The Speed of Sound
Page 34
He carried his tray to the “Dirty Dishes Here” sign, then counted the 113 steps back to his room. He was surprised to find the door slightly ajar. Eddie was sure that he had closed it when he had left. It was not unusual for nurses or other Harmony House personnel to enter his room when he was not present, but they had never left his door open before.
Eddie knocked on the door. “Hello, is anybody in there?” There was no answer. He pushed the door open carefully, only to find the room was vacant. He entered, surveying his various possessions. Everything was in its proper place: the echo box, his special laptop, his binders, his pencils, the sharpener, even his Batman pillowcase was just as he’d left it. But then he saw it. He raced out of his room, running right into Nurse Gloria.
“Eddie, what’s wrong? I was just coming to see you.”
“Nurse Gloria, somebody put something in my room!”
She responded calmly, just like she always did. “What? Who did? What is it?”
“It shouldn’t be there! It doesn’t belong in my room! Don’t you see it?” He pointed inside his room.
“See what?” She had no idea what he was talking about.
Eddie continued past her, racing down the hallway to Skylar’s new office, which until recently had been Dr. Fenton’s. She hadn’t yet had time to hire her own assistant, which explained why Stephen Millard still had his job. He looked up as Eddie rushed in. “Dr. Drummond isn’t in. Is there something I can help you with?”
Eddie didn’t respond as he continued directly into Skylar’s office. All signs of Fenton had been removed, but there was still little that identified the space as Skylar’s. Stephen poked his head in the door. “I told you, Eddie, the doctor isn’t here.”
“Where is she?” His panic was growing.
“All I know is she had an outside appointment.”
“I don’t know what an outside appointment is. Outside what?”
“Outside Harmony House.”
“Well, this is an emergency. She needs to come back.”
Nurse Gloria entered, having heard the last bit of conversation. “Eddie, until Dr. Drummond gets back, can you tell me what the emergency is?”
“I want it out of my room!”
“I will be more than happy to help you. But, first, I need you to calm down. Can you do that for me?” Her voice was soothing as ever.
Eddie took a deep breath and nodded.
“Will you show me what we’re talking about?”
He nodded again and led Nurse Gloria out of the office.
After they departed, Stephen waited a moment before removing a phone from his pocket. It was the same model Senator Davis now carried with him. Stephen pressed the speed-dial button for the only number he was ever to contact with it. “You said I should call if anything unusual happened.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This novel exists because I was fortunate enough to receive the help, support, and expertise of a great many people. I would like to mention a few: Jessica Tribble and the entire team at Thomas & Mercer and Amazon Publishing and Kevin Smith, for their incredible collaboration; Paul Lucas and everyone at Janklow & Nesbit, for taking a chance; Adam Levine, Karl Austen, and Tom Strickler, for never wavering; Steve Silberman, for his exhaustive research on the history of autism; Elizabeth Bingham, Steve Bernt, Susanne Bernt, Karin Colquitt, Josh Goldstein, Patti Goldstein, Sister Judith Costello, and my other early readers for their invaluable critical feedback; David Moore, for his continuing guidance; and, last but not least, the two teachers who convinced me I could write: Mark Parish at James Madison Memorial High School and Reginald Gibbons at Northwestern University. You two changed my life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2017 Conner Martin
Eric Bernt was born in Marion, Ohio, and raised in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, and Madison, Wisconsin. He attended Northwestern University, where he learned that journalism was not for him—but storytelling was. Upon graduation, he moved to Hollywood, where he wrote seven feature films including Virtuosity (starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe) and Surviving the Game (starring Rutger Hauer, Gary Busey, and F. Murray Abraham). He has also written for television (Z Nation). Eric lives in Agoura Hills, California, with his wife and three children.