“I heard you abandoned your corneal-regeneration work.”
“I keep abreast of the latest developments, but I leave it to others to refine the techniques I pioneered. I get more satisfaction from exploring new frontiers.”
“Frontiers you can’t tell me about.”
“Not right now.”
She wrinkled her brow. “Now you have me curious.”
“There’s an old adage about a cat and curiosity. Drop it, Kendra.”
She stiffened. “I’m not a cat, and I’m uneasy about the idea that my being curious about what you’re doing now could cause me to be killed.”
“Of course it couldn’t. I shouldn’t have used that term.” His smile was full of charm. “I was merely trying to shift you away from interrogating me. You always were persistent. It’s really much better for you that we don’t discuss it.”
“Better for me?” Her gaze narrowed on his face. “What in the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” He shook his head. “I suppose I’m just being overly dramatic. It’s really not all that interesting.”
“Everything you do is interesting. You’re a groundbreaker. Look what you did for me. You’re one of the finest minds in medicine.” Kendra studied him. “I don’t believe you. What’s going on, Charles?”
“Nothing. Just fund-raising meetings, as I said.”
“Where?”
“Downtown, Pasadena, Century City.”
“Anywhere else?”
“No.”
“Please don’t lie to me, Charles,” she said quietly.
Waldridge looked as if he was about to protest, but he caught himself. Then he looked away, then back. “Of course. What, exactly, do you know, Kendra?”
“You arrived here from London only in the last couple days. Since then you’ve been in the local mountains. Big Bear or Baldy, I would guess.”
Waldridge cursed under his breath.
“Am I wrong?” she asked.
“What else?”
She shrugged, then continued, “You drove straight from there to see me. You’ve spent a good deal of the day talking on the phone. You’ve been under an incredible amount of stress.”
“You don’t think asking foundations for money is stressful?”
“That isn’t what you were doing. You were telling Porter to stay out of sight until it was safe. Whoever the hell Porter is.”
He stared at her in shock. “How do you know all this?”
“Same way I always do. I pay attention.”
“That’s too vague. I need to know now. It’s important.”
He spoke with such desperate urgency that Kendra felt compelled to explain herself quickly. “Fine. Take it easy. Your car has a nice dusting of rock salt all the way around. That may be common in other parts of the country at this time of year, but it’s extremely rare in Southern California. The San Bernardino Mountains have had record snowfall this week, and it’s probably the only place within hundreds of miles that has been salting the roads. You also have some on your shoes and the cuffs of your slacks. If you hadn’t come straight here, I know you well enough to know that you would have changed clothes or at least tried to wipe it off.”
Waldridge looked down at his shoes. “I didn’t think that it was that noticeable.”
“It isn’t. And I know you were just in London from your haircut. You’re very particular about the cut, and your stylist also has a specific way of sculpting the eyebrows. I can tell it’s just been cut. Within days of each of your haircuts, a stray lash or two appears between your eyebrows. There are none there. You’ve been in London in the past three or four days.”
“What about my phone calls?”
She could tell that was really bothering him. She hadn’t realized that it would upset him. She had known him so long, she had felt as if she could trust him to understand. “The opening of your right ear is red and slightly chafed. It’s a small area, just about the size of an earbud. If you had been listening to music, you probably would have been using both earphones, not just one. You pretty much confirmed it when I looked in my rearview mirror on the way here and saw you talking on it at a stoplight.”
“How did you know what I was talking about?”
She said simply, “I read your lips.”
He gazed at her in disbelief. “You can do that?”
“I guess I never told you. When I got my sight, I was amazed to discover the visual aspect of human speech, the whole interplay of tongue, lips, and teeth. It was fascinating to see what caused the sounds I’d been hearing my entire life. I just paid attention to what movements caused what sounds. After a couple years of studying that, I was pretty good at lipreading. It’s nothing I planned to do. It just happened.”
“Pretty good is right, but you’re not infallible,” Waldridge said sourly.
“I never said I was. Did I get a word wrong?”
Waldridge stared at her for a long moment. “Clever as always, Kendra. You’re always a surprise and experience for me. But you could get yourself into trouble.”
She grinned at him. “Well, I’m always doing that.”
“I’m serious. I shouldn’t have come. This was a bad idea.”
Her smile faded. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”
He shook his head. “Drop it please. It was a mistake.”
“I know you have a right to say that this is none of my business.” She was silent a moment, then she said with sudden passion, “But you’re wrong. You became my business when you gave me my sight. Nothing can ever change that. But if you don’t feel comfortable talking to me about this, so be it. I’ll try to back away.”
He pulled the napkin from his lap and tossed it onto the table. “Things aren’t as simple as they once were, Kendra. I wish they were, believe me. I think that’s why I wanted to see you. Seeing you takes me back to a happier time, when things were more clear-cut, black-and-white.”
“They were never that black-and-white for me.”
“Of course not. But from a purely scientific point of view, we saw a problem that needed to be solved, and we fixed it. You’re my greatest success, Kendra, and I will always feel good about that.”
“Even if you don’t feel good about what you’re working on now.”
“You’re guessing, and I’m not confirming.” He made a face. “I’ve said too much. Perhaps we should call it a night.”
She didn’t want to let him go. She felt frustrated, and the uneasiness was growing by the minute. But she could see by his guarded expression that he wasn’t going to tell her anything more. “Perhaps we should.”
Kendra paid the check, and they walked out to the valet stand in silence. After they handed their tickets to the attendant, Waldridge turned toward her. “Things aren’t always what they seem, Kendra. The Night Watch Project was formed to do great things, but there was more going on than any of us were aware. Even I didn’t know until much later that I couldn’t take pride in all of it. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Enough, Charles. Forgive you? You gave me the greatest gift anyone could ever give me.” She took a step closer, her eyes holding his own. “You have to talk to me about this.”
“I’m afraid I can’t.”
“Bullshit.”
“I’m afraid it’s not. This was a mistake.” His rental car rolled to a stop in front of them. Waldridge embraced Kendra and kissed her gently on the forehead. “I’m sorry. I know I must be driving you mad, but it’s for your own good. Trust me. It’s better for you.”
“That’s my decision. You don’t call the shots any longer in our relationship, Charles.” She gripped his arm. “Whatever is going on, I can help. Try me.”
“All that intensity. How I’ve missed it.” Waldridge pulled away and looked down at her for a long moment. “No, Kendra. You can’t help. I can’t let you.”
He climbed into his car and drove away.
* * *
JADEN STOOD AT HIS HOTEL room’s floor-to-ceiling
windows and stared out at the twinkling lights of West Hollywood. His mobile phone was on speaker while he finished changing his clothes.
“No problems?” Hutchinson asked. His voice on the phone had a slight echo.
“No problems,” he replied. “The snow will melt off before anyone finds him. There will be no footprints, no trace I was ever there.”
“Good.”
“I’ll be out on the early flight tomorrow. I’ll be back with the team by early afternoon.”
“That’s what I wanted to discuss with you. He needs you to stay a few more days.”
“It was supposed to be in and out. He promised me.”
“I know, but there’s been a development. Dr. Waldridge has reached out to an old friend. We’re still not sure why, but we’d be foolish to ignore it. Sit tight until we can check it out.”
Jaden muttered a curse as he turned from the window. “I don’t like this.”
“Nothing to worry about. Just a precaution. You haven’t asked me who the friend is.”
“I didn’t ask because I don’t give a damn.”
“You will.”
“I doubt that.”
“It’s Kendra Michaels.”
Jaden froze. “Are you sure?”
“They were having dinner together less than an hour ago.”
“Kendra Michaels … That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. I really hate unfinished business.” Jaden sat on the edge of the bed and smiled. “Okay. I’ll stay. This just got interesting…”
CHAPTER
2
St. Bartholomew’s Hospital
London
Nine Years Earlier
“IT’S NICE TO MEET YOU, Kendra. I’m—”
“Dr. Charles Waldridge.” Kendra crossed her arms before her and placed them on the small conference table. “I know. How do you do, Dr. Waldridge.”
Waldridge closed the door behind him. “How do you know who I am? We’ve never met before, have we?”
“No. I listened to one of your lectures on YouTube. Even before you just spoke, I recognized you from your footsteps. And from the jingle of keys in your pocket. You have some kind of charm on your key ring that makes a tinkling sound when you walk.”
“Very good. It’s a little souvenir dolphin my niece brought me from Grand Cayman.”
“You also like to rock back on your heels every time you make a major point.”
“You could hear that on the video?” he asked, amused.
Kendra adjusted her Ray-Ban sunglasses. “Yes. You did it eight times in a fifty-minute lecture.”
He sat in a chair on the other side of the desk from her. “Hmm. I didn’t realize I did that. Is it effective?”
“I’m not sure what it looks like, but those pauses work for you. It gives your students time to think about what you’ve just told them.”
“Good. Anything else?”
“I know you’re British, but I’m not familiar enough with the various accents to know exactly from where. It’s my first time in England. But I do know you have a small dog.”
“You’re wrong about that I’m afraid.”
“Really?”
“You’re not accustomed to being wrong, are you?”
“It happens.”
“Well, you’re not that far off. I’m looking after a colleague’s dog this week. Am I giving off an offending canine odor?”
“No, it’s nice. Oster flea and tick shampoo.”
“And how did you know the dog was small?”
“Mandarin Violet scent. I’m sure there are owners who use that on big dogs, but I’ve never met one.”
He chuckled. “It’s a poodle.”
“That sounds about right.”
He opened a file folder and turned the pages. “So … You’re nineteen years old?”
“Twenty next week.”
“And you’ve been blind since birth.” He spent another moment flipping through the file pages before resuming. “Just so you know, I’m meeting with you as a courtesy. Our pilot program is filled. We had thousands of applicants. If you had called or e-mailed, I could have saved you and your mother an awfully long trip.”
“My mother called and e-mailed. She already knew it was full.”
“Then why are you here?”
“My mother never takes no for an answer.”
“I got that impression. I know she wants this, but I’m not sure you want it, Kendra.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Your tone. Most people I interviewed for this program practically begged to be part of it. You seem as if it’s an inconvenience.”
“Wanting it and believing it are two different things. Do you want me to beg? I’ll do it, if that’s my role in making this work. But don’t expect me not to take this with a grain of salt. My entire life I’ve met a lot of doctors, scientists, and con artists who promised to make me see. My mother has been on a mission.”
“How does that make you feel?”
Kendra bit her lower lip.
Waldridge leaned forward, and asked quietly, “Like you’re not good enough for her the way you are?”
Kendra recoiled. “No. Why would you think that?”
“I’ve seen it a lot in the past few months.”
“Well, that’s not the case here. My mother’s just trying to help. She’s the one who is going to be hurt the most if she can’t pull this off. She doesn’t care if she ruffles a few feathers as long as she’s doing everything she can for me. Me,” she repeated fiercely. “It’s all for me. She wants the best for me. Nothing for herself.”
“Did your father feel the same way?”
“No. I never knew him. He left before I was two. He wasn’t prepared to care for a special-needs child.”
“That’s also more common than you might think.”
“It doesn’t matter. My mother and I have always gotten along fine without him.”
“I believe that.” Waldridge paused. “I’m not promising anything to anyone. Anyone who does is either a con artist or a fool. I’m neither. But I do think I offer the best hope you’ve had so far.” He paused. “If I were standing, I suppose this would be one of those moments where I lean back on my heels for emphasis.”
She found herself smiling. She hadn’t expected him to have a sense of humor. Most of the specialists who had examined her before had tended to have a God complex.
He turned more pages of the file. “You’re actually just the type of test subject we were looking for. Your corneas degenerated due to a disease you contracted in the womb. We’re experimenting with a technique to help corneas regenerate.”
“How?”
“It’s fairly simple. We combine stem cells with cells that we harvest from healthy parts of the subject’s own eyes. We implant them in the corneas and we have hopes that the corneas will regenerate themselves based on the genetic blueprint provided by your own cells.”
“Cool.”
He was silent for a long moment. “If you participate in our study, you would have to stay here at least two months. No air travel. The pressurized cabin is a variable we don’t want to contend with right now.”
She went still. “You’re talking like … you might actually let me in your program.”
He closed the file. “That depends on you, Kendra. Depends if you’d be willing to join us here for the next few months.”
She couldn’t breathe. She was suddenly dizzy with hope. She hadn’t expected this abrupt turnaround. “Does my mother know?”
“No. If you’re not interested, we’ll step outside, and I’ll incur her wrath by telling her again that the program is full. It’s entirely up to you. What do you say, Kendra Michaels? Would you like to join us?”
Kendra smiled shakily even as she felt her throat tighten, surprised into a sudden flood of emotion. “Yeah.” Her voice was unsteady. “Sure.”
“Good. Then I’ll go and discuss details of the procedure with your mother. It was nice to meet you, Kend
ra.” He stood up and leaned toward her. He said softly, “And here’s to not taking no for an answer.”
* * *
“EARTH TO KENDRA?” Olivia said quizzically. “Hello?”
Kendra snapped out of her daze. She and Olivia Moore were on their morning jog on the embarcadero in Marina Park, overlooking San Diego Bay. They had stopped to cool off when Kendra had checked out for a few moments.
“Sorry about that.” She grimaced. “I was just thinking about Dr. Waldridge again.”
“You haven’t thought of anything else since you came back to the condo last night,” Olivia said dryly. “And I might as well have been exercising with a sleepwalker this morning.”
“I know. I know. It’s just that the man I saw last night was so different than the man I remember.”
“Different how?”
“He was … unsettled. Evasive. I don’t know … The Waldridge I’ve always known has always been supremely confident and at the top of his game. Something was definitely wrong.”
“You said he was out here for some fund-raising. Maybe it hasn’t been going well.”
“No, it was more than that. I think he wanted to tell me something, but for some reason he changed his mind. He kept saying it was for my own good.”
“That’s strange. You know, I’ve been getting e-mails from him once or twice a year ever since you introduced me to him. Every time he runs across research that he thinks could one day be promising for me, he sends a link.” She shook her head. “I think he feels guilty that he couldn’t help me with my eyesight.”
Kendra gazed at her friend and didn’t state the obvious, that she felt guilty, too. She and Olivia had met as children at the Woodston School for the Blind in nearby Oceanside, and one of the great pains of Kendra’s life had been leaving her friend behind in the darkness. Olivia, who had lost her sight in a childhood auto accident, sustained optic nerve injuries beyond the reach of even Waldridge’s revolutionary techniques. He had graciously met with her and reviewed her medical case files and seemed genuinely regretful when he was unable to help her. Kendra wasn’t surprised that he’d kept in touch with her even though years had passed. Olivia was a very special person, and he must have recognized that fact. “Maybe not guilty as much as frustrated. He’s something of a genius, and he doesn’t like to admit defeat.”
Night Watch--A Novel Page 2
