Critical Impact. Linda Hall

said, “He seems to be gone and no one knows where he is. I was just wondering if you knew where he might be. He’s supposed to be working on a movie and he’s not there.”

      She said, “It’s not unusual for him to take off and fly under the radar for a while. He was always pulling stunts like this….” Anna’s voice trailed off and she looked down at her left hand. It was pale, the same color as the sheet.

      Stu said, “I’m sorry he hurt you so much.”

      Anna nodded.

      “We were only together for a couple of months. I met him at a party. When I told him I wanted to do movie makeup, he recommended me for a job and the next day I got a call. It went from there.” She shook her head, all these thoughts tumbling together in her memory. “I enjoyed what I did, but the life there…” She paused. “I never felt like I fit in.”

      “What about his bomb-making?”

      “Peter did special effects. In movies. Not for real.”

      “He never made real bombs?”

      “He worked with explosives, but it’s mostly smoke and mirrors in movies, Stu.”

      Stu nodded and wrote something down. She closed her eyes and drifted off for a mere second. The pain medication and the antibiotic were beginning to take effect. She blinked, her eyes open. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I seem to be fading.”

      He stood up. “If Peter gets in touch with you, or if you remember anything else, or if anything jumps into your mind, be sure to call me right away.” He left another business card on her tray.

      “Stu?” she called.

      He turned. “Yes?”

      “Will you keep me in the loop, let me know what’s going on?”

      He said he would and left.

      And as she watched him go, it seemed to her that there was something that happened right before the blast, something that she should be remembering.

      And that it had something to do with Peter. Or was she just thinking about Peter because Stu had brought him up?