They had finished the soup and were starting on salads when a frail little man in white appeared at the table. He politely took off his chef’s cap, revealing a head covered with white fuzz. He bowed just slightly to the women. They smiled up at him. Wil stood and shook his hand.
“You must be Mr. Freeman.”
“Call me Gordy,” the old man said. “You don’t mind if I sit down, do you?”
“Sure, go ahead,” Wil said.
Gordy settled himself. He winced as a quick pain shot through his back.
“Can’t be on my feet so much these days,” he groaned. When he spoke to the others, something made his eyes focus directly on Samantha. “Now, what is it you want to know?”
Samantha shifted uncomfortably. Did Gordy recognize her, even after many years?
Wil mentioned the summer house.
“It was nearby,” he said. “Close to the jetty.”
“Well, I know of a place that once stood down the road a bit,” Gordy said. “It was yellow with green shutters. But I’m afraid you won’t be able to see it.”
“Why not?” Samantha asked.
“Because that house burned to the ground ten years ago,” Gordy said. “Sorry.”
Samantha looked down at her salad, her eyes sad. Another dead end.
“Just one more question,” Wil said. “By any chance, are there any government buildings in the area?”
Samantha’s head came up. Barbara’s eyebrows furled.
“Not here in Shoaling,” Gordy said. “But there’s a factory about a mile outside of town. They make parts there. You know, things for airplanes and ships. It’s all fenced in, with a guard at the front gate. Some of the people here in town go to work there. In fact, if you don’t work for the tourist trade in Shoaling, you work at the factory.”
The waitress appeared with their dinners. Gordy stood up.
“Well, is there anything else I can tell you?” he asked.
“Not right now,” Wil said. “But thanks.”
Goody gave Samantha one last look, then turned and walked away.
“That man was staring at you, Samantha,” Barbara said.
“I noticed,” Samantha said. It made her very uncomfortable.
Wil began to cut up his order of soft-shell crabs.
“He might have thought you looked familiar,” he said. “I suppose it’s possible he remembers you from when you visited here.”
“But I don’t remember him,” Samantha said.
She was starting to cry. Barbara, who was nearer to her, quickly reached across the table and squeezed her hand for support.
“It’ll be okay,” Wil said soothingly. “We’re on the right track. I’ll talk to Goody again before we leave, find out why he was looking at you.”
Samantha dried her eyes. “Wil, why did you ask if there are any government buildings here?”
Wil took a drink from his water glass, then set it down again.
“I’ve been going over the things you’ve told me,” he said. “Let’s start with that night in your garage, when someone attacked you. Next, finding yourself in a hotel room with a strange child, who just happens to have some amazing talents. Not the least of which is a knowledge of human anatomy and an understanding of certain medical terms.”
“Too creepy for coincidence,” Barbara commented.
“Right,” Wil said. “This remarkable child starts drawing pictures that remind you of a place you visited when you yourself were a child. Then you start finding out that great big holes have been cut out of your memory. There’s no record of you ever attending med school, although you’ve been a practicing doctor for several years now.”
Samantha winced. “I’m worried about that. What if I have to go to jail for practicing medicine without a license?”
“Don’t worry,” Wil said. “You won’t have to answer to any charges if my hunch is right. You aren’t the guilty one.”
Samantha’s eyes rounded.
“You think the government has something to do with this?” she asked.
“You bet I do,” Wil said. “It must have taken an exorbitant amount of money to pull all of these tricks, to brainwash several people, to ruin lives, and to commit murder.”
Samantha sighed. “Raoul Henley. He’s an innocent victim in all this.”
“So are you, and so is Julie,” Wil said.
They ate in silence for a while, Samantha trying to absorb all that Wil had just said. A government conspiracy! But why? Why was she chosen?
“What are we going to do about it?” she asked finally.
“First of all, we’re going to get into that building,” Wil said.