Out of Sight Out of Mind by Evonne Wareham Page A

laugh, watching ape-face fuck her.’ He saw the spasm cross Alec’s face. ‘Pansy.’
    Calver ignored the jibe. ‘She still online?’
    ‘Nah, logged off a few minutes ago.’ He tapped a key, and the screensaver dissolved. ‘This one is interesting. Cutting edge research on memory loss.’
    ‘Yeah,’ Alec agreed. ‘Keep your eye on that one.’
    ‘You know, I’ve been wondering – if the man wants bugs – it would be no big deal to add a camera or two, like in the shower and over the bed, maybe. Catch all the action.’ Vic watched Calver’s face out of the corner of his eye.
    ‘It’s an idea.’ Calver was studying the screen.
    ‘So – how long before they start shagging?’
    ‘God, doesn’t your mind ever get above your belt?’
    ‘Not if I can help it.’ Vic lit up a cigarette and offered the packet again. Alec hesitated, then took one, lighting it from the stub of the last. ‘How long before he shags her?’ Vic persisted.
    ‘It’s too soon. We factored it in, but only as one scenario.’
    ‘The best one, though.’
    ‘Oh yes.’ Alec dragged on the cigarette.
    ‘What’s Kong think?’
    ‘Same as you, it would appear.’
    ‘Brothers under the fucking skin – or maybe fur.’ Vic smirked. ‘Good old Alec though, he’s sitting on the fence. You want to watch it mate, you’ll get splinters in your backside.’
    A half-smile drifted over Calver’s face. ‘Kong wanted to know if there was anything we could do to help them along.’
    ‘Christ! What was he expecting – we pitch up and offer them a lecture on the birds and the bees?’
    ‘He didn’t say.’
    ‘So—’ Vic looked up at Alec. ‘What do you think? Really.’
    ‘I think it’s quite likely that they will end up in bed together, yes. He bears sufficient resemblance to the fiancé for us to assume that he’s her physically preferred type. That was factored in, too.’
    ‘And him? You know him better than anyone else.’
    ‘Subject A?’ Calver turned away from the computer. ‘I think there’s more than a distinct possibility. She is definitely
his
type.’
    ‘You know this because—?’
    Alec laughed. ‘I know it because he chose her himself.’

Chapter Four
    Madison pressed her fingers to her forehead and leaned back in her chair. She hadn’t really expected the answer to Jay’s amnesia to pop right out of the computer screen at her, but she had hoped there might be more.
Come on, what did you expect? A nice Wikipedia entry? Loss of memory – cure of – c.f. mind reading?
    What she
had
found had started a disturbing chain of thought.
    She checked her e-mail, smiling at Jonathan’s response to the one she had sent, confirming that she had made it safely through the night, before logging off. The machine seemed to hesitate for a moment, before closing down. It was slow to respond on occasions, too. Probably needed an overhaul. Which meant transporting it to the lab. Something for the to-do list.
Later.
    She sucked the end of her pen, assessing the brief notes she had made about Jay’s status. She would need to make up a file.
Which might be pretty thick by the time you’re finished.
She frowned. The amnesia – was it linked in some way to his ESP abilities, or just a hideously frustrating coincidence? Here she had a man who appeared to be well educated and who was interested in science, yet was living on the street. She knew, from experience, that it happened. What had put
Jay
there? Accident, misfortune, a cataclysmic life event? She doodled on the edge of the pad.
Amnesia – cause, effect – or irrelevance?
A slight shiver ran along her arm. He could feel her, inside his head. He’d
spoken
to her, while she was in his mind, yet he didn’t seem to be aware of having power of his own. Was the amnesia covering something up?
Something that even Jay doesn’t know?
    With a sigh she stood and stretched the kinks out of her neck, checking her watch. Breakfast TV had kept Jay quiet for over an hour. Which