The guard did so, asking ever so politely, “May I ask where you’re going?”
“I’m taking the patient off campus for some location therapy.”
He stepped in front of Eddie’s wheelchair. “Not without being escorted by my men, you’re not.”
Skylar stiffened. “Excuse me?”
“Perhaps the rules have not been explained to you.”
“Who the hell are you?” She studied him angrily.
“Yancy Packard, new head of security.”
“Well, Yancy, why don’t you enlighten me?” She was indignant.
“Please forgive my being blunt, Dr. Drummond, but in matters pertaining to security, this facility is mine, not yours.” His tone was not in the slightest bit arrogant. In fact, he continued to sound very eager to please. “My only objective is to maintain the safety and security of you and all your patients. I will be happy to arrange a car that will take you anywhere you’d like.”
“I don’t want a driver. I prefer to drive myself.”
“I would prefer that one of my men drive you.”
“Nobody rides in the car with us.” She said it with finality. The young doctor was only going to be pushed so far.
“Then I will arrange for an escort vehicle to lead you on your way. Would that be acceptable?”
She paused, pretending to think it through. Of course she knew they wouldn’t be allowed to leave the facility without armed guards. But her objective had been achieved. She and Eddie would be alone in her car, which had been towed back to Harmony House the day before. The drive would give him the time he needed to work his wonders on his device without prying eyes. The echo box would be fully functional by the time they reached their destination, which was just over two hours away.
CHAPTER 113
Route 323, Saylan Hills, Pennsylvania, May 29, 2:53 p.m.
Saylan Hills, Pennsylvania, was 117 miles from Woodbury, New Jersey. It took exactly two hours and nineteen minutes for Skylar and Eddie and their escort vehicle to reach the city limits. Or, more specifically, to reach the lone traffic light that marked the town’s eastern border. It was a small farming community surrounded by rugged mountains full of coal and other greenhouse-gas-producing minerals.
Eddie sat in the back seat with his devices beside him as he took in the scenery outside his window. “It looks like I remember from the last time I was here. Most of the buildings are the same, except that barn. It used to be red.” He pointed to a faded yellow barn in the distance. “That field wasn’t planted with corn. It had rows of string beans. My grandparents said the people who owned the field wouldn’t mind if I picked some to take home with me.”
“Did you?”
Eddie shook his head. “My father wouldn’t stop the car. He said we didn’t have time.”
“How old were you the last time you were here?”
“I was seven years, three months, and nineteen days old. My father had asked Nana and Papa if I could live with them, but they said no. Their house used to be right over there.” He pointed to a large field now planted with corn. There wasn’t a structure anywhere near where Eddie was pointing. “It’s quiet here. I think I would have liked living with my nana and papa.”
“If you had lived here, you most likely would have never gone to Harmony House, and we might never have met.”
“Then I am glad I never moved here.” He stared at an old church in the distance ahead of them. “Is that where we are going?”
“I believe it is.” She followed the Harmony House security vehicle as it turned into the church parking lot, passing a sign that read: “St. Christopher’s Episcopalian Church, Founded 1907.”
“Where was the church before 1907?”
Skylar smiled. “It hadn’t been built yet. Founded is another way of saying when it was built.”
“Then that’s what the sign should say.”
She studied the church, which was a small wooden building with a slightly sagging roof. Dilapidated, but charming. “This church is over a hundred years old. There must be a lot of echoes inside it. Will that make it more difficult for you to reconstruct the ones you want to hear?”
“As long as I know the date and time the echoes I am trying to reconstruct were first heard, it should not be more difficult than in any other building.”
Skylar parked beside the security vehicle. She turned toward Eddie as the Harmony House guards approached their car. “Remember, keep acting until I tell you it’s okay to stop.”
Eddie nodded. “I will remember.” He put on a glazed, vacant expression.
Skylar got out of the car and opened the trunk, where she had stored the wheelchair Eddie supposedly needed. The guards asked if she would like a hand, but she declined. Skylar positioned the chair outside Eddie’s door and helped him into it, putting the devices on his lap. He clutched them like security blankets.
As she wheeled him toward the church, the guards remained with them. One in front, one behind. They were clearly well trained and took their jobs seriously. Which was why they reacted strongly when Skylar informed them, “You will not be coming inside the church.”
“Doctor, our instructions are to remain with you wherever you and the patient go.”
“The patient’s name is Eddie. His grandparents are waiting for us inside this church. It’s the first time he will have seen them in almost twenty years. The whole point of coming here is for Eddie to feel as comfortable and safe as possible. Your presence is working against everything I am trying to achieve.”
The guards looked to each other, and then surveyed the surrounding environment. There were no trees within a hundred feet of the church. There was no way to enter or exit the building without being seen. “We’ll wait for you by the exits. How long will you need?”
“As long as it takes.” Skylar wheeled Eddie inside the church as the Harmony House guards took up positions at opposite corners of the building. Inside the church, an elderly couple was sitting in the first pew as Skylar and Eddie entered. The couple stood up immediately and turned to face them. The man’s face was weathered from decades of farmwork, but he still looked warm and kind. So did the woman, particularly her eyes, which lit up the moment she saw Eddie.
“Is that my grandson?”
Eddie did not respond. He stared vacantly until Skylar leaned down and whispered to him that it was okay for him to stop acting. “Yes, it is. Is that my nana?”
“Your one and only.” She moved to him, but her husband grabbed her arm, a reminder that their grandson was not comfortable with physical contact and that she shouldn’t try to get too close.
Skylar stepped toward them.
Eddie’s grandfather extended his hand. “I’m Bert, and this here is my wife, Charlene. You must be the doctor we spoke with on the phone.”
Skylar shook hands with him firmly. “I am. Skylar Drummond. Thank you so much for seeing us.”
Charlene replied, “No, thank you. It’s been so long since we’ve been able to see our grandson. We’ve honestly had no idea how to get in touch with him, or even how to find him.”
“His father never told you where he’s been living?”
Bert answered, “We haven’t spoken with Victor since the last time he was here with Eddie, when he was just a boy. That visit didn’t go so well.”
Eddie chimed in. “That was the time when he asked if I could live with you, and you said no. He also told me I couldn’t pick any string beans because we didn’t have time.”
Regret was evident in Charlene’s face. “At the time, I just didn’t think we could have handled the extra responsibility. You understand . . .”
Skylar sympathized. “I do. I honestly think you made the right decision. He’s been living in a facility that is uniquely suited for his needs.”
Eddie added, “Harmony House is a special place for special people.”
His grandfather didn’t like the way that sounded. “Is it some kind of, you know, one of them institutions?”
Skylar nodded. “It is. But Eddie’s right. It really is a special place.”