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drinking, he liked to talk, especially about his father s collection. He d take Pat and me in there and
regale us with the stories behind the pieces, what they were supposed to do, who had exposed them as
fakes
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Fakes? I said.
Of course. Again, Tolliver looked at us, then Zoe. You must know this, Zoe. You put some of those
artifacts in that collection yourself.
She shook her head. Theodore Shanahan placed the order and I filled it. Half the time, I barely even
knew what I was stealing.
Not surprising, I guess. He was an arrogant old bugger. Like most men who get their money from
shady dealings. If you act like you ve been born to it, no one questions where the money came from.
So it s a collection of& fakes? I glanced up at Clay, remembering the files we d found in the house,
where we d thought he d cleverly documented his artifacts as counterfeits. Supernatural curiosities.
Tolliver nodded. All of them, including that letter.
So it supposedlydid contain a portal, I said. One that was believed to be fake.
I don t remember the exact story behind it, but Patrick will have it on file.
File s gone, Clay said.
Tolliver nodded, as if neither surprised nor indignant that we d searched Shanahan s house.
Can you remember anything about it? I asked.
He paused, then shook his head. I ll think on it some more, but that piece never interested me. Neither
did Jack the Ripper in general. A small laugh. Even as a child, I think I was offended by the suggestion
that a doctor might have been responsible. Patrick would know more. The letter was one of his favorite
pieces.
Which brings us back to square one& Clay said.
Finding Patrick. I agree that the portal needs to be closed, and quickly. Even if I don t know how much
help Patrick can be, I d be happy to help you locate him& if I could.
Why can t you? I said.
Because, while Patrick and I were close as boys, we ve barely seen one another since college. He only
calls now and then to see whether I ve come to my senses and taken up a more profitable branch of
medicine& with profits he could help me invest. When he learns I haven t& Tolliver shrugged. That s
the end of our contact until the annual Christmas card. I can try
Tolliver s cell phone rang. He answered. As he listened, he closed his eyes, suddenly looking very tired.
Tell them I m on my way, he said, then hung up.
There s a small outbreak of intestinal upset at a nursing home I cover, and they re worried it s the
cholera. More likely food spoilage from the heat, but I need to check it out immediately. As I said, I ll
think about the letter some more, and Patrick as well, and see what I can come up with.
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I took out a piece of paper, jotted down my number and gave it to him. He was out of the courtyard
before I got to my feet.
Zoe made us promise to call and update her. In the meantime, she d try to track down more on the story
behind the letter.
The five of us went to dinner before the meeting with Matthew Hull. Jeremy had decided we d go that
the potential reward outweighed the risk.
We found a sit-down restaurant and a quiet table. Easy enough now in the wake of the cholera
epidemic, they were all quiet. The city still hadn t cleaned the water supply. They d taken every
step multiple times but the problem persisted. As long as the portal remained open, the cholera was
here to stay.
While Jeremy and Antonio updated us on their dead-ended investigations, Clay kept casting anxious
glances at me as I picked at my dinner.
When it was our turn and I asked Clay to tell them what we d learned, he leaned my way.
What s wrong? he murmured.
Noth
You ve barely touched your meal.
It s just the heat.
You look pale, Jeremy said. I thought it was the lighting, but
It is. I m fine.
You re probably dehydrated, Antonio said. Finish your milk and we ll order you another.
I lifted my hands. Enough. The pregnant woman is fine. Not terribly hungry tonight, that s all. I felt
Clay s gaze boring into me, and sighed. Okay, maybe a little tired, but no more than everyone else, I m
sure. It s been a very long day.
Clay pushed back his chair and stood. Come on. I m taking you up to our room.
Before I finish my dinner?
That gave him pause, but only for a second. We ll ask for takeout.
I shook my head. Yes, I am tired, probably from the heat, but the sooner we get this done, the sooner I
can go home and really rest, in my own bed. Now sit down and bring everyone up to speed on what
Randy Tolliver said. I looked up at him. Please.
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Sorcery
SEE? I SAID AS JEREMY LEFT OUR HOTEL ROOM . DIAGNOSIS: just tired.
Exhausted, Clay said as he handed me a bottle of water. And dehydrated.
I took the water and made a face. Oh, that s just Jeremy.
He s right, though, about tonight. You need to rest, not run off again in a few minutes.
Notice how he tossed out that suggestion, then bolted, leaving you to handle the fallout? I shrugged
off my shirt, which, despite a morning shower and liberal applications of deodorant, smelled faintly of
body odor. Can you hand me that one over there?
We haven t even discussed it yet, and you re already changing to go out. You need to rest, Elena.
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