Iris Johansen - Storm Cycle

Storm Cycle

By Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen

ARDMORE UNIVERSITY

HOUSTON, TEXAS

T he trees on the hill should be a perfectcover, Pelham thought.

He moved quickly up theincline from the side of the road, where he'd hidden his car. The sun was lowin the sky. He didn't have much time before the Kirby woman would be runningdown the path toward the Science Building. For the last five days Rachel Kirbyhad been putting in twenty-hour workdays, taking only four hours to rest at hercondo before she'd gone back to the lab to work. Today should be no different.She'd drive her car to the parking lot three miles from the Science Buildingand run the rest of the way.

Pelham knelt as he reached thetrees and gazed down at the campus below. A few students were strolling on thesidewalk, and there was a girl sitting on the steps of the English Buildingworking on her laptop.

Should he take them out? Itwould confuse the motivation. The police would think he was just a nutcase ifhe didn't focus solely on Rachel Kirby. But it would also raise a public outcryand make the chase hotter for him.

Oh well, he'd decide later.His instincts were usually good when it came down to the final moment.

He opened his gun case.

W ait, Rachel."

Rachel turned at the frontdoor to see Allie coming down the stairs. "I've got to get back to the lab,Allie. I'm late."

"Not too late to talk to mefor a moment." Allie closed the door and leaned on it, blocking her way."You've got to stop this, Rachel. It was bad before, but now you're beingstupid. You're working yourself to exhaustion."

"I have a few problems to ironout. I'll rest when I get back on level ground."

"If you don't have abreakdown." Her sister smiled. "We can't have two invalids around here. Lettywould quit on us."

"I haven't heard Lettycomplaining."

Allie's smile faded. "No, youwouldn't. Letty is like you. Nothing is too good for me. Even if it means thatyou're both strained to the max."

Rachel didn't want to hearthis. She had known it was coming. Allie had been too quiet, and Rachel hadbeen aware of her sister watching her, but she had hoped to avoid aconfrontation. "We're not strained. I don't need much sleep, and I'm as healthyas a horse. And Letty wouldn't have her life any other way. She loves takingcare of you."

"I know that. She's going tohate it when--"

"Shut up, Allie."

"Why? I'm not afraid anylonger. I've accepted it." She looked her in the eye. "I want you to accept it,too, Rachel. It's time."

It was worse than Rachelthought it could be. "The hell it is. It's not going to happen."

"It's already happening. WhenI go through one of these downward spirals, it gets harder to walk, and I losecontrol of my hands. My toothpaste went everyplace but on the brush thismorning. And my eyesight is getting worse."

"Your eyesight? When did thisstart?"

"Just in the last couple ofweeks. I tried to tell myself it wasn't happening, but I've lost a little of myperipheral vision. It scared me." She made a face. "And then it made me mad. Atany rate, it was a wake-up call."

"You know how GLD works.Symptoms come and go. It may be years before it gets any worse."

Allie nodded. "I know that.Next week it may correct itself, and I'll have a good period. But I have to beready. You have to be ready."

Rachel closed her eyes.Dammit. Allie had been struggling with this disease since she was a child, butthe past few years had been especially brutal. Globoid Cell Leukodystrophy, akaGLD or Krabbe's Disease, was a rare disorder of the nervous system that mostcommonly attacked infants. They seldom lived past the age of two, butlate-onset GLD patients such as Allie were all over the map in terms ofsymptoms and prognosis.

Allie brushed her hair awayfrom her face. "You can't stop it by working yourself to death for me. That'snot what I want. Do you want to know what I want?"

"It doesn't matter whether Ido or not, you're going to tell me anyway."

"You bet I am." She smiled."I'm lonely, Rachel. I want you to spend time with me instead of in that labtilting at windmills. The battle is over. Let's make our peace with it andenjoy."

Every gentle word Allie wasspeaking was tearing her apart. "It's not over," she said fiercely. "Iwon't let it be over."

"You can't work miracles,Rachel. You've already gone above and beyond. You started a research foundationfor me, for God's sake. Because of you, half of the computers in the free worldare working on a cure for GLD."

"The foundation is close to abreakthrough. They'll come through. I just have to keep--" Allie was shaking herhead. "Don't you dare give up now. I won't have it."

"I'll fight as long as I can.You deserve that from me. I deserve that for myself. But I'm not going topretend anymore. Now will you stay home and get some rest?"

Rachel shook her head. "I'mfine."

Allie moved away from thedoor. "Then go on and tilt at some more windmills. But when you get tired, comehome and be with me." She started up the stairs. She was moving slowly. It wasanother sign of the toll the disease was exacting, Rachel thought in agony.When she was going through a down spiral, all the energy and vitality that wasAllie was shaded like a lamp with the light turned low. She was two yearsyounger than Rachel and when she had her full strength far more attractive. Herhuge dark eyes, peaches-and-cream complexion, and sleek red-gold hair gave herdrama and fascination. But today her eyes were shadowed. She seemed thinner andmore fragile than she had even last week.

"I'll try to take some timeoff tomorrow," she called after her.

"That will be nice." Allielooked back over her shoulder. "Stop frowning. It's okay, Rachel. I'm not tryingto lay a guilt trip on you. I've made a good life for myself. I keep busy. Ipaint, I work on my cars, I do stained glass. But I love you more than anyonein the world, and I want you to be part of that life. I just had to tell youhow I felt."

"You're wrong, Allie."

"Maybe. Don't work too hard tonight." She disappeared around the turn of the stairs.

Rachel stood gazing after her,feeling pain twist through her. It always amazed her how much inner strengthwas housed in that fragile body. Allie had always had a loving serenity thatcould occasionally erupt into a puckish humor that was completely differentfrom Rachel's own character. Rachel burned with energy, and Allie glowed withsoft warmth. Yet sometimes, Allie could be an overwhelming force.

A force that had to keep onexisting, dammit.

Keep calm. Emotion wasn'tgoing to help her keep Allie going. Only work and determination would do thatand, in spite of what Allie had said, Rachel would give everything she had togive.

Stop standing here brooding.She was already late getting to the lab. Lately, everything had seemed to befalling apart, and this latest breach in the flow could be devastating. She hadto stop it before it affected the foundation.

Before it affected Allie.

She opened the door and randown the steps but didn't jump in the car as she usually did. She had too muchemotion tumbling through her and she had to burn some of it off so that shecould work to night. She'd run the eight miles to the lab, and maybe it wouldclear her head. Her usual jog of three miles from the parking lot wasn'tenough.

Not today.

P elham's hand tightened on the rifle.

There she was.

Rachel Kirby had come aroundthe corner of the path. She was running hard, her forehead knitted withconcentration. In her navy blue running suit, she looked even smaller than herfive foot two. She appeared almost childlike, with her delicate features andshort brown-gold hair, her face glowing with energy and life. Beneath thecanopy of oak trees, she could have been an innocent little girl called home tosupper.