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Authors: Richard Jay Parker
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But you’ve never heard of him.
I didnt say that.
How much do you know of him then?
If he claims to know where Laura is then the question is how much does he know of me.
Leo was exhausted and in no mood to disguise his impatience.
Are you being deliberately cryptic or do you really not know him?
Again, Bookwalter’s answer immediately but sluggishly started to configure itself on the screen.
Even locked away, ask him if he truly feels secure.
Bookwalter could certainly think on his feet. It was the sort of abstruse statement that a good spiritualist would use. Like the ones that had been working for Maggie Allan-Carlin.
How can I ask him anything? I told you – he didn’t show up.
My mistake. Ask him the next chance you get.
Leo tried to remember if he’d just got back from a shift or was due to start one. Whatever side of the sleep partition he was he had less patience for Bookwalter’s arch responses.
Is Laura with you?
Nearby.
Meant to ask. Has she made you any of her famous prawn toast yet?
Not a fan of oriental cuisine.
It was a typical response because Bookwalter knew exactly what Leo was doing. Leo wondered if he’d use the titbit in a future exchange but doubted it. He’d deliberately forced incongruous information into their exchanges in the past but Bookwalter was meticulous and used only information that he’d insidiously extracted from Leo in his portfolio. Laura was allergic to sesame seeds but chances were Bookwalter would now steer clear of anything related to the subject.
He now implemented very little Leo gave him and usually adhered to his own (often incorrect) profile of Laura. When Leo had pulled him up on inaccuracies in the past, however, Bookwalter countered by using Laura’s fictional presence to chide Leo for not knowing her well enough. There was only one time Bookwalterhad quoted Laura directly. It had been during a conversation about her love of theatre, which had been news to Leo. On that occasion, the words were so patently not hers and Bookwalter had let his own American diction filter through.
She says I’m so mad you forgot that about me.
Bookwalter never did it again and direct interaction with Laura had been forbidden ever since.
Do I need to be concerned about Mutatkar?
As usual, there was no period of reflection before Bookwalter answered.
No.
Ashley was right. Why the hell did he still entertain him? Was it because he was the only person left who was willing to talk about Laura as if she was still alive? Partly. More important than that, a man who had never set foot in the United Kingdom, let alone Chevalier’s, was the only individual who had significantly projected what had happened the day Laura vanished.
Leo registered the blackness around the edges of his navy bedroom curtains and returned his attention to his laptop.
Tell me again about the 12th.
Theres nothing more to add.
But Leo knew that there would be and that Bookwalter’s fingers would already be poised.
Do you realise that of the thousands of people who visit my site youre the only person to ask about the mechanics of my abduction of Laura. In fact most of the questions Ive had to fence from others in relation to her seems to be whether she was my victim at all
They’re all ghouls. They’re not interested because you imply that she’s still alive.
But only you and I know that for sure.
No – only you know that for sure. And Laura, of course.
Of course but thats because you continually deny yourself the opportunity to remove all doubt.
If you allowed me to speak directly to Laura then you would immediately remove all doubt.
Although Leo had never caused Bookwalter to display any anger within his dialogue he knew when he was entering the sort of territory that might cut their discourse short. It was the fundamental weakness of Bookwalter’s claim that often led to a terse suspension of their discussions. Whether Laura was his willing prisoner or there under duress –
But you’ve never heard of him.
I didnt say that.
How much do you know of him then?
If he claims to know where Laura is then the question is how much does he know of me.
Leo was exhausted and in no mood to disguise his impatience.
Are you being deliberately cryptic or do you really not know him?
Again, Bookwalter’s answer immediately but sluggishly started to configure itself on the screen.
Even locked away, ask him if he truly feels secure.
Bookwalter could certainly think on his feet. It was the sort of abstruse statement that a good spiritualist would use. Like the ones that had been working for Maggie Allan-Carlin.
How can I ask him anything? I told you – he didn’t show up.
My mistake. Ask him the next chance you get.
Leo tried to remember if he’d just got back from a shift or was due to start one. Whatever side of the sleep partition he was he had less patience for Bookwalter’s arch responses.
Is Laura with you?
Nearby.
Meant to ask. Has she made you any of her famous prawn toast yet?
Not a fan of oriental cuisine.
It was a typical response because Bookwalter knew exactly what Leo was doing. Leo wondered if he’d use the titbit in a future exchange but doubted it. He’d deliberately forced incongruous information into their exchanges in the past but Bookwalter was meticulous and used only information that he’d insidiously extracted from Leo in his portfolio. Laura was allergic to sesame seeds but chances were Bookwalter would now steer clear of anything related to the subject.
He now implemented very little Leo gave him and usually adhered to his own (often incorrect) profile of Laura. When Leo had pulled him up on inaccuracies in the past, however, Bookwalter countered by using Laura’s fictional presence to chide Leo for not knowing her well enough. There was only one time Bookwalterhad quoted Laura directly. It had been during a conversation about her love of theatre, which had been news to Leo. On that occasion, the words were so patently not hers and Bookwalter had let his own American diction filter through.
She says I’m so mad you forgot that about me.
Bookwalter never did it again and direct interaction with Laura had been forbidden ever since.
Do I need to be concerned about Mutatkar?
As usual, there was no period of reflection before Bookwalter answered.
No.
Ashley was right. Why the hell did he still entertain him? Was it because he was the only person left who was willing to talk about Laura as if she was still alive? Partly. More important than that, a man who had never set foot in the United Kingdom, let alone Chevalier’s, was the only individual who had significantly projected what had happened the day Laura vanished.
Leo registered the blackness around the edges of his navy bedroom curtains and returned his attention to his laptop.
Tell me again about the 12th.
Theres nothing more to add.
But Leo knew that there would be and that Bookwalter’s fingers would already be poised.
Do you realise that of the thousands of people who visit my site youre the only person to ask about the mechanics of my abduction of Laura. In fact most of the questions Ive had to fence from others in relation to her seems to be whether she was my victim at all
They’re all ghouls. They’re not interested because you imply that she’s still alive.
But only you and I know that for sure.
No – only you know that for sure. And Laura, of course.
Of course but thats because you continually deny yourself the opportunity to remove all doubt.
If you allowed me to speak directly to Laura then you would immediately remove all doubt.
Although Leo had never caused Bookwalter to display any anger within his dialogue he knew when he was entering the sort of territory that might cut their discourse short. It was the fundamental weakness of Bookwalter’s claim that often led to a terse suspension of their discussions. Whether Laura was his willing prisoner or there under duress –
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