Page 17 of Cruel Malady: A Necrosis of the Mind

“You know who.” I take a beat to think about my next words. “The guy youTaseredanddruggedand shoved into a closet.”

She laughs. It’s a surprising tinkling sound that tightens my stomach. “Oh, right. The asshole.”

“You gave me a pet name. How sweet.”

“You grabbed my arm. Guys should know better in this day and age.”

The Taser I can justify as far as defense—but the extreme concentration of club drugs? Who was that for? Her personal use or another unsuspecting victim?

“I’d really like to know where my pocket watch is.” I force the subject.

I hear a distinctclickover the line and recognize the sound of my watch cover springing open. “And I’d like to know how you got this number.”

I settle in my desk chair and brace a hand to my knee. When dealing with a psychopath, it’s important to think through the conversation. That watch is important. I’ve given her this power over me. I need her to feel like the one in charge…but only the appearance of it.

“I’m kind of a computer geek,” I answer honestly. “I was testing new phone software at the club to scan phone data, and I just happened to snag yours.”

There’s a lengthy pause, then: “What’s your name? Yourrealname.”

I hesitate for only a moment. “Alex Chambers.”

“Meet me at Bean House on the corner of third and Broadway in an hour, Alex Chambers.”

I open my mouth to confirm, but she ends the call first. I pocket my phone as I replay the conversation, mentally assessing her responses.

The fact that she wants to meet says she’s at least curious about me. Or apprehensive. She chose a public place. Although, had she not, considering our last encounter, I would have made that request.

I’m not so arrogant that I don’t fear this woman. Fear is healthy. Smart.

On her part: I hacked her phone. I know her identity. She’s intelligent enough to be just as wary about me, although her psyche may transmute that fear into outrage. I can go on to speculate just how this interaction will go between us, but I stop myself. Honestly, I’ve never encountered a subject like her before.

She’s unpredictable.

The second step of the scientific method is to collect. While I’m collecting my pocket watch from Blakely, I’ll also be gathering the data I need for the next phase.

On my way out, I pause at the console table and touch the framed picture of a young girl and boy with smiling, innocent faces.

“We’re getting closer, Mary.”

6

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BLAKELY

The eerie sensation of someone watching me prickles the back of my neck. I peer around to find the asshole from the club standing a few feet away.

“Were you just, like…watching me?”

“That’s an inherent instinct,” he says. He starts toward the table I selected in the middle of the sidewalk bistro. “To detect when you’re being watched. Thousands of years of evolution, and we still retain a primal characteristic from the days when we were prey to a larger species of hunters. Though some possess this skill more than others.”

I arch an eyebrow. I suppose he’s referring to me.

As he sits down in the metal chair across from me, I prop my arms on the table. “You’re just full of stimulating information.”

He smirks. Outside of the darkly lit atmosphere of the club, I can better access him. He’s attractive. Vibrant blue eyes—the kind women get lost in. Although today, he’s sporting thin, wire-rimmed glasses. The glasses don’t detract from that pretty-boy smile with the pop of dimples, but rather enhance his overall likeability. His dark hair flops haphazard, as if he spends a lot of time driving his fingers through it. Probably while sitting at his lab desk.

Yes, just as I know he’s done to me, I did some digging into him before I came here. According to a few academic sites, Dr. Alex Chambers is a biomedical scientist. This particular field of science analyzes how the human body works to discover innovative ways to cure or treat diseases. Apparently, Dr. Chambers helped develop some miracle vaccine for rotavirus that earned him an academic award.

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