Grey Howl

by Clea Simon

  ‘Or the fire might have never been set.’ Rogovoy’s voice was low, almost a grumble, but Dulcie started.

  ‘Set?’ She turned to the big man. ‘You mean, arson?’

  ‘Look, Ms Schwartz, just do me a favor, okay?’ His voice sounded tired. ‘When I ask you to stay someplace, please just stay there. For your own safety.’

  ‘Okay,’ she replied, somewhat abashed. The big man must be exhausted. ‘It was just, I was looking for Chris.’

  ‘I thought you were looking for your other friend?’

  ‘Well, yes.’ Dulcie looked up at him. ‘To get her out.’

  He stopped and turned toward her. ‘What do you think happened, Ms Schwartz?’

  ‘There was a fire and the alarm had been disabled.’ She knew she was getting it all out of order. ‘Someone knocked Kelly out, and then Stella disappeared.’

  ‘Disappeared, huh?’ With one hand on her back, he ushered her over to a squad car.

  ‘We were locked in.’ Dulcie needed to make him understand as she took a seat. ‘And Chris is missing, too.’

  ‘Uh huh.’ He leaned over the open door. ‘Let’s start with this fire.’ He drummed on the car roof, and Dulcie winced. ‘First of all, what were you two doing in a locked auditorium?’

  ‘I was looking for the bottle,’ Dulcie began. ‘You said that Mr Thorpe had been poisoned, and, well, I’d given him a drink from a water bottle I found backstage.’

  Rogovoy’s eyebrows went up at that. ‘Just some random bottle?’

  ‘Yes,’ Dulcie lied. ‘You said they’d been poisoned?’

  ‘No, you’ve been saying they were poisoned,’ the detective said. ‘All I’m willing to say is that certain substances were found in their system. Could have been intentional. Could have been an accident.’

  ‘But … Marco Tesla and then Thorpe, and now Paul Barnes?’ Dulcie was confused.

  ‘Dulcie,’ the detective’s voice had gotten softer. ‘Don’t you have enough to deal with right now? I mean, isn’t your department running a conference?’

  FORTY-SIX

  Rogovoy had a point. Without the bottle – or Chris – Dulcie really should get back to work. Or, at least, figure out what was going on. The detective agreed to let her go, after giving her a stern warning. After all, as Dulcie pointed out, it wasn’t as if he wouldn’t know where to find her.

  ‘May I offer you a ride home?’ Rogovoy asked in a rather pointed fashion.

  ‘No, thanks.’ She looked over to where Kelly was talking to one of Rogovoy’s men. ‘I’ll walk. I’ll walk with Kelly. We’ll be okay.’

  Rogovoy raised his eyebrows, but she refused to add more.

  Dulcie hung back until the detective had left. By that time Kelly was no longer being questioned, and she had come over.

  ‘Well, that was weird.’ The tech kept her voice low.

  ‘Tell me about it.’ Dulcie looked around. ‘They seem to think we set the fire.’

  Kelly only shook her head. ‘Maybe we overreacted.’

  Dulcie thought of the smoke – and of Mr Grey leading her out. ‘I don’t think so. Do you?’

  ‘It’s been a really long day.’ Kelly sounded exhausted. ‘You want to get out of here?’

  ‘I was hoping to catch up to Chris.’ With everything going on she hadn’t had a chance to check her messages, and she reached into her bag for her phone. Two messages. Her heart raced. Neither from Chris. ‘He still hasn’t called me. Kelly, do you know what’s going on?’

  ‘Hey, don’t look at me,’ the tech said. ‘He’s a nice guy and all but he’s not my type.’

  ‘No, I didn’t mean—’ It had been a long day. ‘Let’s get out of here.’

  They walked out the door and, although Dulcie had half expected some fireman or cop to stop them, found the plaza deserted.

  ‘Wow, it’s cold.’ Kelly wrapped her arms around herself. ‘Hey, look at the moon. It looks like a street light.’

  A glance up showed Dulcie what she meant. Oversized and bright, it cast everything around them into sharp relief. ‘It makes me think of home,’ she said, a little wistful.

  Kelly looked at her. ‘You’re not from the city, are you?’

  Dulcie shook her head. Just then, they heard it – a mournful cry. ‘Neither are they.’

  ‘Is that a dog?’ Kelly looked around. ‘Who would leave a dog out in this weather?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ It was too hard to explain. ‘But we should get moving.’

  Because Kelly lived down by the river, they agreed to walk back across the Yard together at least as far as the health services. From there, Kelly could catch a shuttle and Dulcie could figure out what to do. At the very least, she wanted to check in on Thorpe – and also Paul Barnes. If both of them were still incapacitated, it would have grave implications for the conference. Nancy might have returned, too, and it would be useful for them to confer.

  At least, that’s what Dulcie told herself as they hurried across the Yard. In reality, she knew, she was hoping to find Chris there. The lack of a return call was worrying, but he would undoubtedly have a reason for that. Out here in the dark, with those howls echoing around her, an explanation after the fact was the least of her concern.

  ‘Kelly, you know when you said something had gotten in?’ Dulcie scurried to catch up. Deep in thought, she had let the other woman get ahead. ‘Something had scratched the door?’

  ‘Or someone.’ Kelly’s teeth were starting to chatter.

  ‘Do you think …’ Dulcie didn’t even know how to phrase it. ‘Do you think … Chris?’

  ‘Oh, don’t be silly.’ Kelly put her head down and forged ahead. ‘That woman has made you all jealous.’

  ‘No, it’s not that,’ Dulcie said to the other woman’s back, as she hurried to catch up. But she couldn’t explain exactly what she meant.

  ‘Hey, look.’ Kelly stopped suddenly and turned to face her. ‘Do you mind if I just take off?’ Her hands still clasped around her body, Kelly nodded off to the right. ‘The shuttle takes forever this time of night, and this way I can duck down Oxford and save a few blocks. And you’re almost at the health services anyway.’

  ‘Yeah, that’s fine.’ Dulcie said. ‘It’s as light as day with that moon and all.’ It was true about the moon. What was also true was that it was cold and the Yard was deserted with all the undergrads gone, but she needed a little time alone with her thoughts. Still, as she watched the other woman walk quickly off into the night she had a moment of misgiving. Something about that light wasn’t natural.

  Since she still had her phone out, she hit Chris’s number. The mailbox she had selected, she heard once more, was now full. She hung up just as a gust of wind hit her, and she bent into it. No wonder Kelly had wanted to take the shorter way home.

  ‘Chris, where RU?’ She couldn’t walk quite as fast while she texted, not while cradling the phone like this. Still, it seemed like a good thing to do. ‘Heading 2 HS.’ She hit send as the wind buffeted her again, howling between the buildings.

  ‘Where are you, Chris?’ She spoke out loud. There was no way her voice would be heard above this wind, and there was no one around to hear her anyway.

  Or was there? ‘Mr Grey?’ On a whim, she turned around and got a mouthful of grit. ‘Are you there? I know you saved me. Saved us,’ she said, her hair whipping across her face. Maybe the fire hadn’t been dangerous. Rogovoy hadn’t said, and the fire chief had looked more annoyed than anything. But she knew what she had experienced – and how she had felt. Mr Grey had saved both her and Kelly. Maybe he had saved Stella Roebuck, too.

  ‘Mr Grey?’ The wind had died down, and with it an eerie quiet had fallen. She started walking again, aware of the crunch of frozen dirt beneath her feet. Somewhere, blocks away probably, a siren went off. A car – a taxi, she’d bet – honked in an angry blast. She started walking again. Of course Mr Grey wouldn’t come to her here. She didn’t need him. She wasn’t in danger. Besides, he had been a house cat, after all.
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br />   The wind again. It pushed her forward this time and sent her staggering toward the gate. A low light suspended from the arch made the short brick passageway look cozy, almost like shelter, and she made for it gratefully. Just a moment out of this wind would be welcome. Then she’d pass out of the Yard and cross the street; in just a few minutes, she’d be in the plaza. There was a café just beyond the health services building. Maybe she should stop off there first. Get something to eat. It would be warm there.

  But if she expected the gust to pass, she was mistaken. After the briefest respite it picked up again, pelting her with grit and the last of the leaves, plucked from the low-lying holly that bordered University Hall. She bent down, hurrying for the archway. For shelter. It pursued, pushing her like a giant hand at her back. And then she heard it: the howl.

  FORTY-SEVEN

  Dulcie froze, the cold forgotten. Her heartbeat loud in her ears, she made herself breathe, and then she looked around. The archway, the nearest shelter, was only a few hundred feet away. A minute’s walk. Less. She started toward it, moving quickly. But it was dark, the moon covered by a passing cloud, and the frozen ground crumbled beneath her, throwing her off balance. She stumbled and caught herself. And then, as she righted herself and began walking again, the cloud passed, racing across the sky, and out of the corner of her eye she saw … what? Maybe nothing. A patch of dark on dark, moving quickly as the cloud crossed the sky. A shadow, undoubtedly, cast by the once again bright moon, stretching out from the buildings to her left. Stretching and changing shape as the wind cleared the remnants from the sky, it was nothing – a shade – only ever so slightly darker than the frosted sod that lined the path.

  Nerves, Dulcie told herself. Nerves and suggestion, and the memory of a scary tale echoing in her mind. It was a shadow, cast by the racing wisps of cloud. Nothing more. Only this shadow seemed to be moving toward her. Coming to cut her off.

  Out of the shadows it ran. Too big for a dog, it moved low to the ground, loping and stretching as if cast by the moonlight. And as it grew closer, Dulcie saw, it was too solid to be a shadow. And not grey at all. Rather, rust-colored – bloody almost. The moon shone down, glinting off a cold eye. And Dulcie ran.

  The race was impossible. The thing had too much of a head start, but still she ran, pounding against the cold path as if it could propel her high above the dangerous ground. Somehow she passed it, running hard. Through the archway and across the sidewalk. She didn’t pause to look as she leaped into Mass Ave and sped up more as the health services came into view. Arms outstretched, she pushed through the door, only to crash into an older woman and send them both tumbling to the floor.

  ‘Doctor! Are you hurt?’ A slim orderly came running as she clambered to her feet. But he wasn’t talking to Dulcie, and instead helped the other woman to her feet. ‘Here, let me help you.’

  ‘You,’ he looked over his shoulder at Dulcie. ‘You stay there.’

  ‘What happened?’ Another orderly, barely her height, had come running. He grabbed her arm. ‘Why did you attack Doctor Xi?’

  ‘I didn’t.’ Dulcie leaned on him, panting. ‘I fell. I–it was chasing me.’ She started to turn, to pull away. To make sure it had not followed.

  ‘Wait a minute, miss.’ The orderly was stronger than he looked.

  ‘No, please.’ She managed to turn. There was nothing behind her. Nothing outside the door. ‘I’m fine,’ she said finally. ‘Really.’

  ‘Dulcie!’ She turned to see Chris running toward her. ‘Are you okay?’

  ‘Chris!’ Pulling away from the orderly, she threw herself into her boyfriend’s arms. She could feel his heart racing as he held her close. ‘Where have you been?’

  ‘Here.’ He pulled back to look at her. His cheeks were flushed, his hair more disheveled than usual. ‘I was talking with Stella Roebuck.’ He turned, but the modish academic was not visible among those who now crowded around. ‘What happened, Dulcie? What’s going on?’

  ‘I—’ She stopped. Her boyfriend would understand. The bystanders gathered round them, however, wouldn’t. ‘You’ve been here?’

  He nodded. ‘I got your message, and I was afraid I’d missed you.’

  ‘You just got here?’ Somehow, she couldn’t make the words come out. He nodded. ‘Chris, are you …’ She didn’t know how to ask. Not here, with all these strangers present.

  ‘What?’ He was definitely breathing heavily as he pushed his hair off his face. ‘You look upset.’

  ‘Chris, are you … You’re not …’ She dropped her voice to a whisper. ‘You’re not a wolf, are you?’

  ‘Come with me, miss.’ Someone grabbed her arms from behind. ‘Let’s have a seat, why don’t we?’

  ‘Let go of me.’ She pulled, but the hands were strong. Behind Chris, she saw the orderly nodding.

  ‘Really, she’s fine.’ Chris looked up. ‘Please.’

  ‘She was hysterical,’ said the orderly. Still, the arms released her, and she turned to see a uniformed policeman behind her.

  ‘I was upset,’ Dulcie clarified, rubbing her forearms in what she hoped was a dramatic gesture. ‘It has been a trying day, and I was out and it was dark, and …’ She paused. How to explain it all? She looked around. ‘Stella?’ She spied the academic heading toward the door and waved. ‘Professor Roebuck, you’re okay!’

  ‘No thanks to you.’ Her voice was terse. ‘Now, if you don’t mind …’

  ‘No, wait.’ Dulcie spluttered. ‘Stella, we lost you.’

  ‘Yeah, I know.’ Sarcasm dripped from her words. ‘Thanks so much.’

  ‘We looked for you.’ Dulcie found herself on the defensive. ‘Honest.’ Something was out of whack. ‘Wait, how long have you been here?’

  ‘I really don’t know.’ She raised one pale hand to her forehead. ‘I’m exhausted.’

  ‘Miss, please,’ the orderly was reaching for Dulcie again.

  ‘No, I’m curious.’ Dulcie pulled away, her eyes on Roebuck. ‘What happened?’

  ‘Dulcie, please, come with me.’ Chris was by her side. He took her hand, but his next words were to the cop. ‘She’s had a really stressful couple of days, officer. I’ll take her home as soon as I get my things.’

  ‘Wait a minute, Chris.’ Dulcie kept her eyes on Roebuck. ‘Did you know she accused you of stealing her computer?’

  ‘What?’ Chris shook his head.

  ‘Oh, please.’ Stella turned once again toward the door.

  ‘No, wait,’ Dulcie called, but Chris held her.

  ‘Dulcie, don’t do this—’

  ‘Do what?’ They all turned to see Nancy Pruitt coming through the door with what seemed to be a large box by her side. Despite the knitted throw that covered it, Dulcie recognized it as Tigger’s carrying case. ‘I’m sorry, what have I missed?’

  ‘Nancy!’ Dulcie couldn’t explain the wave of relief that washed over her. The sight of the motherly secretary – and the implication of the kitten – just seemed to make everything better. ‘Thank the goddess, it’s you! It’s been terrible.’

  ‘It isn’t – Mr Thorpe …’ The color drained from Nancy’s cheeks. She dropped the box with a thud and sank to the floor.

  The orderly ran toward her, pushing Stella Roebuck out of the way.

  ‘Nancy!’ Dulcie followed, but the orderly waved her back.

  ‘Let’s just give her some air,’ he said. ‘Shall we?’

  Chris drew Dulcie aside. ‘What’s going on with Thorpe?’

  ‘Thorpe and Paul Barnes – they both drank something. Rogovoy said they may have been dosed with something.’ Chris shook his head in disbelief. ‘You don’t know, Chris. You weren’t here.’

  Another orderly had arrived by this time, rushing a wheelchair over to Nancy, who still sat slumped by the door.

  ‘I was trying to help you, Dulcie.’ His whisper had an edge to it. ‘And help Thorpe. And I found something.’

  ‘So you said, before you disappeared.’

  He sighed and pushe
d his bangs back once again. ‘Dulcie, I was working.’ Nancy seemed to be arguing with the wheelchair orderly. She was sitting up and had taken the kitten’s carrier into her lap.

  Dulcie wanted to go to her. At the very least, she wanted to ask about Tigger – surely Nancy had brought him for a reason. Her boyfriend, however, was waiting.

  ‘Okay, I know how you get,’ she said. ‘But Chris, I’ve been trying to reach you for hours. You said you’d found something …’

  ‘I said I thought I did.’ He seemed to think this made a big difference. ‘And I had to go check it out. I’ve been in the computer lab all day.’

  ‘Wait, you were in the Science Center?’ He nodded. ‘But what about the fire?’

  ‘The fire?’ It took a moment before anything registered, and Dulcie glanced back toward the door. The second orderly had begun folding the wheelchair. ‘Oh, the false alarm. We heard that and ignored it. It happens so often.’

  ‘It wasn’t … never mind.’ She shook her head. Nancy was being helped to her feet, still clutching the plastic carrier. ‘I looked for you.’

  ‘I was in the clean room,’ he explained. ‘I wanted to get at that laptop’s hard drive and, well, it probably wasn’t necessary, but I figured there’d be hell to pay if I messed anything up. So I went into lockdown – vacuums on, air filters, you name it.’

  It made sense. So much so that Dulcie wondered at not having thought of it. Except for a few nagging doubts.

  ‘So don’t you want to hear what I found out?’ He looked so happy, though. Much more puppy than wolf.

  ‘Sure.’ She shelved her fears. There’d be time enough later for them to talk.

  What he said didn’t make sense at first, although it did serve to distract her from what seemed to be a growing argument about the kitten. Nancy should have known no pets would be allowed in the health services.

  ‘Dulcie, are you listening?’ She made herself turn away. Chris was explaining, for the umpteenth time, how hard it was ever really to erase any file from a computer. Between the caches and the memory, he’d explained to her before, there was almost always a ghost of a file somewhere on a machine. That was why she’d been surprised when he hadn’t been able to find Stella Roebuck’s file originally.