Mindbend

As he passed Alan’s room, he opened the door, expecting to see an empty cabin. To his surprise, Alan was in bed and in essentially the same condition as he’d been in before his disappearance. Adam roused him. Alan seemed to know where he was but insisted he had never left his room. Adam eased him back onto the bed and returned to his own cabin.

Coming on the cruise to discover why Vandermer had changed his position on pregdolen had seemed like a good idea in the safety of New York. Now Adam only wanted to get home safe and sound to his wife. He remembered someone explaining to him that the reason Arolen sent the doctors on a cruise was to get them away from their usual cares. But drugging them so they didn’t know what they were doing was more than extreme.

It was terrifying.

A knock on Adam’s door sent his pulse racing. He hoped it wasn’t the blank-faced steward with another pill.

“Oh God,” said Adam when he saw it was Heather.

“I’m so glad they let me off the last set,” she said, coming in and looking about the small cabin. She was wearing a see-through blouse and what must have been the shortest skirt Adam had ever seen. She did have a marvelous figure.

I’m crazy, thought Adam, unable to take his eyes off her. How on earth would he go about explaining this scene to Jennifer?

“Heather, why don’t you sit down so I can talk with you?”

Heather stopped the little dance she was doing about the room. “Sure,” she said, dropping onto the bed next to Adam and pressing her bare thigh against his leg. With two dainty kicks she sent her high heels across the room.

“What would you like to talk about?”

“You,” said Adam, finding it difficult not to look down at the curve of her breasts.

“I’d rather talk about you,” said Heather, putting her arms around his neck.

“That’s what you told me at lunch,” said Adam, gently pushing her away, “but I really want to get to know you.”

“There’s not a whole lot to tell,” insisted Heather.

“Look, this isn’t a run-of-the-mill job for a young girl.

How did you happen to end up here?”

Heather didn’t answer. At first Adam believed she was thinking, but when he looked at her, she appeared to be in a trance.

“Heather?” said Adam, waving his hand in front of her eyes.

“Yes,” she said, blinking.

“I asked you a question.”

“Oh, yeah. How did I end up on the Fjord? Well, it’s a long story. I was a secretary at Arolen Pharmaceuticals in New Jersey. They liked me and offered me a job with MTIC in Puerto Rico. I started as a secretary there, too, but then they found out I liked to dance, so I got this job.”

That explained the dancing, thought Adam, but not the prostitution, if she actually was a prostitute. Adam was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

“Are you enjoying yourself on the cruise?” Heather asked, changing the subject.

“I’m having a wonderful time,” said Adam.

“I’m going to make it even better,” promised Heather. “But first I have a present for you.”

“Really,” said Adam.

“You wait right here.” Getting up, she went over to the little purse she’d put on the desk. When she turned around, Adam saw she was holding out two more of the yellow capsules.

He felt a twinge of panic.

“Could you get me some fruit juice from the closet?” he asked. “I can’t stand the water.”

“OK,” said Heather agreeably. She put the pills down on the desk and fetched the juice. Removing the top of the container, she handed it to Adam, who palmed the pills and dropped them behind the bed when she put the juice back.

“Now I’m really going to make you enjoy this cruise,” she said, sitting on his lap.

“Wait just a second,” said Adam, avoiding her lips. “What were the capsules you just gave me?”

“It was for enjoyment,” said Heather. “To make you relax and forget your troubles.”

“Do you take them?” asked Adam.

“No,” said Heather with her high-pitched laugh. “I don’t have any troubles.”

“What makes you think I do?” asked Adam.

“All the doctors have troubles,” said Heather.

“Do you visit all the doctors?” asked Adam. “You and the other dancers?”

“No,” said Heather. “Just the ones Mr. Powell and Dr.

Goddard tell us to see.”

“And they told you to see me?”

Heather nodded.

“Do you know why?”

“Because you haven’t relaxed enough,” said Heather petulantly. “Aren’t you interested in me?”

“Yes, indeed,” said Adam. He bent her head and kissed her, while his fingers probed her hairline to see if she was wearing a wig. She wasn’t, but as he rubbed the skin above her temples he felt little ridged lines.

“Heather, I want to ask you a question. Are those scars?”

“I don’t think so,” said Heather, sounding annoyed.

“Where?”

“Along your temples,” said Adam. Gently, he turned her head to one side and separated her hair so he could see.

There were small scars, about a centimeter long, just as José had described.

Heather raised her hand and felt the spot. Then she shrugged.

“Do you have any idea how you got those?” asked Adam.

“No,” said Heather. “And what’s more, I don’t care.”

“I’m sorry if I’m not much fun,” said Adam. “I guess I’m just too relaxed.”