The City of Mirrors
Page 127

Kate came out and sat beside him on the stoop. The children had gone down for a nap in the house.
“So?” he asked.
Kate squinted into the afternoon light. A strand of hair, golden blond, was plastered to her forehead; she tucked it away. “She’s still breathing, anyway.”
“How long will this take?”
“She should be dead already.” Kate looked at him. “If she’s still alive in the morning, you should take Pim and the kids and get out of here.”
“If anybody’s staying, it’s me. Just tell me what to do.”
“Caleb, I can handle it.”
“I know you can, but I’m the one who got us into this mess.”
“What were you going to do? A horse gets sick, some people go missing, a house burns down. Who’s to say any of it’s related?”
“I’m still not leaving you here.”
“And, believe me, I appreciate the gesture. I never was much of a country gal, and this place gives me the creeps. But it’s my job, Caleb. Let me do it, and we’ll get along fine.”
For a while they sat without talking. Then Caleb said, “I could use your help with something.”
Jeb’s body had swollen and stiffened in the heat. They lashed his hind legs together, set Handsome into his plow harness, and began the slow process of dragging the body to the far edge of the field. When Caleb felt they were far enough away from the house, they led Handsome back to the shelter and brought out one of the jugs of fuel. Caleb dragged some deadfall from the woods and placed it over the corpse, building a pyre; he splashed kerosene over it, recapped the can, and stepped back.
Kate asked, “Why did you call him Jeb?”
Caleb shrugged. “Just the name he came with.”
Nothing remained to be said. Caleb struck a match and tossed it forward. With a whoosh, flames enveloped the pile. There was no wind to speak of; the thick smoke rose straight skyward, full of popping sparks. For a while it smelled like mesquite; then it became something else.
“That’s that, I guess,” he said.
They walked back toward the house. As they approached, Pim appeared in the doorway. Her eyes were very wide.
Something is happening, she signed.
—
The room was cool and dark. Only Dory’s face was showing; the rest was covered by boiled clothes.
“Mrs. Tatum,” Kate said, “can you hear me? Do you know where you are?”
Staring at the ceiling, the woman seemed completely unaware of them. A remarkable change had occurred. Remarkable, but also disturbing. The harsh appearance of the burns on her face had softened. Their color was now pinkish, almost dewy; in other patches, her skin was white as talc. Dory shifted slightly in her bed, exposing her left hand and forearm from under the cloths. Before, it had been a gruesome claw of cooked flesh. In its stead was a recognizable human hand—blisters gone, charred bits flaked off to reveal skin of rosy newness beneath.
Kate looked up at Pim. How long has she been awake?
She wasn’t. That just happened.
“Mrs. Tatum,” Kate said, more commandingly, “I’m a doctor. You’ve been in a fire. You’re at the Jaxons’ farm; Caleb and Pim are with me. Do you remember what happened?”
Her gaze, wandering the room in a desultory fashion, located Kate’s face.
“Fire?” she murmured.
“That’s right, there was a fire at your house.”
“Ask her if she knows what started it,” Caleb said.
“Fire,” Dory repeated. “Fire.”
“Yes, what do you remember about the fire?”
Pim stepped forward and knelt by the bed. She gently lifted Dory’s exposed hand, placed the tip of her index finger in the woman’s palm, and began to form letters.
“Pim,” Dory said.
But that was all; the light in her eyes faded. She closed them again.
“Caleb, I’m going to examine her,” Kate said. Then, to Pim: Stay and help.
Caleb waited in the kitchen. The children, mercifully, were still asleep. A few minutes passed, and the women appeared.
Kate gestured to the back door. Let’s talk outside.
The light had shifted toward evening. “What’s happening to her?” Caleb asked, signing simultaneously.
“She’s getting better, that’s what.”
“How is that possible?”
“If I knew, I’d bottle it. The burns are still bad—she’s not out of the woods yet. But I’ve never seen anybody heal so fast. I thought the shock alone would kill her.”
“What about her waking up like that?”
“It’s a good sign, her recognizing Pim. I don’t think she understood much else, though. She may never.”
“You mean she’ll stay like this?”
“I’ve seen it happen.” Kate addressed her sister directly: You should stay with her. If she wakes up again, try to get her talking.
What about?
Easy stuff. Keep her mind off the fire for now.
Pim returned to the house.
“This changes things,” Caleb said.
“I agree. We may be able to move her sooner than I thought. Do you think you can find a vehicle in Mystic?”
He recalled the pickup he’d seen in Elacqua’s yard.
Kate seemed surprised. “Brian Elacqua?”
“That’s him.”
“That drunken old cuss. I’d wondered what had become of him.”