Show of Evil

psychological twin, Roy, was purged.

Vail had been elated with his victory. Then, on the way out of the courthouse, Stampler had turned to him, leering, and whispered: 'Suppose there never was an Aaron.' And laughed as they had led him away.

He wants me to know. He wants me to know but not be able to do anything about it. Just like that day after the trial. It was not enough that he had created the nightmare, he wanted to haunt me with it, knowing there was nothing I could do about it, nobody I could tell.

It had been their dark secret for ten years, a cruel umbilical that, even at this moment, bound them together.

Stampler had an insatiable ego. Vail understood that now. That was the game. The dare.

Stop me if you can. Catch me if you can.

Vail did not break the stare. 'And what else did you do beside get a hot fudge sundae?' he asked.

'Went to a record store and bought a couple of CDs. Then we went to Data City, checked out the latest CD-ROMs We went to Belk's and I bought a pair of jeans. My own choice, the colour I wanted, the style I wanted. Two hours of freedom that first day, except, of course, Max was in my shadow all the time. And the next time and the next. Day before yesterday we went to the movies. It was astounding. That enormous screen. Digital sound. Instead of that tiny postage stamp of an image on my eleven-inch screen. Quite an experience.'

'I'll bet,' Vail said. Vail didn't ask what picture he saw although he knew Vulpes was dying to tell him. He was making conversation. He already knew what he had come to find out. The sooner he got out of there, the better.

'Where'd you get the money?' Vail asked, hoping to nick Vulpes's pride, to humiliate him just a little.

'I earned it,' Vulpes answered calmly.

'Earned it?'

'Raymond has become a remarkably proficient electronics repairman. VCRs, TVs, computers…'

'Telephones?' Vail said, raising his eyebrows.

What passed for a smile toyed with Vulpes's lips. 'The telephone company takes care of their own communications,' he answered.

'Raymond earns seventy-five cents an hour repairing all our electronics equipment. So we let him branch out,

'I repair equipment for people on the outside. They bring the stuff to the front desk - '

'I've got nine thousand and change in the bank,' Vulpes interrupted in his silky tone. 'The doc deposits it for me. They keep me busy.'

'He's the best in the area. It's almost like a full-time job,' Woodward said proudly.

And then Vulpes said, 'Soon will be.'

The comment froze Vail. Nothing in Vulpes's face changed, but the eyes twinkled for a moment.

'I don't understand,' Vail said.

'Well, that's the real news,' said Woodward. 'In three more days, Raymond's on furlough.'

'Furlough?' said Vail.

'Six weeks. He's got a job in an electronics repair place on Western -'

'He's coming to Chicago?' Vail interrupted.

'We have a halfway house there,' said Woodward. 'Full-time supervision, ten o'clock curfew, some group therapy - we think Raymond's ready for that now, right?'

'I'm sure I can handle it.'

Vail felt as if an enormous hand were squeezing his chest. He modulated his breathing so as not to indicate it had suddenly become stifled. His hands became cold and he was sure the colour had drained from his face. He took a sip of Coke.

'I'll bet you can,' he finally managed to say.

'If it works out, I mean, if he makes it through those first weeks without incident, the board has elected to release him for good.'