Syndrome

dizzy. And my stomach is not in such great shape either.'

'What did you have for lunch?'

My God, she realized she hadn't actually had any. After the disaster with Kristen, she'd been in such turmoil that she hadn't even thought about food.

On the other hand, she knew what food deprivation felt like. This was something else.

'I didn't have all that much lunch, but that's not the problem. Now will you please put me through?'

'Let me see what I can do,' she said. 'I'll call down and ask him. He might be able to see you.'

Ally listened as the line went blank.

That was when she remembered she had some smoked turkey in the office fridge. Maybe a quick sandwich was called for.

While she waited, Stone was looking around the offices, taking everything in. Carrying the phone, she walked out and followed him. What, she wondered, was the place telling him about her? The meager furniture was low- slung and utilitarian, with lots of beige and dark brown. And there were several huge storage files for blueprints and designs. There also was a comfortable easy chair and lamp near a bookcase in the corner. On the table next to the chair were two British mysteries and a thick, recently written history of New York City.

He walked over and picked it up. It was 760 pages long.

“This your idea of reading for relaxation?' he asked, waving it at her. 'I tried to get through it, but I only got up to the 1930s and then I started having a bout of acute sleeping sickness every time I picked it up.'

'Hey, the history of this city is a mental hobby of mine. It's always renewing itself.' She smiled. 'Think about it. When developers convert industrial space to residential, we end up getting a lot of work.'

Then she heard the phone crackle alive. It was Van de Vliet. 'Alexa, what seems to be the problem?'

She told him.

'Then I think it's important that you come back out here as soon as you can. I can't say anything until I've seen you. This could be something that could affect your procedure.'

'But what do you think-'

'I don't diagnose over the phone. I was about to go home, but I'll wait for you.'

She listened as he clicked off.

'Shit.'

'What did he say?' Stone asked.

'He said I've got to come out.'

'Do you really want to do that?'

'I don't know. But what's the point of going to a doctor here? They wouldn't know-'

'Then at least let me drive you,' Stone declared. 'And I'll make damned sure they don't pull something funny.'

'Ally,' Jennifer said,'you look absolutely wiped out. Before you do anything, at least let me fix you a sandwich. I think there's some turkey in the fridge.'

'I was thinking about that.' She glanced at Stone. 'You want something?'

'Sure. I'll have whatever you're having.'

'Don't be so sure. Jen can tell you I take mayo and mustard both. I know it's weird but that's the way I am.'

'Then I'll give it a try. I want to get to know you all over again.'

'Also, I hate to say it, but I think maybe I ought to swing by the apartment and get some things. Just in case.'

She listened to her own voice and wondered, would whatever happened to Kristen happen to me too?

Maybe, she thought, what I really ought to take with me is a gun.Maybe Katherine Starr had the right idea.

Jennifer finished the sandwiches and was wrapping them. 'Ally, I'll go with you to your place and pick up Knickers. She can stay with me till you know what's going on.'

'Thanks, Jen. I was hoping you'd volunteer.' She knew she could have dropped a hint and made it happen anyway, but this was nicer.

She then went around and had a few last words. It felt like a good-bye and she didn't want it to. But it did.

Ten minutes later, while Stone waited in her double-parked car, she and Jennifer took the elevator up to her Barrow Street apartment.

'Where did you find that man?' Jennifer asked as soon as they got on. 'He seems nice. Interesting. He's not a client, is he? And, pardon me for noticing, no wedding ring.'

'He actually found me,' Ally declared, punching her floor. 'It's a long story, but he was a guy I was deeply in love with for about fifteen minutes back around college. The old flame I told you about, remember? Then we started getting on each other's nerves. We're both going easy on the personal details right now, but I've got a hunch he's got nobody else percolating. Which, incidentally, goes for me too, or hadn't you noticed.'

They stepped off the elevator and she unlocked the door to her apartment. Knickers exploded with delight.

'Hi, baby.' She reached down and ruffled the sheepdog's ears.

'I really love her,' Jennifer said as she reached down to pet her too.

Knickers began a dance of joy, then ran to search for her rubber ball behind the couch, hoping for a game of fetch with Jennifer.

'By the way, I can't tell you how I appreciate your taking her. She's going to love being at your place awhile. I'm sure she gets bored crazy being here all the time. I probably should get a puppy or something to keep her company, but then she'd be jealous. And I'm not about to get a stupid cat.'

'She loves me because she knows I love her,' Jennifer said. 'I always play with her when you bring her into the office. At least I think she loves me. This may turn out to be the test.'

Ally headed into the bedroom, opened a drawer, and took out some black sweatshirts. Those and black jeans were her favorite things to wear around the house. She slept in a T-shirt and panties, so it wasn't hard to put together her evening ensemble. Besides, if something went wrong with the experimental stem cell procedure, it wouldn't matter a damn what she was wearing.

She threw the clothes into a blue gym bag and headed for the bathroom to fetch some toiletries. By the time she got back to the living room, Jennifer had a measuring cup and was shoveling Science Diet into a large plastic bag.

They delivered Jen and Knickers back to the office. After she gave them both a farewell hug, she came around and slipped into the Toyota's driver's seat, moving Stone across.

'I'm actually feeling better now, so I'll drive as long as I can. And by the way, I'm famished. How about that turkey sandwich?'

'Thought you'd never remember.'

Five minutes later, they were headed up the West Side, with Ally at the wheel. She checked the gas and was relieved to see that she still had two-thirds of a tank. Stone was leaning back in the seat looking at her.

'You know, it's easy for me to say, but trying the stem cell procedure on your heart is probably the right thing for you to do. Still, though, it makes me nervous. If there's a medical glitch of some kind then. . I mean, what the hell is going on with Kristen?'

'I'm going to confront him about that,' she said 'I damned well want some answersbeforeI just turn myself over to him.'

After they crossed the George Washington Bridge, she began feeling slightly better.Maybe, she thought,whatever it is is going to pass. As they headed north up the tree-shrouded highway, she decided to ask him a question that had been nagging at her mind.

'Stone, I know you hate to have these talks, but something about you doesn't quite compute for me right now. There's a kind of unnatural intensity about your pursuit of Winston Bartlett and his stem cell work. And the same goes for his reaction to you. Way back when, I never really thought I knew you, and it's still true. I mean, is this all just about a book on stem cell technology? Or is it something more?'

The question was followed by a long moment of silence as he looked away, into the forest, and appeared to