something worse than carelessness? No, I was probably just being paranoid. First, see that Jason got to a hospital and, God willing, recovered. Then, make sure all the wiring was checked out-and then checked again. And pray that it was no more than an accident.
We sat frozen for long minutes, awaiting the arrival of the EMTs. I could track their progress aurally: the siren swelled in volume, then stopped abruptly when they arrived in front of the museum. There was commotion at the front door; Joe directed them up the stairs, and I heard their equipment clanging as they made their way up. Someone called out from the head of the stairs, and Arabella replied, “In here! Behind the plastic.”
Finally the EMTs appeared. Arabella tugged her daughter away from Jason’s still form. Caitlin came reluctantly, and Arabella wrapped an arm around her shoulders-or at least she tried, since she was at least six inches shorter than the younger woman. I wondered irreverently how such a short round woman could have produced such a tall willowy child. The EMTs set to work with grim efficiency. They managed to work and spit out questions at the same time. “What’s his name?”
“Jason Miller,” Arabella responded.
“What was he doing here?”
“He works here. He’s been painting part of the exhibit.”
“What happened? He fall?”
“No, we were having trouble making the electronic weasel work. Jason just touched it, and something went wrong.”
“It looked like he was hit with an electrical shock,” I volunteered. “He touched something, then he fell down all at once, and he hasn’t been conscious since. The lights up here went out at the same time.”
The EMTs exchanged a glance, then looked at Arabella. “You been working on the wiring lately?”
“Yes. But we’ve passed all our inspections, and everything was fine. The exhibit’s complete except for some painting and touching up. And the other figures were working fine yesterday. I tried them out myself.”
Arabella had been answering the questions with admirable calm, all the while holding on to her daughter-or maybe holding her up. Caitlin hadn’t said a word since her first outburst, and she was deathly pale, twisting her hands together. Hadn’t Arabella said Jason was Caitlin’s boyfriend? She certainly looked upset, maybe more so than Arabella. I felt like a fifth wheel, watching the professionals at work. What had happened here? Arabella had just said that the animals in the exhibit had been working fine yesterday, and today obviously they weren’t. What had changed? And why?
The EMTs straightened and extended the legs of their gurney. “Elevator?” one barked.
“I’ll show you,” Arabella said.
“I want to come with Jason,” Caitlin said abruptly.
“You a relative?”
“He’s my… fiance,” Caitlin said defiantly. Arabella shot her a startled glance but said nothing.
“You can’t ride with us. You can follow if you want, but you may have to wait awhile.”
“Okay. Will he be all right?”
“Can’t say.”
Can’t, or won’t? I wondered. Jason wasn’t dead, but he didn’t look very alive, either. I wished I knew more about massive electrical shock. My closest experience was when I had stuck a fork into a toaster some thirty years ago, an experience I made sure never to repeat. But while it had been unpleasant, I hadn’t blacked out. How much stronger was the current that coursed through Willy the Weasel?
I realized I was still standing in the same place, as though rooted to the spot, when Arabella returned from directing the EMTs. “Nell, I’m going to take Caitlin and follow the ambulance over to the hospital. I’m so sorry you had to be here to see this.”
I shook myself. “Arabella, don’t apologize. You do what you have to-I’ll follow you out. And please let me know how Jason is, as soon as you know anything.”
“I’ll do that.”
There seemed to be nothing else to say, so we filed out the front door in silent procession. Arabella took her daughter’s limp arm, and after speaking briefly to Joe, who was still standing sentinel at the front door, led her around toward the back of the building, where I assumed she was parked. Joe and I watched as the ambulance pulled away.
“Hey, you okay? You look kind of shook up,” Joe said.
I turned to look at him, truly seeing him for the first time. Maybe thirty-five, at bit younger than me. Tall. Curly dark hair, and blue eyes with lashes that no man deserved. Muscled like he worked out, but not too much. At another time and place I might have admired such a fine specimen of manhood, but he was right-I was shaken up.
“Can I give you a lift somewhere?”
He was actually trying hard to be helpful, and I had to admit I didn’t feel ready to face a crowded train. “No, but maybe we could sit down and have a cup of coffee or something?”
“Sure. There’s a shop on the next street, and I know they’re open late. Come on.”
I followed meekly as he led me to what would once have been called a greasy spoon, but at least it was warm, and it smelled of good food. Joe held the door for me and waited courteously until I slid into a booth. The proprietor came over and handed us menus, nodding at Joe. I was surprised that despite what I had just seen, I was hungry. Maybe it was reaction, or maybe I just wanted a distraction. I realized that Joe was watching me with those disconcerting blue eyes.
“I guess we never got properly introduced. I’m Nell Pratt-I run the Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society. Arabella invited me by for a sneak preview of the exhibit.”
“Hi, Nell. I’m Joe Murphy. So, not quite the show you were expecting, I’d wager.”
“Not at all. You said you’re an electrician?” When he nodded, I asked, “Do you have any idea how that could have happened?”
The proprietor arrived, pad in hand, and we ordered coffee and sandwiches. Joe waited until he had left before he replied. “I know that part of the building like the back of my hand, and of course we’ve been extra careful because of the kids and all. No way it should have happened like that, unless somebody’s been messing with the wiring.”
The coffee arrived, and I wrapped my hands around the thick white mug, mostly to stop their shaking. “Why would anyone do that? Everybody loves Let’s Play, as far as I know.”
“That they do,” Joe said. “I really couldn’t say who’d want to do the place harm. Lucky thing the circuit was a new one-the breaker cut off fast. Maybe Jason hit his head when he fell?”
“Could be. I was looking at Willy when it happened, not Jason.” I realized I preferred that explanation over a booby-trapped weasel. I took a deep breath and changed the subject. “So, are you from Philadelphia, Joe?”
“Born and raised,” he replied, and I steered the conversation toward safer topics. The food arrived and was surprisingly good, and after devouring the sandwich, I felt much better. When it was gone, I checked my watch: ten minutes until the next train, and they didn’t run too often after rush hour.
“I need to get going. Thanks for suggesting this, Joe-I guess I was a little rocky after all. Let me get the tab.”
“Glad to help,” Joe said, standing up.
I noticed he didn’t counter my offer to pay, so I left some bills on the table. “I’ve got to go catch my train. Nice to meet you, Joe.”
I left him at the booth and went back out into the dark and chilly night. The train stop was only a few blocks away, and I had to hurry a bit, but I managed to arrive just as the train was pulling up at the platform. I slumped into a seat, hoping that there would be good news in the morning.
CHAPTER 5
Jason Miller was still on my mind as I walked from the station to the Society the next morning. What could have happened? Was he all right? I hadn’t heard a word from Arabella Heffernan, but we weren’t exactly close, and I doubted that she had my home number. Nor did I have hers, and even if I had, I was
