'So were countless others,' said the nurse, no comment in her voice. 'Is it Manny?'
'Yes.'
The telephone kept ringing.
'After your call, please contact Dr Lyons, sir.'
Kendrick picked up the phone. 'Yes?'
'Evan, thank Christ! It's MJ! I just heard from Adrienne—’
'Fuck off,' said Kendrick, disconnecting the line and dialling information.
At first, the room spun around, then far away thunder grew louder and bolts of lightning crashed into his mind. 'Would you please repeat that, operator, so I'm absolutely clear about what you've just said.'
'Certainly, sir. There's no listing for a Dr Lyons in Cortez or the Mesa Verde district. In fact, there's no one named Lyons—L-Y-O-N-S—in the area.'
'That was his name! I saw it on the clearance from the State Department!'
'I beg your pardon?'
'Nothing… Nothing!' Evan slammed down the phone and no sooner had he done so than it started ringing again. 'Yes?'
'My darling! Are you all right?'
'Your fucking MJ blew it! I don't know how many are dead and Manny's shot up like a slaughtered pig! He's not only half gone but he doesn't even have a doctor!'
'Call Lyons.'
'He doesn't exist!… How did you know about here?'
'I spoke to the nurse. She said a priest was there and, darling, listen to me! We found out only minutes ago that they were travelling as priests! I called MJ and he's beside himself. He's got half of Colorado moving in, all federals and sworn to secrecy!'
'I just told him to take a hike.'
'He's not your enemy, Evan.'
'Who the hell is?'
'For God's sake, we're trying to find out!'
'You're a little slow.'
'And they're very fast. What can I tell you?'
Kendrick, his hair drenched and his body soaked from the sprinklers, looked over at the nurse who was ministering to Weingrass. Her eyes were filled with tears, her throat holding back her hysteria from the sight of her friends on the veranda. Evan spoke softly. 'Tell me you're coming back to me. Tell me it's all going to end. Tell me I'm not going mad.'
'I can tell you all of those things, but you have to believe them. You're alive and that's all that matters to me right now.'
'What about the others who aren't alive? What about Manny? Don't they count?'
'Manny said something last night that impressed me very much. We were talking about the Hassans, Sabri and Kashi. He said we will each remember them and mourn for them in our own ways… but it must come later. To some that may sound cold, but not to me. He's been where I've been, my darling, and I know where he's coming from. None are forgotten, but for the moment we must forget them and do what we have to do. Does that make sense to you… my darling?'
'I'm trying to make sense out of it. When are you coming back?'
‘I’ll know in a couple of hours. I'll call you.'
Evan hung up the phone as the multiple sounds of sirens and approaching helicopters grew louder, all centering on an infinitesimal spot of the earth erroneously called Mesa Verde, in Colorado.
'It's a perfectly lovely apartment,' said Khalehla softly,
