next time we speak.”
“Can we just get
to the dates?” Kyle asked as he refreshed his screen to look at the spreadsheet
again. “What did he tell you that made you figure out there was another victim
today?”
“Right. So he
tells me this former KnightWare worker told him there’s this guy who’s got a
knack for finding people with special abilities, whom he then contracts out to
companies like KnightWare. And the special ability of one of the guys was what
allowed them to perform these—”
“Liam,” Kyle cut
in, growing frustrated with his refusal to cut to the chase. “Just tell me how
any of this led you to the dates.”
Kyle could feel
Liam’s excitement even before Liam started with his explanation. “The guy who
can cause these strokes, or used to be able to do it, absorbed the energy of
others,” Liam said.
“Absorbed the
energy?”
“That’s what he
said.”
“How is that even
possible?”
“He didn’t say.
But it makes sense that’s what’s happening here if you think about it.”
“How on earth does
it make sense?”
“Think about it,”
Liam said. “Since neurons are
electrically excitable, it’s possible their voltage gradients can be increased so
that the nervous system’s synapses can work at an even crazier pace than they
already do, which would, in a sense, supercharge the senses. You know, kinda
like you’d have a 90-watt bulb instead of a 60-watt bulb. A brighter, more
powerful light. And that’s what happened to this guy when he absorbed the
energy. The man said it would heighten all his senses. The wiring in his
nervous system kicked into overdrive and amped everything up.”
“Okay. Putting
aside the improbabilities and impossibilities with the story—again, what
does any of that have to do with the dates?”
“That’s what I’m
getting to,” Liam said. “So when I was watching Hillier’s game earlier, I was
thinking, who in the city would need the extra energy? Who would it help? Who
would need to be a Superman of sorts, but only for short spurts of time? And
then it hit me about the fifth inning of Hillier’s perfecto. I thought about
his stats at home—ten wins, no losses, a better than Bob Gibson-like ERA
of .48. Even less if you toss out the start before today. What’s crazier is
that he’s doing it in the American League East, against the best teams in the
league. And he’s twenty-nine and coming off two devastating arm surgeries.
Hillier isn’t just having a good year, not even just a great year. When you
factor in the adjustments for modern-day ball, the DH, the training these guys
have, this guy may be having the best year ever.”
Kyle couldn’t help
but smile. “So you’re telling me that you think Evan Hillier, the pitcher for
the New York Yankees, is causing these strokes?”
“No,” Liam said,
“that’s not what I think. It’s what I know.”
“Liam, the man is
having a good run. And he’s pitching for a good team. His arm is finally
healthy. Pitchers have runs like this. Remember what Orel Hershiser did in
eighty-eight? Fifty-nine scoreless innings in a row. Fifty-nine . In a row. Pitching all around is better now, and ERAs
are down because the hitters don’t have carte blanche access to the performance
enhancers like they used to. Just because the guy threw a perfect game doesn’t
mean he’s got some sort of super powers. There have been more than twenty guys
who have pitched perfect games, and a slew of guys with no-hitters. Nolan Ryan
has seven of them. Besides, if the umpire had called a few full counts the
other way, or one of the fielders muffed a play, Hillier doesn’t even have the
perfect game. It’s ludicrous.”
Silence.
“Look … ” Kyle softened his tone,
realizing he was coming on too strong. He didn’t know Liam that well and the
man was going through a tragedy. There was a good chance his niece would never
wake up again and, even if she did, that she’d never be the same. Liam also
seemed to
“Can we just get
to the dates?” Kyle asked as he refreshed his screen to look at the spreadsheet
again. “What did he tell you that made you figure out there was another victim
today?”
“Right. So he
tells me this former KnightWare worker told him there’s this guy who’s got a
knack for finding people with special abilities, whom he then contracts out to
companies like KnightWare. And the special ability of one of the guys was what
allowed them to perform these—”
“Liam,” Kyle cut
in, growing frustrated with his refusal to cut to the chase. “Just tell me how
any of this led you to the dates.”
Kyle could feel
Liam’s excitement even before Liam started with his explanation. “The guy who
can cause these strokes, or used to be able to do it, absorbed the energy of
others,” Liam said.
“Absorbed the
energy?”
“That’s what he
said.”
“How is that even
possible?”
“He didn’t say.
But it makes sense that’s what’s happening here if you think about it.”
“How on earth does
it make sense?”
“Think about it,”
Liam said. “Since neurons are
electrically excitable, it’s possible their voltage gradients can be increased so
that the nervous system’s synapses can work at an even crazier pace than they
already do, which would, in a sense, supercharge the senses. You know, kinda
like you’d have a 90-watt bulb instead of a 60-watt bulb. A brighter, more
powerful light. And that’s what happened to this guy when he absorbed the
energy. The man said it would heighten all his senses. The wiring in his
nervous system kicked into overdrive and amped everything up.”
“Okay. Putting
aside the improbabilities and impossibilities with the story—again, what
does any of that have to do with the dates?”
“That’s what I’m
getting to,” Liam said. “So when I was watching Hillier’s game earlier, I was
thinking, who in the city would need the extra energy? Who would it help? Who
would need to be a Superman of sorts, but only for short spurts of time? And
then it hit me about the fifth inning of Hillier’s perfecto. I thought about
his stats at home—ten wins, no losses, a better than Bob Gibson-like ERA
of .48. Even less if you toss out the start before today. What’s crazier is
that he’s doing it in the American League East, against the best teams in the
league. And he’s twenty-nine and coming off two devastating arm surgeries.
Hillier isn’t just having a good year, not even just a great year. When you
factor in the adjustments for modern-day ball, the DH, the training these guys
have, this guy may be having the best year ever.”
Kyle couldn’t help
but smile. “So you’re telling me that you think Evan Hillier, the pitcher for
the New York Yankees, is causing these strokes?”
“No,” Liam said,
“that’s not what I think. It’s what I know.”
“Liam, the man is
having a good run. And he’s pitching for a good team. His arm is finally
healthy. Pitchers have runs like this. Remember what Orel Hershiser did in
eighty-eight? Fifty-nine scoreless innings in a row. Fifty-nine . In a row. Pitching all around is better now, and ERAs
are down because the hitters don’t have carte blanche access to the performance
enhancers like they used to. Just because the guy threw a perfect game doesn’t
mean he’s got some sort of super powers. There have been more than twenty guys
who have pitched perfect games, and a slew of guys with no-hitters. Nolan Ryan
has seven of them. Besides, if the umpire had called a few full counts the
other way, or one of the fielders muffed a play, Hillier doesn’t even have the
perfect game. It’s ludicrous.”
Silence.
“Look … ” Kyle softened his tone,
realizing he was coming on too strong. He didn’t know Liam that well and the
man was going through a tragedy. There was a good chance his niece would never
wake up again and, even if she did, that she’d never be the same. Liam also
seemed to
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