Read Online The Dragon Factory by Jonathan Maberry - Free Book Online
Authors: Jonathan Maberry
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with junkies and I’m driving a stolen car that I’m pretty sure someone peed in—”
“Okay, okay, I get it . . . you’re having a bad day. I hear there’s a lot of it going around.”
“I wouldn’t know, Rude; I’m the spy who can’t come in from the cold.”
“Mm. I guess I’m on the run, too. Sort of,” he said. “Mr. Church told me to go hide somewhere, so I’m sitting in St. Ann’s. They’re painting the place, so it’s just me and a bunch of workmen putting up scaffolding.”
“Listen,” I said. “I called for a couple of reasons. First, to tell you to watch your ass. You’re still officially a consultant psychiatrist for the Baltimore Police. If you get nabbed, play that card. Have them call my dad.”
My father was making a run for Mayor of Baltimore and the pundits were calling it a slam dunk for him. He had friends on both sides of the badge.
“I have him on speed dial,” Rudy assured me. “What’s the other thing?”
“Two other things. The NSA guys came for me at the cemetery.”
“Ouch,” he said. “How are you?”
“I vented a bit by beating on them some.”
“But it’s still with you?”
“Yeah, and that’s the other thing. And Helen’s a part of that, too. In a way. Today started off weird even before I woke up.”
“How so?”
“I know this ain’t the time for this, but it’s weighing on me and I’ve got to kill time until I hear from Church—”
“Don’t apologize. Just tell me.”
“Okay . . . tomorrow is the anniversary of Helen’s suicide.”
“Oh,
dios mio
,” he said with real pain in his voice. With everything that had happened over the last two months he had forgotten. “Joe . . . I . . .”
“I dreamed about it last night, man. I dreamed about her sister Colleen calling me, saying that Helen hadn’t answered the phone in days. I dreamed about going over there. Every single detail, Rudy, from picking up my car keys on the table by the door to the feel of the woodsplintering when I kicked in Helen’s door. I remembered the smell in the hallway, and how bad it got when I broke in. I remember her face . . . bloated and gassy. I can even remember the bottle of drain cleaner she drank from. The way the label was torn and stained.”
“Joe, I—”
“But here’s the really shitty part, Rude . . . the worst part.”
He was silent, waiting.
“In my dream, when I walked over to her body, knowing that she was dead and had been dead for days . . . when I stood over her and then dropped to my knees and pulled her into my arms . . .” I paused and for a moment I didn’t know if I was going to be able to finish this.
“Take your time, Joe . . . ,” he said gently. “It’ll hurt less once it’s out.”
“I . . . don’t think so. Not this time.”
“Why, Joe? Tell me what happened when you held Helen in your arms.”
“You see, that’s just the thing. . . . I picked her body up and held it, just the way I did back when it happened. And her head kind of flopped over sideways just like it did. But . . . aw, fuck me, man . . . it wasn’t Helen I was holding.”
“Tell me. . . .”
“It was Grace.”
Rudy was silent, waiting for the rest, but there was no more. That’s where the dream had ended.
“I woke up in a cold sweat and I never went back to sleep. Stayed up all night watching Court TV and reruns of the Dog Whisperer. Anything to keep from going back to sleep.”
“Joe, this isn’t all about strength. It’s obvious you have feelings for Grace, and both of you are in a highly dangerous line of work.”
“Shit, I knew you wouldn’t get it,” I snapped, then immediately regretted it. “Sorry, Rude . . . belay that. What I meant to say is that I knew I couldn’t explain it the right way.”
“Then tell me what the right way is, Cowboy.”
“I. . . .” My voice trailed off as I drove aimlessly through the streets.“I . . . know that having, um , ‘affection’ for Grace
“Okay, okay, I get it . . . you’re having a bad day. I hear there’s a lot of it going around.”
“I wouldn’t know, Rude; I’m the spy who can’t come in from the cold.”
“Mm. I guess I’m on the run, too. Sort of,” he said. “Mr. Church told me to go hide somewhere, so I’m sitting in St. Ann’s. They’re painting the place, so it’s just me and a bunch of workmen putting up scaffolding.”
“Listen,” I said. “I called for a couple of reasons. First, to tell you to watch your ass. You’re still officially a consultant psychiatrist for the Baltimore Police. If you get nabbed, play that card. Have them call my dad.”
My father was making a run for Mayor of Baltimore and the pundits were calling it a slam dunk for him. He had friends on both sides of the badge.
“I have him on speed dial,” Rudy assured me. “What’s the other thing?”
“Two other things. The NSA guys came for me at the cemetery.”
“Ouch,” he said. “How are you?”
“I vented a bit by beating on them some.”
“But it’s still with you?”
“Yeah, and that’s the other thing. And Helen’s a part of that, too. In a way. Today started off weird even before I woke up.”
“How so?”
“I know this ain’t the time for this, but it’s weighing on me and I’ve got to kill time until I hear from Church—”
“Don’t apologize. Just tell me.”
“Okay . . . tomorrow is the anniversary of Helen’s suicide.”
“Oh,
dios mio
,” he said with real pain in his voice. With everything that had happened over the last two months he had forgotten. “Joe . . . I . . .”
“I dreamed about it last night, man. I dreamed about her sister Colleen calling me, saying that Helen hadn’t answered the phone in days. I dreamed about going over there. Every single detail, Rudy, from picking up my car keys on the table by the door to the feel of the woodsplintering when I kicked in Helen’s door. I remembered the smell in the hallway, and how bad it got when I broke in. I remember her face . . . bloated and gassy. I can even remember the bottle of drain cleaner she drank from. The way the label was torn and stained.”
“Joe, I—”
“But here’s the really shitty part, Rude . . . the worst part.”
He was silent, waiting.
“In my dream, when I walked over to her body, knowing that she was dead and had been dead for days . . . when I stood over her and then dropped to my knees and pulled her into my arms . . .” I paused and for a moment I didn’t know if I was going to be able to finish this.
“Take your time, Joe . . . ,” he said gently. “It’ll hurt less once it’s out.”
“I . . . don’t think so. Not this time.”
“Why, Joe? Tell me what happened when you held Helen in your arms.”
“You see, that’s just the thing. . . . I picked her body up and held it, just the way I did back when it happened. And her head kind of flopped over sideways just like it did. But . . . aw, fuck me, man . . . it wasn’t Helen I was holding.”
“Tell me. . . .”
“It was Grace.”
Rudy was silent, waiting for the rest, but there was no more. That’s where the dream had ended.
“I woke up in a cold sweat and I never went back to sleep. Stayed up all night watching Court TV and reruns of the Dog Whisperer. Anything to keep from going back to sleep.”
“Joe, this isn’t all about strength. It’s obvious you have feelings for Grace, and both of you are in a highly dangerous line of work.”
“Shit, I knew you wouldn’t get it,” I snapped, then immediately regretted it. “Sorry, Rude . . . belay that. What I meant to say is that I knew I couldn’t explain it the right way.”
“Then tell me what the right way is, Cowboy.”
“I. . . .” My voice trailed off as I drove aimlessly through the streets.“I . . . know that having, um , ‘affection’ for Grace
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