? What was so important?’

Lowell closed his eyes. Shook his head. ‘Let me go. Please.’

‘Tell me.’

He opened his eyes. ‘I’ve been on the outs with the pastor and the council.’

‘I know.’

‘I was steamed at the whole bunch of them. So I did some poking around.’

‘And?’

And I found something I thought Peter should know.’ Lowell met her eyes, lowered his voice. ‘His wife has been having an affair with Travis.’

Harper rolled her eyes.

‘His wife thinks Travis is in love with her. And that he’d marry her if not for Peter.’

The tingle of warning began on her neck even before she fully comprehended what he was saying.

‘So Peter’s wife, she decided to get rid of the problem. Lynne put that scorpion in his glove—’

‘That’s crap. Why would she think it would bite Peter? Those were my gloves.’ The tingle moved down her back, refusing to be dismissed. ‘I lent them to Peter at the site. She couldn’t have known he’d be wearing them.’

Lowell shook his head. ‘She did it. I know she did.’

The tingle penetrated her skin, got to her gut. ‘How do you know?’

Lowell shrugged. ‘This is church business. Pastor dismissed me, and I wanted to know why. Somebody had to have pushed him to do it. Somebody who resented my place at his side. So I studied up on people who might have coveted my spot, and I found out the affair. And when Peter had that accident, I nosed around and guess what? She planted the scorpion. The proof was in her dig kit.’

How could he know that? ‘What proof?’

‘Nothing much. Just a small jar with air holes poked into the top.’

Oh. Harper pictured Lynne, spilling the scorpion from the jar into the glove.

‘That’s why I came here. To warn Peter that his wife tried to kill him. And that she might try again—’

By the time he finished his sentence, Harper was on her feet, running down the hall, oblivious to the voice trailing after her, calling, ‘Wait! Come back. Untie me!’

A crowd was in Peter’s room, surrounding his bed. A doctor barked orders. Nurses scurried to obey. Guards watched, rapt, ready to assist. But, oddly, one person was missing: Lynne.

Harper took a second look. Lynne had to be there; Harper had seen her going in just moments ago and hadn’t seen her come out.

Maybe Lynne was standing in the corner, out of the doctor’s way. Harper poked her head into the room, looked around. No Lynne.

Lord. Could Lowell have been right? Had Lynne put the scorpion in Peter’s glove and come here to finish him off? Harper gestured to a guard, trying to get his attention, to ask if he’d seen Lynne. But before he responded, she realized that, if both guards were here with Peter, they weren’t at their posts. And Hagit was unprotected.

Harper flew. Hagit’s room was just across the hall, but the hall seemed elastic, stretching, expanding as she ran. Hagit had been chosen as the third lamb. Travis had tried to kill her. It was almost the ninth of Av, and Hagit was alone.

Harper propelled herself forward, leaping the final few steps, sliding across the tiled floor, flinging open the door to Hagit’s room. Seeing Hagit in bed, her arms crossed over the sheets, her jaw set in anger.

And Lynne standing beside her, pressing a scalpel to her throat.

Everyone froze.

‘Lynne, stop.’ Harper used a soothing tone, slowly scanned the room for Chloe; didn’t see her. Felt her stomach twist. Oh God. Where was she? ‘It’s too late. There’s no point in killing Hagit—’

‘It’s not too late. And nobody else can do it – not even Ramsey. Just me.’

‘It won’t do you any good. Travis doesn’t care about you; he’s moved on.’

‘What?’

‘He’s in love with someone else.’ Harper scanned the room, couldn’t find Chloe.

Lynne scoffed. ‘With Marlene? That airhead? He’ll be bored in five minutes. That woman – she was supposed to be my assistant but she was useless. No, I’m the only woman strong enough for him. And after I sacrifice the third lamb – on my own, without Marlene tagging along – he’ll see that. The conflagration will begin, and Ramsey and I will have eternity—’

‘Oh, please, Lynne. You don’t believe that crap. He’s conned all of you. Nothing’s going to happen.’

‘You’re wrong.’ Lynne spoke through her teeth. ‘You’re not a believer. Stay out of it.’

Under the sheet, Hagit’s belly wiggled. Oh Lord. Chloe was in there. Harper wanted to charge, knock the blade from Lynne’s hand, take her down, but she forced herself to stay still and take a breath. Hagit could die with a flick of Lynne’s wrist. And Chloe wasn’t far from the blade.

‘There’s more at stake here than just a life, Harper. This woman was chosen for the final sacrifice. Ramsey himself picked her out. I have to complete it for the sake of salvation—’

‘What happened to Peter?’ Harper interrupted. Changed the subject.

Lynne frowned. ‘Peter’s dead.’

Hagit’s belly moved again. Harper tried to divert Lynne’s attention. ‘Dead? No – he made it. They’re attending to him now . . .’

‘You’re lying. Don’t mess with me, Harper.’

‘I’m not lying. They got there in time and saved him. He’s going to be fine.’ Harper took a small step toward the bed.

Lynne shook her head, insistent. ‘No. He can’t be. I gave him mega doses of epinephrine.’ She blinked rapidly, gazing at the door. ‘What are they doing, zapping his heart?’

‘Come, see for yourself.’ Harper moved closer.

‘Oh, aren’t you clever. Sorry. Can’t join you. I have business here.’ She pushed the scalpel into Hagit’s neck, drew blood. Started uttering the Lord’s Prayer.

Hagit shuddered, made no sound, watched Harper steadily, as if assuring her that Chloe was safe. She hugged the sheets to her belly.

‘Wait, Lynne. Stop.’ Harper kept moving, was almost to the bed. ‘They’re looking for you. They know what you did to Peter—’

‘Why do you keep talking about Peter? Peter’s gone. The wimp couldn’t even get it up. Was I supposed to be celibate? Forever? Because that’s what we’re talking about. The code promises eternity – that is, if I finish the third offering.’ She smiled, but her mouth was distorted. More a grimace than a grin. She turned her attention back to Hagit, steadied herself, repositioned the scalpel, continued the prayer.