“Dr. Hart! Dr. Hart!”
Sassy’s jaw dropped. Why would he—she stopped, stunned. Could this be one of Marion’s patients released from the institution?
Some will be all right. Others can be extremely dangerous.
The policeman studied both men. “You know what this is all about?”
“He’s from the institute on Queen Street,” the one-eyed man replied. “I need to find his doctor. She’ll know what to do with him. I don’t think he understands what’s going on, honestly. But hang on tight to him. He’s dangerous.”
The police car drove off with John in the back. Sassy watched them turn down the next street, still dazed.
“I gotta make a telephone call,” the eye-patch man said to Sassy. “Can you lend me a dime?”
“Uh, yeah. Of course.” She dug in her purse. “I’m Sassy, by the way. And you are…?”
“Daniel.” He glanced around. “I need to find a phone booth.”
Daniel!Of all the men in this city, she’d just been rescued by Marion’s Daniel? “Let me buy you a coffee instead,” she said, unable to contain her grin. “It’s the least I can do. We’ll call from there.”
“You don’t have to—”
“No, no. I insist.” She shook her head with wonder. “I’m dying to hear how you know my best friend, Marion Hart.”
thirty-twoMARION
Marion had just finished tidying her apartment and was sitting down to make a dent inThe Bell Jarwhen the telephone rang, and Sassy’s incredulous voice burst through. Stunned, Marion listened to her account of the attack, then asked after Sassy’s well-being.
“Never mind that,” Sassy said quickly. “I’ll tell you about it when you get here. You gotta come right away. There’s a guy here with an eye patch, says his name is Daniel…”
Marion clutched the receiver to her ear. “Where are you, Sassy? I’ll be right there.”
Daniel.
She hung up then rushed to her room, heart pounding. How should she look when she saw him? Not like a doctor, she decided. She was no longer his, so why carry on like that? She peered into the mirror, feeling like a nervous teenager. Sassy said she liked Marion’s hair down, so with her heart pounding in her temples, she brushed out the long blond tresses then pulled on a light blue sweater that Sassy had insisted she borrow. Feeling bold, she followed her friend’s instructions with the new makeup she’d purchased, though she wasn’t ready for false eyelashes.
“Not bad,” she said, blinking at her reflection.
Long ago, in that cramped elevator, Sassy had asked Marion what scared her the most. She was afraid, she reluctantly admitted, that she was missing out. Well, she wasn’t going to miss out this time. She grabbed her winter coat and scarf, wriggled into her boots, then stepped out and locked her door. The adrenaline streaming through her made her feel like a whole different woman.
She headed for the bank of elevators and heard the mystery neighbour’s door click open then close, just in time to block her view of the inhabitant. Marion didn’t care. She was going to see Daniel. What a world, where Sassy and Daniel were having coffee together, waiting for her!
She decided not to wait for a bus and hailed a taxi instead. The driver pulled in front of the Riverboat Coffee House, and Marion descended the set of stairs. Paul would be impressed that she’d finally gotten in, she thought.
She spotted Sassy waving to her from a table at the corner of the room. Across from her sat Daniel, and he rose when he saw her. Marion couldn’t get to them fast enough. Sassy had already assured her that she was fine, so she evaluated Daniel as she wove between tables and chairs. He looked all right, she thought, but he could definitely use a shower and a haircut. His coat was draped over the back of his chair, and despite the dimness of the room, she saw his shirt was dirty. Was she imagining it, or was he thinner than he’d been a month ago?
“I thought I would never see you again,” she said, holding out her hands.
He took them. “This city’s so big,” he agreed.
“I disagree! It’s a small world after all!” Sassy put in, wiggling her eyebrows at Marion. “This is far out. Come and sit. You two can talk, and I’ll get us some coffee.”
Marion’s brain went straight to doctor mode. She couldn’t start with questions about his living conditions. Not yet. Those might be answered defensively, and she didn’t want to begin on the wrong foot.
“Sassy said you saved her life. I can’t believe it. I mean, I believe you are capable of it, but how incredible that the two of you even met up. What happened?”
Daniel turned to the side to cough, and Marion noticed his eye patch looked dirty. That couldn’t be healthy. She would get him a new one.
“I was going to find a phone and a phone book to call you, but Sassy reached you first,” he said.
