about you? Are you religious?”
“Absolutely. But then I’ve been brainwashed by years of Catholic school.”
“Figures.” Julia laughed. She didn’t mention that she had also attended Catholic school when she was younger. But to her, God seemed as scary a superstition as the Boogie Man: deciding who lives and dies, promising people goodies if they behave and torture if they don’t. Now, as she looked into Austin’s eyes, she almost wanted to believe.
Austin tore his eyes away from hers with some effort. He stood and started pacing, “Let’s look at this systematically. Did any religious types ever complain about your work?”
“Not as far as I know. I thought that no one knew about it, but then …”
“What?” Austin looked at her expectantly.
“Well, Dr. Bertel hinted a couple of times that someone might be after us. He said our research could be dangerous if it got into the wrong hands.”
Austin nodded silently. “What about that other note, ‘I’ll never leave you’?”
Julia looked down at her hands. “I don’t know. It has to be someone different, doesn’t it? Why would someone leave one note in paper and another on the glass right under it? It doesn’t make sense.” She wasn’t ready to tell him the note had appeared before in her bathroom mirror.
“Okay, so let’s go back to Bertel. You said he wasn’t himself.”
“He said he had amnesia, but it was worse than that. He acted like a raving maniac. He was still so messed up he looked like a corpse. And he seemed weak and exhausted, but he threw me across the room.”
“Why did he do that?”
“He kept asking about our research. He said it might jog his memory. But when I started telling him about it, it wasn’t like it was helping his memory. It was like it was the first time he’d ever heard it. He used to be excited when we’d talk about the research, but this time he was beyond obsessive. He insisted I give him my notes.”
“Did you?”
“No way. He sounded so crazy I felt like I couldn’t trust him. When I sent you that text, he accused me of trying to trick him, which I guess I was. That was when he lost it. When I suggested calling for help, he freaked out and threw me onto the desk with that same superhuman strength from before.”
“You mean like he did the night you revived him, when he grabbed you and said, ‘You belong to me’?”
She nodded.
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Austin said, “and I’m starting to develop a theory.”
Julia nodded faster. “Me too.”
He sat down again. “You may think my theory is a little … farfetched.”
She bit her lip. “Mine sounds totally insane.”
“Okay, let’s start with farfetched,” he said. “Bertel has been depressed for a long time over the death of his son, and now his wife has left him. He’s been suffering from intense guilt. He wrote a book about demonic possession, using fringe science to support his theories. Now he’s trying to prove that the soul resides in the pineal gland, as our friend Descartes supposed.” He took a deep breath and searched Julia’s eyes.
Her heart was pounding. Austin seemed to be on the same track she was. She nodded encouragement.
He continued, “I think his incredible guilt has driven him over the edge, and now Bertel is suffering under the delusion that he’s possessed. It explains everything, even the superhuman strength. People under extreme emotional stress have been known to perform astonishing physical feats.” He paused. “What’s wrong? Too out there?”
“No,” she said. “Not out there enough.”
“Really? What were
you
thinking?”
“You know that Dr. Bertel and I were able to use a drug cocktail, with PCP as the primary component, to create a small chemical change in the pineal gland of cadaver brains?”
“Your brand of witchcraft.”
It was her turn to give him a sardonic look. “Whatever. Anyway, I didn’t tell you everything. We weren’t just trying to find the
“Absolutely. But then I’ve been brainwashed by years of Catholic school.”
“Figures.” Julia laughed. She didn’t mention that she had also attended Catholic school when she was younger. But to her, God seemed as scary a superstition as the Boogie Man: deciding who lives and dies, promising people goodies if they behave and torture if they don’t. Now, as she looked into Austin’s eyes, she almost wanted to believe.
Austin tore his eyes away from hers with some effort. He stood and started pacing, “Let’s look at this systematically. Did any religious types ever complain about your work?”
“Not as far as I know. I thought that no one knew about it, but then …”
“What?” Austin looked at her expectantly.
“Well, Dr. Bertel hinted a couple of times that someone might be after us. He said our research could be dangerous if it got into the wrong hands.”
Austin nodded silently. “What about that other note, ‘I’ll never leave you’?”
Julia looked down at her hands. “I don’t know. It has to be someone different, doesn’t it? Why would someone leave one note in paper and another on the glass right under it? It doesn’t make sense.” She wasn’t ready to tell him the note had appeared before in her bathroom mirror.
“Okay, so let’s go back to Bertel. You said he wasn’t himself.”
“He said he had amnesia, but it was worse than that. He acted like a raving maniac. He was still so messed up he looked like a corpse. And he seemed weak and exhausted, but he threw me across the room.”
“Why did he do that?”
“He kept asking about our research. He said it might jog his memory. But when I started telling him about it, it wasn’t like it was helping his memory. It was like it was the first time he’d ever heard it. He used to be excited when we’d talk about the research, but this time he was beyond obsessive. He insisted I give him my notes.”
“Did you?”
“No way. He sounded so crazy I felt like I couldn’t trust him. When I sent you that text, he accused me of trying to trick him, which I guess I was. That was when he lost it. When I suggested calling for help, he freaked out and threw me onto the desk with that same superhuman strength from before.”
“You mean like he did the night you revived him, when he grabbed you and said, ‘You belong to me’?”
She nodded.
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Austin said, “and I’m starting to develop a theory.”
Julia nodded faster. “Me too.”
He sat down again. “You may think my theory is a little … farfetched.”
She bit her lip. “Mine sounds totally insane.”
“Okay, let’s start with farfetched,” he said. “Bertel has been depressed for a long time over the death of his son, and now his wife has left him. He’s been suffering from intense guilt. He wrote a book about demonic possession, using fringe science to support his theories. Now he’s trying to prove that the soul resides in the pineal gland, as our friend Descartes supposed.” He took a deep breath and searched Julia’s eyes.
Her heart was pounding. Austin seemed to be on the same track she was. She nodded encouragement.
He continued, “I think his incredible guilt has driven him over the edge, and now Bertel is suffering under the delusion that he’s possessed. It explains everything, even the superhuman strength. People under extreme emotional stress have been known to perform astonishing physical feats.” He paused. “What’s wrong? Too out there?”
“No,” she said. “Not out there enough.”
“Really? What were
you
thinking?”
“You know that Dr. Bertel and I were able to use a drug cocktail, with PCP as the primary component, to create a small chemical change in the pineal gland of cadaver brains?”
“Your brand of witchcraft.”
It was her turn to give him a sardonic look. “Whatever. Anyway, I didn’t tell you everything. We weren’t just trying to find the
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