Part 24 (1/2)
”Hard to say,” Jensen said. ”If I had a longer sample of the second hand...”
Suddenly Kara remembered something and fumbled in her shoulder bag, praying she hadn't lost it. Here it was.
”Will this do? It's a prescription.”
Jensen took it and laid it out on the desk in line with the check, the note, and the envelope face. He leaned back, then hovered close, finally he crossed his arms in front of his chest and simply stared.
”Odd,” he said, and stared some more. ”My immediate impulse is to say that these are two different people. The downstrokes and loops are similar but not completely. And yet... there's a common factor here, a unifying influence. I can't tell you in concrete terms, but after you've a.n.a.lyzed enough handwriting, you get a subliminal feel for the gestalt gestalt of a sample. These two of a sample. These two feel feel similar to me, and yet they're not.” similar to me, and yet they're not.”
Rob said, ”Could the man who wrote the check and the prescription have been trying to disguise his handwriting when he wrote the note and addressed the envelope?”
”Possibly. But I get a feeling that it might have been the other way around.”
”What do you mean?”
”Perhaps the author of the note was trying to imitate the handwriting of the man who wrote the check.”
Kara slumped in the pa.s.senger seat of Rob's car as it idled at the curb. Professor's Jenkins' a.n.a.lysis had shaken her to the core.
”Do you think Dr. Gates could have sent me that message? Why would he do such a thing?”
”I don't know. Mind if I smoke?”
”Yes. And if he didn't, why would he lie about whoever did? Why would he say it was a female when it was a male.”
”That might have been just to protect his patient. We both know what a fanatic he is about confidentiality.”
”Do you think Dr. Gates is as tightly wrapped as he should be?”
Rob looked at her and shrugged.
”I don't like the guy, but that's a gut thing. The people I talk to who should know give him high marks, especially when it comes to multiple personalities.”
”What if he's a multiple personality himself? What if his other self wrote me that note to warn me away from him?”
Rob's eyes widened and his voice became hushed.
”What if it was his Evil Twin?”
”Not funny, Rob. I'm serious.”
”Sorry. It seems jut a little too far out.”
But an idea that was even farther out kept nagging at Kara's mind. It was so ridiculous and outrageous that she didn't want to mention it, but it was there and it was going to keep on nibbling away at her until she brought it out.
”Try this for far out: What if Dr. Gates can can take over your body while you sleep?” take over your body while you sleep?”
”And use it for his 'personal pleasures'?” Rob said with a slow smile. ”Kara...”
”I know how it must sound to you, but it's different on my end. You're not living under the threat of someone named Janine taking over your body and doing what she wants with it. When you've lost the absolute control you always a.s.sumed you had, crazy things start to sound plausible.”
”I need a cigarette,” Rob said.
He got out of the car and walked around the front to Kara's side where he squatted against the pole of the No Parking sign. As he lit up, he motioned Kara to roll her window down.
”Those things will kill you,” she said.
”You make me nervous when you talk like that.”
”Just consider it. What if that note I got isn't completely out of left field? What if Dr. Gates entered my mind when he hypnotized me and he's been taking over whenever he wished? What if he was doing the same thing to Kelly? What if that warning is from one of his past victims?” She forced a laugh that came out sounding strangled. ”What if I'm completely bonkers for even mentioning this?”
Rob was staring at her.
”Please don't laugh like that again,” he said. ”It's scary.”
”My life life has become scary, Rob. Does all that I said sound as crazy and impossible to you as it should to me? Tell me it's absolutely impossible.” has become scary, Rob. Does all that I said sound as crazy and impossible to you as it should to me? Tell me it's absolutely impossible.”
”It's absolutely impossible.”
”Good. Then I'll sleep easier tonight.” She coughed. ”Can I roll the window up now? You're getting smoke in the car.”
Rob took a final drag and flipped the cigarette away.
”Where do you want to go?” he said as he got behind the wheel.
”Ellen's, if you don't mind.”
”What about tonight? You staying alone at Kelly's again?”
”Definitely.”
Kara loathed the idea of spending another night alone in that apartment, but until she was sure...
”I'd offer to keep you company,” Rob said, ”but tonight's my turn to do a s.h.i.+ft on a stakeout we're running on a murder suspect's apartment. But I'll come over first thing in the morning and see how you are.”
Kara watched his eyes as he spoke. Something wrong there. Was he avoiding her for some reason? Or was she getting as paranoid as the person who'd written her that note?
Suddenly she felt very alone.
10:32 P.M.
Ed had been calling Kara's apartment-actually, it was Kelly's apartment-every fifteen minutes since 6:30. It wasn't all that much trouble. He had no plans for the night and his phone had a last number auto redial function, so all he had to do was press one of the extra b.u.t.tons and the phone did the rest.
Ostensibly, his purpose would be to go over some of the legal doc.u.ments he'd left with her this afternoon, but really all he wanted was to hear the sound of her voice, to make sure she was all right.
Why is this so important to me?