Kim put the Bible and the two seventeenth-century documents back in the Bible box and carried the box to a console table at the base of the steps leading up to the dining room. She planned to use the box as a repository for any papers she found that related to Elizabeth or Ronald. To that end she went into the cell where she’d found the letter from James Flanagan and brought the letter back to put it with the other materials.
With that accomplished, Kim returned to the room where she’d found the Bible box and began a search through the bureau on which the Bible box sat. After several hours of diligent work, she straightened up and stretched. She’d found nothing interesting. A quick glance at her watch told her it was nearing eight and time for her to head back to Boston.
Slowly climbing the stairs, she realized how exhausted she was. It had been a busy day at work, and she found searching through the papers tiring even if it wasn’t physically demanding.
The drive back to Boston was far easier than the drive out to Salem. There was little traffic until she entered Boston proper. Getting on Storrow Drive for what normally was only a short stretch, Kim changed her mind and drove on to the Fenway exit. She had the sudden idea to pay a visit to Edward in his lab rather than phone him. Since the task of replacing Elizabeth’s head had been so complication-free, she felt guilty she’d been so upset anticipating it.
Passing through the Medical School security with the help of her MGH identity card, Kim mounted the stairs. She’d briefly visited the lab with Edward after one of their dinners, so she knew the way. The departmental office was dark, so Kim knocked on a frosted-glass door that she knew led directly into the lab.
When no one responded, Kim knocked again a bit louder. She also tried the door, but it was locked. After a third knock, Kim could see someone approaching through the glass.
The door opened, and Kim confronted an attractive, slim, blond woman whose curvaceous figure was apparent despite an oversized white lab coat.
“Yes?” Eleanor questioned perfunctorily. She looked Kim up and down.
“I’m looking for Dr. Edward Armstrong,” Kim said.
“He’s not seeing visitors,” Eleanor said. “The department office will be open tomorrow morning.” She started to close the door.
“I think he might be willing to see me,” Kim said hesitantly. In truth she wasn’t entirely sure and for a moment wondered if she should have called.
“Really, now?” Eleanor questioned haughtily. “What’s your name? Are you a student?”
“No, I’m not a student,” Kim said. The question seemed absurd since she was still in her nurse’s uniform. “My name is Kimberly Stewart.”
Eleanor didn’t say anything before closing the door in Kim’s face. Kim waited. She shifted her weight and wished she hadn’t come. Then the door reopened.
“Kim!” Edward exclaimed. “What on earth are you doing here?”
Kim explained that she thought it better to visit than to merely call. She apologized if she’d caught him at a bad time.
“Not at all,” Edward said. “I’m busy but that doesn’t matter. In fact I’m more than busy. But come in.” He stepped back out of the doorway.
Kim entered, then followed Edward as he headed toward his desk area.
“Who was it who opened the door?” Kim asked.
“Eleanor,” Edward said over his shoulder.
“She wasn’t terribly friendly,” Kim said, unsure if she should mention it.
“Eleanor?” Edward questioned. “You must be mistaken. She gets along with everyone. Around here I’m the only bear. But both of us are worn a little thin. We’re on a roll. We’ve been working nonstop since late Saturday morning. In fact Eleanor has been working that way since Friday night. Both of us have hardly slept.”
They arrived at Edward’s desk. He lifted a stack of periodicals off a straight-backed chair, tossed them in the corner, and motioned for Kim to sit. Edward sat in his desk chair.
Kim studied Edward’s face. He seemed to be in overdrive, as if he’d drunk a dozen cups of coffee. His lower jaw was dancing nervously up and down while he chewed gum. There were circles under his cool blue eyes. A two-day stubble dotted his cheeks and chin.
“Why all this frantic activity?” Kim asked.
“It’s the new alkaloid,” Edward said. “We’re already beginning to learn something about it and it looks awfully good.”
“I’m pleased for you,” Kim said. “But why all the rush? Are you under some sort of deadline?”
“It’s purely an anticipatory excitement,” Edward said. “The alkaloid could prove to be a great drug. If you’ve never done research it’s hard to comprehend the thrill you get when you discover something like this. It’s a real high, and we’ve been reexperiencing that high on an hourly basis. Everything we learn seems positive. It’s incredible.”
“Can you say what you’ve been learning?” Kim asked. “Or is it some kind of secret?”
Edward moved forward in his chair and lowered his voice. Kim glanced around the lab but saw no one. She wasn’t even sure where Eleanor was.
“We’ve stumbled onto an orally effective, psychoactive compound that penetrates the blood-brain barrier like the proverbial knife through butter. It’s so potent it is effective in the microgram range.”
“Do you think this is the compound that affected the people in the Salem witchcraft affair?” Kim asked. Elizabeth was still in the forefront of her mind.
“Without doubt,” Edward said. “It’s the Salem devil incarnate.”
“But the people who ate the infected grain were poisoned,” Kim said. “They became the ‘afflicted’ with horrid fits. How can you be so excited about that kind of drug?”
“It is hallucinogenic,” Edward said. “There’s no doubt about that. But we think it’s a lot more. We have reason to believe it calms, invigorates, and may even enhance memory.”
“How have you learned so much so quickly?” Kim asked.
Edward laughed self-consciously. “We don’t know anything for certain yet,” he admitted. “A lot of researchers would find our work so far less than scientific. What we’ve been doing is attempting to get a general idea of what the alkaloid can do. Mind you, these are not controlled experiments by any stretch of the imagination. Nevertheless, the results are terribly exciting, even mind-boggling. For instance we found that the drug, seems to calm stressed rats better than imipramine, which is the benchmark for antidepressant efficacy.”
“So you think it might be an hallucinogenic antidepressant?” Kim said.
“Among other things,” Edward said.
“Any side effects?” Kim asked. She still didn’t understand why Edward was as excited as he was.
Edward laughed again. “We haven’t been worrying about hallucinations with the rats,” he said. “But seriously, apart from the hallucinations we’ve not seen any problems. We’ve loaded several mice with comparatively huge doses and they’re as happy as pigs in the poke. We’ve plopped even larger doses into neuronal cell cultures with no effect on the cells. There doesn’t seem to be any toxicity whatsoever. It’s unbelievable.”
As Kim continued to listen to Edward, she became progressively disappointed that he did not ask her about her visit to Salem and about what happened to Elizabeth’s head. Finally Kim had to bring it up herself when there was a pause in Edward’s exuberant narrative.