hospital and the doctors will find out what’s wrong with
him.”
The woman who was with the boys had risen and come toward her,
a hand extended. “You must be Allison Leigh. I’m Rose Litton, Todd and Jimmy’s
aunt. I’m sorry you’ve been asked down here. I know you’re dealing with your own
loss. But Todd was nearly hysterical and insisted that he see you.”
“It’s all right. It’s quite all right,” Allison assured her.
But it wasn’t. She didn’t know how to make this better for Todd.
She could only be glad that—as far as she knew—the ransacking
of the attic’s office space had not been divulged to the media.
“What do the doctors say?” Tyler was asking.
“So far they can’t identify the physiological cause,” Rose
Litton said. “Not yet, at any rate, but they’re doing a lot of tests. Early this
morning, while he was still in bed at the hotel, Artie jerked up, screamed—and
fell into a coma. It was as if he saw something in his sleep…or in his dreams.
They believe he might have ingested some kind of hallucinogenic, which made him
see something that terrified him, although they can’t tell what it is or how
this might have happened. They just don’t know.”
Allison touched Todd’s chin to get him to look up at her. “The
doctors here are the best. They’ll find out what’s wrong with your father,” she
promised again.
“Who are you?” Rose Litton asked, frowning at Tyler. “Forgive
me—that’s rude. I just knew the nurse had called the police station, asking
about a way for Todd to see Ms. Leigh.”
“Not rude at all,” Tyler said, reaching into his jacket and
producing his credentials.
“Special Agent?” Rose Litton read, her voice worried.
“I’m here to discover what went on at the house,” he told her.
“Please, don’t be alarmed. We don’t suspect any kind of true toxin. Allison
would be ill, too, if there had been, and so could a hundred-plus other people
who were in the house yesterday. I’m not a doctor, but I do know there are many
reasons for a coma, and the doctors here will get to
the root of it.” He hunkered down. “Did you see what happened? Perhaps, earlier,
your father knocked his head? Was he agitated, stressed out about anything?”
Todd shook his head. Jimmy stood and came over to join them.
“No, my dad doesn’t get stressed,” Jimmy said. “He’s a good guy. He yells
sometimes, but not much. We had fun after we left the house. We went to a tavern
for supper and Dad was okay when we went to bed.”
Todd nodded vigorously. “Yeah, he was fine. He let us watch TV
for a while in the hotel. Then we fell asleep and woke up because Dad screamed.
He just screamed in the middle of the night. We were scared ’cause Dad never
screams and suddenly he did.” He looked proud for a minute. “My dad is really
brave. It had to be something awful, a monster like Beast Bradley, to make my
dad scream like that.”
“Thank you,” Tyler said gravely. He stood again. “You know,
sometimes we have monsters in our minds, in our imaginations. I’ll go speak with
one of the docs,” he said. “In the meantime, you shouldn’t worry.” He smiled at
Rose and set his hand on Todd’s head. “Excuse me. I’ll be back.”
He left them, and Allison felt more awkward than ever.
She tried to smile at Rose. “It’s great that you could be
here.”
“I’m only over in Hershey,” Rose said. “Not far at all. And I’m
glad to be with the boys.” Her expression was pained, her eyes on Allison. Her
silence seemed to say a lot.
I don’t know what’s the matter with Todd.
He’s convinced it’s something from the Tarleton-Dandridge House. I hope you
can reassure him….
The realization that this might have been a bad time to bother
Allison seemed to come back to her.
“I really am so sorry!” Rose said. “You lost someone last
night. Tragically. It’s…it’s all over the news. And they’re making it sound—”
she glanced at the
him.”
The woman who was with the boys had risen and come toward her,
a hand extended. “You must be Allison Leigh. I’m Rose Litton, Todd and Jimmy’s
aunt. I’m sorry you’ve been asked down here. I know you’re dealing with your own
loss. But Todd was nearly hysterical and insisted that he see you.”
“It’s all right. It’s quite all right,” Allison assured her.
But it wasn’t. She didn’t know how to make this better for Todd.
She could only be glad that—as far as she knew—the ransacking
of the attic’s office space had not been divulged to the media.
“What do the doctors say?” Tyler was asking.
“So far they can’t identify the physiological cause,” Rose
Litton said. “Not yet, at any rate, but they’re doing a lot of tests. Early this
morning, while he was still in bed at the hotel, Artie jerked up, screamed—and
fell into a coma. It was as if he saw something in his sleep…or in his dreams.
They believe he might have ingested some kind of hallucinogenic, which made him
see something that terrified him, although they can’t tell what it is or how
this might have happened. They just don’t know.”
Allison touched Todd’s chin to get him to look up at her. “The
doctors here are the best. They’ll find out what’s wrong with your father,” she
promised again.
“Who are you?” Rose Litton asked, frowning at Tyler. “Forgive
me—that’s rude. I just knew the nurse had called the police station, asking
about a way for Todd to see Ms. Leigh.”
“Not rude at all,” Tyler said, reaching into his jacket and
producing his credentials.
“Special Agent?” Rose Litton read, her voice worried.
“I’m here to discover what went on at the house,” he told her.
“Please, don’t be alarmed. We don’t suspect any kind of true toxin. Allison
would be ill, too, if there had been, and so could a hundred-plus other people
who were in the house yesterday. I’m not a doctor, but I do know there are many
reasons for a coma, and the doctors here will get to
the root of it.” He hunkered down. “Did you see what happened? Perhaps, earlier,
your father knocked his head? Was he agitated, stressed out about anything?”
Todd shook his head. Jimmy stood and came over to join them.
“No, my dad doesn’t get stressed,” Jimmy said. “He’s a good guy. He yells
sometimes, but not much. We had fun after we left the house. We went to a tavern
for supper and Dad was okay when we went to bed.”
Todd nodded vigorously. “Yeah, he was fine. He let us watch TV
for a while in the hotel. Then we fell asleep and woke up because Dad screamed.
He just screamed in the middle of the night. We were scared ’cause Dad never
screams and suddenly he did.” He looked proud for a minute. “My dad is really
brave. It had to be something awful, a monster like Beast Bradley, to make my
dad scream like that.”
“Thank you,” Tyler said gravely. He stood again. “You know,
sometimes we have monsters in our minds, in our imaginations. I’ll go speak with
one of the docs,” he said. “In the meantime, you shouldn’t worry.” He smiled at
Rose and set his hand on Todd’s head. “Excuse me. I’ll be back.”
He left them, and Allison felt more awkward than ever.
She tried to smile at Rose. “It’s great that you could be
here.”
“I’m only over in Hershey,” Rose said. “Not far at all. And I’m
glad to be with the boys.” Her expression was pained, her eyes on Allison. Her
silence seemed to say a lot.
I don’t know what’s the matter with Todd.
He’s convinced it’s something from the Tarleton-Dandridge House. I hope you
can reassure him….
The realization that this might have been a bad time to bother
Allison seemed to come back to her.
“I really am so sorry!” Rose said. “You lost someone last
night. Tragically. It’s…it’s all over the news. And they’re making it sound—”
she glanced at the
Similar Books
