Dream Eyes

stopped. “I got the information I wanted out of them and then I called the local cops. I waited until the emergency responders had arrived on the scene and explained that Burns and Elland had murdered the man who had disappeared into the sea caves. I flashed the fancy agency ID Spalding had given me, and the locals were satisfied. I swear, the last time I saw Burns and Elland, they were still alive and on the way to the hospital. Neither of them had life-threatening injuries.”
    Gwen frowned. “They didn’t make it?”
    “No. I wasn’t around to witness what happened, but I found out later that both men went crazy after about a day and a half in the hospital. They both died within forty-eight hours. Suicide. Burns hung himself. Elland slashed his own wrists. Big medical mystery as far as the local authorities were concerned.”
    “Hmm. You have no idea what happened?”
    “The nurses said the two men kept screaming for their special meds. They said their boss had the drugs they needed. They gave the hospital staff a number to call, but no one ever answered.”
    “Because by then their boss, Spalding, was dead?” Gwen said gently.
    “Yes. Before they were taken away in an ambulance, Burns told me that the plan was to dump my body in the same underwater cave that they had used to conceal the analyst. They knew they had to make my death look very, very good.”
    “They were obviously aware that your father and your brother would tear Spalding’s agency and the whole island apart looking for you if they had any suspicions about how you had died.”
    “Don’t forget Emma and my mother,” he said dryly. “They’ve both got claws, trust me.”
    “I believe you,” Gwen said.
    “But Burns and Elland had convinced themselves that if my body was found strapped into a full set of diving gear, everyone would be forced to conclude that I had tried to retrieve the analyst’s body on my own and died in the attempt. It wasn’t long before I found out that Spalding was laboring under the same assumption. He was very sure of himself there at the end when he told me how the plan was going to work.”
    “Back up,” Gwen said. “How did you happen to run into Spalding?”
    “He was waiting for me in the cave. I went there with my own dive gear, planning to take a look around just under the surface of the cave pool. I knew I had to find the analyst’s body as quickly as possible. Evidence, including the paranormal kind, vanishes fast in the water. I had just gotten into my wetsuit when Spalding showed up.”
    “He was on the island, too?”
    “He had followed Burns and Elland to make sure everything went as planned. He said he knew I might turn out to be more of a problem than they could handle. He also said this was his last agency operation. He was closing down the store.”
    “Did he know that Burns and Elland were in the hospital?” Gwen asked.
    “Yes. He also knew that if they were still alive, I had probably gotten enough information out of them to find the analyst’s body.”
    “He tried to kill you?” Gwen asked.
    “Sure. But first I asked him what the hell was going on. He talked. Told me that he was going to take a new position as the director of security for an ultra-classified division of a pharmaceutical firm. He said the company was developing a line of designer drugs aimed at enhancing psychic talents in individuals. He said that the firm had a version of an effective formula but there were still a number of side effects.”
    “The kind that caused Burns and Elland to go mad and take their own lives?”
    “They were on the drug,” Judson said. “Evidently it is highly addictive. Withdrawal leads to insanity, followed by death. In any event, the CEO of the firm had determined that an experienced security expert who not only had some real talent of his own, but who also possessed a working knowledge of the U.S. intelligence community, would be invaluable to the organization.”
    “That description obviously fit your old boss like a glove. Was Spalding on the drug, too?”
    “Yes.”
    “What else did he tell you?”
    “Not much.” Judson gripped the edge of the window and looked out at the river. “He was in a hurry. He said he couldn’t afford to waste any more time. He intended to stage his own death after he got rid of me. He planned to start his new career in the private sector with a new identity.”
    “But first he had to kill you without leaving any evidence. How in the