A Small Gray Dot

I thought he was getting ready to hit us with more information. I braced myself. I was not looking forward to hearing more disturbing shit.

He apparently saw that because he said, “It’s late. Morgan, I know you’re anxious to see your sister but I believe you need to rest before taking the trip you’ll have to make to get out of here without the guards seeing you. Tennessee, you could use some rest, too. It’s safe here and I have plenty of room. Stay tonight and leave tomorrow.” He sighed. “I would try and take you out in my car but I don’t think that will work since they’re bound to be looking for Morgan and will check every car that leaves.”

I glanced at my watch. I was startled to see it was after eleven. Time flies when you’re having fun. The doctor made a good point. They would definitely be looking for Morgan. We would have to cross the strip and that wasn’t going to be easy even with rest. We’d have to remain until nightfall the next day but that was preferable to taking Morgan across the strip without getting some sleep.

I nodded. “You’re right though I need to check with Madison first to see if she’s had any trouble.”

Morgan, who’d had two drinks to my one, was quiet as we went back to the phones in the lab where I spoke with Madison and learned that, so far, things were quiet. I advised her of our plans and she and Morgan talked for a few minutes. Then, Dr. Bennett showed us a closet where we hung our coats before he led us upstairs. There were five bedrooms and he invited us to choose which we wanted to use. Morgan went into one, I took the one beside hers.

I stripped and climbed into the shower of the bathroom that came with the room. The drink had calmed me but as the water poured down, my mind kept jumping back to everything I’d heard that night. I dried off and fell into the comfortable bed. The one thing I needed to do first was get Morgan back to Madison. Then I could make some concrete plans.

I didn’t know how, but I was going to do my damnedest to help stop those assholes. I supposed notifying the authorities would be a place to start. Of course, they would have to be convinced but if I had to kill an alien and drag the carcass to them, I would gladly do so. With that thought, I drifted off to sleep.

I awakened to chimes and as my sleep fogged brain cleared, I realized it was the doorbell. I glanced at the window. Still dark. I reached over and dragged my watch from the nightstand. I hit the little light button and peered at it. One-fifteen a.m. No wonder I felt so groggy. I’d been asleep for barely an hour. Good news seldom showed up that time of night so I slid from bed and pulled on my pants and shirt. I eased from the room and made my way over the carpeted floor. I stood quietly at the top of the stairs, listening.

The doctor had already gotten to the door and opened it.

“Why, hello Terrance,” he said, his voice gravelly with sleep and sounding surprised. “What are you doing out this time of night? You should be in bed.”

A nervous young voice said, “I just come by to tell you somethin’. Can I come in?”

“Uh, all right.”

I heard the door close. The voice sounded familiar but I couldn’t place it.

“All right, son, what is it?”

“I just wanted to tell you that th’ lady what was here last night was tryin’ to git outta th’ entry an’ th’ guards took her. I don’t know why they wanted her but I heard one of ‘em say he was taking her to Mr. Bedlow. I wouldna come but she was hollerin’ an’ kickin’ like she didn’t wanna go with him an’ then he hit her an’ she fell. I think he knocked her out. Then he put her in that jeep they use.” He took a breath. “I thought you might wanna know, since she was here an’ all, so maybe you could go an’ put in a word to Mr. Bedlow an’ spring her. You know, like you did for me.”

What? I spun around, and quickstepped to Morgan’s door and threw it open. I switched on the light. The bed was undisturbed, and the room was empty. I spotted a scrap of paper on the bed pillow, and snatched it up: “Dear Mr. Murray, thank you for all your help. Thank the doctor for me, but I’ve got to get out of here and I don’t want to wait ‘til tomorrow night. You told me how not to get lost so I’m going to slip past the guardhouse. It’s dark and they won’t see me. I’ll call you in the morning.”

Shit.

Madison said she wasn’t impulsive and perhaps ordinarily she wasn’t, but, judging from the fact that she’d gone off with Talbert after drinking and now this, apparently she was quite impulsive after a couple of drinks. Damn. Didn’t the doctor have an alarm system?

I jammed the note into my pocket, went back out, and bounded down the stairs.

Chapter Thirty-one

I FOUND OUT WHY THE VOICE SEEMED FAMILIAR.

The boy who’d told me how to get out when I was lost in Blue Heaven stood in the foyer with the doctor. He was wearing the hat I’d given him and the same ragged denim jacket. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open when he saw me.

“Hey! It’s you! You th’ man what gave me th’ hat!”