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Authors: John Tranhaile
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Must look. Now.”
Gerhard tried to restrain her but she pushed him aside.
“Now!”
She made her way to the study, Gerhard following, and sat down in David’s swivel chair. She could not take her eyes off the electric-blue safe in its niche over by the window, but neither did she approach it.
“Wrong place.”
“What?”
She seemed to know exactly where to go next. As if sleepwalking, scarcely aware of Gerhard’s presence, she led the way to the top of the house.
Nothing matched in this cramped, untidy room. The chaise lounge was faded, the curtains too new-looking.the Singer sewing machine almost antique, the old, jumble-sale desk …
Anna snatched open the desk’s bottom drawer and reached down.
“It’s there.”
She was holding a bulky spiral-bound file in a gray plastic cover. Gerhard looked over her shoulder. The rubric in the upper right-hand corner caught his eye, “Top Secret,” then, opposite, the typewritten formula “This is copy number … of seven copies” and somebody had written “5” in the blank space. And halfway down the page was the single word “Krysalis.” Just that.
“Oh,
Anna
…” The file,
the file!
He had succeeded beyond all hope; elation burst into his bloodstream like the aftermath of fine champagne, he could scarcely formulate words. “What have you done?”
His mind was working furiously now. He mustn’t let her see him rejoice. Anna must think he had come to help, that’s all.
“Why should they do that?” She had begun to speak coherently at last. “Thieves … how did they find out about my precious drawer?”
“Precious—”
She gesticulated at the open drawer. “The one where I keep Juliet’s letters.”
Gerhard looked down and saw a thin bundle of childishly addressed envelopes.
“No, not thieves …” She was staring into the middle distance, still half in the real world and half not. Then suddenly knowledge must have flooded through her, for she cried, “Gerhard! You’ve got to help me. I’ve broken into David’s safe and I’ve got the papers. I stole them. I stole David’s file.”
“You
stole …?”
“It must have been me. Help me.”
“But the safe door was shut when we saw it a minute ago….”
He couldn’t afford to have her go around confessing. She obviously didn’t understand anything of what had happened. He felt helpless. “Anna, listen to what I’m saying: how can you have done anything of the kind when the safe is still shut?”
“That’s how I found it. Locked.”
“But the papers …?”
“That’s how I know it was me.” Her mouth slackened into a round 0 of horror; for a moment she could not speak. “In the dream … I saw myself do it. Me. A barrister.”
Gerhard was aware of the minutes ticking by. How long now before David got home? What to do for the best? Nothing seemed to work. “I was afraid of something like this,” he muttered. “On Saturday, you were deeply, deeply distressed.”
“Was I?”
“You don’t remember?” Anna shook her head.
“It only came out during the trance. I told you to forget everything, but I was very worried. The resentment you’d built up toward David …”
“Gerhard, why did I do this?” She was obviously frightened.
“How
did I do it? Tell me. I don’t even know the combination to the safe.”
“Why do you say it was you who opened it, then?”
She spread her hands helplessly. “Who else could it have been?”
“Burglars. Spies.”
“They wouldn’t have put the papers here, they’d have taken them.”
“Anna, are you
sure
you don’t know the combination?”
“Absolutely.”
Hang on to that, he told himself. There’s hope. “Then how can you say it was you who stole them?”
“But I … I dreamed it all. I can see myself now. I heard this voice inside my head….”
“You’ve been hearing voices?”
The face she turned to him betrayed growing wonderment. “Yes.”
While he was desperately thinking how to retrieve the
Gerhard tried to restrain her but she pushed him aside.
“Now!”
She made her way to the study, Gerhard following, and sat down in David’s swivel chair. She could not take her eyes off the electric-blue safe in its niche over by the window, but neither did she approach it.
“Wrong place.”
“What?”
She seemed to know exactly where to go next. As if sleepwalking, scarcely aware of Gerhard’s presence, she led the way to the top of the house.
Nothing matched in this cramped, untidy room. The chaise lounge was faded, the curtains too new-looking.the Singer sewing machine almost antique, the old, jumble-sale desk …
Anna snatched open the desk’s bottom drawer and reached down.
“It’s there.”
She was holding a bulky spiral-bound file in a gray plastic cover. Gerhard looked over her shoulder. The rubric in the upper right-hand corner caught his eye, “Top Secret,” then, opposite, the typewritten formula “This is copy number … of seven copies” and somebody had written “5” in the blank space. And halfway down the page was the single word “Krysalis.” Just that.
“Oh,
Anna
…” The file,
the file!
He had succeeded beyond all hope; elation burst into his bloodstream like the aftermath of fine champagne, he could scarcely formulate words. “What have you done?”
His mind was working furiously now. He mustn’t let her see him rejoice. Anna must think he had come to help, that’s all.
“Why should they do that?” She had begun to speak coherently at last. “Thieves … how did they find out about my precious drawer?”
“Precious—”
She gesticulated at the open drawer. “The one where I keep Juliet’s letters.”
Gerhard looked down and saw a thin bundle of childishly addressed envelopes.
“No, not thieves …” She was staring into the middle distance, still half in the real world and half not. Then suddenly knowledge must have flooded through her, for she cried, “Gerhard! You’ve got to help me. I’ve broken into David’s safe and I’ve got the papers. I stole them. I stole David’s file.”
“You
stole …?”
“It must have been me. Help me.”
“But the safe door was shut when we saw it a minute ago….”
He couldn’t afford to have her go around confessing. She obviously didn’t understand anything of what had happened. He felt helpless. “Anna, listen to what I’m saying: how can you have done anything of the kind when the safe is still shut?”
“That’s how I found it. Locked.”
“But the papers …?”
“That’s how I know it was me.” Her mouth slackened into a round 0 of horror; for a moment she could not speak. “In the dream … I saw myself do it. Me. A barrister.”
Gerhard was aware of the minutes ticking by. How long now before David got home? What to do for the best? Nothing seemed to work. “I was afraid of something like this,” he muttered. “On Saturday, you were deeply, deeply distressed.”
“Was I?”
“You don’t remember?” Anna shook her head.
“It only came out during the trance. I told you to forget everything, but I was very worried. The resentment you’d built up toward David …”
“Gerhard, why did I do this?” She was obviously frightened.
“How
did I do it? Tell me. I don’t even know the combination to the safe.”
“Why do you say it was you who opened it, then?”
She spread her hands helplessly. “Who else could it have been?”
“Burglars. Spies.”
“They wouldn’t have put the papers here, they’d have taken them.”
“Anna, are you
sure
you don’t know the combination?”
“Absolutely.”
Hang on to that, he told himself. There’s hope. “Then how can you say it was you who stole them?”
“But I … I dreamed it all. I can see myself now. I heard this voice inside my head….”
“You’ve been hearing voices?”
The face she turned to him betrayed growing wonderment. “Yes.”
While he was desperately thinking how to retrieve the
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