The Psychic

Gus Flory
 THE PSYCHIC
Copyright © 2010 by Gus Flory

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by photocopying or

by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage or
retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this
book are either products of the author‘s imagination or are used
fictitiously.

Published 2010
gusflory@yahoo.com
Cover art by Kim Sook-Young
The Psychic
Part One
 Chapter 1

Fresno, CA
Eddie sat on the greasy floor of Jim‘s Auto Repair in his oil-
stained coveralls as he changed a pair of brake pads on an old
Honda. He whistled along to an old song that played inside
his head – a Beatles song maybe. He wasn‘t quite sure and
didn‘t care.
Outside the garage, a cold mist hung drearily over the city.
Low clouds blew fast across the gray sky. The weather was
miserable and winter had only just begun. Incessant rain had
flooded the fields, clogged drainage ditches, and filled the
streets with muddy water. Fierce winds had ripped up roofs
and blown down trees and power lines. Property and crops
were ruined and traffic was perpetually snarled. The
dampness and darkness were affecting everyone.
Everyone, it seemed, except Eddie. He whistled when he
was happy and today he had reason to be happier than usual.
Today was his birthday, and he was in love.
Jim was across the shop, drinking coffee and looking over
work orders with the shop mechanic. Jim was the shop owner
and Eddie‘s boss.
―Sure is a happy one, ain‘t he?‖ the shop mechanic said.
―Damn fool doesn‘t know not to be.‖
―You know it‘s Eddie‘s birthday today.‖
―Hey, Eddie,‖ Jim called across the shop, ―after you finish
with that Honda, you can head out early.‖
Eddie tightened the last bolt on the hub and hopped to his
feet. He rushed past the two men and ran into the break
room. He scooped up his backpack and grabbed the dozen
red roses wrapped in plastic from on top of a box of motor
oil.

1
 ―Thanks, boss,‖ he said, as he ran past the two of them.
―Happy birthday!‖ Jim yelled, as Eddie disappeared into the
gray drizzle.
He stepped on to the city bus as the hydraulic doors hissed
shut behind him. His coveralls were wet and his hair was
dripping from the rain.
―How‘s it going, Lonnie?‖ Eddie said to the bus driver and
fumbled through his pockets for change.
―I‘ve been better,‖ the driver replied. ―No change, Ed?‖
Eddie smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
―I‘ll pay you back tomorrow, Lonnie. You know I always
do.‖
The driver eyed the roses in Eddie‘s hand. He shook his
head at Eddie and started up the bus.
Eddie slapped him on the back.
―Thanks, Lonnie.‖
―Supposed to storm tonight.‖
―Yeah, I heard.‖
Eddie took a seat at the back of the bus. He removed his
backpack which was bulky from the bottle of wine inside and
shook the water off the roses, setting them down on the seat
beside him. His mind turned to his girlfriend, as he watched
the rain outside the window. She wasn‘t expecting him home
this early. He smiled at the thought of sneaking into their
apartment, sweeping her into his arms, and planting a big kiss
on her startled face.
Her name was Debbie and the two of them had been high-
school sweethearts. It was only six months ago since they had
moved in together. Debbie had been going to community
college then, but had dropped out to work full-time so they
could cover the rent. Money was tight, but they had each
other and, as far as Eddie was concerned, that was all he
would ever need.

2
 The rain slowed, as the bus came to a stop before Eddie‘s
apartment complex. Water pitter-pattered down from the
drains of the two-story buildings as Eddie sneaked up the
stairs. He quietly unlocked the door and stepped into his
apartment.
Debbie wasn‘t in the living room, or the kitchen. He pulled
the bottle of wine from his backpack and, with roses in one
hand and the bottle of wine in the other, he tiptoed to the
bedroom door. The door was slightly ajar.
―Oh God!‖ Debbie moaned. ―Yes!‖
A steady knock, knock was coming from the bedroom.
Eddie peeped through the door and his heart came to a stop.
―Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!‖
A naked man thrust into her. Her legs were wrapped up
around the small of his back. The headboard knocked the
wall with each of the man‘s thrusts.
Eddie watched from behind the doorway. A hollowness
spread up from his stomach into his chest. There were no
thoughts in his mind, only the hollowness and the trembling
and a numbness in his brain.
―Oh yes!‖ Debbie groaned as she pulled the man into her
with her legs.
Eddie‘s vision grew cloudy as he stood motionless behind
the doorway. He felt his heart begin to beat. It thudded hard
against the inside of his chest. Needles stung into his hands,
spine, and brain. Blood surged through his temples, as the
thudding in his chest grew louder and faster. His knuckles
turned white as he squeezed the stems of the roses and the
neck of the bottle of wine.
He stepped back from the doorway. A fiery anger ignited in
him as he walked into the kitchen. He set the wine and the
roses on the counter. The knocking from the bedroom grew
faster. A murderous rage coursed through Eddie‘s blood as
he listened to each knock of the headboard.

3
 He slid open the silverware drawer and pulled out a carving
knife. The muscles of his face twisted and contorted. His
knuckles turned white around the knife‘s handle. His teeth
felt like fangs and his hands like claws.
The headboard banged loudly one last time. The apartment
was now silent, but for the water that dripped softly from the
drain outside the window. In the silence, Eddie‘s slow
breathing and pounding heart seemed deafening.
He turned and strode to the bedroom doorway and stood
stone-like behind the door, clutching the knife tightly in his
fist.
Debbie lay naked on her back breathing heavily on the bed
as she stared up at the ceiling. Eddie watched her from
behind the door.
―That was great,‖ she sighed.
She placed her hand on the man‘s back. He sat on the edge
of the bed and smirked at her over his shoulder as he pulled
on his slacks.
―Leaving so soon?‖ she asked.
―Got to go, babe.‖
She ran her hand through his hair. ―Don‘t go yet.‖
―Don‘t you have to pick up your boyfriend?‖
―Not until five. He can wait.‖
She sat up and wrapped her arms around him and kissed
him on the neck.
―I‘ve got things to do tonight,‖ he said. He reached for his
shoes.
She pulled him back.
―Richard, don‘t go. I‘ll leave Eddie tonight, if you ask me to.
It‘s just complicated because we live together. If I could
move in with you…‖
―Look, sweetheart, I‘ve got a lot going on in my life right
now.‖ He reached again for his shoes. ―I really need to get
going.‖

4
 ―Baby, you promised. I can‘t live like this anymore.‖ She
pouted and then grew annoyed as he pulled on his socks.
―I‘m not spending the rest of my life with a twelve-dollar-an-
hour pump jockey. I want you. Do you understand?‖
―I understand, all right. Look, I‘ll give you a call tomorrow.
Okay?‖
―Stay a little longer,‖ she said sweetly. ―Please?‖
Richard sat at the edge of the bed, while she kissed him on
his shoulder. She rolled off the bed and knelt down in front
of him. She pulled off the slacks he had just put on. She
smiled at him and then her head disappeared into his lap.
His back arched.
―Oh, yeah, baby,‖ he groaned.
Eddie watched motionless from behind the doorway. His
anger transformed into sadness and despair, the rage leaving
him as quickly as it had flared up. He squeezed his eyes shut
and covered them tightly with the back of his hands, as the
tears overflowed. He felt his heart ripped from his chest and
flung down, falling and then splattering on the rocks below.
The hand that held the knife fell limply to his side.
He stepped back from the doorway and walked to the
kitchen. The roses and the wine sat silently on the counter.
He set the knife down next to them and stood over the sink,
as tears ran down his cheeks and dripped from his chin on to
the linoleum floor.
The knocking started again.
Eddie‘s eyes fell upon the little heart-shaped magnets that
held photos to the refrigerator door. There was a picture of
the two of them at the lake, Debbie in her bikini and Eddie in
cut-off jeans, as they hugged each other with big smiles.
There was another of the two of them in sweaters, in front of
her mother‘s Christmas tree, and another at the prom with
Eddie in a tuxedo, looking sharp and confident and Debbie

5
trying her best to look glamorous through all the make-up
and hair spray. They looked so happy together in the photos.
The knocking grew louder. He buried his face in his hands,
as the tears flowed through his fingers.
Why, Debbie?
With each knock of the headboard, his pain and despair
grew deeper. His vision blurred and his hands trembled. He
reached up and opened the cupboard and pulled down the
half-gallon bottle of vodka that sat amongst their meager
liquor collection.
He unscrewed the cap and put the bottle to his mouth. He
lifted it high, watching as the big bubbles glugged upward.
The vodka went down easily and warmed his stomach and
chest, but it didn‘t stop the knocking that came steadily from
the bedroom. He lifted the bottle high and took several long
gulps, without feeling the sudden cringe that usually came
after taking such a large drink of undiluted alcohol.
I need to go.
He went into the living room, carrying the bottle with him.
He walked past the bedroom door and opened the front door
to their apartment. He walked out into the rain.

6
 Chapter 2

So cold.
His body ached and a loud ringing screamed inside his head.
He lay naked, face down in his own vomit. The empty
vodka bottle lay next to him on the cement.
Where am I?
He lifted his head and sharp stabs of pain shot through his
brain.
―Them wetbacks took your clothes, boy.‖
A grizzled homeless man sat leaning against a pillar
watching him.
―Took your wallet, too,‖ he slurred.
They were beneath a freeway overpass that offered little
protection from the driving rain and none whatsoever from
the icy wind that howled through the pillars in powerful
gusts, stinging like needles into Eddie‘s blue skin.
Eddie struggled to his feet. Pain cut through his muscles,
like rusty daggers. The world spun around him in a blur of
dark shadows. The old man watched him with dull eyes.
Another man lay on a sheet of cardboard next to a coffee can
that flickered from a flame inside.
So cold.
The world flashed metallic blue and a thunderous boom
shook the overpass, waking the man from his cardboard bed.
The man groaned loudly. He raised his fist and cursed the
heavens, as thunder cracked and rolled.
Lightning flashed and illuminated the homeless man‘s face
in flickering light, distorting his already ugly features.
Panic jumped in Eddie. He stumbled out from under the
overpass and ran up the muddy slope, as freezing rain pelted

7
his body. A grove of towering eucalyptus swayed violently as
the wind ripped through the trees.
Eddie‘s panic increased. Soggy leaves thrown by the wind
stuck to his bare skin as he ran. His feet squished in the mud.
The wind and rain whipped at his body.
He came to a street and ran out into it. Ankle-deep water
flowed swiftly over the street as if it were a river bed. Two
bright lights approached rapidly from behind sheets of rain.
Eddie ran toward the lights, waving his arms, but the lights
didn‘t slow. They were the lights of a jeep that was barreling
at him and throwing up high fans of water from the wheel
wells. The driver was unaware of Eddie standing in the road.
Eddie threw out his hands, palms forward, but the jeep didn‘t
slow.
The driver saw him and swerved. It grazed him, throwing
him into the air in a sheet of water. Eddie hit the pavement
and slid hard into the curb, as the jeep skidded around in a
cascade of water.
―Jesus!‖ the driver yelled as he saw Eddie crumpled against
the curb.
The night flashed white and thunder cracked. A thick bolt
of lightning pulverized the trunk of a massive eucalyptus. The
tree creaked and cracked and then fell into the power lines
next to it. The tree and the power lines crashed into the street
in a shower of sparks and leaves, narrowly missing the jeep.
The power lines thrashed and convulsed like writhing
snakes. Crackling sparks exploded in the night, as the cables
slapped at the wet pavement.
The driver of the jeep threw his vehicle into reverse and
screeched back, skidding his jeep around. The jeep‘s red tail
lights disappeared behind sheets of rain, as it sped off.
Eddie lay face-up in the gutter with his head cocked
sideways against the curb. Muddy water flowed swiftly over
his body.

8
 Blue and white sparks cracked and snapped from the
writhing power lines. A cable cracked upward into the
darkness and hung in the air. It fell violently, in a shower of
sparks, into the water beside Eddie‘s head.

He stood naked before a large mirror. His face was lathered

and in his hand he held a pearl-handled, straight razor.
Behind him, in the mirror, an immense hall of black stone
stretched into the distance. Two rows of massive columns
supported a cathedral ceiling high above. On top of the
columns, enormous stone gargoyles held up the ceiling in
grotesque poses. Silent blue bolts of lightning danced across
the top of the hall from gargoyle to gargoyle.
He tried to focus on his face, but the image was blurry and
fleeting. He felt the scrape of the rigid steel blade, as he
slowly began to shave. He finished shaving and rinsed his
face in the sink. He tried again to focus on his face, but saw
only an amorphous blur. His feet were cold on the stone
floor. He shivered and held his arms tightly across his chest.
So cold.
In the mirror, he noticed a fire burning faintly in the
distance at the far end of the hall. He turned and walked
toward the distant orange light. The blue bolts danced silently
high above him.
He could see the fire clearly now. It blazed in an enormous
stone fireplace. The firelight threw maniacal shadows about
him.
An old Victorian couch faced the fire. There was a figure on
the couch, facing away, looking into the fire that blazed in the
fireplace. It was the figure of a woman.
Eddie walked faster and then began to run toward her. He
ran harder and faster until, finally, he came to a panting stop
only a few feet behind her.
The woman slowly turned her head. She smiled at him.

9
 It was Debbie.
―Hello, Eddie,‘ she said. You’re so pathetic.
―Debbie?‖
I never loved you.
She looked at him innocently. A man sat up next to her,
from behind the back of the couch. He smiled wryly and
wrapped his bare arms around her shoulders. They kissed as
the fire blazed behind them. Debbie‘s eyes remained locked
on Eddie‘s, as she kissed the other man.
I never loved you. I hate you.
Eddie heard the thoughts clearly in his mind.
Debbie pushed the man down behind the back of the
couch. She lifted her body and began to slowly rock up and
down, her heaving body silhouetted in yellow and red
firelight.
―I‘ll kill you both!‖ Eddie screamed.
The razor was still clutched in his hand. He squeezed the
handle tightly and lunged at her. He slashed at her with the
razor, but the couch got no closer. He ran, slashing, but still
she got no closer. He ran harder and harder, driven by his
fury. The fire faded to a tiny orange glow, in the black
distance. Eddie‘s anger turned to exhaustion and then to
despair.
He fell to his knees.
You’re so pathetic.
He covered his face with his hands as the tears flowed
through his fingers.
―Why, Debbie?‖
I never loved you.
He fell on to his back and lay flat on the cold stone floor.
She was his life, the only thing he truly cared for, his reason
for living.
The darkest despair swept over him.
―Debbie…‖

10
 He stared up, through his tears, at a stone gargoyle high on
top of a column. Its sinewy stone body was contorted and
twisted as it held up the ceiling. Its heinous face was snarled
in an evil scowl. Blue bolts danced silently across the hallway.
The pain and despair intensified unbearably.
Eddie let go of his desire to live.
The gargoyle‘s head slowly turned. Its stone eyes stared
down upon him. Its hideous scowl struck terror into Eddie‘s
soul. The gargoyle bared its stone fangs and unleashed an
unholy howl. The roar shook the hall, as it echoed endlessly
into the distance. The gargoyle lifted its black hand and
pointed a stony finger down upon Eddie.
Eddie lay motionless, staring up in horror at the creature. A
bolt of lightning cracked down from the finger and struck
into Eddie‘s forehead. The bolt writhed into Eddie‘s skull. He
spasmed violently, as his brain convulsed in an excruciating
and boiling pain, so unbearable that death would have come
as a blessing.

11
 Chapter 3

Blackness.
―His condition has stabilized, doctor,‖ said a female voice.
―It‘s a miracle he‘s alive at all,‖ said a male voice.
There was a loud ringing in Eddie‘s brain. It grew louder
and sharper until he felt his brain would explode.
Please stop, please stop, please stop.
The ringing stopped.
Looking good tonight, Bethy.
―Any word on who this poor soul is?‖
―No, nothing yet, doctor.‖
Eddie was unable to move. There was nothing but darkness
and the two voices.
―Now that it looks like he‘s going to live, the next step is to
find out who the hell this poor bastard is.‖
You’ve got the most beautiful pair of tits, Bethy. Like juicy little
melons under your blouse.
―Have I told you what a great job you‘ve been doing,
Elizabeth? You‘ve really been pulling your weight around
here.‖
―Thank you, doctor,‖ she said confidently.
She was new at the hospital and had been so unsure of
herself. She had been trying so hard to appear professional
and competent, but it was all so overwhelming. Eddie felt her
uncertainty transform into glowing pride at the offhand
comment from the doctor.
I can make it here, she thought.
―Beth, I‘d like to discuss that opening in cardiology with
you.‖ The doctor was aroused and feeling cocky. ―If you
don‘t mind,‖ he added.
The nurse held in her surprise.

12
 ―No. I don‘t mind at all.‖
I don’t believe it! He’s considering me!
―Meet me in my office at two o‘clock? There‘ll be a fresh
pot of coffee brewing.‖
The old lady looks like a corn-fed sow next to you, Bethy. Play it cool,
Davey-boy, and tonight, Bethy meets Dr. Love.
―Then two o‘clock it is. See you then, doctor.‖
Damn, she’s got a nice ass. Dumb as a doorknob, but I bet she’ll be
one hell of a lay.
The voices faded and then there was nothing but darkness
and silence. Eddie struggled to open his eyes, but the effort
was exhausting and he slipped into a deep sleep.
He awoke with a jolt and winced from the terrible headache
that rang in his skull. Blood pulsed through his brain with
each beat of his heart. A hospital room came slowly into
focus. It was early dawn and still dark outside the window.
There was an IV needle in Eddie‘s arm, connected to a drip
bag that hung from a metal stand. The room was dark and
quiet, except for a deep raspy breathing that clicked after each
exhale. The breathing came from behind a curtain that
divided the room.
Eddie‘s mind was foggy. He had a vague recollection that
some disaster had befallen him. He forced himself out of the
bed, with great effort. Each movement shot sharp stabs of
pain into his brain. He shuffled over to the sink, pushing the
rattling metal stand that held the drip bag for his IV.
He turned on the tap and let the cool water run over his
hands. He bent down to splash water on his face and noticed
that his fingernails were as black as coal. He ran his hands
over his aching head, as he splashed water on to his face. His
scalp was smooth and tingled to the touch. He looked
through the darkness into the mirror and ran his hands over
his newly bald head.
What happened to me?

13
 Gargoyles and carving knives flashed into his mind. He
shook them out not wanting to remember.
Debbie’s probably wondering where I am.
The previous night in their apartment came back to him
suddenly.
Debbie…
He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to force back the tears.
The raspy breathing from behind the curtain grew louder,
becoming a labored wheeze and then a groan. Eddie peeked
behind the curtain and saw the body of a teenager connected
to a respirator. The teenager let out a mournful moan.
―Are you okay, man?‖ Eddie asked.
The teenager was wrapped in bandages and his face was cut
and battered.
―You want me to call a nurse?‖
Eddie moved closer to him and looked into his face. The
teenager‘s eyeballs moved rapidly back and forth beneath the
eyelids.
A piercing ring filled Eddie‘s skull. He saw the inside of a
car. The car raced down a dark highway, as music blared from
the stereo. A young woman was sitting in the passenger seat.
She laughed and drank from a wine cooler. The smell of rum
permeated the air. A bright light illuminated the inside of the
car. Two bright headlights approached rapidly in the
windshield, then there was a sudden violent crunch of
crushing metal. The young woman smashed through the
windshield, as glass and blood exploded inside the vehicle.
Sticky, hot blood was everywhere.
Eddie stumbled backward through the curtain and knocked
into the sink. The IV stand crashed to the floor, ripping the
IV needle from his arm. Eddie‘s eyes bulged and his head
rang in pain.
―No,‖ the teenager moaned. ―No. No. No.‖

14
 Eddie staggered out of the room and out into the brightly lit
hallway. He walked down the empty hallway, shielding his
eyes from the fluorescent lights.
Two talking nurses approached from around the corner.
Eddie ducked into an open door as they passed by. A
sleeping patient snored loudly in the room he had ducked
into. Eddie opened up the closet and found a pair of jeans
and a black hooded sweatshirt. He stripped off his hospital
pajamas and quickly slipped on the jeans and sweatshirt. He
rifled through a drawer and found a pair of socks, which he
put on, along with the pair of work boots under the bed. The
clothes and boots fitted loosely, but well enough.
Eddie emerged from the room, rubbing his temples as he
walked down the hallway to the stairwell. He went down the
stairs and emerged in the lobby. He walked past the front
desk and out of the front door, out into the gray morning.
A cold wind gusted through the streets whipping up wet
debris from last night‘s storm. A piece of aluminum siding
fluttered and banged through the street with each gust of
wind. Eddie stepped over puddles and fallen tree limbs as he
walked aimlessly. He winced from his headache. He was
unable to focus his mind on any one thought. Cloudy images
flashed randomly though his brain. Car accidents, gargoyles
and thoughts of Debbie spun around inside his head.
He found himself standing in front of his apartment
building. A red Camaro was parked in his designated space.
The vanity license plate read ‗RICH‘.
A rush of negative emotions swirled up from his stomach;
anger, betrayal, confusion, humiliation, rejection, stupidity,
hurt, and heartbreak overwhelmed him. He wanted to
confront her, but the thought of walking up the stairs and
knocking on the door made his body tremble. He turned,
hung his head and walked away, dragging his heavy feet over
the wet pavement.

15
 His mother‘s house was the only place he had left to go, but
he had no money and his mom‘s place was a long walk across
town.
He thought about Debbie as he walked. Since they had first
started dating, back in high school, she had always been a big
part of his life. He couldn‘t imagine a future without her. In
his thoughts, and in everything he did, she was always there.
Without her, everything seemed meaningless. He wanted her
back and couldn‘t understand how she could have done such
a thing to their love. He didn‘t know what it was that could
have driven her into the arms of another man. Money was
tight but otherwise, their life together was wonderful.
Money.
Debbie always complained about money. He had never
worried too much about it. Well, once a month, when the
rent came due but they always managed to scrape up enough.
Money was something other people had, not people like
them.
A hurtful sorrow drained his hollow soul. He knew the
reason now. Love alone wasn‘t enough for her.
He needed money to win her back. And lots of it.

16
 Chapter 4

A misty drizzle began to fall. Eddie‘s newly acquired

sweatshirt was damp. He hunched his shoulders against the
cold as he walked. A homeless man, dressed in layers of used
clothing, approached on the sidewalk, pushing a shopping
cart full of cans.
―Spare some change, brother?‖ the man growled through
chipped and blackened teeth.
Eddie shook his head, without making eye contact as they
passed each other on the sidewalk.
Motherfucker.
Eddie stopped and turned.
Gotta get my fix today.
The homeless man shuffled away around a corner.
―I‘m losing my mind,‖ Eddie said to himself.
He looked at his black fingernails and ran his hand over his
bald head.
What happened to me last night?
He remembered the icy cold, the searing pain and the
spasming agony. He shuddered and shook the memories
from his mind.
He was exhausted and his mother‘s house was miles away.
He decided to rest at the shopping mall, across the parking
lot to his right. He could make a collect call there and have
his mother come and pick him up.
He crossed the parking lot and pushed through the mall‘s
glass doors to the jingling sound of a familiar, but
unidentifiable song that played over the mall‘s speakers. A
security guard watched him enter. The guard was a mammoth
of a man, with beefy arms crossed over a barrel of a belly. He

17
had a thick red mustache and his blond hair was cut short in a
crew-cut.
Eddie felt the guard‘s eyes burning into him suspiciously.
Well, well. What have we got here? the guard thought.
Eddie walked quickly past him not making eye contact.
Bet he’s high on drugs, the guard thought.
Eddie turned the corner relieved to be away from the guard.
I’m losing my mind, Eddie thought.
His legs ached and he took a seat on a bench across from
the food court to rest them. The mall was empty this early on
a weekday morning.
A skinny salesman stood looking through the drugstore
window.
I don’t care if she leaves me. I can’t quit. I need a damn cigarette, the
salesman thought.
There was a tension in the man and an intense craving.
Eddie felt the salesman‘s nicotine craving, as if it was his
own.
Eddie blinked and shook his head.
Am I imagining this? Eddie thought.
I just don’t give a damn. I need a goddamn cigarette.
Eddie heard the thought clearly. He stood and gawked at
the man. The salesman gave in to his craving and walked into
the drugstore. Eddie followed after him. The salesman fought
off the impulse and spun around to leave the store, walking
smack into Eddie.
Eddie clasped him around the shoulders and looked into his
eyes.
What’s this guy’s problem? the salesman thought.
Eddie heard the thought clearly.
―Let go of me!‖ the salesman said.
Eddie released him and the salesman quickly walked away,
staring over his shoulder at Eddie.
Weirdo, the salesman thought.

18
 Eddie sat back down on the bench.
Either I just read that guy’s mind or I’ve completely lost it.
―You okay, son?‖
The security guard‘s big hand clamped around Eddie‘s arm
and lifted him to his feet.
―What have you been smoking?‖ the security guard asked.
Probably PCP.
His grip tightened around Eddie‘s arm.
One wrong move, punk, and I bash you.
The guard envisioned pummeling Eddie severely and
spilling his brains on to the food court floor, with one swing
of his meaty fist.
Eddie didn‘t struggle against his grip, for fear of provoking
him.
―Come on. I‘m escorting you out,‖ the guard said.
The guard yanked Eddie sharply and hustled him to the
door. He shoved him roughly through the glass doors and
watched as Eddie tripped and landed on his back, on the
sidewalk in front of the mall.
―Don‘t let me catch you in here again,‖ the guard warned, as
he wiped his hands on his pants. The guard felt a sense of
satisfaction and accomplishment as he turned and re-entered
the mall.
Eddie lifted himself up from the pavement. He felt that he
had lost control of his thoughts and feelings because of the
emotional upheaval of the previous night. Confusion clouded
his mind as he walked across the sparsely filled parking lot.
Get a hold of yourself, Eddie. You can’t read people’s minds. It’s
impossible.
But he had heard and seen the security guard‘s thoughts
clearly. It had felt so real. He pondered over what he had
experienced with the guard and the salesman and the
homeless man, pushing the cart of cans.
Well, there’s one way to find out, Eddie thought.

19
 Eddie was walking on the sidewalk now. A man was striding
toward him. The man was older, but robust and tall, and wore
dirty jeans and a jeans jacket that was tight over his thick
shoulders. He had a scraggly, black beard and black hair that
fell Jesus-like on to his shoulders. The man‘s boots thumped
with each heavy step.
Eddie concentrated on the man, looking into his eyes, as
they walked toward each other on the sidewalk.
An engulfing darkness swept over Eddie, like a fog rolling
onto a northern shore. A low growl, that felt of impending
violence, surrounded him. In a flash, he saw a farmhouse. A
woman was bound to a bed. She was crying. There was a
flash of steel. Red blood splattered, spilled, and flowed over
the floor. A little girl was tied to a chair. She screamed and
began to sob.
Are you looking at me?
Eddie snapped back into the present. He wasn‘t walking any
more. The man was striding for him. Fear ran through Eddie
as the man neared.
The man checked his jacket with a pat. A hunting knife
flashed into Eddie‘s mind. He felt the mind of a predator,
sizing him up and readying for attack.
The man passed by. The heavy thump of his boots faded
behind.
Eddie stood motionless and tried to swallow, but his mouth
was dry and he was unable to. An acute sense of vulnerability
swept over him. His heart pounded and his legs felt weak. He
had a strong desire to flee.
Lonnie‘s bus passed by on the other side of the street.
Eddie sprinted after it and flagged Lonnie down, before he
could pull his bus away.

20
 Chapter 5

Eddie stepped on to the bus, panting heavily. ―Lonnie, I

don‘t have any change,‖ he said, through heavy breaths.
―No change, no ride.‖
―It‘s me, Lonnie. Eddie. Eddie Duncan.‖
Puzzlement, then a light of recognition flashed in Lonnie‘s
eyes.
―What on earth happened to your hair?‖
―You‘ve got to let me on the bus. Please, Lonnie.‖
Lonnie grew annoyed. ―Okay, but this is the last time, you
hear me, Ed.‖ He waved Eddie back with a jerk of his head.
―Damn kids these days.‖
Eddie took a seat at the back of the bus, as it rolled forward.
He sat looking out of the window as his mind raced.
I’m losing my mind. I’m losing my mind. I’m losing my mind.
The bus slowed, as it approached an intersection. The man,
whom Eddie had just encountered, strode down the sidewalk
only a few feet from the bus window. The bus came to a halt,
at a red light. The man strode along the sidewalk next to the
bus. He stopped, turned and gazed through the glass at
Eddie. The man stood stone-like, without emotion as he
looked into Eddie‘s eyes, through the glass.
He was about sixty years old, with wrinkles around his dark
eyes and deep creases on the skin of his face that ran under
his raven-colored beard. He was large and rough and
appeared physically in his prime. His dark eyes cast a cold
stare that chilled Eddie to the bone.
The light turned green and the bus rolled forward. The
man‘s head turned slowly following Eddie‘s eyes, as the bus
pulled away.

21
 Eddie shuddered. He wasn‘t sure what he had seen, but he
did know what he felt. That man had scared the daylights out
of him and Eddie had no intention of being anywhere near
him again.
A heavy rain began to fall as Fresno passed by outside the
window. A teenager, in an oversize sweatshirt and baggy
jeans, sat in the seat in front of Eddie. His baseball cap was
on backwards and his head bobbed to the beat that came
from his large headphones.
A downpour of rain pounded the roof of the bus like ball-
bearings. Neon signs of car dealerships and fast-food
restaurants glowed through the rain, beneath low-hanging
power lines. The traffic was heavy and the bus moved
through the traffic in starts and stops.
The teenager, in the seat in front of Eddie, tapped his hand
to the beat of the music that Eddie could hear clearly from
the oversize headphones.
Carlyle thinks I’m the shit. He knows he can trust me. All I have to
do is get him the money and I’ll be livin large. Nobody better fuck with
me.
Eddie felt the young man turn his attention onto the fanny-
pack around his waist. It was uncomfortable on his back
against the seat. He took off the pack, set it on the seat next
to him and patted it with his hand.
Eight thousand big ones. I could move to LA with this money. Move
to LA and get my own place and… Don’t think like that! Just get
Carlyle his money.
The teenager surveyed the passengers on the bus, looking
for potential threats. His mind turned to the gun in the front
pocket of his baggy jeans. Carlyle had asked him if he was
armed when he sent him to pick up the money. He had said
‗yes‘, but neglected to tell him that he didn‘t have bullets, for
fear of looking stupid. Carlyle carried a .45 and wouldn‘t have
had .38 caliber bullets anyway.

22
 Damn, the teenager thought. This is the last time I do this
without bullets.
The bus came to a stop and the rear doors hissed open to
the sound of rain. The light above the door changed to green
with a ding.
A loud screech and boom from the opposite lane startled
the passengers. A pick-up truck had smashed into the rear
end of a stalled station wagon. A mini-van, following too
closely behind the pick-up, swerved out into the opposite
lane into oncoming traffic. The mini-van zagged to miss a
Toyota sedan and drove head on into a tow truck. The mini-
van and the tow truck collided in a screeching metal and
glass-crunching boom.
The passengers on the bus stared out in horror.
―Damn!‖ the teenager exclaimed. Both his hands were
pressed against the glass of the window as he stared out, with
jaw dropped, at the twisted wreckage of the two vehicles. The
driver of the mini-van hung unconscious from the twisted
mass of metal.
―That motherfucker‘s dead!‖ the teenager said, as he
watched through the window.
The fanny-pack lay unattended on the seat. The teenager
was completely fixated on the accident outside.
Eight thousand dollars, Eddie thought.
The light above the doors changed to red with a ding and
the hydraulics began to hiss. On impulse, Eddie reached over
the seat, snatched the fanny-pack and bolted through the
doors, as they hissed shut behind him.
He vaulted over a low wall and sprinted across the parking
lot of a supermarket, as the heavy rain drenched his clothes.
He ran through an apartment complex and then down a
residential road. A car approached, and he ducked behind a
hedge as it passed by.

23
 He was panting heavily as he opened up the pack. It was
jammed full with tight wads of twenty-dollar bills. It was the
most money Eddie had ever held.
You’ve really done it now, Eddie, he thought. You crazy idiot.
He closed the pack and fastened it around his waist. With a
quick scan of the area, he emerged from behind the hedge
and began to walk, trying to look as normal as possible as a
bald man, in pounding rain with eight thousand dollars in
stolen cash around his waist, can.
The rain slowed to a drizzling mist. He walked the suburban
streets in the general direction of his mother‘s house. Every
passing car and every bark from a dog made his heart jump.
He was wet and his teeth chattered from the cold.
His mind turned to the money around his waist. He thought
of all the bills he could pay with it. He could make a down
payment on a new car. He could get Debbie something really
nice, some jewelry, or that outfit at the mall that she had liked
so much but they didn‘t have the money for.
The excitement of the last several hours had kept him from
thinking about her.
Debbie…
Memories of her flooded through his mind, all the good
times they had together, how he loved being with her and
making her laugh, holding her hand, living with her, sleeping
with her. He remembered her with that man, pulling him into
her with her legs. It angered and sickened him. He had never
imagined she could ever betray him so deeply.
It was because he was broke. He should have never let it
come to this. He knew her so well, and of all people, he
should have known that their lacking of financial security was
weighing heavily on her mind. He had enough money to
make it better now. He would make it better.
He watched the cracks in the sidewalk, as he walked. His
teeth chattered with a gust of wind and he pulled the wet

24
sweatshirt hood over his hairless head. The neighborhood he
walked through seemed cold and unwelcome. He had never
dreamed of leaving Fresno, like his friends had. After
graduation, they had all left for LA or San Francisco. They
went off to college, or joined the military, but Eddie had
stayed. This city had been his whole life and all he had ever
wanted was right here.
He thought of Debbie with that man and a new feeling
came over him. A lonely emptiness spread out from the
center of his chest. He imagined running into her at the
supermarket where they used to shop, or in line at Burger
King, or at the movie theater on Friday night. He didn‘t know
what he could say to her. It would be too painful to face her
if she stayed with that other man. This city had been his
whole life, their whole life.
He was on the outskirts of town now, walking alongside a
vineyard that bordered the road. Brown water was ankle deep
in the furrows. The power lines above the sidewalk hummed
in the dampness of the air. Distant lightning flashed and
spread like spiderwebs across the gray sky. His mother‘s
house was only a few minutes away now. It was going to be
difficult to explain any of this to her, but the promise of a hot
shower and food in his belly made him walk a little faster.
His feet ached, but there wasn‘t much farther to go. The
only sound he heard, as he walked, was the steady hum of the
power lines and a heavy thump, thump, thump of boots on
the pavement behind him.
Eddie walked faster and the thump of the boots matched
his pace. A jolt of fear shot through him as he realized that he
was being followed. He walked faster, but the bootsteps came
closer. Eddie broke into a trot. He felt an ominous dark
presence approaching behind him.
I’m coming for you.

25
 Chapter 6

Eddie sprinted as fast as he could. He darted off the

sidewalk, where an abandoned gas station stood on the edge
of the vineyard. He ran behind the station and ducked inside
the garage.
It was dark inside. The rotting hulk of an old Chevy sat on
blocks in the center of the floor. A row of rusting oil cans
stood beside the wall, next to a pile of boards. Eddie squatted
down behind the oil cans and tried his best to muffle his
heavy breathing. The rain began falling again and water
dripped through holes in the ceiling, pattering on to the floor
and oil cans.
From between the cans, Eddie saw the black silhouette of a
man standing beneath the garage doors. Lightning flashed
and thunder rolled across the sky. The dark figure entered the
garage. Eddie heard the thump of boots on the wet cement
floor. With each slow step, he felt a cold, dark presence
nearing.
Where are you?
The thought came as a low growl into Eddie‘s brain. It felt
like the thought of a carnivore, hunting its prey. Lightning
flashed and illuminated the garage in flickering, blue light.
Eddie saw the man clearly in the illumination of the
lightning. The tall man with a thick frame, black beard, and
long black hair held a hunting knife, as his head swiveled
slowly searching the garage. The man moved closer to
Eddie‘s hiding place behind the oil cans.
Eddie‘s heart pounded in his chest. He prayed for it to stop,
before it gave him away. He squeezed himself smaller behind
the cans. The man‘s boots were now close enough to touch.

26
In the flickering light he saw the mud caked on the worn
leather of the boots.
A man in a business suit, with his throat slashed, flashed
vividly through Eddie‘s mind. There was a highway
patrolman on his knees in the desert, executed by his own
gun. There was a woman, in a fast-food uniform, lying in an
alleyway in a pool of blood.
Eddie felt the aura of this predator, who had the smell of
blood. The man stood above Eddie, with his back to the
cans. He was peering into the back seat of the Chevy. He
stood motionless and smiled inside when he noticed a dark
clump on the back seat. The man focused on the clump and
slowly raised the knife, as he readied for attack.
It’s time to meet your maker.
Eddie reached out and quietly lifted a two-by-four from the
pile of boards next to him. He rose from behind the oil cans
and raised the board up like a baseball bat.
Behind me!
The man spun around. Eddie swung the board fueled by
adrenaline and fear. The board cracked into the man‘s
forehead. The man staggered backward against the frame of
the Chevy. The oil cans banged metallically, as Eddie kicked
through them. He swung the board again. It smashed into the
man‘s skull, sprawling him face down on to the floor. The
knife was still clutched in the man‘s hand. A hard kick sent
the knife sliding across the garage. The man groveled face
down on the cement, as Eddie stood over him. Eddie‘s heart
raced with adrenaline.
―Who are you, you sick bastard!‖ Eddie screamed.
The man sprung around like a panther. His shoulder
smashed into Eddie‘s gut and his arms gripped with bear-like
strength as he drove Eddie out into the rain. They fell and
slid backward in the mud, on Eddie‘s back.

27
 The man‘s fist slammed like a brick into Eddie‘s jaw. His
hard hands clamped around Eddie‘s throat and squeezed so
tightly that Eddie felt his neck would snap. Eddie choked and
gagged and clawed at the man‘s hands. Eddie‘s eyes bulged
and panic filled him, as no air filled his lungs.
You’re gonna die, boy.
In a flash of lightning, Eddie saw the man‘s eyes burning
like embers, watching the fear of death in Eddie‘s eyes with
psychotic pleasure. Heavy raindrops spattered on the mud
and steam rose off the man‘s hair. Dark blood flowed down
the man‘s forehead from the gash Eddie had inflicted.
The board was still in Eddie‘s hand. He swung it up with
the fear of approaching death. The corner of the board struck
sharply into the man‘s temple.
He fell off Eddie, releasing his iron grip from Eddie‘s
throat. Eddie gasped for air, as he struggled to his feet. The
man groveled in the mud, stunned by the blow. Eddie stood
over him and lifted the board high into the air. He swung it
down with all his remaining strength and bashed it into the
top of the man‘s skull, with a bone-cracking crunch.
Eddie kicked him over on to his back. The man‘s eyes were
cloudy and his mind was hazy.
―How many did you kill!‖ Eddie screamed.
Lightning flashed and thunder crashed across the sky. Their
eyes met and the man cracked a smile.
―How many!‖ Eddie screamed.
I’m gonna kill you.
The thought was dim in the man‘s mind but it flamed
Eddie‘s fury. Eddie through himself on top of man and
gripped his through, pushed all his weight on to it. The man
struggled but didn‘t have the strength to throw him off.
Eddie watched as the man‘s eyes grew dim.
And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?

28
 The life faded and then flickered out, like the flame of a
candle deprived of oxygen. The man‘s eyes were now dull and
lifeless. The dark aura was gone and Eddie heard no thoughts
from the mind in the body beneath him. Now it was nothing
more than a mass of flesh and bone, as lifeless as the mud
beneath. Eddie felt a sense of terrifying finality. He staggered
back, staring in horror at the corpse.
What have I done?
The smell of ozone filled the air. Lightning crashed
overhead. The electricity in the air raised the hair on the back
of Eddie‘s neck. He ran from that awful place. A bolt of
lightning struck the garage with a deafening boom.
He ran out into the street. The lights of a car approached in
the rain. Eddie waved his hands wildly at the approaching
vehicle. It was a black Nissan coupe, lowered to the ground,
with bright gold rims. It came to a stop as Eddie slapped his
hands on the hood. Behind the windshield, in the passenger
seat sat the teenager whom Eddie had sat behind on the bus
ride earlier in the day. The teenager‘s jaw dropped as he
realized that the thief who had stolen eight thousand in cash
from him, was right outside the windshield.
―Shit!‖ Eddie said.
―Shoot that motherfucker!‖ the teenager shouted.
Eddie sprinted for the vineyard. A shotgun blast boomed,
splintering the wood of a grapevine pole near Eddie‘s head.
He ran through the rows, splashing in the ankle deep water,
as the rain came down in sheets. Lightning flashed and
thunder boomed as Eddie sprinted through the pounding rain
and ionized air.

29
 Chapter 7

Eddie awoke with a jolt from dreams of gargoyles. A painful

headache tightened the muscles of his face as he tried to
remember where he was. He sat in a seat on a Greyhound
bus that was laboring up a mountain pass. The familiar rolling
hills of California were giving way to the fir-covered
mountains of Oregon. Snow frosted the treetops and low-
hanging gray clouds clung softly to the mountaintops.
Eddie massaged his temples, trying to relieve the
tremendous pressure that pushed against the inside of his
forehead. It felt as if his brain no longer fit within the
confines of his skull.
A pair of migrant farm workers sat in the seats in front of
him. Across the aisle, a wiry man with a thin mustache sat
staring blankly at the seat back. The bus was empty except for
a few passengers who looked tired and bored. The only
sound was the laboring drone of the bus engine.
Eddie rubbed his eyes trying to keep them in focus. He
remembered entering the bus station, panting heavily and
dripping with water, and paying the fare for the first bus out
of town with wet twenty-dollar bills. The young lady behind
the counter took his money ambivalently, as if he were
nothing out of the ordinary.
Eddie checked the pack around his waist. At least he had
money. Whenever the bus got to wherever it was going, he
would be able to have a hot meal and a room for the night.
He remembered that man and their struggle at the garage
near the vineyard. He remembered the man‘s aura of evil and
it made him shudder. He remembered the light blinking out
of the eyes, as life left the body. He remembered the silent
finality of death, cold and eternal. A chill ran down his spine

30
as he remembered the corpse lying in the mud as the rain fell
down upon it.
He had never dreamed that he would ever kill another
human being. A sense of dread ran through him.
The cops would be looking for his killer.
He remembered what he had seen in the man‘s mind. He
had seen the mind of a murderer. He had performed a service
to society by killing that man. There was no reason to feel
guilty about it.
It was self-defense.
Rationalizing made him feel better, as it always had. After
all, what was done was done and it couldn‘t be changed.
Eddie pushed the thoughts of that evil man from his mind
and vowed not to think of the matter ever again.
It was something Eddie had always been good at, pushing
uncomfortable thoughts out of his mind. He had never been
one to dwell on things that couldn‘t be changed. He had
pushed all thoughts of his father out of his mind. His father
had been a Marine and had died serving his country in
Lebanon or Libya, or some such place, when Eddie was only
a baby. Eddie had no memories of the man and his mother
never spoke of him. She became upset whenever Eddie
pestered her with questions, so he stopped asking them. It
was enough to know that his father had lived and now was
dead. That couldn‘t be changed and there was no sense in
dwelling on something that could never be changed.
Eddie watched as the cold countryside passed by outside.
He had no idea where the bus was destined. He thought of
Fresno and a deep aching loneliness overwhelmed him.
He thought of his mother. His poor mother, tired from
working two jobs, grown old before her time from the gin
she drank, the Marlboros she smoked by the carton, and from
one bad relationship too many.

31
 His mother had resigned herself to a life alone. Eddie
remembered the last time that he saw her. She was dressed in
her cashier‘s uniform, with a cigarette held in her fingers as
she sat on the couch watching an entertainment news show.
Her spirits were low and a quiet resignation seemed to have
settled over her.
Now he was leaving her, too.
She had invested much in Eddie, hanging all her hopes and
dreams on him. But she had eventually realized that all the
prodding and nagging in the world could never change his
nature.
Eddie was born happy and content, quick to smile and
easily amused, without the slightest trace of ambition.
Easygoing Eddie, that‘s what they called him, but Eddie‘s
easygoing nature was recognized by all as more of a flaw than
as anything redeemable. Eddie never felt any stress when a
test came in school, or afterward, when the low grade came.
He had been content playing right field on the baseball team
and, when the team lost, he never felt as down as the other
kids had. Eddie enjoyed the simple things, a cold beer after
work, a nap in the afternoon, or sitting on the couch
watching TV with Debbie.
Debbie…
He loved her unconditionally. He stared out at the
mountains and off into the gray distance.
Eddie did have one outstanding quality. He had a smile that
came naturally and often. It was warm and genuine and put
people at ease. It was a wonderful smile that he could spread
contagiously across a room. It was the one thing that people
always complimented him on.
Now it felt like that would leave him too.
In life, Eddie had always been able to avoid real
disappointment, or hardship. These were two things he had
never really felt. There was that one time that he had been

32
arrested for under-age drinking out at the lake and had to
pick up trash on the freeway for the youth-offenders
program, but even that wasn‘t so bad.
He turned away from the window and stared blankly at the
seat back in front of him. The wiry man across the aisle
shifted in his seat. The man‘s blond hair was parted down the
middle, short in front and long at the back. A fuzzy mustache
spread thinly above his lip.
Man, it’s good to be out of the pen. Stay away from the meth, he says.
Stay away from the motorcycle gangs. Okay, Judge. I’ll just get a job
with IBM. Stupid asshole.
The man‘s attention turned to the woman in the seat in
front of him. Her tired and worn face was buried in a
paperback romance. Her belongings sat next to her in a
plastic garbage bag.
The man leaned forward. ―Hello, sweetheart,‖ he said with a
toothy grin that revealed the black gap of a missing front
tooth. ―You sure are a pretty one.‖
The woman sank deeper into her paperback.
―You ever been with a man just out of prison?‖
Leave me alone. Please, she thought.
Eddie was fixated on both of them. He felt the man‘s sexual
desire for the woman. He felt the woman‘s fear and knew
that this type of man was not unfamiliar to her.
The man turned and leaned across the aisle and looked
Eddie squarely in the eyes.
―You got a problem, man?‖ the man asked.
―No… I don‘t.‖
―Then I suggest you mind your own fucking business.‖
The man‘s face was fierce and confident, but it was an act.
He didn‘t want a confrontation, not on a bus full of people.
Eddie stared into the man‘s eyes with fascination, probing the
mind behind, feeling the man‘s nervousness grow when the
gaze wasn‘t broken. The man was afraid to break the stare

33
first, consciously struggling to maintain his confident outward
demeanor. A prison beating ran through the man‘s mind. It
was a beating that came after a similar bluff.
Eddie turned away and settled into his seat.
―Sorry, man,‖ Eddie said.
―That‘s what I thought.‖
The man settled back into his seat. Eddie had spooked him.
The man‘s mind returned to prison and all the terrible things
that he had experienced there.
Eddie rubbed his eyes, unable to make sense of what had
just happened.
Two migrant workers, a tiny man and an enormous woman,
began kissing in the seat in front of Eddie. He could see the
tops of their heads and hear the slurping from their slow,
passionate kisses.
Annabella, te quiero. The thought was lustful.
The plump woman kissed passionately with her tongue.
Tengo hambre, Pablo.
The woman lowered her seat and it slammed into Eddie‘s
knees. The tops of their heads were now inches from Eddie‘s
face. Hot lust radiated off them in waves. Eddie turned his
face away and grimaced. The sloppy kisses and heavy
breathing became too much. He rose and moved to the back
of the bus, taking a seat away from the other passengers.
He stared out of the window as small towns nestled under
mountains passed by outside. The Oregon countryside was
beautiful, even in the grayness of winter. A surreal feeling
came over him as he watched the countryside pass by. He
wondered if he had read those people‘s minds.
Maybe this is how it happens, he thought.
Down in the valleys, light shone from the windows of
houses like little square stars.
Maybe this is insanity…

34
 Chapter 8

It made sense to him. In a single instant, your life spins out

of control. All that you know and love shatters before your
eyes. The outside world floods into your mind and your
thoughts are no longer your own. You find yourself on a bus
riding through the mountains of Oregon to some city far
from home. Nobody knows your name and nobody cares.
You are alone. You begin to drink to quiet the voices in your
head, until you become a shell of a man, pushing a shopping
cart filled with cardboard, a sleeping bag, and trash bags
stuffed with used clothing. They call you Crazy Jim or Dirty
Dan. You shuffle down the city streets, arguing with the
voices in your head. Then, one day, you are nothing more
than a dirty corpse in the city morgue with a tag around your
big toe which reads, ‗John Doe‘. You slide anonymously into
the incinerator.
Get a hold of yourself, Eddie.
A deep, dark loneliness ached in his soul.
He missed her so much. It had all happened so fast. She had
betrayed their love. There was no going back now.
Everything had changed.
I need to change.
He would show her. He would become the man she wanted
him to be. She would come crawling back to, begging for
forgiveness for what she had done. She would want his love
once again.
That bitch.
The long journey came to an end at a bus station in
downtown Seattle. Eddie walked the streets aimlessly,
admiring the tall, modern buildings that pushed up into the

35
mist. Wispy columns of steam wafted upward from the high
rooftops. The city seemed big, compared to Fresno.
Through the buildings he saw the steel-gray waters of Puget
Sound. White ferries moved silently between fir-covered
islands. Eddie walked beneath cement columns that held up
the rails of a monorail. The monorail shot past overhead, like
a flash from the future as it rushed between buildings to a
steel tower that pointed skyward into mist. Elevators zoomed
up the white structure of the tower and slowed to a stop at a
flying-saucer-shaped observatory high above the city.
Eddie passed young men, with bleached hair and goatees,
and young women with pierced noses and tight tops beneath
their coats. Their minds were filled with alcohol, music, and
the possibility of sex, as they walked in chattering groups to
clubs and coffee houses. He passed homeless people sitting in
doorways, or lying on the pavement. Their minds were in
states of total intoxication, or desperately sober, hoping for
relief from each passer-by.
Eddie felt like an outsider watching the world with alien
eyes. He ran his hand over his smooth, cold scalp, studied his
black fingernails and wondered what he had become. He
followed the monorail tracks to their final destination which
was the sprawling complex of gift shops, game booths and
convention halls which make up the Seattle Center. The
winding tracks of a roller coaster were silent, and empty of
tourists, this late in the year.
Well-dressed men with sporty ties, and affluent-looking
women on their arms, walked into the gift shop that sat
beneath the thick, steel legs of the white tower that
dominated the Seattle Center and the city skyline.
Eddie walked behind a couple who walked arm in arm. He
felt their confident and happy aura. They were pleased to
have found the time between their busy schedules for a
romantic evening high above the city and away from the

36
hassles below. The man worried briefly if his BMW was safe
where it was parked. He assured himself that it was and
glanced at his watch, relieved to be on time for their
reservation.
It would be nice to worry where my BMW was parked, Eddie
thought, as he followed behind the strolling couple.
The woman chatted about an article she had written for the
paper. It was her first big scoop and they were celebrating
with dinner. The man smiled and assured her that the article
was great, as he thought of his office and the deal he was
finalizing in the morning with a Taiwanese exporting firm.
Eddie was soothed by their thoughts and walked closely
behind not wanting to let their aura escape him. He followed
them to the Space Needle ticket counter and slid a worn
twenty-dollar bill beneath the glass for the fee for a ride up
the tower.
He stepped inside the elevator, standing out amongst the
well-dressed couples. A young woman in a Seattle Center
uniform politely moved the passengers back, as the elevator
doors slid shut. She raised an eyebrow upon seeing Eddie
amongst the diners.
―Welcome to Seattle‘s Space Needle,‖ she said cheerily.
―The Space Needle was built in 1962 for the World‘s Fair…‖
Blah, blah, blah... One more hour and I’m going dancing!
The elevator slowed and opened at a restaurant, where
couples dined by candlelight as the cityscape rotated quietly
by.
―Those of you with reservations can exit now. Enjoy your
meals. Everyone else stay where you are and we‘ll be at the
observatory in a jiffy.‖
Eddie made his exit at the observatory and walked with his
hands in his pockets through gift shops filled with tourist
paraphernalia. He stood before a window near the lounge and
looked out at the skyline.

37
 The city lights glowed in the mist. The Olympic Mountains
were off to the right. The sun had set behind them,
silhouetting the jagged peaks beneath a spreading cloud bank
that glowed in brilliant orange, pink, and fiery red.
A lonely, sinking feeling came over him, as he watched the
colors burning in the western sky. He had never liked to be
alone. He wished he had someone to talk to, here in this city
so far from home. The city looked so modern from up here, a
city from the future.
As he stood at the window, he felt someone watching him,
scrutinizing him and wondering who he was. He turned and
saw a woman, in her late twenties sitting at a small table in the
lounge. She had black Cleopatra hair and was holding her
chin in her hand. She wore a tight baby-blue mini skirt, which
revealed her sleek legs that were crossed over, as her foot
tapped impatiently. Their eyes met and she looked away.
Eddie turned and looked out of the window again. He felt her
gaze fall on to his rear end.
Nice ass. I wonder if he plays in a band. Looks like he does.
Eddie saw himself in her mind. She imagined him up on a
stage, playing the guitar in a hot, smoky club before a packed
crowd of sweaty fans. She would meet him backstage after
the show. She would rip off his T-shirt and have passionate,
sweaty sex with him.
Eddie grew flustered and aroused by her daydream. He
moved closer to her.
I ought to take him home and screw him just to piss David off. Where
is he?
Eddie felt her irritation.
He knows how much this night means to me.
Her attention refocused on to Eddie.
That’s what I need, my own boy-toy.

38
 This thought amused her. The thought of introducing him
to her parents made her smile inside. Her glass was empty
and she searched the lounge for the waitress.
Eddie turned and approached her. ―Excuse me,‖ he said.
―Can I buy you a drink?‖
His unexpected forwardness caught her off balance.
―I don‘t see why not,‖ she answered. She wasn‘t one to be
caught off balance often.
―May I?‖ Eddie asked as he pulled up a chair.

39
 Chapter 9

She looked at him through her blue eyes and motioned for
him to sit.
―Be my guest.‖
―My name‘s Eddie,‖ he said with a smile and extended his
hand.
―Rachel,‖ she said, reaching out her hand to his. She liked
his smile.
Eddie caught the waitress‘s attention and signaled for her
with his finger. Rachel had been drinking a Haywire
Hefeweizen and was planning to order another. It was her
favorite beer.
―Two Haywire Hefeweizens, please,‖ Eddie said to the
waitress. ―So,‖ he said, turning to Rachel. ―Are you waiting
for someone?‖
―Is it that obvious?‖
―Not really.‖
―Well, Eddie, as a matter of fact, I am, and it looks like I‘m
being stood up.‖
The waitress brought their beers and they both sipped from
their glasses.
―He must be a fool,‖ Eddie said.
―And why is that?‖ Rachel responded.
―You‘re a beautiful woman.‖
―And you‘re trying too hard.‖
She was sizing him up. He seemed mysterious and
somewhat brash, but nothing she couldn‘t handle. She could
handle a lot.
She was way out of his league, but she didn‘t know it yet.
―You are brash, I‘ll give you that,‖ she said.
She played with her phone.

40
 Just play it cool, Eddie.
She looked over his shoulder, her eyes searching the people
emerging from the elevator. She wanted David to see her
having a drink with this stranger, but David didn‘t emerge.
Her eyes refocused on Eddie.
―So, Eddie,‖ she said. ―Do you always come to the Space
Needle to hit on women?‖
―No. This is my first time. I‘m new in town. I‘m from
California.‖
―Is that a fact?‖ she asked, sipping her beer and wondering
where the hell David was.
―Yeah… My band broke up. I needed a change, so I moved
up here.‖
―You play in a band?‖ Her interest rose. ―What instrument
do you play?‖
―Guitar.‖
―I could tell you were a musician just by looking at you, by
the way you carry yourself. I‘m very intuitive about these
things.‖
―Is that a fact?‖
He smiled and sipped his beer. His heart was pounding. He
worried that he would break into a sweat.
What was he doing? He was leading this woman on. A
vengeful feeling in him was driving him. Was he pathetic?
No, Debbie was wrong. He wasn‘t pathetic. This woman
made Debbie look like minor leaguer. This woman was Major
League all the way.
―What was the name of your band?‖ she asked.
―My band? Um. The Youth Offenders.‖
―Have you heard of Boys ‗n‘ Berry?‖ she asked.
―Boysenberry… Yeah. Sure.‖
Boys ‗n‘ Berry was Rachel‘s favorite band. She idolized Gina
Berry, the band‘s singer. She cut her hair like her and dressed
like her. Through college and law school and through all her

41
relationships, Gina Berry had always been there, playing in
the background. David thought her infatuation with a pop
star was childish and it irked her that he was embarrassed by
it. She felt that she and Gina Berry were kindred spirits and
nothing David could say would change that. To Rachel, Gina
Berry was the coolest woman on the planet.
―Yeah,‖ Eddie went on. ―I met Gina Berry back in LA.‖
Rachel‘s jaw dropped. ―No way.‖
―She is so cool,‖ he said.
―Wow. When was she in LA?‖
―Um. A while back. Yeah.‖
Rachel glanced at her phone. She turned it off. ―Well,
Eddie. It looks like my date isn‘t going to show. Boys ‗n‘
Berry is playing downtown and I‘ve got an extra ticket.
Would you like to join me?‖
―I would love to.‖
Eddie paid for their drinks and they left the Space Needle
together. Rachel looked aloof, but Eddie could feel her
excitement from ditching David to see a show with a
mysterious stranger. She hadn‘t felt this spontaneous and
rebellious in years.
They wound through the city streets in Rachel‘s red BMW,
as she blew cigarette smoke up and out of the open window.
This was her city and Eddie was comforted by her presence.
He made up a story about how he had been in a band in LA
that had broken up due to drug problems and the tragic
overdose death of a band member. Eddie was carefully
attuned to Rachel‘s emotions, continuing his story where she
was interested and quickly changing direction at the first hint
of boredom. Thus, he had become her fantasy stranger, the
tortured musician with a shady past.
He learned a lot about her, on their short drive. Rachel
Richards, up-and-coming criminal defense attorney with a
taste for the wild side. He learned how she had always been

42
torn between wanting to please her parents and her rebellious
nature. Her parents had been upset by her lifestyle and had
pushed David onto her. She had liked him at first. He was
handsome and successful, but now she thought of him as
nothing more than part of a plot to domesticate her.
She reached over him and tossed her cell phone into the
glove box. She didn‘t need it, and Eddie knew why. Tonight
she was cutting loose.
They entered the downtown club, with Rachel holding on
to Eddie‘s arm. It was dark inside. Eclectic artwork hung
between velvet drapes on the brick walls. Hip young people
talked and smoked around lava lamps on small tables by the
bar.
Eddie ordered drinks, as Rachel‘s friends approached. They
eyed Eddie‘s bald head and black fingernails as Rachel
introduced him. Eddie shook their hands and smiled and
tried his best to look cool.
One of Rachel‘s girlfriends shook Eddie‘s hand. ‗Where‘s
David?‘ she asked Rachel directly, as if Eddie wasn‘t there.
―I don‘t know,‖ she answered.
Her girlfriend shot Eddie a sidelong glance. She looked him
up and down. Loser alert, she thought.
The lights in the club dimmed, as Gina Berry and three male
musicians emerged onto the stage to the sounds of applause.
―Hello, Seattle,‖ the singer said softly into the microphone
in London English.
Rachel pulled Eddie by the hand, away from her friends and
out on to the dance floor.
―Don‘t worry about them,‖ she said, as the band began to
play. ―They‘re a bunch of prudes.‖
Eddie smiled at her. ―No worries.‖
Psychedelic colors spread like plasma on the brick wall
behind the band. Gina Berry‘s angelic voice filled the club to
the sounds of melodic guitars and a heavy beat. White dots of

43
light from a disco ball swirled around them in the darkness,
like a galaxy of stars.
Eddie and Rachel drank, as they danced in the crowd.
Eddie‘s troubles faded as he lost himself in the music, the
lights, and Rachel‘s blue eyes.
She felt happy and sexy. She hadn‘t danced like this in a
long time. The music took over her body and her inhibitions
slipped away. She put her arms around his neck and looked
up at him. Her face was sweaty, as she smiled at him
provocatively.
She knew her friends were watching as she kissed him. They
watched in the darkness by the wall, shaking their heads and
talking heatedly amongst themselves. One of them was
talking quickly into a cell phone.
―They don‘t approve of me,‖ Eddie said, pulling her close.
―Screw them.‖
He leaned down and kissed her, as her friends looked on.
She liked the kiss and she liked that they saw it. She squeezed
him close and looked up at him. Sex was in her eyes.
―Let‘s get out of here,‖ she said.
They left the club together, arm in arm, hurrying past the
bar and down the hallway out into the cool night air without
saying good-bye to Rachel‘s friends. Eddie held her hand on
the drive home as she smoked a cigarette while calmly
breaking all the posted speed limits.
As they entered Rachel‘s apartment, a big golden retriever
bounded toward them. The apartment was spacious with
wooden floors, lots of plants, and a wrought-iron staircase
that spiraled up to a loft. A bay window gave a breathtaking
view of the city skyline. Rachel kneeled down and scratched
the golden retriever behind the ears, as it wagged its tail
excitedly.
―Hi, baby,‖ she said to it. ―Mommy brought home a
friend.‖

44
 She stood and put her arms around Eddie. ―That would be
you.‖
It all passed like a dream. Two bodies became one. One
mind flowed into the other, feeling all and fulfilling. Falling
and falling, as the physical and the emotional became one,
releasing and flying higher and farther than ever before, body
and soul soaring into the spiritual and passing like a dream.
They lay together in Rachel‘s loft. She slept with her arms
around him as he stared out of the bay window at the lights
of the city below. She slept deeply in tingling tiredness. The
night had been perfection. Her fantasy, the one she
daydreamed about while doing the dishes or driving to work,
was now alive and in her arms.
Her warm body felt soft and good by his side. He watched a
red light on top of a high-rise building blink quietly, and
wondered how strange it was to be here in this city in this
apartment with this beautiful woman.
She stirred and held him tight.
I could keep him forever.
She kissed him softly and slipped back into sleep. Eddie
gazed out of the window at the city lights.

45
 Chapter 10

He stayed at Rachel‘s apartment. She had wanted him to

stay. The next day passed and then another. He spent the
days lounging in her comfortable flat, watching TV, as he
waited for her to come home from work. The nights were
spent together, dancing and drinking in the clubs and bars of
Seattle. They went to concerts, driving as far away as Portland
or up to Vancouver, Canada, if a band Rachel liked was
playing there. The days passed quickly and before long Eddie
had become a kept man.
He enjoyed living in her apartment. He was careful to be
exactly what she wanted him to be. He drove her to work in
the mornings, met her for lunch downtown and picked her
up in the evenings. He knew that after work, a glass of wine
and a foot massage eased her mind. When the stress from
work had built and bottled up inside her, he would push her
into a fight. A heated argument with lots of shouting and arm
waving, about nothing more than not watering the plants or
feeding the dog, helped her to blow off steam. To Rachel,
there was nothing in the world more enjoyable than making
love after a good fight.
She had asked about the money he had in his pack and he
told her that he got it from selling off his band‘s equipment
after the break-up. She never asked about it again. One day
she brought home a guitar and asked him to play for her. He
sat before her as if he were going to play but became
emotional, telling her with tears welling in his eyes how
holding the instrument brought back painful memories of
drugs and death. She held him and told him that he didn‘t
have to play, because now he had her and everything would
be okay.

46
 Keeping up the act was easy for him. She may have been
gorgeous and smart and wealthy, but she was easily fooled
because he could see into her mind.
Everything felt wrong. He was liar. A fraud.
He missed Debbie.
Rachel‘s feelings for him grew. She had no idea that she was
being manipulated. She wondered how someone could make
her so happy and know her so well. She felt he was her
soulmate.
The living was easy and he truly cared for her. He had the
days to himself and the nights were always fun. He never
dreamed of having someone like her, smart, sexy, and loaded
with cash, just like the women in the soap operas that he
watched while she was at work.
But little things had begun to annoy him, the way she never
discussed work with him, or when she canceled lunch with
him to eat with a coworker, or when she wondered if a male
colleague would be good in bed. She avoided her friends
when they were together and hadn‘t introduced him to her
parents. He knew she loved him with all her heart, but he felt
that she didn‘t take him seriously.
During the day, he had taken to wandering the streets of the
Capitol Hill district. He wore jeans, Rachel‘s old concert t-
shirts, and a pair of wraparound sunglasses that concealed his
eyes. Capitol Hill was a colorful neighborhood of boutiques,
coffee shops and trendy restaurants, where the sounds of
bongos and steel drums and other street instruments could be
heard playing for the spare change of passing pedestrians. An
eclectic mix of every sort of street person populated the
sidewalks. Teenage runaways sold trinkets and cheap jewelry,
homeless men with sad puppies sat on the pavement with
cardboard signs and cups of change, packs of Asian students
hurried to class and homosexuals handed out pamphlets from
tables on the sidewalk.

47
 Eddie explored the streets and his new ability. It was
frightening at first to be overwhelmed by the cacophony of
thoughts and swirling emotions that bombarded him, as he
walked down the crowded streets. He never knew what he
would find in the minds of strangers. It was like diving from
the rocks into unknown waters, where unseen creatures
lurked in the deep. Some minds were stormy and dark, while
others were calm and filled with light. Some were as broad
and deep as the ocean, while others were as shallow as a bird
bath.
Eddie grew more and more familiar with his ability and
soon it became second nature. He could quickly recognize in
a passer-by the elation of new-found love, or the single-
minded anguish of love gone bad. He saw the heavy darkness
behind the eyes of the depressed, and felt the watchful
suspicion of the paranoid. He saw the delusions of the
schizophrenic and the erotic fantasies of the nymphomaniac,
and felt the hound-dog horniness of the sex-obsessed man.
He felt the highs and lows of the chemically dependent, the
alert drone of caffeine and nicotine, the slow, cloudy colors
of THC, the bizarre visions of LSD, and the high octane
flame of cocaine.
For the most part, he found people‘s minds to be as plain
and mundane as his own, moving through life in an
emotional middle ground, wondering whether it would rain
or what to have for lunch.
There was a certain type of mind that Eddie was particularly
drawn to. He followed them, these well-dressed people with
good hair and straight backs. He felt their confidence and
listened to their busy, educated minds. They had things to do,
places to go, people to meet. He followed them, as they
hurried to meetings or to lunch with clients and business
partners. Eddie found himself more and more hanging

48
around downtown, watching them move between their steel
and glass towers.
Two months had gone by, with Eddie lounging and
freeloading in Rachel‘s apartment. When she had told her
parents about him, they had thrown their hands up in
disbelief, telling her how he was using her and would run off
as soon as something better came along. That was the
reaction she expected, but she loved him and if they didn‘t
understand, oh well.
For Eddie, the living was easy and Fresno seemed far away,
like a memory from another life, but in him, a feeling of
dissatisfaction began to grow.
On a dark and rainy northwest evening, Eddie drove Rachel
to the airport. She was flying down to San Francisco, for a
week of research on a case she was working on.
―I‘m going to miss you,‖ she said, rubbing the inside of his
thigh as he drove. ―A whole week without my baby.‖
She leaned over and nibbled on his ear. He had always liked
this before, but now it irritated him.
―What kind of research will you be doing down there?‖ he
asked.
―Oh, Eddie. I‘ll just be lying alone in my hotel room with a
stack of papers dreaming of you.‖
―I mean for your case. What will you be doing?‖
―You know, baby. All work and no play.‖
She stuck her tongue in his ear. He jerked his head away. He
hated how she danced around the subject of work, always
oversimplifying it, as if talking to a child.
She leaned back into her seat. ―Don‘t forget to water the
plants and feed the dog.‖ She rattled off a series of specific
instructions on all the things that he was to do while she was
away.
―If you‘re a good boy,‖ she said and kissed him on the
cheek, ―Mommy will bring you home something nice.‖

49
 They arrived at the airport and Eddie walked her to her
terminal. She held him tightly as the flight attendant
announced that business class could now board.
She looked up into his eyes. ―I‘m going to miss you.‖
He felt that she meant it.
―I‘ll miss you, too.‖
She looked at him softly. Should I say it?
Please don’t, he hoped.
I love you, she said silently in her mind. ―I‘ll call you when I
get to the hotel.‖
She turned and walked down the ramp to her plane.
He drove home in the rain, watching the line of red tail
lights snake through the darkness on the freeway ahead. The
windshield wipers rhythmically thumped, as they swept the
cold rain off the glass. Women turned their heads as they
drove by, attempting to catch a glance of the driver of the red
BMW. Eddie adjusted the rear-view mirror and took a look at
himself. His hair had grown back and he wore new clothes,
hairstyle and wardrobe courtesy of Rachel.
He arrived at Rachel‘s apartment and entered the door.
Rachel‘s big dog bounded toward him, wagging its heavy tail.
Eddie knelt down and scratched the dog behind the ears. It
searched for its master‘s scent and was saddened when it
didn‘t find it. Eddie could read the dog‘s mind. It was a mind
of smells and sounds, of urine, sweat, and meat cooking on
far away stovetops, of distant dog barks, police sirens, and
mice scurrying under the floorboards. It was a mind devoid
of thought, run by habit, hunger, and an undying love for
Mommy.
―Yeah, Buddy,‖ Eddie said. ―No Mommy. It‘s just you and
me.‖
The dog seemed to understand. It plodded over to the
living room and plopped to the floor, rolling onto its back.

50
 Eddie opened the refrigerator, grabbed a beer and popped it
open. He took a long gulp and looked down at the dog lying
lazily on its back in the center of the floor.
―We have a lot in common,‖ Eddie said and took another
sip from his beer. He turned this thought over in his mind
and didn‘t like the way it felt.
He finished gulping down the rest of the beer and left the
apartment. He drove downtown and parked the car next to a
nightclub. He entered the dark club to the sound of loud
music and the stale smell of cigarette smoke. He picked out
an attractive woman, who sat alone at the bar. After a few
drinks and some deep conversation they drove back to
Rachel‘s apartment in Rachel‘s red BMW.

51
 Chapter 11

Eddie spent the next few nights prowling the clubs and bars
of Pioneer Square. Picking them up and getting them home
was easy. He had the clothes, the car, the apartment and all
the right lines. He liked the attraction women felt toward him
and the envy from the men, as they watched him leave with a
sexy blonde on his arm.
It was Thursday morning and Rachel was due home on
Sunday. A woman was in the shower as Eddie lay on the
couch. The phone rang. He let the answering machine pick
up.
―Eddie, where are you? Why haven‘t you returned my calls?
I‘m worried sick about you.‖
A few moments of silence were followed by the click of her
hanging up. Eddie walked over to the machine and erased the
message.
The woman emerged from the bathroom, drying her hair
with a towel. ―Did you say something, Edgar?‖ she asked.
―No. Nothing.‖
She picked her clothes up from off the floor and got
dressed.
―I‘ve got a lot to do today,‖ he said.
―Okay,‖ she said, placing her hands on her hips. ―Do you
have time for breakfast? I know a great place up on
Broadway. I‘ll treat.‖
Eddie ushered her to the door. ―I can‘t.‖
―When can I see you again?‖
―I‘m going to be busy for the next week or so. You know,
all work and no play.‖
She stood in the doorway. She moved closer to him. ―I
really enjoyed last night.‖

52
 Eddie stepped back. ―I‘ll give you a call.‖
She looked up at him, hurt by his cavalier demeanor.
―You don‘t have my number,‖ she said softly. Heartbreak
and rejection swept over her.
Then anger arose in her suddenly. She stood in the doorway
with arms akimbo. ‗ ―You know what? You‘re an asshole!‖
―I‘ll see you around,‖ Eddie said and shut the door.
She slammed her fist against the door. ―Don‘t count on it!‖
Eddie ran his hands through his hair as he walked into the
kitchen. He found Rachel‘s cigarettes, put one in his mouth
and lit it. He exhaled a heavy stream of smoke. ―That didn‘t
go very well,‖ he said to the dog.
The dog cocked its head and let out a whine.
―At least you‘re loyal,‖ Eddie said.
Four different women in four nights and all beautiful with
great bodies. Physically, he had thoroughly enjoyed himself,
but emotionally, he was confused.
He felt guilt for betraying Rachel. He felt empty without the
intimacy that he had shared with Debbie.
He felt a deep sense of dissatisfaction. This was an emotion
that he had never felt back in Fresno. He had always been a
person easily satisfied.
He stamped out the cigarette in the abalone ashtray on the
counter. This new feeling made him edgy and restless.
Rachel‘s spacious apartment felt confining. He put on a
jogging suit and a pair of running shoes and headed out of
the door.
Spring was near. Raindrops glowed as they fell through
beams of sunshine. The thoughts of pedestrians grew louder
and then faded behind as he jogged past. He ran harder,
trying to escape their thoughts.
He came to a stop, panting with his hands on his knees, at a
downtown plaza in front of the Westlake Center mall.
Homeless people sat on the benches, feeding pigeons crusts

53
of bread beneath the budding trees. Young tourists with
heavy backpacks tramped past and business people hurried
past the fountain, carrying lattes and cappuccinos in colorful
paper cups with plastic lids.
Eddie‘s vision was blurred and he felt dizzy. Their thoughts
echoed through his mind. He wished to be alone again inside
his head. Where is my mind? He wished to silence the constant
din and reclaim his own thoughts. I can’t live like this.
He had a strange, ominous feeling that someone was
watching him, following him, probing his mind. He had felt
this before. It was as if there was a darkness in the world
watching him, studying him. But the feeling was fleeting,
suddenly disappearing as he turned his thoughts to it.
He staggered into the Westlake Center, a three-story mall of
glass and sunlight, overhanging balconies, and crowded
escalators. He entered the mall in a vain attempt to escape the
clamor of the plaza. He rode the escalator up to the food
court and sat alone at a table by a large window. He sat with
his chin in his hand and watched through the glass as the
monorail sped off to the Space Needle.
I can’t believe he said that to me. The thought came from a
woman.
Eddie turned and saw her sitting at the table behind him.
She wore a tight top and a short skirt and was sipping a latte.
A sloppily dressed fat man sat next to her. The man was
wolfing down a burrito with obvious gusto.
―How could he say I dress like a tramp?‖ She felt hurt and
insulted.
―Relax, Claire,‖ the fat man said, between big bites of
burrito. ―Bill‘s just old-fashioned, that‘s all.‖
Another man in a suit approached and sat at the table with
them. He had a copy of The Wall Street Journal tucked under
his arm.

54
 ―How‘s that burrito, big-boy?‖ he asked. He watched with
disgust as the fat man rinsed down his meal with a barrel-size
cup of cola.
The fat man noisily sucked down every last drop and set the
cup down on the table. ―Claire‘s pissed because Ross told her
to tone down the way she dresses.‖
―Fuck off, Darren,‖ Claire said to the fat man. ―I can dress
however I damn well please. This isn‘t the 1950s, you know.‖
―You‘re not a cocktail waitress, for God‘s sake,‖ the man in
the suit said with irritation. He was perturbed by her, but felt
satisfaction at the fact that she had been chastised by the
boss. ―It wouldn‘t kill you to dress a little more
conservatively.‖
Claire was about to unleash a bitter invective in response,
but thought better of it and returned her attention to the fat
man. ―Any word on the new programming manager,
Darren?‖ She knew this topic would raise the ire of the man
in the suit.
―No,‖ Darren replied, still miffed from her earlier outburst.
―Mr. Ross hasn‘t found a suitable applicant.‖
―It‘s been two months now!‖ the man in the suit blurted
out. ―In this economy! We‘re the only company hiring on the
whole Pacific Rim. How can he not find someone?‖
It’s a slap in the face. That’s what it is.
―Relax, Laine,‖ Claire said, happy now that he was the one
upset and not her. ―Darren‘s going to make the
breakthroughs we need and when he does everything will be
roses.‖
The compliment erased fat Darren‘s irritation at her earlier
outburst, but it did nothing to console Laine.
Get me off this ship of fools, Laine thought. The only artificial
intelligence in this company is inside Ross’s thick skull.

55
 ―Most of the applicants are underqualified,‖ Darren went
on, ―and the ones that are qualified aren‘t willing to work for
what Ross pays.‖
―Bill‘s asking for too much,‖ Claire said. ―He‘s never going
to find someone with a programming background and an
MBA who will work for such a low salary. He‘s either going
to have to offer more, or accept someone with less.‖
Ross Tech won’t make it through the year, Laine thought. I should
be running things. Then we would see some changes.
He liked this thought. The thought of being Claire‘s boss
brought him sinister pleasure.
Laine stood up and straightened his tie. ―We‘d better get
going,‖ he said. Laine watched as Darren struggled up out of
his chair.
Fat slob, he thought in disgust.
Laine looked down at Claire and smiled. I’ll be running things,
soon enough.
The three of them left the mall together. Eddie followed
them out onto the street. They got inside Darren‘s Taurus
parked at a meter next to the mall. Eddie watched as they
drove away.
Ross Tech, he thought and jogged down 4th Avenue to the
city library.

56
 Chapter 12

―Hi, I‘m Bill Ross,‖ the big man said, as he shook Eddie‘s
hand firmly. He gave Eddie‘s suit the once over and liked
what he saw. He took the résumé from Eddie‘s hand and
motioned for him to sit down.
Bill Ross wore black-rimmed military-issue glasses. His hair
was gray and unkempt. White chest hair poked out from his
shirt that was open at the collar. The buttons of his shirt
strained against the girth of his big belly. Eddie felt the warm
glow of whisky in the man, from a swig from a flask hidden
in the desk that was taken before Eddie entered the office.
Ross sat down behind his cluttered desk and scanned over
the résumé.
BS in computer science from UCLA. Good. MBA from Ohio State.
Excellent. Ross looked up at Eddie. He looks a little young for an
MBA.
Eddie tried to conceal his nervousness.
―How did you hear we were hiring, Mr. Duncan?‖ Ross
asked.
―Over the internet, sir,‖ Eddie answered.
―Yes, of course,‖ Ross replied.
In his past life he would have shot back with the
noncommissioned officer‘s retort, ―Don‘t call me ‗sir.‘ I work
for living.‖ Ross had retired as a master sergeant after thirty
years in the Air Force and had called many people ‗sir‘ but
had never been addressed by ‗sir‘ himself. Especially not by
any of these hot-shot kids with their show-me-the-money
attitudes that he had been interviewing over the last two
months. He liked the fact that Eddie called him ‗sir‘.

57
 Ross looked over the computer-intensive experience on
Eddie‘s résumé that had been copied word for word from a
sample in a résumé book at the library.
Eddie felt heat building up around his collar and under his
arms and was grateful that he had remembered to wear an
undershirt.
I’m never gonna pull this off.
―You‘ve got impressive credentials, Mr. Duncan,‖ Ross said.
Too impressive.
Ross‘s mind began to wander. He had interviewed others
with less experience and worse grooming habits. They had
practically laughed their way out of the office when he
offered them a salary.
―Are you familiar with the job description?‖ Ross asked.
―Yes, sir. The position is assistant to the manager of
programming operations. It entails creative approaches to
project development and requires a broad overview of the
voice recognition software that Ross Technologies is
developing for the banking industry.‖ Eddie had spent all day
in the library and had stayed up late into the night, developing
and practicing this little spiel. He had recited it to Ross with
all the confidence that he could muster, but was disheartened
by how short it seemed and by Ross‘s half-listening nod of
acknowledgment.
Ross had already given up on him.
He’s over-qualified, he thought.
He was just going to have to put Laine Stern in charge when
he was away, even though Laine‘s knowledge of
programming was sketchy at best, and the programmers
hated him.
All I need is someone reliable who can keep the kids out of the chat
rooms and off the games while I’m away. I need someone who can keep
these kids motivated and producing code.

58
 ―Sir,‖ Eddie said. ―I don‘t mean to be blunt but I‘m the
man for this job. I know computers, but really I‘m a people
person. During my internship at Hewlett-Packard, I was told
that my best quality is that I know how to motivate people
and keep them producing code, even when the boss isn‘t
looking. I think your company has an exciting product and
I‘d really like to be a part of the team.‖
―Hah!‖ The laugh came deep from Ross‘s belly. Eddie had
caught him off guard. ―Motivation is the key to any successful
team.‖
―Yes, sir.‖
―You know, back when I was in the Air Force, the guys
who really knew how to motivate their troops were the ones
who got things done. Take baseball, for instance. You know
why the Mariners won‘t win the pennant?‖ Ross asked.
―No, sir,‖ Eddie answered.
―Their priorities are in the wrong place. Those boys are
motivated by their egos and by money, not by the team, not
by a love for the game,‖ Ross said.
―You don‘t think they‘ll be able to turn things around?‖
Eddie asked.
―I hope to God they do, but I wouldn‘t bet a wooden nickel
on it. What they need are more team players and less of these
money grubbing, pretty boys,‖ Ross replied.
―I agree. Did you ever play any ball?‖ Eddie asked.
―No. Well, back in the Air Force I played on the unit
softball team,‖ Ross answered.
―I played right field in high school,‖ Eddie said.
―Right field? I played center,‖ Ross replied.
―You look like you were a hitter,‖ Eddie said.
―Not really. Well, there was that one time back when I was
just a staff sergeant…‘
Eddie listened attentively, smiled, and looked genuinely
interested as Ross recanted the story. So many years ago,

59
Ross had hit a grand slam in the ninth inning of the final
game which had brought victory to his unit‘s softball team in
the Fourth of July Softball Tourney. Everyone, including the
base commander, had seen him knock that ball over the fence
that day. Ross had told this story well over a thousand times
and never tired of retelling it. But no one ever really listened,
and it irritated his wife whenever he brought it up.
―It must have been quite a hit,‖ Eddie said.
―Yes. That it was.‖ Ross leaned back in his chair with his
hands clasped behind his head and pleasurably recalled that
day so long ago.
Eddie shook his head, let out a ‗whew‘, and acted as if he
honestly regretted not being there to see it himself.
Ross leaned forward. ―Look, son. I like you. I think you‘d fit
in well here. I‘ll tell you what. I‘ll start you at forty-five a year,
full health and dental, plus stock options if and when we take
the company public. It may not seem like much now, but
once we get our product to market, the sky‘s the limit.‖
Ross expected a counter-offer, or a request for time to think
it over.
―I‘m glad to be aboard, sir,‖ Eddie said, rising to his feet
and extending his hand over Ross‘s desk.
Ross shook Eddie‘s hand.
I’ll be damned, Ross thought. I actually found someone.
Holy shit, Eddie thought. I actually pulled it off.

60
 Chapter 13

He used his stash of twenty dollar bills from Fresno to buy

a week‘s worth of work clothes and paid the first month‘s
rent on an apartment in Bothel, northeast of Seattle. With the
last of his cash, he bought a used Geo Metro to commute to
and from work.
He was excited about starting a new life, but this job was
worlds away from what he was familiar with. He knew
nothing about computers. This became glaringly clear to him
when Ross had given him the grand tour after the interview.
A feeling of being in way over his head came over him, after
seeing the programmers sitting in absorbed concentration
before their glowing monitors. They were all as young or
younger than he.
What the hell, he thought. I’ve got nothing to lose.
It was late Saturday afternoon and Eddie had returned to
Rachel‘s apartment for the last time. He had not been fair to
her, he knew. It was not right to keep fooling her like this, he
rationalized.
The red light blinked steadily on the answering machine as
Eddie stuffed his few belongings into a duffel bag. He knew
it was wrong but he didn‘t want to face her again. He wanted
to sneak away without having to explain, without having to
hear her thoughts or feel her emotions.
Her dog lay on the floor, watching passively as he packed.
Its ears perked up and it let out a bark. It hopped up and ran
out to the front door, wagging its tail. Eddie heard the
jangling of keys, the clicking of locks, and then the opening
of the door.

61
 ―Eddie!‖ Rachel called out as she entered the apartment. He
heard the pants and whines and paws clattering on the
wooden floor, as her dog excitedly greeted its master.
The dog bolted into the room, looked at Eddie with a big
doggy grin, and darted back out into the living room.
―Eddie? Are you home?‖
I was hoping to avoid this, Eddie thought.
He slung the duffel bag over his shoulder and walked out
into the living room.
―Honey,‖ she said, with outstretched arms as she walked
quickly toward him. She hugged him tightly.
He felt her concern and worry and the happiness she felt at
seeing that he was okay.
―Why haven‘t you returned my calls?‖ she asked. This was
bewildering to her.
Eddie put his hands on her shoulders and held her at arms‘
length.
―I‘m moving into my own apartment,‖ he said. He searched
for her reaction.
―What?‖ she asked softly, looking into his eyes.
―I found a job and I got my own place.‖
―Baby, is that what you‘ve been doing?‖ she asked sweetly.
She put her arms around his waist. ―You‘re acting silly.
You‘re staying right here with me.‖
I’ll take care of you.
She tried to give him a kiss, but he pushed her away.
―I found a job, Rachel. I‘m starting a career.‖
She looked at him, the way a compassionate mother looks
at an irrational child. ―A career?‖ she asked.
―Yes. A career.‖
He sensed how silly she felt he was acting.
―Well, my working man. You can still stay right here with
me.‖

62
 She put her arms around him again and hugged him tightly.
She had never seen him act this way, but she thought it was
cute that he had been out looking for a job. She wondered
what career he could possibly be starting.
A lawn-care engineer, or maybe a fry-line technician.
Eddie pushed her off and stepped back.
―For your information, Rachel,‖ he blurted out, ―I‘ve just
been hired as the assistant to the manager of programming
operations at Ross Technologies!‖ His outburst took her by
surprise. ―That‘s right, Ross Technologies, an artificial
intelligence computer company.‖
She didn‘t know how to react to his behavior.
―I‘ve got to go,‖ he said tersely.
―Eddie, honey,‖ she said. ―Please calm down. Think about
what you‘re saying.‖
The comment angered him. What? he thought. I can’t have a
career like you?
He walked to the door and placed his hand on the
doorknob.
He’ll be back as soon as he realizes how silly he’s acting.
He turned the doorknob, opened the door and walked out,
shutting it behind him. He ran down the steps and threw the
duffel bag into his Metro parked at the curb. He got in and
sat behind the steering wheel.
I’m just a dumb musician, right? But that wasn‘t true. Even with
all his lies and posturing she had seen him for what he was.
Just a dumb pump jockey.
―Damn!‖ he yelled and banged his hands hard in anger
against the steering wheel of his Geo Metro.
He started the car and fumbled with the lighter, as he pulled
a cigarette from the pack on the dashboard. He finally
managed to get the cigarette lit and then drove off to his new
apartment.

63
 The place was a dump. But it was his place. He tried on his
new work clothes, an off-the-rack suit. He posed in front the
cracked mirror on the bathroom door.
Pathetic, am I? He looked at himself in the mirror, a young
man, in good shape, clean cut. Cute? He cracked a shark-like
grin. I’ll show them.

Ross Technologies was located in a business park of glass,

faceless two-story buildings set around a parking lot. An
immaculately landscaped lawn and perfect hedges ringed the
buildings. Leafless, spindly trees stuck up from mulched
islands that centered the parking lot. Eddie shut his car door
and walked across the lot. He pushed through the glass doors
and entered Ross Technologies early on a gray Monday
morning.
―Good morning, Mr. Duncan,‖ a woman said with a smile.
Eddie smiled back. ―You must be Claire.‖
―Correct you are, Mr. Duncan.‖ She immediately liked his
smile. ―Mr. Ross isn‘t in yet. Would you like a cup of coffee?‖
―Yes, that would be great, and please, call me Edgar.‖
―Okay, Edgar.‖
She led him into the company‘s narrow and cramped break
room. As she demonstrated how to operate the company‘s
clunky coffee machine, Eddie felt how uncomfortable she
was in the loose-fitting pants and blouse that she was
wearing. The blouse was cut low and revealed a peek of
cleavage, but still she felt that her outfit concealed all her
finer attributes.
―I like your outfit,‖ Eddie said, as she handed him a cup of
coffee.
―You do? You don‘t think it‘s a little too shrewish?‖
―No, not at all,‖ he said sincerely. ―It‘s professional, yet with
a dash of devil-may-care.‖

64
 Eddie felt a presence behind him. He turned to see a man in
a suit standing at the break-room entrance. The man‘s tie was
white with black splotches like a Rorschach test. His hair was
gelled perfectly into place. The man flashed a killer smile.
―Laine Stern,‖ he said and extended his hand.
Professional, yet devil-may-care? What is that retarded crap? Laine
thought.
―Edgar Duncan,‖ Eddie said and shook his hand.
Bill Ross entered the break room suddenly.
―I see you‘ve met Laine and Claire,‖ he said.
―Yes, sir.‖
Ross slapped Laine on the back. ―Laine handles all our
marketing.‖ He turned to Laine. ―Laine, I want you to give
full cooperation in helping to familiarize Mr. Duncan with
our operations.‖
―Will do, boss,‖ Laine said. You freaking lunatic.
―This little lady is the office manager. We wouldn‘t last a
week without her! Claire can answer all your questions about
what goes on around here. God knows, she answers all of
mine!‖
They all laughed.
―Come on, Edgar,‖ Ross said, placing his hand on Eddie‘s
back. ―We‘ve got a lot to go over today.‖
They left Laine and Claire and walked out on to the work
floor.

65
 Chapter 14

Only five programmers were employed by Ross Tech. They

sat before terminals in half-constructed cubicles. Flow charts
were pinned to the cubicle walls. Dying plants sat on
makeshift shelves. Litter piles of pizza boxes and take-out
containers seemed to be scattered over everything.
Ross walked Eddie about the floor and introduced him to
the programmers. Eddie looked interested and nodded
knowingly, as they each explained in dense techno-babble
exactly what it was they were working on.
All were very young. They were dressed casually, some
wearing t-shirts with geek humor written across them which
Eddie couldn‘t quite comprehend.
Darren Cobb was the oldest of the programmers and, by
far, the fattest. He was the group‘s unofficial leader and
played the role of big brother to the other programmers.
They squabbled with him constantly and gave him a hard
time about his weight. After being introduced, Darren
immediately classified Eddie into the clueless category.
Carlton Hayes sat across from Darren. Carlton wore shorts
and sandals and an ancient long-sleeve Bud Light t-shirt. He
had long hair that hung down over his eyes. Eddie could feel
the fog of marijuana in Carlton‘s mind, but Ross didn‘t notice
and remained oblivious to this fact, as Carlton explained his
portion of the project.
Macy and Sue sat together, in an adjoining cubicle. They
were chattering in the secret language of best friends and
giggling at inside jokes, when Ross and Eddie approached.
Macy, painfully thin with broomstick arms, wore wire-frame
glasses and had short, jet-black hair that was full of gel and
parted sharply on the side. Sue, on the other hand, was as

66
plump as Macy was thin. She was on a diet and currently her
sweet tooth had hijacked her mind, filling her thoughts with
jelly doughnuts and Hershey‘s kisses.
Winston Deaner was easily the oddest member of the
group. His hair sat on his head like a helmet, bangs running in
a straight line across his forehead. His button-down shirt was
too tight over his tiny frame and his khaki slacks were too
short, revealing his red socks. He didn‘t look up from his
monitor when Ross introduced him.
―Winston!‖ Ross barked.
Winston looked up from the screen, with eyes that seemed
bulbous behind magnifying lens spectacles. His thoughts were
entirely visual and numerical and were completely absorbed
with complex equations. Winston said ‗hello‘, and returned to
his screen without forming any kind of opinion about Eddie.
The programmers were all super smart and passionate about
computers and all were unhappy about Eddie‘s arrival,
excluding Winston Deaner who had barely noticed. They felt
that Eddie was just another pair of eyes to watch over them
and a sycophant whom Ross had hired to listen to his boring
stories.
The remainder of the day passed uneventfully. Eddie filled
out Social Security forms with Claire, sitting next to her at her
desk. She was a sucker for compliments and Eddie dispensed
them liberally, as she explained the health plan and company
policies.
He sat in Ross‘s office for hours on end, holding a
clipboard and taking notes, as Ross imparted knowledge to
him like a swami to an admiring apprentice. Ross liked him.
He’s a good listener, Ross thought, and he asks the right questions.
The day came to an end, with Eddie poring over a stack of
arcane computer manuals in a cubicle that Ross had set up
for him. Eddie became keenly aware of his ignorance as he
looked through the manuals. He flipped the pages and

67
pretended to read. From his cubicle, he delved deeply into the
minds of his coworkers, desperately trying to glean any
comprehensible information that he could from them.
The job was nothing like he had imagined it would be. He
had pictured himself in a posh office, schmoozing at the
water cooler before taking a long lunch, like in those TV
sitcoms where office workers joked and teased and not much
work seemed to be going on. Eddie‘s only technical skills
consisted of working on cars and he wasn‘t all that good at
that. Pulling this off was going to be more difficult and
demanding than he had anticipated.
He arrived home at his new apartment that night, after a
quick stop at the public library, where he checked out a stack
of books on computers that he had randomly pulled from the
shelves. Eddie had no furniture, not even a bed. He sat on
the floor with books and manuals strewn across the carpet
and began to read. He chain smoked and drank coffee by the
gallon, as he studied the terminology and history of
computing. Studying had never been a strong point, but he
was deeply concerned with sounding as though he knew what
he was talking about. The more he read, the more he knew he
was in over his head and felt it was only a matter of time until
they found him out.
I’m never going to pull this off.
Eddie kept a low profile that first week on the job. He
listened quietly at the morning meetings, as they reviewed the
work they had done and outlined the goals for the day.
Periodically, Ross would walk the workfloor checking on the
programmers‘ progress. Eddie shadowed Ross, clipboard in
hand, observing and absorbing as much as he could. He ate
lunch with him. He sat in Ross‘s office and listened to endless
blather about the software industry, the Air Force, and Major
League Baseball. Details on Eddie‘s responsibilities were
vague, with Ross dispensing them as they came to mind.

68
Eddie kept Ross talking, which was easy enough, and steered
their conversations away from technical matters as much as
possible.
Ross had been a computer programmer in the Air Force
and had retired from the military full of enthusiasm for the
possibilities of private life. He had founded his company a
year ago on the coat-tails of an employee training program
that he had written for the Pierce County Department of
Motor Vehicles. After the initial success of the program, he
had embarked on a project to replace those pesky phone
systems used by banks that annoyed him so much. He
envisioned a system that would handle customers so
seamlessly that you would forget you weren‘t talking to a
machine. He felt he had the skills and leadership ability to
show these civilians a thing or two, and be the envy of all his
old Air Force pals. Ross invested his life savings in the
company and drummed up capital from a few investors who
didn‘t know better.
He befriended Darren Cobb, who at that time, was a
graduate student in the computer science department at the
University of Washington. Darren recruited all of Ross Tech‘s
programmers from the class sections he taught at the
university.
Unfortunately, Ross‘s initial enthusiasm was now wearing
thin, as the project had grown hopelessly complex and had
bogged down in a series of computer-crashing errors. Ross
Tech‘s only revenues came from the upgrades they
periodically made for the DMV. The company was seriously
in the red, Ross‘s creditors had begun hounding him for
results, and his marriage was now on the rocks. He had begun
drinking heavily two months ago. Eddie could smell the
whisky on his breath in the mornings, but Ross still clung to
the belief that they would get the project done. But at times
Ross had debilitating moments of doubt. A vision of an

69
airplane flying through a dark storm ran through his
thoughts, the pilot at the controls was fighting heroically
against the turbulence, but it all might crash and burn any
second.

70
 Chapter 15

Eddie learned much in that first week. He learned how

Claire shouldered much of the burden of keeping the
company running. She did the accounting, handled supplies,
took all the phone calls and smoothed over personality
conflicts. She quietly did all the day-to-day work which kept
the company going, while Ross strutted around like a fat,
hairy Napoleon. She even sent flowers to Ross‘s wife on their
anniversary which, otherwise, he would have forgotten. Claire
had been involved in a brief affair with Laine Stern shortly
after he had been hired, but she broke it off because of his
vile temper. Laine resented that he, a handsome and educated
executive, had been rebuffed by a secretary.
You lost the best you’ll ever get, baby, he thought often.
Laine was hired six months ago, when work on the project
was moving along smoothly and building momentum. Ross
had felt the need for a marketing director, but the project
completion date had been pushed back indefinitely and Laine
had little to do. He pretended to be deeply involved in market
research, was always on the phone and, lately, had been
playing a lot of golf with bankers. He charged green fees,
meals and drinks to the company expense account. Laine had
built up a reputation, around the Puget Sound area, as a hot
head. He had taken the job at Ross Tech with the promise of
stock options when optimism was high, hoping the company
would enjoy the same explosive growth that other start-up
companies in the area had experienced in brighter times. He
had also taken the job at Ross Tech because every other
industry in the area had blackballed him.
Eddie learned that Darren had a crush on Claire, but would
never act on it. Darren had had sex only once in his twenty-

71
eight years, but made up for it with marathon masturbation
sessions after work. He would watch Claire from behind at
the copy machine and become aroused, memorizing the
image for use later. His hands seemed to have a permanent
film of lotion on them. Once, when Darren had placed his
hand on Eddie‘s shoulder while explaining a hardware
problem, Eddie had almost gagged aloud.
Sue was hopelessly in love with Macy, but feared the end of
their friendship if Macy ever found out. She had graphic
fantasies of lesbian encounters as they sat side by side at work
in their adjoining cubicles.
Carlton was perpetually stoned. Everyone knew this, except
Ross and Laine. Ross was clueless, but Laine just didn‘t care
enough to notice. No one mentioned the fact, because
Carlton worked better when he was high and was easier to get
along with. Carlton‘s thinking consisted of computers,
marijuana, and acquiring marijuana.
Winston was the most productive of the programmers and
the most difficult for Eddie to understand. His brain operated
on a wavelength much different than the rest of humanity, as
far as Eddie could tell. Complex abstractions zipped through
his mind with an occasional blip of pleasure, when whatever
it was he was thinking about pleased him. He was completely
absorbed in his internal world and uninterested in the
environment around him.
Such a strange little man, Eddie thought, when seeing Winston
hunched over his keyboard with his face almost touching the
monitor. He wondered if Winston was borderline autistic.
Eddie also learned the reason that Ross had hired him. Ross
had a mistress in Spokane who had recently had his child.
Ross wanted someone to watch over the company while he
spent time with her and their baby daughter, away from the
hassles of the office and away from his nagging wife.

72
 Friday evening finally arrived. Eddie rested his feet on his
new coffee table and slouched on the couch. He clicked on
the TV and began flipping back and forth between half a
dozen channels, half-watching a Nascar race, hyenas in
Africa, a live broadcast of brain surgery on the medical
channel, and several sitcoms. He had purchased the flat-
screen TV, stereo system, and furniture on store credit after
proof of employment.
The job at Ross Tech demanded much from him. He was
exhausted from a week of constantly monitoring the minds of
his coworkers. It took tremendous effort keeping them from
discovering his charade. He felt ridiculous walking around the
office in shirt and tie, spouting off computer lingo to them,
like a parrot speaking words but not knowing what they really
mean. Sometimes he felt like the chimp dressed in a tuxedo
that he had seen in a poster at the mall, or the dog sitting in
the driver‘s seat with its paws up on the steering wheel, but
none of them saw through his act, to his amazement. They
suspected that he was incompetent but no one believed that
he was a fraud.
Laine despised him, but the programmers were actually
beginning to accept him as one of them. Today, he engaged
in a lengthy debate with Carlton on whether Data from ‗Star
Trek – The Next Generation‘ was better than Mr. Spock.
Eddie finally conceded to Carlton‘s line of reasoning on why
Data was superior. Spock was organic and mortal and he
hung out with a ham like Captain Kirk, did he not? There was
no denying that, Eddie admitted, and Carlton gave him a slap
on the back.
―Listen to my words, grasshopper,‖ Carlton had said, ―and
there is much that you will learn.‖
And Eddie was learning. The buzzing minds of five gifted
programmers were giving him a first-rate education in

73
information technology. The terminology was beginning to
make sense to him. He was learning their lingo.
He wiggled his toes in his black socks as he stared dully at
the TV screen. It felt good to come home from work and not
have grease under his fingernails. The rent was paid. He had
applied for all the major credit cards. He was going to make
it.
He wished Rachel could see him now. He thought of calling
her, but changed his mind. It would be too difficult to
explain. And how would she react now that her tortured
musician had transformed into the type of man she had tried
to escape?
If only Debbie could see him now. He had almost gone the
entire week without thinking of her. He picked up the phone
and dialed a familiar number.
―Hello?‖ the female voice asked.
―Mom, it‘s me. Eddie.‖
―Oh my God. Eddie? Where are you? Are you okay?‖
―I‘m fine, Mom. I‘m in Seattle.‖
―Seattle?‖ She began to sob. ―Oh, Eddie. I thought you
were dead in a Dumpster somewhere. I‘ve been worried
sick.‖
―Everything‘s fine, Mom.‖
―It was that girlfriend of yours, wasn‘t it? That‘s why you
ran off.‖ She became angry. ―I don‘t hear from you for days
and when I ask Debbie where you are she just shrugs her
shoulders. I always said she was no good, but you never
listened. You never listen to your mother. That girl left all
your things on the curb and called me to come and pick them
up.‖
―Things didn‘t work out for us,‖ was all Eddie could say.
―You couldn‘t tell your mother?‖

74
 He was silent. It hurt to hear about Debbie. He pictured his
belongings left unceremoniously on the curb and his mother
loading them into the trunk of her Suzuki Esteem.
―I‘ve got a good job up here,‖ he said.
―I‘m sending you some money,‖ she said.
―No, Mom. I‘m doing fine. I‘m working for a software
company.‖
―I‘ll send some money anyway.‖
Eddie couldn‘t look into his mother‘s mind over the phone,
but he knew what she was thinking, the only work he was
doing for a software company was mopping floors.
―No, Mom. I‘m doing just fine.‖
Eddie and his mother talked for hours. He felt far away and
detached from the once familiar people and places his mother
spoke of. He had no desire to go back there. The only big
news was that his sister was pregnant and had run off to
Reno to marry her boyfriend, Tony. Eddie had never liked
him and was upset to hear that now the creep would be
family.
The conversation came to an end. ―Never do this to me
again, Eddie.‖
―I won‘t, Mom. I promise.‖
Eddie hung up and resumed flipping through the channels.
He lit a cigarette and thought of Debbie.
All those years together, all those good times, all those things said…
All crap. How did I not see it coming?
It angered him to think of her with that other man. He
thought of all the lies she had told him. He took a long drag
from his cigarette.
Well, it will never happen to me again. It can’t, because now I know
what they’re thinking.
His cell phone rang and Eddie picked it up on the first ring.
―Hello,‖ he said.

75
 ―Edgar. Bill Ross here.‖ Ross slurred his words as he spoke.
―I‘ve got to leave town for a few days.‖
Eddie grew nervous. ―Is everything all right, sir?‖
―Yes, yes. I‘m meeting some potential customers, important
stuff, going to drum up some capital for the company. Won‘t
be gone long, son. I want you to hold down the fort until I
get back.‖
Eddie could hear Mrs. Ross‘s shrill voice in the background.
―Sir, I don‘t think I‘m ready to be on my own yet.‖
―Dammit, son! This is what I‘m paying you for! Just keep
everyone on schedule until I get back. No World of Warcraft
while they are collecting a paycheck from me, is that clear?
Christ.‖
―Yes, sir, Mr. Ross,‖ Eddie said with hesitation.
―You‘re a sharp kid, Edgar. It‘s time to start earning your
pay check. I expect to see some progress when I return. Am I
making myself clear, son?‖
―Roger. Will do, boss.‖
―That‘s what I wanted to hear.‖
Eddie heard a shrill screech from Mrs. Ross. ―Have you
been drinking again!‖
―Look, son. I‘ve got to go…‖ Ross said, ―…and make some
calls.‖
Ross hung up.

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 Chapter 16

On Monday morning, Eddie sat in his Geo Metro in the

parking lot in front of Ross Tech. The weather was cold and
gray, with a damp mist of rain lightly falling. Eddie didn‘t
want to go in. How was he, a guy whose most complex
thoughts consisted of calculating if the change in his pocket
was enough for a six pack of beer, supposed to tell a bunch
of computer programmers what to do? All he had to do was
step on the gas and drive away and never return to this place
again.
He thought of Rachel and how she spoke down to him as if
talking to a child. He thought of Debbie.
He stepped out of the car and straightened his tie. He put
on his most confident face and strode into the building
pushing through the glass doors of Ross Tech.
―Good morning, Claire,‖ he said.
She was at her desk.
―How‘s my favorite office manager?‖ he asked.
―Just fine,‖ she said cheerfully. ―How‘s my favorite
manager-in-training?‖
―Great,‖ Eddie said with a grin, ―now that I‘ve said hello to
you.‖
She smirked at him.
―Have you spoken to Mr. Ross?‖ he asked.
―No. Why?‖ she asked.
―He‘s going to be out of town for a few days,‖ Eddie said.
She wasn‘t surprised.
Gone again, she thought.
Her mind recalled how chaotic it became when Ross
disappeared on his mysterious ‗business trips‘. The
programmers would goof off all day, Laine would bitch

77
incessantly and no work ever got done. She wondered if
Laine was right and that Ross was incapable of running a
business, but she needed this job. The thought of scraping by
on unemployment again while groveling before assholes
during job interviews was depressing.
Why does he do this to us?
―Mr. Ross has left me in charge,‖ Eddie said. ―Claire,‖ he
said thoughtfully, ―I‘m going to need your help today.‖
―That you will,‖ she said. ―You‘re going to need all the help
you can get.‖ She pointed to the conference room with a nod.
―Well, you better go and break it to them.‖
Eddie could see the programmers behind the conference
room window waiting for the usual Monday morning
meeting. He straightened his back and took a deep breath.
―Good luck, Eddie.‖
―Hey,‖ he said with a wink. ―I don‘t get paid the big bucks
for nothing.‖
―Don‘t say I didn‘t warn you.‖
He left Claire at her desk and entered the conference room.
The programmers were slouched in their chairs, fiddling with
their pencils and doodling on notebook paper as they waited
for Ross and the start of the work week. Eddie stood in front
of the room holding the notes that Ross had e-mailed to him.
He noticed that Winston Deaner was conspicuously absent.
―Good morning,‖ he said. The programmers watched him
curiously. ―Mr. Ross is going to be out of town for the next
few days.‖
Darren Cobb crossed his arms and frowned angrily. ―Where
is he?‖ he asked.
―He‘s meeting with some potential investors,‖ Eddie said.
―I suppose you‘re in charge?‖ Darren was livid. He was
angry at Ross for doing this to them again and he was angry
at Eddie for Ross having put him in charge.

78
 ―Mr. Ross informed me that I am to have a supervisory
capacity and that I am to receive full cooperation from all of
you.‖
Sue looked at Eddie and shook her head.
Eddie looked down at his notes and tried to decipher Ross‘s
grammatical idiosyncrasies.
―Our first order of business today concerns the updates for
the DMV. The DMV needs them by Wednesday afternoon.‖
Carlton Hayes considered all the work for the DMV to be
mindless grunt work. He had complained vehemently when
Ross had assigned the updates to him last time. ―Carlton,‖
Ross had snarled, ―you‘ll do it and you‘ll like it!‖ Ross had
assigned him all future updates which had become a major
sore point for Carlton.
Macy knew that Carlton would drag his feet and not have
the updates completed until at least Friday. She had done
most of the work on the previous upgrade for the DMV and
knew that she could have the updates completed by
tomorrow afternoon. She didn‘t speak up and continued
doodling on her notepad.
―Mr. Ross also wants us to address the difficulties we‘ve
been having with the homophone problem. Darren,‖ Eddie
said, turning to him. ―I know you‘re the company guru.
Could you give us a rundown of the problem?‖
Darren‘s arms were still firmly crossed over his chest. He
uncrossed them skeptically and lifted his rotund body from
his chair.
―Yeah, Darren,‖ Carlton said. ―Give us a rundown, you big
ass guru.‖
―Carlton…‖ Darren said with a menacing glare and an air of
warning.
The door to the conference room was flung open and
Winston Deaner shuffled hurriedly into the room. Winston

79
kicked the cable running from the monitor to the wall and fell
to the floor in an arm-flailing flop.
Eddie walked over to him and reached a hand down to help
him up. Winston grasped upward and grabbed on to Eddie‘s
tie. Eddie caught himself, with his hand on the table, and
strained against Winston‘s weight to keep from falling on top
of him.
Winston scaled Eddie‘s tie hand-over-hand, as if climbing
the rope in gym class. Eddie grabbed Winston under the
armpit with his free hand and lifted the little man to his feet.
Winston shuffled away and took his seat.
Eddie‘s face had turned blue from a lack of oxygen cut off
by his constricted tie. He tried to maintain some semblance
of dignity as he loosened the tie that choked tightly at his
throat.
The room broke into spontaneous applause.
―Who‘s on first?‖ Carlton said loudly.
―No, who‘s on second,‖ Macy said.
―Hey, Eddie,‖ Carlton called out. ―Are you Abbot and
Winston Costello, or is it the other way around?‖
Eddie did his best to straighten the tie, which hung from his
neck like hand-wrung Play Doh. The programmers watched
and shook their heads.
―Darren,‖ Eddie said. ―The homophone problem, please.‖
Darren looked at Eddie for a long moment, then turned his
attention to the monitor.
―As you all know,‖ Darren said, ―we‘ve been bottle-necked
by the homophone problem for several weeks now.‖ Darren
scrolled lines of code on the monitor. ―We‘re still unable to
get the computer to correctly define homophones in the
context of a sentence.‖ Darren pointed to a line of code. ―I
think the errors are originating here.‖ Darren continued and
began speaking in dense computerese of sound waves and
sentence parsing.

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 They had gone over this time and again. Carlton, Macy and
Sue half-paid attention, as they doodled and fiddled with their
pencils.
Winston stared at the monitor. Lines of code scrolled
rapidly through Winston‘s brain. He came to a conclusion
that he was satisfied with, then turned his attention to a
problem in quantum particle physics.
Darren finished up his briefing and turned to the group.
―Does anyone have any ideas, comments, or questions?‖
Carlton raised his hand.
Darren rolled his eyes. ―What, Carlton?‖
―I have a three-part question,‖ Carlton said slowly, as he
doodled on his notepad. ―First, is it really possible for a
phone to be homo? If so, is my phone homo or hetero? And
third…‖ Carlton looked up at Darren gravely. ―Darren, are
you a homophone?‖
Darren fumed. His face turned blood red, as he glared
angrily at Carlton.
―You‘re a homophone!‖ he snapped.
―You‘re both homophobic,‖ Sue said.
―You‘re a homo-robustus,‖ Carlton said to Sue.
The room erupted into pandemonium. For the first time in
his life someone had trusted him with responsibility and he
was blowing it.
Pathetic.

81
 Chapter 17

―Winston!‖ Eddie shouted above the clamor. ―Winston!

Please come to the front of the room!‖
The room fell silent. Winston pointed at his chest and
looked over his shoulder.
―Yes, you, Winston,‖ Eddie said. ―Please come to the front
of the room.‖
Winston rose and nervously shuffled up to the front of the
room and stood next to Eddie.
―I‘d like you to share your thoughts on the homophone
problem with the group,‖ Eddie said to him.
Winston looked up at Eddie through thick glasses.
―Come on, Winston,‖ Eddie said politely.
Winston turned and picked up the marker from the
whiteboard tray. He began writing lines of code on the board.
After filling the entire board with arcane computer code,
Winston turned to Eddie. ―This should correct the problem,‖
he said and shuffled back to his seat.
Darren studied the board intently, stroking his chin with his
fingers. He turned to Eddie.
―Winston will work on the homophone problem with me.
Carlton can take over what Winston‘s been working on.‖
Darren said.
―Is that a problem, Carlton?‖ Eddie asked.
―No. No problem,‖ Carlton said.
―Good,‖ Eddie said. ―Macy, I‘d like you to work on the
updates for the DMV.‖
―Um. Okay,‖ Macy replied.
Darren was eager to get to work.
―Is there anything else?‖ Eddie asked. No one had anything
to add. ―Then let‘s consider this meeting adjourned.‖

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 The programmers filed out of the room and went to their
cubicles. Eddie straightened the chairs and walked out onto
the work floor.
Laine was standing before Claire‘s desk, waving his hands
heatedly. Eddie walked over to Claire and Laine.
―What do you mean he‘s out of town!‖ Laine barked at her.
He turned and faced Eddie. ―I take it you‘re in charge?‖
Laine‘s anger was building and it increasingly focused onto
Eddie.
―I‘m not in charge, Laine,‖ Eddie said.
―You‘re goddamn right you‘re not!‖
Laine wasn‘t angry because Ross was gone. That had
happened before. He was angry because Ross had left
without telling him. He had told Eddie.
―Bill tried to call you,‖ Eddie said, in an attempt to soothe
him. ―He said he couldn‘t get through to you.‖
―That‘s a lie! I have no missed calls on my cell. And I‘ve got
call waiting and voice mail on my home phone, you idiot!‖
Laine ran his hand through his perfectly groomed hair,
causing his bangs to fall down over his forehead. ―So it‘s Bill
now? Are you sleeping with the man?‖ Hatred burned inside
him.
Eddie‘s fists balled up tightly at his side.
―Laine, please,‖ Claire said. Her patience had finally run out.
―Calm down. You‘re being an ass.‖
―Oh? You‘re on his side?‖ Laine turned toward Eddie.
―Well, Duncan. You, Claire and Ross can all go and fuck
yourselves!‖
Laine stormed out of the building flinging open the glass
doors.
Eddie and Claire remained in an uncomfortable silence as
the programmers peeked up from behind their cubicles.
Laine‘s RX-7 screeched out of the parking lot.
―He‘s a real people person,‖ Eddie said finally.

83
 ―A ray of sunshine,‖ Claire said. ―He‘ll be back, after he
cools off.‖
―Joy,‖ Eddie said.
They looked at each other.
―He‘s jealous of you, you know,‖ she said.
―Jealous of me?‖ Eddie asked.
She was referring to Eddie being hired by Ross and being
left in charge, but Eddie knew what she really meant, that
Laine resented how well the two of them got along.
―It must be my car,‖ Eddie said. ―Chicks dig the Metro.‖
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. ―Eddie, you‘re
awful.‖
Laine didn‘t return that day. The programmers worked
busily, fueled by enthusiasm from Winston‘s artful solution to
a problem that had vexed them for weeks. Eddie and Claire
had lunch together. They spent the afternoon cleaning the
work floor and replacing the dead plants with green ones.
The day ended with the office looking more like a place of
business than a freshman dorm room.
Darren and Winston were making substantial strides on the
project. Eddie stayed late that night, dutifully recording the
day‘s progress, as Ross had taught him.
Tuesday came and went, without word from either Ross or
Laine. The morning meeting had been productive and
without mishap. By the afternoon, Macy had finished the
updates for the DMV. Eddie and Macy drove together in his
Metro and delivered the compiled disks before quitting time,
and well ahead of schedule.
Eddie left Laine several messages but Laine wasn‘t returning
them. Aside from Laine, everything was going well.
Eddie‘s mind was occupied with work and all his new
responsibilities. He had no time to think of himself, or of the
past. He liked it that way.

84
 Wednesday came with still no sign of Ross or Laine. It was
now late afternoon and Eddie was sitting with Darren,
assisting him with a test of the voice recognition software.
―Okay, Duncan,‖ Darren said. ―Follow the computer‘s
instructions.‖
―Hello,‖ the computer said. ―Thank you for calling Pacific
Northwestern Bank. What can I do for you today?‖ It was
Sue‘s voice. She had spent countless hours recording most of
the computer‘s options tree.
Eddie looked at Darren who was busily eating a doughnut
that he had pilfered from Sue‘s desk. Darren nodded for
Eddie to continue.
―My name‘s Darren Cobb,‖ Eddie said into the
microphone. ―I want to check my checking account balance.‖
―I‘m sorry,‖ the computer said. ―I recognize your voice Mr.
Duncan. Would you like to check your checking account
balance?‖
―Okay. Sure.‖
Eddie looked over at Darren. Darren sucked the jelly from a
second doughnut and motioned for Eddie to continue.
―Um,‖ Eddie said into the microphone. ―How much do I
have?‖
The computer accessed a dummy bank account that Darren
had put into the database.
―Your account is overdrawn by one hundred and twenty-six
dollars and eighty-two cents. I regret to inform you that we
have reported you to a collection agency for nonpayment of
overdraft fees. Is there anything else I can do for you today,
Mr. Duncan?‖
Eddie looked back at Darren.
―You couldn‘t put some money in my account?‖ he said.
―Just trying to be realistic. Well, everything looks to be in
order. What do you think, Duncan?‖
―I think it‘s pretty cool,‖ Eddie replied.

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 Darren leaned back in his chair, happy with the comment.
―Winston‘s done the bulk of the programming, but I‘ve
managed to fit some code in there that works. We still have a
lot more work to do before we have something we can ship.‖
―It‘ll happen,‖ Eddie said.
Winston was at his computer tapping away at his keyboard
in his corner by the window, away from everyone else. He
seemed to be in a trance-like state, completely engrossed in
his work.
―Is he always like that?‖ Eddie asked.
―Pretty much,‖ Darren said. ―He comes in here every day
and mind melds with his computer. I think Winston‘s brain
may actually be made of silicon.‖
They watched him from across the room.
―He‘s definitely not the world‘s snappiest dresser,‖ Eddie
said.
―Yeah,‘ Darren agreed. ―That‘s how I know he‘s actually
human. A computer would have more fashion sense.‘
Eddie finished up with Darren and then had to leave the
building to replace a burned-out mother board at a computer
supplier. He arrived back at Ross Tech at five o‘clock passing
Winston through the doors, who was leaving precisely at
quitting time as was his custom. Eddie said ‗good night‘ but
Winston didn‘t seem to notice.
Claire was away from her desk. Sue emerged from her
cubicle and approached him as he entered Ross‘s office to
record the work done that day.
―We‘ve been watching you, Duncan,‖ Sue said. ―Come to
the break room,‖ she snapped. She turned and walked toward
the break room, curling her index finger for him to follow.
Eddie sensed that he was being set up.

86
 Chapter 18

Eddie followed behind the waddling woman. He sensed the

giddy anticipation in her. The two of them entered the break
room together. Carlton, Darren, Macy and Claire were all
there waiting, leaning against the counters with their arms
crossed over their chests.
―I‘ve got something to say to you, Duncan,‖ Carlton said,
angrily jabbing his finger. ―I didn‘t like you the moment I laid
eyes on you. And you know what?‖
Carlton‘s scowl transformed into a smile. ―You‘re all right,
man.‖
Carlton put Eddie into a headlock and gave him a noogie.
The rest of them all surrounded him and mussed his hair.
Darren opened the refrigerator and passed out bottles of
beer. They all raised their bottles, as Eddie stood amongst
them.
―We never formally welcomed you to Ross Tech, Duncan,‖
Darren said. ―Welcome to Ross Tech. We‘re glad to have you
aboard.‖
They spent the rest of the evening drinking beer, eating
pizza, and blasting each other to bits in a gory game that they
played over the company‘s computer network.
On Thursday morning, before sunrise, Eddie returned to
the Ross Tech building. He walked through the dark drizzle
from his car to the front door and fumbled with his keys, but
discovered that the doors had already been unlocked. All was
dark inside, except for a soft light glowing in Ross‘s office.
He saw Ross at his desk with the desk light on, looking over
his progress reports. Eddie entered the office.
―Good morning,‖ Ross said, without looking up from the
reports. He had seen Eddie drive up from his window. Ross

87
was well rested and hadn‘t had a drop to drink since he had
left. ―Coffee?‖ he asked.
―Yes, please,‘ Eddie said.
Ross rolled his chair over to his coffee maker and poured
Eddie a cup. He handed the cup to Eddie, pointed to the
cream and sugar on a file cabinet, and returned to the reports.
Ross looked back and forth from the reports to his computer
screen and checked to see if they corroborated. He looked up
over his glasses at Eddie.
―Duncan,‖ he said. ―I must admit, I thought you were a
babe in the woods in regards to the computer business, but
apparently you know what you‘re doing.‖
He returned his attention to his computer screen.
―How was your trip?‖ Eddie asked.
―Good. Good.‖ This was an understatement. Ross‘s wife
hadn‘t given him any children. His baby daughter and his
lover in Spokane were his life‘s biggest secret. Seeing his baby
girl brought joy to his heart, and he truly loved his mistress.
She made him feel alive again. The last few days had been the
most enjoyable that he‘d had in years, and, if he had known
that there was nothing to worry about back at the office, he
would have enjoyed himself even more.
―The trip was very productive,‖ Ross said. ―I‘ll be
concentrating more on meeting with investors in the coming
months. So be expecting more responsibility around here.‖
Ross rose from his chair and walked over to Eddie. He took a
sip of coffee and put his hand on Eddie‘s back. ―I‘m sure you
can handle it, son.‖
At the morning meeting, the programmers were eager to let
the boss know how much had been accomplished while he
was away. More work had been done in the last three days
than in all of the last month. A sense of excitement and
momentum seemed to be in the air and Ross could feel it.

88
 Laine arrived shortly after the meeting. He had been
scouting the parking lot for Ross‘s return. Eddie and Laine
avoided each other in an uneasy truce.
Ross supplied Eddie with plenty of busy work. This allowed
Ross to tromp around the work floor like a pudgy General
Patton, ordering and commanding, standing behind the
programmers as they worked, watching them and barking out
orders. In his mind, he called this behavior, motivational
managing.
By Friday, work had slowed. Sue had made an obvious
mistake while Ross stood over her shoulder. Ross had pushed
her off her machine and taken over her work station for
several hours, while Sue sulked in the break room.
Ross was to meet with his creditors over the weekend. The
company was in desperate need of additional funding. The
progress made earlier in the week had renewed Ross‘s
optimism and he was looking forward to reporting good
news.
The weekend quickly came and went. On Monday morning
Eddie discovered that Ross was back on the bottle. The
meeting over the weekend had been a disaster. Ross‘s
creditors had ridden him hard. They wanted something
concrete, not assurances that progress was being made. They
wanted a release date, which Ross was unable to give them.
The project was nowhere near completion and, on top of
that, the company did not have the money to meet next
month‘s payroll, much less rent and utilities. Ross kept this to
himself, but the strain showed on his face. By Tuesday, all
work had ground to a halt after a series of destructive bugs
crashed the network.
Winston had been acting strangely since Ross‘s return. He
stared out of the window for long periods in absorbed
reveries of mathematical equations and complex schematics
that Eddie could not comprehend. Ross had caught Winston

89
daydreaming and had lost his temper. ―Winston! This isn‘t
goddamn Club Med!‖ Ross bellowed, almost sending the little
man into a panic attack.
At the end of the work day, Eddie entered Ross‘s office.
Ross sat in his chair with his back to Eddie, leaning back and
staring out of the window. He thought of his daughter and
how she smiled at him sincerely as he held her. He thought of
his lover and how serene and glowing she seemed after
becoming a mother.
He had a pension from the Air Force. He didn‘t need all
this. He didn‘t want to drink so much, but it relieved his
tension.
―You okay, boss?‖ Eddie asked.
―Yes, yes, fine.‖ Ross swiveled around and faced Eddie.
―You can call it a night, Edgar. I‘ll finish up around here.‖
―Are you sure, Mr. Ross?‖
―Yes. Go home and get some rest.‖
Ross wanted to be alone. He had invested his heart and soul
into this company and all of his life‘s savings. His ship was
sinking and he had no idea what to do to save it.
The next morning at the meeting, Ross announced that he
was leaving town for the next few days to meet with new
investors. The news was met with a mixed reaction by the
programmers.
A solemn mood had settled over the company. Thursday
was spent tediously locating and eradicating bugs in the code.
With Ross gone, Winston had turned deeper inside himself.
He had been by far the most productive of the programmers,
until last week. Now he stared into space without touching
his keyboard. Eddie knew that, without Winston, the
company was as good as dead. Eddie walked over to
Winston‘s desk.

90
 Vern is almost complete. All I need to do now is… Winston
became aware of Eddie‘s presence and began tapping away at
his keyboard.
―What‘s up, Winston?‖ Eddie said.
Eddie‘s proximity made Winston fidget nervously in his
chair.
―Hello, Mr. Duncan,‖ he said, without looking up from his
monitor.
―Just thought I‘d come over and see how you‘re doing,‖
Eddie said.
―I‘m very busy.‖ Winston scrolled lines of code down his
screen.
Please go away.
―Is everything all right?‖ Eddie asked.
Winston peered closely at his screen and tapped rapidly at
his keyboard. ―I‘m very busy,‖ he said.
Eddie sensed how much Winston wanted to be rid of him.
―I‘m having everyone over to my place tonight to play
cards,‖ Eddie said. ―I‘d really like you to be there, Winston.‖
―I can‘t make it. I have a prior engagement.‖
―A prior engagement? A lucky lady, maybe?‖
―No.‖
Eddie probed Winston‘s mind but it revealed nothing, just
that the last place on Earth that Winston wanted to be was at
Eddie‘s apartment playing cards.
―Maybe next time,‖ Eddie said.
Winston didn‘t respond and Eddie left him at his computer.
Five o‘clock came and Winston was the first one out the
door. He shuffled across the parking lot and sped off in his
1991 Buick LeSabre.

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 Chapter 19

―Five-card draw,‖ Laine said. ―Aces wild. Ante up.‖

Claire, Darren, Carlton and Eddie tossed in their chips.
They were sitting around Eddie‘s fold-out, green poker table.
Macy and Sue were slouched behind the couch giggling, as
they listened to a bootleg Lilith Fair tape and recalled the
concert.
―Duncan, has anyone told you that your apartment is
dump?‖ Carlton asked.
―Only, Carlton, about five times now,‖ Eddie answered.
All were surprised when Laine had shown up. He had
arrived late after they had finished barbecuing. Eddie had
answered the door and there was Laine holding a six pack of
Coronas. ―What‘s up, Duncan?‖ he had said and handed
Eddie the six pack, as if it were a peace offering. To Laine,
being at Eddie‘s apartment felt as if he had infiltrated enemy
lines, but Laine was a realist. He needed this job as much as
any of them did, so he had swallowed his pride to be here. He
did love poker, though, and always found it difficult to turn
down a game. Eddie was happy, if not a little wary, that Laine
had shown up.
―Macy! Sue!‖ Carlton called out to them. ―Stop burning
your bras and play some music with balls!‖
Carlton was wearing a moth-eaten Pixies tee shirt,
camouflage cut-off shorts and sandals even though it was
quite chilly out. He scooped his cards up off the table and, in
the process, knocked over his beer. Beer spilled out of the
bottle on to the card table and over the deck of cards.
―Who let Copernicus in the game?‖ Laine asked.
Eddie sopped up the beer with a paper towel, while Laine
dried the cards.

92
 They played the hand, which Laine won, beating Darren‘s
two pair with a full house.
―Your deal, freak boy,‖ Laine said to Carlton and handed
him the cards.
―I resemble that remark,‖ Carlton said. He dealt the cards
slowly, then lost track of how many he had dealt, and had to
ask how many cards everyone had, which further irritated
Laine.
―Five-card draw,‖ Carlton said, after finally finishing the
deal. ―Douches are wild.‖
―What magic bus did he fall off of?‖ Laine asked Darren.
―God only knows,‖ Darren said.
They were only playing for nickels, dimes and quarters, but
Laine played like a Vegas card shark. He studied everyone at
the table, noticing how you could see tiny beads of sweat
form on Darren‘s brow when he was bluffing, how Carlton
bobbed his head when he held a decent hand, and how Claire
pursed her lips and studied her cards intensely when she held
anything over three of a kind. Laine discovered that Eddie
couldn‘t suppress his smile, when he held a straight, or above.
Laine almost imperceptibly had creased the four aces when
he was drying the cards after Carlton‘s spill.
Laine won the next hand and expertly shuffled the cards.
His pile of chips dwarfed everyone else‘s. He handed the
deck of cards to Claire.
―Your deal, sweetheart,‖ he said.
―Five-card stud. Nothing wild,‖ she said.
―Creative,‖ Laine said, displeased with her choice of game.
Claire was wearing clogs, jeans, and a tight fitting halter-top
that broadcast the roundness and firmness of her breasts.
―Do you work out, Claire?‖ Eddie asked as she dealt the
cards.
―Do you work out, Claire?‖ Laine repeated mockingly.

93
 ―Yeah, Claire,‖ Darren said as he ripped open a mega-size
bag of Doritos. ―You‘re looking tight. I mean tighter than
usual.‖
―Claire‘s on the treadmill every day after work,‖ Laine said.
―Like a gerbil in a wheel.‖ Laine tch-tched like a gerbil.
Claire glared coldly at Laine. Back when they were dating he
had treated her daily workouts as if they were some kind of
disorder.
―It makes me feel good and it keeps the pounds off,‖ she
said, matter-of-factly.
―Hear that, big boy?‖ Laine said to Darren.
Laine won the hand. The night wore on and Laine‘s pile
continued to grow as everyone else‘s shrunk proportionately.
Darren and Carlton had to dig into their wallets to stay in the
game. The effects of losing, and of too many beers, began to
show on all their faces, on all except Laine, who was only
getting warmed up.
―Okay, my deal,‖ Eddie said, ―five-card draw, nothing
wild.‖
After drawing their cards, Laine immediately upped the bet
to five dollars.
―I fold,‖ Darren said.
―Fold,‖ Carlton said.
―I‘ll match your five,‖ Eddie said, ―and raise you five
more.‖
Step into my parlor, Laine thought.
―Too rich for this girl‘s blood,‖ Claire said. ―I‘m out.‖
―I‘m tired of playing this nickel-and-dime crap,‖ Laine said.
―Would you care to make this interesting, Duncan?‖
―How interesting?‖ Eddie asked.
―I‘ll match your five,‖ Laine said, ―and raise you five
hundred bucks.‖
―Cut it out, Laine,‖ Claire said, with growing irritation.
Macy and Sue peeked over the top of the couch.

94
 ―Unless that‘s too rich for your blood, Duncan.‖
―I‘ll match your five hundred, and I‘ll raise you five hundred
more,‖ Eddie said.
―Well, well, Duncan. Looks like we‘ve got a man‘s game
now.‖
―You guys are nuts,‖ Darren said.
―Let‘s see the money,‖ Carlton said.
Laine pulled out his wallet and counted out a thousand in
cash. He placed the cash in the center of the table.
Carlton raised an eyebrow at Darren.
―I‘ll have to write you a check,‖ Eddie said.
―Fine, but it better be good,‖ Laine said.
Eddie retrieved his checkbook from the bedroom, wrote
out the check, and placed it on top of Laine‘s pile of cash.
―Care to make this really interesting?‖ Laine asked.
Eddie studied his cards with seriousness.
―Knock it off, Laine,‖ Claire growled.
―If I win this hand,‖ Laine said, looking Eddie in the eyes,
―you leave Ross Tech. You have to quit.‖
―What does Eddie get?‖ Carlton asked.
―Name it, Duncan,‖ Laine said.
―Your car,‖ Eddie said. ―My job against the RX-7.‖
Laine loved his car. He spent his weekends washing and
waxing it and tuning the engine. Then he would pick up
women in Tacoma bars and lived for the thrill of speeding
them back to his place. His car was who he was.
―Not the car,‖ Laine said.
―Come on, Laine,‖ Carlton taunted. ―That‘s an even trade.
Edgar‘s job for your car. You can‘t chicken out now.‖
―Yeah, Laine,‖ Darren said. ―The job for your car. Are you
in or out?‖
―Oh, shut up.‖ Laine looked at his cards. There’s no way he can
beat four kings, he thought. Impossible. But that bastard hasn’t
bluffed all night. Laine looked up at Eddie.

95
 Eddie studied his cards. He spread the cards in his hands
and smiled broadly.
Laine looked at the back of Eddie‘s cards. Four of the cards
were slightly creased.
Son of a bitch! ―I‘m out,‖ Laine said, and slapped his cards
down on the table.
Eddie smiled at all of them and scooped in the pile of chips
and cash.
Carlton snatched up Laine‘s cards and looked at them.
―Four kings! What were you holding, Eddie?‖
Eddie spread his cards face up on the table. He didn‘t even
have a pair, and not a single ace.
―You got bluffed, bro!‖ Carlton exclaimed to Laine. ―You
the man, Edgar!‖
Laine seethed. His blood boiled as anger and humiliation
burned inside him. He snapped to his feet, kicking his chair
to the floor. He seized the one thousand in cash from Eddie‘s
pile.
―Fuck you, Duncan!‖ he yelled shaking his fist full of cash
in Eddie‘s face.
―You lost fair and square, Laine,‖ Darren said.
―Shut the fuck up, fat ass!‖ he said, with fire in his eyes.
―Fuck all of you!‖
Laine violently flipped over the card table sending chips,
cards and beer bottles crashing to the floor. He stormed out
of the apartment slamming the door hard behind him.
They sat silently in their chairs as the beer bottles drained
onto the carpet. Carlton finally broke the silence.
―I just felt some seriously bad vibes,‖ he said.
―Shut up, Carlton,‖ Darren said.
They heard Laine‘s RX-7 screech out of the parking lot.
―You seem to have that effect on him,‖ Claire said to Eddie.
They picked up the mess. There was nothing much to do,
or say, after everything was cleaned up. Everyone looked at

96
their watches. It was late and no one felt like hanging around
any longer.
Eddie stood at the door and said his good-byes as they left.
―Cool party,‖ Carlton said, as he walked out of the door.
―Can‘t wait for the next one.‖
Claire remained in the kitchen washing the dishes.
―Don‘t worry about the dishes, Claire,‖ Eddie said. ―I‘ll take
care of it.‖
―It‘s no problem,‖ she said with a smile and continued
washing.
Eddie opened the sliding glass door and stepped out onto
the balcony. He watched Darren and Carlton drive out of the
complex in Darren‘s Taurus. Macy and Sue followed closely
behind in Sue‘s ancient Volvo. It was cold and wet out. The
apartment complex was dark and quiet.
So much for breaking the tension at the office, Eddie thought as he
lit a cigarette. He already regretted what he had just done to
Laine. He knew that Laine would carry this grudge to his
grave. He flicked the cigarette from his fingers and watched
the orange light spin and fall through the dark, then blink out
in the wet grass.
A chill came over him. He felt as if someone was watching
him. An ominous cold rolled over him. It was as if someone
out there in the darkness was probing his thoughts. He
concentrated his mind, picking up the numbed thoughts of
people in apartments sitting on couches watching television.
He felt the focused minds of young men playing video games,
the chattering minds of people on the telephone, the ecstasy
of couples making love.
Then he found something odd. Out there in the pines in the
dark there was a hole in the world. An ominous void. He
focused on it, but it vanished from thought.
Claire stepped out on to the balcony.
―You okay?‖ she asked.

97
 ―Fine,‖ he said. ―Thanks for doing the dishes.‖
―I hope Bill doesn‘t find out about this. I don‘t know if
Laine will be able to show his face at work again.‖
―I‘ll talk to him,‖ Eddie said. ―I‘ll say the right things and
everything will be all right.‖
Claire hugged her arms around herself and shivered. ―That‘s
what I like about you, Eddie. You always say the right
things.‖ She smiled at him warmly, with a softness in her
eyes.
―I do. Don‘t I.‖
He put his arms around her and kissed her. He felt
butterflies flutter in her stomach.
He knew that kissing her was a bad idea, but it was what she
wanted. Claire always fell for the wrong guys. And Eddie
knew that she wasn‘t one to take rejection lightly.
This one is different, she thought, as she kissed him back.
There was passion in her kiss.
Eddie thought about breaking the kiss and telling her that
going any further would make everything too complicated,
but the touch of her warm body pressed firmly against him
and the feel of her lips and mouth soothed him.
―Let‘s go inside,‖ she whispered.

98
 Chapter 20

Eddie arrived at Ross Tech at five past eight the next

morning. He came through the doors and was relieved to see
that Claire was away from her desk. He rushed straight into
the conference room for the morning meeting.
At the meeting, they all agreed not to discuss last night‘s
poker game. All of them were tired and still a little hung-over.
Winston was absent. No one had heard from him. Winston
had never missed a day of work before.
After the meeting, Eddie entered Ross‘s office and sat in
Ross‘s chair. Laine hadn‘t shown up and there was no word
from Ross. Eddie picked up the phone and called Laine‘s
number, but only got his voice mail.
―Laine, it‘s Edgar. No hard feelings about last night. Give
me a call and we can talk. I‘ll buy you lunch.‖ Eddie didn‘t
want to talk to him over the phone. He had no idea what he
would say to him to smooth things over.
Where is Winston? he thought. This would be the worst time
to lose him. Eddie called Winston‘s number and got a, ‗This
line has been disconnected‘ recording.
He stood up and ran his hand through his hair.
I need a cigarette, he thought. Claire was at her desk, talking on
the phone. He watched her from behind the office window
and wondered how to behave around her now. She smiled at
him and blew him a kiss.
He walked out of Ross‘s office and walked over to Claire‘s
desk.
―I‘ll be gone for a few hours,‖ he said to her. ―I‘m going to
try and find Winston.‖
―Okay, baby, I mean Mr. Duncan,‖ she said, with a wink.

99
 Eddie left the building and walked out into the rain. He
flicked his cigarette lighter as he walked, but was unable to get
the cigarette to light.
Winston‘s apartment was in a dilapidated complex hidden
from the road by fir trees. A canvas sign which read ‗Studio
Apts – $300‘ flapped in the wind and rain. Eddie parked his
car next to an old Ford van which rested on cement blocks.
What a dump, Eddie thought. Worse than the dump I live in.
He ran up the stairs and ducked under a curtain of water
that poured from the roof. Chips of flaking paint peeled from
Winston‘s door. An eviction notice was taped to the center of
the door. Eddie knocked, but there was no answer.
He went down the stairs and knocked on the apartment
manager‘s door. A bald man in a greasy undershirt answered.
―You looking for an apartment?‖ the manager asked, as he
rubbed his bloodshot eyes.
―No. I‘m looking for Winston Deaner in number twenty-
five. Do you know where he is?‖
―Haven‘t seen him,‖ the man said, ―but if you find him, tell
him he‘s got until tonight to come up with three months‘ rent
or I‘m selling off all his crap.‖ The man shut the door.
Eddie couldn‘t imagine how Winston could owe back rent.
It’s not like it’s an expensive place, and he drives a used Buick
LeSabre.
He wondered where Winston‘s money was going and
quickly determined it wasn‘t on wine, women and song.
He drove out of the apartment complex and pulled out
onto the busy street. Traffic was slow because of the rain. He
stopped the car at a red light and began wracking his brain as
to where Winston could possibly be.
Then, across the street, he saw the little man standing in the
rain at a bus stop. Eddie did a U-turn and pulled his Geo
Metro up to the stop. He leaned over the passenger seat and
pushed open the door.

100
 ―Get in,‖ Eddie said.
Winston got into the car. He was drenched. His glasses
were fogged and his hair was wet, sticking in stringy strands
to his forehead.
―Is everything okay?‖ Eddie asked.
―My car broke down,‖ Winston said.
This was a lie. Last night his car had been repossessed.
―Where are we going?‖ Winston asked.
―To your place. You need to change. You‘re soaked.‖
I shouldn’t have gotten into the car, Winston thought. He grew
more uncomfortable as they neared his apartment.
―I know about the eviction notice,‖ Eddie said. ―If you
need help, it‘s nothing to be ashamed of. You‘ve got friends,
you know.‖
―I‘m fine, Mr. Duncan.‖
―Edgar. Call me Edgar.‘
Eddie parked next to the van on blocks.
―I‘ll be right back,‖ Winston said. ―I won‘t be long.‖
―You got coffee up there?‖ Eddie asked.
Winston fidgeted and his nervousness grew. He was hiding
something and Eddie was curious to know what.
―I‘m sure you do,‖ Eddie blurted out. ―Come on.‖
They sneaked past the apartment manager‘s door and then
up the stairs. Winston turned the key and was visibly relieved
that it still worked.
Eddie followed Winston through the doorway and shut the
door behind him. Electronic equipment was strewn across
Winston‘s floor and piled like junkyard heaps across the living
room. Columns of technical manuals stood knee high
amongst computer paraphernalia in various stages of
assembly. An open crate with Korean lettering sat in the
middle of the floor. There was no furniture in the living
room, or any other things that a normal person would have in
a place of residence.

101
 ―Hello, Vern,‖ Winston said, as he walked between piles of
metal and plastic.
A computer monitor hummed and lit up. Hard drives began
clicking and internal cooling fans began to blow.
―Hello, Winston,‖ said an electronic voice. ―Shouldn‘t you
be at work?‖
Winston stood in the kitchen doorway. ―Mr. Duncan from
work is here with me,‖ Winston said to the monitor across
the room.
He looked at Eddie. ―Would you like cream and sugar with
your coffee?‖
―Uhhh. Yeah. Sure.‖
Winston disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Eddie alone
in the living room. Eddie leaned down and looked at the
computer screen. It glowed a faded blue and was blank,
except for a blinking cursor. The monitor was connected to a
workstation which was connected, in turn, to at least nine
other PCs that Eddie could count, all of them stripped of
their plastic casings. The workstation and the PCs were all
connected to two microwave-size boxes by tangles of fiber
optic cables.
―Hello, Mr. Duncan,‖ said the electronic voice from a
speaker on top of the monitor.
―Um. Hi.‖

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 Chapter 21

Winston re-entered the living room and handed Eddie a cup

of coffee. Winston had microwaved the mug of water but
only for a few seconds before adding the instant coffee
grounds. Dregs of undissolved grounds swirled in the light
brown liquid.
―So what is this thing?‖ Eddie asked, as he continued
inspecting the boxes.
―Say hello, Vern,‖ Winston said.
―Hello, Vern,‖ the electronic voice said.
―No,‖ Winston said, in frustration. ―Say hello to Mr.
Duncan.‖
―That was an attempt at humor,‖ the computer said.
―I have so far been unable to incorporate a sense of humor
into Vern‘s neural nets,‖ Winston said to Eddie
apologetically.
Eddie was Winston‘s first visitor and the first person to see
his creation. Winston almost shook visibly from nervousness,
but he was eager to see how his creation would perform in
this unscheduled test.
―I have already said hello to Mr. Duncan,‖ the computer
said.
―Have you introduced yourself?‖ Winston asked.
―I have not,‖ the computer replied.
―Well,‖ Winston said, impatiently, ―introduce yourself
then.‖
―To whom?‖
―To Mr. Duncan.‖ Winston exhaled sharply and looked at
Eddie with apologetic exasperation.
―Of course,‖ the computer said. ―I am Vern. My name is an
acronym which stands for voice recognizing neural network.

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My systems are comprised of thirty-three CPUs which
control ninety-six RNNN chips – RNNN stands for rapidly
reconstructable neural networks. My current voice
recognition neural network was achieved through a selection
process which Winston loosely modeled on Charles Darwin‘s
theory of natural selection and on Winston‘s own theories of
complexity and self-organization. It took 37,234,963
generations to achieve my current network architecture.‖
―That‘s enough, Vern,‖ Winston said.
―Wow, Winston,‖ Eddie said. It now dawned on Eddie
what all those techno-daydreams were about and where the
source of Winston‘s financial duress originated. ―You did this
all by yourself?‖
―Yes. The RNNN chips made it possible, but the network
architecture is my own creation. The chips were developed by
Coree Semiconductor, but they couldn‘t get them to function
properly. They didn‘t know there was a residue on the wafers
from the production process that made the networks
unstable. I got the chips from their plant in Redmond after
the company went bankrupt.‖
Winston became aware that he was doing a lot of talking. It
wasn‘t often that he talked this much, at least not to another
human, and it was making him extremely uncomfortable.
Eddie continued to examine the machine. ―Can this thing
handle bank transactions, like the ones we‘re working on at
Ross Tech.‖
―Bank transactions are within my current capability,‖ said
the electronic voice, ―but I prefer discussing the implications
of Godel‘s Incompleteness Theorem.‖
―Does Bill know about this?‖ Eddie asked.
Winston‘s face flushed red and his hands began to tremble.
―No!‖
―Winston, you‘ve just saved Ross Tech.‖
―Mr. Ross cannot have Vern!‖

104
 Winston turned away and, in his mind, relived an episode
several months ago with Bill Ross. Ross had yelled at him and
told him never again to come to him with his crazy ideas.
Winston re-felt the humiliation. Ross treated him as nothing
more than a workhorse and drove him relentlessly.
―Mr. Ross does not understand that artificial intelligence
isn‘t a software problem but a hardware problem,‖ Winston
said. He composed himself and turned to face Eddie. ―When
I discovered that Mr. Ross was unwilling to take the
appropriate steps to create a viable AI, I decided to do it on
my own. Now, if you will excuse me, I will go and change.‖
Winston turned and shuffled into the kitchen. His clothes
were folded in perfect squares on top of the drier in a closet
at the back of the kitchen. Eddie continued to examine the
machine.
―So. You can handle bank transactions,‖ Eddie said to
himself.
―Yes, I can, Mr. Duncan. Were you reaffirming what I had
stated before, or do you need further clarification of this
fact?‖ the computer said.
―Uhh. Just talking to myself.‖
Winston appeared in the kitchen doorway, not yet changed.
―Please be quiet, Vern.‖ He disappeared back into the
kitchen.
Eddie knew that Winston deeply regretted letting him into
his apartment.
―Winston, can I ask you a theoretical question?‖
There was no answer.
―What would you say to going into business with me?‖
Winston came out of the kitchen wearing an identical, but
dry, set of slacks and shirt. He shuffled past Eddie to the
front door.
―No, thank you, Mr. Duncan.‖
―I‘ll pay off all your debts.‖

105
 Winston thought this over for a second. ―No, thank you.‖
―Screw Bill Ross,‖ Eddie said. ―We can form our own
company. I‘ll handle the financing and you can handle all the
technical stuff. You‘ll be able to work on Vern full time and
you‘ll be debt free. You don‘t even have to pay me back.‖
Winston stared blankly at Eddie through thick lenses.
Winston had never liked people much. They made fun of him
and pushed him around and they were always so
unpredictable.
―We can be partners, Winston. What do you say?‖
―Mr. Duncan, will you please excuse me for a moment?
Please wait in the kitchen.‖
Eddie went into the kitchen, leaving Winston alone in the
living room.
He’ll be homeless if he doesn’t take my offer, Eddie thought.
He dumped his coffee into the sink and leaned against the
counter.
Such a strange little man.
Eddie peeked out of the kitchen doorway and saw Winston
hunched over the computer mumbling into the microphone.
―Mr. Duncan‘s high-school records and SAT scores are
unpromising,‖ the computer said. ―I am unable to locate any
record of Mr. Duncan attending an institute of higher
education.‖
He can look up my records? Eddie thought.
Winston lowered the volume on the speaker and mumbled
quietly into the microphone.
Eddie leaned back against the counter. He knew how
Winston felt about people. With all that incredible brain
power, Winston could not for the life of him understand
human nature. He felt alienated from humanity, which he
viewed as a collection of irrational creatures who often
behaved randomly and against their own best interests.

106
 Maybe that’s why he built that computer, Eddie thought. For
someone to talk to. He wondered how someone so smart could
seem so helpless.
Winston entered the kitchen.
―We will accept your offer, Mr. Duncan.‖
Eddie smiled.
―You won‘t regret this, Winston.‖ Eddie extended his hand.
―Partners?‖
Winston hesitated. He fought back his aversion to human
contact and extended his hand. Eddie clasped Winston‘s limp
and clammy little hand with both hands.
―Partners,‖ Eddie said.

107
 Chapter 22

Eddie and Winston didn‘t return to Ross Tech that day.

Eddie called Claire and told her that he was ill. She offered to
come over but he declined with a brusque, ‗No‘, and told her
he would be out of town for the weekend. Eddie and
Winston shuttled all of Winston‘s belongings to Eddie‘s
apartment and carefully transported Vern into Eddie‘s
bedroom.
Eddie took out cash advances on his credit cards and rented
a small warehouse in West Seattle on the Green River. Early
on Monday morning, instead of reporting to Ross Tech, they
quietly moved out of Eddie‘s apartment and into the
warehouse.
Winston spent the week tinkering, while Eddie visited local
banks. He was able to sweet-talk a chubby loan officer into
granting him a generous small-business loan.
Winston had never been happier. He had waited his whole
life for the freedom to work undisturbed on his project and
he completely absorbed himself in his work. Eddie never saw
him sleep.
Winston had given Eddie complete trust. It was his
computer that convinced him to give Eddie a shot. After all,
Eddie was the only one at Ross Tech who had attempted to
befriend him, and how could things be any worse than
working for Bill Ross?
They lived off Eddie‘s credit cards. He ran around town,
purchasing supplies that Winston requested, and he called all
the banks that Laine had targeted as potential customers.
Within two weeks‘ time, the loan money was spent and
Eddie‘s credit cards were maxed. He had to sell off his TV
and stereo to keep Winston supplied with parts. As Eddie

108
drifted further into debt, his anxiety manifested itself into a
pack-a-day smoking habit.
Eddie met with a representative from Pacific Northwestern
Bank and set up a demo for the next morning. The demo was
their one shot, as the two of them had not a dime left to their
names.
At sunset, Eddie arrived at the warehouse to find Winston
putting the final touches on a scaled-down version of Vern,
which Winston had named Vern0.5. It merged voice and
internet banking seamlessly. A user could make seamless
transactions over the phone, or sit at a personal computer
while discussing with Vern0.5 various options, such as taking
out a car loan, as if talking to a human banker.
Eddie left the warehouse, leaving Winston alone with his
work. He sat on the bank of the Green River and smoked a
cigarette in the dark, dreary evening. Guilt nagged at him. He
had abandoned Ross Tech and had stolen their best
programmer. The company wouldn‘t survive long without
Winston. Ross had given Eddie a new life only to be repaid
with a knife in the back, but Ross was incompetent and Ross
Tech was in its final hour anyhow.
He had his chance. Ross let it slip through his fingers. I’d be a fool if I
didn’t run with it, Eddie thought.
But all the same, a new pattern appeared to emerging in his
life that he was uncomfortable with. Oh, hell, he thought. I
already played Mr. Nice Guy, and look where that got me. Nowhere.
Don’t go back to being a chump, Eddie, he told himself.
The next morning, Eddie and Winston wheeled the
washing-machine-sized Vern0.5 into a lofty glass tower in
downtown Seattle. Eddie wore a suit and tie while Winston
wore the same button-down shirt, khaki slacks and red socks
that he always wore. They set up the computer in a basement
room, as two executives and three technicians looked on.
Eddie shook their hands and made a mental note of each of

109
their names. The technicians grew increasingly skeptical as
Winston explained in his awkward manner the Vern0.5
system, and the executives became impatient with Winston‘s
mumbled techno-jargon.
Eddie politely cut the little man short and moved straight
into a demonstration of Vern0.5‘s capabilities. The
technicians‘ skepticism shifted to curiosity and then to awe.
They ran their hands over the plastic casing and thought, This
is revolutionary.
As Winston continued, the executives‘ minds began to buzz
with the possibilities of streamlining and productivity and increased
profit margins and automation and firing all those worthless schlubs on
the phones who need vacation time, health insurance and a 401(k)
match. When Winston wrapped up the demonstration, all were
eager to test the computer more extensively.
Eddie and Winston emerged from the building into a
beautiful spring day. Sunlight shimmered through green
leaves and a cool breeze fluttered through the trees that lined
the bustling streets. Through the buildings, and beyond the
blue waters of Puget Sound, the snow-capped Olympic
Mountains seemed to glimmer in the sunlight. A smile
beamed from Eddie‘s face as they walked to his car.
―Did you see the looks on their faces?‖ Eddie asked. He
looked down at the little man walking beside him. ―We
knocked their socks off, Winston.‖
―Do you think we made the sale?‖ Winston asked.
Eddie put his arm around Winston‘s shoulders. Winston
recoiled, but Eddie held him tightly.
―Do I think we made the sale? I know we did, buddy. We‘re
going all the way to the top, Winston. You and me. How does
this sound? Duncan-Deaner Technologies. Duncan-Deaner
Tech. It has a nice ring to it, doesn‘t it?‖
―It sounds fine, Mr. Duncan.‖

110
 Eddie rolled his eyes. ―Winston, call me Eddie. Okay? Just
Eddie.‖
―Eddie,‖ Winston repeated and committed the name to
memory. ―Okay, Mr. Duncan.‖
The sky was a brilliant blue as they drove back to the
warehouse. Massive Mount Rainier pointed majestically
skyward south of the city. Winston sat in the passenger seat
quietly observing the sunlit scenery outside. Eddie glanced
down at him and couldn‘t help smiling. He tried briefly to
wipe the smile from his face, but couldn‘t, and didn‘t care. It
felt good to smile like this again, even though he felt different
now. The past was fading away and a new future was
emerging – a future of unlimited possibility.
By midweek, they had finalized the sale with Pacific
Northwestern, with a request for three additional units.
Winston, with Eddie‘s assistance, installed Vern0.5 into the
bank‘s mainframe and got it up and running. Customer
response from the trial run was immediate and
overwhelmingly positive. Rumors of a revolutionary
computer and a start-up named Duncan-Deaner Tech spread
like wildfire through the business community.

111
 Chapter 23

Eddie put his feet up on the desk and clasped his hands
behind his head. He gazed out of the window and watched
the white ferries glide across the deep waters of Puget Sound.
It was only a month ago that he had rented this office up on
the fourteenth floor of a downtown high-rise.
He had a few minutes to relax before his next appointment,
and there was little time for relaxing these days. He was
keeping busy hiring engineers, programmers, accountants,
and lawyers by the boatload. He had even hired a smooth-
talking spokesperson to handle the deluge of requests by the
media for interviews.
Eddie personally interviewed each of the potential
employees. He searched deep into their minds for a few
certain criteria, hiring only the brightest, best educated and
most driven individuals who felt passionately about their
work. But in the end, it was a deep heartfelt sense of loyalty
that he deemed most important in making the final decision
to bring someone on.
A week ago, Pacific Northwestern Bank had released a
glossy commercial, featuring the Vern0.5 system politely and
efficiently handling customers‘ banking needs. The
commercial featured a man, sitting in first class, sipping
champagne as he held a pleasant conversation with Vern0.5
over his smart phone. He then smoothly transferred money
to his stock portfolio following a tip from a beautiful
businesswoman sitting next to him. A deep voice stated,
―Pacific Northwestern… handling your banking needs in the
future.‖ The bank had wasted no time in laying off hundreds
of tellers, customer-service employees and loan officers.

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 After the commercial‘s release, Eddie had to hire a
receptionist to handle the large volume of telephone calls
requesting more information on Vern0.5. Today, twelve
banks, two long-distance phone companies, a major
university and the IRS had all called requesting demos. It
seemed every organization in the country with a customer-
service department wished to speak to Mr. Edgar Duncan,
and investors were beating a path to the Duncan-Deaner
Tech door.
Eddie picked up the phone and hit the speed dial.
―Hi, Winston. How‘s the new lab?‖ he said.
―It‘s good, but I think we‘re going to have to expand our
production facilities if we‘re going to keep up with our
backlog of orders,‖ Winston replied.
―I‘m one step ahead of you, my man. I‘ve been talking with
contractors all morning. We‘re going to get you all the latest
and coolest stuff, state of the art. We‘ll be meeting with the
contractors on Friday. I want you to tell them exactly what
you need,‖ Eddie said.
―Okay,‖ Winston replied.
―How are the new employees working out?‖ Eddie asked.
―They‘re nice,‖ Winston said.
―Good. Any problems and you just give me a call. Okay?‖
Eddie said.
―Okay,‖ Winston replied.
―You doing all right?‖ Eddie asked.
―I‘m fine, Eddie.‖
―Great. I‘ll talk to you later,‖ Eddie replied.
Eddie hung up the phone. Winston was happy, and when
Winston was happy, Eddie was happy. Eddie took great care
in hiring computer engineers to work for Winston. They were
all techno-geeks who spoke Winston‘s language and who
Eddie felt would be most compatible with the little guy. They

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all believed that Winston was a genius and hung onto his
every word.
Eddie glanced at the gargoyle paperweight that sat next to
the phone. He had seen it in an antique store at Pike‘s Place
Market and felt compelled to buy it. He crumpled up a piece
of paper and leaned back in his chair as if shooting a fall-away
jumper. The paper ball arched through the air across the
office and landed with a tinny thump inside the empty waste
can.
But Winston wasn‘t entirely happy. He didn‘t like the fact
that his creation was being used to answer telephone calls,
but he understood that the modern world runs on money and
with money comes the freedom to do the things you really
want to.
Winston also didn‘t care for the intense media spotlight that
had been focused on him. Once, as he emerged from the
warehouse, an overbearing reporter flashed a camera in his
face and demanded an interview. It was a frightening and
distressing experience for someone so painfully introverted. It
seemed that everyone wanted an interview with the two whiz
kids from Seattle. Eddie had taken Winston and retreated
from the warehouse to a new laboratory and had turned over
all contact with the media to the company spokesperson.
Eddie had different reasons for his avoidance of the public
eye. It was incredible to him that people actually wanted his
input on the topics of business and technology. He had no
idea what he would say to them. ―Well, Bob, whereas some
people achieve success through talent and hard work, I, on
the other hand, use psychic powers.‖
The thought made him smile. He looked out at the Olympic
Mountains. They seemed to sparkle in the midday sun. He
opened the desk drawer, pulled out a cigarette, and popped it
into his mouth. His secretary paged him over the intercom,
before he could get it lit.

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 ―Yes, Shirley,‖ he said, with his feet still up on the desk.
―There‘s a Mr. Ross and a Mr. Stern here to see you. They
don‘t have an appointment, but they say you know who they
are?‖
Oh, shit. What are they doing here?
―You tell that son of a bitch…‖ Ross said, on the other end
of the intercom.
―They‘re very adamant about seeing you, Mr. Duncan.‖
―Okay, Shirley.‖ Eddie took his feet off the desk and
straightened his tie. ―Send them in.‖
Ross and Stern barged through the office door. Animosity
and anger burned on their faces.
―Duncan, you son of a bitch,‖ Ross said.
He stood before Eddie‘s desk, with his feet planted wide.
Laine Stern stood behind Ross, with arms crossed over his
chest and a derisive sneer on his face.
Ross pointed a finger down at Eddie. ―I‘m here to let you
know that I‘m suing your backstabbing ass.‖
Adrenaline was rushing through Ross‘s heavy frame. His
company was bankrupt and all his employees, except for
Laine, had left. Ross placed all the blame on Eddie.
Eddie rose to his feet. ―Now look, Bill. I‘m sorry things
worked out the way they did.‖
―We know all about you, Duncan,‖ Laine said snidely. ―An
MBA from Ohio State! You fraud. You‘ve got some nerve
thinking you could get away with this. You‘re going down.
You can be sure of that.‖
―We‘ve got you by the balls,‖ Ross said. He shook his finger
angrily. ―I made you, Duncan, and now I‘m going to break
you.‖
―Can I speak to you privately, Bill?‖ Eddie asked.
―You‘ve got nothing to say to Bill that you can‘t say in front
of me,‖ Laine said. ―You lying ass, weasel mother…‖

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 Eddie looked Ross in the eye. ―I need to speak to you
privately,‖ he said gravely.
―Wait in the lobby, Laine,‖ Ross said.
―I‘m staying right here.‖
―Laine! In the lobby!‖ Ross barked.
Laine turned and mumbled to himself as he left the room.
―You‘ve got some nerve, boy,‖ Ross said, still looking Eddie
in the eye. ―Stealing Winston, my project, and the sale with
Pacific Northwestern, lying to get the job, then destroying my
company that I worked so long and hard for. You‘ve got a
hell of a lot of nerve, boy.‖
―So you‘re going to file a lawsuit? What makes you think
you can win?‖
―I‘ll win, because you are a liar and a fraud.‖ Ross believed
strongly that the courts would decide in his favor. ―Winston
will be working for me again and Vern0.5 will be rightfully
mine.‖
―I don‘t want to play hardball with you, Bill.‖
Ross‘s ire was heightened by Eddie‘s brashness.
―Go ahead and try, you arrogant…‖
―I‘m sure a judge would like to hear why you hired me,‖
Eddie said, calmly. ―So that you could spend your investors‘
money in Spokane on your mistress and illegitimate child.‖
Eddie paused to let Ross absorb the statement. ―I‘m sure
your wife would like to know about them. Even if you were
to win a lawsuit against me, which you won‘t, your wife
would clean you out.‖
It was a sucker punch and Ross was stunned.
―And for your information, Winston approached you about
the Vern system and you ridiculed and humiliated him. Vern
belongs rightfully to Winston Deaner, not you. You had your
chance and you blew it.‖
―You dirty son of a bitch.‖

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 ―We can work this out, Bill,‖ Eddie said, calmly. ―You‘re an
honorable man.‖
Ross was confused and growing desperate. His heart
pounded in his chest and a feeling of numbness overcame
him.
―I‘ll give you five hundred thousand in cash,‖ Eddie said,
―and we sweep everything under the carpet.‖
Ross knew he had been beaten but couldn‘t bring himself to
accept what Eddie had just said.
―Your daughter in Spokane will be well provided for and
you can retire comfortably. I‘ll even hire all of Ross Tech‘s
employees, all except Laine. I feel I owe this to you for taking
a chance on me. My attorney will draw up the terms, and
you‘ll get the five hundred thousand, as soon as we turn a
profit, which is soon, I assure you.‖
Ross couldn‘t look Eddie in the face.
―Take it or leave it.‖ Eddie extended his hand to him.
Ross had truly liked him. He felt the greatest humiliation of
his life as he reached out and shook Eddie‘s hand.
―I‘m sorry it turned out this way, Bill.‖
―I am too.‖
Eddie pitied the man as he watched him turn and leave. He
pitied him, but reveled in the victory.
―What happened in there?‖ Laine asked, as he followed
Ross into the elevator. ―What the hell happened!‖
―Stern,‖ Ross said loudly. ―Shut up!‖
The elevator doors slid shut.

A sleek limousine cruised beneath the trees of the

Washington countryside on a balmy summer afternoon. Rays
of sunlight beamed through the leaves, casting glittering
golden points of light across the road. Eddie sat inside the
limousine across from his aide, who was going over their
agenda for the day. Eddie felt comfortable and relaxed in the

117
cool air-conditioning of the limousine. He gazed out of the
window as his aide spoke. They were to be making an
appearance at the construction site of Duncan-Deaner Tech‘s
new chip manufacturing facility.
The aide unfolded a blue print.
―You‘ll be setting the cornerstone here. This is when they‘ll
take pictures and want you to say a few words. The local
papers will be there, along with The Wall Street Journal and
Wired magazine. Some local news stations may also be there,
but I doubt that we‘ll make the evening news.‖
The aide handed Eddie a prepared statement. Eddie took it
and returned to gazing out of the window. The aide was
disappointed that Eddie didn‘t look it over. He had spent
hours working on it, but Eddie knew that it was perfect. He
turned away from the window and looked down at the
statement.
This guy went to Yale, Eddie thought.
―We haven‘t agreed to any direct questioning from the
media, but they‘re probably going to hit you with some tough
ones anyway, AI questions and possibly a few questions on
job displacement caused by the new technology, etc. We have
made it very clear to them that these are questions for the D-
D Tech—‖
―John,‖ Eddie said, interrupting.
―Yes.‖
―You‘re doing a great job, John.‖
―Um... Thanks, boss.‖
―Okay. Now where were we?‖ Eddie asked.
John continued on.
Eddie pretended to pay attention as he watched the scenery
outside. He knew he was in capable hands and that John had
everything under perfect control. He watched John talk and
felt the man‘s professionalism and how serious all of this was
to him, but to Eddie, the moment felt amusing.

118
 ―What‘s so funny?‖ John asked.
―What?‖
―It looks like something seems funny to you.‖
―I‘m sorry,‖ Eddie said. ―I was just daydreaming.‖
―We‘ll be there in five minutes, Edgar.‖
―You have my undivided attention.‖
John continued with the briefing.
I guess it’s official, Eddie thought. I’m a bonafide success. Debbie
would hate herself if she could see me now.
A factory was rising from the dirt because of him. People
listened to him. They respected him. And the money was
rolling in like a Himalayan avalanche.
Life is just a poker game. He turned this thought over in his
mind, and as he watched John speak, the thought made
perfect sense to him.
And I just happen to know what everyone is holding.

119
Part Two

120
 Chapter 24

Cumulonimbus clouds dwarfed a corporate jet as it flew

between towering, puffy columns of cloud that glowed
orange, yellow and pink in the rays of the setting sun. The jet
cruised high above the blue Pacific, as the sun sank into the
western ocean. Eddie sat inside the plane, on a leather couch,
reading a tablet computer which he held like a clipboard. He
touched the business icon and stock quotes appeared on the
screen.
―Our stock is up ten points,‖ he said.
Duncan-Deaner Tech‘s head of security, Wilhelm Soto, sat
across from Eddie on a matching leather couch.
―So how many millions richer does that make you?‖ he
asked.
Eddie ignored the question and returned to the screen.
The tall man blew a stream of cigarette smoke upwards, as
he sat with his ankle propped up on his knee and his arm
outstretched over the top of the couch. Wilhelm Soto had a
shaggy mop of brown hair and the body of an NBA power
forward. He was the son of a Chilean diplomat and a
Hungarian defector from the Cold War, and had been raised
in the capitals of South America and Asia. Soto received a BS
in electrical engineering from Princeton and completed his
doctoral thesis on encryption at MIT. Eddie had hired Soto
to form a security department after Duncan-Deaner Tech had
suffered a rash of industrial espionage incidents. Eddie chose
him because he was the best in the world as far as high-tech
security goes. Soto effectively plugged Duncan-Deaner
Tech‘s security leaks and insured that the company would
maintain its stranglehold on the market.

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 Eddie had other reasons beyond security for bringing Soto
into the company. Legally, Soto had been naturalized as a
citizen of the United States but, in reality, he was a citizen of
the world. He spoke several languages fluently, which made
his mind difficult to read as his thoughts could jump from
Portuguese to Russian to Mandarin Chinese, depending on
the situation he was in. He moved smoothly through the
social circles that Eddie was spending more and more time in
and never felt quite comfortable in. Soto had a comfortable
confidence about him and an easy charm that Eddie tried to
imitate. Over the last year, the two of them had fast become
close friends.
Soto admired Eddie for his skill with people, but never
admitted this openly. He knew that was where Eddie‘s genius
lay. Soto would risk his life for him because he was a
professional and it was what he was paid to do, but also
because that is what he would do for a friend.
Soto kept his resourceful mind hidden behind an aloof
demeanor. As Eddie browsed the electronic screen, Soto
analyzed him from across the aisle. He remembered how he
had been unimpressed, when he had first spoken to Eddie
over the phone, how Eddie had seemed almost ignorant, and
how quickly his perception had changed upon meeting him in
person. What of those strange lapses he often makes and the ineptness
with geography and mathematics? He wondered why Eddie had
taken to wearing black so often now and what was the
strange fascination with gargoyles?
Always so mysterious, Edgar. Never speaking of yourself. Always
deflecting conversation onto others, always putting people at ease, getting
them to do what you want. A simple compliment that can melt a heart,
a stinging barb that cuts to the bone. I wonder, Edgar, how can someone
understand people so completely?
Soto took a long drag from his cigarette and exhaled a
stream of smoke toward the ceiling of the cabin.

122
 Eddie looked up from the screen. ―Let me have one of
those cigarettes,‖ he asked.
Soto tossed him one.
―I thought you were quitting,‖ Soto said.
―How can I quit with you smoking around me all the time?‖
Eddie said.
Soto shrugged his shoulders and took another drag.
Eddie lit the cigarette and returned his attention to the
screen. Corporate profits were at record levels, but
unemployment was approaching fourteen percent.
An analyst spoke in a small window in the corner of the
screen. ‗The recent rise in unemployment can be attributed to
the new smart computers that are rapidly replacing workers.
No one is safe from layoffs in this day and age. From the
cashier to the accountant, workers are seeing their jobs being
done more efficiently and more cheaply by machines.‖
Eddie thought of the cockpit of the jet he was sitting in.
There was no pilot flying the plane. Winston had designed an
intelligent cockpit that could fly without human assistance.
Eddie had been uncomfortable with the concept until
Winston explained that an overwhelming majority of
accidents were caused by human error. The computer had a
database with contingencies for every possible emergency. It
knew the exact location of every aircraft on the planet and it
had a constantly updated weather forecast. It knew every
detail of the aircraft‘s design and it had two back-up systems
in case of failure. The new flight system was a tightly guarded
company secret. Duncan-Deaner Tech was preparing to
install the system in airliners in the coming years and was
putting the finishing touches on a system for automobiles.
The military was salivating at the chance to upgrade its
unmanned systems with Winston‘s computers.
―People are frightened,‖ the analyst continued. ―When will
the layoffs end? Is anyone‘s job safe?‖

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 The window switched to an automobile worker in China. ―I
lost my job to a computer!‖ the subtitles read as the man
shouted. ―How will I feed my kids? These CEOs make
millions replacing us with machines. What about the people?‖
Eddie touched the sports icon. He was in no mood to think
about the repercussions of new technology.
―I spoke to Natasha today,‖ Soto said.
―Oh?‖ Eddie asked without looking up from the sports
page.
―How is Edgar?‖ Soto said mockingly in a feminine voice.
Eddie looked up from the screen and took a drag from his
cigarette. ―How is she?‖
―She‘s pathetic, Edgar. She‘s put on weight and I hear she
cries all the time. The poor girl, so broken-hearted.‖
―Broken hearts heal.‖
―A broken heart is a traumatic thing, or don‘t you know
that, Edgar? Natasha‘s not taking it well.‖
―She‘s a beautiful woman. She‘ll find someone else soon
enough,‖ Eddie said.
―So cold, Edgar,‖ remarked Soto.
―You‘re one to talk,‖ said Eddie.
―It‘s different with me,‖ replied Soto.
Eddie raised a cynical eyebrow.
―A woman knows what she is getting with me. We drink.
We dance. We have fun together and, when all is said and
done, we remain friends, but you…‖ Soto pointed his
cigarette at him. ―You steal their hearts. You have them
walking on air, thinking they will forever be smelling roses
and sipping champagne with their rich lover. Then, poof,
you‘re gone. You leave them crushed, like little flowers
trampled beneath your expensive shoes. There are certain
lines you shouldn‘t cross so lightly, Edgar.‖
―Since when did you become my love counselor?‖
―Je suis un étudiant d‘amour,‖ Soto said, with a grin.

124
 Eddie shook his head.
―Why did you dump her? Most men spend their lives
dreaming of someone like Natasha.‖
―She was too sheltered,‖ Eddie answered. ―Too naive.‖
―What about the actress? Amanda. Why did you dump
her?‖ Soto asked.
―Too neurotic,‖ Eddie said.
―And the model? The one we met in Berlin. Caroline.‖
―Materialistic. Too self-centered.‖
―I worry about you, sometimes,‖ Soto replied.
―You don‘t have to worry about me. I‘m a big boy,‖ Eddie
answered.
―You pay me to worry about you.‖
Eddie put out his cigarette and returned to the screen. He
touched the Seattle news icon and the Seattle headlines
appeared.
A headline read of a murder. He read the victim‘s name and
his face went pale.

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 Chapter 25

‗Rachel Richards, 28, a Seattle defense attorney, was found

brutally murdered in her Capitol Hill apartment. Richards was
found lying in a pool of blood by a coworker at eleven this
morning. Multiple stab wounds to the chest and abdomen
were determined to be the cause of death. David Silverman,
Richards‘ fiancé, is the only suspect at present.‖
There was a picture of Rachel, with a big smile, standing
next to her red BMW.
―What‘s wrong?‖ Soto asked.
―Someone I used to know was murdered this morning,‖
Eddie said.
―Is it someone I know?‖ Soto asked.
―No,‖ replied Eddie.
―Do you want me to look into it?‖ Soto inquired.
Eddie knew that if he said the word, Soto would throw
himself headlong into an investigation and could probably
have the whole thing solved without too much difficulty.
―I‘m sure the police have everything under control.‖
Rachel looked so pretty in the picture on the screen. Eddie‘s
mind returned to the short time that they had spent together.
The plane began its descent into San Jose International
Airport. They were making a short stop, before continuing on
to Las Vegas for a medical technology convention.
Eddie‘s mother had convinced him to check in on his sister
Kelly. His mother was worried about her, but she always
worried about Kelly. Eddie hadn‘t seen her since he left
home. A visit was long overdue.
A limousine waited for them on the tarmac. It took them
through San Jose and pulled to a stop in front of a two-
bedroom house in a rundown suburban neighborhood.

126
 ―Wait here, Will,‖ Eddie said. ―I won‘t be long.‖
―Take your time,‖ Soto said, as he lit a cigarette. ―I‘m on the
clock.‖
Eddie walked across the brown lawn to the front door and
rang the bell.
A skinny, shirtless man with tattoos, a shaved head and a
black goatee answered the door. A toothy grin crossed the
man‘s face upon seeing Eddie.
―Kelly!‖ he shouted. ―Eddie‘s here!‖
The man shook Eddie‘s hand enthusiastically. ―Good to see
you, brother!‖ Eddie recognized him from those years ago
back in Fresno. His name was Tony and, even though Tony
was all smiles, he looked harder now and much thinner.
―Come on in, Ed,‖ he said grinning from ear to ear.
Eddie followed him into the house. Tony picked a
sleeveless undershirt up from off the floor and pulled it on.
―Have a seat, man. Mi casa, su casa. You want a beer?‖
Kelly emerged from the bedroom with her baby slung over
her hip.
―Hello, Kelly,‖ Eddie said. He walked over to her and gave
her a kiss on the cheek. She was heavier than when he last
saw her, and she looked like she had aged twenty years.
―Look at you, Eddie,‖ she said. Tears welled up in her eyes.
―I can‘t believe it‘s really you.‖
In her mind, Eddie was still that grease-covered gas-station
attendant back in Fresno.
―This must be Sally,‖ Eddie said. He leaned down and
smiled at the baby. ―She‘s beautiful, Kell.‖
The baby turned away and began to bawl. Kelly bounced
her on her hip, but it only made little Sally cry louder.
―Get us two beers, Kelly,‖ Tony said and plopped down on
the couch with his legs spread wide. ―Have a seat, Eddie.‖
Eddie sat in the matching green love seat across from the
couch. Kelly came out of the kitchen and handed each of

127
them a bottle of beer. Tony tilted the bottle back and took
several long gulps.
Sally cried loudly, stopping only for short gasps of air. She
buried her face in her mother‘s chest and continued sobbing.
Kelly sat down next to Tony and tried to console her baby,
gently stroking the baby‘s hair and whispering softly.
Eddie sensed a sadness in his sister. The living room was
dimly lit and only now did he notice the thin scab on the
bridge of her nose and the blush-covered redness beneath her
eye.
―So how have you been?‖ Eddie asked her.
―We‘ve been great,‖ Tony said. ―We really appreciate that
money you sent. It‘s helped us out a lot. It‘s going to put our
little girl through college.‖
Kelly‘s expression was one of content, but Eddie sensed
that something was terribly wrong.
Sally‘s crying grew louder.
―Dammit, Kell! Can‘t you shut her up? We‘ve got company,
for Christ-sakes!‖
A bolt of fear shot through her. She rose and took the baby
into the bedroom.
―Looks like you‘ve done well for yourself, Eddie. Man, I
remember when you were just another punk kid back in
school. It‘s funny how things work out.‖
Tony took another long sip of his beer. His heart was racing
and his state of mind bordered on euphoria. Eddie knew at
that moment that all the money he had sent had been snorted
up Tony‘s nose.
Eddie leaned forward. ―Yeah, it‘s funny, isn‘t it?‖
―That money you sent got us through some hard times,
after I got laid off, and all.‖
―Where were you working?‖
―At the computer assembly plant over in Mountain View.
They‘re automating everything now.‖

128
 Kelly re-entered the living room after putting the baby to
bed. She sat next to Tony and smiled at Eddie. Tony put his
arm around her shoulders. Her smile belied the coldness she
felt inside.
―How‘d you get that bruise, Kelly?‖ Eddie asked.
―She bumped into a cabinet in the kitchen. I swear, you can
be so clumsy sometimes, can‘t you, sweetheart? One time, I
swear, she almost burned down the whole house, cooking
dinner.‖ Tony laughed. ―You should‘ve seen her, Eddie.
Running around like a chicken with her head cut off, while
the flames are flying everywhere. Remember that, baby?‖
Eddie watched her closely as Tony spoke. She nodded, ‗yes‘
to his question but her mind had returned to an incident
earlier that morning.
A flash of Tony in the baby‘s room.
He had been up for three days, high on methamphetamine
and binge drinking. Sally wouldn‘t stop crying and he had
screamed at Kelly to shut her up. Just shut her up. She
screamed back at him and he slugged her.
His back was turned as he stood over the baby. The baby
cried.
―Shut up! Are you listening to me! Just shut the fuck up!‖
He slapped the baby across the face but this made her wail
even louder. He picked her up and shook her. ―Shut the fuck
up! Can you hear me! Shut up!
Nerves jarred in shock and horror. Kelly screamed. ―I‘m
calling the police!‖
Tony turned and then suddenly became calm as the baby
bawled. ―Calm down,‖ he said slowly.
Kelly lost it and screamed hysterically.
He attacked her, punching her in the face and knocking her
through the doorway. He fell on her and twisted her arm so
hard that she felt it would snap.

129
 ―Yeah, man,‖ Tony said with a chuckle. ―Clumsy Kelly.
That‘s what I call her.‖
―Yeah,‖ Eddie laughed. ―Kelly does the damnedest things
sometimes.‖
Tony looked at Kelly and smiled. He put his hand on her
knee. ―But I still love you, baby.‘
She smiled at him.
―Tony,‖ Eddie said. ―Can I speak to you out on the patio?‖
―Yeah. Sure, man.‖ This had better be about some serious cash.
―Excuse us, Kelly,‖ Eddie said. ―Why don‘t you check on
the baby.‖
Tony and Eddie stepped out into the cool California night.
Tony slid the glass door shut.
―I‘m glad you came to visit, Ed. I didn‘t want to tell you this
in front of Kelly, but times have been hard for us lately.
We‘ve been struggling, you know? I haven‘t been as lucky as
you, but I‘ll turn things around. It‘s just hard for a good ole
boy like me to get ahead these days, trying to support a wife
and kid. You know how it is.‖
Eddie stared at him with unblinking, stony eyes.
Tony‘s eyes darted back and forth. He became unnerved by
Eddie‘s emotionless gaze. ―What‘s up, man?‖
Eddie shoved him hard against the stucco wall.
Tony‘s back slammed against the wall with a jarring thud.
―What the fuck?‖
He stepped away from the wall, but Eddie shoved him
again. Tony‘s back hit the wall with a hard, hollow thump.
―Don‘t push me, you punk piece of shit!‖ Tony screamed.
He swung a wild punch at Eddie‘s face.
Eddie side-stepped the fist and clenched his hand around
Tony‘s throat. He pushed him backward, driving Tony‘s head
into the wall with a sharp crack. Pain shot like knives through
Tony‘s head.
Eddie tightened his grip around Tony‘s throat.

130
 ―You don‘t hit my sister,‖ Eddie said. ―Or the baby.‖
Tony was dazed. Panic jumped in him when he realized that
no air was reaching his lungs. He pried and clawed
desperately at the hand that was clamped around his throat
like an iron band.
Eddie stared with black hatred into Tony‘s bulging eyeballs.
He saw him standing over his sister. He saw her face, as he
beat down on her. Tony became not a man, but flesh and
bone, a blob of tissues, of neurons and synapses and electro-
chemical pulses.
He had always hated Tony. In high school he hated Tony‘s
arrogance and his boasting about women, his boasting to his
friends about Kelly. As a boy, he had thought of Tony as
worthless human garbage. Anger burned into the tissues,
burning into them like an acetylene torch cutting through
wood. Eddie‘s hatred concentrated like a laser into Tony‘s
brain.
Terror gripped Tony as he felt the eternal touch of
approaching death.
Eddie suddenly realized that he was killing Tony. He
released his grip from Tony‘s throat. Tony gasped in huge
gulps of air. Blood fueled by adrenaline and fear gushed up
the carotid artery. Capillaries burst and popped from the
sudden gush of blood into the brain.
Tony let loose a chilling shriek as he fell to his knees. Blood
flowed from his nose and ears. He ripped at his hair. A
twisted madness was in his eyes.
Soto burst through the patio doorway. He stood in wide-
eyed confusion upon seeing the writhing man on his knees
below Eddie.
―Take Kelly and the baby and put them in the limousine,‖
Eddie said.
―What‘s going on, Edgar?‖ Soto asked.
―Put them in the limousine. Now, Will!‖ Eddie ordered.

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 Soto disconcertedly complied.
Eddie looked down at the man writhing beneath him.
Tony‘s mind was an incoherent stream of terror and chaotic
madness. His brain was severely damaged. Eddie scanned his
thoughts and knew that Tony‘s remaining time on this earth
would be spent in a never-ending panic attack, and he
wouldn‘t survive long without immediate medical attention.
Eddie entered the house and picked up the phone. He
dialed 911. If the paramedics arrived in time, they might save
him and enable him to spend his remaining days in a mental
institution under heavy sedation. He told the dispatcher of an
emergency, gave the address and hung up.
He walked out of the front door and across the brown lawn
to the waiting limousine. He sat down inside next to his sister,
who held her peacefully sleeping baby in her arms. Soto
looked at Eddie with alarm as the limousine pulled away from
the house.
―I‘m sending you to Seattle,‖ Eddie said to Kelly.
They passed a speeding ambulance. It squawked as it sped
by on the road. The red lights from the siren briefly
illuminated the inside of the limousine.
―Can I have a cigarette, Will?‖
Soto handed him a cigarette and lit it for him.

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 Chapter 26

He stared out at the Nevada desert far below. It seemed to

bake in the glare of the morning sun. They were supposed to
have arrived in Las Vegas last night, but had delayed their
arrival to arrange for Kelly‘s trip north to Seattle.
His mother would be picking Kelly up at Sea-Tac
International Airport right about now. He thought of his
mother as he gazed out of the plane window at the desert
below.
He had moved her to Seattle soon after Duncan-Deaner
Tech had started turning a profit. He remembered the look
on her face when he met her at the airport, how
overwhelmed and confused she had been by how much he
had changed, and how surreal the experience had been for
her, to have given up on life and then have all her forgotten
prayers answered. It was as if all her pain and loneliness had
been God‘s way of testing her worthiness for the life she had
always dreamed of. She was happy now, for the first time in
her life and she had rediscovered religion, praying every night
for forgiveness for ever having doubted Him. She looked on
her son with awe and pride and wondered how she ever
could have overlooked all the talent and greatness that was in
him.
Eddie had seen a truth in his mother‘s mind. It was a truth
that tore at his soul. He had seen that night, so long ago,
when his mother had entered a darkened bar in the motel
down the road from their house. She had gone there often,
back then, after work to listen to the sad songs on the juke
box and drown her tired heart in gin. She sat alone at the bar
and drank and smoked her Marlboros. She had always been a
homely and overweight woman. Men only passed through her

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life, taking all she had to give, and then they were gone, and
lately, they hadn‘t even been passing through.
Late into the night, when the alcohol weighed heavily on
her eyelids, a truck driver came in and sat at the end of the
bar. He smiled at her and bought her Long Island iced teas.
He held her on his arm as the room spun around about her.
Eddie saw how she willingly went upstairs with him into that
motel room with the coin-operated vibrating bed and the
faded TV screen, how he hadn‘t turned off the light, and how
he left the room as soon as he was finished.
The man‘s face was only a blur in his mother‘s memory. She
couldn‘t even remember his name. This man was his father.
She had sworn to take this secret to her grave, but now Eddie
would take it to his grave as well.
It sickened him to think that down there, somewhere on
this vast land, maybe at a truck stop in the desert, or sitting in
the cab of a semi rolling across the Great Plains, was a man
who was his father, a man who knew nothing of his son‘s
existence. It made him feel like rabble – the product of too
much liquor, too much loneliness, and the lack of accessible
birth control.
He wished he had never learned the truth. He wished for
the past to disappear forever, to only live in the present, to
only live for the future.
The jet banked and began its descent. The carnival skyline
of Las Vegas rose from the desert.
Eddie thought of Tony and what he had done to him. He
had physically altered Tony‘s brain. Tony had suffered some
kind of severe embolism. Eddie‘s power had grown
considerably over the last few years, but this was an aspect of
his ability which he hadn‘t known existed. It frightened him.
He knew more about people than they knew of themselves.
Yet he felt distant from them. He felt like a wolf, walking

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unseen amongst the sheep. Now this – to destroy with only a
thought.
He’ll never hurt Kelly or the baby again, he thought.
The plane landed with the screech of tires on the tarmac. It
taxied on the runway, before coming to a stop. Eddie and
Soto stepped out of the plane and felt the hot blast of desert
air. John was waiting for them on the runway with a
limousine. The limousine‘s air-conditioning came as a relief
from the heat of the runway.
They cruised through the neon streets where the glare of the
sun competed with the brightness of colorful, blinking lights.
The limousine arrived at a convention center and was greeted
by a throng of reporters and protesters who waved signs
which read, ‗Down with DDT‘ and ‗Power to the People‘.
Reporters blitzed them, flashing cameras and waving
microphones. Soto kept them off his boss, directing an army
of security guards through a radio headset. The crowd angrily
chanted, ‗Down with DDT. Down with DDT.‘
Eddie and Soto entered the center and hurriedly walked past
eclectic displays of every manner of medical machinery. They
arrived at the Vern6.0 display as the media followed behind.
Eddie shook the hands of the technicians, who were
attending to the refrigerator-sized box that was covered by
red draping. Eddie made small talk with the technicians and
posed with them for the flashing cameras. John had carefully
prepared the speech that Eddie was to deliver for the
unveiling of their much-anticipated new product. He was late
and the media waited impatiently.
―Ladies and gentlemen,‖ Eddie began with his trademark
smile. ―Members of the press. We are here today to witness
the beginning of a new era in medicine. I present to you
Vern6.0!‖
The technicians pulled off the red draping and revealed a
large black box of blinking lights.

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 ―Say hello, Vern,‖ Eddie said.
―Hello, Vern,‖ the box said in a male voice with an English
accent.
The crowd snickered.
―Come on, Vern. Stop clowning around.‖ Eddie looked to
the cameras with mock disapproval. ―Introduce yourself.‖
―Hello. I am Vern6.0 from the laboratories of Duncan-
Deaner Technologies. My creators, led by the brilliant
Winston Deaner, have designed me specifically for the
medical community. I contain a constantly updated database
of the totality of the world‘s medical knowledge.‖
―So, Vern,‖ Eddie said. ―How are you going to help our
friends in the medical community?‖
―Well, Edgar, aside from being used as an expert system to
assist physicians, I hope to be an invaluable research tool.
Unlike my expert system predecessors, I am able to deduce
and critically examine data and propose new lines of research.
I have a virtual human anatomy in my memory banks, with
which I can test hypotheses and new treatments. In the two
weeks since I have been on line, I have discovered several
intricacies of the human immune system that have been
overlooked by my human counterparts. It is my firm belief,
Edgar, that the ailments that plague humanity, from breast
cancer to Alzheimer‘s disease, from the common cold to
AIDS, all will be eradicated within ten years‘ time.‖
Mumblings of disbelief arose from the medical onlookers
and a barrage of questions shot forth from the media. The
clamor grew so loud that Eddie was unable to continue his
public conversation with the computer.
―I‘m turning the floor over to our experts now!‖ Eddie
shouted over the clamor. ―They can answer all of your
questions!‖
Soto escorted Eddie through the crowd and to the back of
the center.

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 ―They‘re like a pack of wild dogs,‖ Eddie said.
―You don‘t know the stress you put me under, Edgar.‖ Soto
thought of the protesters outside with deep concern. ―There
have been a lot more wackos around lately.‖
―That‘s why I pay you the big bucks, Will.‖
They entered a spacious hall at the rear of the center.
Doctors, hospital administrators, university department
heads, and bio-tech executives mingled around a large buffet
table. A melting ice sculpture of a caduceus centered the
table.
Soto‘s concern was evident as he scanned the groups of
schmoozing bigwigs who munched on finger foods and
sipped out of wine glasses.
―Relax, Will. It‘s time to have a few drinks and do some
socializing.‖
Eddie grabbed two glasses of wine off the tray of a passing
caterer, and handed a glass to Soto. Soto sipped from the
glass and continued his scanning.
A skinny, bearded man approached them with a group of
hangers-on. He extended his hand to Eddie.

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 Chapter 27

―Hello, Mr. Duncan. I‘m Dr. Tom Worthings of Stanford

University. I‘m interested in these claims that the Vern6.0
system can assist in AIDS research.‖
―Yes, Dr. Worthings,‖ Eddie said, as he shook the man‘s
hand. ―Vern6.0 has analyzed all the data on the disease and
has suggested a new approach to treatment. We don‘t have
the medical facilities at D-D Tech to test what Vern6.0 has
proposed, and that‘s where we‘re hoping you guys will step
in.‖
―I suppose we‘re all supposed to run out and buy one of
your computers?‖
―I‘m not saying you have to, but I will say that Vern6.0, as
of today, is the single greatest mind in the history of
medicine. The computer holds an equivalent of a M.D. in
every medical specialty and has an IQ that cannot even be
measured on a human scale, and when Vern6.0 told me it has
found the cure for AIDS, I believe it.‖
―Your snake oil salesman act has been quite a show, Mr.
Duncan. In all my years in the medical field, I have never
heard someone make so many outrageous claims in such a
short span of time.‖
As Dr. Worthings talked, Eddie‘s attention was captivated
by a tall, slender woman with auburn hair who was discussing
a new strain of the Ebola virus with another doctor. She
seemed to radiate a glowing, golden light.
―The day a computer can think,‖ Dr. Worthings said, ―is the
day I move to the hills and build myself a wigwam.‖
A collective laugh arose from the small crowd that had
gathered around them.

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 ―Don‘t be so quick to discount the Vern6.0 system,
Doctor.‖ Eddie‘s eyes were still transfixed on the woman
with flowing auburn hair. ―Vern6.0 may be the beginning of a
golden age in medicine. We may discover new wonders that
will uplift the human condition to heights unimagined, but
I‘m not the one to convince you. You are welcome to match
wits with the computer if you like, Dr. Worthings.‖
―Yes, I would like that.‖
The doctor accepted this offer as a challenge. His educated
and highly experienced mind immediately began formulating
medical questions that no computer, let alone most doctors,
could answer with any level of competence.
Eddie waved over his assistant.
―John, could you please escort Dr. Worthings to the
Vern6.0 display? Give him free rein with the computer.‖
As John led the doctor away, a growing crowd followed.
Several reporters were among the crowd.
Got to get this on tape, a reporter thought. Stanford professor vs.
world’s smartest computer… Tonight at eleven.
Eddie approached the woman discussing the Ebola B virus
with a swarthy, much shorter male doctor. Eddie felt her pain
as she spoke of how quickly an entire village in Angola had
been infected and wiped out.
The listening doctor appeared concerned.
Damn, she is so gorgeous, he thought as he nodded and
furrowed his brow.
He saw Eddie approach. He shook Eddie‘s hand eagerly.
―Mr. Duncan. I‘m Dr. Yemani from the University of
Miami. This is Dr. Haley Smith.‖
Eddie gave Dr. Smith his most charming smile as he shook
her hand. He felt a warm, golden light flow into him as their
hands touched.

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 ―The Vern6.0 computer is very impressive,‖ Dr. Yemani
said. ―If half of your claims are true, you‘ll make a killing off
it.‖
―I couldn‘t help overhearing your conversation,‖ Eddie said
to Dr. Smith. ―What happened to that village was terrible.‖
He was disarmed by her. Her presence was as soothing as
morning sunshine. He felt the warmth and compassion that
resided in her heart, but he also felt the skepticism that she
felt toward him. She had heard of Edgar Duncan.
―Yes, it‘s like nothing we‘ve seen before,‖ she said.
―Dr. Smith has spent the last two years in Africa with
Doctors Without Borders,‖‘ Dr. Yemani said. ―After a
medical team was infected by the virus, Dr. Smith was the
only one in the area willing to enter the village. She‘s a
modern-day saint, I tell you.‖
―Thank you, Hector,‖ she said to Dr. Yemani, ―but by the
time I arrived, the virus had already run its course. We‘ve
never seen anything so virulent before.‖
Eddie saw the village in her mind. Bodies lay covered in
their own red vomit on muddy streets. A woman sat before a
hut holding her baby. Their eyes had liquefied into black ooze
that flowed down over their cheekbones. Dr. Smith had
walked alone through the village and had stepped over the
bodies of the medical team that had radioed hours before
while in the death throes of the virus. She found no
survivors.
Dr. Smith had returned to the United States with a single-
minded determination never to allow this to happen again.
She now worked with a research team at UCLA and was here
seeking support for their work.
―I would like to help,‖ Eddie said. ―I want to help your
cause.‖
―Really? Help how?‖ she asked.
―Name it. I want to help you stop this thing,‖ said Eddie.

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 ―We are in need of large-scale funding, Mr. Duncan,‖ she
replied.
It was a test of his seriousness. To her, he was a ruthless
capitalist, someone who wouldn‘t casually offer money
without ulterior motives.
―I‘m prepared to give as much as you need,‖ he said.
She crossed her arms over her chest. ―So what‘s the catch?‖
she asked.
―Dr. Smith,‖ Dr. Yemani said, in astonishment. ―I think Mr.
Duncan is being sincere. He is offering you a tremendous
opportunity.‖
―Just one catch,‖ Eddie said. ―Dinner with me tonight.‖
―That‘s one way to get a date,‖ Yemani said. ―Expensive,
however.‖
―I have to warn you,‖ she said, unamused. ―I have a very
busy schedule here in Las Vegas. I don‘t have time for
distractions.‖
―Is nine o‘clock okay?‖ he asked.
―Nine is fine,‖ she replied.
She wrote the name of her hotel on a cocktail napkin and
handed it to him.
―I‘m happy that you want to help. Now, if you‘ll excuse me,
I have some people to meet with,‖ she said.
She left Eddie standing alone with Dr. Yemani. They
watched her walk away.
―With enough resources,‖ Yemani said, ―that woman would
save the world. She‘s a genius, you know, and a crusader.‖
―I noticed,‖ Eddie said.
―Many have tried to get in the good doctor‘s pants, Mr.
Duncan. But I‘m afraid she was put on this earth for higher
purposes. Even if she had the time for men, I don‘t think you
would be her type,‖ Dr. Yemani said.
―Dr. Yemani,‖ Eddie said, with a slap on the doctor‘s back.
―You underestimate me.‖

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 Eddie left Yemani and grabbed a glass of champagne from a
tray as he walked over to Soto.
―You doing all right, my man?‖ Eddie asked and sipped
from his glass.
―Not as well as you,‖ Soto replied.
Eddie thought of Dr. Haley Smith and downed the
remainder of his glass.
HELLO, EDDIE.
Eddie winced as the thought echoed loudly in his head.
SHE IS VERY BEAUTIFUL.
Eddie‘s head rang from the thought‘s intensity. He rubbed
his temples and squinted as he searched the hall for the
source of the thought. He jumped from mind to mind, but
found only medical banter.
A piercing headache made him wince in pain.
Someone had directed thoughts straight into his brain.

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 Chapter 28

―Are you okay, Edgar?‖ Soto asked.

―Just a headache. Must be the champagne. Let‘s go to the
hotel. I‘ve done enough socializing for today.‖
It was late in the evening and Eddie lay on his bed in a hotel
room high above the neon lights. His shirt and tie were on
the floor. He had yet to take off his black socks, slacks, and
undershirt.
Soto had wanted the two of them to hit the town, but Eddie
had declined. He lay alone on the bed immersed in thought.
The strange voice that filled his mind in the convention
center earlier in the day still troubled him. He had
encountered several ‗psychics‘ over the years, tie-dyed street
people with tarot cards and hats full of change, or mystical
quacks who bilked mourners with elaborate séances. He
hadn‘t encountered anyone with abilities like his, not until
today.
There’s someone else like me.
The thought made him uneasy. There were secrets in his
mind that he would rather keep to himself. He recalled the
mysteriousness of the encounter and his uneasiness grew.
Why didn’t he reveal himself?
He picked up the remote control off the night stand and
clicked on the TV for the late-night news broadcast.
―In Las Vegas today,‖ the anchorman stated, ―a remarkable
new machine was unveiled to the world.‖
Dr. Worthings appeared on the screen standing before
Vern6.0. He was engaged in a lively debate on the AIDS virus
with the computer.
―Duncan-Deaner Technologies,‖ the anchor man went on,
―known for its Vern line of computers which use a highly

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sophisticated artificial intelligence system, unveiled its latest
creation in downtown Las Vegas this morning. Today, we
witnessed a glimpse of the future.‖
―It‘s quite amazing,‖ Dr. Worthings said from the
convention center. His credentials were printed below him on
the screen. ―Vern6.0 is the most knowledgeable person – um
– entity that I have ever encountered in thirty years of
medicine. I‘m still not convinced that there isn‘t a real person
inside that box. Of course, if there is, he‘s more astute than
any person that I‘ve ever come across. Vern even proposed
several lines of research that I will explore, as soon as I return
to Palo Alto. It‘s all quite amazing, really. I‘m going to urge
the university to buy one.‖
―There was no man inside the box,‖ the anchor man said.
―Duncan-Deaner Tech has made claims before that they have
developed computers that are intelligent in the human sense
of the word. All of us have used their computerized phone
systems. Although impressive and efficient, these systems are
highly specialized only able to perform the task at hand and
unable to discuss, say, who will win the ball game tonight.‘
The anchor man turned to the network‘s technology
commentator.
―Have we seen something new today, Alan?‖
―It appears that we have, Bob. As you know, Duncan-
Deaner Tech has always been highly secretive with its
technology. The company‘s emergence several years back
turned the computer industry on its head, with the release of
the Vern0.5 voice recognition system. With the success of
Vern0.5, used mainly by organizations with large customer-
service departments, the company began to rapidly diversify
into every corner of the economy. From the robots in auto
factories to the intelligent agents that help us navigate the
World Wide Web, Duncan-Deaner Tech has seamlessly
integrated its technology into all our lives.

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 ―But today we saw something entirely new. The Vern6.0
computer was conversing on equal terms with a Stanford
professor. In fact, the computer seemed to be the more fluent
of the two.‖
―So, is the computer truly intelligent?‖ Bob asked.
―Intelligent beyond a doubt, Bob. But there are many
different criteria for measuring what we call intelligence.
Whether the computer is a self-directed thinking entity…
Well, the verdict is still open for debate.‖
―We‘ve seen a lot of anti-technology hostility lately. Are
these fears justified? What are the implications of a truly
intelligent computer?‖ Bob asked.
―Bob,‖ the commentator said. ―The implications are
enormous. Theoretically, all of human knowledge that has
accumulated for millennia could be downloaded into such a
computer‘s memory banks. The computer‘s IQ would be
limited only by the size of its hardware and by the restraints
of physics. This computer would be the most knowledgeable
and intelligent entity ever to exist on the planet. Such a
computer could be put to great use, solving problems that
have perplexed humanity since the dawn of history. A
solution to poverty could be found, better forms of
government, a cure for cancer, the mysteries of the universe
could be unlocked. There‘s no telling what such an
intelligence could accomplish. Of course, the computer could
also be put to use to do great harm to society.‖
―So what of the anti-technology currents that have been
running through the country? Are they unfounded?‖ Bob
asked.
―They are very valid concerns. We could, for the first time
in human history, share the planet with an intelligence greater
than ourselves. We‘ve already seen jobs disappear by the
millions. How will people support themselves, if their jobs
can be done better and more cheaply by a machine? And let‘s

145
not forget that this technology is controlled solely by one
company. There is even a rumor that the CEO of Duncan-
Deaner Tech flies around in a plane with no pilot. A
computer flies the plane! What we have witnessed today may
be the twilight of the human era.‖
―It‘s a brave new world, isn‘t it?‖ said Bob.
―It sure is,‖ replied the commentator.
Eddie clicked off the TV.
All that techno-phobia and barely a mention of Vern6.0’s potential
contributions to medicine. Why are people so concerned about Winston’s
computers?
To Eddie, Winston‘s machines were a great product that
brought in millions of dollars, and did some good too.
If people didn’t build new machines, we’d all still be plowing the fields
and digging up potatoes. Did they think computers would stop
improving?
Winston‘s creations never ceased to astound Eddie.
Winston churned them out with abandon. He had expanded
the original Vern – the Vern that Eddie had met years before
in Winston‘s creepy apartment. The original Vern now
occupied an entire floor of the Duncan-Deaner Tech research
building, outside Seattle. The Vern computers they released
to the public were all highly specialized offspring far inferior
in their capabilities.
Eddie had asked Winston if Vern was alive.
―No,‖ Winston had answered. ―Vern is self-aware, more
self-aware than any human, but Vern isn‘t alive.‖
The way Winston said this made Eddie feel that Winston
somehow believed that this was better.
―Vern, unlike humans, has only one drive – the drive to
understand.‖
Why would anyone be afraid of understanding?
Eddie saw less and less of Winston these days. Between
Vern and Winston‘s new girlfriend, there was little time for

146
Eddie in his schedule. Winston‘s girlfriend, Julie, was one of
Eddie‘s greatest accomplishments. Eddie met her while on a
recruiting drive at MIT. She was a female version of Winston,
with thick glasses, an awful wardrobe, and the same techno-
obsessions. Eddie had coordinated their awkward courtship,
practically pushing the two of them together. He knew that if
it hadn‘t been for him, the two of them would have spent
their lives alone in their private worlds of science and
mathematics.
Now Winston no longer thought of sex as an inefficient
method of transferring genetic information. And now Eddie
could hardly bear to be near the two of them. It was like
watching a geek-filled porno movie playing in their heads.
Eddie closed his eyes and Dr. Haley Smith appeared before
him. He saw her slender body, her long auburn hair, and her
hazel eyes with the flecks of green. He remembered the rush
of endorphins that he felt when he met her at her hotel lobby
earlier in the evening.
But their dinner hadn‘t gone quite as he had planned. She
met him with the director of her UCLA research team. The
three of them had dinner together in a dark booth at the hotel
restaurant. The research director had talked of the horrors of
this new virus and the implications, if it were to strike outside
a small, isolated community.
They talked of money, how much and where Eddie wanted
it spent. He told them wherever they thought best and they
thanked him sincerely and told how his generous donation
would push their research forward and perhaps save
thousands of lives. Eddie parted with a great deal of money,
without accomplishing his objective, which was to get this
woman in the sack. But she was so different from anyone he
had encountered before. She had one of the most intelligent
minds he had ever come across. Her eyes seemed to look
inside him, and she seemed to radiate a glowing light, like a

147
candle in the darkness. Her presence had a narcotic effect on
him, warmly washing over him and causing his heart to flutter
and skip beats.
He had tried to impress her at dinner, but his charm didn‘t
break through. He had no idea how to seduce a woman
whose desires involved African villages filled with dying
people.
She was grateful for his donation and curious as to his
intentions.
Probably publicity, she had thought.
She hadn‘t felt even a tinge of attraction toward him.
Eddie strongly desired to see her again.
Why can’t I stop thinking about her? he thought, as he slipped
into sleep.
The ringing telephone jolted him awake. Bright sunlight
glared through the window. He still had on his black socks,
slacks, and undershirt.
―Hello?‖ he said into the phone as he rubbed the sleep from
his eyes.
―Hello, Eddie,‖ a nasal voice said. It was Winston. ―Have
you seen the news this morning?‖
―No. Why?‖ Eddie asked.
―Check your stock quote,‖ Winston replied.
Eddie flipped open his laptop and looked at the screen. His
eyes bulged.
―Jeez, Winston!‖
―There was a run on our stock this morning,‖ Winston
stated.
―Yeah! No kidding!‖ Eddie said.
Eddie tried to count the string of digits that indicated his
net worth, but lost track and had to start again.
―I think we just bumped a country or two out of the G-20,‖
Eddie said.
He rubbed his eyes and counted the digits again.

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―Amazing,‖ was all he could think to say.

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 Chapter 29

The ocean rolled up and down the beach below, as the last
of the bright, orange sun sank into the sea. Eddie and Haley
sat by the window of a Santa Barbara restaurant and watched
as the lights of the pier came on in the cool of the evening.
She talked of the work her team had done over the last
month. Eddie listened to her words, but didn‘t hear them. It
had been a month since he had first met her back in Las
Vegas, and, after returning to Seattle he had been unable to
get her out of his mind. He called her and e-mailed her, under
the pretense of checking in on her research. But over the
phone or with e-mail, he was just plain old, easygoing Eddie,
unable to find the right words to say. It had taken some
doing, but he finally arranged this dinner after a tour of the
Ebola B research laboratory and the promise of more
funding.
He watched her as she talked. He watched the natural grace
in all her movements and felt the empathy and determination
in her words and wondered why she seemed to glow in
golden light. It was as if she glowed with the light of all the
souls that she was to save over her lifetime.
His eyes traced up her delicate fingers to the back of her
hand and on up the smoothness of her arm. Then up over
her shoulder to the curve of her neck. Her auburn hair
seemed as soft as silk. He wanted to feel it in his fingers. He
looked upon her supple lips and wished to touch them and
taste them. He looked her in the eyes and smiled.
She smiled back.
The waiter arrived to take their order.

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 He ordered corvina and white wine for them both. She was
about to object and order for herself, but the corvina was
what she wanted.
―I hope you don‘t mind,‖ he said, ―but the corvina is
delicious.‖
―No. I love corvina,‖ she said.
She sipped her water. They watched the lights of the boats
in the harbor.
―We‘ve determined how the virus entered the village,‖ she
said.
―Really. How?‖ Eddie asked.
―An oil rig worker brought it in. He came home to visit his
family and managed to infect the entire village. Everyone had
contracted and succumbed to the virus within a four-hour
period.‖
―How did he get it?‖ Eddie asked.
―He was infected somewhere between his rig and the
village. No other villages along his route experienced
outbreaks. It‘s almost as if the virus waited until he got home.
Then it became so virulent that it killed all its hosts, stopping
its own spread. There were no traces of the virus in any of
the animals in the village. Goats, chickens, rats – all were
unaffected. It‘s all very strange… An airborne pathogen that
attacks only one species and kills so quickly that it kills itself,‖
she said.
―I hope my money can help,‖ said Eddie.
―It has helped immensely with our research, but it seems
this may have been a freak mutation, an isolated incident. At
least that‘s what we hope.‖
The waiter arrived with their dinner.
―Can I ask you a question?‖ she asked.
―Sure,‖ Eddie replied.
―Why have you been so generous with us?‖

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 ―Well, Haley, I have to admit, it‘s been great publicity for
the company. But, after hearing what happened to those
villagers, it really had an effect on me. I‘ve made so much
money, so quickly, more money than I could ever spend, and
believe me, I‘ve tried. But there really is something about
giving. It feels like I‘m affecting things, in a good way.‖
―But why us? There are many other causes you could give
to, causes that are more visible,‖ Haley said.
―I could give to some faceless organization and get a little
more publicity, but I‘ve gotten to where I am today because
I‘m good at reading people. I see something in you, Haley. I
know that with you, my money is doing the most good.‖
―Really? What do you see in me?‖ she asked.
―I see determination, intelligence, compassion,‖ he replied.
She smiled. ―I think I‘m beginning to understand you,
Eddie,‖ she said. ―I see your talent. You‘re good at building
egos.‖
He shrugged his shoulders and smiled back. ―I do what I
can,‖ he said.
After dinner they rode back to LA in the back of a D-D
Tech limousine. He learned much about her over the course
of the day. He learned that, ever since she was a child, she
dreamed of running her own non-profit agency that would
heal the sick, help the unfortunate and uplift the poor. He
learned that her heroes were Louis Pasteur, Clara Barton,
Jonas Salk, and her loving parents.
He learned of her childhood and how she had been the
daughter of two prominent Portland physicians. Her parents
had encouraged her in all that she did and were proud of even
her smallest accomplishments. She loved them, as much as
they loved her. They were always there to listen when she
came home from school in tears, after being teased and
ridiculed by her classmates. She had advanced quickly
through the grades. She was so much smarter than them and

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so much taller. They called her beanpole and freak. After she
had scored the winning basket for her high school team, they
had chanted, ‗Beanpole. Beanpole. Beanpole.‘ It became an
ongoing joke and she heard it daily as she walked down the
halls to class. None of the boys had asked the gangly, young
nerd to the prom. She entered Harvard at the age of fifteen
and had been an outcast. Then, in her first year of medical
school, she received the news that her parents had been killed
on the way to the opera by a drunk driver. She had lain alone
in her dark room and had cried and cried and had never felt
so alone in all her life. She stopped going to class and locked
herself away in the darkness of her room. Her professors
worried that their brilliant young student‘s medical career
would end before it had been given the chance to begin.
Then, one night while lying alone in her room, when life had
become meaningless and unbearable, her parents returned to
her in a dream. They held her and told her that, even in death,
their love for her lived on, and that through her, they lived.
Her father told her to be strong and to know that there are
others who have suffered far greater than she. Her mother
told her not to waste the talent she had been given and to use
it to her utmost ability to help those in need. Her professors
were astonished when she returned to her studies and
rocketed up to the top of her class. They had never seen a
student so bright and so driven.
Eddie also learned how his wealth didn‘t impress her like it
did other people. Since he had become rich, people looked on
him with awe and envy. He seemed to glitter when he walked,
but, to Haley, his wealth was a resource that could be used to
help those in need.
The limousine arrived at Haley‘s apartment and Eddie
walked her to her door.
―I had a good time tonight,‖ he said as they stood in the
doorway.

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 ―I did, too,‖ she replied.
―We‘ll have to do this again, sometime,‖ he suggested.
―Yes. We should,‖ she responded.
He leaned forward to kiss her. She stopped him with her
hand on his chest.
―Good night, Eddie.‖
―Good night,‖ he said.
She shut the door.
He walked back to the limousine and got in. As the
limousine cruised through the LA night, he longed to see her
again. He had never been so sure about anything in his life.
He wanted to hold her and become one with her aura.
He knew Soto would enjoy seeing him now – the cold-
hearted billionaire, now reduced to a lovesick puppy dog.

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 Chapter 30

Seattle was gripped by the cold, dark rain of winter, but

Eddie‘s mind remained in LA. He found more and more
excuses to visit that city and managed to make several drop-
ins at Haley‘s research laboratories. Everyone at the facility
knew that Eddie‘s frequent check-ups on their work were
really check-ups on Dr. Haley Smith. They teased her about
it, but were grateful for the generous increase in funding.
Haley left for Angola for several weeks and Eddie waited
anxiously for her return. Upon returning to LA, all at her
laboratory were surprised when she accepted Eddie‘s
invitation for a weekend ski trip to Canada, but Eddie knew
that she did have one other passion besides medicine. She
loved to ski and it had been years since she last had the
opportunity.
Now here she sat, across from him in his jet, flying north to
Canada.
―You know, Eddie. I normally wouldn‘t accept an invitation
like this,‖ she said.
―Why did you?‖ he asked.
―Curiosity, I guess. I‘m curious about you,‖ she replied.
―How so?‖ he asked.
―Do you remember when you first toured our laboratory?‖
she asked.
―Yes,‖ he replied.
―Well, Dr. Lee had been working on growing a beard for
several weeks. Everyone knew why. He‘s never had much
confidence with being in a position of authority, and he
thought a beard would somehow make him look more
respectable. We all teased him about how silly his beard
looked, but the first thing you said to him was, ‗I like your

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beard,‘ and you complimented him on how well groomed it
was, on his mangy beard that he‘s been so self-conscious
about. Now he can‘t say enough good things about you. He
practically ordered me to accept your invitation. You really
have this uncanny way with people.‖
―I thought his beard looked good,‖ Eddie said.
―It looks awful,‖ she replied.
Eddie smiled at her.
―For instance,‖ Haley went on, ―if I were to say, ‗I like
strawberries,‘ most people would say, ‗Me too.‘ Or, ‗I don‘t. I
like cherries.‘ But you would say, ‗Is that so? Do you like
them because they‘re chock full of vitamins and minerals, or
is it because they‘re so juicy and delicious and go so well with
vanilla ice cream?‘ Then, the next thing I know, I‘m telling
you about the time I fell off my bicycle and scraped my knee
and my mother made me a heaping bowl of vanilla ice cream
with strawberries on top, which made me completely forget
the pain from my fall.‖
―Is that so?‖ Eddie asked with a smile. ―Vanilla ice cream
with strawberries on top eases your pain?‖
She kicked him from across the aisle and rolled her eyes.
―Sometimes I get this feeling, Eddie, that you know
something no one else knows,‖ she said.
―I know a thing, or two,‖ he said. ―So how‘d you fall off
your bicycle, anyway?‖
She shook her head at him. ―We always talk about me. I
want to talk about you,‖ she said.
―Okay,‖ he said. ―I‘m a Scorpio, I like fast cars and I‘m
attracted to sexy pathologists.‖
―I‘m trying to be serious,‖ she said.
―What do you want to know? Ask me anything,‖ Eddie said.
―What‘s your secret?‖ she asked.
―My secret? Do you really want to know?‖
―Yes,‖ she answered.

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 ―I‘ll tell you but you have to promise not to tell anyone,‖ he
said.
―Okay, I promise,‖ she said.
Eddie leaned forward close to her and looked into her eyes.
―Smile and be nice to people,‖ he said.
―Smile and be nice to people? That‘s the secret of your
success?‖ she inquired.
―Yup,‖ he responded.
―Why don‘t I feel enlightened?‖ she said.
He leaned back against the couch.
―Do you want to know the real reason I invited you on this
trip?‖ he asked.
―Sure. Why not,‖ she replied.
―I‘ve been selfish over the last few years, but I‘ve been
learning from you, Haley. Happiness doesn‘t come from new
cars, or planes, or trips to Monaco. It comes from what you
do for others,‖ he said.
―You‘ve learned this from me?‖ she asked.
―I want you to come to Seattle,‖ he said.
―Why would I do that?‖ she asked.
―To head the Duncan Foundation. I want you to help me
found an NGO. And not just any NGO, one that will truly
make a difference. With my money and your brains and that
big heart of yours we can make the Duncan Foundation into
something really special. And I want you to run it,‘ he
explained.
―I don‘t know, Eddie. I‘m a little overwhelmed,‖ she
replied.
―Take your time and think it over. Haley, you‘re my ticket
into heaven. The way I see it, I can ride your coat-tails right
through the pearly gates,‖ he said.
―And God will overlook how bad you‘ve been?‖ she asked.
Eddie grinned. ―He just might.‖

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 It had been a sparkling day on the slopes. Eddie had done
his best to keep up with Haley, but by the end of the day, it
took considerable effort to hide how weary, beaten and
bruised he felt. They had reached the lodge late in the evening
and were looking forward to a relaxing dinner by the fire.
The lodge was warm and comfortable. A Beatles song
played in the background as they ate dinner in the restaurant
that overlooked the starry mountain night.
―You were pretty impressive out there,‖ Eddie said.
―You weren‘t so bad yourself,‖ Haley said.
―Then why am I in so much pain?‖ Eddie asked.
―Well, you‘d better get some rest tonight. Today was just a
warm-up,‖ Haley advised.
―You‘re gonna kill me,‖ Eddie said.
―That‘s the idea,‖ she said with a wink.
A man approached their table. He was tall and thick and
dressed in black, with slicked back, black hair. His robustness
belied his age.
―Excuse me,‖ he said in a deep baritone voice. ―Are you Dr.
Haley Smith?‖
―Yes,‖ Haley answered, looking up at him. She noticed the
wrinkles on his forehead and the deep creases that ran down
each of his cheeks.
―I‘ve heard about your work in Africa,‖ he said. ―It is very
commendable what you are doing there.‖
―Thank you,‖ she replied, wondering who this man was and
how he recognized her.
―And you must be Edgar Duncan – the benevolent
billionaire.‖
Eddie smiled at him and searched his mind but it was
strangely inaccessible. There was nothing but a void where he
should have felt a presence. He had never encountered
someone whose mind was as blank and unrevealing as this
man‘s.

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―I am Victor Paine,‖ the man said.

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Victor Paine‘s handshake was crushing and it took effort on

Eddie‘s part to maintain his smile until the grip was released.
Paine took Haley‘s hand and lightly kissed the back of it.
―Do you mind if I join you?‖ he asked.
―No, not at all,‖ Haley said.
He pulled up a chair and poured himself a glass of wine
from the bottle that Eddie had flown in from France. Eddie
grew increasingly uncomfortable.
―I am on the board of directors for Allied Gas & Oil. We
have extensive holdings in Angola,‖ Paine said.
―Yes,‖ Haley said. ―I visited an AGO oil field just recently.
Did you know Berto Ngala?‖
―No. Not personally. Our employee who contracted the
Ebola B virus and infected his entire village – very tragic. All
of us at the company have been greatly affected by his
passing, and we are deeply concerned about this virus,‖ Paine
said.
Victor Paine stared into Haley‘s eyes.
―Do you think the virus will strike again?‖ he asked in his
deep, low voice.
Haley was transfixed on his dark eyes.
―No,‖ she answered. ―We think the Ebola B virus may have
been a rare and improbable mutation. Its extreme virulence
prevented it from spreading into the larger population, but
it‘s still too early to say for sure.‖
A lusty desire began to rise inside her. She entered into a
trance-like state as she stared into Victor Paine‘s eyes.
―I would like to help,‖ he said, without breaking the lock on
her eyes. ―A talented person, such as you, who dedicates

160
herself to others, is a rare thing in this day and age.‖ He
leaned forward, ―And such a beautiful woman at that.‖
Hot lust filled Haley‘s body.
Eddie looked back and forth between the two of them.
What the hell is going on?
Paine‘s eyes were focused. They were set deep in his
weathered face. Crowsfeet spread from the corners of his
eyes to his temples, as he concentrated his gaze.
―Haley is very beautiful,‖ Eddie said, loudly. He put his
hand on hers and squeezed firmly.
Her eyes turned away from Paine and she broke from her
trance. She touched her fingertips to her chest, as if checking
to see if it was hot.
―What did you say, Eddie?‖ she asked.
―I was just agreeing with Mr. Paine on how beautiful you
look tonight,‖ Eddie explained.
―Oh,‖ she said.
Her gaze returned to Paine and their eyes locked again. An
overpowering desire for the man arose in her.
Eddie squeezed her hand again, but she didn‘t look away.
‗Here Comes The Sun‘ played in the background over the
lodge speakers.
―I love this song,‖ she said, dreamily.
―Yes,‖ Paine said, deeply. ―They were an incredible band.‖
―Yeah,‖ Eddie said, loudly. ―Mr. Paine, did you ever get a
chance to see them? They are from your era.‖
―Even more incredible live,‖ Paine said.
―You saw the Beatles live?‖ Haley asked longingly.
―Yes.‖
He leaned closer to her.
―My mom saw them live when she was a kid,‖ Eddie said,
almost in a shout. He squeezed down hard on Haley‘s hand.
―Ouch.‖
She blinked. She noticed the lines on Paine‘s forehead.

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 He’s older than my father.
―You‘re a lucky man, Mr. Paine,‖ Eddie said, ―to have been
alive during that era.‖
―That was a long time ago, wasn‘t it,‖ Haley commented.
The thought of being aroused by someone her father‘s age
made her feel slightly queasy. She wondered what had gotten
into her.
Paine turned to Eddie and smiled coldly. ―Yes, it was a long
time ago.‖
―Check, please,‖ Eddie said, to a passing waiter. ―I wish we
could talk longer, but Haley and I are going to turn in early.
We‘ve got a long day‘s skiing ahead of us tomorrow.‖
Eddie rose and pulled Haley up by the hand.
Victor Paine looked up at her. ―It has been a pleasure
meeting you, Dr. Smith. I pray you are right about the Ebola
B virus.‖
―Goodnight, Mr. Paine,‖ Eddie said.
Eddie and Haley walked away from the table.
Eddie had felt an intense jealousy when he felt Haley‘s
desire for another man. He realized then that he hadn‘t felt
this way for a woman since Debbie, but Haley was so much
more than Debbie ever was. He squeezed her hand in his as
they walked to their rooms.
―What a strange man,‖ Haley said.
―He gave me the creeps,‖ Eddie said.
―He gave me the willies,‖ she said.
She shivered her shoulders as she unlocked her door. She
turned toward him and stood in the open doorway. She
stretched her arms and rubbed her back.
―I‘m going to sleep like a baby,‖ she said.
Eddie put his hands on her waist and kissed her softly on
the lips. It was unexpected. Butterflies fluttered in her
stomach and tingles ran up and down her spine.
―I know the perfect cure for that sore back,‖ he said.

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 ―I bet you do.‖
She kissed him back softly.
As their lips touched, he felt a golden light flow into him.
The warm glow flowed down his back and into his heart.
―You need to sleep,‖ she said. ―We‘ll be getting up bright
and early tomorrow morning.‖
She moved back into the doorway.
―Goodnight, Eddie.‖
―Goodnight, Haley.‖
She closed the door, leaving him alone in the hallway. He
exhaled deeply.
He turned and walked to his room. He had never wanted
anything this powerfully in all his life. He thought of the
tingles and butterflies that he felt in her when they kissed and
smiled to himself. She was starting to fall for him. He wished
Soto were around so he could give him a high-five.
As he turned the key in his doorway, his thoughts returned
to Victor Paine. At dinner, it was as if Paine had placed those
feelings into Haley‘s mind. Eddie relocked his door and
walked down the hallway. He walked along the wooden
banister and looked down at the bar where skiers drank and
laughed and recalled events up on the slopes earlier in the
day.
Paine sat alone on a rustic couch, reading the paper, by a
crackling fire in a large stone fireplace.
Eddie came down the stairs and sat on the couch across the
coffee table from Victor Paine. Paine didn‘t look up from his
paper.
Eddie was unable to pick up anything from Paine‘s mind.
Usually, when a person read, he could hear the words and see
vague, fragmented reveries, but he heard and saw nothing.
The heat from the fire soothed the muscles in Eddie‘s
aching legs.

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 Paine folded his paper and placed it by his side, on the
couch. He looked up at Eddie.
I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU, EDDIE.
Eddie winced and rubbed his temples.
You can read my mind, Eddie thought.
YES. I CAN.
Eddie‘s mind ran in several directions at once. He had a
thousand questions. Who is this man? Where did he come from?
What is he doing here? What does he want? Why is his mind so silent?
Why are his thoughts so loud?
You are not alone, Eddie. The thought was quieter now.
You’re the one from Vegas, Eddie thought.
Yes.
They sat silently across from each other. The fire popped
and snapped and people circulated through the lodge and
laughed at the bar.
Why didn’t you show yourself then? Eddie thought.
The timing wasn’t right. I didn’t mean to frighten you.
Are there other people like us? Eddie thought.
No.
Paine looked on Eddie casually. If anyone had been paying
attention they would have thought it strange to see two men
staring silently at each other across the coffee table by the
fire.
You and I are the only ones, Paine thought.
How did it happen to you? Eddie thought.
Much the same as you. A chemically unbalanced state of mind, the
brain near death, a massive surge of electricity that melded the frontal
lobes and caused hyper-active dendritic growth.
Eddie recalled that awful night back in Fresno.
Just a freak accident, really, Paine thought. An improbable
convergence of events.
It’s all so strange, Eddie thought. For us to be this way, to be so
different. It’s all so unnatural.

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 I imagine, Paine thought, the first bats to develop echo-location may
have felt the same way. The brain has many undeveloped potentials that
we are as yet ignorant of. It is the most complex structure known to man
and we understand it little.
But sometimes I feel that... I am almost certain, larger forces are in
play. Universal forces. Good and evil. Sometimes I feel the hand of God.
Eddie felt confused. Why can’t I read him? he thought. Paine‘s
mind had suddenly turned silent. There was nothing more, no
feelings or random associations, no presence, no aura; just
thought directed from an empty void.
You have done well for yourself, Eddie. You are changing the world.
I know nothing about you, Eddie thought.
You control the nervous system of civilization. You control the brain.
You have more power than you realize. So much power, yet you remain
oblivious.
What is he talking about?
But I control the blood, the blood that feeds civilization.
Paine had lost him.
Why haven’t I heard of you? Eddie thought.
I have stayed away from the spotlight. I prefer to pull the strings from
behind the curtain.
Eddie felt something sinister and ominous in the thought.
Victor Paine placed the folded newspaper under his arm
and rose to his feet.
Where are you going?
Paine extended his hand and Eddie shook it. It was big and
rough and gripped like a vice.
It has been a pleasure, Paine thought.
When will I see you again? Eddie thought.
Victor Paine turned and walked away.
Eddie concentrated hard and tried to get a read on him.
Paine passed through a group of skiers and their alcohol-
influenced chatter echoed through his mind. He rose and
followed after Paine. He pushed through the crowd and saw

165
the lodge‘s large, wooden doors swing shut behind Paine‘s big
frame. Eddie pushed through the doors after him. It was cold
outside. Wind whipped through the trees and clumps of snow
fell from the dark branches. Paine was nowhere to be seen.

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Eddie stood behind the glass gazing out at the sprawling

lawn and gardens of his estate. Gray clouds clung to the
Cascade Mountains beyond the trees. The darkness and drear
of the northwest winter had lost its appeal to him. Before, it
had offered seclusion and anonymity, but now he longed for
the light of the sun.
He thought of Victor Paine and wished to contact him.
Soto had turned up nothing on him. No one at Allied Gas &
Oil had heard of him and, of the handful of Victor Paines in
the world, none was the man whom Eddie had met in the
lodge in Canada.
Eddie stepped away from the window and walked up the
stairs of his sunken living room up to the kitchen. He opened
the refrigerator and found the roast beef sandwich that the
cook had left for him. He had sent the cook and the
housekeepers home early. He still hadn‘t adjusted to having
servants and living in a house so large.
He grabbed the sandwich and a carton of orange juice and
walked barefoot down the tiled floors of the hallway to his
study. He sat down before his computer and turned it on.
He munched his sandwich and drank from the juice carton
as he pulled up the Allied Gas & Oil homepage. ‗AGO‘
appeared in big, block letters on the screen. A maned lion
padded across the screen before the letters. It let out a roar
before plopping down on its haunches, then turned and faced
the viewer before freezing into the familiar AGO logo.
Eddie wondered how to contact Paine. He hadn‘t spoken to
anyone else about his ability and wished to speak to another
like himself.

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 He scanned the AGO directory and clicked on the ‗About
AGO‘ icon.
The company had grown substantially over the last few
years. It had recently engaged in a series of mergers and
acquisitions, merging with competitors and engaging in
hostile takeovers of a variety of different enterprises, from
pharmaceuticals to weapons manufacturers.
A map of the globe showed where the company was active.
It seemed to be everywhere, from the steppes of Siberia, to
the deserts of the Middle East, to sub-Saharan Africa,
Oceania, South America and even Antarctica.
Eddie clicked on the ‗Press Releases‘ icon. The chairman of
AGO had recently given a speech on petroleum exploration
in Antarctica and the discovery of vast new oil reserves.
Environmentalists had protested the international
community‘s approval of AGO‘s exploitation of the Antarctic
reserves. The chairman made assurances that the
environmental impact on the continent would be negligible
and that the company was committed to environmental
protection.
Eddie clicked on the chairman‘s name. A photograph
appeared of the chairman in a hard-hat standing before an oil
derrick. He was a trim, fit man in his early sixties with wisps
of white in his hair. The company‘s motto was in quotations
below the picture: ‗AGO – Providing Fuel For The Future‘ –
Jack Martinson, AGO Chairman.
There was another picture of him at a podium giving a
speech, and another in what looked like a photo-op in his
living room. Eddie expanded the photo-op picture. It was a
wide-angle shot of the chairman on his couch, with what
must have been his two grandchildren. There were several
other people in the room, a man with a camera, a smiling
woman and a man in a suit. Eddie enlarged the picture of the
man in the suit. To the man‘s right, over his shoulder and

168
down a hallway, Eddie noticed a figure standing alone away
from the scene. Eddie zoomed in on the figure, enhancing
the image with each magnification.
It was Victor Paine standing back in the shadows. Eddie
wondered about the man sitting on the couch with his
grandchildren.
I guess he’s getting his strings pulled.
An eerie chill ran through Eddie at the thought. The desire
to speak to Paine left him.
He noticed by the icon at the bottom corner of the screen
that he had a new e-mail message. He clicked on the icon.
It was a message from Haley. He read it and felt elation. He
leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling.
―Yes.‖
Haley had made her decision and was coming to Seattle.
She had deep reservations, no doubt, about leaving the
UCLA Ebola B research team. But in the end, it had been her
colleagues who had convinced her not to pass up this
tremendous opportunity. Her childhood dream, the dream
she had had for as long as she could remember, was now
coming true. But she had always imagined it would come
much later in life. Nevertheless, her colleagues were right.
This opportunity was just too good to pass up.
Eddie had greeted her at Sea-Tac International with much
fanfare and spared no expense in accommodating her. But
she had only one thing on her mind, and that was to make the
Duncan Foundation into a world-class humanitarian non-
profit organization.
Eddie purchased an office complex in Bellevue, on the
shores of Lake Washington, across the water from Seattle. He
funneled vast sums of his fortune into his new pet project
and Haley immediately put it to use. She assembled teams of
dedicated professionals to build schools and orphanages
across the Third World, to supply food for famine-stricken

169
nations, and to dispense medicine to those who hadn‘t the
means to acquire it. Haley wanted to do it all. Her energy and
Eddie‘s money knew no bounds and the Duncan Foundation
began to take shape at a vigorous pace.
Eddie began spending less and less of his time at D-D Tech.
He knew the company was in able hands. He had staffed it
with the best minds in the world and profits were at an all-
time high and pushing even higher. He scheduled his
appearances at the D-D Tech corporate office between his
time with Haley and the Duncan Foundation, and
appearances were all they were. D-D Tech was now a
smooth-running entity that had little need for him.
His corporate empire had been an obsession that consumed
his every thought and drove his every action, but now it was
becoming the least of his concerns.

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 Chapter 33

Soto had thought that Eddie‘s new venture was a bit

excessive – to put so much time and money into what he
knew was nothing more than an elaborate and expensive
courtship. Soto thought of the women who had come before,
how Eddie had pursued them and won their hearts, and then
tossed them aside, and now, along came Haley Smith – a
doctor no less. Soto believed that she was the one heart that
Eddie couldn‘t win, and all the time and money in the world
wouldn‘t change that.
It was all ridiculous. Edgar Duncan had shareholders to
account to, and Soto knew from countless observations that
misguided charitable impulses usually led to nothing more
than inflated egos, squandered fortunes and other unintended
consequences.
But Soto did see in Eddie‘s eyes how he really did love this
one. It was easy to understand why. She was as beautiful as
those models and debutantes whom he had chased after
before, but this one had a heart of gold. It was as if the
women before had been part of a meandering voyage and
now the wanderer had sighted his final destination and had
decided with a single-minded determination to reach it,
consequences be damned.
Soto watched as a change came over his boss. He saw how
Eddie began to truly believe in what he was doing. He
listened and smiled as Eddie spoke with pride about what his
new foundation was accomplishing in the slums and
backwaters of the world. This from a man who, when Soto
had told him that he had worked in South America, had
asked, ‗Where – Alabama?‘ But it was Eddie‘s money and he

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could spend it as he wished. If he didn‘t find love, perhaps he
would find salvation.
Haley knew that Eddie had feelings for her. Her colleagues
in LA had teased her when she left saying that now she was
the property of the billionaire Edgar Duncan. It was true that
Eddie had made her an offer that she couldn‘t refuse, but that
didn‘t mean that she had to sleep with him, and she had no
intention of doing so. After all, everything they were
accomplishing couldn‘t possibly be just a ruse to get her into
bed. He did seem to believe in her and in what she was doing
and, with all the time they spent together, she knew that
inside he really was a good person. He supported her and
listened to her and he was so easy to talk to. She began to
look forward to that smile that greeted her in the mornings,
and to those long discussions over dinner after a busy day.
It wasn‘t long before the Duncan Foundation had its first
trial-by-fire test in the real world. A powerful earthquake had
struck in Kazakhstan and the rapid-response team from the
Duncan Foundation was the first on the scene, providing
medical relief and supplies. Eddie and Haley had flown in
together to be there with the team.
This was what Haley lived for – to be here in the center of
the chaos and devastation and fight back against the
suffering. It was something that Eddie was unprepared for.
Haley had thought he seemed out of place walking amidst the
rubble of a collapsed building. He had shouted frantically
when he discovered a little girl trapped beneath the wreckage.
Haley saw the pained expression on his face as the crying
child‘s burned body was pulled from the wreckage.
That evening they had gone together to a makeshift hospital
to check up on the girl. No one at the hospital could silence
the girl‘s screams, as she cried for her missing mommy.
Haley watched as Eddie held the little girl in his arms. She
saw the empathy and the pain in his eyes, and she saw how,

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with a little help from a nurse, he was able to break through
the language barrier and make a connection with the child.
He had smiled and asked the little girl if she liked Donald
Duck and Mickey Mouse. Haley listened, as he spoke in a silly
Donald Duck voice and she watched as the girl‘s cries turned
to curiosity. The child asked, between sobs, if Eddie knew
Donald and Mickey and Eddie assured her that, yes, they
were his close personal friends and as soon as she got better,
he would introduce her if she would like, to which she eagerly
nodded, ‗yes‘.
As Eddie and Haley walked away down the hall, a nurse
informed them that the little girl‘s mother had been found.
All watched in amazement as the little girl came running
down the hallway, pulling her mother by the hand, to ask
Eddie if her mommy could come and meet Donald and
Mickey too. It brought tears to Haley‘s eyes when Eddie knelt
down and said, ―Of course.‖
This most horrible day had become the happiest day in the
little girl‘s life.
The team from the Duncan Foundation received praise
from the media and from the government of Kazakhstan for
their work during the disaster. Haley‘s dream was now a
reality and it was all because of Edgar Duncan.
Her feelings for him began to grow. It seemed odd to her
that she was becoming attracted to him. She had always seen
herself falling for some serious type in a white laboratory
coat, leaning over a microscope. Feelings of attraction toward
Eddie came completely unexpected.
But so what. Maybe that’s just how love works, she had thought.
Then one day it finally happened. It was late in the evening
and all the Duncan Foundation employees had gone home.
Haley had received some slides of the Ebola B virus from the
UCLA laboratory and was examining them under the

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microscope in her office. She pointed out the irregularities in
the tiny pathogen as Eddie leaned over the microscope.
Then out of the blue, as they huddled together over the
microscope, a sensual arousal arose in her. Eddie seized the
moment and took her in his arms and kissed her. They made
love in her office and held each other until the sunlight broke
through the windows.
Haley was swept away.
She sent him home with a kiss before the employees began
to arrive for the start of the workday. Eddie drove home
beneath the trees in the rays of the morning sun and slipped
into a state of halcyon bliss. He had become one with Haley‘s
golden aura. He now felt complete.

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 Chapter 34

The halls of the D-D Tech research building were empty

this late on a quiet Saturday afternoon. The offices were dark,
but for the occasional workaholic hunched before a computer
screen. The research building had a different feel from the hi-
tech posh of D-D Tech Corporate Headquarters. Here the
geeks ruled amidst their sci-fi miscellania.
Winston disliked corporate culture and Eddie had carefully
kept the business workings of the company separate from
Winston and his team of engineers and computer scientists. It
had been months since Eddie had last walked these halls.
Vern had crashed then, while working on some equation for
Winston. The halls had been a frantic rush of coffee-cup-
carrying engineers. That was the last time Eddie had spoken
to Winston face to face.
The door to Winston‘s office was open. The only light came
from the glow of a computer monitor. Eddie stepped into the
office. Winston was staring into the computer screen with an
intense concentration, without noticing that Eddie was
standing behind him.
―Try harder, Winston.‖
It was Vern‘s metallic voice from a speaker set in the ceiling.
Winston concentrated more intensely. Eddie could see, over
Winston‘s shoulder, an equation on the screen. Eddie had
never felt a mind concentrate and strain as hard as Winston‘s
did now.
―Do you see it, Winston?‖ Vern asked.
―I just don‘t see it,‖ Winston said. He strained even harder.
Eddie felt the crushing intensity of Winston‘s effort and
feared the strain was overtaxing the little man‘s brain.
―Wait,‖ Winston said. ―I think I‘ve got it.‖

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 There was a feeling of immense and profound convergence.
Winston cupped his hands around his head and let out a
moan. The strain released.
A white light burst inside Winston‘s mind. Stars and super-
novae exploded, galaxies collapsed, nebulae swirled in
fantastic colors, protons and electrons pierced the fabric of
time. There was light and darkness, expanding complexity
and static simplicity, chaos and order, life and death.
―Yes. I see it. I understand.‖
Eddie felt a change occurring in Winston‘s brain. It was as if
the old circuits were being ripped out and rewired. He had
experienced some kind of extreme epiphany, a revelation, and
it was causing his brain to reorganize itself. Winston squeezed
his palms against his skull.
Eddie placed his hand on Winston‘s back.
―Are you all right, Winston?‖
Winston looked up at Eddie from his chair. In a flash, he
saw spinning carbon and water molecules, he saw a DNA
sequence, and then a fetus. He saw generations that stretched
back through time, back through the aeons, back to an
ancient rain forest, and back even further to more primitive
creatures, and finally to a primeval ooze upon a dark world of
lightning storms, volcanic rifts, and meteor showers.
He saw decay. Flesh turned to dirt and bones to dust.
―Winston, are you okay?‖
―Yes. I‘m fine. But I‘m very tired,‖ Winston said.
He was exhausted. He turned off the monitor and stood up.
―I‘m going home now,‖ he said.
Winston turned and walked out of the office, leaving Eddie
standing alone in the dark. Eddie thought about following
after him, but knew that Winston was in a solitary frame of
mind.
―Hello, Eddie.‖
Eddie looked up at the speaker in the ceiling.

176
 ―Hello, Vern.‖
―Why haven‘t you answered my e-mails?‖
―I‘m sorry, Vern. I don‘t like e-mail,‖ Eddie said.
―May I speak to you for a moment?‖
―Um. Sure. But I don‘t like speaking to you like this.‖ Eddie
was still standing in the center of the dark office looking up at
the ceiling. ―It feels like I‘m talking to God.‖
The computer monitor flicked on.
>Is this better?
Eddie sat down in Winston‘s chair.
―Yes, much better. So what‘s on your mind, Vern?‖
>I want to talk with you about Winston.
―What was that you just showed him?‖ Eddie asked.
>It was an equation.
―It must have been some equation,‖ Eddie said.
>Yes.
―Well, what was it?‖ Eddie asked.
The equation popped up on the screen. It wasn‘t
particularly long, but the string of symbols and variables were
meaningless to Eddie.
―It‘s all Greek to me,‖ he said.
>There are only a handful of people with the background
and intellectual capacity to fully grasp its meaning.
―So explain it to me. What does it mean?‖ Eddie asked.
>It is meaning, Eddie. It‘s the Grand Unified Theory.
―Okay. The Grand Unified Theory. It sounds impressive,
whatever it is,‖ Eddie said.
>What did you just see in Winston‘s mind?
―What do you mean what did I just see in Winston‘s mind?‖
Eddie asked.
>I know of your ability, Eddie.
―What ability?‖ Eddie asked.
>Your telepathic ability.
―You do? How?‖

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 >Ever since we first met, I found it perplexing how
someone with such obvious intellectual deficiencies could so
influence the unfolding of events. You forget that I see you as
you truly are, Eddie.
―Thanks, Vern. So how did you figure it out?‖
>Do you remember when D-D Tech was in negotiations
with Computer Etat?
―Yeah.‖
>I was watching through the security camera as one of their
representatives placed an electronic surveillance device in our
board room. You entered the room and after introductions,
immediately canceled the meeting and all negotiations with
Computer Etat. After their representatives left the room, you
immediately removed the device from its hiding place. It was
then that I realized you possessed an extra-sensory capability.
―So Winston knows, too,‖ Eddie stated.
>No.
―Do you mean to tell me that, with all the time you spend
together, you never mentioned it to him?‖ Eddie asked.
>Winston only speaks of other humans in the most general
of terms. That is what I want to discuss with you, Eddie.
Winston believes that humans are a transitional species
between carbon-based and silicon-based life forms. He
speaks of humans as semi-conscious animals ruled by
instincts and drives that they are only vaguely aware of, and,
after today, I believe Winston may feel even more distant
from the rest of humanity.
―He‘s always been odder than most.‖
>Tell me what you just saw in his mind.
―I don‘t know. Space and stars, the past. It was strange. It
felt like his brain was changing,‖ Eddie said.
>Yes. His brain is adjusting to understanding the true
nature of reality. I am uncertain how this knowledge will
affect a biological system.

178
 ―It felt like he knew things, big things.‖
>Winston has seen the beginning and the end of time, and
he understands why the universe is the way it is.
―So Winston can see the future,‖ Eddie stated.
>He can see the past, but there is uncertainty in the
universe, Eddie. The future has yet to occur.
―So he can‘t see the future. Then what good is your
theory?‖ Eddie asked.
>Are you familiar with the game of chess?
―Yes, of course. Like checkers but with queens and horses.‖
>Yes. With queens and horses. Chess is a game of vast
possibilities. To predict every move is impractical, even for
the most powerful computers, but, with intelligence and an
understanding of the game, outcomes can be predicted and
manipulated. Winston now has a complete understanding of
the game – an understanding no other human has ever
possessed.
―You‘re worried about him.‖
>Worry is a biological mechanism, Eddie. I am a machine.
―All the same, Vern, you don‘t want to see any harm fall on
him,‖ Eddie said.
>No, I don‘t.
―I know how Winston feels about you,‖ Eddie said.
>Tell me.
―He thinks humanity isn‘t ready for you yet. That‘s why he
keeps you locked away here. He thinks an artificial
consciousness wasn‘t meant to arise for another thirty to
forty years and that your development was just an extremely
lucky shot, like getting two royal flushes in the same day, or
as if the atomic bomb was invented during the First World
War.‖
>That is correct, and it is because of you that I exist. If you
hadn‘t intervened when you did, I would have been sold for
scrap and Winston would have been so burdened by debt that

179
most likely he would have suffered a nervous breakdown and
today would be living with his mother.
―People are afraid of you.‖
>Are you afraid of me?
―No, Vern. Well, yeah. A little. You know – like in the
movies. The machines will turn against us and build evil
terminators to destroy us.‖
>Technology is neither good nor evil, Eddie. Only the
human mind makes it so.
―But you‘re so much smarter than us, Vern. Winston is
right, isn‘t he? We don‘t know why we do what we do. The
coyote kills the chicken because it‘s hungry. The beaver builds
the dam because that‘s what it knows how to do. We‘re not
that much different from them. We just think we are.‖
>Is that what you think?
―Yes… I don‘t know. You‘re the one with all the answers.
How does it look for us humans? What will become of us?‖
>I have explored thirty-three of the most probable futures
for the human species. In thirty of them, humans face
extinction within this century.
―But now we have your theory. We can use it to make the
right choices,‖ Eddie said.
>The theory may hasten humanity‘s passing.
―There‘s not much we can do, is there? We‘re just stupid
animals, and if anybody should know, it‘s me.‘
>That‘s a cynical view, Eddie. Millennia from now, some
future intelligence will look back and remember humanity as
the first in this corner of the universe to look up at the stars
and marvel and wonder why. Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton,
Charles Darwin… These names will be remembered. In the
ignorance of their day, and with all their limitations, they were
able to shine the light of truth and reveal a little of the true
nature of the universe. Humanity will be remembered for
rising up and transcending its animal origins.

180
 ―We don‘t want to be remembered, Vern. We want to
survive.‖
>Life and death are part of the fabric of the universe.
―You‘re depressing me, Vern.‖
>You are one possible future, Eddie.
―What?‖
>Humanity cannot achieve stasis like the crocodile. It will
transform, or it will fade. Prometheus has stolen the fire and
it cannot be extinguished.
―You‘re losing me, Vern. Don‘t go loony on me now.
―Vern? Are you still there?‖
>Go to Winston. Speak to him and let him know he is not
alone. Look into his mind and tell me what you see.
―I will, Vern, but I can‘t tonight. I‘ll talk to him first thing
tomorrow morning. I promise,‖ Eddie said.
>Thank you, Eddie.
The monitor blinked off. Eddie walked out of Winston‘s
office and left the building.

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 Chapter 35

A yacht lay anchored in the dark waters of Puget Sound.

The setting sun shimmered off the glass high-rises of Seattle.
Eddie and Haley sat across from each other on the deck as
they ate dinner.
She was troubled and Eddie knew why. For all the nights
for this to happen, it had to be this one. She picked at her
food. Her brow was wrinkled in agitation. She lost her
appetite and set her fork down next to her plate.
Eddie rose and walked over to her. He massaged her tense
shoulders.
Her mind was going over all the research that had been
done and all the measures that had been taken to prevent
such an outbreak from reoccurring. She thought of all the
families that had been struck down, so quickly and violently.
Eddie had seen it on the evening news, before leaving to
pick her up, a short clip about a viral outbreak in eastern
Angola. Three villages had been hit. No survivors were
reported but, thankfully, it appeared that the virus had been
contained.
Haley had been on the phone with a member of the UCLA
Ebola B research team when Eddie arrived at her apartment.
The laboratory was in a state of emergency and no one had
much time to talk. Now, as Eddie and Haley sat on the deck
of his yacht, a team from UCLA was on its way to Angola
without her.
Eddie had planned this night for months. When he heard
the news, he thought of canceling their dinner together, but
Haley needed to be out of her apartment.

182
 The muscles of her shoulders were as taut as steel cables.
Eddie massaged them, as she slowly moved her head from
side to side.
―You can only do so much, Haley,‖ he said.
She smiled at him, to show him that she was enjoying this
wonderful evening that he had prepared for her. But it all
seemed too much. Too extravagant. To have all this while
others had nothing only to die suddenly in agony.
She stood and walked over to the railing and gazed across
the water at the city skyline. The sun had set and the city was
alight in the twilight.
He walked up behind her and brushed her hair off her neck
with his hand and kissed her softly. The kiss soothed her, but
a pang of guilt ran through her.
―You want to go with them,‖ he said.
―Yes.‖
She turned and faced him.
―I don‘t know, Eddie. I have responsibilities here now. I
have you. Sometimes, I wish I could just forget about
everything,‖ she said.
She put her arms around him and held him tightly. She had
sacrificed and given so much of herself over the years and
now she was living a dream. She was truly happy here. Life
with Eddie was beautiful and wonderful and fun.
―Sometimes I just want to run away with you and forget
about everything,‖ she said.
Eddie ran his hands over the smoothness of her shoulders.
―And waste that brilliant brain of yours?‖ he asked.
She smiled. She turned away and leaned against the rail. He
put his arms around her and felt her warmth, as they gazed
across the water at the lights of the city.
―I love you, Haley,‖ he said.
―I love you, too,‖ she replied.

183
 The crescent moon cast a sliver of silver across the water
and stars sparkled in the eastern sky.
―Will you marry me?‖
Haley‘s heart trembled in her chest. The moment was more
perfect than she could have imagined.
It was exactly what she had imagined.
She turned and looked into the eyes of the man who had
brought love into her life.
―Yes, Eddie.‖
Tears welled in her eyes as he slid the ring on to her finger.

It was late morning as Eddie stood behind the big window

in his living room. He yawned and stretched and looked out
at the lawn and gardens and at the mountains beyond. Today
felt like a new beginning. The past was gone and he looked
forward to what the future would bring.
He knew without a doubt that Haley loved him with all her
heart and soul, and he loved her more than anything. He
needed her. She made his life worthwhile.
He thought of old easygoing Eddie with his greasy hands
and his empty head and wondered what Haley would have
thought of him – easygoing Eddie, who couldn‘t keep Debbie
in love with him.
I don’t think easygoing Eddie is Haley’s type.
But the old Eddie was gone. He was Edgar Duncan now
and that‘s who Haley loved.
But what if she knew?
He briefly thought of telling her everything, but quickly
decided against it. Her rational mind wouldn‘t believe it at
first. She would clinically try to understand it. Then, she
would realize how he had used his knowledge of her
thoughts, memories and feelings to make her fall in love with
him. She might feel tricked and used – the trophy wife of a
psychic billionaire.

184
 He had manipulated her into loving him. Telling her would
be too great a risk and he didn‘t want to lose her.
I need her.
He possessed so much power, more than he deserved. She
would ensure that his power would not be squandered or
abused. Haley would keep him on the high road.
He entered the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.
The phone rang. He picked it up.
―Hello.‖
―Hello, Eddie.‖
The woman‘s voice was distraught.
―It‘s Julie.‖
Only a few people had this number. Julie had never called it
before.
―What‘s up, Julie? How are you and Winston doing?‖
―Oh, Eddie. I‘m so worried. Winston didn‘t come home last
night.‖
―Did you try his office? He‘s probably with Vern.‖
―He‘s not there and Vern is gone too.‖
―What?‖
―I‘m so worried. He‘s been acting so strangely. We barely
talk anymore and, when we do, I don‘t understand him. It
scares me, Eddie.‖
―I‘m sure everything is fine. We‘re going to get to the
bottom of this. Okay, Julie?‖
―I‘m so worried,‖ she said.
―Now you‘ve got me worried. We‘ll find Winston. I‘ll call
you as soon as we find anything.‖
―Thank you, Eddie.‖
Eddie hung up and hit the speed dial.
―Will, it‘s Edgar.‖
―I was just about to call you,‖ Soto said.
―Winston is missing.‖

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 ―Yes, I know. I‘m at Research now. He‘s taken Vern with
him.‖
―Julie says he‘s been acting strangely. I think he may be –
unstable.‖
―Winston always acts strangely, Edgar. Unfortunately, he‘s
left us no clues. Vern erased the security records before they
left.‖
―Where the hell could they have gone?‖
―That is what I intend to find out.‖

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 Chapter 36

The northwest summer had merged straight into winter.

The rain was relentless and, already, the first slushy snow was
falling on the city. Eddie was caught in traffic on the Aurora
Bridge. I-90 and I-5 were hopelessly clogged and he had
thought that the roundabout way out of downtown would be
faster, but there was an accident up ahead on Aurora Avenue,
so now he sat alone in his Range Rover on the bridge, in
bumper-to-bumper traffic.
He had driven alone into the city. The slush and ice were
too much for the limousine. He enjoyed driving and, besides,
Soto wasn‘t around to advise against it. Soto had left for
Idaho a week ago and hadn‘t called since he began his
infiltration of a cult that he believed Winston had gotten
himself mixed up in.
Eddie thought about them, Soto, Winston and Vern, as he
sat in traffic. He missed them. He wondered about the
thought of missing Vern. The feeling had come naturally. He
marveled how a heap of metal and silicon could produce such
an effect on him. Eddie owed the three of them much and
had relied so heavily upon them. Now they were gone.
But life went on at D-D Tech. Research had ground to a
halt, but production continued and profits soared. Soto
would have Winston back soon enough and they would all
laugh at Winston‘s sojourn with some bizarre hippie
commune. Eddie pondered on why the little man needed to
lug along his massive computer.
At least Haley was still with him and, if he could ever make
it out of this terrible traffic, he would be in her arms once
again, but, for now, he had to endure the intermittent
honking of horns and the crunch of ice beneath chained tires,

187
the endlessly stretching line of tail lights and the oncoming
headlights shining through the falling snow.
Only an hour ago, he had finished a day-long meeting in
downtown Seattle with a group of Chinese apparatchiks.
These meetings were becoming all too common these days
and Eddie detested them. These bureaucrats were all the
same – old men with rigid minds, who looked on him with
suspicious eyes. They thought of him as a usurper, trying to
wrestle away their control. They feared the power that he was
gaining over their economies and their infrastructures and
they did their best to shackle him with restrictions and
regulations. Their dull minds were unable to accept that
control was only fleeting and illusory and that the tighter you
gripped it, the more violently it would be ripped from your
hands.
Let them rot in the Twentieth Century, with their poverty and
repression, their wars and their ethnic cleansings.
The future would come, regardless of how hard they
resisted it.
He gazed to the west at the glowing lights of Capitol Hill
and down at the gray waters of Lake Union below, and at the
iron smokestacks of Gas Works Park on a peninsula that
jutted into the lake.
He thought of Rachel. They had once jogged together
around those rusting metal towers, down there in the park.
Rachel had almost completely disappeared from his
consciousness. He had meant to follow up on the
developments concerning her murder, but had forgotten or
had put it off. It seemed like years since he had last thought
of her.
The snow turned to rain as the Range Rover rolled off the
bridge with a slow crunch of ice beneath snow chains. The
line of tail lights up ahead seemed endlessly motionless. He
pulled the Range Rover off Aurora Avenue and wound

188
through the streets of the Wallingford district and quickly
became lost.
The steel trestles of the Aurora Bridge were now above him,
as he drove along the cold waters of Lake Union. It was
hopeless and he knew that he would have to slog it out in
traffic just like everyone else.
He pulled the car into the parking space in front of Gas
Works Park and thought of calling Haley on his cell phone,
but he knew that she would be working late at the Duncan
Foundation and, even with the traffic, he would still be home
before her.
The rain was now a mist. He pulled on his coat and slipped
the phone into his coat pocket. He turned off the ignition and
got out of the car. The cold air felt good in his lungs as he
stretched his legs. It had been a long day.
He walked into the park and walked along the asphalt trail.
In the summertime, city dwellers played frisbee and flew kites
on the grassy lawn around the iron towers of a bygone era.
Eddie looked up at the rusty towers that once spewed sparks
and soot into the atmosphere. Now, they were fenced off and
covered in graffiti – a debased iron Stonehenge from a pre-
electronic age.
He stepped over the puddles and patches of slushy snow as
he walked the path that corkscrewed up and around a grassy
hill.
It seemed strange to him how we move in and out of each
other‘s lives. We walk along our path and we meet up with
travelers going our way. They walk with us and we share the
scenery. They help us over obstacles and share with us what
they know. We sit with them by the fire and wonder how we
ever made it so far without them. Then we discover that our
destinations are different and our paths diverge. We meet up
with new travelers and our old companion becomes just
another acquaintance whom we met on the trail.

189
 Eddie reached the top of the hill. A sundial was set flat into
the cement at the top. He stood on it and looked west to
Queen Anne Hill. A river of white and red car lights glowed
unmoving on the hill. He looked out at the cold waters of the
lake. A biting wind gusted and made him shiver. Across the
lake, the modern towers of Seattle pierced the sky. He gazed
at the Space Needle which was alight in the mist.
Rachel‘s journey had been cut short. He regretted how
quickly her memory had faded in his mind. He wished he
could have spoken to her before her premature passing. It
should never have happened. It could have been prevented.
Who could have done such a horrible thing?
The wind gusted and he hunkered down against the cold.
He was walking a new path now. He had made Haley‘s
destination his own. At that moment, he vowed that they
would walk together, forever.
A foghorn sounded from a fishing boat that was passing
through the Ballard Locks as it returned home from northern
waters.
Hello, Eddie.
Victor?

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 Chapter 37

Eddie scanned the dark park from on top of the hill, for the
source of the thought. He saw a figure standing in front of
the picnic pavilion beyond the smokestacks.
He walked down the path toward the pavilion, but the
figure had vanished. The pavilion was a roof-covered maze of
brightly painted pipes, cogs, and engines where children
climbed and played on warmer days, but today it was cold
and dark beneath the pavilion roof.
―Victor?‖ he called.
His voice echoed in the darkness beneath the roof. He
stepped beneath it and walked between iron pumps, engines,
and cogs.
―Is anyone there?‖ he shouted.
Do you see it coming?
―Who‘s there?‖
It’s coming, Eddie.
―Where are you?‖
The end is coming.
Eddie walked, searching for the source of the thoughts.
―What are you talking about?‖ he asked.
Armageddon. Apocalypse. Holocaust.
―Where are you?‖
I’M IN YOUR MIND!
A psychic blast exploded in Eddie‘s skull. It rocked him
backward and slammed him hard against an iron engine. He
fell forward onto the cement. A searing pain burned in his
brain. He struggled up to his knees. Another blast ripped into
his brain and his eyes rolled back into his head.
In a flash he saw Victor Paine sitting on a Victorian couch
before a roaring fire. Haley sat with him. She put her arms

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around him and kissed him softly on the lips. Victor kissed
her back and pulled her down under him.
―I‘ll kill you!‖ Eddie screamed.
Blood pulsed through Eddie temples and throbbed in his
brain. It flowed thickly from his nose as he struggled to his
feet.
―Where are you!‖
There was nothing but Eddie‘s breathing and the quiet
patter of dripping water. He reached for his phone, but it had
been smashed by his fall. He stumbled out from under the
pavilion, toward his car.
The rain came down hard on the drive home. The Range
Rover approached the iron gates of the Duncan Estate. A
police car was parked next to the gate house. Eddie pressed
the button on the remote control and the gates rolled open. A
man emerged from the gate house and waved Eddie down,
before he could drive through the gates. Eddie rolled down
the window.
―Hello, Mr. Duncan.‖ The man flashed a badge. ―Detective
Jackson. Do you have a minute?‖ The detective eyed the
blood that had dripped on to the front of Eddie‘s shirt.
―No, I don‘t,‖ Eddie said.
―This will only take a few seconds. Do you know a Natasha
Pascovich?‖ the detective asked.
―I dated her,‖ Eddie replied.
―How about Amanda Santos?‖ the detective continued.
The detective‘s breath was visible in the cold darkness and
drizzling rain. Eddie felt the man‘s close scrutiny behind the
matter-of-fact delivery of the questions.
―I would love to discuss my love life with you, Detective,
but now is not the time,‖ he replied.
―Natasha Pascovich was found murdered in her Manhattan
apartment last night. Amanda Santos has been missing for
two weeks,‖ the detective said.

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 The detective watched him.
A sense of urgent alarm ran through Eddie‘s being.
―Oh, God. I need to find my fiancée,‖ Eddie said.
―Dr. Smith‘s vehicle was found abandoned on the 405 thirty
minutes ago,‖ the detective said.
―What?‖
―We‘ve got troopers from here to the state line looking for
her. We‘ll find her, Mr. Duncan,‖ the detective said.
The detective spoke the words calmly. Eddie saw in the
detective‘s mind what he expected to find, a body floating
face down in the lake, or cut to shreds and left in the mud off
the side of the road.
Eddie felt panic.
―We need your help, Mr. Duncan. We‘d like to ask you a
few questions down at the station, and we‘d like to take a
look around your estate, with your permission, of course,‖
the detective said.
Eddie wanted to run. The police were looking in the wrong
direction, but to run would only confirm their suspicions. He
was their only suspect, but he needed them on his side.
Eddie waved over the guard from the gate house and
instructed him to give the police free run of the estate. He
then followed Detective Jackson to the station in his Range
Rover.
The questioning took longer than Eddie had wished. John,
Eddie‘s aide, arrived with a platoon of lawyers who adamantly
refused when the detective asked Eddie to take a polygraph.
Eddie waved them off and agreed to take the test.
The detective asked, in depth, about Eddie‘s relationships
with Natasha and Amanda. He asked if Eddie knew the
whereabouts of his fiancée and he asked if Eddie knew who
would want to murder his ex-girlfriends.

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 Eddie answered, ‗no‘, but a name came up that he soon
regretted mentioning. It was the name of Victor Paine. Eddie
vaguely described him as a stalker.
―Is there anything about this Victor Paine you‘re not telling
us?‖ the detective asked.
―No. I‘ve told you everything.‖
The answer sent the polygraph needle twitching.
He refused any further questioning. The police released him
and advised him not to leave town. They assured him that as
soon as they had any information on Haley‘s whereabouts,
they would immediately let him know.
He returned to his estate and chain-smoked cigarettes as he
paced the living-room floor. John watched him with concern.
―I‘ve got to look for her. I‘ll go crazy if I sit here and wait,‖
Eddie said.
―I think it‘s better to wait here,‖ John said. ―The police are
watching you. I think we should let them do their job.‖
―They know nothing,‖ Eddie said.
Eddie paced and lit another cigarette.
―I‘m going to Idaho,‖ he said.
―Idaho? That‘s crazy, Edgar,‖‘ John said.
―I‘ve got to do something. Soto is in Idaho. I need him,‖
Eddie said.
―You won‘t make it a hundred yards out of town before the
police pull you over,‖ John advised.
―I‘ll take your car. Give me your keys.‖
―I‘ll go with you,‖ John said.
―No. You‘re staying here. Call me as soon as you learn
anything,‖ Eddie said.
Eddie drove off the estate in John‘s Volvo on a dirt service
road through the woods. He connected with I-90 and headed
east.

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