When He Was Bad
Page 44

Irene? He checked out the bathroom but found that empty, too. He walked out of the room and crashed into his sister.
Whats wrong?
Shes not in there.
Van walked over to the nurses station. Im looking for Irene Conridge.
The nurse frowned. She isnt in her room?
Would I be here if she were?
Calm down, Mr. Van Holtz. Im sure shes around somewhere. She stood and leaned over the counter, focusing on a nurse walking out of one of the other rooms. Josie, did you check on Conridge?
The nurse nodded. They took her down to X-ray.
Van felt the growl in the back of his throat. Why? Shes already had X-rays.
His sister put a hand on his arm. Who took her to X-ray?
The nurse shrugged, not seeming remotely concerned. Must be a new orderly. Ive never seen him before.
The only thing that kept Van from going for both nurses throats was his sisters hand on his shoulder, her cool voice in his ear.
Not here. Not now.
Van turned on his heel and stalked out. As soon as he made it outside, the flowers hed bought for Irene were slammed against the wall.
I shouldnt have left her.
You went to get flowers, his sister argued. How long were we gone? Ten minutes?
I shouldnt have left her, he said again. We have to find her.
You dont think theyll try and take her out of the country again, do you?
Thats it. Van walked over to a pay phone outside the hospital. Im sick of this shit.
Wait. What are you doing?
Were Van Holtzes, goddamnit, he snarled, shoving coins into the pay phone. Grandfather always said we stick together in the worst of times. Even when we despise each other.
His sisters eyes grew wide. You cant be calling him? Have you lost your mind? Dad will skin you alive.
Dads still licking his wounds. This is my mate were talking about. We both know Ill do whatever I have to to get her back . . . and I will get her back.
Twelve
Irene stared up at the ceiling. Shed spotted the vent as soon as they dragged her into this room, kicking and screaming. But with her arm in a castand itching like Satanshed never be able to get up and out of it. So shed had to come up with other options. And she had.
Theyd brought her to a top-secret Air Force base. Somewhere in Texas.
She would say that theyd treated her well. Good food, wine, TV with cable and some ridiculous amount of channels. Perhaps twenty? Who intheir right mind would spend time flipping through twenty channels?
But with all the good food and everything else came questions. Lots of questions. They wanted to know what the Soviets wanted, and whatever it was they wanted it for themselves. As if she would ever trust human males with anything so dangerous. Oppenheimer never got over what he unleashed on the world; she wouldnt go down the same road.
Not only that . . . but she missed Van. To her horror. She missed another human being. What next? Shed start crying over cat commercials and buying cookies from those little fascists, Girl Scouts? Whom, to this day, she never forgave for not letting her into the local troop. Bitches.
Even worse, she wondered if Van missed her. No one ever had before. Irene was not the kind of woman people missed when she wasnt around. Instead they mostly felt relief. Her students this semester must have been in absolute heaven with all the times shed been out of the office the past few weeks.
Well, no bother. Everything was set. And theyd regret the day they ever set eyes on her.
Agent Harris walked into the room with two cans of ice-cold soda and smiled at her. She hated that smile. She hadnt seen anything that fake since Jackie and Paul had talked her into going to dinner with them at the Playboy Club.
Here you go, Professor Conridge. He placed the can in front of her.
Thank you.
You know, Niles Van Holtz is quite determined.
Yes. Ive learned that.
Hes actually contacted the president about you.
Irene snorted. Reagan? He wont help. He still hasnt gotten over me doing a comparison between him and Hitler that time I was invited to the White House.
Harris cleared his throat and sat down catty-corner from her. Why dont we talk a little about Jenny Fairgrove?
Jenny Fairgrove? Irene blinked. Oh, yes. She wants to be my teaching assistant. Although I doubt Id give her the honor.
And whys that?
Shes perky. For that alone I wont give her the job.
That seems pretty harsh.
Albert Einstein could apply to be my TA, and if he were perky . . . I wouldnt give him the job either. Of course after finding out that Mark worked for you the entire time, Im not sure Id trust anyone. And how is his face doing?
Harris jaw clenched. You fractured his right cheekbone with your cast.
Irene stared at Harris but didnt respond. Finally, the agent snapped, Well? How do you feel about that?
Blinking slowly five times, she flatly replied, I feel nothing. She shrugged. Its a gift and a curse.